I've read several of Larry McMurtry's novels, and definitely like his son James' music, and I am also a bibliophile. So you could say, I guess, I was heavily predisposed to enjoy this book. And enjoy it I did, and read it in one compulsive gulp today. Over the years I was aware that Mr. McMurtry was involved in the antiquarian book trade, and in fact operated near the top of the hierarchy in that world. This book, as the title indicates, is a chronicle told as memoir (time, in other words, shifts and is disjointed) of the life of Booked Up, the bookstore McMurtry operates. As with most books of this type (see A Gentle Madness by Nicholas Basbanes), the story here is one of the personalities--many of them, uh, idiosyncratic and eccentric--involved in this world, as well as the perils and rewards of doing business with them. If you are not a bibliophile or book scout, this book, as other reviewers have suggested, will probably read as an account of someone else's (albeit a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who writes engagingly) trips to rummage sales. If you are a bibliomane of any sort, then I expect you will find, as I did, this an exciting and highly readable book.

I love books about books. ( )

An excellent little history of Larry McMurtry’s life as a bookseller and a reader. I find myself intensely jealous that he has been able to build a life that allows him to indulge his love of books, the book trade, and reading. (I speak as someone who dreams of living in a library.) Very enjoyable with lots of information about the book trade as he knew it. ( )

In an intimate and intriguing memoir, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Lonesome Dove recounts his lifelong love affair with books, from his largely "bookless" boyhood and discovery of literature as a young man, to the evolution of his writing career and his passion as a book collector who opens bookstores of rare and collectible volumes. 75,000 first printing.

I enjoyed this series of short little essays and remembrances by author and bookseller Larry McMurtry on his relationship with books. This book is less about his reading and more about a memoir on his career as an antiquarian collector and bookseller. But I do like in his introductory chapters he explains how he had no books as a child until a cousin dropped off a box on his way to enlist in WWII. (So important--make sure the children have access to books!)

Some have said this book was disjointed. Others complained that he drops names and brags. I read it as if it was a series of blog posts and that helped me reconcile that. For me it was learning more about the antiquarian book trade worked. Along the way you learn fun interesting facts about McMurtry such as he writes at least five pages of narrative every single morning--weekends and holidays not excluded before getting on with the rest of his day. This has resulted in an extremely prolific career as a novelist, writer, and screenwriter. As for dropping names--he's Larry effing McMurtry. He won a Pulitzer. He won an Oscar. He kept the American book trade alive. The man can drop all the names and talk about how his books have been turned into Hollywood hits all he wants. I only want to know more. I was actually struck by how unassuming his life is--and that no matter what he does what he is passionate for.

Which reminds me that it is about time I go back and read Lonesome Dove and see if it is as good as I remembered it. I couldn't find the Last Picture show on Amazon Prime or Netflix so I re-watched Terms of Endearment last night and of course cried my eyes out. ( )