Hornby’s second “anthology” of his monthly book review essays in The Believer (the first was “The Polysyllabic Spree” which I commented on briefly back in 2005).

While I don’t always agree with his reviews, or I might not be interested in a particular book that he’s reading, I usually enjoy the tone of these write ups. The random associations that come about between books you didn’t expect to resonate with each other; the twists and turns that lead you off in a random direction, far from your original plans; and the pure joy when a book hits you in just the perfect moment for you and that book to collide.

Thanks to his comments, adding to my possibly to be read list (as opposed to the actual to be read pile of things already purchased or borrowed):

• “Every Secret Thing” Laura Lippman (fiction)
  
• “Blood Done Sign My Name” Timothy B. Tyson (memoir)
  
• “Oh the Glory of It All” Sean Wilsey (memoir)
  
• “What Good Are the Arts?” John Carey (nonfiction)
  
• “Death and the Penguin” Andrey Kurkov (fiction)
  
• Joshua Ferris “Then We Came to the End” (fiction) (this one’s been reviewed all over in the past year, but this is the first review to make me think Hmmmmm)