spillminttea's review against another edition
4.0
This book told us how the writer reading journey in essay format. Honestly, it added my TBR. Yet, I'm surprised that even "Educated by Tara Westover" and Chimamanda who wrote some feminist literature are also written on the list. It's a combination between the contemporary, classics, and nonfiction. This is great book yet not a 5 star because some of you perhaps will be feeling bored when reading this book. More look like summary.
rissaleighs's review against another edition
DNF. Had not been expecting all the political dogma, so I didn't get very far into it before giving up....I wouldn't really call these essays, either; they felt more like bare bones plot summaries.
mandler_'s review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed finishing one book filled with recommendations of other books. While this is not a story of any kind and is actually just a list of book recommendations, Michiko Kakutani, now-retired literary critic for The New York Times, delivers a wonderful spread of books, old and new, that are especially pertinent in today's world to either read or be reread either for the magic of reading or to learn/create a better world for tomorrow. Kakutani delivers a succinct review of each book, each filled with beautiful language and interesting connections to both historical and contemporary events.
I love reading books about books and reading. Kakutani's prologue was a love letter to books and reading from a literary critic and is one that every one--reader and non-reader alike--should read to understand what reading is and why it is so beloved and important in our world.
Quotes:
"The pleasure of reading,' Virginia Woolf wrote, "is so great that one cannot doubt that without it the world would be a far different and far inferior place from what it is. Reading has changed the world and continues to change it.' In fact, she argued, the reason we have grown from apes to men and left our caves and dropped our bows and arrows and sat round the fire and talked, and given to the poor and helped the sick, the reason why we have made shelter and society out of the wastes of the desert and the tangle of the jungle is simply this: we have loved reading."
"Today in our contentious and fragmented world, reading matters more than ever. For one thing, books offer the sort of in-depth experience that's increasingly rare in our distracted, ADD age. Be it the sense of magical immersion offered by a compelling novel or the deep meditative thinking triggered by a wise or provocative work of non-fiction. Books can open a startling window on history. They can give us an all-access pass to knowledge both old and new
Most of all, books can catalyze empathy. Something more and more precious in our increasingly polarized and tribal world. 'Reading,' Gene Reeves once wrote, 'makes immigrants of us all. It takes away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere.'"
[Reading] does what education and travel do. It exposes us to a multiplicity of voices and viewpoints. Literature, as the David Foster Wallace has pointed out, gives the reader, marooned in her own skull, imaginative access to other selves."
I love reading books about books and reading. Kakutani's prologue was a love letter to books and reading from a literary critic and is one that every one--reader and non-reader alike--should read to understand what reading is and why it is so beloved and important in our world.
Quotes:
"The pleasure of reading,' Virginia Woolf wrote, "is so great that one cannot doubt that without it the world would be a far different and far inferior place from what it is. Reading has changed the world and continues to change it.' In fact, she argued, the reason we have grown from apes to men and left our caves and dropped our bows and arrows and sat round the fire and talked, and given to the poor and helped the sick, the reason why we have made shelter and society out of the wastes of the desert and the tangle of the jungle is simply this: we have loved reading."
"Today in our contentious and fragmented world, reading matters more than ever. For one thing, books offer the sort of in-depth experience that's increasingly rare in our distracted, ADD age. Be it the sense of magical immersion offered by a compelling novel or the deep meditative thinking triggered by a wise or provocative work of non-fiction. Books can open a startling window on history. They can give us an all-access pass to knowledge both old and new
Most of all, books can catalyze empathy. Something more and more precious in our increasingly polarized and tribal world. 'Reading,' Gene Reeves once wrote, 'makes immigrants of us all. It takes away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere.'"
[Reading] does what education and travel do. It exposes us to a multiplicity of voices and viewpoints. Literature, as the David Foster Wallace has pointed out, gives the reader, marooned in her own skull, imaginative access to other selves."
dlsmall's review against another edition
3.0
As is to be expected, you’ll dig the essays you knew you would dig...As is the usual, a political viewpoint recurs...I did add Educated to my TBR, so cheers to that!
annebennett1957's review against another edition
5.0
A really different list of books than one usually finds of books of this ilk. Many of the suggested titles have something to do with the fragility of democracy or the potential development of authoritarianism, calling out Trump.
After going through the list once just reading it, now I will go back through it with a pencil hoping to figure out which titles I want to add to my 'to read' list.
https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2021/02/review-and-quotes-ex-libris.html
After going through the list once just reading it, now I will go back through it with a pencil hoping to figure out which titles I want to add to my 'to read' list.
https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2021/02/review-and-quotes-ex-libris.html
menniemenace's review against another edition
2.0
This is so American. It mentions Donald Trump every four pages or so. As a non-American, I felt like I was reading this book as a result of some mistake.
It didn't offer me any emotions, and I felt like I was being force-fed recommendations.
It didn't offer me any emotions, and I felt like I was being force-fed recommendations.
nataliem22's review against another edition
4.0
A beautifully designed book that explores the author’s 100+ books to read and re-read. I loved the introduction of the novel and wished there had been a sort of conclusion or closing thought. I was pleased by the wide array of books featured—everything from children’s fiction to nonfiction books on tyranny and different political leaders, Kakutani’s picks not only provide a range of books that cover the range of the human experience but she also humanizes these books to herself, describing how each of them had an impact on her learning and life.
dandelionwine_'s review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.25