musings_marginalia_miscellanea's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
4.5
ruddsreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
4.0
austra_pro's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a little great gift. And now I have to go and buy some 20 of these to give out to some great people who love books and gifts, and especially - book gifts.
allons_y8's review
4.75
A beautiful essay tribute to just the wonder and beauty of reading but also the gifting of books and that incredible experience to others. It was scattered with stunning sentences and heartfelt anecdotes, a lovely way to end a year of reading. I would definitely want to gift this book to some of my avid reader friends.
ronald_schoedel's review against another edition
5.0
A lot of feeling and meaning packed into a small book. This little essay is well worth the read for Macfarlane’s always highly enjoyable wordsmithing. Lots of little morsels of knowledge and insights.
abbyapp25's review against another edition
4.0
I just finish a time of gifts and reading this right after was great. One of the best essays I’ve even read.
nofunerals's review against another edition
3.0
i randomly picked this book up in a bookstore in venice a few years ago and it's been in my collection ever since. it was a nice read, but the last two pages hit me really hard and made me cry.