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More Baths, Less Talking (2012)

by Nick Hornby(Favorite Author)

3.93 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1938073053 (ISBN13: 9781938073052)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

McSweeney's, Believer Books

series

Stuff I've Been Reading

review 1: Nick Hornby starts every essay in this book (a collection of his work for Believer Magazine) with a list of books he's purchased and a list of books he has read in the previous month (or two). Then, the essays proceed to kind of review the books, kind of tie all the books together, kind of provide some social commentary or life lessons loosely based on the books, and usually mix in a bit of personal anecdote from Hornby's life. The surprise: even though I like to read, many of the books discussed in these essays will never adorn my bookshelves... but the entire collection of essays still works!Why? Well, partly due to the fact that Hornby has a way with words. I was attracted to this collection of essays because I've enjoyed much of his previous fiction writing. Even when ... morehe dissects the driest, most cumbersome books you'd find on a bookshelf ("Austerity Britain 1945-1951" anyone?), he still makes things interesting and relevant. It may not be so much that the book is relevant, but just hearing Hornby's thoughts on the book and how the book has fit its way in to his life is interesting and amusing.It was certainly fun to read these essays and occasionally come across books that I've read. Despite these giant communities of readers out there (Goodreads!), reading can often feel like a pretty lonesome activity. (Yep, clearly I'm not in any sort of book club) It was kind of fun to hear the thoughts of someone who had read some of the same books I've read since I don't encounter people like that very often. It makes the entire collection of essays feel a bit more close and personal.At the end of the day, this is still just a collection of essays originally published in a magazine. It isn't a collection of short stories, and should probably not all be read in one sitting (which I practically did). Instead, if you're looking for something good to read, pick up "More Baths, Less Talking," read one or two essays, and then be inspired to go and pick up some other book for awhile.
review 2: I've long been a fan of Nick Hornby's fiction, and this is a similarly charming and humorous collection of book reviews. Originally published in The Believer, Hornby frequently mocks the magazine's earnest agenda against snark and the general preciousness of its readership (in the same vein of The Simpsons mocking Fox), and pokes fun at own reading habits by listing what he's purchased each month and what he's actually read. The collection introduced me to a number of novels I can't wait to read, and shows why reading contemporary novels is so much fun. less

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