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apersonfromflorida's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Sexism
ehk317's review
4.0
This book is a love letter to books and to reading. Broken up into 5 parts, Heather Cass White does a deep dive into what it is about books and the stories they contain that keep us all hooked. The language in this book is flowery and over the top, but that is how any love letter should be. The last chapter really captivated me as I (and I’m sure many, many others) can put myself into the mind of that 12 year-old girl. Definitely enjoyed reading this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
scoobygirl93's review
DNF'd at page 54
I really wanted to read this but it was very hard to focus on and it was putting me to sleep, which is not a usual thing especially since I just woke up.
I really wanted to read this but it was very hard to focus on and it was putting me to sleep, which is not a usual thing especially since I just woke up.
stephbookshine's review
3.0
*I received a free ARC of this book, with thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Far more dense and scholarly than I was expecting, this book is made up of a series of short passages constructing an argument for how and why we read, referencing sources from Don Quixote and Middlemarch to poetry and Plato.
I love books about books and reading, so thought this would be right up my street, but was somewhat taken aback by the initial prepositions which seemed to carry the assumption that everyone experiences reading in the same way and/or uses it for the same purpose. In the author’s argument for reading, therefore, only literary fiction, poetry and fiction as ‘high art’ seem to really count, ignoring the many reasons why people (promiscuously and voraciously) read genre fiction.
There are some interesting, engaging ideas about the pursuit of reading here, but they are mostly buried in the dry, cerebral prose – too impenetrable to be enjoyable for even most avid book-lovers.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2022/05/03/catch-up-quickies-19/
Far more dense and scholarly than I was expecting, this book is made up of a series of short passages constructing an argument for how and why we read, referencing sources from Don Quixote and Middlemarch to poetry and Plato.
I love books about books and reading, so thought this would be right up my street, but was somewhat taken aback by the initial prepositions which seemed to carry the assumption that everyone experiences reading in the same way and/or uses it for the same purpose. In the author’s argument for reading, therefore, only literary fiction, poetry and fiction as ‘high art’ seem to really count, ignoring the many reasons why people (promiscuously and voraciously) read genre fiction.
There are some interesting, engaging ideas about the pursuit of reading here, but they are mostly buried in the dry, cerebral prose – too impenetrable to be enjoyable for even most avid book-lovers.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2022/05/03/catch-up-quickies-19/
sawyerbell's review
4.0
There were many interesting ideas to ponder in this phenomenological exploration of the reading life. While I found the structure and prose-style somewhat fragmented, I enjoyed reflecting on many of the ideas the author presented.