The Polysyllabic Spree (2006)

It's rare that I buy a book, start reading it right away, barely put it down and finish it within 24 hours. But that's precisely what I did with Hornby's The Polysyllabic Spree. Given that the book is structured around Hornby's attempt to catalogue all the books he buys and reads, and to maintain a sense of balance between the two, I feel reassured by the fast turnaround time I made. While it might seem like a boring premise to read about what another person has read, Hornby pulls it off masterfully. This slim volume is packed with observations about what it means to read and to write, to love books of all sorts, and to write about writing and reading. I've come out not only with a desire to become a more diligent reader, but also an interest in particular authors and titles. I finally see what all the fuss is about with Dickens, and I'm committing to pick up David Copperfield in the near future. A must read for you unrepentant bibliophiles! ( )

Wonderfully snarky collection of articles discussing books being read, thoughts about reading,life in general. Brilliantly fun. ( )

More delightful book reviews from Hornby. This was the first collection of his reviews from Believer magazine. Here's my favorite bit: "Being a reader is sort of like being president, except reading involves fewer state dinners, usually. You have this agenda you want to get through, but you get distracted by life events, e.g. books arriving in the mail/ World War III, and you are temporarily deflected from your chosen path." ( )

Hornby's book reviews are almost as engrossing as his novels, and this book encompasses a year's worth of book reviews, or more accurately, this book holds a year's worth of Hornby's Believer magazine columns.

He lists the books he buys each month vs the books he actually reads, a practice which makes me feel much, much better about the 50 or so titles piled on my nightstand table.

Hornby's reviews are sly and insightful and he says a lot in a few words, and as a bonus for the fanboy stalkers like myself, they contain a lot of autobiographical references.

I'm currently two books through the three-book set of reviews (the fourth is about to be released), and I'm sorta running through my list of friends who might be worthy of a recommendation.

These are relatively fast reads and I admit to having read only a few of the titles (damn you Hornby for adding to my unread book burden!), but even if you didn't read any of the titles in the book, Hornby's reviews are worth the price of admission.

Highly recommended stuff. ( )

Nick Hornby begins his book with the month of Sept 2003, listing on the left the 10 books he acquired that month (a few Salingers, a couple of biographies, some poetry), and the 4 books he read that month (the Salingers and one from a TBR pile).
And then he tells us, "So this is supposed to about the how, and when, and why, and what of reading--about the way that, when reading is going well, one book leads to another and to another, a paper trail of theme and meaning; and how, when it's going badly, when books don't stick or take, when your mood and the mood of the book are fighting like cats, you'd rather do anything but attempt the next paragraph, or reread the last one for the tenth time."
Well, this kind of book is tailor-made for Goodreads fans. In a way, Goodreads is a polysyllabic spree too.

"All the books we own, both read and unread, are the fullest expression of self we have at our disposal…But with each passing year, and with each whimsical purchase, our libraries become more and more able to articulate who we are, whether we read the books or not.”
I would add that not only do our libraries articulate who we are, they also articulate who we want to be.

On quoting Gabriel Zaid, “the truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books without losing their composure or their desire for more.” , he enthuses "That’s me! And you, probably! That’s us!"
Yes! it is me! Hi! (nerdy Horshack wave) Thanks for giving me again even more titles for my TBR pile, Nick! ( [b:So Many Books: Reading and Publishing in an Age of Abundance|282626|So Many Books Reading and Publishing in an Age of Abundance|Gabriel Zaid|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328757249s/282626.jpg|114378] )

This inaugural volume is the second one I've read in this series (the first was the last one of the series, [b:More Baths, Less Talking|13544149|More Baths, Less Talking|Nick Hornby|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342858311s/13544149.jpg|19109113]) and it's just as good. ( )