Hardcover, 128 pages
English language
Published Sept. 18, 2007 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Amusing enough. A nice, light, detour from more serious things on my reading list.
A nice little book I picked up by accident in the fiction section at a used bookstore thinking it should have been elsewhere.
You know how sometimes you can fall away from reading? Work or family matters get in the way and you lose the habit. You think you read because you read newspapers and magazines and things online but then you realize you haven't read a whole book for ages. It happened to me because of medical stuff. The Uncommon Reader is a nice reminder of why it's good to read.
The plot is that the Queen stumbles on a van that distributes books while chasing her corgis. She gets a book, and then another and another and becomes an avid reader. It changes her for the better as she develops an interest in words and books and describes herself as an opsimath—a person who begins to learn or …
A nice little book I picked up by accident in the fiction section at a used bookstore thinking it should have been elsewhere.
You know how sometimes you can fall away from reading? Work or family matters get in the way and you lose the habit. You think you read because you read newspapers and magazines and things online but then you realize you haven't read a whole book for ages. It happened to me because of medical stuff. The Uncommon Reader is a nice reminder of why it's good to read.
The plot is that the Queen stumbles on a van that distributes books while chasing her corgis. She gets a book, and then another and another and becomes an avid reader. It changes her for the better as she develops an interest in words and books and describes herself as an opsimath—a person who begins to learn or study only late in life.
She bridles when an aide named Kevin suggests that she is well briefed on so many topics:
"Of course," said the Queen, "but briefing is not reading. In fact is is the antithesis of reading. Briefing is terse, factual and to the point. Reading is untidy, discursive and perpetually inviting. Briefing closes down a subject, reading opens it up."
"I wonder whether I can bring Your Majesty back to the visit to the shoe factory, said Sir Kevin.
"Next time," said the Queen shortly. "Where did I put my book?"
Hach. Was für ein schönes Buch. Ich hab's als Hörbuch gehört - der Vorleser hat mir auch sehr gefallen - aber überlege, ob ich mir nicht die schöne rote, in Leinen gebundene Ausgabe von Wagenbach zulegen soll. So ein nettes Buch! Ich hab es bisher immer nicht unbedingt lesen wollen, weil es ja recht dünn und damit gleich durch ist - aber sooo schön! Das ist bisher mein Highlight 2014 und kommt auf mein Favorite-Regal mit Juliet und Helene Hanft. Hach!
A book that every avid reader, like me, would love. Quirky, funny and thought –provoking.
Deadly serious the same time, shows how reading can broad horizons, expand thinking, and change lives. Absolutely wonderful!
A charming little book, probably beloved by librarians around the world.
