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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
Would've liked better if the author hadn't made herself a character. Or took so many deviations, they made the narrative a little jumpy.
A look into the mind of a man who steals rare books. Not just ordinary books but those in Rare Book shops. As a librarian and book buyer this really opened my eyes.
informative
slow-paced
La premisa es interesante, pero deja de serlo pronto y no hay nada nuevo que vuelva a llamarte la atención.
Si bien es agradable leer sobre el amor por los libros, suele desagradarme esa reverencia que tienen algunos hacia la literatura, como si leer te volviera una raza glorificada de ser humano.
Hay muchas pasiones en la vida de la gente, no entiendo porqué unas tienen mas cachet que otras.
Si bien es agradable leer sobre el amor por los libros, suele desagradarme esa reverencia que tienen algunos hacia la literatura, como si leer te volviera una raza glorificada de ser humano.
Hay muchas pasiones en la vida de la gente, no entiendo porqué unas tienen mas cachet que otras.
I can't think of anything brilliant to say about this book, and that's saying something because in my current ssleep-deprived state I'm liable to think that pretty much anything is brilliant. For example, earlier tonight we arrived home and I ran to the house, yelling "I'm crazy but I'm not that crazy!" to my sister. What prompted this comment, I have no idea, but it struck me as hilarious and creative and I laughed at that line for a full minute before I realized people say it all the time.
So, one would think that I'd be on here a few hours later, spilling my deepest, darkest secrets in this review because this is an account of true crime, and this is the perfect climate for a confession because 1) I'm on the subject, and 2) all my filters have dissipated in a cloud of drowsiness. In this case, however, the opposite is true. Reading about Gilkey's satisfaction in sharing his own brilliance, even at the cost of confessing his crimes and detailing his methods, has made me reticent. Those of you who are only reading this to discover what crimes I might confess will be disappointed- in fact, you had better stop reading now.
In all seriousness, though, I liked this book. I didn't find it as riveting as The Zookeeper's Wife, but I felt that the author did a fine job in telling a compelling story with the information she had. It's not her fault that the theft of rare books in modern times has less danger and overall action than the stories of resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied Poland. I knew what I was getting into when I chose the book, and I'm glad I read it.
We interrupt this review to bring a note to those of you who are still reading in order to try and discover my crimes:
Seriously, stop.
We now return to our regular programming
That being said, this book is probably not for everyone. If you're not a fan of narrative nonfiction as a whole, then be warned that there are a few spots that seem rather tangential, and even I felt that the plot was dragged out much longer than needed after the first three hours of the audiobook. If you're a fan of this genre, like me, you'll realize that's the nature of the beast. If not, buckle up and be prepared to ride it out... And maybe bring along another book for the ride.
And for those of you, my loyal friends who read my reviews even when they don't contain juicy secrets of crime and treachery, thank you for reading my review. Your friendship means so much.
Also, once I sent my dad to the library to pick up a book I on hold and he ended up paying my fine for the last book that I hadn't returned on time. Then I got a stern talking-to because he was fairly certain I was trying to scam him into paying my fine. Maybe I was... Or maybe I had totally forgotten, as I claimed at the time, that I even had a late fee. The world will never know the answer to the question of my criminal intent, but two other things about that situation are certain: It was 10 cents and I have never forgotten.
So, one would think that I'd be on here a few hours later, spilling my deepest, darkest secrets in this review because this is an account of true crime, and this is the perfect climate for a confession because 1) I'm on the subject, and 2) all my filters have dissipated in a cloud of drowsiness. In this case, however, the opposite is true. Reading about Gilkey's satisfaction in sharing his own brilliance, even at the cost of confessing his crimes and detailing his methods, has made me reticent. Those of you who are only reading this to discover what crimes I might confess will be disappointed- in fact, you had better stop reading now.
In all seriousness, though, I liked this book. I didn't find it as riveting as The Zookeeper's Wife, but I felt that the author did a fine job in telling a compelling story with the information she had. It's not her fault that the theft of rare books in modern times has less danger and overall action than the stories of resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied Poland. I knew what I was getting into when I chose the book, and I'm glad I read it.
We interrupt this review to bring a note to those of you who are still reading in order to try and discover my crimes:
Seriously, stop.
We now return to our regular programming
That being said, this book is probably not for everyone. If you're not a fan of narrative nonfiction as a whole, then be warned that there are a few spots that seem rather tangential, and even I felt that the plot was dragged out much longer than needed after the first three hours of the audiobook. If you're a fan of this genre, like me, you'll realize that's the nature of the beast. If not, buckle up and be prepared to ride it out... And maybe bring along another book for the ride.
And for those of you, my loyal friends who read my reviews even when they don't contain juicy secrets of crime and treachery, thank you for reading my review. Your friendship means so much.
Also, once I sent my dad to the library to pick up a book I on hold and he ended up paying my fine for the last book that I hadn't returned on time. Then I got a stern talking-to because he was fairly certain I was trying to scam him into paying my fine. Maybe I was... Or maybe I had totally forgotten, as I claimed at the time, that I even had a late fee. The world will never know the answer to the question of my criminal intent, but two other things about that situation are certain: It was 10 cents and I have never forgotten.
this one was a bit slow but the subject matter was really intriguing and I really enjoyed learning about rare books.
Should be titled: "The Man Who Loved Stealing Too Much: the story of a pompous thief, an author who tricked me into thinking someone in this story would actually LOVE books, and a naive reader who suffered through to the end of this "should've been a podcast" tale.
A fascinating true story about a guy that steals books simply because he loves to collect them. However... The whole story was unnecessarily to long. Some paragraphs felt like text fillers, which is common for this type of publications. I think it should've just been made into an interesting newspaper article.
'When I walk down the street and almost everyone I pass is sequestered in his own iPod or cell phone universe, I can't help thinking that our connection to books is still, after all these centuries, as important as it is intangible.'
'When I walk down the street and almost everyone I pass is sequestered in his own iPod or cell phone universe, I can't help thinking that our connection to books is still, after all these centuries, as important as it is intangible.'
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This isn’t my typical read. However, I did thoroughly enjoy it. I enjoyed the look into collecting read books. I enjoyed Gilkey’s perspective and his thought process in stealing books. It made me question why I like collecting the books that I love or why I continue to buy books at bookstores even if I might not read it. Overall, this was a well-rounded very interesting, true crime book.