Ex libris. What does that even mean?
Adverb: used as an inscription on a bookplate to show the name of the book's owner:
Noun: ex libris (noun) · ex libris (plural noun): a bookplate inscribed to show the name of the book's owner.

Origin: Latin, literally ‘out of the books or library (of someone)’.

While I’m not too hot on the title (the sound and visual throw me), Ex Libris--100 Books to Read and Reread is a book devotional by Michiko Kakutani, famed senior book critic for the New York Times (now retired). Published in 2020, that terrible year, this book was one of the better things to emerge from the maelstrom. It’s a lovely volume, with beautiful illustrations by Dana Tanamachi that give the book as much merit at least as the text itself. Beautiful end papers and book titles illustrations are delightful and give an emotional lift with their vibrant colors and design. The contents are arranged alphabetically by the authors’ surnames.
I assume these are 100 of Ms. Kakutani’s favorites; hasn’t she read everything written at least in 2 centuries? The reviews are combinations of the original book review published in the NYT and additional remarks, perhaps written for this publication. Titles go back as far as The Odyssey (Emily Wilson’s 2017 translation) and as recent as On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous; books about work and vocation by various authors, and books on democracy and tyranny, a topic of great concern to Ms. Kakutani when Ex Libris was published, no doubt because of Trump’s presidency. She has a searing distaste for him, and I salute her for it.
I don’t think it’s available in paperback; while available in audiobook, it’s best read as a hand-held book, at least to appreciate the illustrations. Non-glare heavyweight 5x8 pages await your comments. 304 pages. Blank pages at the end for personal additions. A thoughtful layout makes this volume feel like a gift from one book lover to another. ( )

Short reflections on 100+ books, some with their book covers as illustrations. This is surprisingly political at points which it needn't have been (i.e., anti-Trump). The aim of the book is promote book reading as a people connector, which it is. A wide variety of books are listed. Some well known, others very niche. A decent selection of titles which if you took the time to read, you would be satisfactorily rewarded. Overall this is a good book to add to your library of book reviews and book lists. Some of my favorite books are listed, while others were I'd unheard. Valuable to me for that reason. A few I would never read but everyone could say the same thing with limited leisure reading time. Some of my favorites included are: Life, Keith Richards; 1984, George Orwell; The Odyssey, Homer; Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak; The Plays of Shakespeare.
The author is the former chief book critic for the New York Times. ( )

This was my Jolabokaflod/Jólabókaflóð gift this year - books about books are catnip to me, but I'd have loved it for the illustrations and binding alone - it's just a really attractive book.

The author, who's a literary critic for the New York Times in her day job, has assembled 100+ books she thinks are not only worth reading but also re-reading. Most of these are not run-of-the-mill canon books, and she includes a mix of fiction, non-fiction, memoir and poetry. Most were titles I'd never heard of; most for solid reasons concerning my own reading tastes. There's a heavy theme of dystopia throughout that I think is a mistake - we might be living in dark days, indeed, but referencing, or tying books back into, our specific times and our specific monkeys will have the unfortunate effect of dating this collection before its time.

There were almost a dozen books, though, that I've added to my list books I'd like to pursue at some point. Most are non-fiction, a few - like the Federalist Papers, the speeches and writings of Lincoln, and Washington's Farewell Address have been on the radar for years, but there are a couple of memoirs, a book about Bell Labs and at least one work of fiction I discovered by reading this collection. My TBR didn't need the additional heft, but I suspect it will be a better, more well-rounded TBR for having these titles added.

If you're looking to expand your reading horizons, or are just a TBR masochist like I am, this book provides fertile ground, in spite of its dystopian slant towards collective self-loathing; between all the 'world has gone to hell' titles there are quite a few gems that are sure to appeal to a multitude of tastes. And did I mention the (hardcover) book is gorgeous? ( )

Some interesting entries but no more so than other book lists I have.

A lovely book, small in format but not content, with colorful woodcut illustrations throughout. I had anticipated reading it gradually, perhaps one or two recommendations at night before going to sleep. But once I started I found myself pulled forward, eager to learn the reasons she recommended these books.

Some of my own favorites showed up here - [b:All the King's Men|5527|All the King's Men|Robert Penn Warren|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1342193852l/5527._SY75_.jpg|900927], [b:The Woman Warrior|30852|The Woman Warrior|Maxine Hong Kingston|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541333110l/30852._SY75_.jpg|1759], [b:The Movie-goer|25417283|The Movie-goer|Walker Percy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429853495l/25417283._SY75_.jpg|1209450] among others. And there were others that I had passed on, and will continue to leave unread despite Kakutani’s enthusiasm for them.

Her need to recommend books that examine the distressed condition of the world at this moment in time, the effects of political, technological, and ecological forces on individuals and nations, is evident throughout. But so is her eclectic side; Keith Richard’s autobiography, [b:Life|13373906|Life|Keith Richards|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480438496l/13373906._SY75_.jpg|14323907], gets high marks from her.

I’ve added a few of her recommendations to my TBR, and I will be keeping the book close at hand for future suggestions.
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