The complete polysyllabic spree : [the diary of an occasionally exasperated but ever hopeful reader

The "Complete Polysyllabic Spree" is Nick Hornby's wickedly funny journey through reading. This is not a book of reviews. This not a book that sneers at other books. This is a book about reading - about enjoying books wherever and however you find them. Nick Hornby, author of the bestsellers "About a Boy" and "Fever Pitch" - takes us on a hilarious and perceptive tour through the books he bought, the books he read and his thoughts on literature. He is first and foremost a reader and he approaches books like the rest of us: hoping to pick up one he can't put down. The "Complete Polysyllabic Spree" is a diary of sorts, charting his reading life over two years. It is a celebration of why we read - its pleasures, its disappointments and its surprises. And above all, it is for you - the ever hopeful reader. For fans of Bill Bryson and Stephen Fry, and for bookworms everywhere, this witty, passionate book will make you cherish the world of letters anew. "An engaged and engaging ramble around one reader's mind". ("The Times"). "Not only does it make you want to read more but, like all great books, it's also terrific company". ("Metro"). "For anyone whose idea of a good time is arguing with friends about their favourite books...amusing and contagiously enthusiastic". ("Big Issue"). Nick Hornby has captivated readers and achieved widespread critical acclaim for his comic, well-observed novels "About a Boy", "High Fidelity", "How to be Good", "A Long Way Down" (shortlisted for the Whitbread Award), "Slam and Juliet", and "Naked". His two additional works of non-fiction, "31 Songs" (shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award) and "Fever Pitch" (winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award) are also available from Penguin. In his monthly accounts of what he's read - along with what he may one day read - Nick Hornby explores everything from the classic to the graphic novel, as well as poems, plays, sports books and other kinds of non-fiction. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree is Nick Hornby's wickedly funny journey through reading"An engaged and engaging ramble around one reader's mind'." - The TimesThis is not a book of reviews. This is not a book that sneers at other books. This is a book about reading - about enjoying books wherever and however you find them.Nick Hornby, author of the bestsellers About a Boy and Fever Pitch - takes us on a hilarious and perceptive tour through the books he bought, the books he read and his thoughts on literature. He is first and foremost a reader and he approaches books like the rest of us: hoping to pick up one he can't put down. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree is a diary of sorts, charting his reading life over two years. It is a celebration of why we read - its pleasures, its disappointments and its surprises. And above all, it is for you - the ever-hopeful reader."Not only does it make you want to read more but, like all great books, it's also terrific company." - Metro"For anyone whose idea of a good time is arguing with friends about their favourite books... amusing and contagiously enthusiastic." - Big Issue 'So this is supposed to be about the how, and when, and why, and what of reading - about the way that, when reading is going well, one books leads to another and to another, a paper trail of theme and meaning; and how, when it's going badly, when books don't stick or take, when your mood and the mood of the book are fighting like cats, you'd rather do anything but attempt the next paragraph, or reread the last one for the tenth time'. In his monthly accounts of what he's read - along with what he may one day read - Nick Hornby ably explores everything from the classic to the graphic novel, as well as poems, plays, and sports-related exposes. And, if he occasionally implores a biographer for brevity, or abandons a literary work in favor of an Arsenal soccer match, then all is not lost. His writing, full of all the joy and surprise and despair that books bring him, reveals why we still read, even when there's soccer on TV, a pram in the hall, and a good band playing at our local bar Explores works from the classic to the graphic novel, as well as poems, plays, sports books and other kinds of non-fiction. This work reveals why we still read, even when there's football on TV, a pram in the hall or a good band playing at our local pub In his monthly accounts of what he's read - along with what he may one day read, the author explores everything from the classic to the graphic novel, as well as poems, plays, sports books and other kinds of non-fiction.