My Very Own Polysyllabic Spree: June 2005

June 2005

Books bought/borrowed:
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise: Ruth Reichl (borrowed)
Beowulf: Seamus Heaney (translator)
An Englishman in Paris: L’education Continentale: Michael Sadler
From Here You Can’t See Paris: Seasons of a French Village and its Restaurant: Michael S. Sanders
Moneyball: Michael Lewis (borrowed)

Books read:
The Adventure of English – The Biography of a Language: Melvyn Bragg (abandoned)
Deliver Me from Nowhere: Tennessee Jones
A Year in Provence: Peter Mayle
The Book of the Film of the Story of My Life: William Brandt (not finished)
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise: Ruth Reichl

Before I begin, I have a few apologies to make. I’ve been a very bad column writer this month.

1. Nick Hornby. Aside from stealing not only your idea and the title that goes with it, I have somehow snuck my column on the second page of results when “Polysyllabic Spree” is searched for on Google. I’d like for people to think that I’m somehow associated with you by this discovery, but unfortunately, I’m not.

I begrudgingly admit now – to any new reader – that my name is Corey Vilhauer and I am in no way associated with Hornby, as much as I would like to be.

2. William Brandt. Mr. Brandt, I started your book and thoroughly enjoyed the first half of it. That’s as far as I’ve made it, though, because the public library called with two books that I had been on a waiting list for weeks to get. I couldn’t let the opportunities pass me by, so I had to drop your book. It’s still there on the shelf ready to be read, but just not now. Have patience, please.

3. Ruth Reichl. I’m sorry that I read your book after reading Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence. I believe it may have dampened the effect of your writing. I’ll explain more later.

Okay. Let’s begin.