Books for Living

Starred review from October 17, 2016
The right book at the right time can change your life, Schwalbe (The End of Your Life Book Club) argues as he distills a lifetime of reading recommendations down to this personal list of books for many moods and occasions. The first book that Schwalbe recommends is Lin Yutang’s The Importance of Living, an interesting work of practical philosophy that Schwalbe returns to over and over. Schwalbe also includes essays on children’s books, YA, classics, and recent book such as A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara’s 2015 novel. He uses these brief essays as springboards into other topics, such as worry over our Orwellian addiction to smartphones, the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, and why napping should be deemed a human right. His experience taking a class in ancient Greek and reading The Odyssey turns into a memoir about a teacher who inspired him. When he reflects on Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, he thinks of the high school librarian who subtly provided him with books by gay writers. Schwalbe’s tremendous experience with reading and his stellar taste make for a fine guide to the varied and idiosyncratic list of books for which he advocates. By the end of the book, all serious readers will have added some titles to their to-read lists. Agent: John Brockman, Brockman Inc.

Will Schwalbe (THE END OF YOUR LIFE BOOK CLUB) creates a hybrid of recommended books, life advice, and memoir in this audio collection of short essays. Delivering the author's commentary on various books and their value-- to himself and to the world--narrator Jeff Harding provides good timing and appropriate energy. He deftly moves from speaking in a solidly projecting mode for Schwalbe's discussions of books to a modest yet emotionally charged tone when voicing the more intimate details of Schwalbe's life. Harding's deep pitch and throaty timbre add a roughness to the narration that, at times, can sound a bit too harsh for the content. While his voice and Schwalbe's prose don't entirely align, he's able to lighten his delivery from time to time in a way that works well. L.E. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine