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arisbookcorner's review
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
1.75
"None of us, of course, will ever read all the books we'd like, but we can still make a stab at it. Why deny yourself all that pleasure? So look around tonight or this weekend, see what catches your fancy on the bookshelf, at the library, or in the bookstore. Maybe try something a little unusual, a little different. And then don't stop. Do it again, with a new book or an old author the following week. Go on - be bold, be insatiable, be restlessly, unashamedly promiscuous." (234)
I don't understand how you're from the same town as Toni Morrison and never mention that fact. Especially when you're a bookish person. But several essays into this book I understood why that may not be on Dirda's radar, he doesn't appear to be aware that books by non white authors exist. Or at least he doesn't see fit to mention any of them within this book with the exception of a brief Chester Himes mention. Now if I want to be fair I can speculate that perhaps Dirda talks about books by Black authors or authors of color in some of his previous books... but it's a mistake not to carry that consistency through to your other books. It is for this reason I can't rate the book four stars or even call Dirda well read, for he either hasn't read non white authors or he has read them and not appreciated their work which causes me to question his literary taste. He also has an annoying self deprecating writing style when it comes to his own accomplishments, unsuccessfully attempting to sound modest when writing about his writerly talents, it comes off as ridiculous. Especially when you reach the end and read his "biographical note" which mentions that he graduated "with highest honors" from college which I did not realize anyone cared about post college graduation. Nor have I ever seen that type of information or section included in a book before. Please spare me the self mockery if you're going to include a brag at the end about your academic accomplishments and Pulitzer. Just own it!
BROWSINGS is for the bibliophile who can overlook that all the books mentioned are by white authors. For all my annoyance at Dirda's self deprecating writing style he is a charming writer and a typical well intentioned white liberal. Occasionally he strays from books to write about politics and preventing gun violence, the gun violence essay is particularly haunting because he adds an author's note that a few months after he wrote it the mass shooting at Sandy Hook occured. Nothing too notable in the political subjects raised but I respected their inclusion although it wasn't enough to save the book. There's also a very touching essay about his aging mother (that would have also been a perfect opportunity to name drop Morrison since it reflects on his hometown) that I appreciated. As someone who loves books about books and books by those also afflicted with bibliomania I was very disappointed at the white contents within. I related to his love of used bookstores, his hunt for rare books or obscure titles. I loved that he loved books. I didn't write down a single title to read but I do commend Dirda for going beyond the bestsellers, I only wish that same love extended to the lesser known titles by authors of color.
Some favorite musings:
"In effect, anthologies resemble dating. You enjoy some swell times and suffer through some awful ones, until one happy hour you encounter a story you really, really like and decide to settle down for a while with its author." ('Anthologies and Collections', 75)
"But here is the strangest part of all: no one else came forth to utter a peep about cattle-car experience. I was shocked at how docile my fellow sufferers had become. Were they too beaten down to say anything? Had they come to accept such abusive behavior as the <i>modus operandi</i> for life in the United States?" ( 'Rocky Mountain Low', 82)
"Listen to the young. Those under 30 see the inequities of the world and are willing to change the status quo. Fathers and mothers of families seldom rock the boat; they can't afford to risk losing what they have." (''The Fugitive', 84)
"In fact, I've loved slow, dithered and dallied, taken my own sweet time, and done pretty much what I've repeatedly done ever since my mother first taught me to read so long ago: Found a quiet spot and opened a book. When I turned 50 I remember thinking that just maybe I should have spent fewer hours in libraries and more drunken nights in dives and honky-tonks. Maybe. Maybe not." ('Then and Now', 134)
"I've also come to feel that if I don't write about a book in a review or essay, then I haven't actually read it. Gathering my thoughts, outlining an author's argument, framing a few apt quotations, trying to make inchoate impressions coherent-all these activities give substance to my experience of a work, make it real in a way that 'reading' alone doesn't." ('Out of Print', 109)
I don't understand how you're from the same town as Toni Morrison and never mention that fact. Especially when you're a bookish person. But several essays into this book I understood why that may not be on Dirda's radar, he doesn't appear to be aware that books by non white authors exist. Or at least he doesn't see fit to mention any of them within this book with the exception of a brief Chester Himes mention. Now if I want to be fair I can speculate that perhaps Dirda talks about books by Black authors or authors of color in some of his previous books... but it's a mistake not to carry that consistency through to your other books. It is for this reason I can't rate the book four stars or even call Dirda well read, for he either hasn't read non white authors or he has read them and not appreciated their work which causes me to question his literary taste. He also has an annoying self deprecating writing style when it comes to his own accomplishments, unsuccessfully attempting to sound modest when writing about his writerly talents, it comes off as ridiculous. Especially when you reach the end and read his "biographical note" which mentions that he graduated "with highest honors" from college which I did not realize anyone cared about post college graduation. Nor have I ever seen that type of information or section included in a book before. Please spare me the self mockery if you're going to include a brag at the end about your academic accomplishments and Pulitzer. Just own it!
BROWSINGS is for the bibliophile who can overlook that all the books mentioned are by white authors. For all my annoyance at Dirda's self deprecating writing style he is a charming writer and a typical well intentioned white liberal. Occasionally he strays from books to write about politics and preventing gun violence, the gun violence essay is particularly haunting because he adds an author's note that a few months after he wrote it the mass shooting at Sandy Hook occured. Nothing too notable in the political subjects raised but I respected their inclusion although it wasn't enough to save the book. There's also a very touching essay about his aging mother (that would have also been a perfect opportunity to name drop Morrison since it reflects on his hometown) that I appreciated. As someone who loves books about books and books by those also afflicted with bibliomania I was very disappointed at the white contents within. I related to his love of used bookstores, his hunt for rare books or obscure titles. I loved that he loved books. I didn't write down a single title to read but I do commend Dirda for going beyond the bestsellers, I only wish that same love extended to the lesser known titles by authors of color.
Some favorite musings:
"In effect, anthologies resemble dating. You enjoy some swell times and suffer through some awful ones, until one happy hour you encounter a story you really, really like and decide to settle down for a while with its author." ('Anthologies and Collections', 75)
"But here is the strangest part of all: no one else came forth to utter a peep about cattle-car experience. I was shocked at how docile my fellow sufferers had become. Were they too beaten down to say anything? Had they come to accept such abusive behavior as the <i>modus operandi</i> for life in the United States?" ( 'Rocky Mountain Low', 82)
"Listen to the young. Those under 30 see the inequities of the world and are willing to change the status quo. Fathers and mothers of families seldom rock the boat; they can't afford to risk losing what they have." (''The Fugitive', 84)
"In fact, I've loved slow, dithered and dallied, taken my own sweet time, and done pretty much what I've repeatedly done ever since my mother first taught me to read so long ago: Found a quiet spot and opened a book. When I turned 50 I remember thinking that just maybe I should have spent fewer hours in libraries and more drunken nights in dives and honky-tonks. Maybe. Maybe not." ('Then and Now', 134)
"I've also come to feel that if I don't write about a book in a review or essay, then I haven't actually read it. Gathering my thoughts, outlining an author's argument, framing a few apt quotations, trying to make inchoate impressions coherent-all these activities give substance to my experience of a work, make it real in a way that 'reading' alone doesn't." ('Out of Print', 109)
jventer's review
4.0
I have a bone to pick with Michael Dirda -- he's added to my already long "want to read" list.
mostlyshanti's review
4.0
this book was simply delightful! I read very different books to Dirda--him being a sixty-something American man and me being an eighteen year old Indian woman--but I still appreciated his enthusiasm of books. His writing is bright and vivacious, easy to read. While he certainly appreciates older books, his enthusiasm for science fiction and fantasy is wonderful, and I love that he advocates reading that is fun and not a chore. His addiction to books is fun to read about too, though I care very little for first editions. Equally entertaining are the diversions into other bit os life--politics, parks--which suffuse these columns. This is sort of what would happen if a old person book blogged, then gathered a year of posts into a book, and it's charming.
kazen's review
3.0
These essays were just the thing while traveling - short and bookish. They wonderfully filled up spare moments while waiting for a bus or trying to get back to sleep despite major jet lag.
anair02's review
It was boring and had a lot of references that I didn't understand