What to Read and Why

Posted on 15 February 2017 by Francine Prose

In this brilliant collection, the follow up to her New York Times bestseller Reading Like a Writer, the distinguished novelist, literary critic, and essayist celebrates the pleasures of reading and pays homage to the works and writers she admires above all others, from Jane Austen and Charles Dickens to Jennifer Egan and Roberto Bola o.In an age defined by hyper connectivity and constant stimulation, Francine Prose makes a compelling case for the solitary act of reading and the great enjoyment it brings Inspiring and illuminating, What to Read and Why includes selections culled from Prose s previous essays, reviews, and introductions, combined with new, never before published pieces that focus on her favorite works of fiction and nonfiction, on works by masters of the short story, and even on books by photographers like Diane Arbus.Prose considers why the works of literary masters such as Mary Shelley, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, and Jane Austen have endured, and shares intriguing insights about modern authors whose words stimulate our minds and enlarge our lives, including Roberto Bola o, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Jennifer Egan, and Mohsin Hamid Prose implores us to read Mavis Gallant for her marvelously rich and compact sentences, and her meticulously rendered characters who reveal our flawed and complex human nature Edward St Aubyn for his elegance and sophisticated humor and Mark Strand for his gift for depicting unlikely transformations Here, too, are original pieces in which Prose explores the craft of writing On Clarity and What Makes a Short Story Written with her sharp critical analysis, wit, and enthusiasm, What to Read and Why is a celebration of literature that will give readers a new appreciation for the power and beauty of the written word. Free Read [ What to Read and Why ] Author [ Francine Prose ] – kino-fada.fr Essays about books, reading, and authors Some I have read, some I haven t but choose not to, and others were added to my tbr Which is the whole point of reading books like this I did appreciate the background information on the authors.For comparison, I LOVE Prose s Reading Like a Writer but What to Read and Why is like its pale third cousin It feels like a random collection of essays, which aren t particularly compelling or intersectional, and the why part is pretty vague Two chapters capture the feel ofReading Like a Writer On Clarity and What Makes a Short Stor...I have discovered that no other writer displays an inextinguishable passion for reading and books like Francine Prose The level of close reading she undertakes in order to really absorb a work of literature is inspiring and a joy itself to read As she explains in her introduction, this collection is a mix of book reviews, introductions to classics and vario...I should have paid attention to the Goodreads reviews I found this well written but dreary It didn t inspire me to read any of the authors mentioned For books about reading, I will stick with Anne Fadiman from now on.I think I like Prose fiction better, but this is another gem like Reading Like A Writer My favorite chapters were on Complimentary Toilet Paper, Lolita, and Mavis Gallant I am reading all those authors now I like when s...Has some really good essays but a lot of ones that don t resonate at all if you haven t read the book or even heard of it The Nabokov essay is fascinatingThis is a random collection of essays on writers, books and various aspects of literature that lacks structure and cohesiveness Prose offers no rationale for her selections and very little explanation as to why we should read them I was very inspired by her previo...As far as I am concerned, very few thing are better than books about books, mostly because if you know th title you are going to learn somethingabout it, if you don t, you have a new book for your to read list In this case there are many authors I didn t know and the other were mostly the one I like already so it was a real pleasure.Per quanto mi riguarda, poche cose sono belle come i libri che parlano di libri, sia perch se gi li consoci, vieni comunque a scoprire cose nuove su di loro As far as I am concerned, very few thing are better than books about books, mostly because if you know th title you are going to learn somethingabout it, if you don t, you have a new book for your to read list In this case there are many authors I didn t know and the other were mostly the one I like already so it was a real pleasure.Per quanto mi riguarda, poche cose sono belle come i libri che parlano di lib...Nothing new here I thoroughly appreciated Reading like a Writer, and hoped this would be a great followup This feltlike a a collection of synopses for an English 101 anthology There were a few authors and books she discusses that piqued my interest, but for the most part, it was boring a...Books about books are the best books

15 February 2017

Francine Prose