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How to Talk about Books You Haven't Read
How to Talk about Books You Haven't Read
Author: Pierre Bayard
Pierre Bayard's "How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read," translated superbly from the French by Jeffrey Mehlman, comes at a time when a number of experts declare that reading in America is on the decline. Since the 2004 report from the US National Endowment for the Arts documented that Americans are reading less and less, th...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780739496985
ISBN-10: 0739496980
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 185
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 2

4 stars, based on 2 ratings
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed How to Talk about Books You Haven't Read on + 188 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Thought that this book would be funny, but it actually has many provoking ideas related to what is reading, and how to get context and content without reading the text under discussion. For example - if you read a book and forget most of it, can you still say you have read the book? What if you only skimmed it but remember what you skimmed? If you only know the book thru reviews or references to a book, can you infer enough as if you had read it? The author also has some funny ways of rating books based on whether he has "read" them, only heard of them, or never heard of them, which he uses thruout the book. A short read, good audio book. Recommend skimming ;-)
Shavian avatar reviewed How to Talk about Books You Haven't Read on + 15 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
From France - where else? - comes this indispensable primer on how to BS about unread (or unreadable) books in a smug, patronizingly omniscient tone. It's an essential skill you must master if you want to make it through job interviews, blind dates, pseudo-intellectual Bohemian gatherings, or college. I couldn't recommend Pierre Bayard's little monograph more highly. It's so good, in fact, I may even read it someday.
Read All 2 Book Reviews of "How to Talk about Books You Havent Read"


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