The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
143 pgs.
2004
4.5/5
Ah, Nick Hornby…at last I realize that you are one of us. A slave to the many tempting books out there whose every waking moment seems to somehow revolve around books regardless of how hard it is to connect a certain situation with books. Yes friends, we have found a kindred spirit here.
The Polysyllabic Spree contains all of Nick Hornby’s columns for the magazine, The Believer, from September 2003 through November 2004. At the beginning of each column, he writes out a list of books he’s bought in the past month and books that he’s read in the past month. If you look at the ratio, it’s actually not so bad. He almost reads what he buys. But then he admits later in the book that he’s not been entirely truthful. He has not, in fact, listed all of the books that he’s bought in the past month.
Each article is simple in it’s mission…talk about the books that he’s read over the past month. We all know how this is going to end up, don’t we? Yes, it’s just like reading reviews in blogs, only he has that personal Nick Hornby touch that makes things so appealing…much like each blog has it’s own personal touch. Surprisingly, I only added 4 books to my TBR pile because of this book! The main reason was because I didn’t flag a page unless I REALLY couldn’t go without reading the book. The books I added were:
How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer
George and Sam: Autism in the Family by Charlotte Moore
Meat is Murder by Joe Pernice
We’re in Trouble by Chris Coake
So Many Books by Gabriel Zaid
Wait, that’s 5…yes, I added five books…ahem. If you’re a lover of books, of the written word, then I can basically guarantee that you’ll love this one. It’s like sitting down with a friend over a coffee, a cup of tea, or alcoholic beverage (your choice) and just discussing what one has read recently. Great fun! Here’s a passage that I really found hilarious. Here’s the context: He’s talking about how much certain biographies seem to mirror author’s novels…or so they claim. He finds it hard to believe that a person’s life could be filled of such odd circumstances that end up influencing their novels. Here’s what he had to say about Tolkien:
“I’m sure that a biography of Tolkien would reveal that The Lord of the Rings was autobiographical, too – that Tolkien actually fell down a hole and found a place called Central Earth, where there were a whole bunch of Bobbits.”
Fun.
I used book darts to mark all of my favorite passages and books in this one. Do you use book darts? Never heard of them? Want some? Just let me know in the comments and I’ll pick a winner next week to receive a set of them 
Other Views and Opinions:
Things Mean A Lot
The Hidden Side of a Leaf
Rhinoa’s Ramblings
Tripping Toward Lucidity
Lisa’s Review
Dog Ear Diary
Let me know if I missed yours!
Filed under: Uncategorized
I added those books to my wishlist too…and many, many more, because I’m weak
He’s very funny, isn’t he? And the other two volumes are even better…he reads even more books that are right up my alley.
I had never heard of book darts before, but they’d sure come in handy!
I am waiting for this book to come in for me at the library! It seems to be taking forever…
After Nymeth and now you, I’m thinking I really need to get hold of a copy of this one!
This sounds great! I’ll definitely be adding it to my wishlist. And the book darts…never heard of them they seem totally cool. I’m going to have to track some of them down!
I love Nick Hornby’s fiction, but I’m afraid of his nonfiction, particularly these essays collections. I’m sure I’d love it, but my TBR pile is out of control enough
And, yes, I’d love some book darts. I’ve been meaning to get some for ages!
I have Shakespeare Wrote for Money sitting in a pile not a foot away.
Nymeth, The next two are even better?! I really have to get them now! And I’ll enter you for the bookdarts!!
Kailana, That’s sad
I hope that it comes in soon!
Bart, yes! You definitely need to get a copy of this one!!
Matthew, I’ll put you in the drawing for the bookdarts
They’re great.
Teresa, I think you’d enjoy it…I was hesitant about his nonfiction too, but it really is great..I’ll put you down for the bookdart drawing!
Softdrink, Have fun with it! Nymeth just said that it’s even better than this one.
This was one of my most favorite books ever! I didn’t even know Hornby existed until my sister gave me the Polysyllabic Spree as a gift, and now I want to read all his “bookish” books. My review was here. I ended up with a lot more titles on my TBR than you, thanks to Hornby- but I haven’t read a single one yet.
Jeane, Wasn’t it fantastic?! I loved it! I want to read the rest of his books too…they were so good! I’ll add your review to the list!
I got this one on the go now, how could I resist after reading Nymeth’s gushing reviews
But I’m taking it very slow, since I have 3 of these Hornby collections and they are soo small, I’ve decided to only allow myself 1 chapter a day. That will make them last longer and help my TBR pile not get completely out of hand.
Those book darts are pretty sweet! How do you find all this cool gear?!
Btw … I just had to mention this, cause I’ve never laughed so hard – my spell checker just auto-corrected Hornby’s name to Horny – perverted ‘puter
[...] by Neil Gaiman, 1991, 235 pgs., 4.25/5 2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, 2005, 288 pgs., 5/5 3. The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby, 2004, 143 pgs., 4.5/5 4. The Rabbits by John Marsden and Shaun Tan, 2004, 32 pgs., 5/5 5. The Lost [...]
[...] was Nick Hornby’s The Polysyllabic Spree. After reading Nymeth’s review and, later, Chris’ review, I knew this was one that I would enjoy. While this book is a series of 14 bite sized essays, I [...]