Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
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Book Reviews of Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader
Book Review: A delightful read
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the perfect little book for anyone who prefers reading to TV watching. Fadiman grew up in a reading family where their favorite pastime was grilling each other about the origins of quotations. "Like the young Van Dorens, the Fadiman children were ritually asked to identify literary quotations. While my mother negotiated a honking traffic jam on an L.A. freeway... my father would mutter, `We are here as on a darkling plain...' and Kim and I would squeal in chorus, `Dover Beach.'" While some might find this egocentric, I was enthralled with their literary banter. My family used to hold similar competitions on words and quotes, and of course we played Jeopardy! against each other for years. There are many excellent essays in this collection - I particularly loved one of her funniest essays on plagiarism in which she swamps the readers with a multitude of superfluous footnotes. Another hilarious essays details her encounter with the legendary William Shawn (New Yorker) who tried not to embarrass her for not knowing the correct pronunciation of the "Ms." in Ms. Magazine. This is a book to be savored while sipping tea, reclined in a favorite reading chair in the family library.
Book Review: The Bibliophile Bible.
Summary: 5 Stars
Lovely, endearing, addictive little book. Every bibliophile should read it at least once. It's a light book but incredibly well written. It compiles about 12 essays, each discussing a different tenet of Ann Fadiman's compulsive book worship. All of us who enjoy reading will find commonalities with Fadiman. The love of book shelfing and re-shelfing, the joy of encountering new words, the frequent visits to bookstores, the reading out loud, etcetra etcetra....she covers practically everything, whilst interweaving into the text humorous anecdotes and personal titbits. The chapter which fascinated me the most was the one about plagiarism in literature, especially the story about the man who published her mother's work in a book under his own name and then dedicated the book to her mum!!! The nerve! I still cant believe it...I would have been mortified if I were in her mother's shoes. If you love books, Ex Libris will keep you entertained for hours...read one or two of the essays every night - you'll be thoroughly amused and oh, for the sesquipedalian-lovers out there, you'll need a dictionary by your side, because you're sure to bump into a few long words that you've never seen before.Book Review: Do We Own Books, or Do They Own Us?
Summary: 5 Stars
Why do we keep books on a shelf? According to one of the essays in Anne Fadiman's gem of a book, Ex Libris, it's because they provide a concrete picture of who we are and how we developed. This message really hits home for those of us who have tried to find an out-of-print book that captures a particular time in our past. Fadiman understands this obsession. I originally borrowed Ex Libris from the library, and then found myself climbing up a ladder in a used bookstore to add this must-have volume to my own bookshelves. This is a book whose content I have shared with bibliophiles and nonbibliophiles alike. My husband and I both reacted in horror to Fadiman's story of her distress while combining libraries with her spouse...a merger that we both agree will never occur in our own home. My co-workers laughed and nodded at the description of proofreaders being compared to the person sweeping up elephant dung after a parade. And, another person in my life couldn't understand my excitement of reminiscing about and keeping books read years ago, which she termed "clutter." Fadiman beautifully captures and describes all these and more peculiarities of book lovers.Book Review: The Joy of Sesquipidalians!
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently purchased this book because a school teacher of mine recommended it in our summer reading manual, saying that each time she has read aloud from it, someone from the audience stopped to inquire about the book. I can understand why. Ex Libris is a witty, humerous, and above all polished acount of a lifelong love affair with books and the English language. My personal favorite essay among the many gems is The Joy of Sesquipidalians, where Fadiman discusses the peculiar allure of long words, and proceeds to give a list of recent sesquipidalians she had come across, including such words as mephitic, adapertile, aspergill, goetic, and grimoire, among a host of delightful others. I empathize with her completely, as I know the joy of sesquipidalians intimately. Her other essays are also wonderful. One of my other favorites is her essay on plagiarism, where she hilariously footnotes almost every one of her sentences, ostensibly to keep from plagiarizing anyone. In short, Ex Libris is a fantastic little book, one which I will treasure for a lifetime. Fadiman's joy, wit, and erudition shine through every precious page.Book Review: Hilarious reinforcement for the Readaholic!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is sheer enjoyment for anyone who loves to read. I laughed 'til my eyes teared at her chapter on the compulsive proofreader (Insert a Car^/rot)! Anne Fadiman obviously had fun examining the many facets of the reader/book relationship - and the human relationships also affected. Both the trials, and special pleasures unique to married readers are all here. The books brought to bed, attendant crumbs, read-aloud passages... And the reading parent and child relationship, with chewed pages, re-visited favorites, the teen discovery of erotica on a parent's shelf. It's all here, in her fresh and clean prose.I, who NEVER read non-fiction without a concrete need, could not put this book down! It is a book to read, keep, and share.
Throughout her essays, you will recognize yourself, your family members, and your friends who read, with their beauties and eccentricities (often one and the same). If I had the money, I'd buy a cratefull! I have already thought of at least a dozen folks to whom I would love to give this book...