Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
William Collins (2020), Edition: 01, 304 pages
Description
"From "the most powerful book critic in the English-speaking world" (Vanity Fair) comes 100 personal, thought-provoking essays of the life-changing books she wouldn't want you to miss--beautifully illustrated throughout"--
User reviews
LibraryThing member quondame
Kakutani presents a heavily filtered selection of books, novels, memoirs political discussions, history, very heavily weighted toward the 21st century, with regular call outs against DT(45). Her biggest dud is a lame attempt at verse in tribute to Dr. Seuss. Her aim seems to be educating on current
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social political and some technical issues in our current mess. Show Less
LibraryThing member mstrust
Books that seem to be chosen based on the latest outrage. Too political.
LibraryThing member ritaer
Some interesting entries but no more so than other book lists I have.
LibraryThing member murderbydeath
This was my Jolabokaflod/Jólabókaflóð gift this year - books about books are catnip to me, but I'd have loved it for the illustrations and binding alone - it's just a really attractive book.
The author, who's a literary critic for the New York Times in her day job, has assembled 100+ books she
There were almost a dozen books, though, that I've added to my list books I'd like to pursue at some point. Most are non-fiction, a few - like the Federalist Papers, the speeches and writings of Lincoln, and Washington's Farewell Address have been on the radar for years, but there are a couple of memoirs, a book about Bell Labs and at least one work of fiction I discovered by reading this collection. My TBR didn't need the additional heft, but I suspect it will be a better, more well-rounded TBR for having these titles added.
If you're looking to expand your reading horizons, or are just a TBR masochist like I am, this book provides fertile ground, in spite of its dystopian slant towards collective self-loathing; between all the 'world has gone to hell' titles there are quite a few gems that are sure to appeal to a multitude of tastes. And did I mention the (hardcover) book is gorgeous?
The author, who's a literary critic for the New York Times in her day job, has assembled 100+ books she
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thinks are not only worth reading but also re-reading. Most of these are not run-of-the-mill canon books, and she includes a mix of fiction, non-fiction, memoir and poetry. Most were titles I'd never heard of; most for solid reasons concerning my own reading tastes. There's a heavy theme of dystopia throughout that I think is a mistake - we might be living in dark days, indeed, but referencing, or tying books back into, our specific times and our specific monkeys will have the unfortunate effect of dating this collection before its time.There were almost a dozen books, though, that I've added to my list books I'd like to pursue at some point. Most are non-fiction, a few - like the Federalist Papers, the speeches and writings of Lincoln, and Washington's Farewell Address have been on the radar for years, but there are a couple of memoirs, a book about Bell Labs and at least one work of fiction I discovered by reading this collection. My TBR didn't need the additional heft, but I suspect it will be a better, more well-rounded TBR for having these titles added.
If you're looking to expand your reading horizons, or are just a TBR masochist like I am, this book provides fertile ground, in spite of its dystopian slant towards collective self-loathing; between all the 'world has gone to hell' titles there are quite a few gems that are sure to appeal to a multitude of tastes. And did I mention the (hardcover) book is gorgeous?
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LibraryThing member BibliophageOnCoffee
Predictable and uninteresting. It seems like Kakutani just borrowed any old English class syllabus and then threw in a smattering of contemporary literary darlings for good measure. There's also a really bizarre amount of references to Trump. I started getting the feeling at one point that she was
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picking certain books just so that she could take another stab at Trump every 10 pages or so. And what's her opinion of Trump? Orange man=bad. Yes, we know, thanks for the well-trodden analysis. I also strongly dislike Trump, which is probably why I found the relentless references to him very annoying. Do we really need to give him even more air time? Anyway, I never would have predicted that I would have such a negative reaction to a simple book about books, but here we are. That's 2020 for you. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ Show Less
LibraryThing member Kathleen828
If I had read the Table of Contents before I purchased this, I would never have bought it. Far from being "books to read and reread," this is a list, for the most part, of currently hot authors and topics. Most of her selections will not stand the test of time.
If you are really looking for
If you are really looking for
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recommendations of books to read again and again in your lifetime, this is most definitely NOT it. Show Less
LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
I don't have much to say about this. I read these kinds of books looking for new books/authors to explore. I didn't note anything entirely new to me, but I jotted down a few books/authors I'm familiar with/have read that she made sound really interesting so that I may attempt to seek them out to
One interesting thing she noted was that regarding The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood decided that she would include nothing in the novel "that had not already happened." It might be interesting to do a reread of the book through that lens. I had read it when it was first published (in the 80's??) and viewed it as science fiction. When reread it in the early 2000's (George W. Bush era), it seemed much more real. In the present day, Kakutani states, "When many of us read THT back in the 80's the events Atwood described as taking place in Gilead felt like the sort of alarming developments that could only happen in the distant past or in distant parts of the globe. By 2019, however, American news reports were filled with real-life images of children being torn from their parents' arms, a president using racist language to sow fear and hatred, and reports of climate change threatening life as we know it on the planet accelerating."
3 stars
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actually read (or in some cases reread).One interesting thing she noted was that regarding The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood decided that she would include nothing in the novel "that had not already happened." It might be interesting to do a reread of the book through that lens. I had read it when it was first published (in the 80's??) and viewed it as science fiction. When reread it in the early 2000's (George W. Bush era), it seemed much more real. In the present day, Kakutani states, "When many of us read THT back in the 80's the events Atwood described as taking place in Gilead felt like the sort of alarming developments that could only happen in the distant past or in distant parts of the globe. By 2019, however, American news reports were filled with real-life images of children being torn from their parents' arms, a president using racist language to sow fear and hatred, and reports of climate change threatening life as we know it on the planet accelerating."
3 stars
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LibraryThing member Iudita
I dipped in and out of this over many months and thoroughly enjoyed it. It offers a condensed commentary on a hundred different books, many of which were new to me. And when you're done reading it - it's a pretty little thing on your shelf.
LibraryThing member AliceaP
As a Librarian, I try not to narrow down my reading to any one genre and it's books like these that help me to do that (as well as give me talking points about the books I haven't gotten around to yet). This book is exactly what it purports to be: a collection of titles (with reviews) of books that
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are recommended for repeated reading. I made note of several of these titles (I clearly remember writing down Kierkegaard) while happily checking off the ones that I've read before. If you're a big reader looking to expand your horizons or you're in a bit of a reading rut (happens to us all) you can dip in and out of this book for reading inspiration. Show Less
LibraryThing member WordMaven
Ex libris. What does that even mean?
Adverb: used as an inscription on a bookplate to show the name of the book's owner:
Noun: ex libris (noun) · ex libris (plural noun): a bookplate inscribed to show the name of the book's owner.
Origin: Latin, literally ‘out of the books or library (of
While I’m not too hot on the title (the sound and visual throw me), Ex Libris--100 Books to Read and Reread is a book devotional by Michiko Kakutani, famed senior book critic for the New York Times (now retired). Published in 2020, that terrible year, this book was one of the better things to emerge from the maelstrom. It’s a lovely volume, with beautiful illustrations by Dana Tanamachi that give the book as much merit at least as the text itself. Beautiful end papers and book titles illustrations are delightful and give an emotional lift with their vibrant colors and design. The contents are arranged alphabetically by the authors’ surnames.
I assume these are 100 of Ms. Kakutani’s favorites; hasn’t she read everything written at least in 2 centuries? The reviews are combinations of the original book review published in the NYT and additional remarks, perhaps written for this publication. Titles go back as far as The Odyssey (Emily Wilson’s 2017 translation) and as recent as On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous; books about work and vocation by various authors, and books on democracy and tyranny, a topic of great concern to Ms. Kakutani when Ex Libris was published, no doubt because of Trump’s presidency. She has a searing distaste for him, and I salute her for it.
I don’t think it’s available in paperback; while available in audiobook, it’s best read as a hand-held book, at least to appreciate the illustrations. Non-glare heavyweight 5x8 pages await your comments. 304 pages. Blank pages at the end for personal additions. A thoughtful layout makes this volume feel like a gift from one book lover to another.
Adverb: used as an inscription on a bookplate to show the name of the book's owner:
Noun: ex libris (noun) · ex libris (plural noun): a bookplate inscribed to show the name of the book's owner.
Origin: Latin, literally ‘out of the books or library (of
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someone)’.While I’m not too hot on the title (the sound and visual throw me), Ex Libris--100 Books to Read and Reread is a book devotional by Michiko Kakutani, famed senior book critic for the New York Times (now retired). Published in 2020, that terrible year, this book was one of the better things to emerge from the maelstrom. It’s a lovely volume, with beautiful illustrations by Dana Tanamachi that give the book as much merit at least as the text itself. Beautiful end papers and book titles illustrations are delightful and give an emotional lift with their vibrant colors and design. The contents are arranged alphabetically by the authors’ surnames.
I assume these are 100 of Ms. Kakutani’s favorites; hasn’t she read everything written at least in 2 centuries? The reviews are combinations of the original book review published in the NYT and additional remarks, perhaps written for this publication. Titles go back as far as The Odyssey (Emily Wilson’s 2017 translation) and as recent as On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous; books about work and vocation by various authors, and books on democracy and tyranny, a topic of great concern to Ms. Kakutani when Ex Libris was published, no doubt because of Trump’s presidency. She has a searing distaste for him, and I salute her for it.
I don’t think it’s available in paperback; while available in audiobook, it’s best read as a hand-held book, at least to appreciate the illustrations. Non-glare heavyweight 5x8 pages await your comments. 304 pages. Blank pages at the end for personal additions. A thoughtful layout makes this volume feel like a gift from one book lover to another.
Show Less
Awards
Waterstones Book of the Year (Shortlist — 2020)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2020
Physical description
304 p.; 7.72 inches
ISBN
0008421951 / 9780008421953