The postman got a break from me this week, but one of my locals and my library, did not.

 

Between my library system getting a few upgrades and my taking the time to dig around their website a bit more, I'm figuring out how to get more out of it than I have up until now. They have a user list function, so I've been creating a list of books as I come across interesting titles.  As you can see, it's working well so far.

 

My library haul includes Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde.  This is going to be my Science Fiction read for Summer Book Bingo.  I dislike dystopian settings, but I dislike space and AI fiction more - and I love Fforde's other work so I'm totally willing to give this a go for the humour alone.

 

I also picked up a couple of titles I found in an article on LitHub that recommended books about books: A Passion for Books: A Book Lover's Treasury of Stories by Harold Rabinowitz and Rob Kaplan  and The Book of Lost Books by Stuart Kelly.  Sitting next to The Book of Lost Books was Book by John Agard, which looked cute and short.

 

The library haul was rounded off with Picnic in Provence by Elizabeth Bard  and Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini and Rebecca Paley  because I've seen so many good things said about both here on BookLikes.

 

Two of the three bookshop buys were impulses from shelf browsing; I had just read about The World Between Two Covers: Reading the Globe by Kelli Ann Morgan  mere hours before seeing it on the shelves, so that felt like karma.  The Clasp by Sloane Crosley looks funny and I've read her essays - they're hysterical.  The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman  because it's birds, science and look at that cover!

 

Total new books: 9

Total books read this week: 9

Total physical books on TBR: 227

 

I hope everyone has had or is having (depending on which side of the dateline you're on) a fabulous weekend!

This was a very satisfying read. I will probably add this book to my physical library as a reference. The collection was full of variety which is exactly what made it so satisfying. From humor to education to enumeration of desirable texts to history and biography this compilation of essays had it all. There were 2 or 3 essays that I felt I had to slog through but for the most part all the selections were good reading.

Like many collections of essays from various sources, some pieces were stronger than others. This was, however a very enjoyable and, indeed, passionate exploration of books with contributions from a variety of people, of many times and places.

Perhaps what has stuck with me the most, due to the current climate of the publishing and printing industries, was an excerpt from a longer piece by Anna Quindlen, "How Reading Changed My Life," that examines the future of the book in digital age (in the late 1990s). While it's interesting to see that the argument preoccupying so many readers today was already stewing nearly 15 years ago, the piece was tinged with a touch of sadness and bitter humor for me personally; her outlook is positive but is not holding up quite so well in the present day.

Another piece I really enjoyed was Umberto Eco's examination of the large personal library, something he most definitely possesses. It's suggested reading for anyone who has ever had a non-bibliophile friend survey your overstuffed shelves and ask "Have you read all of these books?" Really, what good is a library where you've read everything? I agree with my pal Umberto: not much good at all.

For those of us who turn to books not only for entertainment or edification, but for solace and understanding, there is the essay by George Hamlin Fitch. After the death of his beloved son, only the comfort of books could keep him going, and I feel that is the ultimate testament to the power of the written word.

A Passion for Books is a well-balanced compilation of insight, humor and wit and it ranks among my favorite books about my favorite thing: books.

This is one of my favorite books. Since it is a collection of essays and other short pieces, I always find it easy to pull off the shelf and read a piece or two here or there. It is a book that I often turn to when in the mood to read something light, and I have probably read it through two or three times already. As the title says, this is a treasury for book lovers. It is a bit heavy on the stuff about book collecting, but it is still enjoyable.