Scan barcode
limeywesty's review against another edition
4.0
Ramona Koval's book is an embrace of all literature. It's delightful! It is an adventure into her life through the literature that made her the person that she is. I wish I could have travelled on her train of thought longer.
ajitate's review against another edition
5.0
I knew from the first page that this is one of those 'devourable' books. The challenge is to eke out the enjoyment. Memoir interspliced with a life of good reading and wise observation, you will find some good book recommendations within. And even though Ramona reads a lot of out-of-the-ordinary books, she humanely and endearingly admits to not being able to approach or continue with certain of the Big Classics. A beautiful and easy read for booklovers.
aliciat's review against another edition
5.0
I knew from the first page that this is one of those 'devourable' books. The challenge is to eke out the enjoyment. Memoir interspliced with a life of good reading and wise observation, you will find some good book recommendations within. And even though Ramona reads a lot of out-of-the-ordinary books, she humanely and endearingly admits to not being able to approach or continue with certain of the Big Classics. A beautiful and easy read for booklovers.
kazen's review against another edition
3.0
I knew nothing about Koval, but from what I gather she's Australia's literary Terry Gross. Each chapter can stand alone but taken together it's a wonderful look at how who you are influences what books you read, and how the books you read can influence who you become.
wtb_michael's review against another edition
3.0
Part autobiography and part jaunt through Koval's favourite books, this is a brief, easy read and leaves you charmed by the author and with a dozen more books added to your 'to-read' list.
lakmus's review
4.0
It's been so interesting to read these snippet's of another's life, all through the prism of books! It's all kinda personal, like you get to have tea with this person and she tells you all these stories.
That's one lucky find at a book fair.
Also, now I've got to check out some of these books, especially the ones on travels and journeys.
That's one lucky find at a book fair.
Also, now I've got to check out some of these books, especially the ones on travels and journeys.
knowledgelost's review
4.0
Ramona Koval’s By the Book: A Reader’s Guide to Life is a memoir of the author’s reading journal. From her mother’s influences to her first library card all the way though to her career as a literary journalist. Ramona Koval writes this as a love story to the books that have influenced her life and career.
Not only is this book very easy to read, it might even offer some interesting titles for you to read. I know my ‘to read’ list suffered especially with the introduction to Richard Holmes; I’ve now added a heap of his books to my wish list. I almost read this in a sitting and I would’ve if I didn’t have to go to bed. I was drawn to Kaval’s literary journey and the reasoning behind reading some of the books.
It might be just me but I find people’s reading histories really interesting and give me a little confidence in my own journey. Personally I think I have an interesting journey and this book as inspired me to document it in better detail. I’ve started to build a slight obsession with memoirs about people’s reading history’s having recently read Books: A Memoir by Larry McMurtry and moving onto Through the Window by Julian Barnes after finishing this one. I have asked my readers for recommendations similar to these books in a recent blog post so I hope to read many more memoirs of bibliophiles.
By the Book is an entertaining read with some real gems; like borrowing Kafka from a library at a very young age and asking her mother to buy her a copy of the Kama Sutra. By the Book is not only an entertaining reading journey but hopefully it will inspire reader to share their own history with the world; I know I would like to read about them. It might be just my love of books and books about books but I really enjoyed this biography and recommend it to all serious readers.
This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2013/01/02/book-review-by-the-book/
Not only is this book very easy to read, it might even offer some interesting titles for you to read. I know my ‘to read’ list suffered especially with the introduction to Richard Holmes; I’ve now added a heap of his books to my wish list. I almost read this in a sitting and I would’ve if I didn’t have to go to bed. I was drawn to Kaval’s literary journey and the reasoning behind reading some of the books.
It might be just me but I find people’s reading histories really interesting and give me a little confidence in my own journey. Personally I think I have an interesting journey and this book as inspired me to document it in better detail. I’ve started to build a slight obsession with memoirs about people’s reading history’s having recently read Books: A Memoir by Larry McMurtry and moving onto Through the Window by Julian Barnes after finishing this one. I have asked my readers for recommendations similar to these books in a recent blog post so I hope to read many more memoirs of bibliophiles.
By the Book is an entertaining read with some real gems; like borrowing Kafka from a library at a very young age and asking her mother to buy her a copy of the Kama Sutra. By the Book is not only an entertaining reading journey but hopefully it will inspire reader to share their own history with the world; I know I would like to read about them. It might be just my love of books and books about books but I really enjoyed this biography and recommend it to all serious readers.
This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2013/01/02/book-review-by-the-book/
More...