The Bibliophile's Devotional by Hallie Ephron, PhD

Hallie Ephron knows how to write books that satisfy a book addict's craving for another list. First, she gave us 1001 Books for Every Mood. Now, we have another comprehensive compilation, The Bibliophile's Devotional: 365 Days of Literary Classics. What reader won't be satisfied with 365 nutshell summaries of classics, ideas for future reading?

In an attractive, gift-size book, Ephron offers readers a classic a day. Each summary begins with the opening line from the book. There's a summary of the story, a discussion of the book's place in literature, awards received, and a final, short commentary by a critic or author. Add the index (unseen in the Advanced Reading Copy), and it's the perfect collection for any reader of classics.

Hallie Ephron knows how to make classics accessible to the everyday reader. This book can be pulled out to suggest titles for the college-bound, or the lifelong learner wanting to continue reading. It's the perfect little book for sampling, giving a taste of authors, well-known titles, and a few not so well-known.

The book contains a selection of international reading. Just paging through January, there are authors from Britain, Russia, the United States, India, the West Indies, France, and Italy. Male and female authors are represented. This is not a selection dominated by white Western Hemisphere males. Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison, Khaled Hosseini, Amy Tan, Martin Luther King, and Laura Esquival have works in the book.

Ephron includes some pleasant surprises in The Bibliophile's Devotional. Georgette Heyer is included, but, she does represent the classic in her field. The Hobbit, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Wind in the Willows are covered, so don't look at this book as a compilation of stuffy old books.

In her introduction, Ephron says this is just a preview of 365 handpicked books. This is for those of us who "are unabashed bibliophiles who would, if we could, line our walls with books and read as many as our busy lives permit. We savor the heft of a book in our hands. Thrill at reading a book's opening paragraphs and slow down to delay reaching The End despite a bedside table stacked high with books beckoning to be read."

If you're like me, you'll be paging through The Bibliophile's Devotional, looking for the books you've read, noting the ones you've always meant to read, and marking the books you've never come across. Buy this for the reader in your life. It's the perfect Christmas gift, birthday gift, or the gift to share when you both delight in books. Your reading friends will thank you for Hallie Ephron's latest, The Bibliophile's Devotional.

Hallie Ephron's website is www.hallieephron.com.

The Bibliophile's Devotional: 365 Days of Literary Classics by Hallie Ephron, Ph.D. Adams Media, ©2009. ISBN 9781605501055 (hardcover), 400p.