Task #3: Read a book about books

[Renee]

I just finished When Books Went to War. What an amazing read!

[Jennifer]

I just finished Avid Reader: A Life for this task. Very good! Loved the insights into the NYC publishing world.

[Bianca]

I can reccommend The Shadow Of The Wind there are three books about the cemetary of forgotten books.

[Carolina]

I've read The Shadow of the Wind - very good book!
Currently I'm reading Paper and Fire Which is the sequel of Ink and Bone, and I'm planning on reading The Burning Page which is the third book of The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. Both of these are excellent series and my usual kind of read so it's not that much of a challenge.
To push myself I'll be reading S. which I've had for ages but haven't gotten round to reading.

[Tiffany]

Krista wrote: "Monica wrote: "This will be a fun one. I'm thinking one of the following:
The Eyre Affair
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Fahrenheit 451 is a long one, but it's full of really fascinating (and sometimes very funny!) stories about book collec..."

Monica wrote: "This will be a fun one. I'm thinking one of the following:
The Eyre Affair
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Fahrenheit 451
[book:When ..."
I loved the

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was really enjoyable.

[quietprofanity]

I read The Victorian Bookshelf: An Introduction to 61 Essential Novels by Jess Nevins. It looks at a lot of classics (and forgotten popular 19th Century Literature) through the lens of genre and it's pretty interesting. (My review is here.)

[Bill]

AJ wrote: "Would books about poetry (and the writing of) work for this challenge?

alternatively, what about House of Leaves? or would that be disqualified because it's more a book about...anothe..."

I'd say that House of Leaves fits the theme -- it's about a lot of things (stories within stories) but at the "top level" it's about a character finding an incomplete and heavily footnoted draft of a book in progress. Although I only gave it three stars, I have recommended it to lots of friends who say they want a really unique reading experience.

[Julia]

quietprofanity wrote: "I read The Victorian Bookshelf: An Introduction to 61 Essential Novels by Jess Nevins. It looks at a lot of classics (and forgotten popular 19th Century Literature) through the lens..."

That book sounds fascinating and I definitely need to check it out.

[Jericho]

I'm planning on reading The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby, which I think counts. I'm trying to make my to-read books I already own count for as many tasks as possible!

[Britany]

Finished by Helene Hanff-- 4 Stars

A book filled with letters and for book lovers
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sherrita]

For this task I'm reading the never ending story

[Elyse]

Ari wrote: "Would The Magicians by Lev Grossman count, seeing as the book is based on the concept of a fictional book series being real? I know it's technically about a school for magic but the protagonist has..."

I think The Magicians would count as it's so focused on the Fillory books and there are many references to them throughout the series but mostly in the first book.

[Elizabeth]

A few months ago my mother gave me a paperback of The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne. This is the book I've chosen for task #3, and I've just begun it. I appreciate the challenge nudging me to read this, and I recommend any librarian should at least read the first chapter, it gave me some much needed chuckles. Also, I love being reminded how much reading can mean to some people, children especially. The beginning chapter is full of Hanagarne's childhood memories, and his boyhood crush on Fern from Charlotte's Web is adorable...

[Teresa]

An interesting side note... Josh Hanagarne works at my favorite local library. His book was heavily promoted by the library, naturally. Oddly enough, I haven't read it, nor do I remember ever seeing him although I volunteer there.

[Chris]

I read The World's Strongest Librarian last year. I think you'll enjoy it.

[Teresa]

So, Reading Up A Storm was enjoyable, nothing spectacular. Other than the main character working and living in a converted light house library with an upstairs apt, it isn't about books. A couple days ago, I won three books in a drawing. One of my choices was Readers of Broken Wheel, based on all the positive comments people here have given it.

[Gretchen]

I just finished "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks. It is a story about a book. Some hokey parts which is why I gave it 4 stars.

[Helen]

I just finished The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe and would highly recommend it!

[Ashley]

I'll finally get around to getting The World Between Two Covers: Reading the Globe off my TBR list! It has a different title outside the US and Canada for anyone else interested.

[Elizabeth]

Teresa wrote: "An interesting side note... Josh Hanagarne works at my favorite local library. His book was heavily promoted by the library, naturally. Oddly enough, I haven't read it, nor do I remember ever seein..."
There are two parts, the opening chapter, and around the tenth chapter, that I really appreciated as a librarian. The later part, his rhapsody about the library- it seems different than the rest of the book, but definitely gives you insight into his passion for librarianship and how life saving reading and libraries have been for him throughout his life. What I didn't expect to appreciate so much, was reading about the element of faith- but I really liked how he wrote about his religion, how his faith related to his family life, and the questions he had during the course of his life. I am not a writer, so for risk of sounding cliche, I truly admire how he turned his challenges into strengths (literally).
Edit: When reading that book, and the descriptions of the library- I had to do a google image search. Especially fascinating was the sculpture Hanagarne described with the flying books... It's so beautiful. That library seems huge! Part of what I loved is when he mentions the spiel he gives the kids about the vastness of the collection, which is a lot more impressive- but similar to what I used to do as a children's librarian. However, I was speaking of an entire library system, he is speaking of one amazing building. I'd love to visit that place some day. Teresa, I can see why it's your favorite.

[Elizabeth]

Chris wrote: "I read The World's Strongest Librarian last year. I think you'll enjoy it."

Yes! I really did. My mother gave me this book and said she picked it up for me because of "Two of your favorite things, being a librarian and lifting weights." But of course, there is so much more to this book.

[Teresa]

Elizabeth, my library is 5 stories and it won a bunch of architectural awards when it was built. The head sculpture is amazing. The butterfly on each book of the sculpture moves it's wings, but very slowly. You have to pick a butterfly and watch it for at least 5 minutes. I take everyone to see it.

[Jessie]

I FINALLY got around to Stephen King's On Writing, and it was so wonderful. I'm glad I bought it because I know I'll return to it again and again. I'd also recommend The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald or Wendy Lesser's Why I Read for this challenge.

[Jan]

"The Book that Matters Most" by Ann Hood is a novel about a book group and a year or reading. Ponders what certain books mean to different people and how reading a book again at a different timein your life can alter what it evokes.

[Shawn]

Some interesting options here.

http://www.unboundworlds.com/2017/03/...

[Chinook]

I read My Life in Middlemarch for this and really enjoyed it. Now I need to read Middlemarch.

[Megan]

I read Ink and Bone for this. Highly recommended.

[Marie]

Michelle wrote: "I read The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts for this challenge and it was awesome! "

That sounds amazing and I added it to my to-read list!

I love books about books, so I have many to choose from. But I'm picking The Fourth Bear, because I own that and I'm trying to whittle down the to-read books on my bookshelves.

[Kirsten]

I read The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan for this one.

The lead character gets laid off from being a librarian and is the type of person that can't bear to see a book being thrown away and so makes emergency adoptions. She has so many books she decides to open a bookshop in a van and goes to small Scottish village.

Found it delightful.

[Kristin]

Elaine wrote: "I just finished reading "This Monstrous Thing" which is the authors take on Frankenstein. I really enjoyed the story and the actual Frankenstein book is part of the story. I think it would qualify ..."

Intriguing. I just finished re-reading Frankenstein for Task 9!

[Sonia]

Public Library and Other Stories by Ali Smith

I've making my way through this book and I think it will fit into this challenge.

[Jessica]

I read The Thirteenth Tale. A fun page-turning homage to gothic literature.

[Ann]

I'm reading Public Library and Other Stories. I'm a fan of short stories.

[Rebecca]

I read the Bookman's Tale for this, but it was so disappointing! I liked the idea, and I even learned something about Shakespeare folios and the controversy around the plays' authorship, but the characters were so flat. I may read an additional one for this challenge if I wind up having time, possibly the Reader on the 6.27.

[Annie]

Recommending "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" or "Storied Life of AJ Fikry."
Both excellent!

[Kate]

Has anyone mentioned Here, There Be Dragons? The whole Imaginarium Geographica series is as the name suggests.

[Jocelyn]

I'm reading Smugglers & Scones right now which I think counts. It's a murder mystery novel, but the setting is the home of a famous author turned bed and breakfast, where only mystery authors can stay. It has a lot about the writing of the author's books, and one of the deceased author's books lies at the center of the plot

[Darlene]

For this task I just started The Shadow of the Wind

[Teresa]

I read Ink and Bone based on the rec's from here and the author is Rachel Caine. I'm a fan of hers.
The plot was unexpected. I'm drawn to dystopias featuring young adults even when I don't realize that's the story premise, lol.
I could see the settings and surroundings as I read the book. I lost track of time while I was in the book.
I recommend it.

[Sarah]

I read Books for Living for this task. Overall, I found it a mixed bag...some of the essays were quite compelling, others not so much...but still an okay read on the whole. I think I prefer the author's earlier book, The End of Your Life Book Club to this one.

[Lissa Mascio]

I just finished The Great Passage by Shion Miura (translated). It's a novel about dictionary publishers set in Japan. A little slow to start but a good read.

[Liesl]

Sam wrote: "Britt wrote: "The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly :)"

That is one of my all time favorites.

I'm thinking about The Thirteenth Tale, [book:When I Was a Child I Read Books|120950..."
The Thirteenth Tale is exceptional.

[Bill]

I just finished The Clothing of Books, a short but interesting reflection on the relationship between book covers/jackets and readers, authors, and publishers.

[Kim]

http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the...
Just found this in case you need more ideas.

[Cristy]

My choices were At Home with Books: How Booklovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society for this challenge.

[Kelly]

Like a few others in this thread, I just finished The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend for this challenge, and it was such a warm and fuzzy reading experience. It is very bookish, referring to no fewer than 70 books that are pillars of contemporary pop literature (and I loved that it was utterly unsnobbish in its taste for books) and in general made me feel totally validated for being the kind of person who carries a book at all times in case human conversation doesn't live up to the pleasure of reading.

[Karen]

What about Midnight in the Bright Ideas Bookstore?

[Elyse]

Karen wrote: "What about Midnight in the Bright Ideas Bookstore?"

Too new for me to know if it's about books! :)

[Megan]

For this category, I read The Thirteenth Tale, which had been sitting in my TBR pile forever. Glad I can finally check it off my list!

[Elyse]

Megan wrote: "For this category, I read The Thirteenth Tale, which had been sitting in my TBR pile forever. Glad I can finally check it off my list!"

So good!