Search This Blog







2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2025 Literary Escapes Challenge


2025 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge



2025 Build Your Library Reading Challenge









So Many Books, So Little Time

If you don't know, Nancy Pearl is a bibliophile who has worked as both a bookseller and a librarian. Her book recommendations have earned her a reputation as "a rock star among readers and the tastemaker people turn to when deciding what to read next" (quote from her website). Pearl chats about books on National Public Radio (NPR), on her website and in her books Book Lust, More Book Lust, Book Crush, and others.
Book Lust is essentially a listing of recommended titles categorized by topic. The topics cover nearly every genre, from poetry to historical fiction to biography to "books that are simply about nothing" (256). Each section contains at least 6 recommended titles, both fiction and non. Some of her suggestions are obvious (Amy Tan for Chinese-American fiction, Chaim Potok for Jewish, etc.), and some are more unique. Pearl also offers a good mix between classic and contemporary literature.
I'm not sure how many titles Pearl covers in Book Lust, but it's a lot. To cover that much ground, she makes short work of plot summaries, usually limiting herself to one sentence per title. I need more than that to decide if I will like a book or not, so I found that aspect of the book annoying. Otherwise, I thought the book covered a good, wide-ranging selection of titles. I was awed by the sheer amount of books discussed and the fact that I had read only a fraction of them. That's the only problems with books like this - and book blogs for that matter - it reminds me of how many books there are out there and how little time I have to read them...
7 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!


Reading
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Listening
If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell


Followin' with Bloglovin'

-
-
Nowhere Girl By Cheryl Diamond5 hours ago
-
-
Nonfiction Books on BookTV10 hours ago
-
-
Sunday Post #56613 hours ago
-
-
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff16 hours ago
-
One Word Titles A-to-Z19 hours ago
-
-
Book Quotes22 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
A Review of Nor Gloom of Night2 days ago
-
-
-
Audiobook: Kate & Frida2 days ago
-
-
-
-
Books I DNFed in 20244 days ago
-
Isola by Allegra Goodman5 days ago
-
I have been reading...1 week ago
-
-
February 2025 Reading Wrap Up2 weeks ago
-
-
-
One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery4 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
I'm Still Reading - This Was My October4 months ago
-
Review: The Duke and I7 months ago
-
Girl Plus Books: On Hiatus8 months ago
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?2 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!


Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)


2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge
2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
2023 - Middle Grade Fiction
2022 - Middle Grade Fiction
2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction

I love books about books too - I think perhaps it's the sign of a true bookaholic. I haven't read this one but two I like are Ex Libris, Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman and A Passion for Books by Harold Rabinowitz.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Fadiman's book, too. I haven't read Rabinowitz' - I'll have to check it out. I finally gave up putting all of Pearl's recommendations onto my TBR list - there were just WAY too many books!
ReplyDeleteI own both of her Book Lust books as well as Now Read This. I'm an academic librarian, and as goofy as it sounds, Nancy Pearl is a rock star in the library world. I met her and got her autograph at a library conference in 2005. She's very nice and funny. She even has an action figure (and yes, I do own it!).
ReplyDeleteI'm almost afraid to read a book like this--like you said, it is just a reminder of all that I want to read but never will! It doesn't help that lately it seems I do more reading of blogs than books. I just love to read reviews, even if it's of a book I won't ever read!
ReplyDeleteI love her book More Book Lust even more than the first! I also love Anna Quindlan's short book How Reading Changed My Life.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you're aware of this...you may be...but there is a Nancy Pearl book called Book Crush that has lists of books for kids and teens.
ReplyDeleteI'm planning to check out the rest of Pearl's books. I'm especially excited about Book Crush, Becky - have you read it? Shelly - I love Anna Quindlen - I need to check out her book about reading. Will I ever get to all the books I want to read??? *sigh*
ReplyDelete