Review of a book about book reviewing.

disputantum

18 years ago

At The New Republic:

First the editors' rant: The Battle of the Book

Next the review: Critical Condition

I logged off the site and could read the articles, so if anyone has a problem I don't know what it is.

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Comments (5)

veer
18 years ago
joseph, no problem reading the articles but I do wonder if James Wolcott is paid per word; such verbosity.
Do RP'ers glean most of their choices from book reviews on Amazon? I tend only to go there as a site of last resort preferring to get recommendations for new work from the weekend 'Books' sections of the 'quality' UK newspapers. Word-of-mouth is no good in this neck of the woods as I don't know anyone who reads anything more demanding than women's mags.
woodnymph2_gw
18 years ago
I for one do not go to Amazon to read book reviews, or only rarely. Like Vee, I get my suggestions via word of mouth (friends) or in the "books" sections of "quality" newspapers.
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tedious rubbish although it may well flatter readers into believing they are delving deep into art and culture. Still, it was given a huge display in 2 local bookshops but within weeks, the price had dropped from something stratospheric (when I obviously didn't buy it) to under 8 pounds (when I did). The usual dash through all the typical historical and arty stuff, seen through the eyes of the standard european academic (yah know, all white male classicism greeks, romans, queen elizabeth, yadda,yadda) with bits of racy symbolism thrown in for added titivation. Of course, as a curmudgeonly philistine, my ahem 'review' may well be all the encouragement you may need to grab this book and sink into the pretentious ennui of the classics buff - as for myself, not even in the depths of a dull winter could I manage more than the odd page here and there. I consider myself to be a gardener, and not a bad one either (she modestly speaks) but again, there seems to be this need to tie in a love of plants into all areas of life. In fact, there has been a rash of this sort of thing - a sort of history of common objects or materials (salt, cod, wine, shoes, even the home) and an attempt to categorise all things through the lens of one particular item. I can see the appeal but really, time to get my coat and spades.
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I just got finished reading a garden book that an absolute hoot! Art Wolk's "Garden Lunacy" really gets inside the world of obsessed gardeners. There are Hortiholics Anonymous Meetings, the gardener's Ten Commandments, horticultural mistakes made in movies, and other very funny topics. He also tells about the craziness he endured to win the Philadelphia Flower Show's Grand Sweepstakes, and what it's really like on TV garden shows and "Better Homes and Gardens" photoshoot. I especially enjoyed a chapter on non-gardeners and our inability to get along with them. This is one of those books you read and see yourself in, all the while laughing hysterically. Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Lunacy
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My opinion? That he's right. That nature doesn't care where she scatters her seeds - we are the ones who care whether a trillium or an English ivy takes root in our soil. Our feelings of beauty and of wonder about native habitats are chosen out of an asthetic appreciation of unusual forms of nature. It is, it seems, a very similar feeling to that which made the old Brits collect seeds from very far away - native plants have become exotic to us. Another point in this discussion: In the most recent Fine Gardening, there was a short article about the difference between "aggressive" and "invasive" - the idea being that bamboo is a pest when you can't get it out of your yard, but it won't colonize a local nature preserve like gooseneck loosestrife will. You sound like you're battling aggressive and invasive plants, and I applaud you for it. But when we battle the reaching grasp of the wilderness, we're doing what every human civilization does - trying to clear a little plot of land for growing what we love.
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carolyn_ky
18 years ago
I only go to Amazon to order or to look up a book or an author. I get recommendations here, from bookclub brochures, from friends, or by browsing in the bookstores and library.

My daughter and I drove to Lexington (75 miles away) on Saturday to go to a wonderful independent bookstore, theoretically to buy a gift card for someone on my Christmas list, but we spent quite a lot of time looking at books (I only bought two), checking out the stationery and gift item shelves, and eating lunch in the cafe beside an open fire. It's enough to make me cry that we no longer have such a shop in town.
georgia_peach
18 years ago
I rely on a variety of sources. I prefer to read opinions from all walks of life, rather than limiting to a certain venue, group or class of people.

For ideas on what to read, I visit bulletin boards, a few bloggers and reviewers, and rely on word-of-mouth.

I try to save critical reviews for after I've read a book; then I'll look for newspaper and online reviews. I find it helps to get some perspective and context on the reviewer. So when I read Amazon reviews, I look at the other books that person has reviewed to get a sense of what that person's worldview or personal slant on things may be. I much prefer an open-ended dialogue with other readers than critical reviews, though. I'm not a student anymore. I'm just a middle-aged woman in search of a good book to read.
disputantum
Original Author
18 years ago
Forgot: The Judge, review of a book of reviews by a book reviewer, in the same issue.

I read reviews, but I rarely use them for a Consumer Reports-style buying guide. The long ones, like the two I posted, usually provide as much as I want to read on a topic.

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Review of a book about book reviewing.

Comments (5)

veer

woodnymph2_gw

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georgia_peach

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Review of a book about book reviewing.

Comments (5)

veer

woodnymph2_gw

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carolyn_ky

georgia_peach

disputantumOriginal Author

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disputantum
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