Books about reading (and re-reading)

bfisher · 01-22-2014, 08:11 PM

Occasionally, you see a discussion here "To re-read or not to re-read".

I just finished a book by Wendy Lesser "Nothing Remains the Same: Rereading and Remembering", where she discusses revisiting some authors and works over the course of her life. The book feels more like a series of essays, but there were some interesting chapters, particularly on re-reading Orwell, Paradise Lost, The Tempest, Anna Karenina, and Huck Finn, as she describes the evolution of her responses.

I have her new book, "Why I Read: The Serious Pleasure of Books", and also Pat Conroy's "My Reading Life", on my TBR. Ditto, Lionel Trilling's "The Liberal Imagination"

Can anyone suggest any other books about reading?

rkomar · 01-22-2014, 09:11 PM

How about "A History of Reading" by Alberto Manguel?

bfisher · 01-22-2014, 10:30 PM

Thanks (oh, my groaning TBR). I believe Robert Fulford mentioned that book in a recent column Why we (still) read? Thanks very much for the reminder.

TimW · 01-22-2014, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkomar

How about "A History of Reading" by Alberto Manguel?

Ah, I see Diesel has it for $7.99. I shouldn't...but I will.

Curious, the Diesel copy indicates it's a "VINTAGE CANADA EDITION, 1998." The sample on the Kindle edition says it's published by "Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc." Vintage is definitely not the USA variety of Penguin.

The text appears to be the same.

bfisher · 01-23-2014, 09:30 AM

He was living in Canada at the time it was published. Perhaps that's the source for the version Diesel is selling. I think there was a recent post indicating that Diesel doesn't alwayshave the same georestrictions.

jgaiser · 01-25-2014, 11:02 AM

About 1/2 way through Jo Walton's book What Makes This Book So Great. The book compiles her blog posts on Tor about her joys of re-reading books. Mostly older SF/Fantasy. It's an insightful and fun read and unfortunately it's giving me too many ideas of books to add to my TBR list.

bfisher · 01-25-2014, 01:00 PM

Thanks very much for the suggestion . I'll have a look at that. I have her small change series on my TBR now.

BookCat · 01-29-2014, 01:13 AM

"My Reading Life" by Pat Conroy.

I think Virginia Woolf also wrote some books about reading, I think one was called "The Common Reader".
Alan Bennet wrote "The Uncommon Reader"
I haven't read either of these.

BenG · 01-29-2014, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgaiser

About 1/2 way through Jo Walton's book What Makes This Book So Great. The book compiles her blog posts on Tor about her joys of re-reading books. Mostly older SF/Fantasy. It's an insightful and fun read and unfortunately it's giving me too many ideas of books to add to my TBR list.

Walton's fictional "Among Others" is (among other things) about growing up reading SF and fantasy.

EugeneGant · 02-01-2014, 07:16 PM

Pat Conroy's 'My Reading Life' is a very good read.

issybird · 02-02-2014, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BookCat

Alan Bennet wrote "The Uncommon Reader"

A very quick read and absolutely hilarious. It's not so much about reading per se, however, as it is about one particular reader.

owly · 02-04-2014, 09:37 AM

"Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader" by Anne Fadiman is a nice little collection of short stories.

bfisher · 02-05-2014, 12:26 PM

Many thanks for the recommendations. I look forward to following up on them.

Lionel Trilling's "The Liberal Imagination" had some interesting reviews and essays. In particular, "Tacitus Now", "The Immortality Ode" and "F. Scott Fitzgerald".

I'm just starting Alberto Manguel's "A History of Reading". A wonderful book. A charming description of the author as a teenager reading to Jorge Luis Borges.

BenG · 02-08-2014, 11:18 AM

There's also the classic How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and the more recent books by Thomas Foster, How to Read Literature Like a Professor and How to Read Novels Like a Professor.

lol.systema · 02-14-2014, 03:42 AM

Exorcisms of Sty(l)e from Guillermo Cabrera Infante

It's re-readable because it has no plot. It's a book about absurd stuff. Really funny, absurd stuff. It's a really rare book, so chances are english translations are nearly impossible to get. Still, a great recommendation if you ever find it in your local bookshop

01-22-2014, 08:11 PM	#1
bfisher Wizard Posts: 1,638 Karma: 28483498 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Sony PRS-T3, Galaxy (Aldiko, Kobo app)	Books about reading (and re-reading) Occasionally, you see a discussion here "To re-read or not to re-read". I just finished a book by Wendy Lesser "Nothing Remains the Same: Rereading and Remembering", where she discusses revisiting some authors and works over the course of her life. The book feels more like a series of essays, but there were some interesting chapters, particularly on re-reading Orwell, Paradise Lost, The Tempest, Anna Karenina, and Huck Finn, as she describes the evolution of her responses. I have her new book, "Why I Read: The Serious Pleasure of Books", and also Pat Conroy's "My Reading Life", on my TBR. Ditto, Lionel Trilling's "The Liberal Imagination" Can anyone suggest any other books about reading?

01-29-2014, 01:13 AM	#8
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,912 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	"My Reading Life" by Pat Conroy. I think Virginia Woolf also wrote some books about reading, I think one was called "The Common Reader". Alan Bennet wrote "The Uncommon Reader" I haven't read either of these. Last edited by BookCat; 01-29-2014 at 01:18 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Glo Reading Life Reading Stats inaccuracy	Uschiekid	Kobo Reader	18	02-08-2014 08:57 PM
Glo How to access Reading Menu Stats reading sideloaded epubs	cinetici	Kobo Reader	23	05-27-2013 07:43 AM
Reading a Book Versus a Screen: Different Reading Devices	wodin	General Discussions	9	10-25-2011 05:05 PM
Speed reading - does it add or detract for fiction reading?	kiwidude	General Discussions	14	09-17-2011 03:25 PM
Environmental study: 30 min of e-paper reading = 30 mins of print reading	Steven Lyle Jordan	News	36	12-14-2007 03:29 PM

01-22-2014, 09:11 PM	#2
rkomar Wizard Posts: 2,985 Karma: 18343081 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Sudbury, ON, Canada Device: PRS-505, PB 902, PRS-T1, PB 623, PB 840, PB 633	How about "A History of Reading" by Alberto Manguel?

01-22-2014, 10:30 PM	#3
bfisher Wizard Posts: 1,638 Karma: 28483498 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Sony PRS-T3, Galaxy (Aldiko, Kobo app)	Thanks (oh, my groaning TBR). I believe Robert Fulford mentioned that book in a recent column Why we (still) read? Thanks very much for the reminder.

01-23-2014, 09:30 AM	#5
bfisher Wizard Posts: 1,638 Karma: 28483498 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Sony PRS-T3, Galaxy (Aldiko, Kobo app)	He was living in Canada at the time it was published. Perhaps that's the source for the version Diesel is selling. I think there was a recent post indicating that Diesel doesn't alwayshave the same georestrictions.

01-25-2014, 11:02 AM	#6
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,281 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	About 1/2 way through Jo Walton's book What Makes This Book So Great. The book compiles her blog posts on Tor about her joys of re-reading books. Mostly older SF/Fantasy. It's an insightful and fun read and unfortunately it's giving me too many ideas of books to add to my TBR list.

01-25-2014, 01:00 PM	#7
bfisher Wizard Posts: 1,638 Karma: 28483498 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Sony PRS-T3, Galaxy (Aldiko, Kobo app)	Thanks very much for the suggestion . I'll have a look at that. I have her small change series on my TBR now.

02-01-2014, 07:16 PM	#10
EugeneGant Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Where the rivers change direction Device: Nook Simple	Pat Conroy's 'My Reading Life' is a very good read.

02-04-2014, 09:37 AM	#12
owly Guru Posts: 729 Karma: 3822612 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Sweden Device: Paperwhite 2, Kobo Aura H2O	"Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader" by Anne Fadiman is a nice little collection of short stories.

02-05-2014, 12:26 PM	#13
bfisher Wizard Posts: 1,638 Karma: 28483498 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Sony PRS-T3, Galaxy (Aldiko, Kobo app)	Many thanks for the recommendations. I look forward to following up on them. Lionel Trilling's "The Liberal Imagination" had some interesting reviews and essays. In particular, "Tacitus Now", "The Immortality Ode" and "F. Scott Fitzgerald". I'm just starting Alberto Manguel's "A History of Reading". A wonderful book. A charming description of the author as a teenager reading to Jorge Luis Borges.

02-08-2014, 11:18 AM	#14
BenG Home Guard Posts: 4,729 Karma: 86721650 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard Device: Kindle Oasis 3G, iPhone 6	There's also the classic How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and the more recent books by Thomas Foster, How to Read Literature Like a Professor and How to Read Novels Like a Professor.

02-14-2014, 03:42 AM	#15
lol.systema Member Posts: 17 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2014 Device: Kindle Touch	Exorcisms of Sty(l)e from Guillermo Cabrera Infante It's re-readable because it has no plot. It's a book about absurd stuff. Really funny, absurd stuff. It's a really rare book, so chances are english translations are nearly impossible to get. Still, a great recommendation if you ever find it in your local bookshop