Ex Libris

100+ Books to Read and Reread

By: Michiko Kakutani

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Pulitzer Prize–winning literary critic Michiko Kakutani shares her enthusiasm for more than 100 books in a series of succinct, thought-provoking essays.

“An ebullient celebration of books and reading.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Books can connect people across time zones and zip codes, across cultures, national boundaries, and historical eras,” Kakutani writes in her introduction to Ex Libris. Here readers will discover novels and memoirs by some of the most gifted writers working today; favorite classics worth reading or rereading; and nonfiction works, both old and new, that illuminate our social and political landscape and some of today’s most pressing issues, from climate change to medicine to the consequences of digital innovation. There are essential works in American history (The Federalist Papers, The Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.); books that address timely cultural dynamics (Elizabeth Kolbert’s The Sixth Extinction, Daniel J. Boorstin's The Image, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale); classics of children's literature (the Harry Potter novels, Where the Wild Things Are); and novels by acclaimed contemporary writers like Don DeLillo, William Gibson, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Ian McEwan.

Ex Libris is an impassioned reminder of why reading matters more than ever.

Critic reviews

“Former New York Times book critic Kakutani delivers an ebullient celebration of books and reading. She comes up with an eclectic list of titles that have shaped her life, including classics (Shakespeare, Frankenstein, Moby-Dick), biography and memoir . . . and contemporary fiction (Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah). Each selection is accompanied by a brief, elegant essay explaining her connection to the work. . . . Kakutani’s recommendations and her ‘sense of the shared joys and losses of human experience’ are revelations.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Nothing New...Heavy-handed politically

There are only a few new titles mentioned in this book, all of which I've read as most of them have been up for major literary awards. The rest are predictable titles that are staples on these lists. Where I take great exception to this book is the heavy-handedness of the political rhetoric. We get it, she doesn't like DJT. But the hypocrisy is also off-putting. Please don't hold up Junot Diaz with the same breath you strike down Trump. It's not a good look. I was really looking forward to this book as I love books about books. But this was a rehash of all ready trodden soil, with a heaping help of liberal political twaddle. I will give credit to the always fantastic Tavia Gilbert. Her narration was top shelf as expected.

Not What I Had Hoped For

I usually enjoy reading about the reasons people like books, and this collection of short chapters offers a lot of novels that you probably haven't heard of and many that you have. Unfortunately, Kakutani appears to be unable to simply enjoy a book but feels the need to connect everything to current political events and ideologies. It frankly sapped all the pleasure out of the experience for me. I'm not saying that Kakutani is necessarily wrong (although I do question the idea that the scene in the Odyssey when Odysseus fights the cyclops is actually about western imperialists need to control foreign peoples). It's just that for me, a lot of the reason I read is to escape into other worlds and other lives. I'm not opposed to noticing that 1984 foretold a lot of what governments were going to do in the future, but with most books, that should be a passing thought—not the whole experience.