23 October 2012

Book Review: Judging a Book by Its Lover

Title: Judging a Book by Its Lover
Author: Lauren Leto
Publisher/Year: Harper Perennial / 2012
Source/Format: Publisher / Print
Date Finished: 17 October 2012
Book # 57

Buy | Borrow | Accept | Avoid

The Short and Sweet of It
In a series of useful, funny, witty essays, Leto addresses book related issues like: picking up a mate in a bookstore, faking book knowledge, stereotyping readers by their favorite author, the move to ebooks, and speaking condescendingly. Book lovers shall be amused.

A Bit of a Ramble
I loved this. Seriously loved it. I have so many pages dog-eared, it's a bit ridiculous. As for dog-earring, Leto would highly approve. Reading this book felt like, well, honestly, it felt like listening to some of my favorite professors in college: the low-key, unprofessional, snarky, relaxed professors who were both intelligent and amused by the intelligentsia.

She really captured my heart with her chapter on Stereotyping People by Favorite Author. Too funny. Here are some examples:

Jodi Picoult: Your mom when she's at her time of the month.
William Shakespeare: People who like bondage.
Nick Hornby: Guys who wear skinny jeans and the girls who love them.
Elizabeth Gilbert: Women who liked the movie Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood but didn't read the book.
Max Barry: People who don't mind the color orange.
James Joyce: People who do not like John Cusack movies.
Terry Pratchett: People who really like monkeys.

I could seriously go on. Hilarious. There is even a chapter on What Your Child Will Grow Up to Be If You Read Them..... Take, for example, the entry on Clifford:
A big, red dog who...wait, does Clifford ever do anything? It's a boring book for boring kids. A gigantic dog that doesn't eat humans or at least crush a couple of houses? Snooze fest. Congratulations on begetting an average kid who will find a great position in middle management and have a somewhat happy marriage.
It's funny cuz it's true.

I powered through the book in only three nights - which is quite impressive for me since I only get about 15-30 minutes of reading after baby nut loses her fight against sleep. I could go on and on quoting this book. Leto really captures the joys of reading, the ridiculousness of reading snobbery, and the heart of readers everywhere. I highly recommend this one.


NOTES: Received from publisher

27 comments:

  1. I so must get my hands on this book!!!

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    1. yay! That makes me feel like I'm worth it to the publishers who gave this one to me. :)

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  3. This sounds like I great book. I can't wait to read it!

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  4. I definitely need to read this, since I picked my mate because of a book I saw on his shelf!

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  5. I have a copy of this book waiting for me! You've made me excited to get to it!

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    1. Awesome! It's so exciting when you read a review that makes you want to read the book and lo and behold you have it waiting on the shelves!

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  6. Dang it. I passed on this one because I wasn't sure what it would be. Now I need to go buy it. Sounds awesome!

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  7. Oh man, this is a must read for me. I would love this! I am sometimes a book snob, and loved the little bits that you posted. I bet this would be a hilarious book for the well read. Terrific review today! You sold me totally on this one!

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    1. I won't lie I can be a book snob too...which is strange considering some of the "trash" I read...

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  8. Yay! I've been wanting more bookish books and this one sounds freaking awesome.

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  9. This one sounds great. I might have to recommend it for my book club.

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    1. I think this would be a fun book club book.

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  10. Ok … it is obvious that this needs to be read STAT!

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  11. I'm reading this one right now and LOVING EVERY MINUTE! I've been smirking and scribbling notes all the way through (not something I do often) and have a whopping great book list to take with me next time I hit the library. Seriously, this book makes me happy. Also recommended, if y'all haven't read it already: BIBLIOHOLISM by Tom Raabe. Similar thing, very funny, just a little older and from a male perspective, obviously. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

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    1. The number of pages I dog-eared is almost criminal.

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  12. I'm reading this right now, too! I'm about 60 pages in and am surprised by how fast it goes! Snark for the win!

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  13. I feel compelled to say I have no special fondness for monkeys :P I mean, they're pretty cool and all, but nowhere near as cool as cats :P

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Talk to me baby!