I have great respect for Nancy Pearl. Anyone who has turned reading into a "profession" deserves some serious props. That combined with a title as awesome as Book Lust (I tried to read this in public as often as possible, holding the cover up where everyone could see my wanton bibliophilia on display) was an irresistible siren song to which I had to give in. After an inspiring introduction on the pleasures of reading, the book basically consists of recommended reading lists for an eclectic colle...

One of the most interesting ''book about books'' I've had the pleasure to read. Nancy Pearl divides different themes, structural techniques, genres and authors, in alphabetical order, and each one of the chapters is accompanied by a comprehensive list of suggestive readings. Her writing is comprehensive and flowing, and although, I thought that she missed some books that are ''landmarks'' in a few of the genres, she brings to focus many less-read novels and non-fiction books. Perfect for those o...

I can't begin to tell you how many wonderful books that I've gotten from "Book Lust". It's a perfect manual for deciding just what to read. It's also a great conversation starter. While carrying it around I've had people ask me about it. So besides being a wonderful book of books, it also has gained me some literary friends.

Get our of your rut! Get this book!My daughter works at a used book store, and gave me this to keep me from constantly asking her to recommend books for me, since our preferences have diverged more in recent years. (I'm just not into graphic novels and microbiology.) That said, everyone should have a copy of this book and its companion (More). Of course, it's not the list of the thousand books you must read before you die. Someone else did that, so don't whine that it doesn't have all your favor...

First, the title. How could a reader not love the title Book Lust? Paired with the enchanting cover, it's a perfect cover/package deal that immediately drew my eye. I really need to find more books ABOUT books, and have several on my wishlist.Nancy Pearl is an admirable woman - the intro to the book is one of more interesting parts as she discusses having a troubled childhood and using books as a path of escape. She emphasizes the second home she made in her local library and the respect gathere...

What an unfortunate title. I expected some bibliothecal titillation, Viagra for the bookworm, tales of mad pursuit, extreme in their quest to hunt, have, and swallow whole the objects of our literary passions. But like all lusts, this joy proposed proved a very woe. Instead of a biblio-buzz, I wasted an hour or so skimming over some of the most limp and dispassionate recommendations of modern writing imaginable. To my shame, I didn't finish the book. In fact, Pearl recommends that you abandon an...

I'm a huge fan of booklists, and this was a good example of one. Most of the books chosen by Pearl aren't bestsellers or award winners, but are more obscure options that you probably haven't read yet. She arranges the collection into 175 useful, creative, and humorous lists. The lists are named specifically, presented in alphabetical order, and posted in the Table of Contents. Some examples are: Adventure by the Book, Bird Brains (books about birds), Fathers and Daughters, First Novels, Shrinks

The prospect of more books to read has always been a seductive one for me. Knowing that there are more books out there than I can ever hope of reading is a fact that stimulates ( to read more & more ) and depresses (but I can’t read them all !) me in equal measure. It was a conscious decision to read more books about books this year and keep fantasizing about them all. It certainly made me think if this is what they might someday call bibliophilic masturbation ?So, I did start off the year with

I'm upping this to three stars because she mentioned Barbara Hambly and The Little White Horse.But honesty, if you are talking about dog books and you don't mention Albert Payson Terhune, there is something wrong with you.It's a little bit disorganized and the list descriptions are bit weird. I also hate grouping fantasy, sci-fi and horror together, by cyber punk gets its own section. She also repeats quite a few book titles. But I did jot down quiet a few titles I want to look at.

I found it a bit sloppy. Half-hearted reasons/reviews, then chunks of more books thrown at the end of each category for no reason whatsoever it seems. She also seems to be obsessed with adventures to the arctic and Antarctic circles and mountain climbing. I got a few recs but I think I could write this book in my sleep.

Not sure how useful this book will be to me, since it tends to confirm my own tastes -- I knew that from the moment I spotted a recommendation of Dorothy L. Sayers' Gaudy Night -- but I think it's worth keeping around. Nancy Pearl's recommendations are very brief, but here and there they spark a thought or lead on to another book you really must get round to reading.Something to keep around for reference, though, not something to read cover to cover. If you're in a mood for, say, a 'coming out'

I normally love books about books but this one was very sloppily written. The author gave recommendations of books to read but gave me very little reason or enthusiasm to further investigate those books. Some good reviews and descriptions of the recommendations would have been a lot nicer than just a sentence saying don't miss this book, this author is great here is a complete list of their books with a star by my favorites. Really???? GR readers offer me more than this author did in an entire b...

"I live by what I call "the rule of fifty," which acknowledges that time is short and the world of books is immense. If you're fifty years old or younger, give every book about fifty pages before you decide to commit yourself to reading it, or give it up. If you're over fifty, which is when time gets even shorter, subtract your age from 100 - the result is the number of pages you should read before deciding."

I have very much enjoyed perusing this book full of possibilities. Nancy Pearl's true love of books permeates every page, and her categories are unconventional and sometimes amusing.

This lady has read a lot.

This is not a book of reviews.Despite the fact that Nancy Pearl is a well respected critic and possibly one of the most famous librarians in history (not that I know much about famous librarians), Nancy very rarely details why she chose the books that she did. Instead, we are to assume that every book that Pearl lists is one that she likes- after all, why else would she bother to mention it? And I imagine that every title listed must be at least somewhat notable if it managed to stick in her mem...

It’s hard to know how to rate a book like this, as it’s not really meant to be a great reading experience itself, but rather to point to future great reading experiences. It’s a collection of short (1-3 page, mostly) mini-essay/lists of Pearl’s book picks on topics ranging from novels about mothers and daughters, to presidential biographies, to children’s fantasy that adults enjoy, to fiction and nonfiction about the world’s great rivers, to Polish poetry (in translation), to…well, just about an...

Anyone who stumbles over the intriguingly titled "Book Lust" is obliged, as a book lover, to pick up this book and see what it's about.The book is organized into LISTS, similar to a GoodReads list, except with only one voter, the author. Some of the lists are worth checking, like "Civil War Fiction" or "Russian Heavyweights". Other lists are absurd, like "Books about Cats", or "Books about Elvis Presley".There are hundreds of lists in the book, and Pearl mentions thousands of books and writers,

“What to read next is every book lover’s greatest dilemma.”Any real book lover knows that picking the next book is hard, but this is not the book that solves this issue. Book Lust is a collection of different reading lists for different topics, moods and so on. Say you want to know what Russian books to read or want a list of coming of age books. That is all well and good, hats off to Nancy Pearl for able to make a collection of book lists into a book series. The problem I found is book lovers a...

Every morning after my alarm goes off but before I actually get up I read a couple pages from the book on my nightstand. In past years the books on my nightstand were books like The Bedside Baccalaureate or The Intellectual Devotional, which is the name of an actual book but also describes a category of books that aim to educate readers in short, easy bursts. This year I am really trying to put in a dent in my 300+ TBR pile, so instead of buying a new devotional I picked Nancy Pearl's Book Lust...

It's not like I honestly need any more book recommendations, my to-read list is already more than I'm likely to get through in a lifetime. But Nancy Pearl grew up near my hometown, I enjoy her reviews when I hear her on NPR and when it comes to lusting after books I think I've found a kindred spirit. So I thought I'd take a look. The recs are divided into all kinds of lists - such as books about zero, Elvis, New Orleans, sex and natural disasters. It's sure to expose me to some books I never wou...

This book was not what I imagined. I suppose I expected a book of essays, with each essay an analysis of a particular book and why it was significant for the author. For the Love of Books is something of a model for that. But no, Book Lust is basically a thickened-out list of librarian-approved "you might also like"s. There's nothing wrong with that. The books are spread apart into different chapters which represent categories and genres, so you can find recommendations for exactly what you migh...

A quick skim of a read. Not a lot of personal input apart from an occasional brief 'why' as to a title's inclusion. Going through this made me think of many other titles so it was a good memory jogger and a OK book to find new directions & inspiration. Well indexed.

this book was written in 2003 and the author has written other "book lust" books after this one. It's great for readers who need a little help finding their next book to read. It has 175 lists in all kinds od categories. I've added a few books to my own list.

This is one of those books I debated about reviewing here on Goodreads because then I would be admitting to the Internet that I actually read this. I read this when I was recovering from food poisoning, hopsing this would distract me from my misery.Oh, how wrong I was.There really needs to be a law against misleading subtitles. This is in no way a book of "recommended reading for every mood, moment, and reason." If it was, I could flip right to Books That Help You Forget Your Recent Bout of Food...

Some years ago I was fortunate to attend a talk by Nancy Pearl at the Sydney Writers’ Festival. I was very impressed with her enthusiastic stories about her reading life. From that time forward I had a desire to own her book, Book Lust. And when the second Book came out ie More Book Lust I had a desire to own that book too. Life got in the way and I forgot about Nancy Pearl and her books. And then, two weeks ago I was in the 2nd hand section of a wonderful well known and loved bookshop in Oxford...

4.5 STARS

Original series review posted at Layers of Thought.If you love books and lists, and are an eclectic reader, you will adore this series. Each recommends books which are organized into themes, with great little descriptions; all are softbound, small and easy to read.Books reviewed: Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason ~ by Nancy Pearl More Book Lust: Reading Recommendations for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason Book Crush: For Kids and Teens Thoughts: Nancy Pearl, librari...

I'm happily surprised how functional and professional this book is. It's a collection of short essays, each 1-2 pages long, that introduces books of that topic. You can read the headline and the first paragraph to decide if you are interested in that topic. Book titles are in bold, so it's easy to catch them. None of the nasty self-indulgence (rambles on and one about the books they've read) and guilt-trip ("Oh, but you SHOULD read this if you wish to be considered seriously, etc.") of many book...

Book Lust. Nancy Pearl. 2003. Sasquatch Books. 287 pages. ISBN 1570613818.Nancy Pearl is a long-time librarian and writes book reviews for both local and national publications. Her book expertise and recommendations are gathered in Book Lust, a compilation of books of all genres for every mood, moment, and reason as is her catch-phrase.Thumbing through Book Lust, you'll find the most intriguing categories and descriptions of books and novels you most likely would never have thought to pick up! P...