Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff
Category: Books about Books (Category Complete!)
The third in a set of memoirs by Helene Hanff begins before the others, when she had to drop out of college during the Depression. Visiting the library, she found a set of books - the lectures of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch - to teach herself about writing and English literature. With the success of her memoirs, 84 Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, Helene had no idea how far-reaching indeed his influence would turn out to be.
I love these books for Helene's sense of humor and quick wit. She has excellent timing for both comedy and poignancy. Her delightful descriptions of Q's lectures made me want to read them, too. Though 84 Charing Cross Road is forever my favorite of her three memoirs, Q's Legacy is a lovely capstone of her memories of both books and her tribute to the man who taught her to write through his published lectures. 4.5 stars.
Cross-posted at Born Reader.
Showing posts with label Books about Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books about Books. Show all posts
Friday, July 3, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Duchess of Bloomsbury Street (71/81)
Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff
Category: Books about Books
After writing 84, Charing Cross Road, at long last Helene Hanff's dream of going to London is going to be realized! This is her diary of that trip, in which she meets Frank Doel's wife and daughter, friends old and new, and gets to see the sights she's always wanted to see.
Her descriptions of London and the people she meets made me want to come along for the trip. She knew delightful details about literary London, places I never would have heard of otherwise but now wish I could see too. Even her disappointments are humorously, wittily expressed in this charming account. 4.5 stars.
Category: Books about Books
After writing 84, Charing Cross Road, at long last Helene Hanff's dream of going to London is going to be realized! This is her diary of that trip, in which she meets Frank Doel's wife and daughter, friends old and new, and gets to see the sights she's always wanted to see.
Her descriptions of London and the people she meets made me want to come along for the trip. She knew delightful details about literary London, places I never would have heard of otherwise but now wish I could see too. Even her disappointments are humorously, wittily expressed in this charming account. 4.5 stars.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Slow Reading by John Miedema (53/81)
Slow Reading by John Miedema
999 Challenge Category: Books about Books/Reading/Writing
Based on the title, I assumed that Slow Reading would tell me all the things I'm doing wrong. I read at a fairly fast pace, averaging about two books a week, and often chose teen books over Literature. I expected that, while having an interesting premise, I would ultimately disagree with the author if he told me I should slow down and read only "good" books.
That's not what this book is about. "Slow reading" is less about pace (though that tends to be a factor) that it is a deliberate mental shift from task-oriented purpose to pleasure: "The most obvious sense of slowness in reference to quality is temporal - we stop racing against the clock to better appreciate a meal or a book" (43). In five short chapters, Miedema calls for a return to this pleasurable savoring of books, Literature or no. He draws on such diverse subjects as the connection between religion and slow reading, the innate differences between online and from-the-page reading, and neuroscience to make his points. Besides agreeing more than I thought I would, I found myself slow reading his book as I stopped to ponder my own reading experiences, talk back about a point that struck me, or looked through the thorough list of references in the back to follow up an intriguing idea. I appreciated the thorough citations that allowed me to look into more books or articles regarding the subjects I was most intrigued by. 4.5 stars.
Cross-posted at Born Reader.
999 Challenge Category: Books about Books/Reading/Writing
Based on the title, I assumed that Slow Reading would tell me all the things I'm doing wrong. I read at a fairly fast pace, averaging about two books a week, and often chose teen books over Literature. I expected that, while having an interesting premise, I would ultimately disagree with the author if he told me I should slow down and read only "good" books.
That's not what this book is about. "Slow reading" is less about pace (though that tends to be a factor) that it is a deliberate mental shift from task-oriented purpose to pleasure: "The most obvious sense of slowness in reference to quality is temporal - we stop racing against the clock to better appreciate a meal or a book" (43). In five short chapters, Miedema calls for a return to this pleasurable savoring of books, Literature or no. He draws on such diverse subjects as the connection between religion and slow reading, the innate differences between online and from-the-page reading, and neuroscience to make his points. Besides agreeing more than I thought I would, I found myself slow reading his book as I stopped to ponder my own reading experiences, talk back about a point that struck me, or looked through the thorough list of references in the back to follow up an intriguing idea. I appreciated the thorough citations that allowed me to look into more books or articles regarding the subjects I was most intrigued by. 4.5 stars.
Cross-posted at Born Reader.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen (43/81)
Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen by Fay Weldon
Category: Books about Books
Well, I heard about this from some other LibraryThing readers and could hardly pass up the chance to read something about Jane Austen! This is about an aunt who (much like Jane Austen before her) corresponds with a niece interested in writing novels. The niece, Alice, is a fictional girl of green-and-black colored hair who can't imagine why Jane Austen would be considered relevant today.
The blend of fiction and literary criticism threw me for a loop at first. The first few letters talk about Jane Austen's life and times, then move on to talk about each of her novels in turn; all are peppered with advice about reading, writing, and listening (or not) to critics. In fact, this struck me as much more about the writing itself than about Jane Austen in particular. At times witty, and other times confusing, sometimes I agreed and at others I wholeheartedly disagreed. But that, as I'm sure "Aunt Fay" would agree, is one of the joys of visiting the "City of Invention" that is made of books. 3.5 stars.
Cross-posted at Born Reader.
Category: Books about Books
Well, I heard about this from some other LibraryThing readers and could hardly pass up the chance to read something about Jane Austen! This is about an aunt who (much like Jane Austen before her) corresponds with a niece interested in writing novels. The niece, Alice, is a fictional girl of green-and-black colored hair who can't imagine why Jane Austen would be considered relevant today.
The blend of fiction and literary criticism threw me for a loop at first. The first few letters talk about Jane Austen's life and times, then move on to talk about each of her novels in turn; all are peppered with advice about reading, writing, and listening (or not) to critics. In fact, this struck me as much more about the writing itself than about Jane Austen in particular. At times witty, and other times confusing, sometimes I agreed and at others I wholeheartedly disagreed. But that, as I'm sure "Aunt Fay" would agree, is one of the joys of visiting the "City of Invention" that is made of books. 3.5 stars.
Cross-posted at Born Reader.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Shakespeare Wrote for Money (32/81)
Shakespeare Wrote for Money by Nick Hornby
Category: Books about Books
The last in his collection of article written for The Believer, Shakespeare Wrote for Money is just as funny as the first two. The dates on the articles are from August 2006 to September 2008, and include a wide range of books read from YA titles to a biography of Shakespeare.
I love getting the perspective of someone that's intelligent and interesting and humorous and feels like a real reader telling a friend what they liked or didn't like about the books they've read lately. That's the main reason these books appeal to me. Even when I'm not all that interested in the books he's talking about, I enjoy reading about his experiences as a reader instead of reading a more objective, professional review that tells me lots about a book but little about someone's experience reading it. This was an immediate birthday list add. 4.5 stars.
Cross-posted on my blog, Born Reader.
Category: Books about Books
The last in his collection of article written for The Believer, Shakespeare Wrote for Money is just as funny as the first two. The dates on the articles are from August 2006 to September 2008, and include a wide range of books read from YA titles to a biography of Shakespeare.
I love getting the perspective of someone that's intelligent and interesting and humorous and feels like a real reader telling a friend what they liked or didn't like about the books they've read lately. That's the main reason these books appeal to me. Even when I'm not all that interested in the books he's talking about, I enjoy reading about his experiences as a reader instead of reading a more objective, professional review that tells me lots about a book but little about someone's experience reading it. This was an immediate birthday list add. 4.5 stars.
Cross-posted on my blog, Born Reader.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Housekeeping vs. the Dirt by Nick Hornby (22/81)
Housekeeping vs. the Dirt by Nick Hornby
Category: Books about Books/Reading/Writing
In his second collection of articles from The Believer, Nick Hornby writes his impressions of various books he has read each month. In his preface, Hornby writes about how writing these articles changed his reading - he started reading those books that he, incredibly, wanted to read - and believes that reading itself should not be, as some people think, a grand slog to read those books that one "should" read, but a fun way to spend free time. Only he says it much more elegantly and persuasively than I can.
Then, when you get to the articles, he also has fun talking about the books that he's read. Continuing where The Polysyllabic Spree left off, the articles are from February 2005 to June/July 2006, and include his thoughts on a wide variety of books. He includes short passages from a handful of his favorite reads from the year. Maybe your TBR pile will grow maddeningly or maybe, like me, you'll just enjoy reading someone else talk about books he's enjoyed and make a note of a couple of new authors to try. Either way, I highly recommend it to other avid readers. 5 stars.
Cross-posted on Born Reader.
Category: Books about Books/Reading/Writing
In his second collection of articles from The Believer, Nick Hornby writes his impressions of various books he has read each month. In his preface, Hornby writes about how writing these articles changed his reading - he started reading those books that he, incredibly, wanted to read - and believes that reading itself should not be, as some people think, a grand slog to read those books that one "should" read, but a fun way to spend free time. Only he says it much more elegantly and persuasively than I can.
Then, when you get to the articles, he also has fun talking about the books that he's read. Continuing where The Polysyllabic Spree left off, the articles are from February 2005 to June/July 2006, and include his thoughts on a wide variety of books. He includes short passages from a handful of his favorite reads from the year. Maybe your TBR pile will grow maddeningly or maybe, like me, you'll just enjoy reading someone else talk about books he's enjoyed and make a note of a couple of new authors to try. Either way, I highly recommend it to other avid readers. 5 stars.
Cross-posted on Born Reader.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Pleasure of Reading edited by Antonia Fraser (15/81)
The Pleasure of Reading edited by Antonia Fraser
Category: Books about Books
For the bicentenary of the publishing house W. H. Smith, forty writers of the English language talk about their early experiences reading, what reading they do now, and (if possible - not everyone did) their ten favorite books. Many authors -- such as Catherine Cookson, Doris Lessing, A.S. Byatt, and Margaret Atwood -- were names I recognized, though the only author I have read to date is Ruth Rendell. Keeping in mind that the book was published over 15 years ago, however, it's quite an impressive list.
I loved reading the variety of experiences each author had with reading and books. In particular, I loved seeing the same books or author mentioned (like Enid Blyton or The Biggles), but with very different responses. Also, the various approaches to "top ten" (in order, alphabetically, with a few more titles thrown in) were fun. I kept wanting to write my own essay or agonize over a top ten list or talk back to the authors that had a particularly nice point. An absolute pleasure to read; my only regret is that I don't own it. 5 stars.
Cross posted at Born Reader
Category: Books about Books
For the bicentenary of the publishing house W. H. Smith, forty writers of the English language talk about their early experiences reading, what reading they do now, and (if possible - not everyone did) their ten favorite books. Many authors -- such as Catherine Cookson, Doris Lessing, A.S. Byatt, and Margaret Atwood -- were names I recognized, though the only author I have read to date is Ruth Rendell. Keeping in mind that the book was published over 15 years ago, however, it's quite an impressive list.
I loved reading the variety of experiences each author had with reading and books. In particular, I loved seeing the same books or author mentioned (like Enid Blyton or The Biggles), but with very different responses. Also, the various approaches to "top ten" (in order, alphabetically, with a few more titles thrown in) were fun. I kept wanting to write my own essay or agonize over a top ten list or talk back to the authors that had a particularly nice point. An absolute pleasure to read; my only regret is that I don't own it. 5 stars.
Cross posted at Born Reader
Monday, January 26, 2009
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (12/81)
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Category: Books about Books/Reading/Writing
Anne Lamott, a writer of fiction and nonfiction, distills the advice she gives to her creative writing students. Using her two cornerstones of writing -- short assignments and "shitty first drafts" -- a lot of humor, personal stories, and memorable metaphors, this is unlike any writing how-to book I've ever read.
In all honesty, I included "writing" in this category to read one book in particular. I haven't written in years partly because I never seemed to be able to finish what I started and partly because I read so many really good books that I figured I couldn't write that well so never mind. But Bird by Bird makes me want to write again. Ms. Lamott doesn't beat you over the head with "you must write every day" (though she suggests writing at least 300 words a day, even if you only write about how much you don't want to write) or give you a formula for how to be a Writer. She doesn't making writing sound easy, but she did make it sound doable, even necessary. I haven't taken up writing again yet, but I may well consider it. 5 stars.
Cross-posted at Born Reader.
Category: Books about Books/Reading/Writing
Anne Lamott, a writer of fiction and nonfiction, distills the advice she gives to her creative writing students. Using her two cornerstones of writing -- short assignments and "shitty first drafts" -- a lot of humor, personal stories, and memorable metaphors, this is unlike any writing how-to book I've ever read.
In all honesty, I included "writing" in this category to read one book in particular. I haven't written in years partly because I never seemed to be able to finish what I started and partly because I read so many really good books that I figured I couldn't write that well so never mind. But Bird by Bird makes me want to write again. Ms. Lamott doesn't beat you over the head with "you must write every day" (though she suggests writing at least 300 words a day, even if you only write about how much you don't want to write) or give you a formula for how to be a Writer. She doesn't making writing sound easy, but she did make it sound doable, even necessary. I haven't taken up writing again yet, but I may well consider it. 5 stars.
Cross-posted at Born Reader.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die ed. by Peter Boxall (5/81)
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, edited by Peter Boxall (2006 edition)
Category: Books about Books/Reading/Writing
In his introduction, Peter Boxall writes about the difficulty of compiling such a finite list. As many books as it contains, it covers hundreds of years of fiction (and some nonfiction) writing, and could hardly cover all books you ought to read, ever. Of course, any such finite list could not possibly encompass all of the "great books" one could read, and the introduction makes clear that the compilers are aware of that impossibility. The chosen titles are organized chronologically by publication date. Each summary begins with the author's birth and death dates, the date of publication, and the publisher. Depending on the book and author, we are also told other information, such as the author's real name or an award the book won. Then, one of the 100 contributors summarizes and offers a bit of literary criticism in approximately 300 words.
Of the completed offering, the editor writes, "this book reflects a set of priorities that are shared by today's readers, a certain understanding of where the novel comes from, a particular kind of passion for reading" (9). This was an interesting way to read the list, as I kept reflecting on what each choice had to say about the world we live in now and the worldview of the contributors. Though I haven't read many on the list (56), and don't really want to read many more (approx. 71), I found it interesting reading all the same because of what it says about today's interpretation of "where the novel comes from, [and] a particular kind of passion for reading" (9). Especially in the largest section - the 20th century - many of the choices seem to question authority, religion, government, or push the boundaries of fiction itself. The editor also hesitates to say that this book should be read as any type of "canon"; in fact, many newer titles (approximately 100 pages of 949 cover the 1990s alone) are included. One thing I found extremely frustrating was the spoilers - many of the summaries summarized to the end of the book. So if you are planning on reading all the 1001 books, I recommend that you use the book mainly for reference and don't read the summary until after, so you don't get any spoilers for those titles you're not familiar with. 4 stars.
Cross posted at Born Reader.
Category: Books about Books/Reading/Writing
In his introduction, Peter Boxall writes about the difficulty of compiling such a finite list. As many books as it contains, it covers hundreds of years of fiction (and some nonfiction) writing, and could hardly cover all books you ought to read, ever. Of course, any such finite list could not possibly encompass all of the "great books" one could read, and the introduction makes clear that the compilers are aware of that impossibility. The chosen titles are organized chronologically by publication date. Each summary begins with the author's birth and death dates, the date of publication, and the publisher. Depending on the book and author, we are also told other information, such as the author's real name or an award the book won. Then, one of the 100 contributors summarizes and offers a bit of literary criticism in approximately 300 words.
Of the completed offering, the editor writes, "this book reflects a set of priorities that are shared by today's readers, a certain understanding of where the novel comes from, a particular kind of passion for reading" (9). This was an interesting way to read the list, as I kept reflecting on what each choice had to say about the world we live in now and the worldview of the contributors. Though I haven't read many on the list (56), and don't really want to read many more (approx. 71), I found it interesting reading all the same because of what it says about today's interpretation of "where the novel comes from, [and] a particular kind of passion for reading" (9). Especially in the largest section - the 20th century - many of the choices seem to question authority, religion, government, or push the boundaries of fiction itself. The editor also hesitates to say that this book should be read as any type of "canon"; in fact, many newer titles (approximately 100 pages of 949 cover the 1990s alone) are included. One thing I found extremely frustrating was the spoilers - many of the summaries summarized to the end of the book. So if you are planning on reading all the 1001 books, I recommend that you use the book mainly for reference and don't read the summary until after, so you don't get any spoilers for those titles you're not familiar with. 4 stars.
Cross posted at Born Reader.
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