neil_denham's review against another edition
4.0
I love books, and used to work in a bookshop. This book was written with me in mind!
I don't agree with all his conclusions about various types of books, and I feel he misses a lot of the point of book groups, but his chapter on bookselling is totally spot on!
If you love reading, or want top try and fall in love with reading then this book is for you!
I don't agree with all his conclusions about various types of books, and I feel he misses a lot of the point of book groups, but his chapter on bookselling is totally spot on!
If you love reading, or want top try and fall in love with reading then this book is for you!
mothmans_mum's review against another edition
3.0
Andy Miller is a very good writer, and this book is entertaining, ammusing and interesting. Through most of the book, he kept me wanting to read more.
The main problem with the book is Andy miller himself, who seems like an insufferable git. He seems to recognise this himself, given that in the mock reading group notes in the back of the book he repeatedly pokes fun at himself, joking that he's not the sort of person who you'd want to have a pint at the pub with. While I laughed at this, it didn't make me any more likely to want to drink beer with him, given that he doesn't seem to actually be trying to fix the fact that he is a dickhead.
While his thoughts on the books he read were often insightful, his general tone, and really the point of the whole book, is really snobbish. He has a fixed idea of what reading should be, and it should be a personal and individualistic enjoyment, self-improvement and reflection. His rigid idea of what the purpose of books and reading is really grated after its repeated reinforcement.
He is also bizarrely proud of being middle class. Early in the book he reads the Communist Manifesto along with a couple of other socialist-related book, notes that he used to be a radical in university, and really doesn't engage deeply with the meaning or purpose of the books. Later on he reads a number of books specifically dealing with middle-class life, and this is where he comes alive. Stories of being a suburban intellectual clearly are very relatable for him, and he waxes lyrical on their deeper meaning, how true their representations of middle-class life are, and whether the stories are looking down of the petty bourgeoisie or whether one should be proud to be petty bourgeois. It was quite sickening.
My biggest problem, though, was the way he skipped over half the books he said he was going to read. Rather than in-depth meditations on each of the books in his list, we get that for maybe fifteen or twenty of them, some of those grouped together in twos or threes, then the rest are noted briefly or are left entirely unmentioned, leaving me feeling somewhat short-changed.
In summary: The idea for the book was intriguing, the writer clearly has a flair for this sort of thing, but the actual implementation was flawed and the product felt lacking.
The main problem with the book is Andy miller himself, who seems like an insufferable git. He seems to recognise this himself, given that in the mock reading group notes in the back of the book he repeatedly pokes fun at himself, joking that he's not the sort of person who you'd want to have a pint at the pub with. While I laughed at this, it didn't make me any more likely to want to drink beer with him, given that he doesn't seem to actually be trying to fix the fact that he is a dickhead.
While his thoughts on the books he read were often insightful, his general tone, and really the point of the whole book, is really snobbish. He has a fixed idea of what reading should be, and it should be a personal and individualistic enjoyment, self-improvement and reflection. His rigid idea of what the purpose of books and reading is really grated after its repeated reinforcement.
He is also bizarrely proud of being middle class. Early in the book he reads the Communist Manifesto along with a couple of other socialist-related book, notes that he used to be a radical in university, and really doesn't engage deeply with the meaning or purpose of the books. Later on he reads a number of books specifically dealing with middle-class life, and this is where he comes alive. Stories of being a suburban intellectual clearly are very relatable for him, and he waxes lyrical on their deeper meaning, how true their representations of middle-class life are, and whether the stories are looking down of the petty bourgeoisie or whether one should be proud to be petty bourgeois. It was quite sickening.
My biggest problem, though, was the way he skipped over half the books he said he was going to read. Rather than in-depth meditations on each of the books in his list, we get that for maybe fifteen or twenty of them, some of those grouped together in twos or threes, then the rest are noted briefly or are left entirely unmentioned, leaving me feeling somewhat short-changed.
In summary: The idea for the book was intriguing, the writer clearly has a flair for this sort of thing, but the actual implementation was flawed and the product felt lacking.
arthur_pendrgn's review against another edition
2.0
I liked Miller's voice and wit, but the book overall is boring. Not being British, I didn't understand some of his references. Quite frankly, Miller's life and mental/emotional wanderings just aren't that interesting.
thelaurasaurus's review against another edition
2.0
A book about reading books! I enjoyed the first half of this book, but got lost somewhere around the ten page letter to Michel Houellebecq, and never really recovered. I found that the more books the author read, the more pretentious he became, which was a shame.
tobyyy's review against another edition
2.0
Ok -- so I love reading books about books, reading, etc.
But this book? No. Just no.
I was about 85% through it or so and was really struggling, and then thought to myself, Hey, I'm just going to push through the last 15% because then I can write a "WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST READ" review!
And no joke, that's what got me through the last bit.
This is not a book about how books saved Andy's life.
Books didn't save Andy's life in any real sense of the word. I was in the last 10 pages or so and was wondering what the hell the title had to do with the wittering and waffling that went on in the book. And then I saw this:
And that's really the only thing I can see in what was chronicled throughout all 300+ agonizing pages of this book* that relates back to "saving" Andy's life. He was never in any physical danger, and honestly, the book just seemed like it could've been good but just fell flat. Really, really, really flat.
* Well, less than 300 agonizing pages, since the first 50 pages or so were enjoyable...
Also, I kind of got tired of the whole premise because I hadn't read most of the books that Andy read through this "year of saving his life" and so what he said about them was really useless, since I didn't have any context in which to place his thoughts.
The only reason The Year of Reading Dangerously got 2/5 stars instead of 1/5 was because it was a little funny at the beginning.
But then it turned into a pretentious babble that went on forever about books and book clubs and blogging failures and Andy's personal life, and I quickly tired of that.
Do not recommend. Read something that won't be such a waste of time.
But this book? No. Just no.
I was about 85% through it or so and was really struggling, and then thought to myself, Hey, I'm just going to push through the last 15% because then I can write a "WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST READ" review!
And no joke, that's what got me through the last bit.
This is not a book about how books saved Andy's life.
Books didn't save Andy's life in any real sense of the word. I was in the last 10 pages or so and was wondering what the hell the title had to do with the wittering and waffling that went on in the book. And then I saw this:
In this way, we renewed our vow to reading.
And that's really the only thing I can see in what was chronicled throughout all 300+ agonizing pages of this book* that relates back to "saving" Andy's life. He was never in any physical danger, and honestly, the book just seemed like it could've been good but just fell flat. Really, really, really flat.
* Well, less than 300 agonizing pages, since the first 50 pages or so were enjoyable...
Also, I kind of got tired of the whole premise because I hadn't read most of the books that Andy read through this "year of saving his life" and so what he said about them was really useless, since I didn't have any context in which to place his thoughts.
The only reason The Year of Reading Dangerously got 2/5 stars instead of 1/5 was because it was a little funny at the beginning.
But then it turned into a pretentious babble that went on forever about books and book clubs and blogging failures and Andy's personal life, and I quickly tired of that.
Do not recommend. Read something that won't be such a waste of time.
timwilson's review against another edition
5.0
I've read this twice now. It always gets me in the mood for reading again. It's such an enjoyable premise. But it only works because Miller is such a witty writer.
I am so indebted to him for his pleading with the reader to pick up Anna Karenina. Very few times does such a rave review end up being so right!
I am so indebted to him for his pleading with the reader to pick up Anna Karenina. Very few times does such a rave review end up being so right!
mrh29992's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
3.75
amat_malak's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.0
He'll be glad that printed books are making a comeback.
richardpierce's review against another edition
5.0
Simply superb. A life-reaffirming book which shows those of us who have forgotten how to appreciate life what it means to be slive and to be able to read.