I came across this story via the NPR Books newsletter (a nice reminder that there are still good things coming out of the US...). It called our attention to Michael Silverblatt, an American literary critic and broadcaster. Born in 1952, he died in February this year. I'd not heard of him, but he sounds a wonderfully reading-dedicated person, hosting Bookworm, a very popular, literature-focused radio programme, all the way from 1989 to 2022. It gained a rep as a smart and challenging show.

Liz Calamari, deputy director of publicity at Farrar, Straus & Giroux in New York, testifies: "He has very rarefied kinds of tastes and his show’s reputation is that it’s the very best radio venue that a literary author can get... He can be kind of prickly. But I think he asks very incisive questions. [He and authors] butt heads on his show sometimes, but that makes for an interesting show."

That sounds really good. But what particularly interested me were the "Bookworm’s Rules". Here they are, with my reactions:

1. "Sit. If you’re lying down you’ll fall asleep."
-- Agree...


Nigel, reading in Fiji, 2005

2. "Read at least 100 pages in your first session with a new book. You must get well in."
-- Life being what it is, it's not always feasible to cover 100 pages in one go, but he's right that it's best to start off with a good chunk if you can.

3. "If you’re reading for pleasure, finish a book before starting a new one. Don’t keep three or four going."
-- Totally disagree... Like, TOTALLY... I always have several books on the go, and read them according to mood, mode, time of day, and book club schedules.

4. "If your eyes get tired, try cotton compresses with witch hazel -- they’re soothing and refreshing."
-- OK... Might be worth a try...

5. "Read a book about a country you’ve never visited."
-- Always a good idea. Trouble is, you'll probably end up wanting to visit... Conversely, reading books about countries you HAVE visited adds to both your travel and reading experiences.


Nigel, reading in Viet Nam, 2003

6. "Ask close friends to name their favorite book, one that changed their life or one that accompanied a change in life. You will learn not just about the book, but about the person who recommended it."
-- Good idea...

7. "Don’t be embarrassed to keep a vocabulary list. Reading without understanding is not a virtue."
-- True. Don't just keep a vocabulary list. Do research, and write a blog...



8. "Don’t torture yourself or read out of duty. A great book has an obligation to enrich and alter your life."
-- Absolutely.

9. "There are certain books you’ll find you're not ready for. Please suspend your judgment of them. It took me seven years and six tries to read Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.'
-- Correct. I really shouldn't write off old Proust... Not without at least one more go...

10. "If you can't discard preconceptions that come from bad classroom experiences -- for example, A Tale of Two Cities and Silas Marner are not Dickens's or Eliot's best works -- if you’ve X'd them out of your list, you’re missing something of pleasure. You’re ready now. Try them."
-- Agree. I don't remember a classroom experience that actually put me off a book or an author, but it's always good to remain open-minded. Always. That's possibly the best reading advice of all.