Book Review: Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson
Imagine if you could read a book about what books to read. A book that tells you why you should read, and even gives tips on how. A book that explains how reading makes you feel, and why. A book that shows you how reading can change your life. That sounds like the kind of book I want to read. Again and again.
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When I saw the title of Sarah Clarkson’s newest book, I knew I needed to read it. Book Girl really sounds like it could be my biography! The book claims to be “a journey through the treasures and transforming power of a reading life.” I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but Book Girl has been a delight from the first page.
Summary
In Book Girl Sarah Clarkson goes into great detail about the books that have shaped her life. She began reading at a very young age, and had parents that encouraged her to read from a wide array of genres. She writes about the books she read as a child, and how the heroes and heroines taught her about life and adventure.
She speaks about her struggles as a teenager, both physical and spiritual, and how reading helped her to overcome them. She writes about how she found solace in hard times through reading.
Sarah talks about how she has grown spiritually and found wisdom through books of devotion and theology. She even writes about how reading–usually a solitary pastime–connects her to others.
Book Girl Review
I loved reading all these stories, as I can relate to so many of them! I discovered the power of reading when I was just a child. I experienced some not-very-happy times in my life, and reading was a way to escape them.
But as I’ve grown older, reading has become more than just a way to escape—although I still do use it for that! Reading has taught me so many things. Even through reading novels I’ve learned about places and things I never could have known otherwise.
One of my greatest joys in life is talking about the books I read. It’s why I write book reviews! When I read a really great book, I love to share it with people. When someone reads a book I’ve recommended, it makes me so happy!
I also love when other people tell me what they’re reading. I have read countless books on the recommendations of others. That’s my favorite part of Book Girl—the lists.
This book contains over twenty recommended reading lists! Twenty lists of books, separated by topic, genre, or subject—and every one of them delights my book-loving heart!
I was really happy that I had read and recommended several of the books myself, but I was even more happy to see so many recommendations for books I haven’t read yet! Here is a sample of the lists you’ll find:
- The Beloved Dozen: The Novels that Taught Me How to Live
- Girlhood Classics: The Books that Began It All for Me
- The Books We Shared: My Family’s Favorite Read-Alouds
- The Holy Way: Books That Taught Me to Pray
I had barely even started reading when I pulled out my trusty planner, and began making a list of all the books she recommends that I want to read. Then, I gave up writing them down, because I basically want to read them all!
The best part is that there is a small description of each book, and why Sarah thinks you should read it. Be still my bookish heart! Here are a few that I hope to read soon:
- Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
- Pilgrim’s Inn by Elizabeth Goudge
- A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot (I’ve had this on my shelf forever!)
- The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
- The Lord of the Rings Series by J.R.R. Tolkien (never thought I’d want to read this, but I’m so curious!)
And that’s really just the beginning. There were a lot of books that I’d never heard of, some I’ve heard of and wasn’t interested in reading until now. There were some books that I’ve always wondered if they’d be any good, but just needed someone to advise me!
By the end of Book Girl, Sarah felt like a friend, sharing her favorite books with me. I felt what Anne would call “a kindred spirit.”
I hate when people are readers, but pretend like they never read any novels, or anything new and modern. Sarah isn’t like that at all. While her lists include book like The Odyssey, Much Ado About Nothing, and David Copperfield, you’ll also find more modern choices, like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and Harry Potter.
My Recommendations
Just because I love sharing good books, too. I want to tell you some of my favorites that Sarah also recommended. Many of these I have recommended in person to my friends through the years, and I love that someone else is recommending them, too!
- The Anne of Green Gables Series by L.M. Montgomery
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Franke
- The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
I was surprised when I glanced down at the word count for this post, and realized I’m over 900. I have a tendency to wax long about books. But that’s what makes me a book girl!
Does your heart skip a beat when you walk into a library, too? Can you spend hours engrossed in the pages of a good novel? Do you look forward to long car rides, so you can finish up a few things on your reading list? You’re a book girl, too! You’ll really want to read this book!
But maybe reading doesn’t thrill your soul, and maybe you wish it did. If so, Book Girl deserves a place on your shelf, too. There is so much wisdom and knowledge to be gained from reading, as well as entertainment.
If you’d like to get started, but really don’t know where to begin, you, too, can benefit from this great book about books.
There are so many great books in the world to read! I know that I could spend a lifetime trying, and probably never finish them all. But I’ll have a great time trying! And that’s what makes me a book girl!
