Loved this book. Not only was it a wonderful look into what different books mean to different people, I needed to read it with a notebook near by to write down all of the books that sounded interesting. ( )

This is a gem of a book and I was devastated when the copy I ordered arrived in tatters. However, I read it before sending it back :-) Hey, you never know if the credit will actually arrive. It is a book of artist renderings of the chosen books of a series of people (100) of whom I recognized the names of maybe five. Disappointed by that, I was still interested in what people had to say about their reading and their choice. I am someone that gravitates to book shelves and could spend a lot of time reading spines. It was also a pleasure to see books that reside on MY shelves sitting as chosen by people in this book. All in all it would make a lovely addition to my library but now that will never happen .Listed were 100 writers with approximately 20 books each so 2000 books listed of which I found I have only read 123. ( )

Having an obsession for staring at people's bookshelves, I found this collection thoroughly gratifying. This is a really cool mix of authors, artists, musicians, designers, doctors, chefs, and more giving a nod to some of their favorite books (and what books and writing mean to them) with an accompanying illustration of the bookshelf by Jane Mount. My only wish is that there were discussions of all the books displayed...I found some collections particularly intriguing and would have loved to read just why each book made it onto the shelf. (And I've totally got to photocopy the sample shelf at the back of the book so I can make my own bookshelf!) ( )

What's not to love about a book like this? Nothing reveals a soul like being able to spy on someone's book shelves. Better yet if they provide a summary of their choices. Simple concept beautifully executed. ( )

This is a fun book to flip through (or methodically read front to back like I do with all browse-able books). I loved, loved the art. Who knew that paintings of book spines could be so awesome? I liked that the illustrations could stand on their own, complemented by the owners' passionate/inspired essays about themselves as readers (instead of listing each chosen book on their ideal shelf and why).
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