Housekeeping vs. The Dirt
Nick Hornby

What a delight of a book! I have to admit that I am not particularly a fan of the column-turned-book approach. It usually doesn't come across properly because you lose something in the translation from a specific audience to a general one. However, it works when the author is as talented as this man. I also have to admit that I have not read any of his other works like High Fidelity, About a Boy, or Fever Pitch, which I am told are exceptional. So, as a way of getting into his work I just chose one that was currently available at the library; this one. After reading, I have to say, I just don't think you can go wrong with any of his writing. If he can translate from column to book, then the rest must be just as good. This particular book is from his column in the Believer in which he chooses to write about reading. Each month he gives a list of the books he has bought, the books he has read, and then a story about the month. The title of this book is taken from two titles that he reads in the course of the columns, however it has deeper meaning I think. This book is about reading for the joy of reading. Does it really matter what you are reading so long as you enjoy it and take something away from the experience? His stance, and I have always agreed, is "No!" Read. Read for fun and enjoyment; read for betterment of your mind and your soul. Don't read because someone else says you have to or because you feel guilty or because you need to impress. There is keeping house; reading to keep yourself as you want, and then there is the dirt; the reading we do because we feel we have to. You don't have to at all. But, you should because you want to and you should read whatever you want because it fulfills you in some way.
Read for you.