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Reading Around: Journalism on Authors, Artists, and Ideas Paperback – January 4, 2018

by John J. Miller (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars 11 ratings
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This collection of excellent short essays includes many of the most popular and important pieces by John J. Miller, the respected author, journalist, and academic. From literature to music, from movies to writing, from culture to politics, "Reading Around" shows Miller -- the talented director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College -- at his peak performance. This best-of book draws from National Review, Wall Street Journal, and other publications and includes pieces on the ancient epics "Gilgamesh" and "Beowulf"; thriller writers Michael Crichton, Daniel Silva, and Brad Thor; science-fiction authors Arthur C. Clarke and Robert A. Heinlein; fantasy novelists J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis; the horror fiction of Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft; movies such as "The Exorcist" and "Red Dawn"; the music of Iron Maiden; the art of Salvador Dali and Frida Kahlo; and much more, including essays on the purpose of libraries, writer's block, and the conundrum of having a common name. The Chronicle of Higher Education has called Miller "one of the best literary journalists in the country," and this volume shows why. For anyone who loves and admires excellent writing, "Reading Around" is an enjoyable must.
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  1. Print length
    324 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    January 4, 2018
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.81 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1981189653
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1981189656
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 4, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 324 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1981189653
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1981189656
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.81 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

About the author

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John J. Miller

John J. Miller

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John J. Miller lives on a dirt road in rural Michigan. He is the author of "Reading Around: Journalism on Authors, Artists, and Ideas" as well as "The Polygamist King: A True Story of Murder, Lust, and Exotic Faith in America," a Kindle Single. He has also written "The First Assassin," a Civil War thriller. His nonfiction books include "The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football," "Our Oldest Enemy," "A Gift of Freedom," and "The Unmaking of Americans." He writes for National Review, the Wall Street Journal, and other publications. The Chronicle of Higher Education has called him "one of the best literary journalists in the country." A native of Detroit, he is director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College. To learn more about John J. Miller and his work, visit his website at www.HeyMiller.com.

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Robert Dean Lurie
    5.0 out of 5 stars An invitation to rediscover the joy of story
    Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    A delight from start to finish. Taken together, these essays are a rejoinder to Clifton Fadiman and John Major's "Lifetime Reading Plan" (and other books of that ilk), in the sense that Miller's book is a lifetime reading plan of authors you would actually _want_ to read: C.S. Lewis, Ray Bradbury, Shirley Jackson, J.R.R. Tolkien, Michael Chrichton, Lois Lowry and others. He gives plenty of love to the classics, but Miller's fondness for great storytelling and a sense of wonder opens the door to a host of genre writers who might not otherwise get their critical due. And some of the best essays in here venture beyond the printed word to cover music and film, always keeping that joy of story at the forefront.

    There are some surprises: A report on an unmanned survey probe to Pluto becomes a meditation on the disappearance of magic from the world; an elegy for the late songwriter Bryan Harvey doubles as a howl of rage at a pointless tragedy that is barely mentioned directly. And by any rights, Miller's examinations of Mary Shelley and H.P. Lovecraft, both originally published in the Claremont Review of Books, ought to take their rightful places as defining works of scholarship on those authors.

    "Reading Around" is a celebration of the joy of getting lost in a good book. And Miller's beguiling enthusiasm ensures that his own book very quickly becomes the thing it celebrates--a great read.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Maria S.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Miller is an excellent journalist and writer - these pieces are fun and informative.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Leo Grin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully enjoyable essays on books, films, and art from a seasoned connoisseur of culture and history
    Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2018
    John J. Miller, by day a veteran political journalist and director of the Dow Journalism Program at the renowned Hillsdale College, has spent decades cultivating a second shadow-gig as a quintessential bookman and critic in the pages of The Wall Street Journal and National Review (his substantive The Bookmonger and The Great Books podcasts at the latter venue merit special mention). Now he has collected many of his memorable literary essays into Reading Around: Journalism on Authors, Artists, and Ideas.

    In penetrating vignettes overflowing with interesting asides, witty anecdotes, and startling revelations, this wide-ranging assemblage frequently lures the reader down unfathomed avenues of study and appreciation. Going well beyond a typical review, journalist Miller often hunts down and interviews the protagonists themselves, teasing out further insights about their work and ideas.

    Of special note is how vast the scope of reading is here, as the author by turns romps through ancient history, poetry, pulp fiction, Hollywood films, canonical classics, and biblical scholarship. Genre fiction — fantasy, horror, thrillers, adventure — receives a special pride of place, with Miller covering not only the esteemed giants of the field — Tolkien, Heinlein, Howard, Lovecraft, Verne, Stoker, Conan Doyle, Bradbury, L’Amour — but also many lesser-known gems such as Ambrose Bierce, Fritz Leiber, and Arthur Machen.

    Many of these ruminations take advantage of some contemporary hook — the release of a new edition of a classic book, the marking of an anniversary or holiday — resulting in pieces that bridge the gap between hip and historical, modish and mystical. In Miller’s personal dreamscape, classics like The Epic of Gilgamesh and Beowulf frequently brush up against modern myth-making in the form of Dungeons & Dragons and heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden.

    A strong strain of conservatism and Catholicism also thrums through the book, grounding it in deep wells of thought and scholarship usually absent from pop-culture journalism. In Reading Around, pieces on the impact of bestsellers like The Da Vinci Code are leavened by other treatises on everything from the historical St. Brendan to the controversy surrounding the unearthing of the ancient, long-lost and heretical Gospel of Judas.

    Eschewing the pseudo-academic pretensions common to modern literary criticism, Miller writes with infectious energy and a boundless sense of wonder and curiosity, with lots of information packed into colorful surges of energetic prose that never flag or devolve into boredom. I daresay this would make a perfect gift for a teenager looking to expand his reading horizons, or for a jaded layman keen to discover some new favorites to add to their bookshelf or e-reader.

    This is the kind of tome one can happily dip into at leisure whenever a few minutes of pleasant diversion are sought — but don’t be surprised if it frequently spurs you to head to the library in search of stacks of books both old and new. The best critics make the works they admire shine with a sense of newfound import and consequence, and by that standard Miller’s book is a true standout in a crowded field.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Michael Long
    5.0 out of 5 stars Smart and Insightful
    Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2021
    I've read JJM in magazines for two decades or more. He has excellent taste in the writers and works he writes about, and he has excellent insight about what they write. I like that when I read Miller, I think about works in fresh ways. A strong collection of his writing, and you can get more just by reading WSJ and NR. Nice book here!
    2 people found this helpful
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