Updated: October 4, 2024
Bibliophiles love all things about reading – we collect, consume and contemplate the magic of the written word in books.
Reading is such a solitary activity, that when you read about another’s great love of all things to do with it, you feel like you have just made a new friend – you are alone no more.
Books about books demonstrate an excellent way to explore literature. Adding a book within a book gets my pulse racing and my interest piqued. If it also takes place in a book store … well I cannot get it in my hands fast enough! So what are some of the stories I have read that fall into this category?
Here are my suggestions for books about books!
1. Beautiful Words, by Vanessa McCausland
Beautiful Words by Vanessa McCausland will speak to the heart of every book lover (get those highlighters and tabs ready to work!).
With a story so aptly named, the ‘beautiful’ words exemplify such exquisite use of language that it is intoxicating (thus the necessary tabbing for future reference).
The nod to literary classics from Salinger (The Catcher in the Rye) and Plath (The Bell Jar) will have you making your own investigations to cement links made.
‘I want to believe that there are more lives for us. But maybe that’s why we have books. Don’t you ever find it sad that you’re confined to your own story? That your life is bounded by your mind inside your own head?’
2. The Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams is about the origins of the Oxford English Dictionary. I personally found it to be an incredibly inspirational book. As the synopsis states:
The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. It’s a delightful, lyrical and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words, and the power of language to shape the world and our experience of it.
3. The Paris Library, by Janet Skeslien Charles
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is a story about books and Paris … too good to pass by!
This is a dual-time narrative book, one that is both well researched and well written, as you’ll get to see if you read it.
It explores the story of a librarian during WWII and an American high school student and their fateful meeting years later in Paris.
‘Sometimes I like books more than people.’ ‘Books don’t lie or steal,’ he said. ‘We can depend on them.’ I was surprised, and heartened, to hear an echo of my own feelings.’
4. The Beach Reads Book Club, by Kathryn Freeman
The Beach Reads Book Club by Kathryn Freeman contains everything one looks for in a fun read.
It’s easy to read yet has serious undertones. And even if it’s light and funny, it has a deeper level of significance.
It ticked so many boxes for me: books about books, cups of tea, and a book club in a bookshop, no less!
‘Five people whose lives she hoped would all be improved, just a little, by the combination of a good book, a mug of tea and the company of like-minded readers.’
5. The Jane Austen Society, by Natalie Jenner
The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jennerbrings together an eclectic group of characters.
Ranging from a Hollywood actress, and Sotheby’s auctioneer, to the local doctor and farmer, just to name but a few – these characters make for very entertaining reading!
What they have in common is their love of Austen’s works and each, in their own way, wishes to keep her words and memories alive.
‘He had gone to work every day merely to survive, saving for himself a few hours every night to disappear into fictional worlds of others’ making. He was hoping to find some answers inside these books..’
Do you also love all things bookish? Then you’ll surely appreciate the little magic moment when you read about how much other people – fictional or otherwise – love books!
Although it may be a solitary pastime, however, books provide us with a real connection to other lovers of reading.
Guest Post by our Bookly Pro Reader, Helen Hancock
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