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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
2019 Extreme Book Nerd Challenge - Book with a heist in it
I've only read about half of the book and I find this book boring, there is nothing amazing about his method of operation and his sense of grandeur through books was annoying, the only good thing about this book is the other books mentioned that I would like to check out.
Interesting peek inside the minds of several bibliophiles, and the world of rare books. I am a lover of reading, not collecting, but I do have a sense of what drives the collector. Is it a gentle madness?
A boring book. She humors a thief, who is probably mentally ill.
This true crime novel has a fascinating premise: it's about a man who stole hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of rare books. Not to sell, but simply for his own personal collection. One particular rare book dealer helps track him down and bring him to justice.
Unfortunately, the synopsis is more interesting than reading the actual book. I'm not sure if it's the author's writing style, or the thief himself, but there just isn't a lot of substance to this story. The thief comes across as simply lucky and dumb and more interested in possessing the books and basking in what they represent to him (a cultured, erudite life) than doing anything else.
I can kind of understand the thief's perspective in the collection aspect, because when I was younger I had hundreds and hundreds of books and the thought of not having the books was painful for me. But I grew up and realized that possessing a thing doesn't mean you value it, or that what you feel like it represents is transferred to you.
This is a fast read, and some of the author's descriptions of rare books are lovely. But I also wanted more from this book--more details on the crimes, more interviews with the thief and his victims, more stories of past book thefts, etc. This is a good weekend read if you're in the mood for some fast true crime without a bunch of gruesome details.
Unfortunately, the synopsis is more interesting than reading the actual book. I'm not sure if it's the author's writing style, or the thief himself, but there just isn't a lot of substance to this story. The thief comes across as simply lucky and dumb and more interested in possessing the books and basking in what they represent to him (a cultured, erudite life) than doing anything else.
I can kind of understand the thief's perspective in the collection aspect, because when I was younger I had hundreds and hundreds of books and the thought of not having the books was painful for me. But I grew up and realized that possessing a thing doesn't mean you value it, or that what you feel like it represents is transferred to you.
This is a fast read, and some of the author's descriptions of rare books are lovely. But I also wanted more from this book--more details on the crimes, more interviews with the thief and his victims, more stories of past book thefts, etc. This is a good weekend read if you're in the mood for some fast true crime without a bunch of gruesome details.
This is the story of Gilkey, a common thief with an uncommon interest. Gilkey steals rare books. He is caught time and time again and, even when spending months in jail, all he can think about is how he will steal his next book.
The psychology of the thief, and of the tireless "Bibio-dick" who attempts to thwart him at every turn, make for an interesting story that was never fully followed up upon.
I had very high hopes for this book at the beginning. However, it became apparent early on that the author was not connecting with her story.
Bartlett often revisits the idea of book collecting and her inability to understand those who collect. She tries several times by, (shock)going into a book store and looking briefly for a first edition and giving up after five minutes. I believe that if Bartlett had removed herself from the narrative the story would have been more interesting.
I would recommend this book to 1) People from the San Francisco Bay Area with a love of books. There are many mentions of bookstores that specialize in the rare and unusual that you may want to visit; 2)People who enjoy crime reporting without blood and guts; 3)Criminologists. A narrative from a criminal who is willing to share his crazy (without realizing he seems crazy)? What more could you want?
If you do not fall into the above categories you can probably skip this book.
[b:The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession|6251543|The Man Who Loved Books Too Much The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession|Allison Hoover Bartlett|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255837669s/6251543.jpg|6434434]
The psychology of the thief, and of the tireless "Bibio-dick" who attempts to thwart him at every turn, make for an interesting story that was never fully followed up upon.
I had very high hopes for this book at the beginning. However, it became apparent early on that the author was not connecting with her story.
Bartlett often revisits the idea of book collecting and her inability to understand those who collect. She tries several times by, (shock)going into a book store and looking briefly for a first edition and giving up after five minutes. I believe that if Bartlett had removed herself from the narrative the story would have been more interesting.
I would recommend this book to 1) People from the San Francisco Bay Area with a love of books. There are many mentions of bookstores that specialize in the rare and unusual that you may want to visit; 2)People who enjoy crime reporting without blood and guts; 3)Criminologists. A narrative from a criminal who is willing to share his crazy (without realizing he seems crazy)? What more could you want?
If you do not fall into the above categories you can probably skip this book.
[b:The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession|6251543|The Man Who Loved Books Too Much The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession|Allison Hoover Bartlett|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255837669s/6251543.jpg|6434434]
If you like books (and why else would you be on goodreads), you'll likely enjoy this book. Uses book collecting as a way to explore the idea of obsession, couched in a police serial like story.
This was a good ready with compelling real life characters. I enjoyed the tone of the writing but at times it got repetitive and I felt like there was too much or the author instead of the individuals she was documenting.
This was an interesting short look at a book thief and his methods and the rare book dealer in Salt Lake who worked to have him caught. This would probably have been a better lengthy investigative magazine piece. I wanted more of the story. I preferred Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures about the art crimes division of the FBI.
I do like books about books. And the local and independent bookselling aspect made it even better.
I do like books about books. And the local and independent bookselling aspect made it even better.