Synopses & Reviews
Can't decide what to read? Great Books for Every Book Lover offers concise, insightful, witty profiles of books from every genre - from the classics to gems that hide in the corners of your favorite bookstore. Each book is reviewed with the wit and wisdom of a seasoned book critic - bibliophiles and casual readers alike will be entertained and intrigued as they browse this unique, fun, and useful reference in search of the next perfect read.
Organized by topic with complete indexes of titles and authors, this book makes it easy to sort through the endless stacks of literature out there and find the right book for you. Chapters include: A Masterpiece You Might Have Missed, Beach Books, Children's Classics, Mysterious Doings, True Crime, Big ( & Small) Business, Homes, & Gardens, Rediscovered Classics, Poets & Poetry, Notable Biographies, All-Star Sports Books and many others. Each listing includes bibliographical information and a brief review designed to pique your interest and help you track down the perfect book. You'll also find hundreds of covers pictured, historical context and interesting tidbits about hundreds of books.
Discover new favorite authors, catch up on classics, find the perfect gift or browse through the commentary to compare notes on books you've read. This book is an intriguing and entertaining resource for every new reader as well as the most discriminating home librarian. Everyone will find books that they will want to read just by flipping through the pages.
Synopsis
This guide offers concise, insightful and witty one-paragraph profiles of the world's greatest books -- just the thing to browse when searching for the next perfect read. More than 2,000 book reviews give a short summary, historical context and information about the author.
Synopsis
Can't decide what to read? Imagine a list of the greatest books described in concise, insightful and witty profiles to browse in search of the next perfect read. 2002 Great Books for Every Book Lover offers all this and more, reviewing each book with the wit and wisdom of a seasoned book critic in this unique and useful reference that belongs in every bibliophile's library. * Readers will love the broad selection of titles, learning about famous authors and finding or recommending the next perfect read for themselves, friends and family--every type of book is covered. * Each of the 2002 book profiles, roughly one paragraph long, gives a short summary, historical context, information about the author, why the book was important and other recommended reads by the same author. * Indexes make it easy to find books by subject, title or author. A tear-off list gives readers a handy in-store reference and a check-off list helps track all the books they've read.
Synopsis
-Discover new favorite authors.
-Catch up on the classics.
-Find the perfect gift
-Or browse through witty critical commentary to compare notes on books
THIS BOOK IS AN INTRIGUING, ENTERTAINING RESOURCE FOR EVERY NEW READER AS WELL AS THE MOST DISCRIMINATING HOME LIBRARIAN.
About the Author
Thomas J. Craughwell is an author and problem solver. He traced the evolution of Manhattan urban legends (Alligators in the Sewer); sorted out fact from fiction in old wives tales (Do Blue Bedsheets Bring Babies?); identified the patron saints of bloggers, vegetarians and hangovers (This Saint Will Change Your Life); and resurrected a long-forgotten story from 1876, when a gang of hapless Irish immigrant counterfeiters tried to kidnap the body of Abraham Lincoln--and almost got away with it (Stealing Lincoln's Body). Tom lives in Bethel, Connecticut.
Table of Contents
ALL-STAR SPORTS BOOKS
AMERICAN CLASSICS
AN AUTHOR YOU SHOULD KNOW
BEACH BOOKS
THE BEST ANTHOLOGIES
THE BEST HISTORY
BIG (AND SMALL) BUSINESS
THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN THE MOVIE
BOOKS TO SAVOR: FOOD and WINE
BRITISH CLASSICS
CHILDREN'S CLASSICS
CLASSICS OF THE STAGE
EPICS
EROTICA
EXERCISE and FITNESS
FIRST-CLASS FICTION
FIRST TIME OUT
FOR YOUNG READERS
FRESH IDEAS
FRESH TRANSLATIONS
FUNNY FOLK
GODS and HEROES
GRAND PASSIONS
GREAT ADVENTURES
GREAT GOSSIP
GREAT NOVELLAS
HARD-RIDING WESTERNS
HIGH CULTURE
IN HIS/HER/THEIR OWN WORDS
HOLIDAY READING
HOMES and GARDENS
IN STYLE
LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
LITERARY LIVES
LITTLE-KNOWN HISTORY
LIVING WITH BOOKS
A MASTERPIECE YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
MASTERS OF THE MACABRE
MEN AT ARMS
MIND and BODY
MYSTERIOUS DOINGS
NOTABLE BIOGRAPHIES
NOTORIOUS
PAGE TURNERS
PERSONAL FINANCE
POETS and POETRY
PRIZE WINNERS
REAL-LIFE DISASTERS
REDISCOVERED CLASSICS
THE REFERENCE SHELF
ROYAL LIVES
SACRED HISTORY
SAINTS and SINNERS (and SOME OTHER FOLKS IN BETWEEN)
SHAKESPEARE - IN A CLASS BY HIMSELF
SCI-FI CLASSICS
SHORT TAKES
SPIRITUAL CLASSICS
STAR QUALITY
SULTRY ROMANCES
THRILLERS
TOUGH GUYS
TRAVELER'S TALES
TRUE CRIME
UNDERSTANDING OUR WORLD
A WAY WITH WORDS
WISE GUYS
WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE
WORDS TO LIVE BY
WORKING STIFFS
WORLDS OF WONDER
Index by Author
Index by Title