rewrite this at leisure - how does this relate to my other Books on Books?
8.20.23 so far it's less inviting than the ones on my shelf - a few photographs are inticing/excellent but the book as a whole does not have the richness of view which mine do - does that sound arrogant? ( )

This is a gorgeous book, and I enjoyed paging through it, a few entries every day, and taking in the photography and stories of the book lovers whose collections are featured. In real life, I love to see how my friends organize and display their books in their homes, so it’s no surprise I was drawn to this book. A lot of these folks are artists and designers, and it shows, but I also discovered—and found comforting— that there are fancy people out there who are as chaotic and messy as I am. One woman, Jordana Munk Martin, has books all over her house, but no bookcases. They’re just stacked everywhere! To be fair, they’re stacked neatly and prettily, but still. No shelves! I was surprised too by the places books got stashed—a fireplace and a kitchen cabinet were two of my favorite spots.

Most entries are mini-bios of book lovers, accompanied by beautifully shot photos of their libraries or shops. Interspersed with the personal stories are short informational pieces that focus on unique bookshops, libraries, and book-related curiosities from around the world.

One of my favorite homes was toward the end of the book—it had a two-story private library owned by Pedro Reyes and Carla Fernandez in Mexico City. The library is made from poured concrete, and it is a sight to behold. I can’t imagine being able to visit it every day.

If you think at all about how your books at home are organized and displayed, even if you’re a complete mess, you’ll probably dig this book. ( )

So much fun to visit these rooms and book lovers. Quite a variety of collections and places. Took out my magnifier to try to read the spines on multiple pages. Lovely photography. ( )

I started reading this book and finished it back in June but I just haven’t had the headspace to do in-depth reviews on books. It’s all I can do to even read a book right now during COVID. The next few book reviews aren’t going to be much but I’m at least documenting that I read it.

Amazon describes this book as "A visual delight and an inspiration for every bibliophile with a growing home library, this dream-and-drool design book features some of the most jaw-dropping book collections of homeowners around the world."

According to Goodreads, I got "a peek at the private libraries and bookshelves of passionate readers all over the world, including Larry McMurtry, Silvia Whitman of Shakespeare and Co., Gay and Nan Talese, and Emma Straub. Throughout, gorgeous photographs of rooms with rare collections, floor-to-ceiling shelves, and stacks upon stacks of books inspire readers to live better with their own collections."

I'm going to have to disagree with that statement. It's a good thing I didn't buy it and just checked it out from the library. I personally didn't find a single library that was gorgeous.

The only person I recognized in the whole book they profiled was Larry McMurty of Lonesome Dove fame. His was just ok.

No, Nina, this is not a visual delight. ( )

How you respond to this book is going to depend on how ticked-off you're feeling about the 1% on any given day. Still, what does elevate this whole exercise is that most of these collections are working libraries for literary and creative types, so it's not just book porn. It's also a reminder that in my next set of living arrangements I need more book shelves! At the end of the day we all know why we look at exquisitely curated photo collections like this. To answer the question; what if? ( )