More Baths, Less Talking by Nick Hornby

More Baths, Less Talking by Nick Hornby

Completion Date: December 16, 2012
Reason for Reading: New book of essays about books by Nick Hornby! Enough said.

“Read what you enjoy, not what bores you,” Nick Hornby tells us. That simple, liberating, and indispensable directive animates each installment of the celebrated critic and author’s monthly column in the Believer. In this delightful and never-musty tour of his reading life, Hornby tells us not just what to read, but how to read.

Whether tackling a dismayingly bulky biography of Dickens while his children destroy something in the next room, or getting sucked into a serious assessment of Celine Dion during an intensely fought soccer match featuring his beloved Arsenal, or devouring an entire series of children’s books while on vacation, Hornby’s reviews are rich, witty, and occasionally madcap. These essays capture the joy and ire, the despair and exhilaration of the book-lover’s life, and will appeal equally to both monocle-wearing salonnieres and people, like him, who spend a lot of time thinking about Miley Cyrus’s next role.

When I heard this was coming out, likely from Ana, I knew it was on my 'must read' list for the year. I was just slow getting a copy because I have been a slacker when it comes to the library the later part of this year. I could have bought a paper edition, I would love to own them all, but where I didn't have the other three it just wasn't a pressing addition to my collection. So, I got an e-copy... You know, because all the other books I have bought lately were for nothing. I obviously needed another book! I was just in the mood for the fourth in a series of essays that I love. My reading has been so sporadic of late that I decided to take advantage of reading a book. And, I really really am happy I did. I have come to the conclusion that so far I am not a huge fan of Hornby's fiction, but I have had great success with his non-fiction. A series of columns about books!

More Baths, Less Talking is the collected essays of Hornby that run in the Believer monthly. It was on a bit of hiatus, but thankfully the hiatus was not a permanent one and he is back being humouous, snarky, and all the things that make his columns so fun to read. Well, besides the fact that it is about books. I, of course, found new books to read. That was given. Do I need more books I want to read? Probably not... It happens, though, right? The wish list grows each much way faster than I ever could possibly read them. (Lately my buying resembles that, too!) He also talks about books I am aware of in a way that makes me want to move them up the wish list a bit. (Or makes me feel better that I never got the appeal of Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens despite enjoying other books by him.) Speaking of Dickens, I really want to read Claire Tomalin's biography of him. It is on my wish list, but it is a nice manageable size. It is worth checking out and has Hornby's recommendation.

I really hope Nick Hornby is back to stay and there will be another volume of his essays coming. I enjoy them immensely!