Should you finish every book you start?

How has your family influenced the way you read?

What is literary style?

How is the Nobel Prize like the World Cup?

Why do you hate the book your friend likes?

Is writing really just like any other job?

What happens to your brain when you read a good book?

As a novelist, translator and critic, Tim Parks is well-placed to investigate any questions we have about books and reading. In this collection of lively and provocative pieces he talks about what readers want from books and how to look at the literature we encounter in a new light.

These pieces were originally published as columns in the New York Review of Books.

What do books mean to you? A lively and enjoyable book about books, from bestselling writer Tim Parks

About the Author

Born in Manchester, Tim Parks grew up in London and studied at Cambridge and Harvard. He lives in Milan.

Parks is the acclaimed author of novels, non-fiction and essays, including Europa, A Season with Verona, Teach Us to Sit Still, Italian Ways and Italian Life. He has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize and has won many awards for both his work in English and his translations from the Italian, which include works by Alberto Moravia, Italo Calvino, Roberto Calasso, Antonio Tabucchi and Niccolo Machiavelli.

Reviews
A book about reading that only makes you want to read more and a book about writing that needs to be read -- Tim Adams * Observer *
Long overdue, challenging and absorbing -- Alan Taylor * Herald *
Parks has the ability to make other writers seem not just enriching but exciting as well -- Sam Jordison * Independent *
This book will make you think about what and how you read -- Bridie Pritchard * UK Press Syndication *
Insightful, provocative, funny and frightening, this wry, fast-paced and passionate series of essays encourages us to re-evaluate our perception of reading and books * Good Book Guide *
I love Tim Parks. -- William Leith * Evening Standard *
Stimulating and genuinely thought-provoking collection of pieces. * The Herald *
Pacy and thought provoking. -- Rebecca Kershaw * Nudge *



Book Information
ISBN 9781784701796
Author Tim Parks
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Vintage
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 191g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 17mm