Thanks. The Guardian list was so lumpy - but delighted to find one of my personal top ten, A House for Mr. Biswas. And when will Lolita stop being found on these lists? Style as the excuse for pushing pedophilia?
Lumpy is a good word for it. I have not read Lolita in so long. When I did, I remember being shocked by how awful and clueless the narrator was and thinking well, men can’t get away with THAT anymore. How naive I was in the mid-90s.
Oh godddd I need to stop reading posts like these, my bookshelves are groaning! In all seriousness, I’ve ordered “How to read now”, thank you so much for what sounds like an amazing recommendation! 😎
I’ll bite! I’d add Peter Orner’s Am I Alone Here to the readers on reading list. I’m a sucker for books about reading and I feel like I read a lot of them (this post is catnip for me!). But Orner’s was the one to come to mind immediately at the end of your post. Adding all of the ones you wrote about to that sticky wicket called the TBR list…
I will keep an eye out for that book. I am impressed you maintain a list. My approach is haphazard which sometimes means a ⚠️ needs to be placed at my front door to remind me no more books can enter until the ones already here get read…
Wellll, I also have my fair amount of tripping hazard piles on the floor and book mountains that are swallowing up the surfaces of all my furniture. A caution sigh is not a bad idea, actually :)
I've reached my breaking point with these "best" and "greatest" lists, and when I saw the Guardian list, I was at my wit's end - I refused to read it, I'm just tired of a new definitive list appearing every few years. Ugghhh...not again! Right?
However, I never get tired of reading Substack reviews, as long as they aren't too prescriptive and start using modal verbs like 'must, need' and 'should'. Along similar lines are those 'top 50 places you must visit before you die!' No, I must not!
That said, I noticed a comment (from Caroline) about A House for Mr Biswas being on the list, which fills me with delight as VS Naipaul is one of my favourite writers.
Naomi is a brilliant writer and her posts are always a treat. I do want to read her book once it's out.
I've read Ex-Libris a couple of times, thoroughly enjoyed it, there are some great passages I've highlighted though I think there are times that I find myself rolling my eyes (her pedantry over 'to each his/her own' instead of 'to each their own', for example).
One book worth looking at is The Anatomy of Bibliomania by Holbrook Jackson. It's dense and plodding at times but each section is short and I'd read a section or two a day, slowly, and there were some good nuggets inside. I believe it's out of print now.
My TBR is causing me all sorts of existential anxiety and dread so I won't get into that for now 😂
Haha. Those Buzzfeed type headlines still seem to work on people for some reason but I am glad you are onto them, Daniel! Naomi’s book is very sincere and she reminds the reader several times that they don’t have to read any of this to be a good and productive person— but if you want to, she believes in you and believes it will be worth your time. Happy to have your reading here and thanks for joining the discussion. Caroline always has good recommendations and it sounds like you agree!
Well. I'm a long-retired geologist, so I will offer my best book reco for non-geologists:
"Geology Illustrated" by John S. Shelton (1966). On my 100 Best Ever list, which you may also wish to browse sometime. If you like gazing down from the airplane window, this is for you. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1459336556
I did think of you when I put it on this list, wondering if you had read it and what you thought. Since you like this kind of book too, have you read any others I should keep an eye out for?
Playing in the Dark is the OG text I think of in regards to evaluating the classics with a critical eye...I also love Read Until You Understand which is more like a memoir of books but less white than the usual
Yes, I have read a few of Morrison’s essays from that book but not the whole collection. I must remedy this. And I think I need to order Read Until You Understand— that sounds really good. Thank you.
Have you read On Morrison yet? I want to but I wonder if I need to re-read her novels first…
Ah—the book lists are on my mind right now. Thanks for these suggestions on curating our reading. I’ve used Clifton Fadiman’s suggestions for picture books from children, but never tried to check off his lists for adults.
It really is a big lifetime challenge to take on. I didn’t know he also had a children’s book recommendation list! What are your thoughts about the lists? On the one hand I am glad the media is paying some attention to books and this must draw readers if they keep doing it, but this methodology of crowdsourcing seems quite flawed to me…
It wasn’t a list—it was a two volume set of books that had all his favorite pictures books in them. It was gifted to my kids when they were children long ago. I don’t think I have it anymore, but there were great stories in there and many of the original illustrations were included.
Thanks. The Guardian list was so lumpy - but delighted to find one of my personal top ten, A House for Mr. Biswas. And when will Lolita stop being found on these lists? Style as the excuse for pushing pedophilia?
Lumpy is a good word for it. I have not read Lolita in so long. When I did, I remember being shocked by how awful and clueless the narrator was and thinking well, men can’t get away with THAT anymore. How naive I was in the mid-90s.
Oh godddd I need to stop reading posts like these, my bookshelves are groaning! In all seriousness, I’ve ordered “How to read now”, thank you so much for what sounds like an amazing recommendation! 😎
When your shelves get too full, may I recommend floor piles?? 😎 Let me know what you think of it!
I’ll bite! I’d add Peter Orner’s Am I Alone Here to the readers on reading list. I’m a sucker for books about reading and I feel like I read a lot of them (this post is catnip for me!). But Orner’s was the one to come to mind immediately at the end of your post. Adding all of the ones you wrote about to that sticky wicket called the TBR list…
I will keep an eye out for that book. I am impressed you maintain a list. My approach is haphazard which sometimes means a ⚠️ needs to be placed at my front door to remind me no more books can enter until the ones already here get read…
Wellll, I also have my fair amount of tripping hazard piles on the floor and book mountains that are swallowing up the surfaces of all my furniture. A caution sigh is not a bad idea, actually :)
I've reached my breaking point with these "best" and "greatest" lists, and when I saw the Guardian list, I was at my wit's end - I refused to read it, I'm just tired of a new definitive list appearing every few years. Ugghhh...not again! Right?
However, I never get tired of reading Substack reviews, as long as they aren't too prescriptive and start using modal verbs like 'must, need' and 'should'. Along similar lines are those 'top 50 places you must visit before you die!' No, I must not!
That said, I noticed a comment (from Caroline) about A House for Mr Biswas being on the list, which fills me with delight as VS Naipaul is one of my favourite writers.
Naomi is a brilliant writer and her posts are always a treat. I do want to read her book once it's out.
I've read Ex-Libris a couple of times, thoroughly enjoyed it, there are some great passages I've highlighted though I think there are times that I find myself rolling my eyes (her pedantry over 'to each his/her own' instead of 'to each their own', for example).
One book worth looking at is The Anatomy of Bibliomania by Holbrook Jackson. It's dense and plodding at times but each section is short and I'd read a section or two a day, slowly, and there were some good nuggets inside. I believe it's out of print now.
My TBR is causing me all sorts of existential anxiety and dread so I won't get into that for now 😂
Haha. Those Buzzfeed type headlines still seem to work on people for some reason but I am glad you are onto them, Daniel! Naomi’s book is very sincere and she reminds the reader several times that they don’t have to read any of this to be a good and productive person— but if you want to, she believes in you and believes it will be worth your time. Happy to have your reading here and thanks for joining the discussion. Caroline always has good recommendations and it sounds like you agree!
Very entertaining essay. Thanks! I'm another Kanakia fan, and will be reading hers.
I mostly read SFF, science-related, and various art/ethnographic books. I'm also near-ancient.
Hi Peter! She really is so encouraging of her readers without ever seeming inauthentic.
I read at least one science book a year and always enjoy it… not sure why I don’t read more but may your “near ancient” wisdom rub off on me.
Ancient, yes. Wisdom?
Well. I'm a long-retired geologist, so I will offer my best book reco for non-geologists:
"Geology Illustrated" by John S. Shelton (1966). On my 100 Best Ever list, which you may also wish to browse sometime. If you like gazing down from the airplane window, this is for you. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1459336556
Almost all of these are on my tbr! I'm really hoping I get to Elaine Castillo's this year
I did think of you when I put it on this list, wondering if you had read it and what you thought. Since you like this kind of book too, have you read any others I should keep an eye out for?
Playing in the Dark is the OG text I think of in regards to evaluating the classics with a critical eye...I also love Read Until You Understand which is more like a memoir of books but less white than the usual
Yes, I have read a few of Morrison’s essays from that book but not the whole collection. I must remedy this. And I think I need to order Read Until You Understand— that sounds really good. Thank you.
Have you read On Morrison yet? I want to but I wonder if I need to re-read her novels first…
I'm dying to but want a paperback to take notes. I planned to re read this year since there's a virtual read a long but I've fallen behind
Ah—the book lists are on my mind right now. Thanks for these suggestions on curating our reading. I’ve used Clifton Fadiman’s suggestions for picture books from children, but never tried to check off his lists for adults.
It really is a big lifetime challenge to take on. I didn’t know he also had a children’s book recommendation list! What are your thoughts about the lists? On the one hand I am glad the media is paying some attention to books and this must draw readers if they keep doing it, but this methodology of crowdsourcing seems quite flawed to me…
It wasn’t a list—it was a two volume set of books that had all his favorite pictures books in them. It was gifted to my kids when they were children long ago. I don’t think I have it anymore, but there were great stories in there and many of the original illustrations were included.