But what about books about books themselves? Books that beautifully describe the art of the written word are hard to beat.
Whether it is the importance of books in the pursuit of learning, magical books, the banning of books during the war, trying to save books during times of conflict, or books that contain deadly secrets, there are books that cover it all.
So, what are the best books about books that you can find? Which ones give us a glimpse into famous books and writers? What about books about writers that never existed?
Well, I’m going to cover it all, with my ultimate guide to books about books, writers, and libraries.
First, we have a book about one of the most famous sisters in the history of the 20th Century.
This follows Nancy Mitford as she writes the seminal novel The Pursuit Of Happiness, as well as a writer in the modern day who looks back to Nancy for guidance when writing her own novel.
Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers ever known in human history, and here is a novel that attempts to fill in the blanks on some of the lesser-known aspects of his life: his wife.
Here Shakespeare’s wife is rendered as a defiant character who’ll do anything to support her husband.
Pros
A gripping premise
Covers a well-known figure in literature and theater
Agatha Christie is one of the most recognizable names in crime and mystery thriller fiction, but what about the real mysteries of her life?
Well, this novel is one that speculates on what might have happened when she really went missing for 11 days in 1926. This novel successfully puts the mystery back in the mystery novel.
Pros
Covers a genuine mystery in the life of a great writer
This story is a scandalous tale of a woman who submits to an affair with the brother of the most famous writing family, the Bronte sisters.
This novel has been researched and is based on true events, although it has been highly fictionalized. If you like literary subjects and are a fan of the Brontës, this will be a great addition to your library.
Pros
A gripping subplot in the Bronte story
Expertly told and well-researched
Combines elements of thriller, mystery, and romance
An exciting debut novel
Cons
If you don’t like the Brontes, this might not be the book for you
This next book is one that uses meta-narrative to intertwine a few different stories towards an amazing climax.
This is the tale of a black author who is doing a tour to promote his bestselling book, which is about a young black boy. However, the author is also traveling with another young black boy who may or may not even be real.
Pros
A novel about race and racial intolerance
An uplifting story about what it means to be a black writer
From the eyebrow-raising self-conscious title to the switcheroo narrative, this is a playful story that will have you laughing with each page.
This follows two writers who are living in adjacent beach cabins and suffering from a creative mental block, so they decide to swap genres, one writing romance novels and another trying to come up with a work of literary genius.
Pros
A great read if you are at the beach yourself
Over 40,000 great reviews
A Goodreads choice award nominee
Two very appealing central characters
Cons
Some readers were unhappy with some of the more graphic scenes in this book
This next book is a national bestseller and recipient of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize For fiction. It is the story of a novelist who treks across the globe to avoid going to a wedding.
This novel is a rip-roaring read that you can be sure will keep you entertained with each turn of the page.
Pros
This is great for comedy romance fans
A good read for seniors
Great for taking with you on a long vacation
Thousands of great reviews
Cons
Not much to get your teeth into for serious readers
This is a story about a woman trying to break out of her traditional Indian background by taking up a writing class in London.
This is the tale of women trying to be set free from a constrained female enclave desperate to express themselves. This is another novel to gain the coveted Reece Witherspoon book club pick.
Pros
A great story that merged tradition with modernity
A funny story that will have you laughing with each page
Reece Witherspoon book club pick
Great for reading on your vacation
Cons
Due to the sometimes raunchy content, this might not be for younger readers
This next narrative is the story of a real-life Parisian library during the Second World War. This is the story of the librarian Odile, who must preserve the books in her library as the Nazis overtake the city.
The novel also flits to Montana in the 1980s, where a young girl forms a connection with her neighbor that ultimately connects these two stories.
Pros
One of the best books about libraries
Well-written and drawing on real-life
Great for anyone who is a fan of WWII fiction
Great for any young women readers
Cons
Some readers have described this narrative as plodding
This novel comes with a great premise: an old woman moves into a new neighborhood and forms a bond with her community by installing a library in a telephone box!
This is a beautiful story that will certainly appeal to anyone who loves books and reading. This is a novel that also covers grief and friendship.
Pros
A great novel for anyone experiencing grief
Fun and engaging, this will certainly lift the spirits
This is a page-turner
Great for any age
Cons
Some readers have found that this book lacks substance
This is a book that is aimed at children from the ages of 6 to 8 and is all about the love of books and libraries.
When Jaime is sent to the school library for the summer as punishment, she thinks it’s going to be the worst time of her life. However, she soon discovers that the library is anything but boring and embarks on a wonderful adventure.
Pros
A fantastic book that really instills a love of literature into children
A charming story that makes for a great read
Read this to your children
Heartfelt, this book will have you laughing and tearful
This is another young person’s book about a girl who compiles all the banned books to make her own library. This is a story about how powerful books can be to young people.
The narrative is easy-to-read, but it tackles some pretty weighty themes. This book comes with some great reviews.
This next novel is one about race and identity during the beginning of the 20th Century.
This is a true story about the personal librarian of J.P. Morgan and his heir who was forced to disguise the fact that she was black to protect the reputation of her boss. This is a story about racial prejudice and inequality in America.
Pros
An award-winning novel
Thousands of rave reviews on Amazon
Great for anyone who likes fiction and fact mixed
A little-told story about racism
Cons
Not a light read – this one contains serious themes
This is another fiction book with a librarian as the central character. This is the story of two totally opposite sisters, one of whom relies on her sister to maintain her routine.
However, when she discovers her sister cannot have children, she seeks to get pregnant to pay her back for so many years of love and loyalty.
This is a very real story that focuses on life in one of the concentration camps during WWII.
It follows the life of Dita Kraus, who is a child put in the concentration camps and is forced to work as the camp’s librarian. I loved this book, although it is a heartbreaking read it also contains a lot of courage.
Pros
A novel set in the Nazi concentration camps
Good story for anyone who is interested in WWII
A novel that covers the importance of books during terrible times
This is another story about a librarian who prefers books to people (I know how she feels sometimes).
When the main character Martha Storm gets a book of fairy tales that give some clues to her grandmother’s disappearance, this starts her on a search for the truth about what happened to her.
Pros
A novel with books as the central thrust
A heartwarming tale of love and destiny
Great for anyone on a vacation
A good present to fill anyone’s stocking at Christmas
Cons
Some readers have described this novel as ‘predictable’
This book could be described as a love letter to anyone who loves the art of reading.
When Nina Redmond loses her job as a librarian, she decides to pack up and start a new life in a remote village. While she is there, she turns to books once again to give her a purpose in life.
Pros
This book comes with thousands of great ratings on Amazon
A great story about how novels can transform us
This is a great read for a long vacation
A novel that contains magic, adventure, and mystery
This novel is one about a mobile library, but not the one that most people commonly think of. It charts a band of women who deliver novels on horseback to the Appalachian mountains.
This novel has been awarded as the New York Times bestseller, with thousands of readers praising it for its wit, humanity, and lightness of touch.
Pros
This is a gripping narrative
A female-centered plot
A book with love, friendship, and sisterhood at its heart
This story is one that is infused with magic and mystery, with the story of a heroine who can travel back into the past through her books.
This is a love story that takes place over a few hundred years, with plenty of passion and adventure thrown into the mix. This is great for young readers transitioning into more mature stories.
Pros
A great book about the power and influence of books themselves
This next novel is one by a famous author on mental health, this time Matt Haig turns his attention to fiction, detailing a library that allows you to make the choice in your life that you might not have taken.
This is a dazzling novel that weaves together mental health with fantastical possibilities, you won’t want to put this one down.
Pros
This is a great book that will uplift anyone
A great novel for anyone who feels stuck in a rut
A worldwide bestselling book
Nearly half a million great reviews
Cons
Might not appeal to anyone who does not like fantasy elements in their fiction
This novel is a subtle thriller that you can be sure will leave your head spinning. The title is named after the central character January, who delves into a book of myths, dreams, and action-packed adventures.
This is another ‘book-within-a-book’ story where the main character finds a book about their life.
Pros
A clever narrative that is easy to understand
A story that incorporates a lot of elements
Great for the younger reader looking for something more challenging
A good read for young female readers
Cons
Some found the pacing of this narrative a little sluggish
This is a science-fiction classic, based around a ‘fireman’, whose job it is to burn books, which are considered the most dangerous object in the world.
However, when he gets embroiled with his neighbor who shows him a world that didn’t use to be so censorious, his life changes forever.
Pros
A classic of dystopian fiction
Riveting from start to finish
Perfect for anyone to likes to think and be entertained
Now we journey back in time again to WWII, with the central character Grace Bennett being sent to work at an old bookstore in Primrose Hill during the war.
This is another novel that demonstrates the healing power of the written word, as Grace turns to books to get her through the worst horrors of war.
Pros
Great for fans of WWII
Historical fiction at its very best
Solid characters and a great storyline
A New York Times Bestseller
Cons
This will not appeal to fans of contemporary fiction
This one is a very unique premise, one that might lure you in from the very start. The central character, Monsieur Perdu, is a ‘literary apothecary’, who prescribes people novels that will soothe their hearts.
Pros
This is a wonderful story set in Europe
Riveting from the very beginning
A strong central premise
Great for readers of any age
Cons
A lot of people have stated that this book is repetitive
When the recession puts Clay Jannon to work in a bookstore, he thinks his life is over. However, he soon starts to keep tabs on the strange clientele, and soon discovers a large web of intrigue around Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour bookstore.
Pros
A novel unlike anything you will have ever read before
A New York Times bestselling novel
An immersive novel that you will find hard to put down
Here we have another novel about a bookstore that holds secrets from the past. When Miranda Brooks inherits her Uncle Billy’s bookstore, she discovers that her Uncle has created a scavenger hunt in the pages of every book on the shelves.
Pros
Emphasizes the strange quality of books
This is a novel about books, family, and the bonds that link us together
An internationally bestselling novel
Thousands of great ratings on Amazon
Cons
Some readers guessed the ending way before it happened
Most of us are familiar with a book club, and some of you might even attend one. This book features a mystery uncovered in the journals of a book club that spans hundreds of years.
Pros
A pro-feminist novel that is great for female readers
Really leans into the trashy book club cliché
This is an homage to bell-and-whistles female fiction
This is a great premise for a novel: a group of men form a book club so that they can get over heartbreak. This is a fluffy read with plenty of humor and a little bit of pathos between the pages.
You could easily read this one in a day, making it the ideal vacation book.
Pros
A tale about male companionship
Great for young male readers
A good gift for someone who might consider themselves a casual reader
The first in the Bromance Book Club series
Cons
Probably too frothy for any serious literature fans
This is a great novel for anyone who wants to breeze through a book and leave feeling warm and satisfied. This follows Lucy who runs a book club so she can help people out with their problems.
Pros
This is the perfect holiday read
A light and easy read
Comes with plenty of 5-star reviews
Plenty of laughs on the page and a few tear-jerking scenes too
This bestselling novel really lives up to the charm without pulling its punches when it comes to style and experimentation. This is set in WWII and focuses on a book club forming so they can deceive the Germans that have occupied their island.
This is a novel that has garnered great reviews from the New York Times and Stephen King. This is about a failed author who learns an amazing plot from one of his students.
However, when that student dies, he steals the story for himself.
Pros
A gripping read with plenty of suspense
Praise from horror author Stephen King
Keeps you riveted from the first page until the last
This is another novel that shows how literature can actually distort the real world that it is writing about.
Writing a blog post about unsolved murders, a bookseller called Malcolm finds himself caught up in an FBI investigation about a serial killer that appears to be inspired by that very blog.
Pros
Plenty of twists and turns in this book
Great for anyone who enjoys a thriller
Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie or A.A.Milne’s mystery novels
Will engage you from start to finish
Cons
If you don’t like a slow-burning mystery thriller, this might not be the novel for you
This is a gripping gothic tale that is great for those who like stories about unearthing a dark past. In this novel, the author of 12 books seeks the help of a biographer to help tell the traumatic tale of her life.
Pros
Climbed to the top of the bestseller list
Thousands of positive ratings on Amazon
A chilling book that is full of heart
A great read for those wanting to while away a rainy day
Cons
Some readers think that the author labors too much over certain passages
This is a story with a completely unique and alluring central character: Death. Death tells the story of a girl who shares books that she has stolen with her neighbors in Nazi Germany on the cusp of war.
If you like your novels with a dash of history, this is a great one for you.
This is a novel about words and the power that they have over us as people and nations. This is about a girl who is trying to search for all the words that are left out of the dictionary, immersing herself in the world of ordinary people’s lives.
This novel focuses on a writer and the relationship that he develops with his editor – who happens to be the famous first lady Jackie Onassis.
In a novel that documents his own traumatic childhood, James the writer is struggling to finish the manuscript. This is when Jackie urges him to face his fears and return home to find closure and the perfect ending.
Pros
A wonderful novel that blends fact and fiction
Unforgettable narrative
Great for a long holiday read
A momentous climax
Cons
Some readers have called the main character too ‘self-obsessed’
This is a novel that deals with racism and sexism in the world of publishing. When Hazel comes to work at Wagner Books, Nella Rogers is thrilled not to be the only black girl working there.
But her joy soon turns to dread as she starts receiving threatening notes that appear to be from Hazel.
Pros
A New York Times Bestseller
Deals with issues of race and sexuality
Multiple genres in one book
Funny and poignant
Cons
Some readers have claimed this book is nonsensical
Hi, my name is Anna Davis and I have been working with books for five years now. I got a job at my local library, so I could be closer to all of the books! I created this website in the hopes of inspiring others to start reading again. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your new favorite book from my site!
