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Liked It “Any reader who reads for pleasure MUST read this collection of essays about reading, books, words, family -- it's wonderful. After I read it the first time, I bought 10 copies to give to friends. I've never done that before or since.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Any reader who reads for pleasure MUST read this collection of essays about reading, books, words, family -- it's wonderful. After I read it the first time, I bought 10 copies to give to friends. I've never done that before or since.”
Dana N wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Yup, another 5-star! But I so mean EVERY star for Anne Fadiman. A book about books and reading books and collecting books. Each chapter is a stand alone essay and each sentence just bursts with the love of books and every aspect of them. DO NOT miss reading this book. I would send you mine but it is a mess. Roxy chose it to sleep on (yes like Kim - Anne's brother - I had left it open and facedown on my night table) after coming in from a wet afternoon outside and then she was rude enough to put her incisors through the front cover and first chapter. But this book is a real keeper and the added treat it marking and making a list of all the books she then reccomends. Please, please don't miss this one!”
Chris L wrote this review Tuesday, October 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A book of short stories about books, and someone's love of books? How could I not love this?”
crystal t wrote this review Monday, September 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“everyone who is a lover of books must read!”
Megan F wrote this review Monday, August 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Excellent essays for readers, true book lovers. Like what to do when you and your partner decide to "marry" your book collections?”
Iris E wrote this review Friday, July 31 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Although there are exceptions to this, in general I am not much of a fan of meta-nerd "books about books written for obsessive lovers of books," nor of essays that treat physical books themselves as precious sacred objects, to be lusted after like sex symbols and used to partially define who we are in the first place. (For what it's worth, I instead tend to look at books as simple delivery vehicles for what's truly important, the information being conveyed on their pages through the codified use of language, and tend not to revere such things as precious objects except in truly special circumstances, like first editions and small-run art books and the like.) And that presents a problem with Anne Fadiman's 1998 essay collection Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, recently acquired by my neighborhood library which is why it came to my attention: because although this book is destined to be intensely loved by some, they will tend to be the same people who make me roll my eyes rather severely when meeting, the kind of people for example who will spend days agonizing over the perfect answers to the kind of silly throwaway questions found on an online dating profile. ("'Hume is sexy; Voltaire is sexier.' No, but wait, what does that say about my long-term nagging doubts over the moral relativism inherent in Enlightenment philosophy?") And the reason this is a problem is that I hate giving so-so reviews of books simply because of a personal bias; and make no mistake, for what this aims to be, it's done quite well indeed, and will be highly satisfying for those of you who are already guessing that they might find it highly satisfying. (Ever correct the grammar of an NPR host? Ever chide a complete stranger for setting a book down open-faced? Ever deliver a monologue on French deconstructionist theory simply from an innocuous statement like, "I heard they're making a new movie out of Tintin?" Then this book is for you...and please stay the f-ck away from me.) So instead I'm doing today what I often do in these situations, to declare myself not a very appropriate person to give an opinion on this title, and to keep my review of it to a minimum in order to cause as little damage to its sales as possible. It's a book you bibliophiles will want to check out, even as it can be safely skipped by those who aren't.
jasonpettus wrote this review Tuesday, July 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Out of 10: 8.0”
“Excellent collection of familiar essays. Wonderful reading! Get your dictionary at your side in order to catch all the new words...at least that's what I had to do. And, I actually enjoyed it. ”
Beth W wrote this review Saturday, July 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Full of 'Hey-wait-a-sec! I-do-that-too' moments. Anne Fadiman's witty illustrations of the lengths to which book lovers will go in their quest to hunt down and treasure their favourite books was a pleasure. Mostly though it was the knowledge that there are people out there who are as obsessed (or more) with books that made this one a great book to read.”
Maurya P wrote this review Wednesday, June 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“My friend Heather gave me this book for Christmas the same year I was looking for it in hardback to give her for Christmas! This is a book that will "always be being read" because once you've read it....you'll be reading it again. Night table book.”
bonnie c wrote this review Thursday, May 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
