So, I kind of love to read and write. This interest isn’t something that was really taught or fostered by anyone in particular – it sort of just happened. And after years of learning the rules of reading and writing in grammar school and high school (much to my disappointment, I placed out of my college English requirements), I thought I was pretty much finished. Then I picked up Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose.
If you’re looking for a book that teaches you to love reading, this is a close as you’re going to get. Prose’s long history of teaching writing seminars provides some pretty hilarious anecdotes, all of which relate to the most important things a reader should look for in a piece of writing. Her chapters on narration, details, and dialogue were my favorites – in the “details” chapter, Prose tells a story about a woman who had lost her foot in a bout of childhood cancer. Or at least, that’s what she said – every time she invented a new story about how she lost her foot, the entire class believed her because of the minute details she included in her tales.
Prose also included segments of famous novels to exemplify her points – in fact, she includes her list of “Books to be Read Immediately” filled with classics like Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick, and many, many others that I have never even heard of! Perfect timing as I am running out of great books to read! There is also an interesting interview with the author about the future of literature.