3 Books About Books
I am physically incapable of passing up a book about books. Maybe it’s because I don’t know many book lovers in real life, but I can’t get enough of seeing my love for books reflected back to me in another book. They get it. Meta book love!
Petty Theft by Pascal Girard
Pascal, the comic-writing main character, is a wreck physically and emotionally after just breaking up with his longterm girlfriend and injuring himself while running, his only distraction from heartbreak, when he notices a girl in the bookstore stealing his book. Why does she steal books, especially his book? Who is she? Investigation and hijinks ensue from there, and it makes for a fun, self-deprecatingly funny read.
The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger
When Alexandra is out for a walk late at night, she comes across a Winnebago with its door open. She can see books inside. Upon entering the bookmobile, it turns out they’re her books and only her books–every book she’s ever read. The mystery continues from there. I won’t spoil the rest, but it is a thoughtful meditation on the reading life, what books do for us, and what we sacrifice for books. (And if you were thinking the name sounds familiar, that’s because it’s by the author of The Time Traveler’s Wife.)
Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault
In this YA graphic novel, Hélène is bullied by the girls who used to be her friends, forced to be alone at school and teased for her weight. But she has an escape: Jane Eyre. With Britt’s touching writing and Arsenault’s use of color to distinguish Hélène’s loneliness in real life from her comfort in reading Jane Eyre, Jane, the Fox, and Me is a beautiful, moving, and hopeful book. It took me back to the times when I felt out of place as a kid and found company in books. If you recognize those feelings, this is a book for you.
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