Michiko Kakutani is the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic who is the former chief book critic for The New York Times. It’s always interesting to see the titles and authors someone picks for a book such as Ex Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread.

I was pleased to see these summaries did not read like a formal book review. Instead, they read as if Kakutani was providing the background and a summary of her favorite books and ones that she thinks are important. The list and summaries are in alphabetical order by author, and she picks several books by some authors, which is why there are 100+ books. For instance, she picks every Harry Potter book by J.K. Rowling.

Ex Libris covers a wide variety of subjects. I did notice that all of Kakutani’s coverage of political books had one thing in common. She dislikes Donald Trump, and she views his time in office as a threat to democracy. She makes no bones about it, bringing that subject up when she discusses any political book, whether it’s contemporary politics or historical.

Although Kakutani discusses a number of classics, books such as Invisible Man, Moby Dick, and Frankenstein, she also included contemporary books such as Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Lab Girl by Hope Jahren, and Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad. I have to admit, though, that it was her pleasantly surprising selections that I appreciated. I mentioned the Harry Potter books. She also includes Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. And, who would expect Kakutani to show her appreciation for Dr. Seuss’ books by writing that entry as a poem?

There are a few books I’ll add to a TBR list, but, other than the children’s books, no real surprises. I enjoyed Ex Libris as an exercise in awareness, a cultural literacy touchpoint. As a mystery reader, though, I find one aspect disappointing. Kakutani covers several science fiction books, but evidently doesn’t find any crime fiction worth covering. Nonfiction, biographies, memoirs, classic fiction, children’s books, though, are all covered. However, I can’t feel too bad. It’s difficult for anyone, even the best critic, to be knowledgeable in every area of literature. I can certainly look elsewhere for lists and summaries of crime fiction.

Ex Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread by Michiko Kakutani. Clarkson Potter, 2020. ISBN 9780525574972 (hardcover), 304p.

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