The founder of The Threepenny Review, Wendy Lesser draws on a lifetime of reading and decades of editing one of America's most distinguished literary magazines to describe her love of literature. Along with novels and stories, Lesser explores plays, poems, and essays, as well as science fiction and memoirs, considering these works from such perspectives as Character and Plot, Novelty, Grandeur and Intimacy, and Authority. Lesser's passion for this pursuit is unmistakable, whether discussing a book as a physical object or a particular work's influence. "Delivers all the pleasure of discussing one's favorite books with a marvelously articulate, intelligent, opinionated friend. It's like joining the book club of your dreams."—Francine Prose