This book is amazing. I thought I'd try it out by calling about a book I loved and read about fifty years ago when I had been traveling in Spain. That book was My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. I listened to a woman describe her reaction to that book. What she said gave me chills because it was so personal. The Call Me Ishmael Phone Book is amazing. It's a keeper.

By the way, some day I actually intend to read Moby Dick ("Call Me Ishmael") in its entirety. It's a fabulous book, but its length never allowed me to do so. There's always tomorrow. ( )

This book seemed really weird at first - but I think I need a copy. It's set up just as it says - as a phone book. However, there is a real number to call and extensions for all the different "services". As a reader, you can even call and leave messages. I didn't call the extensions while I had this book checked out, but I could see me choosing a different extension to call daily or weekly if I owned the book. ( )

The Call Me Ishmael Phone Book: An Interactive Guide to Life-Changing Books from Logan Smalley and Stephanie Kent is a fun book that has both positives and negatives but overall is well worth exploring.

The writers set up a phone number and site for people to leave messages about books and their experiences with them. It became so popular they decided to create this book. So even before the book there is a place to begin exploring.

The format can be both fun and frustrating in equal measure. The entries (the messages left by the anonymous, for the most part, callers) are grouped thematically, as yellow pages would be listed. Most of the entries are just the title and an extension, then there are selected messages that have been transcribed and included in the book to read. On the surface, a fun format. But with selected messages to read, it becomes hit or miss as a book. The very first entry was so off-putting to me that I almost didn't come back to the book. If something similar happens to you with any of the entries, just remember, the "writing" is uneven because these are messages left by whoever chose to phone in and leave a message. In other words, it could be your friend who always has such insight into what they read, or that other friend who makes every single little thing all, I mean all, about them. You don't know. This is not a book written by writers, this is a book transcribed from people like us and people we know. So even more uneven than a collection from different writers.

On the plus side, no matter how many of the chosen entries you like, the book is in many ways much bigger than simply these pages. Call and enter the extension to hear other messages. Also hit or miss, but a much larger selection.

Overall, I enjoyed the book/messages. Since they couldn't control for quality of each entry since they were voice messages, they came up with this gimmick, and it works for the most part. I saw that someone had complained about phone charges. That thought never occurred to me but if you limit your minutes on your cell and/or don't use a VOIP for your home phone, then that is something to consider. I can call on either of my phones without concern so that issue completely went by me.

I do recommend this for the fun aspect and as a gift for the readers you know. The positives, in particular getting different perspectives on books you may have read or plan to read, far outweigh the negatives.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )