Customer Reviews

Between the Covers: The Book Babes' Guide to a Woman's Reading Pleasures

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Here's the simple fact: Between the Covers is a dangerous book. You open to a page and stumble upon a few one-paragraph reviews that cut to the heart of the matter and you write down that title, because you realize you must--simply must--read that book. And then you turn to another page and another and another and the next thing you know, you've got a long list of books you want to read for the first time and an even longer list of old friends you want to revisit. And it's all Margo and Ellen's fault!

I met them at an Inkwood book signing in Tampa and was stunned by not only their love and knowledge of books, but also their ability to capture the essential essence of a book in a paragraph. Think about it. 300 pages distilled to one lousy paragraph! All writers should stop what they're doing right now and read these reviews and weep. When will we ever be so clear, so concise, so sharp?! I think I'm very annoyed.

Get this book, but don't blame me or Margo or Ellen if your book budget disintegrates until you find yourself petitioning Obama for a bailout. You are fairly warned!

The entire book is one huge recommendation list, and a good one, at that. It is comprised of lists, fifty- five in all, ten books to each list. They are then further divided into sections such as "Babes We Love", "Ages &Stages", "Family & Friends" and "Babes in the World", etc..

In going through the book, I found many familiar books, ones that I have read and re-read many times over (Le Mariage/Diane Johnson, Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay/Nancy Milford and Letters to a Young Poet/Rilke, among so many others) and ones that have been added to my ever-growing 'To Read List' (The Road/Cormac McCarthy, Women's Letters: America From the Revolutionary War to the Present/Lisa Grunwald and Stephen J. Adler and Frida Kahlo: The Paintings/Hayden Herrera to name a few).

If you are looking for something to read, non-fiction or fiction, even poetry, pick up this book. You are sure to find something that strikes your interest. It also makes a great gift list for the book lovers in your circle of friends and family.

They always say you're supposed to write the book you wanted to read. "Between the Covers" offers the right books for any occasion in your life, such a brilliant concept you'll be frustrated you didn't think of it yourself. The authors' intelligence and wit shine through in every review. A fantastic, energetic and enthusiastic reading guide.

An eminently browsable book. About half of the books mentioned I loved; the other half I hated. I nevertheless added a dozen or so books to my wishlist from this book.