My Own Private Librarian
When you don't know what to read next and the staff at your local library have suggested everything they can think of, there remains one place to turn. No, not the internet. Reader's advisory books. Used by librarians and other book nerds, these collections of suggestions may give you a nudge in the right direction, introduce you to a new "old" author or series, or at least give you something to read while waiting for the next book by your favorite author to be released.
America's favorite librarian began writing professional books for librarians to use in recommendations on subjects far and wide. This is her first title for the common reader. Arranged alphabetically by topic, she offers up fiction and non-fiction, suggests the best short stories in collections and her favorite poems. It's a keeper.
Who's Neil Gaiman's favorite author? What classic has John Grisham never finished? What book made James Patterson want to write? Answers to these and more burning questions lie within the pages of this browsable collection of columns from "The New York Times Book Review."
A great source for new to you titles, this volume also contains essays on literature by some of the writers of the best of it.
The title really says it all. In deep but not dull essays on individual classics, the former "Washington Post Book World" writer brings to light both the musty tomes you were supposed to crack in high school and hidden treasures you may never have heard of before.
If you want to be well read but fear the boring bits, this snappily written guide to what to read, what to skip, what's sexy and what's fun in the classics is right up your alley.