Woolf's views on literature are nothing short of inspiring. This piece comes in handy for everyone who wants to reconsider their practices on the literary art, being guided by one of the most amazing and inventive authors of all time. Heti's afterword was also a great addition to this edition!

In <How Should One Read a Book?>, readers will find the original well-loved essay by Virginia Woolf-- with the modern perspective by Sheila Heti in the afterward, a structure that provides more points of relatability to the reader. I recommend it for avide Woolf fans and those new to her work.

It’s a quick, quotable read that will resonate with avid readers and bookstagrammers. 

Since Woolf originally wrote this in the 1920s, I really liked the addition of Sheila Heti’s modern perspective.

I always love an essay or non-fiction read by Virginia Woolf and this was no different. I enjoyed reading this 1925 essay because I had never heard about it and yet related to it in so many ways, as an avid reader, a student of literature and a writer.

Woolf talks to us about our prejudices when it comes to different genres, about approaching books with an open mind, and appreciating time we spend with the books and with ourselves. The introduction by Sheila Heti did a great job giving a taste of the subject and get my imagination running.

I highly recommend as well because it is a short read that I believe avid readers will enjoy.

This book opened my eyes. I enjoyed this book so much, and I really appreciated having the opportunity to read this timeless Virginia Woolf classic! I also really like Sheila Heti's perspectives, and they aided me in writing this review. I've never read one of Sheila Heti's books before, but after seeing her writing style, I would love to read one sometime soon! 
I enjoyed how even though this book is focused in the literary world, and speaking about the different experiences of authors, we still see her ability to write different settings shine through. For example, when she describes how your atmosphere can set the feel of your reading experience, she describes the outside view from your imaginary window. She speaks about the working woman and the mewling donkey. I have always loved Viriginia Woolf's writing, and this book helped me love her writing process and thought process even more! I always find her essays to show her intelligence and writing proficiencies more than her most acclaimed novels. And so, this essay was a cherry on top of the ever growing ice-cream sundae. 
The book taught me to appreciate the book for itself, and to review books with both sympathy and severity, when I can. I now understand that though reviews can play an important part in an author's opinion of their book, they should be proud of having their book published in the first place, and having a full story that their loved ones can enjoy! 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this e-galley.

I'd read and admired Woolf's essay before but really enjoyed Heti's framing essays. The idea of a feeling a book leaves you with is very pertinent to my reading experience & I loved the arguments trying to decide what makes a good book.

This is really a lecture that Woolf originally delivered to a girls' school. It is a brilliant taste of Virginia Woolf's style and the joy of reading literature which is still as relevant today as ever.

Such a pleasure reading this essay from Virginia Woolf. Great intro and afterward too. I enjoyed it thoroughly. 
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

This book focuses on the lecture that Woolf gave to Hayes Court Common’s female students in Kent in 1926  This lecture truly speaks to any reader, as it captures the love of reading.

This is a beautiful package for Woolf's essay - sandwiched between a gorgeous intro and afterword by Sheila Heti. It's a wonderful read for book lovers and writers alike. I loved her thoughts and suggestions on how to read and properly digest a book, and her encouragement to read a wide range of genres (including 'rubbish-reading'). It's certainly encouraged me to finally pick up some of her other work.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. During her lifetime Virginia Woolf was considered by critics to be a minor writer and quite often the reviews of her books at the time they were published were quite harsh. The essay How Should One Read A Book was originally a lecture she gave in January 1926 at the Hayes Court Common School. It was later revised and published a couple of times but this is I believe the first time it has been published on it’s own and not as part of a collection. It’s an essay that celebrates reading literature,  making up ones own mind about what one reads and how books change us when we read them. I feel it’s meant to be read aloud as that is how it seemed to flow best when I read it. While quite short it’s a book that I think will find a home in my library to be re-read often. Publishing Date: October 12, 2020 #HowShouldOneReadABook #VirginiaWoolf #LaurenceKingPublishing #AdultNonFiction #bookstagram #bookstagrammer

My thanks to Laurence King Publishing for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘How Should One Read a Book?’ by Virginia Woolf, with introduction and afterword by Sheila Heti in exchange for an honest review.

Originally this was delivered as a lecture at a school in Kent in 1926 and later revised for inclusion in her essay collection, ‘The Common Reader: Second Series’ (1932). Here published for the first time as a standalone volume, Virginia Woolf celebrates the enduring importance of great literature.

While I understand that Virginia Woolf is considered one of the most important writers of the 20th Century, to date I have not read any of her work as I felt intimidated by her prose and reputation. 

In this essay I felt that she made some important points about engaging with books, especially novels and the recognition that as we read different authors we are entering different worlds: that the open air and adventure found in Daniel Defoe is different to the drawing rooms and conversations of Jane Austen. 

Despite the title Woolf stresses that reading is an individual experience and that no authority should “tell us how to read, what to read, what value to place upon what we read”. It may seem common sense but an important point.

As an avid reader, I am very aware of this. When I write reviews - whether love, hate or meh - they reflect my personal thoughts and feelings. Others, of course, will have different perspectives. 

For me, part of the pleasure of participating in reading groups, seeking out reviews by others, or reading articles and books about literature is to appreciate different points of view. 

I found Sheila Heti’s Introduction to Woolf’s essay, ‘A Shadow-Shape’, enlightening. In her Afterword, titled ‘Other Readers’, she writes about the value for authors of sharing their works in progress with others. 

While a short read, this book provided much food for thought. It inspired me to overcome my reticence and I now plan to read one of Virginia Woolf’s novels.

I've previously read, I think, five of Virginia Woolf's books including Jacob's Room and Mrs Dalloway which I loved, and The Waves in a soporific audio edition that repeatedly sent me to sleep! How Should One Read a Book? is a different prospect in that it is Woolf's 1920s equivalent of a TEDx talk, originally delivered to a girls' school audience. In a sign of the times a-changing, I was frustrated at Woolf's using male pronouns throughout her lecture. As a female author speaking to a female audience, I felt she should at least have identified her theoretical readers as women. Perhaps she could have included more than a token Jane Austen in her named authors too! Other than this, I was interested in her ideas around how we can hone our reading tastes and her concept of 'shadow shapes' which are the lasting impressions we carry away from each book we read. Sheila Heti elaborates further on this in her thoughtful introduction. Actually, I think I preferred Heti's two essays to Woolf's, even though I know they were supposed to support the headline speaker. Woolf's focus on classics that I haven't read and inclusion of (presumably) famous quotes that I didn't recognise left me feeling a little excluded.

Well written and laid out. What a beautiful speech that was given by the famous Mrs wolf. A very quick read with some amazing references.  I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I read "How Should One Read A Book" many years ago and was so excited to read the Introduction and Afterwords from Sheila Heti. 

This speech/writing from Virginia Woolf has spoken to me for so long. It taught me HOW to read and ENJOY a book. I've lived with the "Shadow shapes" for most of my life and I have no regrets. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This should be read and read again at different times of the day and in different places. Woolf, as always, does an excellent job in guiding us to question not only ourselves but everything that we assume we know. I am unable to describe the feeling I have after reading this essay, but it is something akin to the feeling of lancing an abscess. While it isn't always painful, it leaves you with a feeling of relief and calm. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Laurence King Publishing Ltd for this advanced copy, which I received in return for an honest review.

This book is really good. It gives a totally elaborate idea of how writers work. I absolutely enjoyed this essay.

Even though it is a short essay, this provides many good points. It does not only give the insight of the writers but readers as well. Overall, it's informative.

This was…not what I expected.

And that is the biggest irony of it all—Woolf and Heti go on to implore why it's important to open a book without any set expectations and prejudices which only pave a path for impending disappointment and shitty criticism.

I'm ashamed and apologetic.

As someone who’s been reading a wide variety of things and someone who enjoys writing (even if just for the sake of getting chaos in my head out on papers), I definitely did get, the way Woolf urges the reader why it’s important to plunge in a book with an open embrace rather than getting muddied first with having judged a book by its cover, the author, reviews and critics, a certain promise the bracket of genre brings to a book.

Most commonly we come to books with blurred and divided minds, asking of fiction that it shall be true, of poetry that it shall be false, of biography that it shall be flattering, of history that it shall enforce our own prejudices. If we could banish all such preconceptions when we read, that would be an admirable beginning.

I particularly enjoyed the introduction of Heti which explains the concept of 'shadow-shapes', images of a book we unconsciously create long after we’ve read a book and how it's necessary to ‘wait for the dust of reading to settle’ before we start forming our opinions on them.

Heti, in the afterword, explains how, before a book finally reaches in the hands of the final reader, goes through the scrutiny of early-readers and correctors and how much of their unprejudiced thoughts shape a book.

The thing that irked me was how the book quickly went from "for a reader" to "by an author". The afterword, however insightful, did not work with the theme of the book. If the actual speech was longer and the book had hoped to flesh out all the minute complexities, this could've been perfect.

Considering the fact that this was Virginia's speech delivered in a girl’s school in 1926, this short gem is a pure and gentle imploration to encourage reading in an unbiased way.

Thanks to NetGalley and Laurence King Publishing Ltd. for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was first introduced to Woolf's writing when I was studying English Literature at university and we read an essay and Mrs Dalloway. I immediately loved her writing I am glad she has become such an influential person not only for her words but as a woman in those times.
This edition has both a foreword and afterword by Sheila Heti and she begins with re-calling a term used by Woolf; that a book is a 'shadow shape' that stays with you long after you have read it and I find this to be very true. You may not remember anything specific about a book but you know that it impacted you in some way and that is how you remember it.
Woolf's essay talks in depth about whether we should judge a book or simply enjoy it as a pleasure to read a story that captures our attention but in reality it is solely up to the reader how to read a book so long as you keep an open mind.
She finishes the essay by considering reading is not for intellectual gain but simply for the love of books and reading.
Her essays always make you think and she made some very good points throughout and at the end of the day, I personally read books for pleasure.

I didn’t finish this. I found it hard to read and it didn’t engage me. While I think Woolf is a great author, this one just didn’t do it for me- maybe some of her other essays would work better.