From the award-winning author of <i>The Accidental</i> and <i>Hotel World</i> comes a sparkling, surprising collection of the writing she loves best — and without which she would not have become a writer.<br><br><b>The Book Lover</b> is a treasure trove of what Ali Smith has loved over the course of her reading life, in her twenties, as a teenager, as a child. Full of pieces from amazing writers like Sylvia Plath, Muriel Spark, Grace Paley, and Margaret Atwood, it also has a wonderful selection of lesser-known authors like Joseph Roth, only just gaining proper status now, and Clarice Lispector, a Brazilian genius who's far too underpublished. From surprising figures like Beryl the Peril, Billie Holliday, and Lee Miller to unusual selections from the most prominent writers in history, <b>The Book Lover</b> is an intimate, personal anthology that gives readers a glimpse of how writers develop their craft—by reading other writers.