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| "A couple of years ago a friend of mine, a newspaper editor, was fire-watching with some factory workers." |
Beginning with a dilemma about whether he spends more money on reading or smoking, George Orwell's entertaining and uncompromising essays go on to explore everything from the perils of second-hand bookshops to the dubious profession of being a critic, from freedom of the press to what patriotism really means.
My Thoughts: I enjoy reading through other people's thoughts and feelings on subjects close to my heart, and with this book being beautiful and pocket sized, I had to pick it up.
Orwell and I have had similar experiences, it seems, in bookselling, however his experiences left him with a growing distaste for books and I still can't get enough of them. Despite all the lifting and shelving and dusting and scanning and so on, I find myself spending half of my wages on stacks and stacks that pile up quicker than I can read them.
I also enjoyed Orwell's last essay in this book - it made me reflect upon my own school days and whether I felt the same way he did.
In all, Books v Cigarettes is a great read, a quick read; and highly quotable. I loved it.
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