2.06.2007

It's on the List...

Have you ever pretended that you've read something that you haven't? If you say "no," you're lying. But perhaps you can get away with those claims and no one will ever know. Speaking as someone who frequently hears "You've read [insert title here], right?" and people rarely stop for my affirmation before discussing it (they're that sure that I've read it), I admit that I've done it a few times, too. Even Bookslut has done it... and she gives some tips on doing it for certain books, too.

Perhaps a book that we should all put on our lists of books to actually read is Pierre Bayard's Comment parler des livres que l'on n'a pas lus? (How Do You Talk About Books You Haven't Read?).

Of course, you have to read French in order to actually read this one. Need to bluff your way through this, too? Then read about it here in the Guardian or here in the Times.

(And now the NY Times eventually gets around to discussing this book, too.)

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