“from What to Read by Mickey Pearlman - A book for book clubsFrom chapter -- "How to Read":Rule 1: BAN at the outset any discussion that focuses on "Did you like the book." This is not a popularity contest, any worthwhile piece of fiction or non-fiction, no matter how beloved or detested teaches the reader something.”

“The first chapter sells the book; the last chapter sells the next book.”

“Nobody reads a book to get to the middle.”

“The first page sells this book. The last page sells your next book.”

“I believe solitude to be not only the unavoidable human condition but also the sensible human preference."― Edith Pearlman, Binocular Vision: New and Selected Stories, (from "Mates")”

“I can't believe how many students don't read. They want to be writers, but they haven't read anything at all. They have looked at book covers, which usually allows them enough expertise to sneer, but they haven't read the books. How many young poets "don't like" poetry? How many fiction writers don't know Lehane from Nevada Barr?”

“A lot of the people who read a bestselling novel, for example, do not read much other fiction. By contrast, the audience for an obscure novel is largely composed of people who read a lot. That means the least popular books are judged by people who have the highest standards, while the most popular are judged by people who literally do not know any better. An American who read just one book this year was disproportionately likely to have read ‘The Lost Symbol’, by Dan Brown. He almost certainly liked it.”