THE GIFT OF A BOOK BECOMES PART OF THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE. Perhaps it came with a note as simple as “This made me think of you,” but it takes up residence in your heart and your home.The Books They Gave Me is a mixtape of stories behind books given and received. Some of the stories are poignant, some snarky, some romantic, some disastrous—but all are illuminating. Jen Adams collected nearly two hundred of the most provocative stories submitted to the tumblr blog TheBooksTheyGaveMe.com to capture the many ways books can change our lives and loves, revealing volumes about the relationships that inspired the gifts. These stories are, by turns, romantic, cynical, funny, dark, and hopeful. There’s the poorly thought out gift of Lolita from a thirty-year-old man to a teenage girl. There’s the couple who tried to read Ulysses together over the course of their long-distance relationship and never finished it. There’s the girl whose school library wouldn’t allow her to check out Fahrenheit 451,but who received it at Christmas with the note, “Little Sister: Read everything you can. Subvert Authority! Love always, your big brother.” These are stories of people falling in love, regretting mistakes, and finding hope. Together they constitute a love letter to the book as physical object and inspiration.
Illustrated in full color with the jackets of beloved editions, The Books They Gave Me is, above all, an uplifting testament to the power of literature.
My Thoughts:
The Books They Gave Me is a collection of stories from 200 people and the books they were given by others. Some of the stories are sad as they are about not only the book they were given but failed relationships, poignant because they tug at the heartstrings. To me my collection of books is an extension of myself and who I am so I could definitely relate to the feelings that these people put into their stories. Jen Adams certainly had an awesome idea when she established her website called TheBooksTheyGaveMe.com and then compiled this wonderful little book. This book should be purchased for the booklover in your life, filled with humor, love stories and reflections on love lost, and very inspirational...I highly recommend it. I will be gifting my copy for sure.
I received this book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my review.
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