Shelfreading - 3

Shelfreading is a weekly personal meme that I created in order to showcase, remember, and reflect on the books on my shelves.

See, I don't buy books. Hardly ever. I'm very particular about what books I keep. The books on my shelves all have some meaning, some memories attached to them. Here I'll share them, a few books at a time.

This week's theme: books about books. I should have more of these in my collection because sometimes it feels like I talk and read more about books (and when I say books, I'm general talking about books read for pleasure, which for me is fiction) than I actually read books. Books books books books.

Sometimes, I can be an impulse buyer. I don't always have the self control necessary to stave off unnecessary purchases. And I also have a problem with Amazon, in that I am compelled to buy something anytime I visit (which is why I've switched to BN.com - they don't compel me). So, I have on my shelves a copy of Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason AND More Book Lust: 1,000 New Reading Recommendations for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason both by Nancy Pearl. Oh, Nancy Pearl, librarian extraordinaire - I also own your action figure.

Although these are not books to read cover to cover, I am comforted by their presence on my shelves because they assure me that I will NEVER run out of books to read. And that whatever my mood or current interest, I can find a book to satisfy my needs. Thank you, Nancy Pearl, for creating such varied, eclectic, and interesting booklists AND publishing them all in one two books. I will not read all of your suggestions, but I do appreciate them.

Choosing Books for Children: A Commonsense Guide by Betsy Hearne with Deborah Stevenson was required reading for a children's literature course but one I would have purchased anyway. If you haven't heard of these two women, have you been living under a rock? Perhaps it's my connection with the Center for Children's Books that leaves me a little biased, but I am definitely inspired by the extensive work in children's literature that these ladies have done. Take a look at this introduction:

The child is the beginning of life. The story is the beginning of literature. In the beginning, children and stories are deeply connected. The three decades I have spent evaluating children's books as a parent, teacher, librarian, reviewer, and writer have taught me one sure thing: storytelling, reading, and caring for children flow together in a natural way. Children's books can offer any family a humane counterbalance to time-clock living, a chance to pause and take a fresh look at each other.

The book is what it says it is - a commonsense guide to choosing children's books. Each chapter describes a certain kind of children's book - from picture books to different genres - and includes booklists at the end for easy acquisition of titles. Although this edition is already over ten years old, it may be even more useful because it includes classics that are tried and true with children. I'd definitely give this book to a parent who wants to be more involved in his/her child's reading.

My personal library is definitely lacking in books about books. Any favorites you'd like to share?