15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a literary guide to be employed every day of a single year, April 3, 2008
This review is from: Book Smart: Your Essential List for Becoming a Literary Genius in 365 Days (Paperback)
Not reading the books that have endured in their reputation as literary gems for generation after generation of readers is akin to starving in the midst of an orchard of ripe, pluckable fruit. Jane Mallison is a self-acknowledged passionate and life-long reader of books. She was head of the New York Trinity School English Department from 1982 to 2004 and therefore employs a very special experience-based expertise in "Book Smart: Your Essential Reading List For Becoming A Literary Genius In 365 Days". This is a literary guide to be employed every day of a single year, at the end of which the reader will benefit from a month-by-month plan involving 120 of the most compelling books of our universal literary heritage. Presented on a January through December calendar, the suggested titles are organized thematically, ranging from titles that are 'Towering Works to Read in Translation' from Beowulf to The Aeneid; to 'Some Notable Biographies' from Flaubert's Parrot to "The Life and Times of Cotton Mather; to 'Winners of Major Awards' from Herzog to All the King's Men. The authors of these 120 recommended literary works range from Charlotte Bronte, Sophocles, Thomas Hardy, and Benjamin Franklin, to Joseph Conrad, Evelyn Waugh, James Thurber, and Voltaire. Each title is presented with a succinct description that includes historical notes, highlights on key themes and characters. Of special note is the cogent advice on how to approach reading. Ideal as a curriculum guide for highschool and college level English Literature curriculums, "Book Smart" is especially recommended for individual readers wishing to acquire a basic literary literacy. Especially since every single recommended title can be acquired for reading through a local public library, either directly or through their community library's free InterLibrary Loan System.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Witty, Graceful Erudition, November 18, 2007
This review is from: Book Smart: Your Essential List for Becoming a Literary Genius in 365 Days (Paperback)
This book is the real thing. The author's choices are solidly based and could well form the basis of fourteen to twenty-one year old students' literary education. But two other factors are very much present in this book and provide its true worth--Mallison clearly loves literature and she writes about her choices with remarkable brevity and wit. I do not remember such a graceful combination present in the myriad of Great Books and Great Literature guides published over the past forty years. Much needed and highly recommended.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Book For All Seasons - Being Well Read is Having Knowledge in Your Hands, November 19, 2009
This review is from: Book Smart: Your Essential List for Becoming a Literary Genius in 365 Days (Paperback)
A companion book for one year's reading of literary works - giving a month by month list of the best novels of all time for you to read and enjoy; you'll find how rewarding it can be to know of the books referred to in literary magazines, at book clubs, amongst literary-minded friends and family and just generally, giving you a sense of achievement in this knowledge and furthering your interest in literature.
The books range from 17th century Spanish novels - ones which are considered best of that century to 18th century England when English novelists were considered at the height of their art, to the 21st century, to more modern, diverse novels.
I like how each book is summarised so you can see at a glance which book you'd like to read for that month. It could be that in January you want to read one for June - to take the chill out of a cold, dark evening and then one in April to feel the freshness of the April showers to lessen the heat of Summer - though one book is suggested a month to start with.
The synopsis is clear and concise and it gives you a good idea of what the plotline is so you have an understanding of the book before reading it - sometimes it's a good idea to know what the book is about before embarking on a novel, for instance, as the language can be daunting for its style and elaborate language with themes 'hidden' in a 'forestry' of complicated concepts, which have to be re-read several times before the ideas become clearer to the reader.
The reading list for each month is carefully chosen so that you're introduced and continue to be enlightened by a book (and books for that month), for all seasons, starting with truly classical novels in January, continuing with feminine type classics in the Spring months. Following on from that is classical comedy to add to the refreshing mid-season feel in the Summer, swiftly followed by ones which take the readers back to a time in their adolescense in the Autumn months - an accomplishment of reading novels all year round and a fulfilling passion of becoming well-read and truly literary-minded.
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