New Paths in Book Reviewing

We've all read our share of book reviews, and perhaps we've felt sympathy for the poor (sometimes in all senses of the word) reviewers who've had to read all the way (or at least some of the way)through books in which every page weighs like lead on the finger forced to turn it. For some time, I've thought it's more interesting to discuss why we don't want to read a given book in the first place. That's often my approach in casual conversation, since there aren't that many new books I decide to read.

Well, none other than Ann Althouse seems to be pioneering this new subgenre. She's given several posts in the past about why she didn't want to see this or that movie; now she's topping herself with a post about why she doesn't want to read a hyped historical novel about Sigmund Freud written by a fellow law professor. As always, she's funny and incisive.

For those wondering why Ann and I ever got together in the first place (which may include the parties themselves), here's one reason.

But do I have to even waste a breath on why I don't care to watch American Idol?