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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
A book every book-lover — and persnickety grammarian — should read. I liked it. I really liked parts of it, none more than the stories of her family, their love of books and compulsive proofreading and correcting. I found myself wistful, wishing I'd grown up in such a family, though certainly I was brought up to revere books. Indeed, I am still, decades later one of those courtly book lovers, hesitant to desecrate — even though I believe one should dog-ear and mark them up.
slow-paced
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
This is a cute, if slight, ode to bibliophiles. I really loved a few of the essays (the one about her family's compulsive hunt for grammatical errors and typos in any sort of printed word and the one about her reluctance to merge her library with her husband's), but the narrative voice grated reading the whole volume in one sitting. It would be better to pick it up periodically and read the essays one at a time.
Anyone who has ever been passionate about books should read this gem. It's a wonderful collection of essays about Fadiman and her family's lifelong obsession with the written word. With the advent of digital books, "Marrying Libraries" will soon no longer resonate the way it used to, but it's utterly hilarious for anyone who ever had to face the touchy question of how to merge two lives and libraries. I just adore this book and recommend it to all bibliophiles!
I got this book 5-6 years ago in a book exchange, but never read it. Glad I finally did! I really enjoyed many of the short essays, especially the first half of the collection. It made me see books a bit differently, and she has a funny voice and I enjoyed her ability to introduce seemingly random stories but tie them back to her relationship with books.
I didn’t resonate with the latter half of the collection and felt like those essays didn’t land with me. Towards the end I was reading to just finish the book. For that reason, 3/5.
I didn’t resonate with the latter half of the collection and felt like those essays didn’t land with me. Towards the end I was reading to just finish the book. For that reason, 3/5.
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
A smart, witty collection of essays for anyone who loves books, reading and discovering new words. Her passion for all three comes across in every page. Her style of writing very much reminds me of Ruth Reichl. While one’s passion is food the other’s is the written word. Their ability to evoke your senses and memories is unparalleled. Loved this volume.
3.5. Print. I would consider myself a "common reader" but this book was very unrelatable. I loved a few of the chapters, but her reading life is very different than mine and anything but common. The author reads mostly classics and grew up in a highly literary family. I cannot relate.
Essays about books and reading... how could any reader resist?