Librarians often advise readers on books--most often, we tend to recommend books we ourselves have read and enjoyed and think patrons will like, or that we find on book lists compiled by professional organizations, or have read favorable reviews about in professional resources. We sometimes even make out own lists of the recommended books. However, I often find negative reviews of books (and film, for that matter) more fun to read than positive ones. It's a pleasure to read a very well-written pan of a piece of overblown literature, especially if it's written by a well-known author. Having found Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love an especially irritating read, I found Janet Maslin's scathingly funny review of Gilbert's newest book, Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage in the New York Times particularly enjoyable. Even if you enjoy Gilbert's earlier work, it is a very funny, well-written piece.
Seriously. Read it. You'll like it.
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