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A review by barefootmegz
Eliot's Book of Bookish Lists: A sparkling miscellany of literary lists by Henry Eliot
4.0
“Five thousand years ago, humans invented writing in order to write lists.”
I want this book. I mean, I want it on my coffee table, in hardcover, fabric-bound (is it fabric-bound? It should be). Elliot’s Book of Bookish Lists is perfect for the reader who finds themselves obsessively making lists.
It starts innocently enough: to-do lists, bucket lists, to-be-read lists. Soon you learn you can make “done” lists. Sometimes your lists are pretty - washi tape, calligraphy - and sometimes they are scribbled, maybe you’ll redo it as a beautiful spread one day, you argue.
Top Ten lists abound, and when you’ve exhausted the top ten of every genre, it becomes more obscure… and that’s where Elliot comes in.
A list of the worst opening lines of books (even more entertaining than bad pick-up lines).
A list of authors who had limbs amputated.
A list of cats of authors - and dogs of authors - and their names. (This was one of my favourites.)
Some of these lists will ring a bell, and some are entirely new, adding book after book to the TBR pile.
I not only want to own a copy of this book, I also want to make my own.
My criticism is that while Elliot is clearly very well read, and obviously focuses on acclaimed works and interesting authors, his mention of recent works is sparse, and at risk of alienating younger readers. It is concerning that “educated” and “well read” book lovers and critics do sometimes spurn younger readers, and the books they enjoy.
Of course, authors and their works become best known after their death, so perhaps this is not preventable, although it certainly sets the scene for some morose musings about the state of modern literature, and even the very reader’s own place in history.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Press UK for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I want this book. I mean, I want it on my coffee table, in hardcover, fabric-bound (is it fabric-bound? It should be). Elliot’s Book of Bookish Lists is perfect for the reader who finds themselves obsessively making lists.
It starts innocently enough: to-do lists, bucket lists, to-be-read lists. Soon you learn you can make “done” lists. Sometimes your lists are pretty - washi tape, calligraphy - and sometimes they are scribbled, maybe you’ll redo it as a beautiful spread one day, you argue.
Top Ten lists abound, and when you’ve exhausted the top ten of every genre, it becomes more obscure… and that’s where Elliot comes in.
A list of the worst opening lines of books (even more entertaining than bad pick-up lines).
A list of authors who had limbs amputated.
A list of cats of authors - and dogs of authors - and their names. (This was one of my favourites.)
Some of these lists will ring a bell, and some are entirely new, adding book after book to the TBR pile.
I not only want to own a copy of this book, I also want to make my own.
My criticism is that while Elliot is clearly very well read, and obviously focuses on acclaimed works and interesting authors, his mention of recent works is sparse, and at risk of alienating younger readers. It is concerning that “educated” and “well read” book lovers and critics do sometimes spurn younger readers, and the books they enjoy.
Of course, authors and their works become best known after their death, so perhaps this is not preventable, although it certainly sets the scene for some morose musings about the state of modern literature, and even the very reader’s own place in history.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Press UK for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.