Book Towns collects, as the name would suggest, Book Towns from all over the world. It was an interesting little book for those of us who breathe books, so to speak. I couldn't help but be attracted to them and have added several (in Belgium and The Netherlands) that I would like to visit this summer. Others I would like to visit in the future.

Every town is featured with a story, and several pictures as well as some information. While in general this was really nice, it felt like some of the Book Towns didn't have enough information to really fill the pages. Also, it became repetitive a bit, as most book towns were generated from a Marketing/Tourism point of view and the story was often the same. Also also, it was sad to read that quite a few of them were way past their heyday.

Still a nice read for book lovers.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I'm always interested in books about books, and this book tells about the final days of the bookaneers, people who stole manuscripts from writers for publishers, which is coming to an end with the introduction of copyrights. The main characters try one final time to get their hands on the latest book by Robert Louis Stevenson, which he was writing all the way in Samoa.

The premise was really interesting, but in the execution there was something that didn't really work out. The writing and most of the story were really slow, and there is a lot that doesn't really add to it. It was interesting and kept me entertained, but I felt it was too long for the story it told. I think with the concept of bookaneers, more books could be written (apparently there's at least one more, which features some of the characters from The Last Bookaneer).

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I didn't even bring this book home for myself. It is the strange way that my story with what arguably has become my favourite book begins. I didn't bring it for myself, but still, being me I couldn't resist picking it up and reading a little bit. Only for then, I had to say, sorry, I'm keeping it for a while, because it was impossible to put it down.

The story is narrated by Death, and while at first I wasn't sure about this (I was younger when I read it), I quickly saw that my fears were ungrounded and that Death was the perfect narrator for the story. The story itself is nothing big, but more powerful just because it remains small. One of the few books that managed to make me cry.

I was not completely sure what I was thinking when I decided to read a companion novel to this popular series. There were some questions that I wanted to know an answer to, but in hindsight, I think it probably wasn't really something for me.

The thing is, that I can get annoyed when people start over-analyzing something, which most certainly is the case in The Panem Companion. There are a few interesting pieces like, where in America are the different Districts located and what do they all do, but a lot of the book is actually taken up either by fan theories (which you can find online by the truckload) or metaphors which are apparently planted into the smallest details of the story.

Not for me.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I judge books by their covers. There, I've said it. There are simply far too many books to not shift though them in a fast way before looking into them. Even more so, many a time I've bought books (or chosen them as ARCs) just because I liked them. (I don't think I'm the only one though). And with my March challenge being (completely coincidently) Books chosen for their cover what better way to work up to March than with Book cover designs.

The title, in a way, explains it all. Many designers/designing companies briefly introduce themselves and their working process and than there's a collection of their covers. Some very beautiful covers (many of which I'd previously seen in book stores of course, but seldom do I stop to wonder who made the cover).

It was very nice to read about the process of making a cover. The best part, for me, was following the discussion that seemed to go on between the different designers on whether or not you should read the book to be able to design a cover (or perhaps you only need to read a little bit). Personally, I would say you have to read the book to feel what kind of book it is and what kind of cover would fit, but what do I know about it, I can't even draw simple things.

And while it was nice to look at the covers, some of them were frankly not so special. One really looked like it could have been made in MS Paint by my younger sister, but maybe that was just a very avant garde artsy one that I didn't get. Sometimes, I believed it unnecessary to show like six cover in exactly the same style, and in those cases I would have liked to see some more variation. Also, taste is a very personal thing of course.

Either way, if you love to browse book stores just to stare at book covers, you will certainly like to read this.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!