Just didn't click with me.

Library copy

I have been asked to review this. This however is not that review, just my musing so far. The book comes out this month. If you like reading books about books this is good stuff. Really, really good stuff. By turns the reviews are humorous, insightful, accessible, good-hearted and bold. He dares to say what the single greatest work of American literature is, plus what the single greatest American short story is. I won't say which works they are, but you can might be able to guess the first, but probably not the second which is by one of America's finest but most neglected writers. Not only that, but Yardley is also brave enough to take down some sacred cows, two of which I was hoping some one would level. Won't say what those are either. Talk about gutsy, he also admits to liking the word "dis", and is laugh out loud fun about the word "interface." The reviews are not wholly highbrow literature; there are reviews of genre fiction and comic strips, notably the wonderful Pogo.

I have been asked to review this. This however is not that review, just my musing so far. The book comes out this month. If you like reading books about books this is good stuff. Really, really good stuff. By turns the reviews are humorous, insightful, accessible, good-hearted and bold. He dares to say what the single greatest work of American literature is, plus what the single greatest American short story is. I won't say which works they are, but you can might be able to guess the first, but probably not the second which is by one of America's finest but most neglected writers. Not only that, but Yardley is also brave enough to take down some sacred cows, two of which I was hoping some one would level. Won't say what those are either. Talk about gutsy, he also admits to liking the word "dis", and is laugh out loud fun about the word "interface." The reviews are not wholly highbrow literature; there are reviews of genre fiction and comic strips, notably the wonderful Pogo.

I have been asked to review this. This however is not that review, just my musing so far. The book comes out this month. If you like reading books about books this is good stuff. Really, really good stuff. By turns the reviews are humorous, insightful, accessible, good-hearted and bold. He dares to say what the single greatest work of American literature is, plus what the single greatest American short story is. I won't say which works they are, but you can might be able to guess the first, but probably not the second which is by one of America's finest but most neglected writers. Not only that, but Yardley is also brave enough to take down some sacred cows, two of which I was hoping some one would level. Won't say what those are either. Talk about gutsy, he also admits to liking the word "dis", and is laugh out loud fun about the word "interface." The reviews are not wholly highbrow literature; there are reviews of genre fiction and comic strips, notably the wonderful Pogo.

Second Reading is a book-about-books, and its all about taking a second look at my kind of books. Book critic Jonathan Yardley pulls books from his bookshelf that he read twenty, thirty, forty years ago and rereads them. Most of these are small books, almost forgotten now, and I love it that he brings his magnifying glass to each of these rather than the big bestsellers that are always in the limelight anyway. Yardley's tastes run a bit more to suspense and adventure than mine do, but I was still able to write down lots of titles on my wish list and that's always nice. ( )

Yardley was a Washington DC book critic for decades, most of those years falling during the 70s/early 80s, when I was too young to read his columns. But I recognized the name and, when I saw this at last year's National Book Festival, picked up a copy, thinking I'd enjoy this collection of his essays on "notable and neglected texts" as a work of literary criticism and maybe pick up some good reading recommendations at the same time.

What I found is that all literary criticism is not alike. Yardley's prose is serviceable, and his research on the works he critiques sufficiently comprehensive, but everything - from the books he chose to the nature of his comments - is tinged with a strong 60s/70s literary/cultural bias that I found offputting. I suppose literary critics are as much a product of their times as the books they review, but 60s/70s literature is definitely over-represented here, and is it really necessary that *every* book be scrutinized through the lens of 60s/70s culture (feminism, racism, class consciousness, the sexual revolution)?

I was also put off by Yardley's personality. He talks rather a lot about himself, his life, and his values in the course of these reviews, and the picture he paints is (I presume unintentionally) unflattering. He comes off as bitter, petty, self-aggrandizing and somewhat condescending, which was probably another reason why I found it difficult to let my guard down and entrust myself to his judgment.

As I am not a particular fan of 70s culture or literature, I found little here of value. (Of the ~70 books reviewed here, I may read 4-5 ... and I'm pretty open-minded.) Maybe I'm 10 years too young? Any 60yr olds out there want to give this a try and contradict me? ( )

I love books about books!

These days, with the Internet so practically accessible, we rely on critics (both professional an un-) for everything from what "musical do I want to see in the spring?", to "what detergent should I use on my baby's clothes". How does the saying go-- everyone's a critic? But not everyone is Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Yardley, who has spent most of the last fifty or so years as a book critic, author, columnist and teacher, and who has, in that time, read more books multiple times than most adults can claim in an entire lifetime. And it is with that literary experience that he established his "Second Reading" column in the Washington Post, now in collected form, care of Europa Editions.

This is a book to be taken on lightly. As earnestly as you may wish to plough through it, beginning to end may not be the best course. This is 360 pages of one person's opinion of many topics, and may easily alienate a reader if read straight-through. Keeping that in mind, I personally sorted the 60 essays into groups - those books that I had already read (only 4!), books I had heard of (16), books that sounded interesting (25), and then what I dubbed "last, but not least" (15). Working through the pieces in that fashion, I found Yardley increasingly agreeable. Once I was able to trust him (based on his exploration of those books I already know), it became easier to understand his point of view on books I had never heard of.

And, I should point out, it's not just about the books--neglected, or otherwise. He writes most astutely about the authors, providing brief enough biographies that it's not a collection of them, but establishing their places in the world, and contextualizing them. I've spent a week reading this book in small batches, and it's the best literary course I've taken in ages. It's easy to appreciate it when you see how clearly Yardley's passion for literature and for reading, and for these books shines through.

You can almost see him moving back and forth in front of a chalk board circling title after title, and sighing as he says "now this is a terrific book" or skipping to the other end of the board and underlining an author's name saying "you would not believe how this one's been mistreated," and then watching his eyes light up as he wipes the chalk dust from his hands and says "oh! but have you read this one?!"

I will add, as Yardley has in the book, that not all of the books from his column (which ran from 2003 to January 2010) are in the book. Thirty-seven of them were left out. However, all of the reviews from that column (including those in this book) can be found via link from Yardley's website. I have a feeling he saved the best for this collection, but considering The Count of Monte Cristo and Pride and Prejudice are both on the left-out list, I know I'll be checking out the website for myself!

Lauren Cartelli
www.theliterarygothamite.com ( )