nonrequired reading

Wistawa Szymborska is best known as a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature for her collections of poetry. Apparently, though, she also writes a column in a Polish newspaper that reviews a broad and refreshing scope of books. From how-to guides on hanging wallpaper to history texts for the educated layperson, Szymborska seems to tackle them all in her column. This book is a collection of selected columns.

I found this collection very refreshing because I tend to think of those people who've won prestigious prizes for literature (and other fields) as being literary and profound all the time. It seems as though they must be able to appreciate all literature with their ultra-astuteness. The refreshing part comes in doses where Szymborska isn't able to finish a book because it bores her so much - or she hates a book for being too fluffy (or too serious about a fluffy topic). It unfolds through this series of columns that she's a regular person who loves reading and has very eclectic tastes. Awesome!

Recommended for bibliophiles looking for the next good book.