Rating: 
Summary: Books, books everywhere; but which do you choose to read?
Review: Sara Nelson is the type of author who brings the reader into her world. While reading So Many Books, So Little Time, I could picture Nelson strolling down the streets of New York City with her head buried between the pages of her latest choice of novel. The reader is allowed to hear her personal opinions about the various books she encounters during her "year of passionate reading", something that is guaranteed to make anyone run out to the nearest bookstore. However, this book provides the reader with more than mere summer reading list, it also allows for insight into the world of publishing. Through Nelson, the reader is able to witness first hand the snobs of New York. People are more concerned with their appearance than anything else. For example, Nelson admits "'Nine Parts' has better show-off potential that it got the exalted place in my Maria Turgeon handbag". (27). New Yorkers are obsessed with appearance, from shoes to purses, all the way to books. It's not hip, or smart to be seen with a cheesy romance novel; instead, it's best to be armed with an obscure, arty book. This all seems quite silly to me; I mean, I read what I am interested in, not what I want others to see me reading. It seems superficial and self-absorbed to use literature as a way to flaunt oneself. But, maybe that's because I'm not from the Big Apple. Nelson sporadically concocts a sort of list on the criteria she uses in choosing her next book to read. Her first stipulation is "location, location, location" (13). If a person travels to Alaska in the middle of winter, it probably won't work to read a book about extremely hot weather. This makes sense, even if Sara was forced to figure this out the hard way. Nelson's second method for choosing her next read is timing. A book that was released around September 11 will do better if it is based on patriotism, as opposed to some mundane topic like gardening. There are certain times in one's life that some books are more comforting than others. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge the fact that timing plays a pivotal role in personal book selection. The final way that Sara Nelson chooses books is through her associative logic. Sometimes a book will make its reader think of something that happened in his or her past, and this connection is what makes a certain novel an enjoyable read. Something about a book draws its reader in, and it's that subconscious connection that leads a person to their next pick. One final comment about Sara Nelson; I never witnessed one occasion in which a book actually made her stop and think. Nelson never seemed to be affected by any of the literature she greedily consumed. It amazes me that she is more focused upon the process of finding a book to read, than the book itself. One of the many novels Nelson completed, "A Million Little Pieces", a story about a character whose life is plagued by a drug addiction, parallels her attitude towards reading. Sara panics and stresses until she is pre-occupied by her next read. Her behavior between books mimics that of an addicted user pining for her next fix. Although I give Nelson a lot of credit for attempting to read a book a week for an entire year, I think its pretty shocking that none of the literature she tackled affected her in any way.
Rating: 
Summary: A book lovers book
Review: "So Many Books, So Little Time" is an interesting chronicle of one person's journey through a year's worth of reading. Not surprisingly, author Sara Nelson found that in spite of her good intentions, she wound up reading a different list of books than she planned. After all, we do not always choose books; sometimes they choose us based upon what is happening around us and inside us. Nelson, who has worked in the publishing industry as a journalist, editor, and reviewer, has an astounding insight into books and authors. She analyses what draws us to a book and keeps us there. She discusses the contract between an author and a reader. She talks about book covers or opening lines and the first impressions they make. She writes about books with warmth, passion, and humor. I was first attracted to this book because of its title, which also happens to be the catch-phrase on my Amazon "About Me" page. As relevant as the title is, it could hardly do justice to how this wonderful book represents the heart and soul of a passionate reader. I did not walk away from this book merely with a to-read list as long as my arm and with a new appreciation for books and reading. Besides that, the author spoke to me as one book lover to another. After finishing the book, I feel I know Sara Nelson well. She writes about the interplay between what she reads and who she is. There were so many places in the book where I nodded my head and said "Yes, I feel the same way!" Nelson has stacks of books to rival my own, arranged in a chaotic order, yet she can place her finger on any one of them. She often reads more than one book at a time, as I do. She has faced the same dilemmas I have: Where shall I put all my books? What should I read next? If I reread a book I loved years ago, will I still feel the same about it? If a friend recommends a book to me and I dislike it, what could this do to our relationship? Should I bother to read an overhyped book just because everyone else has? Should I stop reading a book I am not enjoying? Will an author I enjoyed on the initial go-around disappoint me in later books? What relationship is there between what I am reading and what I am doing or feeling? What attracts me to a certain kind of book? I highly recommend this gem for anyone who is a readaholic.
Rating:
Summary: "Pleasure and Connection"
Review: So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson - This book comes recommended to me by one of my professors. As an aspiring writer myself, I seem to live on the learning curve. Even though the exclusion of poetry is maximized way too much in this book, I must admit I found a real liking to it. From beginning to end, Nelson entertains with her own rendition of "pleasure and connection", relating the many novels she's read for this project, in accordance with her own personal experiences. However high poetry may sit on my repertoire, obviously Nelson knows what she likes - that works for me!! I'd recommend it to Writers who want to become better Readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Passion or obession?
Review: Sarah Nelson landed the dream job: reading various books of her choice and then writing a book about it. "I know, I know. You're not very sympathetic. Why would you be? I'm living out your fantasy: I'm getting paid to read, I have (or have access to) all the books in the world and I have the time to read them." In So Many Books, So Little Time, Nelson takes us on her adventure of 52 books in 52 weeks. It sounds exciting; not quite.
Though Sara reads for every occasion she seems to have minimal connections with the books at hand. Her obsessions with books are like multiple small love affairs. She falls deeply in love with a book and then when the love starts cooling down "hello new book." Though I have received many book suggestions for my own book wish list, I wonder if Nelson's recommendations are true. Yes, she has read them but did she actually read them or is she just reminiscing about one of her torrid love affairs?
In one of many instances where Nelson speaks of her husband this one tells volumes about her relationship with books and her marriage. "While his obliviousness to the subtlety of emotion is one of his traits that drives me craziest, I also realize that it is exactly the trait that has allowed me to have my own secret life, the one that takes place in my library at dawn or in the subway at rush hour...my books are my secret lovers, the friends I run to get away from the drudgeries of life, to try out something new, and yes, to get away, for a few hours, from him. He doesn't need to know that my books are the affairs I do not have."
The Glamour style of the book allows it to flow from one page into the next. With humor, personal opinions and her New Yorker way of life, Nelson keeps the book interesting in an old diary sort of way, a diary that if happened to be found would not harm her reputation. Nelson only skims the surface of how books impact her life. I felt as though I was talking to my over dramatic and not-so-close friends while reading about Sara Nelson's year of reading. "Reading is highly personal and often revealing. Readers have superstitious preferences and irrational dislikes."
Nelson's obsession with books makes me think that books are Nelson's way of life and everything else happens around them. For everything that happens in her life, a book can help her cope or understand. Books are written to help others explore different worlds and escape the ones they are in. Yet, Sara is like an over anxious flight attendant hoping to cover the globe in 365 days.
Nevertheless, I did laugh at points within the book. Nelson's book phopass and superstitions add humor and comedic relief to another wise indifferent novel. There is nothing like being indifferent about a book, neither impressed nor totally disgusted. I just wasn't particularly moved by Nelson's written acceptance of her seemingly sleep deprived reading rendezvous.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I'm so glad I didn't pay attention to some of these reviews. How could somebody not like this adorable book? Sara Nelson has a witty take on reading and on books, and she seems from the book like the kind of person I'd love to spend an afternoon with. She reads widely and makes interesting connections between reading and life. She is funny and wise and while the book is very personal -- is her husband mad at her about any of the stuff she said about him? -- it never gets precious. I've been recommending her book to everybody I know!
Rating:
Summary: Don't Add it to my Wish List
Review: Sarah Nelson's new book, "So Many Books, So Little Time," explores the world of books through an avid reader. Sarah set out to read one book per week for an entire year, and accomplished her goal wholeheartedly. However, in the midst of reading her book, I not only obtained knowledge on books that are unknown to me, but I also developed a variety of ideas about Nelson. One major part of this book is the way in which Sarah talks about reading books, lending books, barrowing books, choosing books as well as recommending books to others. Often times throughout this book, Sarah talks about how she inadvertently judges people based on what books they read and have recommended to her. I found the way she did this to be both unhealthy and dysfunctional. Judging someone based on what type of literature they prefer doesn't seem to be a very normal human characteristic. In fact, I found this part of the book to be both bizarre and unbeneficial to her as a writer. My next gripe regarding Nelson's new book is the lack of passion that she really puts into her reading. The title of the book; "So Many Books, So Little Time," sums up the book nicely. Sarah did read quite a number of books in a short period of time, however; was it a year of passionate reading? My answer to that question would undeniably be, NO! Even though I was impressed with Nelson's ability to read a book per week for an entire year, I felt as though the connections that she made with each book and her life were exceptionally weak. The goal for reading shouldn't be to read as many books as possible, but should be to read books that affect a person on an individual and intimate level. That is definitely a factor that Nelson lacked while accomplishing her goal. Overall this book wasn't terrible, but it isn't something I would ever recommend. It was an easy read with a dim-witted conclusion. If you are looking for something with passion and great context, this isn't the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre
Review: Nelson's essays are neither witty nor insightful enough to be very enjoyable. I found them mediocre at best, a slick marketing effort at worst. And frankly, the author comes across as rather whiny and self-indulgent. Can't recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Everyreader
Review: I usually don't read books about books, because. . .well, because there are so many books about other topics -- and so little time. But my wife got this one for Christmas from a friend and I read it last night. I thought the author was very engaging; I found myself wanting to know her. I guess this is why my wife likes the book so much: she thinks Nelson's antics -- piling and repiling books, choosing and losing friends because of their taste -- are a lot like hers. I bet there are many people who feel this way. And a lot who identify with Nelson. No wonder this book is such a success. My wife says she saw the author on TV several times and read about her book in many magazines. She's EveryReader.
Rating:
Summary: A book about books...
Review: Like Sara Nelson I read when things go right, and when things go wrong I read more. If I'm devouring a book a day or more than seven a week something is surely going wrong. I've made book lists, buy books by the bag, and cart piles home from the library. I appreciate inter-library loan, and adore people who insist that I "simply must read this." I have not however, dedicated a year to reading, fifty-two books for fifty-two weeks.
Sure, Ms. Nelson's plan nearly fell apart the first week and she is an editor, reporter, reviewer, and the sister of a novelist. The notion is delicious. This is January 2004 and I know I'll read more than 52 books this year, but will I remember them? Will I have as much fun choosing which books go in the must read pile? I love bookstores, looking for books to read, and now Ms. Nelson has given me an idea - a one year reading plan. I might just begin with CAKES AND ALE after all her mother is a huge Somerset Maugham freak!
Rating:
Summary: Too many books to have spent time with this one
Review: We book people -- passionate readers, haunters of bookstores, fillers of bookshelves, and exasperaterers of loved-ones -- have a strong bond. In a world in which the book is ever less appreciated, we love it, and have an instinctual sympathy for others who do too. And so I approached "So Many Books, So Little Time" expecting that Sara Nelson and I would connect, and that she would take me on a memorable trip. Boy, was I wrong. For one thing, she and I hang out in very different parts of the Dewey decimal system. The books she reads -- contemporary fiction, New York Times bestsellers, and dated "classics" "everyone" has, or "should," read -- leave me cold (Anyone who says she's ashamed never to have read Toni Morrison is someone with whom I have nothing in common). And her observations on those books tended to leave me even colder. By the time she was meditating on the ethics of reviewers not actually finishing reading the books they review, I was seriously considering doing exactly that. Obviously, based on the other reviews on this page, not everyone had the same reaction. But having just finished Gabriel Zaid's thought-provoking "So Many Books" -- a volume with a generally similar topic, as well as title -- Nelson's insights and discoveries seemed, to borrow another reviewer's word, facile. I challenge anyone to read Zaid's brief book and not come to the same conclusion. Frankly, I had hoped this book would be something like Kevin Murphy's "A Year at the Movies," in which the author watches a film, in a theater, every day for a year. Murphy's reflections on movies, the movie industry, and the role of film in society are informed, challenging, and educational. Sara Nelson, on the other hand, seemed to spend most of her reading year being reminded of her mother. "So many books, so little time" is a frequent lamentation of mine. I know others disagree, but personally, I'm wishing I had spent my time with my nose in some other pages than these.
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