More Book Lust - Nancy Pearl

Nancy Pearl is a librarian in Seattle who has read an incredible number of books - in every genre imaginable. Her first collection of books to read, Book Lust, came out in 2003 - and I turn to the well-worn copy on my shelf every couple months for a new suggestion. I borrowed her companion, More Book Lust from the library this weekend - and quickly read through it flagging almost every other page with a book to add to my "to-read" list. Pearl puts her suggestions into categories - some are straight-forward, like "Best for Boys and Girls" or "Fiction for Foodies," some are merely great authors that she doesn't want her readers to miss - like P.G. Wodehouse and Walter Mosley, and others are just fun like "Gallivanting in the Graveyard" (books set in cemetaries) and "Maiden Voyages" (best first books). Pearl includes a brief description for most books, and othertimes simply provides a list in the genre. I picked out about 50 new books! (some reminders of books I've been wanting to read, and others just completely new ones I'd never heard of). I found both of Pearl's books so much fun - for getting new ideas and seeing just how much is really out there even in categories I'd never touch (like "Gone Fishin'," "Parrots," and "Science 101"). If you need a recommendation, I can't imagine anyone picking this one up and leaving empty-handed.