The Pleasure of Reading: 43 Writers on the Discovery of Reading and the Books That Inspired Them

The only way to approach this volume edited by Fraser (Marie Antoinette: The Journey) is with respect, but readers will also truly enjoy it. Insights into someone's reading development are rare, and here, 43 writers provide that behind-the-scenes perspective. The instructions given to contributors, who include Margaret Atwood, J.G. Ballard, and Doris Lessing, were simple: explain how you discovered reading and what books inspired you, and provide a list of your ten favorite books. A number of the (mostly British) authors put their own spin on these directions. Some ignored the list part. Many decided that the Bible and collected works of Shakespeare didn't count toward their ten. As for list content, it's very Western canon-oriented yet offers up a few surprises. Royalties from this latest edition (the first was published in 1992—this volume includes five new entries) are going to the UK charity Give a Book.