Happy New Year! I got some reading done over my holiday break, and my new year's resolution is to update more than once a month (on average, that is).
In my progression down the line of literature of questionable merit, I've gone from checkout line books and bargain books to clearance books. The thing about consumerism is, even if it's destined to be a classic, or it is a classic, you can still find some version of it for less than $5 if you're patient. I found Casablanca in the $5 movie bin at Walmart. So, don't judge a book by it's price.
Instead, judge it by its reviews. Most books only publish the most flattering segments of their best reviews on the literal first page or sometimes on the back of the dust jacket. If the best they have are two word reviews, what you are reading is likely not the best summary of the reviewers thoughts on that book. And then there's the reviews for the book I just finished:
"Do you hear that? It's the sound of Shakespeare, rolling over in his grave." —The Wall Street Journal
"Sincerest apologies to Shakespeare, Stendhal, and Joyce: how were we to know it would come to this?" — Mashable.com
"A move likely to be greeted by book lovers with a mixture of horror and why-didn't-I-think-of-that jealousy." —Chicago Tribune
Well, the last one isn't so bad. Clearly, this book must have to do with pop-culture and sensationalism. Which is half right. If you like the beyond Cliffs Notes, hyper-condensed versions of books and have a passing familiarity with the internet check out..........
......twitterature: The World's Greatest Books in Twenty Tweets or Less.
Seriously. And it gets better. This book was written (presumably on Twitter, but seeing as I don't have an account...) by two college freshmen, Alexander Aciman and Emmett Rensin. Not only are they more well-read than you, they are published in a work essentially mocking how much better read they are. 'Cause really, about a dozen of the works included I had never heard of. Then again, I'm not an English major.
It is possible to use this book to get a feel for what one of the 83 works in the book is about. However, judging from the ones I have read, don't expect Aciman and Rensin to stick too closely to the plot. This is after all, meant to be a humorous book. But if you haven't read a work, don't expect to fully understand the jokes. Along those lines, it's possible this book could promote reading. Maybe. Nah.
This book breaks all therules conventions. The publishing of their bad reviews only kicks off the poking fun at the establishment. Aciman hails Napoleon as his hero, while Rensin claims a love of all things Nixon. The book is dedicated to the victims of the Titanic. And all that before you even get to the introduction.
It's hard to quibble with the inclusion of poetry and plays in their list of great 'books,' but the final entry was surely intended to break their own rules—Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. And, helpfully, there's a glossary at the back for the lingo you may not be familiar with.
Well, I think it's awesome, at least. And there's a valuable lesson to be learned. All those plans hatched in your dorm room? Shoulda followed through. Srsly.
In my progression down the line of literature of questionable merit, I've gone from checkout line books and bargain books to clearance books. The thing about consumerism is, even if it's destined to be a classic, or it is a classic, you can still find some version of it for less than $5 if you're patient. I found Casablanca in the $5 movie bin at Walmart. So, don't judge a book by it's price.
Instead, judge it by its reviews. Most books only publish the most flattering segments of their best reviews on the literal first page or sometimes on the back of the dust jacket. If the best they have are two word reviews, what you are reading is likely not the best summary of the reviewers thoughts on that book. And then there's the reviews for the book I just finished:
"Do you hear that? It's the sound of Shakespeare, rolling over in his grave." —The Wall Street Journal
"Sincerest apologies to Shakespeare, Stendhal, and Joyce: how were we to know it would come to this?" — Mashable.com
"A move likely to be greeted by book lovers with a mixture of horror and why-didn't-I-think-of-that jealousy." —Chicago Tribune
Well, the last one isn't so bad. Clearly, this book must have to do with pop-culture and sensationalism. Which is half right. If you like the beyond Cliffs Notes, hyper-condensed versions of books and have a passing familiarity with the internet check out..........
......twitterature: The World's Greatest Books in Twenty Tweets or Less.
Seriously. And it gets better. This book was written (presumably on Twitter, but seeing as I don't have an account...) by two college freshmen, Alexander Aciman and Emmett Rensin. Not only are they more well-read than you, they are published in a work essentially mocking how much better read they are. 'Cause really, about a dozen of the works included I had never heard of. Then again, I'm not an English major.
It is possible to use this book to get a feel for what one of the 83 works in the book is about. However, judging from the ones I have read, don't expect Aciman and Rensin to stick too closely to the plot. This is after all, meant to be a humorous book. But if you haven't read a work, don't expect to fully understand the jokes. Along those lines, it's possible this book could promote reading. Maybe. Nah.
This book breaks all the
It's hard to quibble with the inclusion of poetry and plays in their list of great 'books,' but the final entry was surely intended to break their own rules—Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. And, helpfully, there's a glossary at the back for the lingo you may not be familiar with.
Well, I think it's awesome, at least. And there's a valuable lesson to be learned. All those plans hatched in your dorm room? Shoulda followed through. Srsly.
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