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A review by crayolabird
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
5.0
As the child of two incredibly literary parents (both of them writers and voracious readers), Anne Fadiman has written a collection of essays about her experiences with books, and not just reading them. She writes about plagiarism, secondhand stores, vocabulary lovers and the inscriptions we write - all told with a self depriciating and humorous voice.
Every essay entertained me. I'm sure part of that is the fact that I am a fellow lover of not just the written word itself, but the entire package - the smell and texture of my books, the memories a book cover can conjure and the bond books have helped me form with other people. Fadiman fleshes out the reading experience in these essays, and her only flaw (if you can call it a flaw) is that she knows so many more authors and books than I do that I occasionally got overwhelmed with the depth of her book knowledge. Usually, though, this just made me find her more fascinating as a writer.
What I appreciated most is the way that these essays seemed to validate each individual readers experience - while she confesses the way that SHE treats her books, she also shares the way that her brother and the hotel housekeeping staff and her editor treat their books. Some of these essays almost feel like socialogical studies - the breadth of anecdotal examples is startling and often incredibly amusing. This book places me, as a reader, within a long and illustrius line of folks who have chosen books as their passion. I want to give this to every book lover that I know - I'd be surprised if you didn't find a little piece of yourself in there somewhere.
Every essay entertained me. I'm sure part of that is the fact that I am a fellow lover of not just the written word itself, but the entire package - the smell and texture of my books, the memories a book cover can conjure and the bond books have helped me form with other people. Fadiman fleshes out the reading experience in these essays, and her only flaw (if you can call it a flaw) is that she knows so many more authors and books than I do that I occasionally got overwhelmed with the depth of her book knowledge. Usually, though, this just made me find her more fascinating as a writer.
What I appreciated most is the way that these essays seemed to validate each individual readers experience - while she confesses the way that SHE treats her books, she also shares the way that her brother and the hotel housekeeping staff and her editor treat their books. Some of these essays almost feel like socialogical studies - the breadth of anecdotal examples is startling and often incredibly amusing. This book places me, as a reader, within a long and illustrius line of folks who have chosen books as their passion. I want to give this to every book lover that I know - I'd be surprised if you didn't find a little piece of yourself in there somewhere.