Lindsey's review
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader
by Anne Fadiman
Lindsey's review
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
Lindsey's review
rating:
In these brief essays, Anne Fadiman gives voice to so many delights that come with loving books. From the happy sense of frenzy that comes with entering a hole-in-the-wall used bookstore to the simple pleasure of reading aloud or being read to, she echoes sentiments I've felt all my life but does it much more eloquently than I ever could. With stories of proofreading restaurant menus with her family and organizing her shelves meticulously by category, it would be easy for these essays to come across as stuffy; Fadiman's dry, self-deprecating humor prevents that from happening. She knows she's ridiculous at times, but that's what's so fun about it--it's also what makes the book so fun to read. Her memories somehow validate the quirky obsessions of all bibliophiles, and it's nice to know we're not alone. My favorite essay describes what she calls "you are there" reading: reading a book in the exact setting it describes. Some of my most cherished memories from trips center...more
