How to Read Like a Writer by Erin M Pushman is a useful book for anyone who wants to be a more active reader as well as, obviously, for those who want to write better. Just be aware, when it says "lessons" it means it. This is not a book where the lessons are conveyed through a renowned writer telling their story and thus more subtle and often implied. This is a nuts and bolts approach with exercises and writing prompts.

I mention all that because there is a tendency, especially for those of us who aren't writers for a living but more for our own sanity, to expect a book such as this to be far more casual and not be so obviously a book teaching various approaches. Once you become comfortable with that, the book becomes more entertaining and far more helpful.

I will say that anyone hoping to find another Reading Like a Writer or even perhaps King's On Writing will be surprised and, depending on how much you were seriously looking to improve your writing (and reading), a little disappointed. If, however, you don't come to this as a pleasure book for entertainment (with a few casual lessons thrown in) but as a book that seriously approaches how to indeed read like a writer, you will find a lot of wonderful ideas.

Yes, a lot of what is in here you may have heard before. And yes, a lot is even available here and there online. So what?! Putting information together in a useful and instructive manner is as important as simply making information available all over the place. There is a reason (besides profit) there are so many textbooks for every subject. They have mostly the same information but each one presents it differently. So while this presentation may not speak to you that does not mean this is not a very good book for those who have vague ideas on how to read (and write) better but would like a systematic way to put it all together so they can actually improve rather than pose and posture about how they already knew everything and/or knew where to look it up.

For readers who have no real interest in writing I think this could be a good read for you too. You could probably skip writing prompts and even some questions/exercises, but knowing more about what goes into writing will make your reading that much better.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )