My Life with Bob
Ratings12
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings12
Average rating3.8
"Imagine keeping a record of every book you ever read. What would those titles say about you? With humor and warmth, the editor of The New York Times Book Review shares the stories that have shaped her life. For twenty-eight years, Pamela Paul has been keeping a diary that records the books she reads, rather than the life she leads. Or does it? Over time, it's become clear that this Book of Books, or Bob, as she calls him, tells a much bigger story. For Paul, as for many readers, books reflect her inner life-- her fantasies and hopes, her dreams and ideas. And her life, in turn, influences which books she chooses, whether for solace or escape, diversion or self-reflection, information or entertainment. My Life with Bob isn't about what's in those books; it's about the relationship between books and readers. Bob was with her when she struggled to get through the Norton Anthology of English Literature in college and when she read Anna Karenina while living abroad alone. He was there when she fell in love and much needed when she sought solace in self-help and memoirs like Autobiography of a Face. Through marriage and divorce, remarriage (The Master and Margarita) and parenthood (The Hunger Games), professional setbacks and successes, Bob recorded what she read while all that happened. The diary--now coffee-stained and frayed--is the record of a lifelong love affair with books, and has come to mean more to her than any other material possession. My Life with Bob is a testament to the power of books to provide the perspective, courage, companionship, and ultimately self-knowledge to forge our own path"--
Reviews with the most likes.
I need to read more books about books, because the few that I've read, I've really enjoyed! Earlier this year I read Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading, and loved it. I have holds on [b:Voracious: A Hungry Reader Cooks Her Way through Great Books 23731856 Voracious A Hungry Reader Cooks Her Way through Great Books Cara Nicoletti https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422811378s/23731856.jpg 43344004] and [b:The World Between Two Covers: Reading the Globe 23331535 The World Between Two Covers Reading the Globe Ann Morgan https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413758451s/23331535.jpg 44200707]. (I also have a hold on [b:The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession 6251543 The Man Who Loved Books Too Much The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession Allison Hoover Bartlett https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1326561008s/6251543.jpg 6434434], but I'm not sure that quite counts.) And, in looking up the links for those books, I just put holds on three more books about reading, since this is a genre I apparently enjoy!My Life with Bob is about the author's reading life. Bob is a notebook she uses to keep track of what she's read. Just title and author, and whether or not she's finished it. Very simple. But in looking back through what she's read, she recalls where she was, and what she was doing or going through at the time. So the real story is how her reading choices fit into her life, and how being a bookworm affected her life.I enjoyed the book, with the slight irritation (in the latter part of the book) of her insistence on calling Young Adult literature, Children's Lit. Children's books are picture books and books for young readers, not [b:The Fault in Our Stars 11870085 The Fault in Our Stars John Green https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1360206420s/11870085.jpg 16827462] and The Hunger Games. Those are Young Adult, and there's a pretty big difference in my opinion. Maybe not in the professional world; she is the editor of The New York Times Book Review. But it's frustrating to hear her talk about Kid Lit and lump Harry Potter in with a 36-page autobiography of a teddy bear written for kids under 10.I was also a little shocked to learn (in the book!) she wrote a book about how porn is destroying the American family, and testified before Congress about it, sponsored by Senators Orrin Hatch and Sam Brownback. I normally don't have a problem reading Republican authors - I often don't know the exact political leanings of authors - but I'm reading about her reading choices, and suddenly they are all suspect. (She disliked Ayn Rand, at least, so that's something.) The book was published in May of last year, so after the last presidential election. Anyone who acknowledges working with the GOP at this point, and isn't embarrassed by it, immediately gets a black mark in my book.So ultimately I'm torn on this book. I liked reading it. I dislike the author. (I will never even try to be non-political in my opinions. Sorry-not-sorry.)You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.
This is my favorite kind of book: a book-about-books.
This is my favorite kind of author: a Reader. (Capital letter intended).
What is not to love?
