A. Blurbs

• ¹ /ˈpɔɪnjənt/ moving and sad
• ² description of a sequence of events
• ³ praised by the public
• ⁴ very interesting and engaging
• ⁵ rather dark, mournful and gloomy (lugubrious is often used of people too)
• ⁶ /məˈkɑːbrə/ often cruel or disgusting, concerned with death
• ⁷ causing great fear
• ⁸ powerful story that keeps you interested
• ⁹ the ability to understand what something is really like
• ¹⁰ so interesting or exciting that it holds your attention totally
• ¹¹ mysterious
• ¹² amazing
• ¹³ in the face of a bad situation
• ¹⁴ which arouse memories or images
• ¹⁵ who has the same name as the title of the book
• ¹⁶ main character
• ¹⁷ pleasant and interesting

B. Some other types of books

• A journal is a written record of what you have done each day, e.g. a learning journal. It is also a publication containing academic articles, published at regular intervals, e.g. every three months.
• Memoirs /ˈmemwɑːz/ are a written record of a person’s own life, typically by a politician or military figure.
• An encyclopaedia is a book or set of books containing articles arranged in alphabetical order, dealing with the whole of human knowledge or part of it.
• An anthology is a collection of, for example, poems or short stories by different authors.
• A manual is usually a technical book with instructions, for example, a car manual.
• A logbook is a book that records events, times, etc., for example, all the journeys made by a lorry or ship.

C. Other expressions for talking about books

I’m reading a book about the history of Ireland. It’s compulsive reading. [difficult to stop once you’ve started; formal] Or it’s one of those books you just can’t put down. [informal] It’s very informative. [gives a lot of useful information]

Nancy Riley’s novel about mental breakdown, published in 1950, was ahead of its time. [contained ideas that no one else had yet thought of or discussed at that time] Her 1955 book Exciting Careers for Women was a product of its time, though the ideas seem tame and old-fashioned, even gender-biased, now. [a reflection of that time]

Bertram’s latest novel is not a difficult book; in fact it’s rather lightweight. [not complex; slightly negative connotation] It’s good bedtime reading. [nice to read in bed] His last one was heavy going and I just couldn’t get into it. [difficult to read; become involved/engaged with] Nonetheless, his books always attract a wide readership. [number of people who read them]