Nora Katz

I hesitate adding this to my "read" list just because it is more of a pastime (pass time?) than a true reading endeavor, but it is fun and clever and a great way to spend that stuck-in-the car/train/bathroom/line segment of time. The authors started playing around with this online and then captured all their creations in a book. The premise is a spin on the "guy walks into a bar" joke and instead it is an author or literary character walking into a Starbucks. What then ensues is either a parody of the author's work, or the character being true to character by what he/she orders and how he/she behaves. There are some groaners (Louisa May Alcott walks into a Starbucks and orders a cup of jo) and some legit good efforts: 13 Ways of Looking at a Starbucks ala Wallace Stevens. The catch is that you have to be both a lit lover and a Starbucks lover. I'm more of a Dunkin' Donuts gal myself, so lost a level of appreciation there. However I was gratifyingly on target with the lit -- though had to look up quite a few -- Tolkein and authors born after 1985 it turns out. Fun gift for the bookish smartypants you know.… (més)

This was a fun read. Given to me as a gift -- it's ideal as a gift book for someone who is widely-read. While one doesn't need a PhD in literature to appreciate the humor here, being somewhat widely read does help. The few that had me scratching my head were the ones that had references to books and/or authors I wasn't familiar with.

The spoof poem of e.e. cummings enjoying coffee was my favorite, and it happened to be the first one in this volume. Some others rely on punning -- such as Louisa May Alcott ordering a cup of Jo.

The illustrations were fun, too.

This will go on the shelf of "books about books".… (més)