As a book lover, I found that I get a lot of pleasure out of reading books about books. There is something about a book that revolves around other books that really works for me. Judging by the popularity of books like The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and more recently The Collected Works of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin I know I am not alone. I made a conscious effort to read more non-fiction this year and I quickly discovered a whole new genre that I enjoy; the bibliophile’s memoir. What could be better (also meta) than reading about someone reading, but be warned, it could also be damaging to your TBR list. So I thought I might offer five memoirs that people should read about reading and the reading life.
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Reading Lolita in Tehran is a memoir by Literature professor Azar Nafisi about a class she taught during The Iranian Revolution (1978-1981) up until her departure in 1997. Divided into four sections “Lolita”, “Gatsby”, “James”, and “Austen”, this memoir explores the lives of the students in this private class and the books that brought them all together. This is an inspired blend of memoir and literary criticism, and a moving look at the power of literature and its ability to change and improve people’s lives.
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
Anne Fadiman has often stated that she learned about sex from her father’s copy of Fanny Hill (correct title for this book is Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure) by John Cleland. Ex Libris (which is Latin for ‘from books’) is a collection of essays that recounts her life and her love affair with books. This collection of personal essays documents her life and those small problems only a fellow book lover would truly understand. Like when Anne and her husband finally decided to merge libraries in the essay “Marrying Libraries”. This is a witty and beautiful collection and a must for all book lovers.
The Year of Reading Dangerously: How Fifty Great Books Saved My Life by Andy Miller
Andy Miller worked as an editor at the time of writing this book and found himself only reading for work. That was until, on impulse he picked up a copy of The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and something just clicked for him. He set out to read ten books, which he called The List of Betterment, which consisted of books he has once lied about reading or felt he should read. This list obviously expanded over the course of the year but it was his starting point into rediscovering a passion for reading.
By the Book, A Reader’s Guide to Life by Ramona Koval
As an Australian, I can’t help but recommend Ramona Koval’s By the Book: A Reader’s Guide to Life, which is a memoir of the author’s reading journey. Starting with her mother’s influences, on to her first library card, then all the way though to her career as one of Australia’s most respected literary journalist. Ramona Koval writes this as a love story to the books that have influenced her life and career.
84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
84 Charing Cross Road documents twenty years of correspondences between author Helene Hanff and bookseller Frank Doel. Helene was an American writer who struggled to find the books she wanted but then she found the London antiquarian bookshop; Marks & Co who were able to help her out. Her correspondence with Frank, the chief buyer for the store, started out as a request for obscure classics. The memoir follows the blossoming relationship with Helene and the people of Marks & Co as they find a connection through their love of books.
There are many more books about books in the non-fiction genre that are worth checking out including What We See When We Read by Peter Mendelsund and The Novel Cure: An A-Z of Literary Remedies by Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin. However I feel that there is something more special about reading someone else’s bookish journey. I know I have a lot more memoirs from fellow bibliophiles to check out, including The Common Reader by Virginia Woolf and The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby but I am just getting started. I would love to hear more recommendations, if you know of any great memoirs on the reading life that I might not know about, please let me know.
I’m not going to defeat my Free Range Reading plans by planning what I’ll read in the next little while, but it is quite likely that Reading Dangerously will be read. Great list.
Free Range Reading is what I try to do but I always get distracted by books. Good luck, I hope you read The Year of Reading Dangerously, it is great
I’m not going to defeat my Free Range Reading plans by planning what I’ll read in the next little while, but it is quite likely that Reading Dangerously will be read. Great list.
Free Range Reading is what I try to do but I always get distracted by books. Good luck, I hope you read The Year of Reading Dangerously, it is great
Great list – Thanks Michael.
I believe that Howard’s End is on the Landing by Susan Hill & Why I Read by Lesser are meant to be good. I have the Novel Cure in my pile somewhere too.
The End of Your Life Bookclub by Will Schwalbe is good – flawed in places, but an inspiring, tender read about books & family all the same. And there’s another one…I can picture the cover, the title & author are on the tip of my tongue….ahhhh…I’ll let you know at 4am when it wakes me up what it is!
Reading by Moonlight by Brenda Walker!
Awesome, will track it down too
Howard’s End is on the Landing is on my list but I’ll add Why I Read to it as well. I keep forgetting about The End of Your Life Bookclub. Did you think of that book, I didn’t get a message at 4am?
Great list – Thanks Michael.
I believe that Howard’s End is on the Landing by Susan Hill & Why I Read by Lesser are meant to be good. I have the Novel Cure in my pile somewhere too.
The End of Your Life Bookclub by Will Schwalbe is good – flawed in places, but an inspiring, tender read about books & family all the same. And there’s another one…I can picture the cover, the title & author are on the tip of my tongue….ahhhh…I’ll let you know at 4am when it wakes me up what it is!
Reading by Moonlight by Brenda Walker!
Awesome, will track it down too
Howard’s End is on the Landing is on my list but I’ll add Why I Read to it as well. I keep forgetting about The End of Your Life Bookclub. Did you think of that book, I didn’t get a message at 4am?
I adored 84 Charing Cross Road. Such a lovely little gem. The Year of Reading Dangerously sounds like a ton of fun, will definitely have to check that one out!
The Year of Reading Dangerously is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it
I adored 84 Charing Cross Road. Such a lovely little gem. The Year of Reading Dangerously sounds like a ton of fun, will definitely have to check that one out!
The Year of Reading Dangerously is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it
I like the idea of reading books about books, but don’t manage to do it very often. I enjoyed 84 Charing Cross Road, years ago. I’d like to try more on this list!
They are a lot of fun, I hope you try them
I like the idea of reading books about books, but don’t manage to do it very often. I enjoyed 84 Charing Cross Road, years ago. I’d like to try more on this list!
They are a lot of fun, I hope you try them
I want to read everything on this list. I picked up The Year of Reading Dangerously at one point, but the spoiler warning at the beginning scared me away.
The introduction is pretty great. I think most of the spoilers in the book are stuff that have been spoiled for me already.
I want to read everything on this list. I picked up The Year of Reading Dangerously at one point, but the spoiler warning at the beginning scared me away.
The introduction is pretty great. I think most of the spoilers in the book are stuff that have been spoiled for me already.
I would like to recommend a book entitled “Don’t Stop Dreaming: Sex, Death, Fear, Bigotry, and Greed: A Scientist-Physician’s Odyssey at the Dawn of AIDS” by physician-scientist, Dr. Russel Tomar (http://russtomarmd.com/). This memoir made me realize how little I know about this disease and its history. Dont Stop Dreaming was an excellent and heart wrenching introduction to its history for me. Dr. Tomar has a long history with the treatment of AIDS and writes this book in a way that truly shows how well informed and personally connected he is to the tragedy that is AIDS. I highly recommend!
I would like to recommend a book entitled “Don’t Stop Dreaming: Sex, Death, Fear, Bigotry, and Greed: A Scientist-Physician’s Odyssey at the Dawn of AIDS” by physician-scientist, Dr. Russel Tomar (http://russtomarmd.com/). This memoir made me realize how little I know about this disease and its history. Dont Stop Dreaming was an excellent and heart wrenching introduction to its history for me. Dr. Tomar has a long history with the treatment of AIDS and writes this book in a way that truly shows how well informed and personally connected he is to the tragedy that is AIDS. I highly recommend!