Wednesday, May 11, 2016

When's the Last Time You Bought a Book Because...


... of its title?

That's what I did with the book you see to the left. One look at the title, and I just had to have it. 

I was sitting here at my desk inputting pins on The Poisoned Pen Bookstore's Pinterest page when I saw that it was one of Barbara Peters' book picks for May. (That's one of the many things you'll find on my favorite bookstore's Pinterest boards-- along with upcoming events, links to author events on their Livestream channel, party photos... all sorts of stuff.)

Anyway, to get back on track, when I saw The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts, I just sat here and smiled. Combine one of the best occupations in the world with something that sounds like it might be straight out of an Indiana Jones film? I'm in! 

Then I thought it might be wise to take a look at the synopsis:

To save precious centuries-old Arabic texts from Al Qaeda, a band of librarians in Timbuktu pulls off a brazen heist worthy of Ocean’s Eleven.

In the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts that had fallen into obscurity. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu tells the incredible story of how Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist and historian from the legendary city of Timbuktu, later became one of the world’s greatest and most brazen smugglers.

In 2012, thousands of Al Qaeda militants from northwest Africa seized control of most of Mali, including Timbuktu. They imposed Sharia law, chopped off the hands of accused thieves, stoned to death unmarried couples, and threatened to destroy the great manuscripts. As the militants tightened their control over Timbuktu, Haidara organized a dangerous operation to sneak all 350,000 volumes out of the city to the safety of southern Mali.

Over the past twenty years, journalist Joshua Hammer visited Timbuktu numerous times and is uniquely qualified to tell the story of Haidara’s heroic and ultimately successful effort to outwit Al Qaeda and preserve Mali’s—and the world’s—literary patrimony. Hammer explores the city’s manuscript heritage and offers never-before-reported details about the militants’ march into northwest Africa. But above all, The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu is an inspiring account of the victory of art and literature over extremism.

Wow... I've got a couple of books that I need to read and review, so I'm going to get those done and dusted, but once that's accomplished, you can bet the farm on which book I'll be picking up next!

To get back to my original question--- have you ever bought a book simply because  of its title? What was the title of the book? (You had to know I was going to ask!) Inquiring minds would love to know! 

 

12 comments:

  1. Oh, Cathy, I don't see that you had a choice here! What a fabulous title!! Of course you had to have it. To be honest, I've not bought a book for the title, but if I'd seen this, it might be different...

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  2. OMG - you must report back on this book. And, yes, I've absolutely bought a book because of its title. Last one was: Sandman Slim.

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    1. Yes, I can see where Sandman Slim could hook a person. I'm about 100 pages in with The Bad-Ass Librarians, and I'm loving it!

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  3. When I was a kid I got the book a tree grows in Brooklyn and did a book report on it. Had no ideas what is about or that it was a classic. Just liked the title.

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    1. That's the same reason why I read Betty Smith's book, too!

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  4. New tablet here can't figure out how to type on it yet! Lol!

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  5. Sounds like a fascinating book. Haven't bought a book due to its title, and knowing nothing else, but I have purchased books by favorite authors if the titles are intriguing and I don't want to wait for the library to get the books.

    For example: Fred Vargas' The Ghost Riders of Ordebec. Had to have it. She's a favorite author and the title was intriguing so I couldn't wait.

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    1. I have that book (among many others) sitting on my TBR shelves.

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  6. It's a fascinating book, one of my favorites.

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