This was essentially a coffee table book of literary trivia and lists of minutia. Some fun history and anecdotes that remind us that authors (even famous ones!) are still human, but pretty disjointed to read straight through. God to browse in idle moments if you love books.

I really enjoyed this book about books and about learning some neat historical facts about some really famous writers. This is a book I would like to have on my shelf to refer to every now and then. Really fun book.

I received an e-ARC of this book by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I listened to the audiobook, but this is one that I think I would've preferred to read the book because of its format (short snippets about various authors and books). That said, it was interesting and I learned some things I hadn't known.

A fun collection of little known stories about books and the people who wrote them. A must read for anyone who loves to learn random facts about popular books. Entertaining and compelling - great on audio!

I wanted more depth in this book. It's a lot of lists and brief anecdotes like one would find in an Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. Fun for flipping through in a print edition but less engaging as an audio.

This was okay. A very dry, fact driven book, with little room for flowery language or well crafted prose. It could have been more interesting if more personal facts about certain authors were explored or elaborated upon.

For the Love of Books: Stories of Literary Lives, Banned Books, Author Feuds, Extraordinary Characters and More by Graham Tarrant, Narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies is a book with a variety of bookish information. Which famous author died of caffeine poisoning? Why was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland banned in China? Who was the first British writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature? What was Truman Capote superstitious about? Here is a light-hearted book about books and the people who write them for all lovers of literature. A treasure trove of compelling facts, riveting anecdotes, and extraordinary characters, For the Love of Books is a book about books—and the inside stories about the people who write them. Learn how books evolved, what lies behind some of the greatest tales ever told, and who's really who in the world of fiction. From banned books to famous feuding authors, from literary felons to rejected masterpieces, from tips for aspiring writers to stand-out book lists for readers to catch up on, For the Love of Books is a celebration of the written word.

For the Love of Books is a very interesting book. I think some of it is better suited to the written word than audiobook- for instance some of the author and book lists are probably easier to follow and track when read on the page rather than listening to. However, I found most of the information to be interesting, and some of the stories were new to me while others were familiar. There was a great deal of information covered, but even more left untouched. I know there is no way to get all the information about the past and current state of literature in one book. It did seem to focus more on older material and authors than more recent works- with a slight leaning toward European authors and works- but some of that is not unexpected. I would love to see the subject expanded on in other books- perhaps with a focus on women authors or those from different countries or ethnicities. I know that the majority of information recorded from history is about old white men- and I was glad to see some stretching out of that category in this book- but I think I would have been even happier with a touch more of that.

For the Love of Books is an interesting and informative read that book lovers will enjoy.

An intriguing exploration of anything book related. I enjoyed this a lot, but I would prefer if I had read it instead of listened to the audiobook version just because there are too many facts and I found myself rewinding a few times. I really enjoyed the narrator's storytelling and pacing!

I requested this audio book on March 22, 2021. It was approved a day or 2 later, but then archived on March 30, 2021. Never got a chance to download or listen. :( I would still like to listen and review if possible.

I mainly asked for this advance copy because I help with social media for my library and was looking for fun facts to share. This was a fun collection that was organized very well to talk about the history of books and authors. Looking back on its content I realized it was very much focused on white, male authors mostly from England or America. I would have like a lot more diversity in the history of books. I did find some fun facts to share so it did serve its purpose, I just don't feel the book gave more than that. I did learn some fun things along the way and enjoyed some new stories, so I'm not mad I read it. I'm just not sure how wide of an audience this will appeal to.
The audiobook was a bit slow in the beginning, I almost wanted to give up on it. The narrators voice was nice though, the was just enough inflection that it kept your interest.

This is a light-hearted book about books and the people who write them for all lovers of literature. A treasure trove of compelling facts, riveting anecdotes, and extraordinary characters, For the Love of Books is a book about books—and the inside stories about the people who write them. This book was much more UK-centric than I was expecting so unfortunately for me it was a miss. I listened to it on audio and the narrator also could have emoted a bit more; it came across as very flat and monotone.

This was a light and fun exploration of all things bookish, with feuding authors, bestseller lists, under the influence and many more topics discussed. Interspersed with little 'it's a fact' snippets, the book gives a cursory look at the major genres of fiction and also delves into biographers, poets, travel writers and even cookbooks. What I will say is that the focus is very white, western, male cannon, which I found increasingly frustrating and there is nothing earth shattering here that hasn't been done before. I also think that the way in which the book is written doesn't lend itself that well to the audio book format. However, as a book to dip in and out of for interesting facts, it's definitely one to bear in mind.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

There really isn't anything better than reading a book about books. I love feeling as though I am surrounded by my 'people'. You know, the people who are dragged into another world, who feel the characters feelings, and who will 'yeet' a book across the room but then run to get it and hug it for making you feel too many feels. I love that this book encompasses all of the things that us readers feel. A wonderful book to purchase for a book lover.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really interesting book, would consider rereading slower next time or owning bc it has a lot of info!

This has everything you need to know about books. Banned books, feuds, and all around need to know about books and authors all in one place!

I loved so much about this read that I purchased a hard copy. I want to make notes! This book is full of information I had no idea about. And the number of books it covers is amazing. Some I have read and some I need to read. Perfect for a bibliophile like me!

The narrator, Matthew Lloyd Davies could not have been more perfect. He was “matter of fact” and sounded so professional. Fantastic for this narration!

If you are a bibliophile…this is a must read! Grab your copy today!

I received this audiobook from the publisher for a honest review.

This book is a bibliophile’s dream, full of facts and anecdotes about books and authors throughout history.

Other than fellow book lovers, English teachers, and librarians, I’m not sure who else this book would appeal to. I read it in a few days, but it could definitely be picked up and read in bursts based on the organizational structure.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you love books and don’t mind that the author sticks mostly to the literary canon. I wish was a little more diversity to the book choices, but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Reviewing
For The Love Of Books
By Graham Tarrant

A playful and fascinating look at the stories and authors behind some of the greatest literary pieces throughout the ages. For The Love Of Books was both entertaining and informative. I enjoyed the history, the feuds, the pop culture, the sensational stories, bizarre deaths, and all the other brilliant tidbits found beneath the cover. Matthew Lloyd Davis’s narration adds depth and character to Graham Tarrants unique writing style resulting in a wonderful audio experience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars for for this fun compilation of literary history PG

This book includes interesting facts. However, there is a major emphasis on classic literature and authors, not contemporaries. I don't recommend the audiobook version - unless you like listening to narrators reading from lists. I'm sure the book would seem more cohesive reading it instead of listening.

Is there anything more fun for a bookworm than sitting down with a book about books? Not that I’ve found. As a lover of both books and useless trivia, Tarrant’s For the Love of Books was a perfect marriage for me. This book was originally published in 2019, but the audiobook just released in March of 2021. The audio was beautifully narrated by Michael Lloyd Davies. I could happily listen to that lovely accented voice forever, but I ended up consuming this particular book over the course of a single day. Having eaten through the book so quickly means that I regrettably didn’t retain a ton of the facts presented, but I very much enjoyed my time with it. After paging through the print copy, I believe that reading this book in the its printed form would lead to a greater connection with, and greater retention of, the text. But for sheer enjoyment, I highly recommend picking this up on audio.

There were sections that I found more interesting than others. For instance, I loved the chapters about writerly feuds and author deaths, but didn’t really care for those about the publishing industry itself. That being said, I believe this was a pretty well-rounded collection of facts, though some were on the dry side. I think that this is a book that would benefit from being flipped through at leisure, and I might purchase myself a physical copy so I can do just that.

This was hard to rate! In places it was quite dry or slow, but also it contained many facts I didn’t already know. The narrator had a lovely accent, so it wasn’t hard to listen to, and like many other non-fiction, I found it easier to have someone read to me. I love, generally, books about books, about writers, about booksellers, about readers, and while this wasn’t my favorite non-fiction on the topic, it was interesting enough for me to finish it, and I’d definitely recommend giving it a go if you love hearing about authors’ lives and their works.