On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life Through Great Books

“Karen Swallow Prior is the English professor most of us never had. Few teachers are this clear, compelling, and Christ centered! In these accessible pages the hard work of reading virtuously begins to feel both attractive and attainable. Read this book carefully--ideally over several months, with the literature close at hand, and perhaps with a friend--and you'll have the opportunity not only to mature as a careful reader but to grow in grace and virtue.”

“It is not enough to read widely, Karen Swallow Prior says in her thought-provoking new collection. We must also read well--and thankfully Karen takes her reader by the hand and patiently reveals how a close (and enjoyable!) reading of literary works ranging from Jane Austen to George Saunders can pull us toward the good life. This illuminating literary overview prompts us to examine more deeply the books we know and love, and to reexamine our own hearts and minds through the lens of great books.”

“In a world dominated by tweets and texts, hot takes and sound bites, the call to read and to read well couldn't be more timely, especially for the people of God. I can't think of a better person than Karen Swallow Prior to relay this important word. She is full of the same wisdom and virtue that she argues great literature can cultivate in us all.”

“You might not think yourself to be the kind of person to read a book about reading books. If you are trying to love people, to work well, to find meaning in your life, this book is for you. Karen Swallow Prior guides us through the big questions from great books with wisdom, insight, creativity, and compassion. Whether you are a wizened literary scholar who can lecture through the canon or someone who only pretended to read Shakespeare in college and couldn't tell the difference between Dostoevsky and David Foster Wallace, you should read this book. This is a significant and powerful work that will refocus discussion on the meaning of reading for spiritual formation.”

“It sure seems like virtue is needed now more than ever. And what a treasure trove we have for encountering virtue in literature! Karen Swallow Prior is a lovely and wise guide. Take this resplendent tour--read this book! Your life will be better for it. The world will be enriched for your yes and receptivity to it. Thanks to Prior for using her beautiful talents to help us live as we were made to.”

“On Reading Well is an exploration of the formative power of stories and an excavation of the life well lived, and we could scarcely have a better guide than Karen Swallow Prior. She is a person who loves (and has been shaped by) great books and who loves (and has been shaped by) the richness of Scripture, a scholar whose writing exudes both warmth and conviction. This story-saturated engagement with the virtues is pragmatic enough to touch the nitty-gritty of our lives and imaginative enough to inspire.”

“Karen Swallow Prior has written several critically acclaimed books, but in my book, her book on books is her best yet. On Reading Well is both a love letter to literature and a handbook on virtue, wisdom, and the good life. Each chapter delights, instructs, surprises, and captivates. Bound to be a classic, On Reading Well is an engrossing work that will appeal to book nerds and casual readers alike. Read it now, and you'll never take books for granted again.”