Books on the Nightstand discussion

While listening to the latest podcast, I thought it would be interesting to see what people come up with here as far as the last discussion question mentioned.

When I read books about books, I usually go non-fiction such as Nicholas Basbanes books and the Goldstones books about their adventures in the rare book field.

Although who could possibly forget The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon? That was an amazing thrill ride of a book.

I love reading books about books!

Here's a few:

(gotta love that cover!) and

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones dealt with children on an isolated island listening to Great Expectations and their reactions to their only literary experience...I loved it

I can't believe I forgot the Inkspell series by Cornelia Funke!

The Jane Austen Book Club amused me... I enjoyed reading about people reading Jane Austen more than I enjoyed actually reading Jane Austen.

(i know, I know, I'm going to book lover hell, aren't I)

The End of Mr. Y is a scifi mystery based on a book. It starts out a little like The Shadow of the Wind and The Thirteenth Tale.

I have a "books-about-books" shelf - here it is if you want to see it http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/....
My favourite books from the shelf are The Thirteenth Tale and The Shadow of the Wind.

I haven't read this yet, but got emailed a review about it & it sounds great - Tolstoy & The Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch. After her sister dies, she decides to read a book a day for a year & this book is about what she gained from that year and how it helped her deal with her grief.

Oh, and there's also The Paper House

I haven't had a chance to read
, but it's certainly a book about books. I'm happy to report I snagged this book during the retreat yankee swap!

John Dunning, a book collector himself, writes mysteries with the main character, Cliff Janeway, a book collector, solving mysteries which always involve books. The first is .

Then there is a quirky duet of books the first is . The books are full of lists such as the top 10 books to read when you are depressed, the top 10 books to read when you are in love, and on and on.

Then there's:

I really liked by Laurence Cosse which is about opening a bookstore in Paris. Part of the plot involves small versus large bookstores which makes it particularly timely in light of the Borders situation.

Linda wrote: "Then there's:


[bookcover:Reading Like a Writer: A Gui..."

84 Char Crossing Road is one of my all time favorite books. My heart beat a little faster when it was mentioned on the podcast. I reread it every few years. I think I may dig it out now.

Diane wrote: "Linda wrote: "Then there's:


[bookcover:Reading Like a..."

I just read 84 Charing Cross Road the other night for the first time and really enjoyed it. Should I watch the movie?

Kate wrote: "Diane wrote: "Linda wrote: "Then there's:


[bookcov..."
The movie is good too.

Yes, Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins! Wonderful adaption

Francine Prose (Author) made me feel like I needed to go back to high school and read/re-read the books she references in Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them. I don't like feeling that way ("missed out again, Loser!") I enjoyed Michael DirdaBook by Book: Notes on Reading and Life much more.

Julie wrote: "Francine Prose (Author) made me feel like I needed to go back to high school and read/re-read the books she references in [book:Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love B..."

Julie,

I made a list of all the books that Prose wrote about in that book. I really don't need to add those to my TBR, but I"m tempted and I do have the list.

Thought the book was really informative.

I recently read The Borrower in which the main character is a librarian and one of the paragraphs I loved was about how she organized her own books at home - "...George Eliot and Jane Austen shared a stack with Thackeray because all I had of his was Vanity Fair, and I thought that Becky Sharp would do best in the presence of ladies (and deep down I worried that if I put her next to David Copperfield, she might seduce him). Then there were various stacks of contemporary authors who I felt would get along together at cocktail parties..." Absolutely charming!

Linda wrote: "Julie wrote: "Francine Prose (Author) made me feel like I needed to go back to high school and read/re-read the books she references in [book:Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for Peo..."

I really enjoyed that Prose book... in the same genre of "books about books that will add to your TBR pile," I also enjoyed How to Read Literature Like a Professor and How to Read Novels Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. Kind of a trip back to freshman English class, but it's a great refresher of what makes books good, and his examples are sure to give you some new books to investigate.

Another nonfiction book about books that I found thoughtful and just plain old well written was The Things That Matter: What 7 Classic Novels Have to Say About the Stages of Life.

There must be another thread here on this topic because I remember several people mentioning and , which I keep on my nightstand at all times. I like to dip in when I just have a couple minutes to read before bed.

I also loved by Sara Nelson, although I found her take and mine on many books was wildly different. Not so much in the enjoyment, but even what the book was mainly about. Still, highly recommended, have reread it a couple of times.

is a fun book about a rat who eats books and then learns to read.

While by John Irving is not strictly a book about books, whenever I think back on it, what I remember most fondly is a scene at the end that any booklover would appreciate.

made me want to read some of the classics mentioned there
(and I haven't done it...yet!).