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100 One-Night Reads: A Book Lover's Guide
by David C. Major, John S. Major
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Ballantine Books (2001-05-29)
ISBN: 0345439945
EAN: 9780345439949
Dewy Decimal #: 011.73
Paperback: 336 pages
Edition: 1st
Release Date: 2001-05-29
SKU: 02759
Condition: Collectible: Good 1s
Comments: First Edition June 2001 with full number line.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
Readers everywhere know that nothing soothes the spirit like sinking into a really good book. If you're one of that happy band, you'll quickly recognize the authors of this inspired reading guide as kindred spirits. Here David and John Major have chosen one hundred books that can each be delightfully consumed in one quiet evening. Covering categories from fantasy to fiction, history to humor, mystery to memoir, this addictive volume features books to match all your moods—by both celebrated writers and gifted unknowns, including:
• Russell Baker • Willa Cather • Raymond Chandler • F. Scott Fitzgerald • Graham Greene • Edith Hamilton • Dashiell Hammett • Helene Hanff • Ernest Hemingway • Patricia Highsmith • Shirley Jackson • Henry James • W. Somerset Maugham • Mary McCarthy • Walter Mosley • Vladimir Nabokov • Patrick O'Brian • Barbara Pym • Phillip Roth • Vikram Seth • Isaac Bashevis Singer • C. P. Snow • Dylan Thomas • Evelyn Waugh • Edith Wharton • Laura Ingalls Wilder • Virginia Woolf
Each selection contains an entertaining discussion of what makes the book special, from an adventurous writing style to a unique sense of humor. The Majors also share insights about the authors and literary anecdotes, as well as recommend other gems on a similar subject or by the same author.
A literary companion to relish and refer to again and again, 100 One-Night Reads is a masterpiece in its own right!
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Customer Reviews
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wonderful book about books
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-04-05
This is a wonderful book about books. Basically, it is a list of great recommendations for anyone who loves to read. When I saw some of my favorite authors listed - E. F. Benson, Helene Hanff, Russell Baker, etc, I knew these guys know what they are talking about. The authors give a short synopsis of a book (without giving too much away of the plot )and interesting information about its author. I am thoroughly enoying working my way through their recommendations. I hope that there will be a second version of this book when I am finished.
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Arrived quickly.
Rating  (3)
Date: 2007-03-30
0 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
Arrived quickly. I expected a list of the best one night reads, I guess it depends on your likes and dislikes.
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Good suggestions, but certainly not for everyone.
Rating  (4)
Date: 2006-06-27
As the authors proclaim, this is a book lover's guide. But not everyone will share their tastes.
The authors do present one hundred short, informative and entertaining essays on the books they have enjoyed, which they feel others will appreciate as well.
I suspect I was not greatly impressed because I have read nearly all the books they recommend, some so many decades ago that I felt truly aged.
Many of the suggestions are not -- as the authors admit -- one night reads by any definition.
In some ways, I found the range of selections too broad, but that opinion probably reflects my personal tastes.
Treated as a descriptive list of the authors' favorites, most readers will discover something they haven't seen or thought of before. The descriptions will certainly aid in choosing what you might want to read.
Jerry
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The Best Recommendations
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-04-28
5 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
I heard these brothers speak at an evening event at the Library of Congress. They decried the chance nature of book publishing, where good books disappear and bad books make money.
Their own book is itself a great read. A Desiderata for essential reading. Take it with you when you pick through flea markets. Thank you, David and John Major.
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Not just about literature
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-04-25
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
There are a lot of books in the world; it's great to have such a charming, well written guide as a companion through a lifetime of reading. A good portion of what I read tends to be subjects I'm interested in, authors read previously and what the book group is reading. This book has given me new avenues: subjects I never knew I was interested in, authors forgotten by the literary world, familiar titles that I have always heard about but have never read. The description essays are so personal and so inviting that you will want to start reading immediately. The wide ranging suggestions include memoirs, mysteries, literature and history. A must for book lovers.
I wish that I was a friend of the authors. I would love to check out their bookshelves. I also want to know what they would recommend on the 101st night and nights thereafter
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