Ginnie's review
Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books
by Maureen Corrigan
let me know what you think Queen Ginnie, sad to say, but her voice irritates me to all-hell on 'Fresh Air', I can no longer listen to her mini-reviews...
With all due respect to the Queen, I agree with Jess. She is nails on chalkboard annoying and if she is coining phrases they are only wooden nickles.
For all my talk about being a 'child of the era of radio' I have never heard Corrigan's voice on NPR. My husband just delivered this book yesterday in his twice-a-week personalized Bookmobile service - for which luxury he may beat me like a gong. I'm ready to dive in un-encumbred by annoying verbal tics
I gave up on this one early on myself.
Ginnie, thanks for confirming what I'd suspected about this book/author--great review!
Yes. Of the various books about books I've read in the last year, Corrigan's was one of the least appealing. Which shouldn't have surprised me, as I've never found her reviews on "Fresh Air" particularly insightful.
Though at least she doesn't give the impression of having an axe to grind, or being motivated by personal animus or jealousy. Something which I couldn't say about B.R. Myers, or the disappointingly petty Joseph Epstein:
http://www.goodreads.com/revie...
Anne Fadiman, Michael Dirda, and Nick Hornby are indeed charming. I'd also add Thomas Mallon and William Boyd to the list of people who write well about books.
David, I only know Boyd through "Restless" which I thought was terrific. I'll do some exploring on these two and see what 've missed.
Ginnie's review
Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books by Maureen Corrigan
Ginnie's review
rating:
bookshelves:
books-about-books,
memoirs
I have suddenly had an epiphany about books-written-about-books. I am not drawn to them because they tell me things I don't already know but because the authors are good company - or not. It is for the voice of the writer that I read these books and when the voice fails me so does the book, no matter how scholarly and well thought out. Anne Fadiman charms me as does Michael Dirda, Nick Hornby, and Alberto Manguel. Sadly Mikita Brotmann (The Solitary Vice), B.R. Myers (A Reader's Manifesto) and alas, Maureen Corrigan do not.
I suspect it is the same with our friends here at Goodreads - we like them and enjoy their reviews because they are candid, snarky, funny, ironic -- all those things we treasure in all the real friends in our lives. I am even drawn to reviewers here who are much different from me because what they have to say is such fun.
I'm only too willing to leave the earnest Ms. Corrigan alone.
I suspect it is the same with our friends here at Goodreads - we like them and enjoy their reviews because they are candid, snarky, funny, ironic -- all those things we treasure in all the real friends in our lives. I am even drawn to reviewers here who are much different from me because what they have to say is such fun.
I'm only too willing to leave the earnest Ms. Corrigan alone.
let me know what you think Queen Ginnie, sad to say, but her voice irritates me to all-hell on 'Fresh Air', I can no longer listen to her mini-reviews...
With all due respect to the Queen, I agree with Jess. She is nails on chalkboard annoying and if she is coining phrases they are only wooden nickles.
For all my talk about being a 'child of the era of radio' I have never heard Corrigan's voice on NPR. My husband just delivered this book yesterday in his twice-a-week personalized Bookmobile service - for which luxury he may beat me like a gong. I'm ready to dive in un-encumbred by annoying verbal tics
I gave up on this one early on myself.
Ginnie, thanks for confirming what I'd suspected about this book/author--great review!
Yes. Of the various books about books I've read in the last year, Corrigan's was one of the least appealing. Which shouldn't have surprised me, as I've never found her reviews on "Fresh Air" particularly insightful.Though at least she doesn't give the impression of having an axe to grind, or being motivated by personal animus or jealousy. Something which I couldn't say about B.R. Myers, or the disappointingly petty Joseph Epstein:
http://www.goodreads.com/revie...
Anne Fadiman, Michael Dirda, and Nick Hornby are indeed charming. I'd also add Thomas Mallon and William Boyd to the list of people who write well about books.
David, I only know Boyd through "Restless" which I thought was terrific. I'll do some exploring on these two and see what 've missed.
