A beautiful meditation on the joys of reading and how to cherish the impression of a book forever. Loved it and all the metaphors of reading a book. Would highly recommend.

This short essay is fantastic. Written with Woolf''s characteristic flair and with a keen eye, this is essential reading for avid readers. I don't think there's anything groundbreaking here, but it instead a love letter to literature and to reading.

Wise words from Virginia Woolf. As a literacy educator, I would add this book to my recommendation list. This text is, of course, well-written.

I absolutely loved reading ‘How Should One Read A Book?’

Early in the essay Woolf asserts, 'the only advice that one person can give another about reading is to take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come to your own conclusions’. There is so much truth in this! While it’s great to give critical reviews, it’s much more enjoyable to stay curious and go where your instincts take you.

You definitely won’t go amiss reading this essay, nor Sheila Heti’s insightful afterword.

Way before there were TED Talks, Virginia Woolf delivered a lecture on the importance of reading great books to a group of females students. This lecture was originally given in 1926 and was later published.

Woolf talks about how reading good books, no matter the genre, is important. She admits that there is not an objective way to compare two books, but rather suggests that we should compare books with ones in the same genre.

She also suggests that reading books is a way to stretch our own creative powers. She also talks about "rubbish-reading" and how we may enjoy it from time to time but then tire of it.

In this slim volume, Woolf's lecture is bookended by two short essays by [author:Sheila Heti|183760]
. Heti alludes to the contents of Woolf's lecture.

Overall, I consider this a great little book that can be read in under an hour. It is perfect for any book lover.

4.5 stars

This little book includes a lovely Introduction and Afterword by Sheila Heti in addition to the Virginia Woolf lecture originally delivered to Hayes Court Common’s female students in Kent on 30 January, 1926, and then a later, revised and edited version was published, and then revised and edited again in 1932.

The original lecture section of this consists of about 20 pages, overall, this copy consists of 64 pages, but I found all of it to be extremely worthwhile.

”A book is a watery sculpture that lives in the mind once the reading is done. When I think back on the books I have loved, I rarely remember the names of the characters, the plot, or most of the scenes. It is not even the tone or mood I remember, but some residue remains – and that unlikely word is appropriate here – of a unique shape.” - Introduction

”...paintings and theatre and movies live in our memories as things we have witnessed, a book is undergone like a dream.” - Introduction

I loved this, loved reading Woolf’s thoughts on reading, the shadow-shape they leave us with. I think lately, that I have become even more aware of how much of our own life influences how we read a book, internalize a message, fall into the pages, or struggle to be able to concentrate for more than a few moments.

”Are they not criminals, books that have wasted our time and sympathy” is a quote by Woolf that I think most of us can relate to, and the following closing quote is one that I believe I will always remember, if only as a ’shadow-shape.’

In the Afterword, Sheila Heti shares the joys and frustrations of writers, the choosing, or being chosen to be a reader by another author for feedback, critiques, ideas exchanged as an idea slowly morphs into a story, a book that will – hopefully – end up on a shelf, and in the hands of a reader. I think this has to about a moment as fraught with emotion as handing someone your heart and allowing them to break it, while hoping they will see the beauty you were hoping to share, assisting you in better delivering your vision.


Pub Date: 13 Oct 2020

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Laurence King Publishing Ltd

#HowShouldOneReadaBook #NetGalley

A short but highly illuminating read. It not only made me think about how I personally read books “for the love of
reading” but also led me to think about the authors and how opinions of readers can affect their writing.
*Thank you to the publishers for allowing me to read a copy in exchange for an honest review*

As a reader I always want to get the most out of a book, often reading critics' reviews and analysis afterwards, to make sure I haven't missed something important. Virginia Woolf's excellent essay reminds us of the value of our own opinions, coloured by our experiences, as well as the need to explore beyond our initial impressions.

Virginia Woolf's essay is almost too short, as I found myself pining for more, but it can serve as a lovely introduction to her elegant and astute writing. The heartfelt honesty so enjoyable in her diaries is also present throughout this short text, as well as her immeasurable love for poetry, literature and words in general. The introduction and afterword by Sheila Heti are as interesting as Virginia Woolf's essay itself, offering another perpective on what reading means when one is not only a reader, but also a writer.

This is perfect for any fan of Woolf's work, or of modernism more widely. Woolf's writings are as urgent, intelligent, pioneering and unceasingly beautiful as ever. Published for the first time as a stand-alone volume, this short essay was originally delivered as a lecture that Woolf gave to the girls of Hayes Court Common School in Kent on the 30th of January, 1926. In it, she muses on the enduring value of the written word, of the joy of reading, and literature’s power to change the world. Even if it had not been composed by one of the most influential and highly-regarded writers of the twentieth century, it is well worth a read for its intelligence and heartfelt passion. (And that final paragraph... simply stunning!)

The introduction and conclusion contributed by Canadian writer Sheila Heti are also really inspiring, and really quite stirring - setting a wonderful tone and mingling with Woolf's own words perfectly.

Plus, what a gorgeous cover! Full marks.

This is an interesting short read about the significance of reading and how the experience is unique for all the individuals. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it as much as I was expecting, I wasn't expecting it to be as "academic" as it is.

An interesting essay, but I didn't connect with the writing so much. I think it had some interesting points to keep in mind about literature and criticism.

Considering how brief Woolf’s essay How Should One Read a Book? actually is, I took such a lot from it. Woolf’s writing is as elegant as ever and endlessly quoteable/ underlineable etc. Her elucidation on the difference between how critics and ‘true’ readers read and enjoy (or not) their books really resonated with me.

I also greatly enjoyed Sheila Heti’s Introduction and Afterword (dare I say, even more than I enjoyed the Woolf essay sandwiched in between!) and I posit that Heti’s words could have formed the basis of a standalone short essay of their own.

Finally, it amused me that NetGalley asked if I would welcome the author of the book visiting my store. If only!

How should one read a book called How Should One Read a Book?

Though Virginia Woolf's essay dates back to 1926 (revised in 1932), every word in it is as relevant and valuable today. For such a short book, or rather trio of essays, I highlighted an awful lot, wanting to make special note of, it turned out, something like 50% of the text. Woolf offers, as she puts it, some suggestions and ideas for how to approach the act of reading for the reader, not for the professional critic, an affectionate but discerning approach, one of "great sympathy and...great severity." In this new edition, Sheila Heti's fore- and afterwords form an elegant pair of bookends to Woolf's text, expanding on some of Woolf's ideas and offering some of her own, in prose that is similarly elegant, clear, and, ultimately, in love with reading and readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Laurence King Publishing for the advance review copy!

An absolute gem. (The short answer is that you shouldn't let anyone tell you how to read a book!) Interesting musings on not just why we read, but also how being a reader is different than being a critic.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I absolutely loved this short essay! It read as if it was written in "modern times" and not in 1926. "To read a novel is a difficult and complex art."

I received a free digital advance review copy of this book from Laurence King Publishing Ltd via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Virginia Woolf's essay How Should One Read a Book? is a great reminder that readers should form their own opinions and engage with what they are reading without blindly relying on professional critics. This is a short but thoughtful piece of writing, well worth the time of an avid reader seeking to reflect on her approach to reading. As Shelia Hall's introduction points out, a reader's reaction to a book results from "some alchemy" between what the author created and the reader's life circumstances at the time of reading, with the result that we can have different reactions to the same book when we read it at different times. I also appreciated Woolf's admonishment to "[w]ait for the dust of reading to settle" and take the time to reflect on a book as a whole after finishing it. Woolf reminds readers how much work and talent is required to produce good writing, and Hall's afterword reflects on her own different experiences of reading a published book vs. reading a work in progress to provide feedback to a friend. As Hall concludes, "it's a special pleasure to know that my reading can change a book, not only that a book can change me."

What a mind-opening pleasure-pumping read this was for a bookworm!
I had no idea Woolf had written an essay so powerful as this. I loved the fact that it was brought into daylight by an experienced author with an introduction so worthy of the book itself. I enjoyed every bit although sadly, I found it rather too short.
In the introduction, Heti warms us to the theme of effectively reading and reviewing books as Woolf intended under the concept of “shadow-shapes”, the mental sculptures books leave in our minds after we read them.

And then the stage is left to Virginia Woolf. Woolf offers us insights in her unique style how to become an efficient reader. How one should read a book creates an enlightening path for us to follow:

“To read a novel is difficult and complex art. You must be capable not only of great fineness of perception but of great boldness of imagination if you’re going to make use of all that the novelist - the great artist - gives you”

This powerful little book explains how conscious reading can profoundly enhance our rreading experience and increase the amount of pleasure we reap from each genre. An amazing literary non-fiction recomended for bibliophiles. I especially loved the final words of Woolf and cannot pass the opportunity to share it in my review:

“I have sometimes dreamt ... that when the Day of Judgment dawns and the great conquerors and lawyers and statesmen come to receive their rewards -- their crowns, their laurels, their names carved indelibly upon imperishable marble -- the Almighty will turn to Peter and will say, not without a certain envy when He sees us coming with our books under our arms, "Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give them here. They have loved reading.”

A beautifully written tribute to the beauty and craft of reading. I would highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in literature.

Thank you to NetGalley and Laurence King Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit, I enjoyed Sheila Heti’s introduction even more than Woolf’s essay itself, so I highly recommend reading this marvellous match! Where Heti describes the way in which books are fluid shapes, that change depending on where we are in life and that they continue to change shape through time. Simply beautiful.

“…while paintings and theatre and movies live in our memories as things we have witnessed, a book is undergone like a dream.”

Woolf’s essay is now almost a century old and so (sadly) much of the reference material was lost on me but, all in all, I found this a very thought-provoking read. I also very much enjoyed the irony where Woolf critiqued the art of critiquing writing.

“…nothing can be more fatal than to be guided by the preferences of others in a matter so personal.”

And on that note, I hope you enjoy it! How Should One Read A Book is out on the 12th of October, thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to share this feedback.