The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

4 stars
R- 2-3 (nothing graphic, but general discussion of sexuality)

Yet another "not really what I expected".  Though perhaps if I'd read the back cover more carefully I'd have had a better idea what to expect, lol.  I'm not very good about that sometimes.

The general discussion of sexuality was possibly a little odd, to me at least.  I actually wonder, though, if that's more about the difference between American and European sensibilities.

I've read complaints about the translation, but honestly I don't see why.  I didn't even realize it was a translation and that's generally the kind of thing I notice pretty quickly.

I enjoyed the characters and while much of the romance was a little predictable and/or annoying it did have an interesting twist in the long run.

This is a book about books, but not necessarily in the way you might think.  I enjoyed Sara's arranging and rearranging of the book store shelves as she grouped books differently.

I'm not doing a very good job of capturing this novel in this review....

Ultimately, I enjoyed it; I found it charming.

Go read it.

The Book that Matters Most by Ann Hood

4 stars
R- 2-3

This was another "not great timing" book for me, but I still enjoyed it.  It's a little predictable and possibly cliche, but at the end of the day how can you not enjoy a book about books?

Overall, it maybe wasn't amazing, but it's worth a read.

(Can you tell I'm playing crazy catch up with reviews?)

The Republic of Imagination: A Life in Books by Azar Nafisi

5 stars
nonfiction/memoir/literary commentary
book club (my pick)
copy received for review

I love this book.

I finished it and just wanted to bask in it before starting anything else.

I want to read (or reread) all of the books she discusses and then read this again.

With a highlighter.

I picked it for book club and texted my high school English teacher to tell her to read it.

Now, it wasn't perfect... the rant against Common Core in the middle got to be a bit much.  Not necessarily because I disagreed with her point, but because her point got lost a bit in just ranting.

(Let's not talk about Common Core, though, okay? I think it's good and bad but that both sides' fanatics are making things worse. Balance, people.  We need it.)

Anyway.

I loved how her memoir stories were woven in with analysis.  I love discussing books and reading about her discussing books with her friends and students spoke to me.

It kind of makes me want to take a lit class.  (Until I think how terrifying homework would be with my five-kid-circus....)

I took pictures of pages with my phone to send quotes to my friend.

Read it.  Just go read it. :)

How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read by Pierre Bayard

Interesting, but I have no idea how to rate it.

It's hard to tell how much is tongue-in-cheek and how much is serious.... possibly something was lost in translation?

But it was very interesting, if slightly dry, to read.

I do disagree with the general premise, though.  I have no qualms about admitting that I haven't read a book, so the issue of pretending that I've read it or whatever doesn't come up.

The idea of being aware of where a book fits in the overall-ness of books is a good notion, but I don't see why you couldn't do that and discuss that while still admitting you haven't read it.

(And now I'm just making stuff up [mostly the word "overall-ness"], as if I hadn't read it, because the truth is it falls under the third category he talks about-- books you've read but forgotten.  This is what happens when I don't review a book right away... I can't remember all of it, so I don't always have as much to say.  As opposed to the times when I remember everything about the book but still don't have much to say... or don't want to say too much because it was too wonderful to be explained and you have to just go read it....  now I'm rambling.)

Anyway, I'd say it's worth reading, though it is a bit hard to follow at times.