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Judging a Book by Its Lover: A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere
by
Lauren Leto
Want to impress the hot stranger at the bar who asks for your take on Infinite Jest? Dying to shut up the blowhard in front of you who's pontificating on Cormac McCarthy's "recurring road narratives"? Having difficulty keeping Francine Prose and Annie Proulx straight?
For all those overwhelmed readers who need to get a firm grip on the relentless onslaught of must-read book...more
For all those overwhelmed readers who need to get a firm grip on the relentless onslaught of must-read book...more
Paperback, 269 pages
Published
October 2nd 2012
by Harper Perennial
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3.5 stars
As much as I wanted to fall in love with this book about book lovers, it was hit-or-miss for me. There are parts that I was like, "Yesss, Lawd!" when talking about the exquisite joy of used books and sharing with a common bond with fellow readers. Other parts just dragged on and on, like the chapter about how to fake like you've read famous books (some were books I could care less about impressing someone with). Based on the book's title, I expected Lauren Leto to be snarky (which I don...more
As much as I wanted to fall in love with this book about book lovers, it was hit-or-miss for me. There are parts that I was like, "Yesss, Lawd!" when talking about the exquisite joy of used books and sharing with a common bond with fellow readers. Other parts just dragged on and on, like the chapter about how to fake like you've read famous books (some were books I could care less about impressing someone with). Based on the book's title, I expected Lauren Leto to be snarky (which I don...more
Judging a Book by Its Lover is for the people who love books and don't have time to read Dostoyevsky. Chapters include "Rules for Public Reading," "Stereotyping People by Favorite Author," and "How to Fake It," an extensive guide to pretending you've read famous authors. In Lauren Leto's hands, these subjects - which could be stale - are hilarious.
The obvious humor is funny, but so are the asides (Ayn Rand is possibly Patrick Bateman's favorite novelist), and Leto does not spare anyone. Her sum...more
The obvious humor is funny, but so are the asides (Ayn Rand is possibly Patrick Bateman's favorite novelist), and Leto does not spare anyone. Her sum...more
The Good Stuff
Wickedly funny often good naturedly snarky
Actually learned a lot & not just how to pick up a guy in a bookstore/library
Love the fact that she adores Evanovitch as much as the literary elite
Wonderful suggestions that will help me in my job as a bookseller and Librarian
Cannot say enough about the chapters Book Critic's Bag of Tricks - which has given me many new words for my reviews
Fabulous message about the importance of books
Touching and personal
Loved the chapter What...more
Wickedly funny often good naturedly snarky
Actually learned a lot & not just how to pick up a guy in a bookstore/library
Love the fact that she adores Evanovitch as much as the literary elite
Wonderful suggestions that will help me in my job as a bookseller and Librarian
Cannot say enough about the chapters Book Critic's Bag of Tricks - which has given me many new words for my reviews
Fabulous message about the importance of books
Touching and personal
Loved the chapter What...more
This book was cleverly done and any book lover/ avid reader would get a kick out of some parts, find her/himself nodding the head at others, and possibly wondering who the h*** some of the authors mentioned might be (esp if you stick to a few certain genres). I had heard of most and learned that most to those heard-of-but-not-read involved conscious decisions on my part NOT to read them. Still, I enjoyed the author's sorta-fakebook re how to give an impression that you've read certain books. She...more
I’m not the most consistent ratings-giver. My rankings are based on how well the author did what she set out to do, and how much I enjoyed the read.
In Judging a Book by Its Lover, Lauren Leto does exactly what she set out to do: entertainingly explore and explain what it’s like to have a fascination with books, authors, and reading. Leto delves into topics that readers think about but probably rarely cross the minds of others: bookstore smells, the derivation of bookworm, reading in public, wha...more
In Judging a Book by Its Lover, Lauren Leto does exactly what she set out to do: entertainingly explore and explain what it’s like to have a fascination with books, authors, and reading. Leto delves into topics that readers think about but probably rarely cross the minds of others: bookstore smells, the derivation of bookworm, reading in public, wha...more
Fun! It's apparent, with every word, that Leto is a book lover -- that she gets it at many different levels. She gives advice on how to fake a conversation about an author, but even that didn't offend me the way other books have. She comes from her deep love of books and words and authors, and I'll give her lots of leeway. From her introduction, discussing her public school teachers' frustrations with her constant reading, through her advice about bookstore hookups, public reading, book clubs, w...more
This book was a bit of a hodgepodge. The subtitle states "A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere", so I was expecting a book that talks about book lovers and their relationships with books. There was a smidgen of that, but the book bounced around from topic to topic without any rhyme or reason that I could discern. There was not much serious content here that hasn't already been written by other (better) authors writing about books and readers. There are some silly and (supp...more
It's a mark of how deep my feelings for books and reading goes that I had very extreme and emotional reactions to pretty much every chapter in this book. Personally, I think the experience of reading is very subjective and that's probably why my ire was raised so many times when Leto would generalize about readers. Sometimes it was funny, like when Leto categorized people by their favorite authors or did a quick description of an author's writing style, but during the more personal, memoir-esque...more
I picked up this book because the premise of it and the book cover got my attention. Also, I am always in the mood for a good laugh or two. Well I have to say that there were a few moments when I did laugh but not at much as I had hoped. I was looking for the kinds of laughs that would have me wanting to read the lines over again and almost have tears of laughter. This did not happen for me. This was a bummer. Just like with some of the readers, I bounced around in this book.
However, I did pick...more
However, I did pick...more
With plenty of wit and sarcasm to go around in this thought-provoking book, Lauren Leto attacks what we thought we knew about books. Remember Clifford the Big Red Dog? Apparently he has something to teach little kids, and it's not how to be a made scientist bent on creating big strangely colored dogs for all. It's not something most parents would want for their children. You remember that book everyone was talking about, oh, this many years ago? Lauren was paying attention, and now she's outting...more
I know lots of people who enjoy reading Texts from Last Night, but who view it as a hive of scum and villainy. Co-founder Lauren Leto proves that she might get her Faulkner on, but she's still a witty, well-read woman and any bookworm will recognize her insight into our lives as the truth.
I'm tempted just to quote the entire book in order to convince you to read it. Here's a bit from the first chapter, Commercial Confessions, in which Leto admits her love of Janet Evanovich:
I make this distinct...more
I'm tempted just to quote the entire book in order to convince you to read it. Here's a bit from the first chapter, Commercial Confessions, in which Leto admits her love of Janet Evanovich:
I make this distinct...more
This is basically a love letter for people who love books. Chapters include how to be able to fake reading almost any author, ways to deflect conversations about books you haven't read, how to describe people based on their favorite author and how children will turn out based on their favorite book (hint: you probably won't want to know someone who grew up loving The Giving Tree).
This is definitely a fun stocking stuffer for any reader; pretty much everyone who loves books is guaranteed to laugh...more
This is definitely a fun stocking stuffer for any reader; pretty much everyone who loves books is guaranteed to laugh...more
I gave this book 4 stars when I first finished, since it made me chuckle and laugh out loud so many times. A few days later, I have no recollection of what this book was truly about, except techniques to fake that you've read a book, or several books by the same author, without actually reading it. Some chapters are really fun to read, especially the ones about how the author grew up as a bookworm, with a bit of inflation on her part, of course. The chapters about hitting on men in bookstore and...more
Judging A Book By Its Lover is your one-stop shop for all topics regarding books and the people who love them. Author Lauren Leto offers snarky, usually spot-on, sometimes condescending and always funny observations on a wide-range of topics, including:
•Bookshelf of the Vanities - bookshelf presentations & the people behind them.
•Ten Rules for Bookstore Hookups
•Rules of Book Club - ohhh, this was so snarky and she nailed it.
•Fan Letter - snarky pleas to fans of writers such as Ayn Rand -YES!...more
•Bookshelf of the Vanities - bookshelf presentations & the people behind them.
•Ten Rules for Bookstore Hookups
•Rules of Book Club - ohhh, this was so snarky and she nailed it.
•Fan Letter - snarky pleas to fans of writers such as Ayn Rand -YES!...more
"Dostoyevsky was exiled to Siberia by the czar because he’s a badass motherfucker."
Come on, you laughed, right? Lauren Leto, most commonly known as the founder of the humour site (and also the book of the same name) Texts From Last Night, knows how to pack a punch. Her newest book, Judging a Book by It’s Lover was, all-encompassed, extremely amusing! A collection of essays spanning from personal stories about her attachment to books, to how to fake having read a great classic writer, this book b...more
Come on, you laughed, right? Lauren Leto, most commonly known as the founder of the humour site (and also the book of the same name) Texts From Last Night, knows how to pack a punch. Her newest book, Judging a Book by It’s Lover was, all-encompassed, extremely amusing! A collection of essays spanning from personal stories about her attachment to books, to how to fake having read a great classic writer, this book b...more
Judging a Book by Its Lover by Lauren Leto is a guide to the mind of readers everywhere, and it offers some great tips on how to fake it for readers who may not have read some contemporary or classic authors that everyone else has been. Leto is like many of us in that she says, “Considering yourself a serious reader doesn’t mean you can’t read light books. Loving to read means you sometimes like to turn your head off. Reading is not about being able to recite passages from Camus by memory. Lovin...more
This was an AMAZINGLY funny book! By far the best part is the lengthiest section, in which Leto details how to “fake it” like you’ve read several of the most-commonly-loved authors, including John Updike, Ayn Rand, Zadie Smith, and J.D. Salinger. I don’t think this book would actually be useful for someone not interested in reading and genuinely looking to feign interest; rather, it’s moreso meant (and better enjoyed) as a wink to readers who probably have read most of the authors/books included...more
This book is a mixed bag of the author’s personal anecdotes about books and reading with guidelines, assumptions and snippets thrown in. A large portion is devoted to “faking it” through various authors and their work. Of course, there were some sketches that I glossed over because of not having read a particular author or work, but those were few and far between. One of my favorite sections was “Stereotyping People by Favorite Author” because I saw myself as a few: Philippa Gregory – Women who...more
This made me laugh out loud numerous times. I love when Lauren Leto talks about a book club as if it were fight club. Hilarious! Also my favorite was the chapter titled "What Your Child Will Grow Up to Be If You Read Them..." She gives examples of children's books like The Velveteen Rabbit saying if you read this to your child they will be a crybaby. Also the chapter titled "How to Fake It" where she gives tips on how to fake like you've read classic books by J.D. Salinger and others. I'll have...more
There are very few groups of people for which I feel I belong, but a group of readers is one of them. It was nice to feel I was a part of the initiated, but at the same time, I had to keep asking myself, why read this when I could read a real book? This was really a series of Leto's attempts to get a payoff from all that book-reading, and it's in print form rather than a blog to reach all of us book nerds. Bits of it were genuinely fresh and interesting, some bits were a well-trod rehash, and so...more
Oh books about books - how I love them! Seriously, it may just be my favorite sub-genre of non-fiction And this one is humorous as well, so how much more perfect could it be? (Spoiler alert: Kind of a lot, actually). It's a collection of essays and lists on book lovers and how their minds work by Lauren Leto, and I had very high expectations for it.
Writing
Meh. The problem to me was that the writing wasn't all that funny. And I feel like I should mention that I skipped a large section in the midd...more
Writing
Meh. The problem to me was that the writing wasn't all that funny. And I feel like I should mention that I skipped a large section in the midd...more
Calling out all book lovers (occasional readers and non-readers apply as well)! Have you ever came across a literary guide which not only offer you some insight of the wonder and beauty of reading but also an account of the peculiar world of book culture and how we speak condescendingly about the most revered authors and their literary works even if we haven't read them!
Author Lauren Leto started off this guide on her introduction to books when she was a child and how she was initially overwhel...more
Author Lauren Leto started off this guide on her introduction to books when she was a child and how she was initially overwhel...more
If Chelsea Handler decided to write a books about books it might sound something like this one. This is by no means a criticism. The first part of the book was funny and the later portions are also entertaining. Dealing with people in bookstores(hitting on them more so than working with them), what your bookshelves say about you, bookclub rules, judging people by what they read, etc. The section on how to fake it, talk about authors and the books that you never read was kind of a drag. (Actually...more
Originally posted on A Reader of Fictions.
As you might guess, I am a bit of a reader. As such, one of the things I enjoy doing when not reading is discussing literature. In Leto's book, I can sort of read and discuss reading all at once, albeit in a format where the discussion is rather one-sided with me unable to respond to Leto's opinions. Leto's work is for book lovers, or, perhaps even more, for those of us who want to pretend we've read all the most pretentious works but haven't.
Judging a B...more
As you might guess, I am a bit of a reader. As such, one of the things I enjoy doing when not reading is discussing literature. In Leto's book, I can sort of read and discuss reading all at once, albeit in a format where the discussion is rather one-sided with me unable to respond to Leto's opinions. Leto's work is for book lovers, or, perhaps even more, for those of us who want to pretend we've read all the most pretentious works but haven't.
Judging a B...more
What would a self-identified law school drop-out and co-founder of the decidedly shallow cult website textsfromlastnight.com know about literature, you might ask? Well quite a lot, as it turns out.
Barely out of college, Lauren Leto appears to have crammed more reading into her life than air into her lungs. She's read every great classic tome ever published from Tolstoy to Proust, not to mention all the contemporary big hitters. She's studied the works of as many popular, prolific and prize-winn...more
Barely out of college, Lauren Leto appears to have crammed more reading into her life than air into her lungs. She's read every great classic tome ever published from Tolstoy to Proust, not to mention all the contemporary big hitters. She's studied the works of as many popular, prolific and prize-winn...more
This book was fun - very quick read - read it in a day. For avid readers, it is worth the time - you can see yourself in a lot of what she says. There are some very, very funny sections - explaining how people turn out based on the books that their parents read them when they are little (hint - you don't want "The Wind in the Willows" to be your favorite)...my favorite was "Curious George," and, despite her concerns, did get to go to prom and and was never called "monkey girl" (at least to my fa...more
This book made me feel like a bad English major. I only recognized about half of the authors and titles that Leto mentions (one bit of advice is to keep paper and pen with you to take notes on all the books she references). It might be the fact that the vast majority of the books are "contemporary literature" and I haven't really read "literature" published in the last 50 years or so. My literary education focused on eras before modernism, probably because I like a linear plot and I am not apolo...more
For anybody truly obsessed with reading, it is always a wonderful experience to meet someone who shares your views on favorite writers, literary dreamlands, and fictional boyfriend material. To find this book bestie is a rare phenomenon, but it does happen. I know this, because I think I met mine.
Although she is totally unaware of this, Lauren Leto is my new BFF. Not only did she charm me with her hilarious dating tips and book store pick up lines, but her vast and varied knowledge of the liter...more
Although she is totally unaware of this, Lauren Leto is my new BFF. Not only did she charm me with her hilarious dating tips and book store pick up lines, but her vast and varied knowledge of the liter...more
I HIGHLY recommend this book to all of my friends who share the love of reading that consumes me. This author puts into words, what we have all thought about our chosen obsession. This passage, from the book, is a case in point. "Considering yourself a serious reader doesn't mean you can't read light books. Loving to read means you sometimes like to turn your head off. Reading is not about being able to recite passages from Camus by memory. Loving young adult novels well past adolescence isn't a...more
A charmingly personal take on literature and the people who love to discuss it. Leto's writing is alternatively breezy and quite heartfelt, which can be a little jarring at times but never lets you forget that behind the snarky taxonomies of various authors and their fans lies the heart of an honest-to-God booklover who enjoys books for their own sake. As a bonus, there's enough authors and titles referenced that you're almost guaranteed to find a lead or three for your next reading marathon. Re...more
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Lauren Leto is a writer, creator and co-founder of Texts From Last Night website. Texts From Last Night is also a book (and a television show is in the works).
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“The most important thing about reading is not the level of sophistication of the books on your shelf. There is no prerequisite reading regimen for being a bookworm.”
—
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May 08, 2013 05:36pm