found this little guy on a desk while patiently waiting for my high school english teacher to come back to his classroom today. he didn't show, but i mined its cleverly and whimsically constructed lists of book recommendations for solid gold. ( )

If you need a book suggestion, this list will keep you occupied for months. ( )

If you're in a reading rut and need help finding a book, read this book. Librarian Nancy Pearl describes her favorite books by genre. Being a librarian and bibliophile, Nancy Pearl has the experience to back up her claims in the book; however, she uses down-to-earth language. ( )

I devoured this book in a single day. Of course, this isn't one of those books that you read once. It's one of those books that you go back to again and again, for consultation. I was hesitant to buy any "books about books" in the beginning because I was worried that my taste wouldn't coincide with the author's and it would be a waste of money, but I needn't have worried. Pearl's recommended reads are so diverse that it is IMPOSSIBLE not to find something that you'll be interested in. (If you have expertise in matters of law you can draft a legal document that attests the validity of the previous statement and holds me responsible if the book doesn't deliver what I promised and I will sign it in a second.) Book Lust doesn't have a specific reader in mind, it's for all ages and all tastes. The book has separate categories for different regions (from Japan to New Mexico and everything in between), different time periods (Vietnam, WWI&WWII, 100 Great Reads for Every Decade etc) and different genres (ALL genres, from epistolary novels to cyberpunk). The best part was that it wasn't just a list of novels - almost every book has a brief description that makes you aware of the subject and themes of the book, without giving too much away (1001 BYMRDYD spoiled some books' ending for me). Some of my favorite categories were "Aging", "Companion Reads", "Girls Coming of Age", "Spies and Spymasters" "Three-Hanky Reads", "My Own Private Dui" and, of course, "Too Good to Miss". There are only two negative things I have to say about the book: a) it makes you sadly aware of the fact that you will never be able to read everything that you wan to because there's just too much out there; and b) it will add a very frightening amount of books to my TBR pile. Oh well. ( )

I bought this book before discovering LibraryThing, and even after the LT discovery, I'm glad I picked it up.

This is a book about books. Nancy Pearl has put together 172 short chapters, arranged alphabetically, that list books, some described, and some not. I placed a ton of colored tabs throughout this book with ideas to significantly increase my wishlist and TBR pile. The chapters run the gamut, from 'Academia - The Joke' to 'Zero: This Will Mean Nothing to You.' Some of many , many chapters I starred include: Bomb Makers (books about those involved with the development of the atomic bomb), Companion Reads (listings of 2-4 books recommended to read together), Les Crimes Noir, Epistolary Novels, First Novels, The Islamic World, The Middle East, 9/11 and WWII Fiction.

You can go about reading this book in a number of ways - as purely a reference work for use at the library or bookstore, so when you're in the mood for a 'Technothriller' you just go directly to that chapter and pick something. You could breeze through it, just reading chapters about categories of books you already like and are familair with (which is what I did the first time), or you can read all the chapters in detail, and consider broadening your reading lists, which is what I did the second time through.

For all lovers of books, and especially those who are looking for new books in favorite genres and those interested in exploring new genres. ( )