{"product_id":"why-i-read-the-serious-pleasure-of-books-9781250062093","title":"Why I Read: The Serious Pleasure of Books","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Reading \u003ci\u003eWhy I Read\u003c\/i\u003e delivers all the pleasure of discussing one's favorite books with a marvelously articulate, intelligent, opinionated friend. It's like joining the book club of your dreams.\"--\u003cb\u003eFrancine Prose\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Wendy Lesser's extraordinary alertness, intelligence, and curiosity have made her one of America's most significant cultural critics,\" writes Stephen Greenblatt. In \u003ci\u003eWhy I Read\u003c\/i\u003e, she draws on a lifetime of pleasure reading and decades of editing to describe a life lived in and through literature. As Lesser examines work from such perspectives as \"Character and Plot,\" \"Novelty,\" \"Grandeur and Intimacy,\" and \"Authority,\" the reader will discover a definition of literature that is as broad as it is broad-minded. In addition to novels and stories, Lesser explores plays, poems, and essays, along with mysteries, science fiction, and memoirs. Her passion for reading is infectious--and it resonates on every page. Iconoclastic, conversational, and full of insight, \u003ci\u003eWhy I Read\u003c\/i\u003e will delight avid readers as well as neophytes in search of sheer literary fun.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWendy Lesser\u003c\/b\u003e is the founder and editor of \u003ci\u003eThe Threepenny Review\u003c\/i\u003e, which Adam Zagajewski has called one of the most original literary magazines not only in the U.S. but also on the entire planet. She is the author of several books of nonfiction and one novel. Her books include the prizewinning \u003ci\u003eMusic for Silenced Voices: Shostakovich and His Fifteen String Quartets\u003c\/i\u003e. She has written for \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eLondon Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Times Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e, and other publications. She divides her time between Berkeley, California, and New York City.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Picador USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50414818787602,"sku":"9781250062093","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_0bc9958d-5078-4da1-b2e2-924a1b0b2251.jpg?v=1729386538","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/why-i-read-the-serious-pleasure-of-books-9781250062093","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}