She Treads Softly: receipt

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

receipt

I've started Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson. It was originally published in 1999. As previously mentioned here, I liked both of Larson's more recent books, so I purchased this used and was anxious to start it after Thunderstruck. When I opened it, I noticed that there was a paper in-between the leaves of the book, about a quarter of the way into the book. It was an Amazon receipt from the original owner.

The book was sent as a Mother's Day gift from a son, who was living in the UK, to his mother living in Texas. The note said:

"Happy Mother's Day! I thought you might enjoy reading this. Hopefully, nothing like that storm will happen again! Love, Bill."

Hmmm... Apparently his mother didn't enjoy the book as much as Bill hoped she would, since my suspicion is that the receipt was being used as a book marker, and a storm like that has indeed happen again... and again.

I'm leaving the receipt in the book.

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.