HOUSEKEEPING VS. THE DIRT

Printed monthly in The Believer, Hornby's book reviews are suffused with wit, ire and loving insight and his choices often strike into the deeper and odder reaches of the literary world, big books which are ridiculously unfunny but also books that can bring themselves 'all the way through the long march to your soul.' Sub-titled 'Fourteen Months of Massively Witty Adventures In Reading', by the author of the bestselling novels About A Boy and High Fidelity including excerpts from his favourite new books by Sarah Vowell, Jennie Erdal and others. As rich and varied as the world of literature itself, Hornby is perfectly cast as both tour guide and host, and insatiable bibliophiles will devour his columns with delight. Here is his popular collection of essays as Nick Hornby continues the feverish survey of his swollen bookshelves offering funny, intelligent and unblinkered accounts of the stuff he's been reading, with revelations on the intellectual scene and English football in equal measure. In February 2005 he ponders the mystique of Bob Dylan and makes a point about Philip Roth; by May he ponders bird books and true crime then Capote and Gourevitch. He discovers Adrian Mole and considers why he doesn't understand science fiction, and asks if Martin Amis and Marilynne Robinson are modern classics. He ponders the profound effect of literature on life and interesting philosophical debate about blow jobs in a terrific opening scene from Jess Walter's novel. He reads about American lives, Anthony Burgess about Michael Frayn, the foul-mouthed Philip Larkin and rereads William Cooper. 153pp, paperback.