Comfort Reads discussion

Sometimes it's wonderfully comforting to read books about books.

There are many that I've enjoyed.

One favorite, a book of autobiographical essays I've already mentioned in other threads is Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman.

Post your favorite "books about books" in this thread.

That looks lovely. On to TBR it goes...

Not really about books, but I loved it immensely:

The Uncommon Reader: A Novella, by Alan Bennett

What a great thread! I don't have any to add at the moment, but I'll be eager to see what people post.

I just want to comment that even though this is in the non-fiction folder, there are plenty of books about books that are fiction. Please feel free to post about those books too. I plan to do so.

The Eyre Affair and sequels, by Jasper Fforde. Do check them out! Even a hint is a laugh spoiler; it's so much funnier when you come across whatever without expecting it :D

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende Much better than the movie.

Inkheart and sequels, by Cornelia Funke

Don Quixote was accused of having gone mad from reading too many knightly adventures and romances.

The Complete Compleat Enchanter by L. Sprague de Camp Go there! It's hilarious.

How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen. I gave it four stars. I plan to reread it sometime and mark favorite quotes as I go.

Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life by Michael Dirda. I gave this one three stars. There were some sections of it that I loved, and other sections that I wasn't interested in at all.

These types of books can be very comforting! You see that other people are just as nutty about reading as you are - and in some cases even more so. It's nice to know that you aren't the only one! :)

Lisa wrote: "I just want to comment that even though this is in the non-fiction folder...."

oops.... helps to read the instructions....

Hayes wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I just want to comment that even though this is in the non-fiction folder...."

oops.... helps to read the instructions....

"

Hayes, Well, yes, feel free to add fiction as well as non-fiction books to this thread. It's a bit confusing, I admit.

ETA: Originally this thread had its own folder, but we were accumulating too many folders with not enough threads in each, so this thread is here.

Peregrine, all of the "Thursday Next" series by Jasper Fforde are wonderful and enjoyable and I must have read Michael Ende's The Neverending Story so many times I've lost count (and have not seen the movie and I don't think I ever will). Haven't read any of the Inkheart trilogy yet, as I want to read the novels in German before reading a translation. Wasn't there a movie made of this as well?

Gundula wrote: "Peregrine, all of the "Thursday Next" series by Jasper Fforde are wonderful and enjoyable and I must have read Michael Ende's The Neverending Story so many times I've los..."

I think there was a movie made of Inkheart, yes. Haven't heard anything good about it, though. Lucky you to be able to read Cornelia Funke in the original! Probably Michael Ende too, eh?

Yeah, I love his work. I have them all listed on my bookshelves. And, I have to say that it is actually Momo that is my favourite.

There are a couple of nice lists at Listopia on this topic:

* Books about Books

* Stories for Book Lovers

Peregrine wrote: "Gundula wrote: "Peregrine, all of the "Thursday Next" series by Jasper Fforde are wonderful and enjoyable and I must have read Michael Ende's The Neverending Story so man...
I think there was a movie made of Inkheart, yes. Haven't heard anything good about it, though. Lucky you to be able to read Cornelia Funke in the original! Probably Michael Ende too, eh? "

It's just come out here in Italy and my friends said they loved it and now want to go read the book. I want to read the book first.

Luann wrote: "There are a couple of nice lists at Listopia on this topic:

* Books about Books

* Stories for Book Lovers"

Thanks, Luann. I've voted on the Stories for Book Lovers list but didn't know about the Books about Books list.

There's also a list called "Metafiction," but I didn't like it as much as the other two.

Peregrine wrote: "Gundula wrote: "Peregrine, all of the "Thursday Next" series by Jasper Fforde are wonderful and enjoyable and I must have read Michael Ende's The Neverending Story so man..."

Inkheart was filmed with Brendan Fraser and Paul Bettany. I really enjoyed the movie and it didn't mess with the book too much (according to my daughter). All of the actors did a good job. My daughter read the first two in English and got the third in German and was able to read it months before her friends here!

The movie does sound intriguing, but I am going to wait until I have read the book(s). Don't know when that will be, though, as I have quite a few other books that I should (and want to) read first.

My daughter says the filmakers of Inkheart changed some things, but kept the spirit of the book (she says they cut the boring bits, mostly). Wasn't Cornelia Funke involved with making the film? I know she's living in the US now.

Oh, just remembered 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff! Yes! Small, beautiful, poignant book about an American woman (Hanff), ordering books from a bookseller in London, and gradually coming to know and correspond with its owner and staff. The timeline includes WWII. The movie of the same name, with Anne Bancroft, Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench, is waaay up there on my comfort list :-) Just haven't seen it in a good long while.

Peregrine, Oh, I love that book and I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet. Unbelievable! Thanks! I'll go add it to our shelves!!!

I can't believe we forgot about that book too! I just read it a few months ago and thought it was terrific! Good one Peregrine!

There is a follow up book to Charing Cross, called The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street where Helene finally gets to London. It's a loving, touching book. She also wrote Underfoot in Show Business when she was an aprentice playwright, and The Apple of My Eye re her love of New York.

Does this fit here? I love Nancy Pearl's Book Lust and More Book Lust. She is a librarian (often heard on NPR) and puts her favorite books into great categories.

Amy, They definitely fit here, and I like these books too. She also wrote one for children's books.

Book Crush: For Kids and Teens-Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment and Interest is the one she's written about kids' books.

I read Book Lust and thought it was just okay, but I wasn't aware she had written one for kids. Thanks, Lisa! I'll definitely have to check that one out.

Luann, It wasn't that great either. Fun but also frustrating. Leaves out many favorites and these types of books also become obsolete.

Thanks for the feedback, Lisa. My library doesn't have it, and I don't want to buy it. But I just read quite a lot of it using Amazon's "Look Inside" feature. :) It let me read all of the introduction and quite a few of the inside bits when I kept clicking the "Surprise Me!" link - enough to let me know that I really don't want to buy it, but wouldn't mind reading it sometime.

I just added Scout, Atticus, and Boo: A Celebration of Fifty Years of To Kill a Mockingbird to our shelves. Wow! If you've enjoyed the book To Kill a Mockingbird and have thoughts & feelings about it, this is a great book. I loved reading about others' thoughts & feelings about the book, and I learned some things about the author I hadn't known too. A very comforting read because it made me think again about TKAM.

Hayes wrote: "That looks lovely. On to TBR it goes...

Not really about books, but I loved it immensely:

The Uncommon Reader: A Novella, by Alan Bennett"

This is one of my favorites. Also 84, Charing Cross Road.

Maude wrote: "There is a follow up book to Charing Cross, called The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street where Helene finally gets to London. It's a loving, touching book. She also wrote Underfoot in Show Business whe..."

Letter from New York: A Journal of the City is another Hanff gem.

Thanks for the information, Ivan. I didn't know about that one.

Here's another delightful novel: The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers. Might be in the YA section. It's part mystery, part magical adventure, part quest, and above all a delightful celebration of books and reading.

Diane, It sounds great. I'll check it out. Given the size of my to-read shelf, it might already be there.

Lisa wrote: "Diane, It sounds great. I'll check it out. Given the size of my to-read shelf, it might already be there."

It is a wonderful book, but I have only read it in German, so I have no idea what the translation is like. There are supposedly other books in the same series, but I have not read these, just The City of Dreaming Books.

Gundula, Yes, I noticed it was #3 or #4 is a series, but it's the only one of the series that I have on my to-read shelf. Hmm... I'd have to read it in English translation, unfortunately.

It's been a long time since I read them (soon to be remedied), but I remember loving Christopher Morley's Haunted Bookshop and Parnassus on Wheels.

Tracey, thanks to your mention above I just read The Haunted Bookshop and Parnassus on Wheels. They're available for the Kindle for about $1 each. Amazing, and they were perfect for the last week when I've had a flu bug and didn't have energy to do anything but sit around and read.

Here's another good book about books: A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse. It took me a bit to get into the story but it's quite good and definitely different.

Diane, I love books about books and I think those are on my to-read shelf.

I'm reading which is about the Hunger Games, it's really good!

Anne wrote: "I'm reading which is about the Hunger Games, it's really good!"

Oh, I've been wanting to read that!

I read Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops last month and loved it! And Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader was very interesting. I've become a fan of Anne Fadiman.

I'm now reading The Library Book. I'm dipping into it now and then. I especially love the cover!

Visited a new indy bookstore in Ann Arbor today (Literati Bookstore) and picked up a copy of "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore" by Robin Sloan. I'm delaying starting it, because it has been highly rated, and I need to avoid devouring it!