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How To Read and Why
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
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“A faithful translation is rare; a translation which preserves intact the original text is very rare; a perfect translation of Montaigne appears impossible. Yet Donald Frame has realized this feat. One does not seem to be reading a translation, so smooth and easy is the style; at each moment, one seems to be listening to Montaigne himself - the freshness of his ideas, the unexpected choice of words. Frame has kept everything.” (Andre Maurois, The New York Times Book Review)
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Stands next to the Bible and M.A.'s Meditations
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something everyone needs, but might not want
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Publisher's summary
Beginning with a basic question, "Why read?" Bloom offers his thoughts on works that form the canon of great literature. Short stories, poems, novels, and plays are held up to the light of Bloom's considerable intellect. Here are the authors that bear reading again and again, including Turgenev and Tennyson, Cervantes,and Shakespeare.
Harold Bloom's many honors include a MacArthur Prize, membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Academy's Gold Medal for Criticism. As he shares his passion for literature, his discussion is made even more enthralling through John McDonough's warm narration.
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Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson. Before they were household names, these budding legends called Sue’s Nashville apartment—lovingly dubbed the “Boar’s Nest”—home. Sue’s place was an intimate staging ground where a new breed of singer-songwriters—wounded souls, wayward upstarts—would spur each other on to tap into something bigger, realer.
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Best audio experience in a long time!!!
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By: Rachel Bonds, and others
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Point Nemo
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In the heart of the South Pacific lies Point Nemo, the most desolate and remote place on Earth. At its core is a dead zone, devoid of life, where government agencies crash their obsolete satellites and space stations, confident they won't harm a soul. When the International Space Station suffers a catastrophic failure and plummets through the atmosphere, it's here that Mission Specialist Julie Rohr, an astrobiologist studying living space dust called xylem, finds herself marooned. Julie's only hope for rescue lies in the hands of her estranged father, Dr. Finn Maddern, a renowned mycologist.
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Totally original-totally feasible!
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Weeds
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Climate activist Shirley Watts has dedicated her entire life to protecting the planet for future generations. But constantly fighting for Mother Earth has taken its toll over time, leaving her in a precarious relationship with her adult daughter, Lela. When Shirley’s latest climate stunt lands her in serious legal jeopardy, Lela reluctantly lets Shirley stay with her and her boyfriend while awaiting her upcoming trial.
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Great character development
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In this brilliant collection, the follow-up to her New York Times best seller Reading Like a Writer, the distinguished novelist, literary critic, and essayist celebrates the pleasures of reading and pays homage to the works and writers she admires above all others. In an age defined by hyper-connectivity and constant stimulation, Francine Prose makes a compelling case for the solitary act of reading and the great enjoyment it brings. Inspiring and illuminating, What to Read and Why includes selections culled from Prose’s previous essays, reviews, and introductions.
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King Lear
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This shattering drama of isolation and loss is one of the greatest tragedies in world literature. King Lear of Britain has three daughters: the hard-hearted Goneril and Regan, and the good and gentle Cordelia. He determines to divide his kingdom between them, giving the largest share to she who can say she loves him the best. Lear's tragic lack of judgment and self-knowledge is paralleled by the blindness of the loyal Gloucester who is persuaded to reject his virtuous son, Edgar, in favor of the villainous Edmund.
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tragedy par excellence
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What listeners say about How To Read and Why
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Marlene Woods
- 12-02-22
Not a Boring Lecture
I took a detour and listened to a couple of the books he mentions and that enriched my learning so deeply.
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- Andrew
- 06-06-18
Wonderful Guidance and Excellent Narration
When the introduction of the book was over and Mr McDonough’s voice began it’s narration, a warm shiver went up my spine. His tone and enunciation is wonderful and, even though I listen at 1.25 speed while reading along, he took a fairly leisurely pace with the book. This is not a bad thing, though, as Harold Bloom, with as much literature he’s read and produced in his lifetime, has an intelligent language that requires a few paragraph or pages to get used to. Sometimes his vocabulary flies over my head.
Bloom’s work is amazing, as usual, and the books and authors he concentrated on were explained with such wonder that they’ve immediately jumped to the top of my list of books, plays, and poetry to hear/read next.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Bill Mobley
- 02-21-14
A honest
Would you consider the audio edition of How To Read and Why to be better than the print version?
Yes. John McDonough is one of my favorite readers. His reading is,rather scholarly (I don't know if he'd like that description though). I prefer his reading when listening to non fiction, much more than most modern readers who tend to adopt a rather funny "Everybody Loves Raymond" type tone when reading non fiction.
What did you like best about this story?
I liked the introduction a lot, because I've always felt that fiction writing is in danger of becoming political tracts whose goal is to teach more than tell a story. If characters in stories are allowed to be themselves, politics will manifest itself naturally.
Have you listened to any of John McDonough’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
He had more spunk here than he does in reading Isaiah (from The Bible).
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It made me laugh sometimes, especially when Mr Bloom calls two characters from one of Flannery O Conner's stories "Abominable persons." He was talking about a grandfather and a little girl.
Any additional comments?
I am glad to be introduced to a reader that doesn't get in the way of the story. I have a hard time listening to great actors when they read, because they give sort of characterizations that are often quite good (a British person, Truck Driver, Mafia lord...etc),but they are too definite for the length of an average novel.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Technophobe01
- 01-18-21
A journey into the mind of Harold Bloom
I admit I have read this book more than once, both in physical and audible form. It provides the reader with deep insight into the "How" and Why" of reading through the application of examples and dissection of the writing form. The book provides the reader with the welcome experience of Harold Bloom's thinking as to value of reading poetry, short story and novel. Highly, highly recommended.
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4 people found this helpful
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- J-Son
- 08-16-22
Nerd alert
This is great but not for the faint of heart. Harold Bloom is truly an American treasure and this book deserves reading. I doubt the casual reader/listener will enjoy it but as a teacher I loved it.
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- Barbara
- 10-01-12
Like a review of my graduate English degree
If you could sum up How To Read and Why in three words, what would they be?
Brilliant, engaging, influential
What other book might you compare How To Read and Why to and why?
"A Jane Austen Education": Both books deal with how literature can and should change your life.
What does John McDonough bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He sounds just like I'd imagine Harold Bloom to sound--professorial and profound. The pauses are in all the right places.
What’s an idea from the book that you will remember?
Why we should memorize poetry, and his interpretations of certain works are truly memorable.
Any additional comments?
Bloom chooses a few works from each period English and American literature and shows why they are the most important, how they should be read and interpreted, and how they should be savored and remembered.
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16 people found this helpful