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laila4343's review against another edition
5.0
Ehrmagerd, I'm such a (book)nerd!
I loved this book, plain and simple.
Books about books are SO in my wheelhouse. In fact, my wheelhouse is partially *constructed* out of books about books.
Phyllis Rose is a generous, enthusiastic, adventurous reader. She chose one shelf out of the New York Society Library (LEQ-LES) and read her way through the shelf. Her observations are warm, witty, and illuminating.
A longer review to come on HTTP://bigreadlinglife.wordpress.com!
I loved this book, plain and simple.
Books about books are SO in my wheelhouse. In fact, my wheelhouse is partially *constructed* out of books about books.
Phyllis Rose is a generous, enthusiastic, adventurous reader. She chose one shelf out of the New York Society Library (LEQ-LES) and read her way through the shelf. Her observations are warm, witty, and illuminating.
A longer review to come on HTTP://bigreadlinglife.wordpress.com!
bjsmith's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
At times I had to skip partial paragraphs of the text because it went into an analysis that wasn’t meaningful to me. But, in the end it has inspired me to look at my library’s shelves a little differently and to be more open to picking a random book to read.
dsbressette's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the premise of this book....the author choosing a library shelf and reading all of the books on it. It reminded me to choose books to read that I might not normally read. Parts of the book were really boring, but I guess that had more to do with the book she was reading at that moment. Parts of it were incredibly interesting, like when she read Phantom of the Opera or explained how libraries cull their shelves.
lizwisniewski's review against another edition
5.0
The best book I read this year! I now believe that there can be nothing better than going on a reading journey with Phyllis Rose. Reading this book is like being part of the best book club ever, or meeting with a friend over drinks, but the friend it this wildly erudite, informed and reflective reader who has tales to tell. Wish I could give it six stars. Now I must research what other magical books ol' Phyllis has written.
jenmcmaynes's review against another edition
3.0
I appreciate the premise behind the task of reading a random shelf at the library: to read in a less curated way. We all read fairly curated selections: either classics, or bestsellers, or choices from a book club… our most read books are from a pretty limited pool. To circumvent this, Rose chooses a “random” shelf (ok, not random at all but a moderately random shelf that fit her criteria) to experience forgotten authors and lesser known works. She details her impressions of her journey- highs and lows, new loves and terrible misses- peppered with discussions on the publishing industry and librarianship.
I love books about books, so I enjoyed this. This isn’t a revolutionary or life changing book, but pleasant and informative. It also made me want to widen who and what I read even more, so it was effective and inspirational. Recommended for book worms. :)
I love books about books, so I enjoyed this. This isn’t a revolutionary or life changing book, but pleasant and informative. It also made me want to widen who and what I read even more, so it was effective and inspirational. Recommended for book worms. :)
bookwormjimmy's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Phyllis Rose embarks on a journey...to read only books on a particular shelf in the library. Specifically, from LEQ to LES. It's not completely random, as she had to find a shelf that wasn't filled with just one or two authors, a shelf with a variety of time periods in which they were written, and not something filled with authors that she already knew. After a very arduous search, she finally found the shelf.
As you would expect, her reaction to these books were quite varied. Some books she quite enjoyed, some she found she appreciated much more than she anticipated, and there might have been a book or two that she hated so much she would throw it across her bedroom causing the librarians, upon the book's return, to question whether the book was fit for reshelving. Some books were so dry that I even had a hard time reading her quick summary. There were also some interesting tidbits in the book as well. The one I found most interesting was the criteria that the librarians go through when trying to prune their shelves in order to make room for more books out there. Seriously, I would rather read a book all about the selection criteria for books in a library.
The Shelf is less extreme and more mundane more than anything. There are better books out there in the "books about books" genre, but give this one a look if it sounds interesting to you.
As you would expect, her reaction to these books were quite varied. Some books she quite enjoyed, some she found she appreciated much more than she anticipated, and there might have been a book or two that she hated so much she would throw it across her bedroom causing the librarians, upon the book's return, to question whether the book was fit for reshelving. Some books were so dry that I even had a hard time reading her quick summary. There were also some interesting tidbits in the book as well. The one I found most interesting was the criteria that the librarians go through when trying to prune their shelves in order to make room for more books out there. Seriously, I would rather read a book all about the selection criteria for books in a library.
The Shelf is less extreme and more mundane more than anything. There are better books out there in the "books about books" genre, but give this one a look if it sounds interesting to you.
caroparr's review against another edition
4.0
SUCH a good book. Many avid readers have vowed to read everything in the library, starting with the A authors, and give up after just a shelf or two. Phyllis Rose does it differently. She decides to read a randomly chosen shelf of fiction, unmediated by the canon, or reviews, or best-of lists. Whatever happens to be there, she'll read. She ensures that there are some books by women and at least one classic, and she ends up with an interestingly random selection.
When Nabokov's translation of Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time proves too intrusive (studded with footnotes, many about what a fool the writer was), she tracks down not just one but two other translations and finds herself liking the book more each time. Two writers she had never read but enjoys seem to have stopped writing, so she contacts them and finds out why (one becomes a friend). She also starts to wonder how some of these books make their way to her shelf (as a public librarian, I was surprised that the dated mysteries by William Le Queux were still on that shelf - it is the New York Society Library, though) and is amazed at how and why librarians weed. She discusses regionalism, women writers, domestic vs. literary fiction, the appeal of mysteries and why critics are so tempted to disparage them, and more. She argues with the unknown reader who made notes in her copy of the Lermontov. Throughout, Rose is endlessly engaging and informative, as you might expect from someone who writes about writing and writers (Proust, Virginia Woolf, et al.). At the end of the book she lists "the inner shelf of texts that accompany me through life," a list that includes so many I haven't read that I've had to make yet another TBR list. Good enough to own, and yes, I have already downloaded A Hero of Our Time. Thank you, Phyllis!
When Nabokov's translation of Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time proves too intrusive (studded with footnotes, many about what a fool the writer was), she tracks down not just one but two other translations and finds herself liking the book more each time. Two writers she had never read but enjoys seem to have stopped writing, so she contacts them and finds out why (one becomes a friend). She also starts to wonder how some of these books make their way to her shelf (as a public librarian, I was surprised that the dated mysteries by William Le Queux were still on that shelf - it is the New York Society Library, though) and is amazed at how and why librarians weed. She discusses regionalism, women writers, domestic vs. literary fiction, the appeal of mysteries and why critics are so tempted to disparage them, and more. She argues with the unknown reader who made notes in her copy of the Lermontov. Throughout, Rose is endlessly engaging and informative, as you might expect from someone who writes about writing and writers (Proust, Virginia Woolf, et al.). At the end of the book she lists "the inner shelf of texts that accompany me through life," a list that includes so many I haven't read that I've had to make yet another TBR list. Good enough to own, and yes, I have already downloaded A Hero of Our Time. Thank you, Phyllis!
zeezeemama11's review against another edition
3.0
I greatly enjoyed this. Wordy at times but that forgiven because it is a book about books. I got a lot of good recommendations from this experiment of the authors. I would reread other items written by her as well.
rglossner's review against another edition
4.0
Phyllis Rose picked a shelf in the New York Society Library, a private library to which she belongs, and spent a year reading its contents. The shelf was fiction , LEQ-LES. Her essays and observations about this make wonderful reading. Her observation that it's a good idea to read things you don't usually read is a sound one, and eloquently stated. And while most of what she read holds no interest for me, she did discover at
least one novelist I've put on my list to be read. I like books about reading, and this is one of the best I've ever encountered.
least one novelist I've put on my list to be read. I like books about reading, and this is one of the best I've ever encountered.