Just didn't click with me.

Library copy

I have been asked to review this. This however is not that review, just my musing so far. The book comes out this month. If you like reading books about books this is good stuff. Really, really good stuff. By turns the reviews are humorous, insightful, accessible, good-hearted and bold. He dares to say what the single greatest work of American literature is, plus what the single greatest American short story is. I won't say which works they are, but you can might be able to guess the first, but probably not the second which is by one of America's finest but most neglected writers. Not only that, but Yardley is also brave enough to take down some sacred cows, two of which I was hoping some one would level. Won't say what those are either. Talk about gutsy, he also admits to liking the word "dis", and is laugh out loud fun about the word "interface." The reviews are not wholly highbrow literature; there are reviews of genre fiction and comic strips, notably the wonderful Pogo.

I have been asked to review this. This however is not that review, just my musing so far. The book comes out this month. If you like reading books about books this is good stuff. Really, really good stuff. By turns the reviews are humorous, insightful, accessible, good-hearted and bold. He dares to say what the single greatest work of American literature is, plus what the single greatest American short story is. I won't say which works they are, but you can might be able to guess the first, but probably not the second which is by one of America's finest but most neglected writers. Not only that, but Yardley is also brave enough to take down some sacred cows, two of which I was hoping some one would level. Won't say what those are either. Talk about gutsy, he also admits to liking the word "dis", and is laugh out loud fun about the word "interface." The reviews are not wholly highbrow literature; there are reviews of genre fiction and comic strips, notably the wonderful Pogo.

I have been asked to review this. This however is not that review, just my musing so far. The book comes out this month. If you like reading books about books this is good stuff. Really, really good stuff. By turns the reviews are humorous, insightful, accessible, good-hearted and bold. He dares to say what the single greatest work of American literature is, plus what the single greatest American short story is. I won't say which works they are, but you can might be able to guess the first, but probably not the second which is by one of America's finest but most neglected writers. Not only that, but Yardley is also brave enough to take down some sacred cows, two of which I was hoping some one would level. Won't say what those are either. Talk about gutsy, he also admits to liking the word "dis", and is laugh out loud fun about the word "interface." The reviews are not wholly highbrow literature; there are reviews of genre fiction and comic strips, notably the wonderful Pogo.

Second Reading is a book-about-books, and its all about taking a second look at my kind of books. Book critic Jonathan Yardley pulls books from his bookshelf that he read twenty, thirty, forty years ago and rereads them. Most of these are small books, almost forgotten now, and I love it that he brings his magnifying glass to each of these rather than the big bestsellers that are always in the limelight anyway. Yardley's tastes run a bit more to suspense and adventure than mine do, but I was still able to write down lots of titles on my wish list and that's always nice. ( )