From Spare Oom to War Drobe

I like reading books about books by writers (Susan Hill's Howards End is on the Landing and Jacob's Room is Full of Books; Stephen King's Danse Macrabre; Lucy Mangan's Bookworm.) I like them because, even if I don’t always share their taste – definitely the case with Susan Hill – I love their enthusiasm for books and for reading. It’s like sitting down to a conversation with a friend who shares the same passion. And now here’s another good one to add to the list.

If I'm not quite as captivated now by The Chronicles of Narnia as I was when I first read them, decades ago, that‘s a subject for another discussion. It certainly didn't stop me enjoying this... contemplation of them by Katherine Langrish for a second. For a start it’s beautifully written and easy to read. It also manages to be thoughtful without being densely academic, and critical (sometimes) without being rancorous. And it’s able to view all the books from both a child's AND an adult's perspective, (which strikes me as quite an achievement in and of itself.)

I think it's the best kind of criticism, because it makes you want to dig out the books it’s talking about and read them all over again. And anything that makes anyone want to read is just fine with me. Highly recommended.