One for the Books
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
One of America’s leading humorists and author of the bestseller Closing Time examines his own obsession with books
Joe Queenan became a voracious reader as a means of escape from a joyless childhood in a Philadelphia housing project. In the years since then he has dedicated himself to an assortment of idiosyncratic reading challenges: spending a year reading only short books, spending a year reading books he always suspected he would hate, spending a year reading books he picked with his eyes closed.
In One for the Books, Queenan tries to come to terms with his own eccentric reading style—how many more books will he have time to read in his lifetime? Why does he refuse to read books hailed by reviewers as “astonishing”? Why does he refuse to lend out books? Will he ever buy an e-book? Why does he habitually read thirty to forty books simultaneously? Why are there so many people to whom the above questions do not even matter—and what do they read? Acerbically funny yet passionate and oddly affectionate, One for the Books is a reading experience that true book lovers will find unforgettable.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Humorist Queenan's (Closing Time: A Memoir) mordantly funny reflections on his relationships with books will resonate with many avid readers, particularly those burdened by guilt over the number of Great Books they never managed to complete. Many pages display his brilliant wit: "I do not listen to audiobooks, for the same reason that I do not listen to baked ziti; it lacks the personal touch." But woven around these one-liners are thoughtful musings on the importance of books in the author's life, including touching anecdotes about projects such as his effort to check out library books that no one has borrowed for five years in order to save the books from disposal. Among the book's highlights is Queenan's deft savaging of the sometimes banal "Questions for Discussion" that appear in the reading guides included in books.
