BHE (18): Launch of Bimonthly Theme – Books about Books and The River of Words

Books about Books and the River of Words

We are truly excited to launch our new bimonthly theme from 15 September to 17 November: Books about Books and the River of Words.

Essentially, we would be featuring books that have books or reading as its main theme. It is kin to our previous bimonthly theme, Dusty Bookshelves and Library Loot. It is also a celebration of our ongoing romance with wordswordswords, as we get lost in its cadence and beauty and its power to inspire and create worlds and parallel universes.

Much as I am excited to share with you my own loot from the Singapore Library Warehouse Sale that went on this weekend, I thought I’d leave that for next week’s post. 🙂

Library Loot

The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers is a must for our theme. I’ve been seeing The Lonely Book by Kate Bernheimer and illustrated by Chris Sheban in a few kidlit blogs recently, so I thought I might as well borrow it from our library. The Day Dirk Yeller came to town by Mary Casanova and Ard Hoyt is also touted to be a must-read for booklovers.

That Book Woman by Heather Henson and illustrated by David Small promises to be an engaging read, along with Alfred Zector, Book Collector by Kelly DiPucchio and illustrated by Macky Pamintuan.

I have a feeling that I’d be doing a 2-in-1 review of these two books by Rita Marshall and Etienne Delessert: I Hate to Read! and I Still Hate to Read!

***Full-Length Novels and Great Finds***

The following books are quite thick but I couldn’t help but borrow them from the library. I’ve always said that good intentions at least count for something. I’m not sure, though, whether I’d be able to finish these novels in time to review it, but I shall definitely try. Included in this list is The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly.

When I consulted several lists on books about books, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 would continually be at the top of the list. Might as well get to know more of Bradbury’s writing. I’ve been remiss in this aspect.

I am falling deeply in love with this book and I’ve only read the first part. I have a feeling I won’t be able to let this one go. I should definitely find my own copy soon – this book looks like a keeper: The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers.

I’ve been meaning to read Phantom Tollbooth for the longest time. I have my own personal copy, but it’s the paperback version. When I found out that children’s lit expert Leonard Marcus has The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth, peppered with conversations and notes on the margins, I knew that I had to borrow this from the library – and trust me, it’s a long waiting list. Speaks to its longevity and timelessness. I’d probably read this aloud to my daughter.

Speaking of Leonard Marcus, I also borrowed his book Funny Business: Conversations with Writers of Comedy a few weeks back. I am excited to feature this for Nonfiction Monday.

Bras Basah Love

One of the bad [or good, really, depending on what perspective you’re taking] things about being so near a place like Bras Basah is that I can not avoid visiting the place at least once every two weeks. I suppose that from a psychological vantage, I can interpret it as the principles of conditioning at work. Each visit, I do get rewarded/reinforced, thus the book buying behavior, or book hunting expedition at that, is strengthened. 🙂 Here are a few of my book bargain buys during the past weeks or so.

Fantasy & Fiction Galore

Diana Wynne Jones’ Unexpected Magic looks like a great read. While I have a few e.l. konigsburg titles in my shelf, I don’t have this one yet: silent to the bone. I am also intrigued by Discworld and I am slowly collecting the titles from the series, so I was glad to have found The Science of Discworld by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, & Jack Cohen. Supposedly, it’s an intermingling of quantum physics, parallel universes, and the thin line between the fantastical and real as it relates to the ‘science of discworld.’ Intriguing.

Adult Fiction

Milan Kundera has always been a favorite, so I am glad to have found this short novel entitled Identity. Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha apparently won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946. Promises to be a riveting read.

I have a growing collection of Alexander McCall Smith’s books, and this one looks like a great add-in: The Right Attitude to Rain. Simone De Beauvoir: A Life, A Love Story captured my eye. I’m sure I’d relish the juicy details here – written by Claude Francis and Fernande Gontier.

I am intrigued by Louis de Bernieres’ book covers – I have already bought one of his books (which I haven’t read yet, as per usual), and so I add A Partisan’s Daughter to my ever growing stack of books to be read. And how can one resist a Toni Morrison book, on sale at 2.50: Sula.

*** Special Finds/Book Treasures ***

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is love. To find Of Love and Other Demons for 1 dollar is … no words for it really. I am also very excited to have found the sequel to Diana Wynne Jones’ Howl’s Moving Castle: House of Many Ways! Very cool.

If you have any suggestions of other books that we can include in our Books about Books theme, do leave us a comment and we’d be more than happy to hunt for those book titles.