Notes

This book was ok, it was a bit of a novelty. The first chapter started off talking about the pleasures of going to a book shop and getting a new book. In great detail. It was good to read for the first half of the chapter but then it got a bit old. Eventually the protagonist (you) opens the book and starts reading. The story is quite good, about smuggling something on a train and of course has a love interest appear quite quickly (as all 11 stories did if you include the beta story). It’s interrupted by the rest of the book in question being blank.

I think it started off ok and then just got a bit too self involved. The ending wasn’t very satisfying (though I suppose this could be considered a theme of the book) and the stories all felt pretty similar, if engaging.

If it had any great meta points to say about literature as a whole I think they went a bit over my head. I don’t feel enlightened as to the nature of the book, or the great pleasures of reading.

I think he wrote this book for his ideal reader in the story, Ludmilla. Maybe she would have liked it. At least that way somebody would.