Books about books refresh your appetite for reading
June 13, 2008 1:07 pm What to ReadEveryone I know who reads is a sucker for books about books. I am particularly susceptible. People who have read this blog will know I am a list-maker and list-breaker, so these books fuel my own little pathologies. There is nothing like feeling that there are so many books out there that you will never get a chance to read – it induces a frenzy of buying.
“Being a reader is sort of like being President, except reading involves fewer state dinners, usually. You have this agenda you want to get through, but you get distracted by life events, e.g. books arriving in the mail/World War II, and you are temporarily deflected from your chosen path.” Nick Hornby.
Nick Hornby’s Polysyllabic Spree is delightful. It is a collection of columns he wrote for the Believer magazine. He talks about his buying and reading habits. He (not surprisingly) has a better bought:read ratio than I do. There is a great section where he talks about the abundance of good novels published today, and the sad reality that our lives are too short to take advantage. I suppose I have to come to terms with that.
My tactic to deal with this is to buy any good books that I find regardless. If they are clagging up my shelves at home I will read them at some point, or something like that. But I was much reassured by the fact that Nick Hornby (man of culture and standing) had not read David Copperfield. I have not read any Dickens, despite them all sitting on my shelves, and it reassures me that others also haven’t read at least some of them!
“..The truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books without losing their composure or their desire for more.” Gabriel Zaid, So Many Books.
Other books on books I have read recently include:
- So many books, so little time explores how books you read are linked with what is happening in your real life. The author talks about how some books can flop if read at the wrong time, and average books can shine when you are in the right mood. The author is a book reviewer and involved in the publishing industry. Unfortunately, this really comes across in her manner, and it seems unlikely that she would ever admit to not having read one of the major classics.
- Book Lust (Nancy Pearl) is the treasure trove of books about books. It even has a section recommending books about books. From this one, more than any other, I ended up with a huge list of recommendations. I will read way outside my genres based Nancy Pearl’s recommendations. Check out more lists at the Nancy Pearl website.
- For a refreshing Australian take, can recommend Anthony Marshall’s book about running Alice’s Bookshop in Carlton, Trafficking in Used books. I bought it years ago at a second hand bookshop (of course). I keep it at our farm, which acts as our holiday house. It is just the sort of thing I feel like reading when I am locked in the warm farmhouse and it is foggy outside. It is not so much a book about books, but a book about second-hand book sellers, which is fascinating. Again, not a novel so much as a series of columns, but well worth collecting together.
If my suggestions don’t excite you, try this list on Sarah’s Books.
Books about books are great to revitalise your reading habit. I was due to start “the Last Temptation” this weekend, and reading about book-fairs and shop-theft and pricing inspired me again. Enjoying Last Temptation now. Expect a book review soon.
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