I first heard about Anne Fadiman while listening to Nancy Pearl on NPR. Pearl was actually reviewing a different work by Fadiman, At Large and Small: Familiar Essays. However, when Pearl was asked which Fadiman essay was her favorite, she referenced a piece from Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader. The essay she spoke of sounded so charming (the moment she officially felt married was when her and her husband merged libraries), I added it to my choices for the Non-Ficition Five Challenge.
Now, I like to read... but I made the fatal mistake of comparing my reading habits and knowledge to Fadiman's. No contest. Reading this book made me feel like an ignorant novice. Many of the anecdotes were cute and thoughtful... but others left me thinking, "Now I'm sure I've heard of that book before...or have I?" Fadiman assumes her reader has read it all... at least twice.
Recommendation: Unless you are a fanatical reader, don't choose Ex Libris as your first Fadiman selection. That being said, the cover is adorable.
