Started: January 28
Finished: February 7
Notes: This book has haunted me, though not in a spooky manner. I first ran across it a couple of years ago in a used-book store, and while I found it interesting, I did not quite find it interesting enough to pick up. Then a few months later I came across it again at a Barnes & Noble. And then I saw it again a week later at a Borders (RIP). Then again, and again, and again. It seemed everywhere I went, my eyes fell upon this book. So, with some mild interest, I figured God or the Universe was telling me something. I bought the book. And since then I've never seen it again in a book store. There is a followup book, How to Read a Novel Like a Professor, and I might pick it up if I enjoy this one.
Mini review: I found the insights here quite interesting, but the number of examples created much tedium for me. I heard the author the first time, and didn't need example after example to detail for me his points. Could've been at least a hundred words shorter, in my opinion.
2 comments:
I'm not sure I want to know. I read nonfiction in my field like a professor, but I try to avoid doing that with novels and other fictional stuff.
Charles, I'm about halfway through this book already, and it's not as bad as you might think. The writer does a pretty good job of separating what he does for a living as an English professor and reading for sheer enjoyment. He really demystifies reading literature, and my guess would be you probably already do a lot of things he talks about without even realizing it, whether you are in writing or reading modes.
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