Housekeeping vs. the Dirt
is the second volume of Nick Hornby's columns for The Believer. I recently reviewed the first volume, The Polysyllabic Spree, but these books can be read in any order you like. The columns list what Hornby has read, what books he has purchased, and what he thought about everything. I mentioned in my last review that Hornby isn't allowed to say negative things about a book because it is Believer policy. This is kind of annoying but I guess one plus side is that you can only come away from this book with at least mediocre recommendations.
One thing that still amazes me about Hornby's column is that the stuff he reads is really nothing like the stuff he writes. It seems like Hornby has a real thing for mysteries and if you've ever read a Hornby book you know there really isn't a whole lot of mystery to them. That being said, I think I liked Housekeeping vs. the Dirt much more than The Polysyllabic Spree as far as book recommendations go. From this book I found Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan, Early Bird by Rodney Rothman, Saturday by Ian McEwan (or really just anything by Ian McEwan, this book reminded me I've yet to read him), In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (which I did read), The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler, and Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris (which I bought). So as you can see, that is quite a few more than the three books I came away from The Polysyllabic Spree wanting to read. He also talks about Persepolis and includes a selection from it, and since I really like that book the recommendation made me like this book even more.
I also really enjoyed the first few columns where Hornby references books that make you walk into a lamppost because they are so gripping. When I read this I had just finished Envy, which was a book that gripped me in such a way. I think in this volume Hornby really gets a good stride with his column, and he carries ideas through columns more. This is something you might not notice as much when you read each column individually as the new issue of The Believer comes out, but when you read them altogether you see how he brings back old ideas.
Loved this book, I give it an A.
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