Rating: 
Summary: Too True
Review: Perhaps it is ironic that it took me way longer to read Sara Nelson's memoir about her reading habits, chronicling a years journey through her literary life than I expected it to take. Or perhaps it is just another sign of just how apt this book is and how universal. Possibly everyone that enjoys reading and books as much as Ms. Nelson does feels there are too many books, so little time, which is part of the appeal of her memoir. Everyone may have felt overwhelmed, because they were passionate about reading but Sara Nelson invites the reader into her heart and head as she describes her annual reading habits. It must be very difficult to write a book about reading, and one of the reasons Nelson succeeds is because she (although she has lists in her appendices) doesn't just list the books she's reading, but also sets her reading into context so her own readers' have an idea of what was going on in her life during a particular voyage into her wordy universe.
I particularly enjoyed her chapter on hype and related, as I have often passed up reading excellent novels as well, because the publishers and bookstores overhyped them.
Sara Nelson being a family woman who works in the book industry or at least the magazine field has a very different lifestyle than mine. So her tastes obviously vary to a degree from my own literary choices yet this only heightened my love of her work. I felt books opened up to me that may not have been ever even slight blips on my radar if Nelson didn't mention them. Sara Nelson also had a touching chapter where she read with her son and this particularly hit home for me as well,not that I have children but as she evoked their enjoyment of "Charlotte's Web". I was nostaltic not only for Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Charlotte's web but the warm fuzzy feelings I got as I discovered some titles in my youth.
Well my personal recommendation is that no matter how true sure so many books, so little time could be an universal mantra, make time to read this touching and witty memoir.
Rating: 
Summary: Breathe deep...the essense of good books.
Review: I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy of this extremely entertaining and well written book about my favorite subject...books, and the passionate love a lifelong reader experiences reading them, sneaking them into bathrooms for a couple extra paragraphs before getting back to work, falling asleep with them in bed, and all the other crazy little things that we sometimes think we're alone in doing.
The author, Sara Nelson, works as an editor at a New York magazine, and has pretty much lived and breathed books her whole life. With SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME, she's also written the perfect book for those of us who catalogue various eras in our lives by the books we were reading at the time.
If you're a book person (and there's a good chance you might be if spend time reading what other people have to say about books in these online reviews) you're bound to identify with and be caught up by Sara Nelson's enthusiastic and fun to read memoir.
Nelson set out to read a different book each week for a year and write about her various experiences. Because a really good book is able to make you feel attuned to all of the rich possibilities of life, just as with your unique experiences of life itself, it's impossible to predict what your reactions to a book will be, before you've spent the time with it cradled in your hands. There are unexpected moments in Nelson's year of passionate reading, in which she either is left cold by books she was all prepared, on the recommendations of valued friends of family, to love, or when she found treasure troves hidden in the least expected places.There's nothing like finding something special and magical in an unexpected place, and that's what I really felt after reading this book, which had just shown up one day in my mail box. It's well worth your time. SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME is not only a cool bumper sticker slogan, but it's now also a great book that celebrates all of the obvious things, along with all of the more subtle minutiae, that make reading such an essential and fabulous pastime. If good books are like oxygen to you, you should treat yourself to a deep inhalation of this wonderful little book.
Rating:
Summary: If you love to read and always have a book in hand...
Review: ...this book is for you!!! This book is good in so many ways: 1. You can meet someone who is truly passionate about reading and wants to share her love of it with the world. 2. If you also are a passionate reader, many of the comments the author makes will ring so true with you. She knows EXACTLY how we feel! Right down to the letter!! 3. Again, if you are a passionate reader, it will help explain yourself to um, well yourself!!! You won't feel like a crazy bookworm - Sara Nelson knows how you feel and I have a feeling that there are more of us in the world than her and I .... and I think I am only 1/2 as passionate a reader as she is. 4. In the midst of this "diary", she comments on many of the books she is reading or has read and you will definitley have some more books to add to your reading list as a result. All you passionate readers...read this book and meet a kindred spirit.
Rating:
Summary: Add this to your "books about books" shelf
Review: Sara shares funny and insightful (and sometimes very painful) anecdotes and thoughts about books, friends, family, work, how we choose partners and friends, how we help our children get over rough spots, why even voracious readers will have slumps. The book is more than just recommendations for what to read, and more important (for this reader anyway), it's not pretentious. Ms. Nelson isn't trying to impress with her literary background -- that was a relief. And she understands about guilty pleasures (she said something nice about Jackie Collins). I'd especially recommend this book as a breather -- take a break from your reading list and relax with this book. It's refreshing. I felt renewed, reinvigorated, glad to be one of the lucky people who enjoy reading. I plan to re-read it at least once a year.
Rating:
Summary: Admitting it is the First Step
Review: Never has a book described to me to a tee. Sara Nelson's witty chronicle, So Many Books So Little Time, depicts the life of a book lover, a person who can't go a day without reading or finds herself sneaking moments to read anywhere at any time. I, myself, am a confessed bookaholic, having at the moment about 175 novels in my TBR (To Be Read) pile. Reading Nelson's ode to reading lets me know I'm not alone. I can come "out of the closet" (where there's more books than standing room). The premise of Nelson's book revolves around her project to read at least one book a week for a year. In her weekly entries, Nelson discusses what she has or has not read, what attracted her to certain books, and how those books intertwine with her life. What really makes this book stand out is Nelson's witty repartee, her ability to make me laugh out loud and recognize just how much we have in common. The book also works because of Nelson's various experiences in the publishing word where she's been a reporter and a reviewer, among other things. Book Lovers, we finally have something that unites us! Read So Many Books, So Little Time and be proud!
Rating:
Summary: I am not alone
Review: Until I read this book, I wasn't sure there were other people out there like me. I totally related to the unease Sara expressed when going on a trip and not having something to read or having anxiety about how long/what exactly to take for reading on a particular trip. I was thrilled to learn there are others who have book piles and lists of books-to-read and people who have realized that there are so many books to read, it's okay to quit reading a book that hasn't grabbed you after 50 or more pages. And I like knowing that there are others out there who are so excited about reading so many books, that they sometimes have to double-book, i.e. read two books (or more) at the same time. I also felt some satisfaction in knowing I wasn't the only person out here who felt The Bridges of Madison County was highly overrated. Suffice it to say, I was glad to learn, I am not alone in this book-driven journey of life and I eagerly and easily read through Sara Nelson's "So Many Books, So Little Time.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Resource for Books
Review: My attention waned while reading this book. I became very bored with her life stories and found myself skipping ahead only to read the blurbs regarding what books she had read and her reviews of them. By the end of the book, I ended up with a list of 41 books I want to check out. :) So if you're stuck in the what-do-i-read-next mode, than this is a good place to get some ideas.
Rating:
Summary: A book for all book lovers!
Review: I recently picked up Sara Nelson's book to read while I was working a garage sale. Before the sale was finished I was well into her book, enjoying a look into the mind of another bibiophile. Sara Nelson, a book critic, decided to take a year and read a book a week, documenting the process. Anyone who loves reading can find many similarities between themselves and the author. There is something comforting about having stacks of books around you----knowing full well that an escapist voyage is only pages away. Sara Nelson opens up her life and offers her opinions on the books she chooses to read and those she chooses to put down after they fail to hold her interest. From going through periods of being unable to read to the miracle of finding a new author, who's work you can't get enough, Ms. Nelson finds the common cord among all of those who find sanctuary in the pages of a book. I enjoyed this intriguing little memoir and look forward to reading some of the books the author included in her lists. I recommend this to anyone who loves books!
Rating:
Summary: A interesting memoir about reading
Review: Being an avid reader myself, I was looking forward to reading Sara Nelson's memoir of her year-long reading project. Nelson decided that she would read one book a week for the entire year, so each of this book's 52 chapters consists of approximately 4-6 pages of Nelson's reflections on that week's reading. Of course, many more than 52 books are mentioned, as Nelson's thoughts on one book almost always lead her to venture her opinion on others. Booklovers will easily relate to most of the topics Nelson discusses, including selecting books to read, sharing books with friends, reading to children, re-reading old favorites, avoiding over-hyped books, discovering new authors, and much more. Keep in mind that this is a memoir, not a book review: Nelson frequently delves into her personal life, and she sometimes moved a bit too far from her literary pursuits for my liking. Still, this is an interesting read that is likely to be enjoyed mainly by fellow bibliophilies.
Rating:
Summary: A great book for bibliophiles
Review: I spent my third Saturday night in a row reading until the wee hours. I read SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME by Sara Nelson and enjoyed it for the most part. There are books that she has recommended that I want to read and will be making a list of books for myself. I recognized myself in so many places! The description of her bedroom for instance with her side of the bed versus her husbands -- though my husband reads, he doesn't read in bed much and doesn't keep stacks of books next to his bed but he does have one book on his nightstand that I put there couple of months ago when he was wanting something to read. At least now he does have a TBR pile. Before I met him he was a big reader but bought a book, read it and then bought another book; whereas my side of the bed looks pretty much like how Nelson describes hers with stacks of books everywhere. Also when she was talking about how she now gives herself permission to stop reading a book if she isn't into it and start something else; I do the same thing. I also long ago made a rule for myself like she does that if I didn't read the entire book, I don't review it. I sure don't agree with the rule she has made for herself about taking one book and one book only for long weekends or on plane trips. The first time she did this I thought, "Oh no. What if she doesn't like the book?" Sure enough, she didn't like and book and had to scramble for something to read. I usually spend more time trying to figure out what books I'm taking somewhere than I do what clothes I'm taking! But overall, I enjoyed the book, would recommend it to others, and hope that she is writing a sequel because I want to read about more of her book selections.
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