Bob the Book (Review)

Bob the Book by David Pratt


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


How do you feel about the books you read? Do you treat them with care? Read them and then forget about them-the emotions they evoked in you as you lost yourself in the world and characters within their pages. Do you keep them with you? Cherishing them and recalling passages or quotes you found memorable?




This book jumped out at me at first glance; and not even stopping to think why, I headed over to amazon and bought it. It turned out to be a great choice. It is a delightful and refreshing novel, told in the POV of Bob the book. It chronicles his journey from stores, to discount bins, to people's shelves.




He meets other books and people; he meets book lovers and disdainful readers. He makes friends and also falls in love-yet he knows that they might lose each other along the way. Like all of the others; he wishes to be read, to be cared for and appreciated. Bob wants to have a place where he can be more than just an accessory on a shelf, but he also wants his Moishe-who was lost to him-and Bob's hope is to find him so they can be together.




This story is endearing and bittersweet, it made me laugh and truly sad at times as I read about Bob's friends' pasts-b/c each of them has a story to tell, something they lived through that's marked them in their own individual journeys. I felt for them, rooting and wishing that they all had their happy ending.




I'm the type of person that finds it hard to get rid of the books I own-even if I didn't enjoy them-so this book hit on my exact feelings for the ones in my collection. No matter the genre, my books are important to me and so this wonderful book will find its space in my shelves.




View all my reviews

Love Water (Review)

** spoiler alert ** **might contain spoilers**




This is a sweet and tender romance novel set in a historical time. The writing and illustrations evoked a very gentle emotion in me as I read and it was only enhanced by the innocence of Misao's and Towa's feelings for each other.



Misao works in a brothel, due to circumstances-he has no choice but to work off a debt in order to gain his freedom. Because of his upbringing he has learned to hide his true self and finds ways to earn a little extra m ...more **might contain spoilers**



This is a sweet and tender romance novel set in a historical time. The writing and illustrations evoked a very gentle emotion in me as I read and it was only enhanced by the innocence of Misao's and Towa's feelings for each other.



Misao works in a brothel, due to circumstances-he has no choice but to work off a debt in order to gain his freedom. Because of his upbringing he has learned to hide his true self and finds ways to earn a little extra money by flirting mildly with patrons without using his body. There's this feeling of dispassion in him until he meets Towa.



Without realizing why Misao opens up to Towa, who is there for someone else and has a certain naivete about the inner workings of a brothel. Towa, a businessman, is honest and straightforward; because of Misao's initial approach and assistance in understanding the rules and culture of the Tea House seeks his companionship.



This story was a delight to read. The basic history of the brothels was detailed enough to understand but doesn't cloud over the plot-it brought to mind Memoirs of a Geisha. The characters are well written and likeable-even the annoying Katsuragi. I was happy to read in the postscript that there might be another story linked to this one in the future.

Caught (Review)

** spoiler alert ** A truly beautiful novella that packs an emotional wallop. Daniel assists an elderly lady in an 'unofficial' suicide prevention program she runs from her home. The window she watches out of faces a cliff and from her vantage point she looks out for potential suicide risks; she sends Daniel if a person's actions trigger a 'red flag' and Daniel does his best to try to get that person the proper help.




It's in such a situation that Daniel meets Taylor. Using the usual methods Daniel tries ...more A truly beautiful novella that packs an emotional wallop. Daniel assists an elderly lady in an 'unofficial' suicide prevention program she runs from her home. The window she watches out of faces a cliff and from her vantage point she looks out for potential suicide risks; she sends Daniel if a person's actions trigger a 'red flag' and Daniel does his best to try to get that person the proper help.



It's in such a situation that Daniel meets Taylor. Using the usual methods Daniel tries to assess whether Taylor is really in need of help. His ruse seems to help and he manages to befriend Taylor. Daniel starts to doubt himself when he realizes his attraction to Taylor, especially when it's reciprocated.



Feeling an instant connection, Daniel struggles because he can't reveal the real reason for his approach; but he wants to help Taylor, who is obviously going through a loss. It's when they've reached some sort of impasse that a person from Taylor's past brings everything to light. It's this event that finally pushes Taylor to come to terms with what he lost, but it's Taylor that makes Daniel face the fact that he needed saving too.



I truly loved this novella (and the cover, the guy is just beautiful and fits Daniel's character perfectly), although short at 122 pgs. it is very well written and I felt for the character's pain and insecurities. Daniel especially was truly likable to me because he had hidden himself so much in an unconscious effort to please his conservative parents. Taylor is self assured and I loved the fact that he fights so hard to make Daniel realize that he can be himself. To me they fit very well together. I wish this author would let us into Daniel's & Taylor's life sometime in the near future-I'd love to read more about them.