One hundred of today’s most prominent literary and cultural icons talk about the books that hold a special place in their hearts–that made them who they are today. Leading authors, politicians, CEOs, actors, and other notables share the books that changed their life, why they love them, and their passion with readers everywhere. Regan Arts has teamed up with the literary charity 826National, … charity 826National, which will receive a portion of the book’s proceeds to provide students ages 6-18 with opportunities to explore their creativity and improve their writing skills.
Contributors include Al Roker, Carl Hiaasen, Dave Eggers, Emma Straub, Eric Idle, Fay Weldon, Fran Lebowitz, Gillian Flynn, Gregory Maguire, Jeff Kinney, Jim Shepard, Laura Lippmann, Lev Grossman, Liev Schreiber, Margaret Atwood, Mayim Bialik, Nelson DeMille, Rosanne Cash, Susan Orlean, Tim Gunn, and Tommy Hilfiger, among others.
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Turns out great writers are also great readers. Or at least the ones in this book are. Their essays will entertain you and move you—and also add several dozen titles to your reading list. So beware.
I guess I’m showing my age or lack of engagement in the real world, but most of the famous writers were totally unknown to me, as were many of the books they chose. The writing was well-organized, though, and the short bio at the end of each writer’s choice was helpful . Sorry, but I was underwhelmed.
One of my favorite books is mentionned” Crossing to Safety” superb, in a way it changed my life, inspires us to nurture real friendship !
Eye opening and well told reviews of 100 books. I found many books I wanted to read. Some that were reviewed and some by the reviewers.
Snore
It is fun to know how certain books have affected well known people. I enjoyed reading about other book lovers and I will probably procure some of the recommended books. Many are old friends but some I have not read. I will probably refer back to this book when I need some inspiration.
Reading this book inspired me to write two essays about books that changed my life. My only criticism is that the contributors seem random and scattered, but even when I had no idea who they were or what they might be famous for, reading about their reading was really interesting.
Introduced me to books that i will want to read
The format made this an easy book to pick up for just a few minutes but the content made it difficult to put down. Each chapter is just 3-5 pages long, but as each person listed the book that changed his/her life, you couldn’t wait to see the next one. I had read many of the books mentioned, but I had the opportunity to see those books in a different light as each author explained it’s importance to them. Now that I have finished, I want to go back and list the books and make sure I read them all!
Fascinating and inspirational!
Somewhat. Disappointing. I was expecting more in the way of insight.
The review that Eric Idle provides in this book and the reviews found separately on his link are the most interesting.
Boring. There were a few interesting, but I was surprised how little I cared after reading many of them. Meh.
When people claim that books changed their lives, if you look at them closely, their lives rarely seem to have actually changed. That’s not the case with the bibliomaniacs in this masterfully curated anthology. Not only have these books changed their lives, they tell you how, when, and why. Your to-read pile is about to grow by leaps and bounds.
How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book!’ Thoreau only says ‘a book,’ but Bethanne Patrick had the excellent idea of asking notable figures in the arts, business, media and politics to be more specific. The result is a collection of lively brief essays extolling the power of the printed word while also providing an appealingly idiosyncratic reading list. Be prepared for surprises!