Customer Reviews

So Many Books, So Little Time

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READ ME! That is what Sara Nelson's new book, So Many Books, So Little Time screamed out to me when it arrived. I have so many of the same problems. I always have at least 500 books in my "to read" pile, and they are triaged in importance, the order of which is subject to change at any second depending on my needs as a reader. So, when I saw this book, I figured it will bring a solution to my dilemma. I was wrong, and will explain why as I go on.

As early as the Prologue and the first chapter, so appropriately named, "Great Expectations," as I believe it expressed Sara's intent at the beginning of this reading project, and it expressed the reader's state upon entering her creation; I was completely committed. And I continued to feel great expectations with each chapter that I read. While it did take me 3 days to read the book, longer than it should have, I did take to carrying it everywhere with me in those 3 days, a behavior that is rare for me.

The book describes Sara Nelson's one-year journey to read books of her selection and to write about the experience. But as all of us `read-a-holics' know, the next book we read is always driven by circumstances that we cannot predict. Thus it was for Ms. Nelson as well. She had a well chosen list of books she wanted to read, but ended up reading several that she did not intend to, and not reading some that she did intend to. This process could have been predicted by any well-addicted reader. We all know, that what we want to read next, may not be what we thought we would want to read next, when we started what we are reading now.

It was with great pleasure that the author mentions Anne Lamott's book Bird By Bird as I felt from chapter 2 that Nelson's book had the same, `look and feel' as Lamott's; but with a very significant difference. Lamott is trying to teach us how to self-discipline ourselves to write. Nelson is telling us what happens to us when we read. And in so many ways, she was right on. In page after page, Nelson explains what she looks for in a book, why she likes it, and sometimes why she doesn't like it, and sometimes, nothing at all.

Her November 25 chapter is particularly interesting and speaks of opening lines. She is right; you only get one opening line. And had she not mentioned Melville and opening lines, I would have completely missed the full implications of her opening line, which I went back to read after I read that chapter. "Call me Insomniac." Despite the overt reference to the story of the Great White Whale, I would have missed it, because her first line did exactly what she wanted it to do, it captured me and reeled me in, because, like her, I am an insomniac.

In the final analysis, I would recommend that all read-a-holics put this book into their "MUST READ" pile with special prejudice toward bringing it to the top of the pile. As read-a-holics, we must stick together. This book is one of the finest books for serious readers I have found. And she did NOT solve my problem; because she suggested so many books I had never read yet, that I now have another 5,000 pages on my shelf as recommendations. Be careful, Sara reads everything, even those 1200 page tomes that we often avoid, but shouldn't. Happy Reading!

To read Sara Nelson's book is to obtain a top-secret pass. Into the halls of power and might? No. Into the corridors of a passionate reader's mind, yes. In fact, her ode to literature might be titled "Finding Mr. Write." She points out, quite fittingly, the relationship between readers and their chosen printed companions. If you, like Ms. Nelson and this reviewer, have ever fawned over an intriguing title on the shelf like a teenager harboring a crush, then you'll adore the insights and shared intimacies of "So Many Books, So Little Time."

Nelson attacks her subject with, uh, uninhibited desire. Examining a year of her own reading habits, she unveils the tendencies and quibbles and sparks of heated excitement found between the covers. (Of printed matter, of course--don't let her infatuations confuse you.) The metaphor is appropriate, if you share her love for books. There's the starry-eyed introduction, the clumsy yet heady getting-to-know-you stage, the culminating union of heart and soul. Our mothers tried to warn us, though: "Be careful, I tell ya. Most boys are up to no good." Yeah, and not all books are as wonderful as they appear; not all classics live up to our expectations.

Nelson's unafraid of pointing fingers here. She tells us which ones left her uninvolved and clammy. While dispensing insights into her own roles as wife and mother, she also reveals truths she's discovered through the joys (and travails) of reading. Not all books are for everyone. Not everyone finds a match the first time around. Nelson never loses faith, however, in the idea that reader and book will find each other eventually.

In this search for Mr. Write, Nelson keeps us laughing at her, at ourselves, and the wacky world around us. For the jaded among us, beware...You might find yourself falling in love all over again.

This is not a book about reading. This is a self-indulgent memoir full of incredibly dull personal history ("My mother gets on my nerves!" "I have sibling rivalry issues with my sister!") literary name-dropping ("I stayed in the Vermont lodge of the great Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn because I am the friend of one of his stepsons' widows!"), and obsession over the fact that the (white) author's husband is Asian ("My husband is Asian!" "Did I mention that I'm in an interracial marriage?"). Bizarrely, there is very little discussion of the books the author reads or of her emotional reactions to them, good or bad. For someone who is supposedly "passionate" about reading, she certainly makes the topic uninteresting.

I made it through page 69, and by that time (March 15), the author had given up on reading "Funnymen" and "Miracle at St Anna". So why should I avoid these books? Well, "Funnymen" clashed too much with the solemn atmosphere at the Vermont lodge, and "Miracle at St Anna" "just doesn't work". I could get more information than that just by scanning the Amazon reviews for those books, and I plan to.

I strongly suspect that the only reason this book saw print is due to the author's publishing connections. One of the novels she reads is in the form of a spiral-bound proof lent to her by her sister, who had been using it for review purposes. And then there are asides like, "There's the novel by the writer I knew of only by reputation, until he became my favorite boss".

And no, she doesn't read a book a week for a year. In Appendix B, the author notes:

"So did you make your book-a-week goal? people have been asking me. The real answer: Yes and no. Sometimes I read a book in a day. Some things took a couple of weeks. And some that I read I didn't write about. The final tally: a lot more than fifty-two books, even if I can't name absolutely everything I dipped into or skimmed through."

Um. So the point of this book, aside from self-absorbed ramblings that would be barely interesting even if I knew Sara Nelson and her family personally, is exactly what?

For readers who enjoy books that are actually about reading, I heartily recommend Nancy Pearl's "Book Lust" as well as "Bookmarks" magazine.

Never has a book described to me to a tee.

Sara Nelson's witty chronicle, So Many Books So Little Time, depicts the life of a book lover, a person who can't go a day without reading or finds herself sneaking moments to read anywhere at any time. I, myself, am a confessed bookaholic, having at the moment about 175 novels in my TBR (To Be Read) pile. Reading Nelson's ode to reading lets me know I'm not alone. I can come "out of the closet" (where there's more books than standing room).

The premise of Nelson's book revolves around her project to read at least one book a week for a year. In her weekly entries, Nelson discusses what she has or has not read, what attracted her to certain books, and how those books intertwine with her life. What really makes this book stand out is Nelson's witty repartee, her ability to make me laugh out loud and recognize just how much we have in common. The book also works because of Nelson's various experiences in the publishing word where she's been a reporter and a reviewer, among other things.

Book Lovers, we finally have something that unites us! Read So Many Books, So Little Time and be proud!

Given that Nelson is a senior contributing editor at Glamour magazine, it shouldn't be too shocking that her book on reading will strike many avid readers as as calculatedly sassy, confessional, and rather shallow. On the other hand, others will find it perky, refreshing, and accessible -- as with all books, it really depends where you're coming from and what your expectations are. Her project of reading a book a week for a year and then writing about each is less about the actual books she reads, and more about how how and what she reads intersects with her daily life. So, those seeking a book about books will probably be disappointed, while those who are open to reading about the life of a fairly wealthy Manhattanite fashionista columnist will probably enjoy her slim book a great deal more. Her life is privileged, her taste pretty mainstream, her range pretty narrow, and her insights mostly ordinary.

There are occasional, somewhat refreshing admissions,such as that she'll think about a book as accessory, in other words, "which book should I carry to make myself look more interesting?" and that book recommendations will make her rethink her relationships with people. These are not admissions most book lovers are going to make, and one has to somewhat respect the calculated bravery it took to commit those ideas to paper. Plenty of readers are going to have their pet peeves with the book, perhaps most notably in the lack of range in Nelson's reading. She appears to be torn between reading what she thinks she "ought" to read, and what she actually ends up reading. The former is laden with the kind of bestselling non-fiction history and biography and critically well-received novels, the latter generally with modern American or British fiction. It's too her credit that she doesn't gush over everything, like many reviewers, she's more than willing to tell us what she didn't like or found boring.

Each week is its own brief chapter, and generally Nelson uses it to cover some specific aspect of reading and her own take on in. For example, she talks about the etiquette of borrowing books, how to handle friends who recommend books and friends who give you their manuscripts to read, her reaction to over-hyped books, loving a book, reading more than one book at a time, books vs. movie adaptations, finishing/abandoning books, falling in love with a book, summer reading, "dirty" books, reading through an oeuvre, opening lines, etc. Sometimes I found myself in total alignment with her (such as her aversion to books that have a lot of attendant hype), and sometimes not (unlike her, I absolutely will select books based on cover design). Some of her writing works really well, especially her brief discussion of what happens when she falls in love with a book, or the opening chapter about why her husband isn't interested in the books she tries to push on him. Other times, she just comes off as smug or far too comfortable in her little Manhattan cocoon. Her family plays a fairly large role in the book, from her mercurial husband to her cute little boy, aging mom in Florida, and dead father. Readers who aren't willing to spend time examining Nelson's interactions with all of them may do well to stay away. In the end, this isn't a terrible book, nor is it a wonderful book, it's a very average one, competently written, but with very little to say.

I see from other reviewers that I am in the minority but I was terribly disappointed by Sara Nelson's book. I thought that it was trite and didn't express anything that I, as a passionate reader myself, didn't already know. This is more for the neophyte who would like to read more. I thought that books such as Nancy Pearl's "Book Lust" and the lovely anthology "Where Books Fall Open" were much, much better and fulfilled what I was looking for: Literary passion and great title recommendations. I expected that this would read much more as a journal of a year of reading but it was more like a series of simple essays, nothing new or unexplored here. I thought it would have been better as a journal or maybe if she had made it a humorous look at her year. Rather it seemed pointless and I was disappointed but clearly others loved it so just know that it is not really a journal when purchasing.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy of this extremely entertaining and well written book about my favorite subject...books, and the passionate love a lifelong reader experiences reading them, sneaking them into bathrooms for a couple extra paragraphs before getting back to work, falling asleep with them in bed, and all the other crazy little things that we sometimes think we're alone in doing.

The author, Sara Nelson, works as an editor at a New York magazine, and has pretty much lived and breathed books her whole life. With SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME, she's also written the perfect book for those of us who catalogue various eras in our lives by the books we were reading at the time.

If you're a book person (and there's a good chance you might be if spend time reading what other people have to say about books in these online reviews) you're bound to identify with and be caught up by Sara Nelson's enthusiastic and fun to read memoir.

Nelson set out to read a different book each week for a year and write about her various experiences. Because a really good book is able to make you feel attuned to all of the rich possibilities of life, just as with your unique experiences of life itself, it's impossible to predict what your reactions to a book will be, before you've spent the time with it cradled in your hands. There are unexpected moments in Nelson's year of passionate reading, in which she either is left cold by books she was all prepared, on the recommendations of valued friends of family, to love, or when she found treasure troves hidden in the least expected places.

There's nothing like finding something special and magical in an unexpected place, and that's what I really felt after reading this book, which had just shown up one day in my mail box. It's well worth your time. SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME is not only a cool bumper sticker slogan, but it's now also a great book that celebrates all of the obvious things, along with all of the more subtle minutiae, that make reading such an essential and fabulous pastime.

If good books are like oxygen to you, you should treat yourself to a deep inhalation of this wonderful little book.

In So Many Books, So Little Time, Nelson offers the reader an inside look at her world of insomnia and manic book reading. "I'm ravenous for books and awake half of most nights..." This combination allows her to tackle the daunting, yet revealing task of reading a book a week for one year. While offering a venerable "who's who" in the world of literature, the reader is more inclined to note the shallow actions and elementary prose of a surprisingly experienced writer.
Nelson's superficial attitude is seen throughout her book. "People notice what you read and judge you by it." Therefore, she chooses to carry Geraldine Brook's Nine Parts of Desire, (Brook's "...interaction with Islamic women in the mid-1990's") with her in public. "...Nine Parts of Desire speaks to anyone who might be listening: I'm smart, it says. I'm concerned with current events, it announces. I am a serious person." To follow in the track of judging others, Nelson's confesses how a poor novel suggestion from a friend "...could threaten the fragile bond that has been put in place between two imperfect but well-meaning souls." Further explaining herself, Nelson states, "I should let it go, or reconsider my feelings about the book in question. But I end up reconsidering the friendship instead." Unfortunately, due to these unsettling insights the writer's genuine feelings discussed throughout her book become hard to believe.
While readers endure shallow confessions, they are rewarded by the book's simple composition. This thankfully allows for rapid page-turning and a quick read. To avoid Nelson's year-long experience entirely, merely flip to the back of the book and browse her lists of "What I Planned to Read...," "What I Actually Did Read..." and "The Must-Read Pile." These offer a summary of the books peaking Nelson's interests and her thoughts on each. It's a relatively painless solution to plowing through So Many Books, So Little Time.

"So Many Books, So Little Time" is an interesting chronicle of one person's journey through a year's worth of reading. Not surprisingly, author Sara Nelson found that in spite of her good intentions, she wound up reading a different list of books than she planned. After all, we do not always choose books; sometimes they choose us based upon what is happening around us and inside us. Nelson, who has worked in the publishing industry as a journalist, editor, and reviewer, has an astounding insight into books and authors. She analyses what draws us to a book and keeps us there. She discusses the contract between an author and a reader. She talks about book covers or opening lines and the first impressions they make. She writes about books with warmth, passion, and humor.

I was first attracted to this book because of its title, which also happens to be the catch-phrase on my Amazon "About Me" page. As relevant as the title is, it could hardly do justice to how this wonderful book represents the heart and soul of a passionate reader. I did not walk away from this book merely with a to-read list as long as my arm and with a new appreciation for books and reading. Besides that, the author spoke to me as one book lover to another. After finishing the book, I feel I know Sara Nelson well. She writes about the interplay between what she reads and who she is.

There were so many places in the book where I nodded my head and said "Yes, I feel the same way!" Nelson has stacks of books to rival my own, arranged in a chaotic order, yet she can place her finger on any one of them. She often reads more than one book at a time, as I do. She has faced the same dilemmas I have: Where shall I put all my books? What should I read next? If I reread a book I loved years ago, will I still feel the same about it? If a friend recommends a book to me and I dislike it, what could this do to our relationship? Should I bother to read an overhyped book just because everyone else has? Should I stop reading a book I am not enjoying? Will an author I enjoyed on the initial go-around disappoint me in later books? What relationship is there between what I am reading and what I am doing or feeling? What attracts me to a certain kind of book?

I highly recommend this gem for anyone who is a readaholic.

The hours I spent with Sara Nelson, discovering along with her the ups and downs of a year spent reading and writing about a book a week, were not wasted. While I wouldn't put aside a terrific novel to hear what an editor/reporter/reviewer has to say about a batch of books she more or less chaotically chose to read over the course of a year, it was fun to eavesdrop on Nelson's lighthearted yet insightful musings. An engaging memoirist, she shares who she is, her own failings and humanity, the state of her marriage, the condition of her nightstand pile of unread books, while letting us in on her choosing and reading and writing process. I don't thoroughly relate to her ending, though, where she muses on what she may have missed by reading so much (the relocation of a local art museum, some TV that everyone else has been watching). Choices must be made in a busy life, and it's a good thing, really, to opt for literature over the incessant pull of pop culture. Nelson's enthusiasm for some of the books she read, though, should make many of her own book's readers head straight for their own toppling reading piles with fresh verve.