Jen Adams

Full disclosure: I'm one of the contributors to this fine collection.
But that doesn't mean I'm biased. I would love this collection just as much without my contribution popping up next to two other wonderfully related (except marvelously different) tales. It's all about the joy/pain/nostalgia/heartbreak/happiness/love/sorrow/communion-with-another-person that comes from giving (and receiving) a book. Not just any book but a book that is then forever locked in time and space to a particular show more moment. It may stay with you and change meaning as the years go on (or, it may not - that's okay too) but it always has that association in your mind. This book is about those associations. It is wondrous.
More about the book, giving books, receiving books, and the memory of paper at RB: http://wp.me/pGVzJ-sG show less

The perfect book for bibliophiles and romantics, this collection of very short pieces describes the giving and receiving of books, and the stories behind them. Definitely one to dip in and out of rather than reading straight through - and it's remarkable how many of the stories have a sad or bitter(sweet?) ending. A warning, perhaps?

The author of The Books They Gave Me functions mostly as an editor for the blog entries to this compilation. It is an excellent sampling of different books and different people whose association with the book is either happy or sad. There are acknowledgements at the end of the book who presumably are the alphabetized contributors. I really appreciated the quality construction of the book, its font and layout. Really a nice book to see and presented in such a way that it would be a beautiful show more gift for another avid reader. I liked the positioning of the actual book cover on the same page as the text. It did not overwhelm the page and made it an addition to the book photo. It is text as a gloss not to a page, but to an individual book. Adams work here is very well done, and unique among the Books on Books category. show less

This book is unique because it is a collection of 200 stories from 2oo people. Each story showcases a book they were given by someone and the connection they had to that person and the book. These stories came from the author’s website called TheBooksTheyGaveMe.com. This book doesn’t have to be read cover to cover in one setting. Instead this is the kind of book you pick up and read a few at a time. As you read about the books that others have received and the emotion, connection or show more thoughts that accompany them you begin to reflect on books you have been given and how they made you feel. I didn’t love them all. I don’t think everyone will love them all. However, I do believe it will get you to thinking about the books you cherish the most and the person who gave it to you. Why is that book so special? Is it because the person spent so much time picking it out? Is it because the person who gave it to you is long gone and it is all you have of them? Maybe it is because you both shared the love for the same author or type of writing. Whatever the reason, this is a book I would encourage you to read for you.

I received a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review. show less