Odd Type Writers: From Joyce and Dickens to Wharton and Welty, the Obsessive Habits and Quirky Tec hniques of Great Authors

Johnson spent a lot of time gathering these amusing idiosyncrasies about famous writers. It is a quick and enjoyable read. However, it is not organized or laid out well. There is also some unnecessary repetition and overlap in her accounts.

this book. It was fun, inspiration, something I will return to and reread over and over again.

Celia Johnson's ODD TYPE WRITERS is a "can't put it down" read that not only intrigues and inspires writers but also would-be writers, idle readers, and shameless voyeurs! Airily written, it is a cornucopia of intriguing, well researched tidbits that range from Truman Capote's bed-writing fetish to Hemingway's cat obsession...and everything in between. There are coffee addicted tale-tellers, night owl key bangers, some scribes who can write only if they have purple ink in their pens, and another who could face the task of writing only after having had spent a goodly time curled up in a coffin (honest) before attacking a blank page. So pick up this gem, pull up a sarcophagus, settle in, and enjoy a read that'll have you shaking your head one moment and laughing out loud the next. -- James J Roberts (journalist, poet, & novelist), Wickford, RI

Here's an easy-to-read, makes-one-smile-and-occasionally-chuckle book on writers that adds interesting tidbits to writers lives. I don't believe it's meant to be the end-all, be-all of a scholarly attempt, as some seem to imply. From now on, I'll take a little more interest in Ray Bradbury: anyone who has to have ice cream is a soul-sibling to me.

The book it's extremely easy and entertaining to read. Actually, it felt too short. I loved the eccentricities and patters that the greatest mind in literature share.All the details and intimate rituals are perfectly portrayed.A really good book for aspiring writers, avid readers and curious minds.

I love reading about habits of famous writers, and this book had a few great stories about that. However, I found the organization of the book lacking, and the author kept referring to earlier and later sections. Also, there was no conclusion-- the book ended abruptly.The writing style was that of a 10th grade research paper: dry, awkward, and lacked enthusiasm. Not recommended.

This is an interesting book. Not quite as enlightening as I thought it would be. I thought there would be more off the wall habits. I have really enjoyed reading it and it is a pretty fast read. Now I know why I haven't written the great American novel....I'm not eccentric enough.

Fascinating! Sheds some very interesting light on famous authors, bringing their lives more into better focus and helping to establish them as real people instead of mythical creatures, with whom us mere mortals could never associate. Good Stuff!

Not what I expected to be honest.