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Gift Guide 06: BOOKS. Yes, BOOKS. and other stuff. - a list by auntbeep
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A gift guide of books (and accoutrements) to give to friends and family. A list of what to read in 2007.
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The Polysyllabic Spree - Nick Hornby
2 people recommended this item
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Books are, let's face it, better than everything else," Mr. Hornby writes in his new book. "If we played cultural Fantasy Boxing League, and made books go 15 rounds in the ring against the best that any other art form had to offer, then books would win pretty much every time. Go on, try it. The Magic Flute v. Middlemarch? Middlemarch in six. The Last Supper v. Crime and Punishment? Fyodor on points. See?
The Polysyllabic Spree is Hornby's reading journal that documents what he buys, what he reads and what he thinks about all of it. (And it's nice to know that even for authors books bought almost always exceeds books read. I have banned myself from a bookstore or my Amazon Wishlist until I sit down and read the books piled everywhere. We'll see how long that lasts!) ;) Or maybe I should just take it as a compliment, not a lack of willpower. Commenting on Gabriel Zaid's So Many Books, Hornby quotes the author: "The truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books without losing their composure or their desire for more."
Another Hornby book epiphany (and equally true, I believe): "With each passing year, and with each whimsical purchase, our libraries become more and more able to articulate who we are, whether we read the books or not. Maybe that's not worth the 30-odd quid I blew on those collections of letters, admittedly, but it's got to be worth something, right?"
The essays are all collected from a column he wrote for a UK magazine about his reading habits, called (you guessed it) The Polysyllabic Spree. For the complete making of the man, you might also want to check out his playlist. (That's my motto: Show me a man's books, a man's music and a man's shoes and I can tell you about that man.) ;)
Updated Jan 10, 2007
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About a Boy
5 people recommended this item
Description
IMHO - About A Bot is Hugh Grant's best movie yet (ok, besides Love Actually). Nick Hornby's popular novel translates fabulously into film with an all star cast and a script to match. About A Bot is a quirky, honest and heart-warming movie.
Updated Dec 3, 2006
See more like thisJane Austen: The Complete Novels, Deluxe Edition (Library of Literary Classics)
First to recommend
Description
Having all of Jane Austen's wonderful characters in one volume is a literary treat not to be missed. Oh, how I hate Mr. Darcy... oh, how I love Mr. Darcy!
Updated Dec 3, 2006
See more like thisPride & Prejudice
8 people recommended this item
Description
I didn't think I'd like another P&P version other than the classic with Laurence Olivier but this one is lovely. I like how for a period piece it keeps everything "real" down to the mud at the bottom of the girls' gowns as they traipse through the mud during their walks through the countryside. And Keira Knightley isn't annoying in this at all.
Updated Aug 17, 2008
See more like thisWill in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare
First to recommend
Description
An approachable and enjoyable biography on the Western World's greatest scribe. If you enjoy Shakespeare and wonder how one man could write such rich, poignant literature, Greenblatt has the answer. (via Book Diva)
Updated Dec 3, 2006
See more like thisShakespeare got to get paid, son.
2 people recommended this item
Description
A hilarious tee shirt...perfect for any lit buff or ironic romantic.
Updated Dec 3, 2006
See more like thisAll Aunt Hagar's Children: Stories
First to recommend
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This collection of short stories just made the Washington Post's top 10 list. Edward P. Jones already has a Pulitzer under his belt and the Post says his latest effort has established him "as one of the most important writers of his own generation -- he is 55 years old -- and of the present day."
If you love short stories, All Aunt Hagar's Children is a must.
Updated Dec 3, 2006
See more like thisThe Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
First to recommend
Description
Not exactly a fun, holiday read... but for those interested in current events (and you can't afford not to be) Wright's look at Osama bin Laden and the history of terrorism is "an important, gripping and profoundly disheartening book."
Updated Dec 3, 2006
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