January 2006    

Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading Author: Maureen Corrigan Publisher: Random House $24.95 Cloth (201 p.) ISBN: 0375504257 B&T         YBP Reviewed by Marcia Amidon Lüsted, Statusing There's nothing a true book lover likes more than reading about someone else with a book addiction, and that's what makes this book so satisfying to people like me who spend longer deciding what books to bring on vacation than they do clothes. Maureen Corrigan, who is a book critic for National Public Radio's Fresh Air, seems like the kind of person whose book shelves are overflowing just like mine, and who loves to talk about it. What makes this book more than just a celebration of reading is the way that Corrigan interweaves a lifetime of reading with key events in her life, especially as related to several different genres of books, such as the Catholic Martyr Story and the Women's Extreme Adventure Story. It makes this book partly a memoir and partly a revisiting of those books that were important in her life. Corrigan's reading choices, however, and the scope of her investigations into some of the genres she uses, are in some cases a bit more scholarly than some readers will find comfortable. Most of us do not have a PhD in English literature and aren't apt to be reading some of the more obscure classic novels that she mentions. But in terms of making avid readers feel good about the huge role that books play in their lives, it's a pat on the back for all of us. I only wish that it was easier to make a living as a professional reader, as Corrigan does! Published by YBP Library Services 999 Maple St., Contoocook, NH 03229 USA v: 800.258.3774   f: 603.746.5628 w: www.ybp.com   e: academia@ybp.com All rights reserved.