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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Why 4*? It felt a little too highbrow (a 'common reader' in the title should not be taken literally), some of the essays felt a little too formulaic and the storytelling focused a little too much on Fadimans (as opposed to a 'common reader' :)
Still a delightful read!
My sincere thanks to David G for recommending it.
The essays mentioned a lot of relatable things like how everyone has their own way in sorting their collection of books, how everyone has their craze for certain type of topic, how you treat your books i.e dog ear-ing, folding, annotating etc., the headache of buying more books you can ever read & much more in which most readers find in common.
However, some of the things mention in the essays came off as snobbery. Not everyone grew up in an environment that support your love for books or reading. The most important question: What is the definition of a common readers? Who could be grouped under the term? Is a reader from illiterate parents count? Is an orphan who learned to read on the street rather than in school count? Those who only read one particular genre? How about those who read only children books? And those who do not uphold the admiration for Austen or Dickens or Shakespeare or the big names in English literature count as common readers? In the end of the day, a reader is just a reader. No matter what they read.
So some parts of this book are only familiar for those who grew up in literature-able family & surroundings. I was a bit disappointed with the author whenever I encountered those bits and pieces. Tho, it may not be the author's intention to appear like that.
Overall, it's still an enjoyable read!👍
P/s: You could shredded and make your books into a soup for all I care. You wanna dog ear your books, do it! Just don't do it on mine.
