By the Book edited by Pamela Paul

By the Book:  Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from the New York Times Book Review

 

My friend Reiko saves me her Sunday NY Times Book Review section and gives me a big stack of them whenever we get together. We laugh because we can judge how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other by the size of the accumulation.

One of my favorite sections of the NY Times Book Review is called “By the Book”, wherein a writer is interviewed about their reading.  Each week we get a view into writers favorite books & writers, reading habits, their personal book collection, early childhood reads, etc.

The top interviews are gathered in this one book and while there’s nothing new here, I found it engrossing to read through them.  At almost 300 pages and 65 writers interviewed it’s no quick read.  I’ve been slowly savoring this book, making my way through this fascinating collection, underlining and making long lists of newly recommended books to read (like I really need more lists of books to read).

Included in the collection are interviews with the expected writers such as Anna Quindlen and John Irving, but also included are Sting and Arnold Schwarzenegger?  (The question mark is mine.)  But don’t let that dissuade you, this is a fascinating look at writers and their life with books. And, hey guess what? — the Arnold interview reveals he is surprisingly insightful.

When more than three of the authors listed the Patrick Melrose novels by Edward St. Aubyn as their favorites, I had to add them to my list.   It was also comforting to see that several writers also found the classics tough going – Dickens, Tolstoy etc. 

You’ll discover the vulnerabilities of some writers — who knew Hilary Mantel actively reads self help books or Anne Lamott secretly likes People and US Weekly?

Many writers are delightfully unpretentious in their reading choices.  Jhumpa Lahiri states:  I am drawn to any story that makes me want to read from one sentence to the next.  I have no other criterion.  And Scott Turow,  The only unfailing criterion is that I can hitch my heart to the imagined world and read on.  My favorite quote is from Isabel Allende.  A good novel or short story is like making love between clean ironed sheets: total pleasure.

Hilary Mantel wishes for a magic tablecloth to appear with dinner all prepared so she can have more time to read.  Sting has kept every book he’s ever read and doesn’t lend books. Scott Turow admits to “reading at” a book, putting it down and then months later picking it up and diving in with enormous enthusiasm. 

Jeanette Walls lists her favorite memoirs, which is like getting a food critics top restaurants.

And there’s lots of chuckles:   under “The last book that made you cry” – Jeffery Eugenides answers The South Beach Diet. 

Then there’s this:  James Patterson talks about his first Alex Cross book, “Along Came a Spider.” He said a movie studio would have optioned the book early on in his career, when he could have really used the money  –all he had to do was make Alex Cross a white man.

 I don’t recommend reading this book all at once.  Like the original interviews, it’s best to savor one or two at a time. 

Also this book should come with a warning:  Reading this book will increase your to-be-read wish list exponentially and may cause unbridled book purchases.   

Advanced Readers Copy provided by Henry Holt & Co.