I am not alone!!
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This book got delievered to me at work - and every member of staff picked it up and said that this was a book meant for me! It starts witht he author explaining a little about herself whilst looking for something to read on holiday. I knew we were going to get along when she found herself with a dilema that I know well - which book to pick as the thought of having to read is just horrifying. There are a lot of American refernces in here which may find it hard to relate to, but the journey she goes on to find her books is one that I understood and enjoyed seeing that I am not alone! A lovely easy read for book lovers everywhere. One warning - you'll find yourself making a huge mental wish list of new books to buy!
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Bibliophile confesses all, one book lover to another
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"My books are my secret lovers, the friends I run to to get away from the daily drudgeries of life, to try out something new, and yes, to get away, for a few hours, from (husband Leo). He doesn't need to know that my books are the affairs I do not have." - Sara Nelson in SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME
Sara Nelson, at the time a book reviewer for Glamour magazine, vowed to read a book a week during 2002. In SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME, she tells us, her fellow bibliophiles, how she fared, as well as her past and present experiences with the great passion of her life - reading.
Upon completion of this engaging volume, I was tempted to award 3 or 4 stars, chiefly because her literary interests are so different from mine and I couldn't relate to most of the particular titles that she mentions. (I've heard of perhaps only a third of them, and have myself read only a couple. Indeed, she reads only the rare historical novel, and, almost incomprehensibly and reprehensibly, non-fiction works of history not at all.) But, this would have been supreme self-centeredness on my part. Sara does with excellence what she intended to do, i.e. describe what are for her and for the rest of us compulsive book lovers the varied facets of the reading experience, many of which we hardly ever give a thought. Several times I found myself nodding in affirmation of her written words and thinking, "Yup, you hit that right on."
SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME is divided into thirty-five chapters, plus Prologue and Epilogue. Each chapter is headed by a date and title, the former, in the aggregate, sequentially and more or less evenly spaced out over 2002. Each chapter, with reference to specific book titles, deals with an aspect of book consumption. As examples:
"February 1, Double-Booked" about the practice of having one book for home and one for away. In Nelson's case, as in mine, the former is usually hardcover and the latter a more portable softcover.
"February 27, The Clean Plate Book Club" concerning the obsession to finish a book once begun, and the maturation process that eventually allows one to permanently toss one that's not working. For me at 59, this still goes against the grain, but I've learned. Thankfully, I find myself in the predicament only rarely.
"March 22, Sharing Books Gives Me Heartburn" about the painful practice of lending books out and perhaps not getting them back. I never lend books, but freely give them away when I'm through with them.
"June 1, Summer Reading" concerning the overly optimistic notion that one will have the time to read on those summer weekends away at the beach resort, or wherever. Verily, vacations with my wife are death marches; who has time to read?
"July 20, Reading Confidential", or how to fall in and out of love with a particular author.
"September 18, Kid Stuff", about the impact the books of childhood may have on our lives. I'll never forget the Young Trailer series by Joseph Altsheler featuring the Kentucky frontiersmen Henry Ware, Paul Cotter, Shif'less Sol Hyde, Long Jim Hart, and Silent Tom Ross.
"September 25, Sex and the City", concerning the prurient pay-off a best-selling erotic novel may or may not provide the reader. Well, I recall becoming feverish as a young adolescent upon reading my secret copy of FANNIE HILL.
"November 15, Oeuvre and Oeuvre Again", regarding the branding of writers by the publishers, and the prudent disinclination to read too many books by the same author back to back. This is a policy I've followed religiously, except after I discovered Gerald Seymour.
"November 25, Openings", or the ability of a book's opening lines to grab and not let go (for better or worse).
"December 10, Friends and Family", about the pressure of being asked by a writer, sometimes a friend or family member, to read a work and give an honest opinion. Writers occasionally ask me to read and review their stuff; I've made several friends and, I suspect, a few enemies. One of the former actually created a fictional character bearing my name in one of his action thrillers (COLD KILL by Stephen Leather); my double-take would've been fodder for the old TV show "Candid Camera".
Only once did I become irritated with the author, and this over a small point of geography. As a resident of New York City, I doubt Sara would seriously claim that Philadelphia is near Richmond, VA. Yet, when referring to the WWII American internment camp for Japanese-American citizens at Manzanar in the Owens Valley near present day Independence, CA, she states it being "near Santa Ana, California" though the two places are separated by roughly 260 miles, about the same distance separating Philly and Richmond. Perhaps Nelson should add a large-scale Rand McNally U.S. road atlas to her "must read" stack.
Despite my single twinge of irritation and my general inability to relate to the author's choice of reading materials, I'm awarding five stars because, in the end, Sara shares the view:
"I've lived the past year exactly how I wanted to - between the covers of books and in the places in my head that those books have taken me. I've been agitated, excited, enthralled, annoyed, frustrated, and sometimes a little bored. But I've never been lonely."
Indeed, because of books, this statement applies to my entire life. Thank you, Sara, for reminding me of this truth.
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Member of the Clean Plate club
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One of the recommendations that the author makes in this book is that you should give up on a book if you are not enjoying it rather than plough doggedly to the end - unfortunately that was something I did with this book.
I was looking forward to reading this as it was written by an avid reader (which I would describe myself as) about her reading experiences over a year. Various of the situations she found herself in were familiar - always carrying books in handbags, just in case, as an example - but I didn't find myself attracted to the books she was reading.
The problem may have been that the author is American and the majority of the books she read were American. I have read some US authors but not many and would not describe myself as familiar with US literature.
Disappointing but I liked the format and if I find a UK equivalent, I will certainly read.
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What a fabulous book!
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I was a little worried when I was first given this book thinking that it would be a list of facts and recommendations. So I was really pleased when I found out it was more like a reading journal/ memoir, written in a really compelling and humorous way.
If you are a bit of a bookworm, you'll recognise yourself in these pages...have you ever judged someone by the book they're reading? Carried two books with you in case you ran out of reading material? or ended up staying up into the wee small hours just becasue you want to read one more chapter? If you answered 'yes' to any of those questions then this is the book for you!
It also has some great recommendations which aren't forced down your throat.
I loved this book. I just wish I wasn't still part of, what Nelson describes as, the 'Clean Plate Club'....I'd love to be able to abandon those horrible books that I'm not enjoying....maybe now I'll give it a try.
Highly recommended.
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I LOVE THIS BOOK!...
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When I first heard about this book, I was intrigued by its premise, as I never go anywhere without at least one or two books in my bag and am a confirmed book lover and avid reader. If I go on vacation, I pack a bag just for the dozen or so books that I simply must take along with me. I am most comfortable when I am surrounded by books. In fact, I look forward to retirement, so that I will have more time to read. I simply love to read! I cannot imagine a world without books and, quite frankly, I have never understood people who say that they do not care to read. So, this book seemed to be right up my alley. Well, the author does not disappoint, as she takes the reader along with her on her very personal journey. Her goal, not an overly ambitious one, is a book a week for fifty-two weeks. She does not necessarily stick to her list of books, and she meanders along, changing course in mid-stream sometimes, as many of us so often do. Yet, she always keeps up an entertaining discourse on the book that she is reading or has read, remarking upon its place in her world. She interweaves snippets of her personal life with her thoughts on those books that she reads. She talks about authors and the impact that some of their work has had on her, as well as her reading likes and dislikes. The author writes in a light and breezy conversational tone, so that, at times, it almost seems as if one old friend were talking to another about some books she had enjoyed. I was delighted to discover that we liked many of the same books for many of the same reasons. Within the pages of this book, I also happily discovered some new titles that piqued my interest. Moreover, the author, knowing how insatiable some book lovers are, even appends three lists at the end of her book, which lists consist of books she had planned to read during that year of reading, books she actually did read but did not discuss in her book, and books in her must read pile. What book lover is not familiar with that ubiquitous must read pile of books! Anyway, I did enjoy perusing through her lists, looking for books of interest. This book is a light-hearted sojourn into the world of reading and books that is meant to be a sharing of a wonderful passion. It is a funny and charming work of non-fiction. I thank the author for sharing her thoughts and insights, as I very much enjoyed reading them. It is, as always, a pleasure to come across such an enthusiastic fellow book lover.
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