Please remind me not to read any more non-fiction books, at least not random, spur of the moment, purchases.
I can read all sorts of fiction, some I can hardly remember and others leave an imprint which I'll remember for ever. But non-fiction leaves me with a feeling that I should be taking notes and fixing something in my memory. Too many years of text-books I suppose. Reading them without worrying whether they do or do not leave an impression doen't seem to be an option.
I had the same struggle with this one. I found it in an Oxfam shop (so at least it was in a good cause) and I'd been offered another Alain de Botton title by Amazon for some reason known only to Amazon, so it was obviously meant for me.
It's easy enough to read, taking a light-hearted but informative look at Marcel Proust's "A la Recherche du temps perdu". I know now that you shouldn't sleep with anyone on a first date, you should learn from your suffering, and be a good friend. Oh, and you shouldn't use clichés. But the very last chapter was "How to Put Books Down". I think it ought to have been the first.
I don't think I'll be trying to plough my way through "A la Recherche du temps perdu" in French or in English any time soon.
