De boekenapotheek (utgåvan 2013)

The Novel Cure: An A-Z of Literary Remedies is a wonderfully informative book which will give any bibliophile the opportunity to "cure" themselves of their ailments with nothing more than a good book. The Novel Cure gives the reader not only an A-Z list of ailments, but also a book and a summary of the book (which more or less tells the reader why that particular book is good for said problem). And to my surprise Bibliotherapy is an actual method of treating ailments! I honestly didn't know that. Oh, and did I mention that here and there they have Top 10 Lists compiled for readers?

I wouldn't necessarily use The Novel Cure for serious problems, but it's a great book to have in your collection, especially when you've finished reading all of the books in your reading list and you're suffering from Having-Nothing-To-Read-Avitus (probably the most dire of diseases for readers everywhere). Also, the Top 10 Lists that I mentioned earlier are extremely valuable for people who enjoy picking off books from lists...
What I particularly liked about The Novel Cure is the amount of work that went into this hardback book. Putting together non-fiction isn't an easy line of work, and putting together a book that's about fiction books that'll help you through your hardships couldn't have been the easiest thing to do either. However, this compilation by Ella Berthoud & Susan Elderkin is a wonderful read and definitely something that all bibliophiles should have on their shelf. I mean, who knew that by reading Moby Dick you could help yourself seem less-obsessive?

All in all, I love this book and I'll keep going back to it for referencing purposes. Who knows, one day I might Wish I was a Superhero and then I could actually get help for my problem...

(review originally published on www.killeraphrodite.com) ( )

This was a fun book. Not at all good for my TBR list (I probably added a dozen titles). The “cures” are quite appropriate: Cold Comfort Farm for lack of common sense, or To Kill a Mockingbird for those who need courage, for instance. ( )

This is a book that had been waiting patiently in my TBR list and I had been waiting for the right moment to start reading. I wanted to be focused, my mind concentrated, because the concept of the book- a combination of feelings and daily problems and the way they are depicted in various novels- was so interesting and unique. However, when that moment came, I discovered that this was a self-help book (or an attempt to create one) and an overall disappointing read.

What I liked was the snippets of advice and tips on how to improve various 'reading' problems, such as lack of space, having trouble to locate one of your books or keeping a steady reading pace. These are scattered among the entries and I really enjoyed them. They offered a few interesting information and solutions.

Unfortunately, the list of the things I liked ends here. There were many issues I had problems with and the common denominator was the writing. The way the book is written is less than adequate for such a difficult, demanding concept.

First of all, it's not very wise to provide a summary of each book along with its ending. I mean, if we come to think of it, it's almost idiotic. The authors make suggestions to us as to which book we should read and the conclusion of the majority of the novels is made clear. Now, I'm not one to get panicked by spoilers. Far from it. I have been spoiled quite a few times and yet my interest remained undiminished, but here, with this book and the aim it tries to accomplish, it doesn't seem like a successful choice.

The way the entries are organised is rather messed-up. For example, there are entries with no book suggestions, leading you back to a similar ''ailment''. The writing itself is not satisfying at all. The way the authors summarize a number of books is below average, as if they're writing for teenagers who are just starting their way in the world of Literature. Their summary for Graves' I, Claudius is cringe-worthy. Not to mention the phrase ''Literature is fond of its lunatics''. and their rather insulting comments about poverty and choice in the entry of The Great Gatsby. In my opinion, the writers' attempt to sound humorous and smart failed. They succeeded in appearing rude, condescending and full of self-centered pats on their own shoulders.

The writers' advice is rather tasteless and tactless. Not good. I found them to be void, irrelevant, as if they come from one of those women's magazines. This is not the language of a book which wants to be taken seriously. Yet again, it may be that this was not the writers'purpose.

The premise was interesting and imaginative, but apart from a tiny few good moments, the execution left a lot to be desired and the writing was so average. It quickly became a ''self-help'' book and this is a genre I loathe. What confuses me is that I can't really tell what the writers aimed for. However, I know that I didn't enjoy it, only proceeded through the pages like a chore and this is never a good sign. For me, this is probably the worst book-about-books I've read and the first to make me think that there are too many letters in the alphabet... ( )

Basically this was a book about books. A list of books. Suggestions for novels to read when you're suffering from any number of the ailments described in the book. Sometimes the suggestions were funny, other times a tad too preachy and sometimes just lame. Oddly enough, I think my biggest disappoint was that I didn't come away with a new list of to be read books. There were a few I want to try, but in general I wasn't really interested in their suggestions (or I had already read them). ( )