100 One-Night Reads

May 28, 2001
Beyond engrossing stories and pretty language, good books offer "a sense of having participated in much of what is finest in human culture," assert David C. Major and John S. Major (coauthor of The New Lifetime Reading Plan) in 100 One-Night Reads: A Book Lover's Guide. Though some recommendations may take longer than one night (e.g., The Hobbit), they are all enjoyable, tasteful, educational. Greene's Our Man in Havana, Wharton's Madame de Treymes, Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Roth's Portnoy's Complaint and Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop exemplify the authors' canonical taste. Some newer titles, like Vikram Seth's The Golden Gate and Dava Sobel's Longitude, also appear. Most of the selections are fiction, but humor and memoir also weigh in; poetry is excluded. Book groups will appreciate the recommendations as well as the authors' brief essay on each one.

May 1, 2001
A new entry in the "what should I read next?" genre, this volume has a hook: most of the 100 suggested books can be read in one evening. The Major brothers offer recommendations in nonfiction, general fiction, fantasy, humor, mystery, history, public affairs, memoirs, science, and travel. Most are by English or U.S. authors and were published in the 20th century. Each three-page entry includes a description of the book, information about the author, and an evaluation of what makes the book distinctive. Suggestions for additional writings by the author are often included. Among the Majors' favorites are F. Scott Fitzgerald, Raymond Chandler, Virginia Woolf, Philip Roth, Walter Mosley, Dylan Thomas, Russell Baker, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. The Majors have coedited two poetry anthologies and coauthored The New Lifetime Reading Plan. Recommended for public libraries. Shana C. Fair, Ohio Univ., Zanesville, OH

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.