The Uncommon Reader

Book read: TheUncommon Reader by Alan Bennet

Number of pages: 120

Number of reading days: 1 (took me about two hours to read...)

Why I read this book: After reading The Madness of George III and learning a little about Alan Bennet, I wanted to read more of his work. I originally intended to read Lady in the Van, an autobiographical play, but couldn't find an easily accessible copy. (I have since located the play text and will read it soon.) While in London, I kept seeing this intriguing little book in many of the bookstores' Diamond Jubilee displays and decided it would make a quick, fun, British-themed summer read.

Thoughts: This adorable and clever book was a joy to read. I love the idea of the Queen stumbling upon a travelling library (she was chasing after her corgis) and feeling obligated to check out a book, only to discover the pleasure of reading. She develops a very serious reading habit, much to the dismay of her family, government, and staff.

Because this is a book about the act of reading, there is plenty of  lovely"meta" (which I always appreciate). A perfect Sunday afternoon read for an anglophilic biblioplile.

Favorite Passages & Quotes:

“The appeal of reading, she thought, lay in its indifference: there was something undeferring about literature. Books did not care who was reading them or whether one read them or not. All readers were equal, herself included. Literature, she thought, is a commonwealth; letters a republic.” 

“Briefing is terse, factual and to the point. Reading is untidy, discursive and perpetually inviting. Briefing closes down a subject, reading opens it up.”

“'I would have thought,' said the prime minister, 'that Your Majesty was above literature.'
'Above literature?' said the Queen. 'Who is above literature? You might as well say one is above humanity.'"  

“What she was finding also was how one book led to another, doors kept opening wherever she turned and the days weren't long enough for the reading she wanted to do.” 

“You don't put your life into your books, you find it there.” 

“Yes. That is exactly what it is. A book is a device to ignite the imagination.” 

For other books I'm reading this summer, see: Summer Reading List 2012