Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
McSweeney's, Believer Books (2004), Paperback, 230 pages
Description
- Selections from the monthly Believer Magazine column by this best selling author - Hornby's "diary of an avid reader"In his monthly column "Stuff I've Been Reading," Hornby lists the books he's purchased that month, and briefly discusses the books he's actually read.NIck Hornby's Polysyllabic Spree Includes selected passages from the novels, biographies, collections of poetry, and comics discussed in the column.
Media reviews
Taken in their intended periodic doses, these essays would be simultaneously entertaining and enriching – no small feat, that. Collected, they're still breezy and thought-provoking, but read at once they show Hornby struggling with great seriousness between an Arsenal match, The Fortress of
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Solitude, and going down to the pub: a dilemma welcomed by, say, Kentucky coal miners or single mothers working retail. Show Less
Hornby is just humble enough that you cannot hate or resent him, yet authoritative enough that you still retain some reason to respect and be interested in his opinion on books. That in itself is not a feat many writers could pull off so elegantly, if at all.
This is not a collection of book reviews, but a reading diary of sharp and thoughtful musings on literature that ultimately asks: Why do we read, anyway?
Edible poems. The liabilities of blurbs. Books that haunt us and taunt us and keep us up half the night. "The Polysyllabic Spree" is a journey as rich and varied as the world of literature itself, with Hornby perfectly cast as both tour guide and host.
What's most valuable about this collection, though, is that Hornby, by dint of his sensibility and the variety of his choices, shows that the distinction still made between reading for the sake of "enrichment" (as that gasbag Harold Bloom insists upon) and reading for pleasure is a phony divide.
I laughed on every page. I wanted to buy dozens of copies and give them to all my friends. It’s a hoot, a treasure, an absolute joy. Hornby is such an accomplished literary entertainer that one can happily apply to him the ultimate test of all critical writing.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Periodista
Dud.
I like Nick Hornby; he's one of the very few British novelists whose work I keep up with. The founding concept seems ok, but it just didn't work. Even more startling, you assume: must have worked better on the Web. Yet I don't think this entire series appeared online--maybe just some of the
I thought he'd write at least a paragraph on each book--an off-the-cuff reaction. There's rarely even that!
Although I appreciate his honesty, I was shocked by the canonical works he hadn't and hasn't read. He has never read Robert Lowell, has no sense of Lowell's place, doesn't feel compelled to read him after reading Hamilton's bio.
This great vista opened out of all the other post-World War II poets he hadn't read: Anne Sexton, Isabel Bishop, Adrienne Rich, Randall Jarrell, John Berryman and on and on. Hell, he probably hasn't read the Beats or New York or Black Mountain Poets or John Ashbery. William Carlos Williams? Ezra Pound? Brodsky? I don't want to think about it. Well, he apparently doesn't read poetry and never has. Awesome, and not in a good way.
But it gets worse: Until this series, he'd never read Nine Stories, Franny and Zooey. (He had read Catcher in the Rye, I think.) Hornby's writing style in his fiction owes a lot to Salinger so you might think he'd have some little apercu about one of these stories or one of these books. Nada!
Also shocking how little in the way of translated literature he read. There were only two or three and they were classics, like Candide and Chekov's short stories, that he should have read decades ago. I read Chekov's short stories in high school and again in college.
I know that a big difference between American, Filipino and British readers is that the former two tend to read a lot more Latin American lit. And Americans often read it in Spanish. But he's a fiction writer ... he seems to be cut off from one of the most vital currents in literature today. And it's not like he's up on Indian writing in English either.
I'm glad that I borrowed it from the library's paperback shelf. I'd be annoyed if I had lugged home a hardback.
I like Nick Hornby; he's one of the very few British novelists whose work I keep up with. The founding concept seems ok, but it just didn't work. Even more startling, you assume: must have worked better on the Web. Yet I don't think this entire series appeared online--maybe just some of the
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entries. I think one would have had to read them in the print editions of The Believer. I thought he'd write at least a paragraph on each book--an off-the-cuff reaction. There's rarely even that!
Although I appreciate his honesty, I was shocked by the canonical works he hadn't and hasn't read. He has never read Robert Lowell, has no sense of Lowell's place, doesn't feel compelled to read him after reading Hamilton's bio.
This great vista opened out of all the other post-World War II poets he hadn't read: Anne Sexton, Isabel Bishop, Adrienne Rich, Randall Jarrell, John Berryman and on and on. Hell, he probably hasn't read the Beats or New York or Black Mountain Poets or John Ashbery. William Carlos Williams? Ezra Pound? Brodsky? I don't want to think about it. Well, he apparently doesn't read poetry and never has. Awesome, and not in a good way.
But it gets worse: Until this series, he'd never read Nine Stories, Franny and Zooey. (He had read Catcher in the Rye, I think.) Hornby's writing style in his fiction owes a lot to Salinger so you might think he'd have some little apercu about one of these stories or one of these books. Nada!
Also shocking how little in the way of translated literature he read. There were only two or three and they were classics, like Candide and Chekov's short stories, that he should have read decades ago. I read Chekov's short stories in high school and again in college.
I know that a big difference between American, Filipino and British readers is that the former two tend to read a lot more Latin American lit. And Americans often read it in Spanish. But he's a fiction writer ... he seems to be cut off from one of the most vital currents in literature today. And it's not like he's up on Indian writing in English either.
I'm glad that I borrowed it from the library's paperback shelf. I'd be annoyed if I had lugged home a hardback.
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LibraryThing member circlealeph
It's rare that I buy a book, start reading it right away, barely put it down and finish it within 24 hours. But that's precisely what I did with Hornby's The Polysyllabic Spree. Given that the book is structured around Hornby's attempt to catalogue all the books he buys and reads, and to maintain a
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sense of balance between the two, I feel reassured by the fast turnaround time I made. While it might seem like a boring premise to read about what another person has read, Hornby pulls it off masterfully. This slim volume is packed with observations about what it means to read and to write, to love books of all sorts, and to write about writing and reading. I've come out not only with a desire to become a more diligent reader, but also an interest in particular authors and titles. I finally see what all the fuss is about with Dickens, and I'm committing to pick up David Copperfield in the near future. A must read for you unrepentant bibliophiles! Show Less
LibraryThing member lycomayflower
A collection of Hornby's monthly Believer columns about book-buying and book-reading. A fun read, especially as Hornby responds to what he reads in a readerly and writerly fashion more than a critical or analytical one. Most engaging when I'd also read what he's read, but worthwhile even when I
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hadn't. Show Less
LibraryThing member hardlyhardy
The best reason to buy Believer magazine has long been Nick Hornby's column. Each month he lists the books he has bought and the books he has read (a good exercise for all of us who tend to buy more books than we can possibly read) and then writes about those read.
To most people literary criticism
The challenge for those of us who write about books is to write about them in such a way that people who might never have an interest in a book will nevertheless read and enjoy a review of that book. Hornby actually accomplishes it, at least most of the time. An example is the column in which he writes about “On and Off the Field,” a book about cricket by Ed Smith. Hornby acknowledges that most readers of his column are Americans who care nothing about cricket, but since he loves the game and the book, he writes about it first one month saying, "you have to wade through the cricket to get to the Chekhov and the Roddy Doyle." You still may not have an urge to either read Smith's book or sit through a cricket match, but you will love what Hornby has to say about both.
Hornby has diverse reading tastes, as his inclusion of both a book about cricket and Anton Chekhov's “A Life in Letters” might suggest. He reads older books by the likes of Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, Wilkie Collins and John Buchan, as well as contemporary ones. Sometimes he goes on a binge, such as a month devoted to J.D. Salinger or another to Dennis Lehane. Mostly he seems to just pick up books at random, some recent purchases and some he has had on his shelves for awhile.
What confuses me is that as a writer of a popular book review column, publishers must send him loads of books they would like for him to comment on, yet there is little mention of this. Each month he just lists those books he has purchased. sometimes even explaining where and how he purchased them. So what happens to all those unsolicited books that come in the mail?
To most people literary criticism
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is not a comic art form, but it is to this British novelist, who dissects books of all kinds briefly with both wit and insight. The first fourteen columns he wrote for Believer, dating from September 2003 to November 2004, were collected in the slim book “The Polysyllabic Spree,” printed by the magazine.The challenge for those of us who write about books is to write about them in such a way that people who might never have an interest in a book will nevertheless read and enjoy a review of that book. Hornby actually accomplishes it, at least most of the time. An example is the column in which he writes about “On and Off the Field,” a book about cricket by Ed Smith. Hornby acknowledges that most readers of his column are Americans who care nothing about cricket, but since he loves the game and the book, he writes about it first one month saying, "you have to wade through the cricket to get to the Chekhov and the Roddy Doyle." You still may not have an urge to either read Smith's book or sit through a cricket match, but you will love what Hornby has to say about both.
Hornby has diverse reading tastes, as his inclusion of both a book about cricket and Anton Chekhov's “A Life in Letters” might suggest. He reads older books by the likes of Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, Wilkie Collins and John Buchan, as well as contemporary ones. Sometimes he goes on a binge, such as a month devoted to J.D. Salinger or another to Dennis Lehane. Mostly he seems to just pick up books at random, some recent purchases and some he has had on his shelves for awhile.
What confuses me is that as a writer of a popular book review column, publishers must send him loads of books they would like for him to comment on, yet there is little mention of this. Each month he just lists those books he has purchased. sometimes even explaining where and how he purchased them. So what happens to all those unsolicited books that come in the mail?
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LibraryThing member bookworm12
This collection of Hornby’s essays from the magazine The Believer, was beyond delightful. He writes about what books he bought each month and which ones he read. In anyone else’s hands that concept could be as dull as dirt, but Hornby makes you feel like you’ve just asked your friend, “So
He read a wide range of subjects in fiction, nonfiction, classics, etc. so there’s something for everyone. The funny thing was, it really wasn’t about the books themselves, it’s more about his personal reading experience. You can love his columns without ever picking up one of the books he mentions (though I evitably will).
It’s his humor and cheek that made this book so great. The way he describes reading is spot on and I couldn’t help laughing as I recognized myself in so many of his observations. Here are a few great ones…
“I don't reread books often; I'm too conscious of both my ignorance and my mortality.”
“When reading is going well, one book leads to another and to another, a paper trail of theme and meaning; and how, when it's going badly, when books don't stick or take, when your mood and the mood of the book are fighting like cats, you'd rather do anything but attempt the next paragraph or to reread the last one for the tenth time.”
“What you must do is work unceasingly, day and night, read constantly, study, exercise willpower... Every hour is precious.”
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what have you been reading lately?” He read a wide range of subjects in fiction, nonfiction, classics, etc. so there’s something for everyone. The funny thing was, it really wasn’t about the books themselves, it’s more about his personal reading experience. You can love his columns without ever picking up one of the books he mentions (though I evitably will).
It’s his humor and cheek that made this book so great. The way he describes reading is spot on and I couldn’t help laughing as I recognized myself in so many of his observations. Here are a few great ones…
“I don't reread books often; I'm too conscious of both my ignorance and my mortality.”
“When reading is going well, one book leads to another and to another, a paper trail of theme and meaning; and how, when it's going badly, when books don't stick or take, when your mood and the mood of the book are fighting like cats, you'd rather do anything but attempt the next paragraph or to reread the last one for the tenth time.”
“What you must do is work unceasingly, day and night, read constantly, study, exercise willpower... Every hour is precious.”
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LibraryThing member Stacers
Wow I love Nick Hornby. And I love books, so Nick Hornby ON books was a great read.
LibraryThing member delphica
(#10 in the 2005 Book Challenge)
This book was somewhat of a mystery to me. It's a collection of essays that are essentially a book journal, talking about what he read in a given month as well as a running commentary on books that he bought, but didn't read (yet). So it's got this element of
Grade: A-, but keep in mind that I find anything Nick Hornby writes delightful, so probably more of a B+ in reality.
Recommended: to people who like reading about reading, especially from people who write for a living
This book was somewhat of a mystery to me. It's a collection of essays that are essentially a book journal, talking about what he read in a given month as well as a running commentary on books that he bought, but didn't read (yet). So it's got this element of
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"Confessions of a Book Addict" going on, and believe me, I am on that train with a one way ticket. Okay, so the mystery to me is that I love Nick Hornby's writing, in a semi-stalker way, and thus I expected that we would have read a lot of books in common, or at the very least, that he would write about books that I would want to read. Yet, there was not so much of this happening. Here we have this author who writes about football (to quote my father, "in America, they call it 'soccer' " -- thanks Dad), a sport that I have never watched, and still think "omigosh, I know exactly what he's talking about" every other sentence. Then, he writes about books, and ... not so much. About the books, that is. I still found the writing to be very engaging and very spot on when he talks about the love of reading in general. This reminded me of another book -- 99 Novels by Anthony Burgess, in which he writes a few paragraphs about each of his picks for the 99 best/most important/most significant English language novels for each year starting with 1939. I picked this up when I was a freshman in college, with the intention of reading all of them, and I didn't succeed in that although I think I made a sizable dent in the list. Hey, have you heard of this thing called the internet? His list is online now, maybe I'll tackle that again.Grade: A-, but keep in mind that I find anything Nick Hornby writes delightful, so probably more of a B+ in reality.
Recommended: to people who like reading about reading, especially from people who write for a living
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LibraryThing member kristiem1
Nick Hornby's column in The Believer is often my motivation for picking up this particular literary jounral. I love reading about the reading life, as it were - what he is buying, what he actually read, what kept him from reading a lot during that month and why he was able to get through more than
Hornby is writting about what he really thinks of the books that he has read and liked (those that he didn't like are marked as abandoned and their identities masked to protect the guilty) and how they fit into his life. Don't expect a book reviewer's concise paragraph about the books but a personal multiple page essay that looks at his reading month in a whole.
The latest edition is coming out in September. Sign me up.
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usual. It is a glimpse behind the reading habbit curtain that you don't get a chance to read about very much, unless sometimes in a blog or very occassionaly on the the back page of the New York Times Book Review. And the best part is that this glimpse behind the curtain is written by Nick Hornby, one of my top ten authors. Hornby is writting about what he really thinks of the books that he has read and liked (those that he didn't like are marked as abandoned and their identities masked to protect the guilty) and how they fit into his life. Don't expect a book reviewer's concise paragraph about the books but a personal multiple page essay that looks at his reading month in a whole.
The latest edition is coming out in September. Sign me up.
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LibraryThing member idlereader
Never read a Nick Hornby novel, but I enjoy his journalism. This has the great feature of listing book that he's recently bougt, which doesn't equate necessariyl to books being read.
LibraryThing member lriley
Kind of diary cum book review journalism--this is my first foray into Hornby territory. A lot of stuff I found very interesting. For instance Hornby's focusing attention on books (including fiction) relative to his son's autism. These included Charlotte Moore's 'George and Sam' and Mark Haddon's
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'Curious Incident etc. etc.' Mr. Hornby is also something of a sports fanatic and somewhat of a modern music afficionado. Nothing wrong with that at least IMO. One should have as many interests as they can find time for. In respect to the books on autism they are of interest to me because my own son has Asperger's Syndrome (which is autism related) which is pretty much what the main character of 'The curious incident' has. I have read that particular book by Mr. Haddon and although the thought process of its main character are similar in some respects--there also seems to be too much simplification at times. From my own experience it can be frustrating for both parents and child--not always a lot of laughs is definitely a learn as you go situation but oddly it can have its rewards. Anyway to go back to Hornby--Hornby has his bought list and his having read list and sometimes they even coincide. He gives his opinion. He doesn't like everything he reads but his tone tends towards a genial--playful approach. The book does offer some intriguing writers and/or books too. Among those who caught my attention were Tony Hoagland, Julie Orringer, Patrick Hamilton and maybe Richard Yates. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookheaven
Funny collection of articles the author wrote about which books he bought and which books he read each month. He has very eclectic reading habits.
LibraryThing member Josh_Hanagarne
I've always enjoyed lists of what other people are reading. Hornby is always fun and easy to read. PS is great for finding new recommendations or hearing about Hornby's reactions to books you may have loved or hated. And the book feels good too. Not sure what it's made of. His review of The
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Fortress of Solitude is great. Show Less
LibraryThing member iubookgirl
I am a huge fan of Nick Hornby's fiction. As a lover of books, his forays into literary criticism and his own obvious addiction to reading hold an enormous appeal. His descriptions of his own reading encourage me to venture into unchartered territory and justify my own compulsive need to buy books.
LibraryThing member colinflipper
I can't say that I've read much literary criticism, but I can safely say that this doesn't bear much resemblance. Nick Hornby's conversational style does do a great job of making you want to sit down and do a lot of reading. Extremely fun.
LibraryThing member jennyo
I read half of this book last night, and I'm loving it. Just had to post a reading coincidence today before I forget....
In the first essay in this book, Hornby talks about reading Ian Hamilton's biography of Robert Lowell. Well, this morning, my Writers' Almanac email began with one of Lowell's
I love literary coincidences.
I'm quite sure I'll finish this book today and then have all sorts of lovely things to say about it. In the meantime, please check out The Believer magazine -- where these essays were originally published.
And check out 826NYC and its sister organization 826 Valencia. The proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit 826NYC and Treehouse, a London-based charity for children with autism.
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Yep. Loved it. Of course, I had to go back and do the numbers too. Of the books Hornby either bought or read, I've read 13 and have 3 in my TBR pile. And I think I'd pretty much agree with his assessments of the ones we have in common. Therefore, I also have some new ones to put on my wish list. (As if I needed more.)
Oh, and I'm intending to apply for a job as Hornby's new book-recommending pal. In one of the essays he wrote:
"I'm happy to have friends who recommend Alan Hollinghurst, really I am. They're all nice, bright people. I just wish I had friends who could recommend books like Mystic River, too. Are you that person? Do you have any vacancies for a pal? If you can't be bothered with full-on friendship, with all the tearful, drunken late-night phone calls and bitter accusations and occasional acts of violence thus entailed (the violence is always immediately followed by an apology; I hasten to add), then maybe you could just tell me the titles of the books."
Well, I loved Mystic River. And the Hollinghurst is on my wish list.
There were several quotable lines in the book, but I'm going to stick with this one where he's thinking about all the books (read and unread) in his collection:
"But as I was finding a home for them in the Arts and Lit non-fiction section (I personally find that for domestic purposes, the Trivial Pursuit system works better than Dewey), I suddenly had a little epiphany: all the books we own, both read and unread, are the fullest expression of self we have at our disposal."
In the first essay in this book, Hornby talks about reading Ian Hamilton's biography of Robert Lowell. Well, this morning, my Writers' Almanac email began with one of Lowell's
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poems and included a very short bio of Lowell himself. It's no wonder Hornby found his life story fascinating. Oh, and the poem began with the line: "It was a Maine lobster town--". And I got this book from one of my book group members who, like me, just finished reading The Lobster Chronicles by Linda Greenlaw, who makes her living fishing for lobster off the coast of Maine.I love literary coincidences.
I'm quite sure I'll finish this book today and then have all sorts of lovely things to say about it. In the meantime, please check out The Believer magazine -- where these essays were originally published.
And check out 826NYC and its sister organization 826 Valencia. The proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit 826NYC and Treehouse, a London-based charity for children with autism.
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Yep. Loved it. Of course, I had to go back and do the numbers too. Of the books Hornby either bought or read, I've read 13 and have 3 in my TBR pile. And I think I'd pretty much agree with his assessments of the ones we have in common. Therefore, I also have some new ones to put on my wish list. (As if I needed more.)
Oh, and I'm intending to apply for a job as Hornby's new book-recommending pal. In one of the essays he wrote:
"I'm happy to have friends who recommend Alan Hollinghurst, really I am. They're all nice, bright people. I just wish I had friends who could recommend books like Mystic River, too. Are you that person? Do you have any vacancies for a pal? If you can't be bothered with full-on friendship, with all the tearful, drunken late-night phone calls and bitter accusations and occasional acts of violence thus entailed (the violence is always immediately followed by an apology; I hasten to add), then maybe you could just tell me the titles of the books."
Well, I loved Mystic River. And the Hollinghurst is on my wish list.
There were several quotable lines in the book, but I'm going to stick with this one where he's thinking about all the books (read and unread) in his collection:
"But as I was finding a home for them in the Arts and Lit non-fiction section (I personally find that for domestic purposes, the Trivial Pursuit system works better than Dewey), I suddenly had a little epiphany: all the books we own, both read and unread, are the fullest expression of self we have at our disposal."
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LibraryThing member scouthayduke
I love Nick Hornby. I've only read his fiction material, but I think this book is up there with all of them. It's fun and funny to get insight on what one of your favorite authors reads and even better to find that sometimes (like yourself) that consists of only magazines.
LibraryThing member cmeatto
Required reading for LibraryThing members. I know Nick is somewhere here on the site when Arsenal is not playing at the Emirates.
LibraryThing member jentifer
OK so I didn't read this, really; instead, Sky read many long parts aloud to me. I feel like I read it. I feel like I loved it.
LibraryThing member veevoxvoom
Summary: A collection of Nick Hornby’s columns for The Believer, a literary magazine. He tracks the books he buys and reads each month, and comments on them.
Review: [The Polysyllabic Spree] is a short anthology and probably this is a good thing, because why would you spend a lot of time reading
Of course, I wouldn’t want to read just any writer’s reading list. There are writers I love and respect, but would probably be bored by what they have to say about books. Imagine reading Harold Bloom’s book list. God. It’d be smart, but I’m sure I would tear my hair out halfway through. Hornby, on the other hand, is as funny as he is articulate.
However, we are very different readers. Hornby tends to read what I’d call literary mainstream, and mostly male authors. I’m more for genre fiction, and when I do read literary mainstream, I tend to veer towards female authors. So there weren’t a lot of books in Hornby’s columns that I would actually pick up and read. I have to say that Hornby’s own books, from what I have heard, don’t interest me much. But you know what? Sometimes it’s enough just to hear people talk about books they enjoyed. The pleasure of their pleasure renews my own passion for books.
Conclusion: A breezy, enjoyable read. Recommended for bibliophiles!
Review: [The Polysyllabic Spree] is a short anthology and probably this is a good thing, because why would you spend a lot of time reading
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it and not the books that it talks about? But it’s a good, smooth kind of short. I read it in one day, mostly on the bus, and it hit the spot like a good snack. I love to hear what other people say about books, and I’m particularly fascinated by the reading habits of established authors. Other people follow celebrity gossip; I follow reading lists.Of course, I wouldn’t want to read just any writer’s reading list. There are writers I love and respect, but would probably be bored by what they have to say about books. Imagine reading Harold Bloom’s book list. God. It’d be smart, but I’m sure I would tear my hair out halfway through. Hornby, on the other hand, is as funny as he is articulate.
However, we are very different readers. Hornby tends to read what I’d call literary mainstream, and mostly male authors. I’m more for genre fiction, and when I do read literary mainstream, I tend to veer towards female authors. So there weren’t a lot of books in Hornby’s columns that I would actually pick up and read. I have to say that Hornby’s own books, from what I have heard, don’t interest me much. But you know what? Sometimes it’s enough just to hear people talk about books they enjoyed. The pleasure of their pleasure renews my own passion for books.
Conclusion: A breezy, enjoyable read. Recommended for bibliophiles!
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LibraryThing member michaeldwebb
This was an unexpected treat. It's just a collection of Nick Hornby's columns for 'The Believer', where each months he writes about the books he bought and the books he read. Put together it almost comes across as a kind of Fever Pitch, but about books rather than Arsenal. His comments are always
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insightful and personal, and it's great the way he is honest about the difference between what he feels he should be reading, and what he actual reads. Show Less
LibraryThing member SmithSJ01
I enjoyed reading this novel about all the books Hornby had read over the course of two years. The book is presented as a series of magazine articles with each article being just the right length if you are in need of short sections, such as if you read whilst travelling. I liked the fact that his
Not only do the articles discuss his love of reading but they also discuss why we feel we have to read certain books just because they are deemed winners or classics. It rang true with me on quite a few occasions throughout my read. You find out about what he has been reading and I liked the fact that he compared the novels to others at times, helping you make an informed decision as to whether it's a one you'd like to read. I came away from his book with a few recommendations of my own.
Written for an American audience he talks about which of the books he's read haven't been published there etc and I suppose his humour may have been presented differently for this audience. Nonetheless it is both informative and entertaining. So although Hornby says he doesn't like Amazon reviewers, well actually he's a little stronger, this Amazon reviewer is saying give the book a go. It's a pleasant read.
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bought column was always longer than his read column! Just like me!Not only do the articles discuss his love of reading but they also discuss why we feel we have to read certain books just because they are deemed winners or classics. It rang true with me on quite a few occasions throughout my read. You find out about what he has been reading and I liked the fact that he compared the novels to others at times, helping you make an informed decision as to whether it's a one you'd like to read. I came away from his book with a few recommendations of my own.
Written for an American audience he talks about which of the books he's read haven't been published there etc and I suppose his humour may have been presented differently for this audience. Nonetheless it is both informative and entertaining. So although Hornby says he doesn't like Amazon reviewers, well actually he's a little stronger, this Amazon reviewer is saying give the book a go. It's a pleasant read.
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LibraryThing member laytonwoman3rd
This is a collection of essays on reading and other book-related topics, taken from Hornby's monthly column in the magazine "The Believer", from 2003/2004.
Each selection begins with two lists: Books bought and Books read. (Guess which list is longer.) Hornby is my kind of reader. He makes no
He enjoys poking fun at his bosses, in one chapter referring to them as "the twelve terrifyingly beatific young men and women who run the Believer, later as "the ninety-nine young and menacingly serene people who run the Believer, and still later as "the eighty-four chillingly ecstatic young men and women who..." At all times, apparently, they wear white robes and issue edicts difficult to obey, such as the one declaring that the Believer should contain only "acid-free literary criticism". This resulted in one month during which Hornby abandoned an Unnamed Literary Novel and an Unnamed Work of Non-Fiction, as he knew he would not be able to write honestly about either without bringing down the wrath of the Committee (comprised of "twelve rather eerie young men and women" in white robes).
Each selection begins with two lists: Books bought and Books read. (Guess which list is longer.) Hornby is my kind of reader. He makes no
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apologies for buying books he admittedly will probably never read. ""Look at this month's list...What are the chances of getting through that lot? I've started the Chekhov, but the Amis and the Dylan Thomas have been put straight into their permanent home on the shelves, rather than onto any sort of temporary pending pile." He loves Tony Hoagland: "the sort of poet you dream of finding but almost never do. His work is relaxed, deceptively easy on the eye and ear, and it has jokes and unexpected little bursts of melancholic resonance. Plus, I pretty much understand all of it..." He thinks he's going to love hefty biographies, and then gets bogged down a third of the way in by the author's unrelenting thoroughness: "Please, biographers. Please, please, please. Have mercy: Select for us."He enjoys poking fun at his bosses, in one chapter referring to them as "the twelve terrifyingly beatific young men and women who run the Believer, later as "the ninety-nine young and menacingly serene people who run the Believer, and still later as "the eighty-four chillingly ecstatic young men and women who..." At all times, apparently, they wear white robes and issue edicts difficult to obey, such as the one declaring that the Believer should contain only "acid-free literary criticism". This resulted in one month during which Hornby abandoned an Unnamed Literary Novel and an Unnamed Work of Non-Fiction, as he knew he would not be able to write honestly about either without bringing down the wrath of the Committee (comprised of "twelve rather eerie young men and women" in white robes).
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LibraryThing member Griff
Hornby opens up about his reading habits. How many of us buy books with intentions of reading immediately, yet most end up in a pile and are read in an order that somehow defies explanation? Like anything one does in life, perhaps documenting - perhaps keeping a diary will lend insight. Well,
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Hornby does just that - with lists of books purchased and books read. Hornby is always a joy to read. He is so good at describing how people think - including how he thinks. This book would have been even more enjoyable had I read all the same books he lists throughout his essays. Show Less
LibraryThing member palaverofbirds
Another book that passed through my hands one day working at the library. I was arrested by the heading, "one man's struggle with the monthly tide of the books he's bought and the books he's been meaning to read." Sure enough, it was like reading something future-me wrote and sent back to
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present-me in a time machine. Or rather, I love books and going off on tangents with strange analogies, and so does Nick Hornby. A funny ode to bibliophilia you can finish in a couple lunch breaks. Show Less
LibraryThing member TCWriter
Hornby's book reviews are almost as engrossing as his novels, and this book encompasses a year's worth of book reviews, or more accurately, this book holds a year's worth of Hornby's Believer magazine columns.
He lists the books he buys each month vs the books he actually reads, a practice which
Hornby's reviews are sly and insightful and he says a lot in a few words, and as a bonus for the fanboy stalkers like myself, they contain a lot of autobiographical references.
I'm currently two books through the three-book set of reviews (the fourth is about to be released), and I'm sorta running through my list of friends who might be worthy of a recommendation.
These are relatively fast reads and I admit to having read only a few of the titles (damn you Hornby for adding to my unread book burden!), but even if you didn't read any of the titles in the book, Hornby's reviews are worth the price of admission.
Highly recommended stuff.
He lists the books he buys each month vs the books he actually reads, a practice which
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makes me feel much, much better about the 50 or so titles piled on my nightstand table.Hornby's reviews are sly and insightful and he says a lot in a few words, and as a bonus for the fanboy stalkers like myself, they contain a lot of autobiographical references.
I'm currently two books through the three-book set of reviews (the fourth is about to be released), and I'm sorta running through my list of friends who might be worthy of a recommendation.
These are relatively fast reads and I admit to having read only a few of the titles (damn you Hornby for adding to my unread book burden!), but even if you didn't read any of the titles in the book, Hornby's reviews are worth the price of admission.
Highly recommended stuff.
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Subjects
Language
Original publication date
2004-11-30
Physical description
143 p.; 8.5 inches
ISBN
1932416242 / 9781932416244