Forgot one

I neglected one title from my little what-I'm-readling list the other day.

Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them, by Francine Prose. This is a nice, tight writing book that I've been carrying around in my backpack, reading a bit at a time. I thought of it again this afternoon when I read a few pages while waiting to meet my sister.

I mentioned to my mom that I was reading this book a couple of weeks ago, and she said she'd already read it and didn't like it. The author, she said, is just stringing together a lot of good writing and saying something about it. Well, yeah, that's what it is. I guess I like it for the same reason that Mom doesn't.

Feels to me like Prose has some smart observations about writing -- and reading; slow down, she says -- and she makes her points with illustrations from some of the best writers. If nothing else, it makes for a great reading list.

And how can you not appreciate a book about writing by someone named "prose?"