The Year of Reading Dangerously: How Fifty Great Books (and Two Not-So-Great Ones) Saved My Life by Andy MillerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I catalog this book as a "book about books". As one fellow reviewer mentioned, this book-reading spree is not about battling cancer, or coming to grips with normal world after a tragic accident, or about coping up with losing a dear one.
The author is fortyish - has a satisfactory family life and not-so-bad work. However, he was on quest for self-improvement by dusting off those books he normally claimed to have read but chucked in the storage dump.
This books principally discusses the authors so called "list of betterment" which was author's canon. He explains the pleasures and travails of reading classics. And some of the classics are leviathan tomes. His way of conquering these insurmountable tomes is to read at least 50 pages a day. I could relate to the author because when it comes to reading I am like hamster on a wheel - read, read and read some more. But to what avail? Am I a changed man? No!
I like to read books, but not less than a decade ago I used to LOVE reading books. After that, much so like the author, I resorted to shortcuts and hacks. Speed reading, skimming, scanning and recently spritizing (Google for Spritz). You name it.
Along the way I lost my appreciation for the written word. This book couldn't have come at a better time - I am also establishing my canon, this book really helps me in staying motivated.
I liked authors comparison of The Da Vinci Code with Moby Dick. In fact it is a profound observation. That I think is the essence of inter-texuality.
I skipped a chapter on Anna Karenina; I intend to read the book shortly - I don't want the plot disclosed as yet.
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