20 Best Books About Books (2023 Update)

This is the second copy of this book I have bought. Though our first is well eared, this was a gift for my kids reception teacher. I LOVE this book. My kids love this book. We love all doing the silly voices (because you won't be able to read it in your normal voice. Silly voices are a must!) We lent it to the nursery last year and the teachers loved it as it was a brilliant way of teaching 3-4 year olds the concept of what words are in a book. There is only one problem with the Book With No Pictures. Just one. You will never be able to read it just once with your kids. So if you are sitting down to read it with them be aware. When you finish they will probably ask you to turn back to the beginning and start again.noximas

Reader must read aloud everything printed and that means crazy words and sounds that will delight your young one. There are no pictures but plenty of fun.Polly

The book came with the cover torn. No big deal, I just threw it away since the hard cover looks the same. The reason why I gave it one star is, despite several excellent reviews from friends, it taught my kids the phrase, “boo boo butt”. I don’t like potty words at my house so I’m unimpressed that my 4 and 7 year olds go around yelling this after reading the book. I’ll probably shelf this book and not read it again.JB

Great story; one of Stephen King's best. The book is small, easy to hold and the print is big enough to keep your eyes comfortable. You might have nightmares afterwards though. A beautiful package!junkietroll5865

I read this book for the first time a few years ago! It took me 2 weeks to finish it but I could not put it down! Plus every time I would read the book, I had the worst nightmares of my life! Nightmares not from the book! The way he writes this book is incredible !Jerrica

It says third impression on the publication details page – do not the first print run Im afraid. It might be better to correct that claim.legrandmushroom

𝙎𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙮 𝙆𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙖 𝙈𝙘𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙨: For fans of The Giver of Stars and Before We Were Yours. I LOVED this book! Inspired by a true story (or photograph), the main character, who snaps a picture of two children next to a for-sale sign, inadvertently causes the children to be separated from their mother. He then, with the help of his friend and colleague (and maybe love interest😉😉), embark on a mission to reconnect the kids with their mother. 5/5⭐️KIM

Purchased to read when I have some spare time. Looks very interesting. A friend recommended it so I look forward to reading it.sharonm_happy_shopper

The title of this book drew me in, but as I turned the pages the plot got better and better. Yes, most of what happens here I never saw coming, but it reads like real life, things you really don't know about another person. Once you finish the book, which really didn't take me long, I had to have answers, make sure you read the author's notes. Yes, sadly it is based on a true story, not the actual story, but I could see how the author used parts of it and then the reality of what happened through the eyes of the writer became even clearer. This one becomes a compelling page turner, and pulls in a lot of different areas, and how they all pulled together, you don't want to miss this one! I received this book through EdelweissPlus and the Publisher Sourcebooks, and was not required to give a positive review.MaureenT

I don’t want me third grader reading about “eating disorders”, throwing up, panic attacks, anxiety , bullying, puberty, and seeing a therapist. I don’t know how it has so many stars and other parents are ok this being put into a young mind. Back it goes . The other books talk about kissing , spin the bottle and teen drama. 3rd grader does not need to read about this kind of stuff. Their minds are impressionable and need to focus on positive thingsBatgirl

My daughter has been wanting this book for awhile. Just gave it to her last night and she finished it within a few hours. She loves reading and couldn’t put it down.contuttoilcuore

My my 9yr old son has been asking me to get him this book. He said that it will help with his picky eating. He opened it up on Christmas and was extremely excited to see it was the book he has been asking me for for so long.Jessred8984

You was interesting and highly engrossing from the very beginning. I enjoyed that the story is from 2nd narration. The story is a little bit creepy, but not too creepy. It does feature lots of stalking, violence, and murder, just so people are aware before starting the book.Peppermint1991

This was definitely very different than what I have ever read before. Creepy. Odd. Messes up with your mind but addicting. This book is not for everyone. *Note: I read this way before the TV series came out. Still haven't watched it yet.I am so conflicted in whether I like or hate Joe Goldberg. He is a creepy,smart, psychotic stalker. I should dislike him for that but sometimes I don't. He is a hopeless romantic that needs help. But I don't think any help will actually help him. He knows what he is doing therefore none of his actions are acceptable. Joe meets Guinevere Beck at the bookstore he works at and is instantly obsessed. He will do anything for her, and he does. Every other character in this book isn't any better than him in a way. Yes they don't stalk and hurt people but their actions and personality aren't the greatest either. This book is a crazy read. It will make you so conflicted because you will hate yourself for liking this guy.tiffany.l

Received a copy of this novel as an advanced reader edition in my store a month or two before the release date. While I lay hands on nearly every new release of the year, this one immediately caught my attention and I took it home to read. I found the use of the 2nd person pov a refreshing perspective and was instantly caught up in a love affair with the narrator – his keen wit, unconventional viewpoints and social awkwardness were very endearing. A little into the novel, I started thinking "This guy might be a little creepy." A little further, I started thinking, "Yeah…this guy is kinda creepy.". A little further, and I realize, "Yes. Yes, this guy is definitely a creeper," but yet I'm still somewhat enthralled. His actions and conclusions seem so normal and such a matter-of-course to him, it's very easy to sympathize and see him as the victim rather than the victimizer. I sometimes hesitate to recommend this book to customers as it's so incredibly creepy, but if you are a mature reader with a love for psychological thrillers, this book is an absolute must read!Lisa, GM

The Book of Great Books has given me the opportunity to read books I have heard about but not read. The book gives you an education on how to analyze and understand plots of those books. I strongly recommend this book to everyone.greanngree

This book is a little different twist for Lisa Wingate. She has taken actual events, the adoption scandal of The Tennessee Children's Home Society that was exposed in 1950, and has woven an engrossing account of lives changed. A large family living on a houseboat on the Mississippi River finds themselves in a desperate situation one dark and stormy night. The father must take the mother, in the midst of a life-threatening childbirth, to the hospital leaving the five children on the boat. Operatives for the predatory orphanage grab the children and propel them into a terrifying situation. Big sister Rill tries desperately to protect her siblings and keep them together through it all. It is told in two different voices in two different times, but unlike some books that doesn't prove a distraction. It is very easy to keep it all straight, and it adds to the suspense by taking you up to a point and then pulling you back to a different aspect of the story. The characters are well developed, and you are allowed to peel back the layers slowly to get the big picture. As Rill's story unfolds, you are held spellbound by the unrelenting sadness of her situation, and horrified by the fact that these things really happened to some children. Wingate has a gift for imagery that pulls you into a scene. But in true Lisa Wingate fashion, there are also plenty of happier moments to relieve the sadness and many truths uncovered. The other voice is that of Avery, the daughter and heir-apparent of a political dynasty. Her story gives some interesting insights into how political families live their lives on display. She wasn't the most sympathetic character in the beginning, but she did grow on me as she learned to be more aware of her own aspirations and feelings. This is a well-crafted new effort from Wingate – one of those books you can't put down and you don't want to end!Pittypat

Twelve-year-old Rill Foss, the "princess of Kingdom Arcadia", lives on the Mississippi River with her parents and four siblings in a homemade shanty boat built by her dad. The river proves to be more forgiving than land during the Great Depression, and Rill's family flourishes on hard work, a little food, and lots of love. They don't have much but they're happy. Queenie, Rill's mother, must be rushed to the hospital late one night while giving birth to twins. Policemen come to the boat the next day and kidnap the five siblings, starting a nightmare of abuse, scandal, loss and perseverance for Rill. Told from two angles, one from Rill during the 30's; the other from Avery, a distant relative during present day life in Aiken, South Carolina, the plot weaves closer and closer together, keeping your interest with each turn of the page (or touch of the screen, whichever applies!). The story and people are fiction but based on true events that happened in Memphis Tennessee when Georgia Tann was investigated for child trafficking, running a black market baby adoption scheme that involved powerful political and Hollywood figures. Lisa Wingate gives life to each character and their surroundings; you'll hurt for the victims as if they truly existed. I can easily recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about human emotion, especially when the plot is based on historical events. It will captivate you with the first page, and you'll keep reading until you can make sense of the mess created by stolen children, whose identities were wiped clean, names and histories changed. Excellent read, but will leave you with a sadness that this situation happened and flourished during harsh times. (I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine and NetGalley for making it available.)Avid Historical Fiction Reader

This is a wonderful read. A must have for any Stephen King reader. Is one of the best he wrote. You will love this thrilling story of great detail, pleasure, and horror. Great price. Add it to your reads today and you will love it so much you won't want to put it dy. Great gift. Highly recommended.tammy.b

A riveting and unforgettable story of kids confronting evil. Stephen King writes an unforgettable book about true evil, where adults have no problem torturing and performing medical tests on children for the "greater good." In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don't, punishment is brutal The Institute is Stephen King's gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good vs. evil in a world where the good guys don't always win.Susan

I couldn't put this book down. Author Kim Michele Richardson's detailed research, knowledge of Kentucky's poor mountain people is a study in humanity when little is to be found in these rural backwoods. The librarian book services delivered to these people by women on mule or horseback facing human & animal dangers shows through in the stalwart fortitude to persevere held by all those who lived in this area of rural Kentucky. Ms. Richardson knows her characters as evidenced by the in-depth research she must have done in researching this story. As an RN, I was fascinated by the blood dyscrasia she mentions inflicting the "Blue" peoples of Kentucky. This book is an 11 on a 1/10 scale. I was actually sad when I finished reading!Terry

I heard of the Pack Horse Librarians in the book The Giver of Stars, but came upon this title reading Bas Bleu. So I was already interested in the topic. I had no idea what I was getting into. The book does a marvelous service to the women and some men who risked so much too deliver books, reading materials and friendship to people who were forgotten, but underserved and exploited. My heart ached for them. The shock at the end of the brutality of enforcing a heinous miscegenation law saddened me and stayed with me for days. The book showed me a lot of things I didn't know such as people of Kentucky who had blue skin. Although the novel is fiction, it draws from reality. I thank the author for doing such a remarkable job of inspiring readers to continue to learn that which they do not know.JUDITH F.

Not since Before We Were Yours has a book touched my heart to this degree. I believe having done some online research about the blue people of Kentucky, and reading about the Fugate family of Troublesome Creek, deepened the influence this book had on me. Being a book lover, I was also fascinated by the Pack Horse Library Project, a part of the Works Progress Administration of Roosevelt's New Deal Acts. In the years of its service, over one thousand Pack Horse librarians served nearly 600,000 Appalachian patrons, taking reading materials, both donated and created by the librarians themselves, into the poorest and most isolated areas of eastern Kentucky. This story is a testament to how far we have come in Kentucky, and perhaps how far we still have to go. It addresses the importance of education,civil rights, and compassion. In heart-wrenching ways the author reminds us of the high cost of poverty. Where we have been is often an arrow pointing in the direction we still need to proceed. The winding mountain trails tread by these librarians in eastern Kentucky may exemplify the route we have taken in moving forward. Readers of my reviews know that I typically review Christian fiction. While the language in this book prevents if from falling within that genre, it is not without strong spiritual elements. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek will take root in your heart like our deep rooted Kentucky oaks. I am grateful to have received a copy of this book from Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to write a positive review, and received no monetary compensation. I give this book my highest recommendation, and hope it received the recognition it deserves.Grams

The Dutch House is the seventh novel by NYT best-selling American author, Ann Patchett. It had been Danny's childhood home. Cyril Conroy had bought the incredible Dutch House, there in small-town Pennsylvania, in 1946 for his young family: his wife Elna, and five-year-old Maeve. It was just as the last Van Hoebeek, the original owners, had left it: furnishings, fittings, even clothing. Danny was born a few years later, and lived there until his step-mother threw him out at fifteen. Danny's mom had left when he was three; he was eight when Andrea Smith first came on the scene, but he and Maeve dismissed any idea of permanence. Andrea persisted, though; Andrea was fascinated with every detail of The Dutch House and Van Hoebeek family, who had made their fortune in packaged cigarettes. Had Maeve and Danny paid more attention, they might have seen the signs, they might have predicted, but not prevented, it: just three years after she had first stood in front of the Van Hoebeek portraits in the drawing room, Andrea married Cyril, and took up residence in The Dutch House with her daughters. No longer were they the comfortable Conroy trio, lovingly cared for by Sandy and Jocelyn. Danny had counted on following his canny father into real estate and construction; instead, Maeve insisted he study medicine at Columbia: their father's trust, grudgingly dispensed by Andrea, was covering the not-inconsiderable cost. And on visits home, the siblings would park on Van Hoebeek Street, regard The Dutch House, and fume over their stolen inheritance, their self-made father's fortune. Maeve, aware Cyril's humble beginnings, was the most resentful; Danny had "never been in the position of getting my head around what I'd been given. I only understood what I'd lost." Not until a career had been gained and discarded, and a marriage and children made, some twenty-seven years after they had been ejected from The Dutch House, did Maeve and Danny finally acknowledge what their obsession had done to them: "We had made a fetish out of our misfortune, fallen in love with it. I was sickened to realize we'd kept it going for so long" While Danny's wife seems resentful of his close relationship with his sister, it is not until a certain, somewhat familiar old woman turns up at Maeve's hospital bed that he realises: "I had a mother who left when I was a child. I didn't miss her. Maeve was there, with her red coat and her black hair, standing at the bottom of the stairs, the white marble floor with the little black squares, the snow coming down in glittering sheets in the windows behind her, the windows as wide as a movie screen… 'Danny!' she would call up to me. 'Breakfast. Move yourself.'" This is very much a character-driven story, and it clearly demonstrates Patchett's literary skill: her characters are interesting and allowed to grow and develop, to display insight and utter wise words. The bond between the siblings is so well portrayed, it's impossible not to feel for them. Like Anne Tyler, Patchett manages to make the lives of fairly ordinary people doing fairly ordinary things worth reading about. Patchett's prose is wonderful: "The madder Maeve got, the more thoughtful she became. In this way she reminded me of our father – every word she spoke came individually wrapped" and "Her wrist looked like ten pencils bundles together". And that striking cover? It neatly ties the whole thing together, beginning and end. What a wonderful read!!Cloggie Downunder

Ann Patchett's writing is always completely absorbing. It is so easy to be swept away, despite being so elegant and restrained. For a novel that covers such a big portion of time, it is very intimate. The external world seems to have no bearing here, these lives are presented to us almost without context. And I think it is this, and the singular narrative voice, that creates such heightened intimacy. As a reader we aren't given any greater insight, we can only see what Danny sees. It is oddly disconcerting and not something I've ever experience as a reader before, but it is such a clever way to paint a portrait of a life. Only Patchett could craft something so narrow, yet it is filled with so much meaning. I'm also sure that Patchett is the only writer who could make me Danny work as a character and narrator. He is generally self-absorbed and unaware of the world and the people around him. He cannot see beyond himself, does not see himself beyond the immediate, and it is his obliviousness that makes him possessive – of his sister, his memories, the house. He knows all of these things, people and places but only through his narrow lens. Always the women around to save him from himself. He is the frustrating voice through which we traverse time in the novel, which makes us as a reader oblivious to what is happening until suddenly we can see a bigger picture. Only Patchett could make it work. In the end, as with all of Patchett's books, it is about the people who make up a life – innocent and guilty, forgiven and unforgiven in the same moment – and how it just keeps going one way or another; the circular nature of it.Hannah2020

'Had me' from the first page. First time read of this author and not disappointed. Wanted the story to keep going. Reluctant to read the last page. BRILLIANT!!!grbat_2947

I love the different techniques plus this book is more towards people who would actually like to make books as opposed to art books. I would recommend this book.handicrafthotchpotch

I read this as a library book a while back and loved it 's believable characters and evocative story telling. It's not the usual run of the mill love story. There are certain books that I know I will read again and again and this is one of them.dudleywa86

An excellent depiction of life in rural Kentucky during the Great Depression. Brave women ride horses to deliver books to those who need them most and have the least access. Lots of small town drama and deepening of friendships between the women. Romance and intrigue too. You will be grateful you are a woman in this century.LORI

This book keeps you engaged from the first line. Wonderful story about strong, courageous women who bonded together, despite differences and difficult times. I laughed and cried several times during the story. This is one book you won't want to end. Loved it!Felisha

Wow. This book made me laugh, cry, scream, and tear up with happiness all at once. That is so rare in a book, and Laurie Frankel captures it all in this book. It was so engaging, even when I didn't have time to read, I was thinking about the book. Incredibly written and so very important to have such a book for people to read. Loved every minute.Rach C

Nothing I say could do this novel justice: it is the first book I've read in years that I want to hand out on street corners and force all my friends and family and neighbors to read IMMEDIATELY. It is profound and hilarious and uplifting and thought-provoking and page-turning. I fell in love with the entire family: parents, five kids, and grandma. The writing made me laugh out loud and stay up late for just one more chapter. The story made me think about society and gender in a way I never had before, impressing upon me how absurdly preoccupied we are with what happens to be in other peoples' pants (or skirts). There are fairy tales and horror stories, parenting tips and transformations. Read it!!!!Becca

This book is so honest and real and deals with being different in today's society. It's so raw and definitely a book I couldn't put down. I would read it again. And again.Kadybug

David hears the word NO all the time. He is mischievousthe drawings are great & the message is with all his chaoshe is LOVEDrebeccamat-0

My grandson can totally relate to David! He got such a kick out of this story, we've read this multiple times already! Excellent.amtac.us.7vtbpvuhy

Truth be told I purchased this book at a thrift store. It's an adorable little book. My two year old asks to read "No, No, David" all the time. It is a very easy read, funny, and has great illustrations. We play and "i spy" kind of game on most of the pages and have tons of fun. This is definitely a cute book to add to your childs library. I would no doubt purchase a copy from Walmart as a gift for a niece/nephew.MamaKhadijah