Spoiler alert: This book is getting 10 stars.
A Disclaimer: No matter how much I praise this book, I still won’t be able to do it justice.
Now that those things are out of the way…
Think of your favorite song. Think of your favorite movie. Think of your favorite book. What do they all have in common? They speak to you on a higher level, right? Do any of your favorites have a brilliant simplicity to them? One where you find yourself asking, WHY has no one ever thought of this before? Do any of your favorites have a perfect efficiency? One where you admit that there is not one single thing you would change?
This is how I feel about Entitled.
How do I explain the basics? Entitled is a book…about a book…narrating what it is like to be a book…that houses a book…who lives among other books…who take on the personalities of their type of book…all searching for the ideal Reader to appreciate them as books.
That was fun. Now allow me to fill in the blanks.
In a San Francisco bookstore, a novel called The Serendipity of Snow waits patiently. Like every book of every genre, she longs for her forever home. It’s a home where she is cared for, where her story is appreciated and discussed, and where there are other books who she can call friends. Because, yes, books talk to each other. They comfort and compete. They expound and observe. Some think they’re superior (nonfiction.) Some are blunt (reference.) Some are vacuous (frothy romances.) Some are philosophers of experience (Westerns.)
But once a book is bought, it must acclimate. Is the new owner really committed to reading it? Will he or she treat it kindly? Will the book sit on a shelf with a decent view? Or be stuck in a dark, dusty box? Will it travel? Will it be shared, borrowed, traded, stolen, or (gulp) recycled? With few exceptions, a book is at the mercy of its owner. Serendipity will tell you…being a book can be amazing or it can be terrifying. A book must stay hopeful but also be ready for anything.
Entitled will leave you looking at books differently. You will think about the forgotten ones sitting on your shelf. (You might even think about which way they’re facing.) You will revisit the ones that are so loved they’re falling apart. You might think of books that were milestone reads, books that seemed to appear in your life at just the right time, and those who left you in a state of awe.
This seemingly simple-looking book is not simple at all. You will follow Serendipity on her journey through life. You will smile and laugh. You will gasp in disbelief. And you will be impressed. Very, very impressed.
Read it.
10/10 very worthy stars!
Readwithkristie.com 