2011-13 - The Polysyllabic Spree, by Nick Hornby

13 - The Polysyllabic Spree, by Nick Hornby, 140 Pages, Believer Books, 2004
WHY I PICKED IT: It was written by Nick Hornby
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Very Good

Well this was quite enjoyable!  In 2003, Nick Hornby started a monthly column for Believer (Magazine)... this book is a compilation of his first 14 columns.  Each column starts with a listing of the books that he has purchased and read each month, which is fun in and of itself.  His reviews of books are generally quite insightful, and always quite funny.

Here are a few things that I noted and enjoyed:
- He doesn't like reading books similar to his own style of writing - likens it to going to a restaurant and ordering something he can make himself.
- Judges his friends if their recommendations aren't good (I relate to this - be warned!)... he typically considers too strong a recommendation as something negative, which I found interesting... I'm always looking for stuff to read, so look for recommendations from all quarters.
- He described putting a book in the Arts and Lit non-fiction section of his library, and went on to add: "(I personally find that for domestic purposes, the Trivial Pursuit system works better than the Dewey)".
- He mentioned that he hardly remembers most of the stories that he's read, even ones that he describes as being fantastic.  He specifically mentions Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens... I mention this because I stopped at that point to see what I could remember of Great Expectations and realized that the horrible 1998 movie with Ethan Hawke playing the part of Pip has replaced the plot in my brain :(.

Finally, I must mention a worry that I have: What if I find that I've enjoyed his reviews more than I enjoy the books I've ordered based on that recommendation?  Do I keep reading his reviews because they're enjoyable, but resist the temptation to buy books based on Hornby's recommendation?  Something to ponder.