One for the Books

by Joe Queenan

Overview

An absolute must-read for anyone who loves books

In Closing Time, Joe Queenan shared how he became a voracious reader to escape a joyless childhood. Now, like many bibliophiles, he fears for the books that once saved him. In One for the Books, Queenan examines the entire culture of reading and what books really mean in people’s lives today. What does it suggest if a person has no books displayed in his living room? Can an obsession with reading prove detrimental to one’s well being? How useful are covers in selling books? Queenan’s many fans—as well as anyone who loves books and reading—will want to join him on his unforgettably funny and moving journey.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780143124207
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/29/2013
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Joe Queenan is the author of nine books and writes the “Moving Targets” column for the Wall Street Journal. He lives in Tarrytown, New York.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Great Expectations 1

Chapter 2 Face Without a Name, Bag Without a Number 28

Chapter 3 Opening the Books 58

Chapter 4 Shelf Life 84

Chapter 5 Prepare to Be Astonished 115

Chapter 6 The Stockholm Syndrome 153

Chapter 7 Other Voices, Other Rooms 193

Chapter 8 Life Support 221

Acknowledgments 245

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"[Queenan's] passion for reading is infectious ... It’s so rare to hear such a heartfelt defense of books — it’s one of the most original works we read this year."
~New York Daily News (Best books of 2012)
 
"A celebration of literature, reading and the call of books from a stylish humorist who has a soft spot for Georges Simenon and a hard time with trendiness and 'astonishing' reviews."
~Kansas City Star (Top 100 books of 2012)
 
"A passionate, at times hilarious, account of a life spent reading and rereading."
~Minneapolis Star Tribune
  
"Queenan's goal isn't just to declare his love for books and to list particular books that he loves, but to suss out the customs of book lovers: to analyze what books mean to his friends and acquaintances (not to mention a few enemies), and how books forge or destroy friendships."
~Leah Price, San Francisco Chronicle
 

Editorial Reviews

"[Queenan's] passion for reading is infectious ... It’s so rare to hear such a heartfelt defense of books — it’s one of the most original works we read this year."
~New York Daily News (Best books of 2012)
 
"A celebration of literature, reading and the call of books from a stylish humorist who has a soft spot for Georges Simenon and a hard time with trendiness and 'astonishing' reviews."
~Kansas City Star (Top 100 books of 2012)
 
"A passionate, at times hilarious, account of a life spent reading and rereading."
~Minneapolis Star Tribune
  
"Queenan's goal isn't just to declare his love for books and to list particular books that he loves, but to suss out the customs of book lovers: to analyze what books mean to his friends and acquaintances (not to mention a few enemies), and how books forge or destroy friendships."
~Leah Price, San Francisco Chronicle
 

From the Publisher

A journalist shares his obsession with books, swinging his machete through the fields of literature. A national columnist and prolific writer, Queenan (Closing Time: A Memoir, 2009) is crazy about books--literally. Even other bibliophiles will likely consider his reading habits to be on the lunatic fringe: "I cannot remember a single time when I was reading fewer than fifteen books…I am talking about books I am actively reading, books that are right there on my nightstand and are not leaving until I'm done with them. Right now, the number is thirty-two." The author admits that this is "madness." Such obsession makes him a promiscuous reader, but also a faithful one, devouring everything he can find from an author he discovers, no matter how obscure or prolific. Since he's sometimes classified as a humorist, and since much of his humor lies in his outrageous assertions, it's hard to tell how seriously to take his dismissal of Middlemarch, Ulysses and all of Thomas Hardy, though plainly he takes books and reading very seriously indeed. Yet he doesn't much care for independent bookstores ("often staffed by condescending prigs who do not approve of people like me. The only writers they like are dead or exotic or Paul Auster"), or book critics ("mostly servile muttonheads, lacking the nerve to call out famous authors for their daft plots and slovenly prose), or book clubs ("I would rather have my eyelids gnawed on by famished gerbils than join a book club"). Queenan also resists the temptation of most book lovers to buy a lot of books, since he figures he won't live long enough to read (or re-read) the ones he's vowed to finish before he dies. Most will agree that "reading is intensely personal," and the author splatters his personality over every page. An amusing homage to reading that contains something to offend even (especially?) the most ardent book lover.

Kirkus Reviews