I liked that Clarkson referenced her faith in this book in a very natural way. She didn't just state "my faith is important to me and influences my reading, and vice-versa," but truly integrated her faith into the book's text. (This book is by a Christian, published by a Christian company, and it shows. I liked this, but there will undoubtedly be those who don't.)

I also appreciated that she touches on the importance of discernment in our reading but, while I realize she was trying to avoid playing judge and laying down specific dos and do nots, this particular section seemed vague and evasive. At the least, I wish she would have recommended another book or two that goes more in-depth on just this topic, since this is a book full of recommendations! But she doesn't.

I initially liked that she included some reading lists from friends/family, as I was thinking this would offer more variety in the books mentioned, but as it turns out, her friends all seem to read the same kinds of books - lots and lots of classics. Clarkson just doesn't seem to have a huge variety of books here. I loved all the lists and descriptions, don't get me wrong. (I have added a good 20 to my reading list already!) But they are mainly classic literature, or classic niche (Christian, writing, etc.) nonfiction.

And just a couple more complaints:

The writing is a little too adjective-filled for my taste and there's a certain amount of repetition which makes the book longer than it needs to be.

Clarkson kept repeating things like, "A book girl knows xyz," or "A woman who reads has learned how to fill-in-the-blank: hope, love, think deeply, etc.." I just can't get behind this sort of positive thinking. Reading is a wonderful thing, but it isn't Jesus. It doesn't really change a person in and of itself. And there are plenty of people who don't (or even can't) read, and they can still mature and think deep thoughts and love Jesus more than anything! I wish she hadn't resorted to this cheap-and-easy appeal to her readers. (Because I think anyone reading this book already loves reading and likely already thinks quite highly of herself for reading!)

However, even though after reading through this all, it sounds (even to myself) as if I didn't like the book, I did! There were various descriptions of classics that made me want to actually read them, even if they sounded completely boring before, and I've been even more inspired to spend my time reading good books instead of the ones that just sort-of pique my interest. ( )

Thank you to Sarah Clarkson, Tyndale House Publishers, Tyndale Momentum, and NetGalley for allowing me the extreme pleasure of access to an advanced reader copy of “Book Girl: A Journey through the Treasures and Transforming Power of a Reading Life” for an honest review.

I have been a reader all my life. Long before I was teaching English, or earning my Masters or Bachelor's (calling all of my literature, narrative arc, and language studies my "candy classes"), I was a little girl receiving from my mother the exact number of books I was old per month at a book store, and the pre-teen who received literary magazines in the mail monthly, and the girl who snuck her mother's books from the bookshelf the moment they were declared "too adult for you right now" (which has, of course, gone on to my encourage children to read everything and anything ever put on a Banned Book List).

All of which is to say, in every page of this book I heard the story of a kindred spirit. Someone born on the wings of the written word, who'd been nursed to it, and found such solace and sublimity in the written word, in reading, in being a reader, and in encouraging a love of others to find the same within themselves. I love the lengthy lists and in-depth answer that Clarkson's goes about using for how to bring people into this life, with brass tack easy instructions.

While it is a little more Christian leaning than I like, it's still incredibly easy to navigate, to bypass those sections unless you need them, and I've still made entire lists from this books of books to acquire, including a hardcover copy of this one. ( )

I've been reading these types of books like crazy lately. Book Girl was fairly good, with some definite must reads mentioned though I believe it to be perfect for those who aren't already serious readers or just becoming serious rather than life long bookworms such as myself. With that said it was still something I enjoyed reading and I did come away with a couple recommendations. ( )

Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson is a Christian non-fiction book. It is part memoir of her growing up loving books and the positive effect it has had on her life and partly her sharing this passion by looking at the different benefits and offering recommendations for specific areas of life (primarily directed toward other women).

I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. I really liked it. I love the memoir aspect of the book and this unique look into Clarkson’s life and the books that touched her and changed her and how she grew as a reader and person through what she read. It is wonderful to see another kindred spirit and share her joy and experiences.
I also appreciated how she shared her recommendation lists with the stories around her first encounters with them and/or how they affected her or what they taught her. Having those short lists of recommendations for each area of her life (interspersed within all the chapters) was helpful in bringing what she had to say into greater clarity. I much preferred it to having a giant list at the end of the book.

I would recommend this to all girls who love books, as a source of kinship to other bookish girls and a resource to further book recommendations. ( )

I picked this up thinking it was going to be a memoir-ish book on books and reading, and it's not not that, but it wasn't what I was expecting either. Clarkson is an evangelical Christian, and Book Girl is very specifically written with that lens and takes on the project of recommending books for Christian women to read at different life stages or for particular purposes. I almost DNFed when I clocked this (evangelical Christianity is the brand of organized religion I have the biggest problem with, always), but I do like to read about people with different perspectives and world views, so I carried on. Her book recommendations are largely good and agreeable, but also not *terribly* surprising or enlightening (Tolkien, check. C.S. Lewis, check. Jane Austen, check. Elizabeth Goudge, check. Also, the books discussed were largely (not entirely, but largely), written by authors who are white and straight.), and she communicates very well why she liked each book, what she got out of it, and why she thinks others will get something out of it as well. I did get very tired of the gendered language (and the gendered project--why are these books for girls? what does it mean for a book to be for a girl? are they then not for boys? (this seems not to be the case, since she mentions her husband having read many of them.) if they are for both boys and girls, what are girls supposed to be getting from them that is specific to their gender? why are we gendering reading, Sarah?) and the way creationism was baked into her very sentences. (We are made for xy and z, for instance.) By the end, despite finding the book engaging and Clarkson's lists sometimes compelling, I have to confess I had a bad taste in my mouth. Like whatever pleasantness there was in this book was maybe covering up some attitudes I would find very unpleasant and painful. ( )