Review: For the Love of Books by Graham Tarrant

For the Love of Books: Stories of Literary Lives, Banned Books, Author Feuds, Extraordinary Characters and More by Graham Tarrant covers a variety of nonfiction bookish topics. He starts the book with a brief history of printing, books, and libraries. He then progresses to historical notes on the novel. From there many topics are covered from book banning and writers' feuds to the history of crime fiction to writers who ran afoul of the law to lawsuits and authors. And so much more, roughly 22 bookish topics are covered.

I pretty much enjoyed most of the book. My favorite segments were those about spies, science fiction and fantasy, and children's books. While this is a very good book, it does have one drawback. It's pretty much centered on authors and books from the United Kingdom. While there are some other authors mentioned, I felt like there could have been a more balanced approach.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this well-researched book to people who enjoy reading about books and authors. Even though this book mainly has a UK focus, there is still a lot to enjoy for any book lover.

For the Love of Books by Graham Tarrant was published June 4th, 2019 by Skyhorse.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. all opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Teaser Tuesday: For the Love of Books by Graham Tarrant

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"From the moment books came into being, people found reasons to ban them."

"Books were banned because they were deemed heretical, anti-clerical, licentious or obscene - which covered a lot of ground."

Both quotes are from 13% on my Kindle though they aren't right next to each other. They are from the chapter on Book Banning. I'm on the chapter about writers' feuds now.

For the Love of Books: Stories of Literary Lives, Banned Books, Author Feuds, Extraordinary Characters and More by Graham Tarrant is due to be released today June 4th, 2019 from Skyhorse Publishing.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #275: For the Love of Books by Graham Tarrant

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From Goodreads:

A light-hearted book about books and the people who write them for all lovers of literature.

Do you know: 
Which famous author died of caffeine poisoning? Why Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was banned in China? Who was the first British writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature? What superstitions Truman Capote kept whenever he wrote? Who the other Winston Churchill was? 

A treasure trove of compelling facts, riveting anecdotes, and extraordinary characters, For the Love of Books is a book about books—and the inside stories about the people who write them. Learn how books evolved, what lies behind some of the greatest tales ever told, and who’s really who in the world of fiction. 

From banned books to famous feuding authors, from literary felons to rejected masterpieces, from tips for aspiring writers to stand-out book lists for readers to catch up on, For the Love of Books is a celebration of the written word and an absolute page-turner for any book lover. Read all about it!

For the Love of Books by Graham Tarrant is expected to be published June 18th, 2019 from Skyhorse.

Why am I waiting on this one? I love all things books. This sounds like an interesting collection of facts and anecdotes. It sounds like a light, fun read.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!