after 1830, they begin to go further afield. so, you do have the 1857 mutiny in india which was a bloodied slaughter. is because they kept in the same things, they would pick a minority party or minority ruler aback him against the majority. that has been their policy again and again to kashmir, india, africa, et cetera. you can change governments but can you change attitudes? >> thank you very much for your attention. [applause] [inaudible]

>> every weekend, book tv brings you 48 hours of nonfiction authors and books on c-span2. keep watching for more television for serious readers. >> joining us is pamela paul, the editor of the new york times book review. out with her latest book,. >> this is my book of books. you're right to use that pronoun to treat him like a person. i kind of do. he has been a companion i've cap since i was 17 and this one journal i've written down the title of every book i've read. >> and what kind of condition of is bob and? >> is not in good shape. i keep getting us to bring them along but it's a really old-fashioned, not a fancy journal. i bought it a corner stationery store. i spilled coffee on them so i feel like he is rotting from within and the bindings are

starting to fray. i believe it was a bit of resentment on his part. >> guest: do you still recorded? >> guest: absolutely. as soon as i finish a book. i read about five or six booksellers come from us really. the first thing i do is get in there and write down the name of every book. >> guest: let me to begin that? >> guest: i was essentially a failed teenage -- so i recorded my thoughts in a journal, diary. it turned out that those entries were awful. i would go back and read them in but the content which was about teenage angst like crisis with my parents or friends in the writing was terrible. there is no sign of anne frank or judy bloomer anything in there. they were awful to look back on.

so, and also i realized all the events i recorded were things i wanted to forget. is bob, my book of books, that recorded what i wanted to remember. which is what i remembered when all the other stuff was going on. >> so it state, title, author. >> guest: yes. there's no review. i guess that a lot. whicwhat's interesting is even e entries are as brief as can be, just having that listed what came before and after brings me back immediately to that moment. i might not remember everything that's in the book, often i don't. people remember the name of the main character but i remember why joseph book aware was a nice renewed. i can see the cover my head and i remember how i felt when i read it. in a way, it's become this incredible memoir in a diary that permits more complete than

another diary would've been. >> guest: your three children. >> guest: i do. >> guest: have they ever seen bob? >> guest: no. very few people have access to bob. my husband has seen it but he doesn't read through it. he keeps a big list of books on his computer which he started once we met. >> guest: from, my life with bob, not all books are as fun as expected. i was bored by zen, the art of motorcycle maintenance, hated, on the road, and i hated catcher in the run. >> guest: i feel like i'm going to get -- i've already heard from people who are upset with me for hating -- but i was a classic girl and i did not like the protagonists to were rebelling against things. is very much obedient child in all of authority. at the same time, i like to read

about some characters who are going off the rails a little. from that of safeway to explore those themes. my accomplishment with catcher in the ride was, i felt like he was such a spoiled brat. he was living this life in manhattan where i long to be, going to a private school. i thought he didn't appreciate it. so i resented that. >> guest: what is your day job? >> guest: i'm editor of the new york times book review and i oversee book coverage at the new york times. that extends from reviews in the senate book review tour daily critic. to reporting on the industry, to profiles and future. we try to cover not only what the latest is in books, but also to cover the way in which books intersect with the larger culture and news. >> if somebody gets a sunday new york times are subscribe separately, can you read just

one? or do they come -- if you look at is this short story? >> guest: i think a book review serves multiple purposes. ideally to tell you what's in the book, to give you a sense of the writing and offer some kind of judgment. i also think a book review is an old form. there is a certain writing that takes place that you link it and the rest of the news report or feature about a book. criticism is an art form. often my hope is that people are not just looking for a book report to see if they just want to read the book but they're also appreciating that writing. also people read the book reviews they don't have to read the book. >> guest: like all book review editor zero, i necessarily have to view books but something --

on reviewed books. how do you decide what you are going to review, and what is going to make the bob list? >> guest: that is the meanest question to ask at the book expo where everybody has their galleys out. with such excitement and expectations. the fact is, what were doing at the new york times is performing a triage. nobody has time to read all the books. what we see our role as editors and critics, is to sift through everything and to find the books that are truly worth people's times. and the once we think people are looking for the new york times to have a seasoned critic way and on and offer perspective. ultimately that's what it comes down to the book itself. you can send us a copy wrapped in a birthday cake covered with

candy kisses and we can have all the publicity the world, and there's a lot of fanfare around certain titles, but in the end to were looking at the book itself and seeing if it's worth it. for me in my book of books, i tend to make my own book choices based on instinct in the moment. for me it's about what i need intellectually, emotionally at that time. whether it's to have a curiosity or some information i'm after, or something more of a gut level, emotional tug like the need for a sad story or to get deeply involved in something that feels very much a part from this time and place. i make my own decisions as soon as i close the book. and that i usually have a short stack of books i'm choosing from. and if you like what are my in the mood for.

>> guest: ever ever a bucket reread? >> guest: very rarely. there's so many books i'm dying to read. probably 70% of the books of michelle's i have not read. there are books that is interesting to turn back to. so much about a book is about what's in the book itself. that's what this book is about, picture sector between the reader and the book, so, depending on where your you may bring something very different to a story. so the classic example is anna -- is a young idealistic single person, your reading think this is a romantic, and a has to leave her husband, her true love. as sad and tragic but also he understands her.

that if you read it when you're newlywed you would say this is terrible. that's adultery, she's abandoning her child, her husband into anything wrong. later in life you might be more understanding. you seen a number things happen in your life for the lives of your friends in your more compassionate and forgiving of some of her choices. >> guest: to your books get reviewed in the new york times? >> guest: this book is not getting reviewed because i am overseeing everything. there's no way i could responsibly do without having a massive conflict of interest. my previous books have been reviewed. have to say it again probably my most negative review in the new york times from a second book in 2005 which was a useful experience as an editor. i know what it's like to be on the other side. as a consequence i think i try to be careful and respectful of writers and the effort it takes to write about and understand,

even if our critics didn't appreciate the book, to really make sure we gave it its due may wrote about it accurately. when i write a review, though i'm not currently writing the, made a point of even the most negative views of pointing out what the author did right and well. you can't just go after someone like that. reading a book is hard. it takes a long time for most people. sometimes people have one book in the vanessa life goal for them to publish the book. thank you have to be cognizant of that and take into account when writing about it. >> guest: the new york times bestseller on the top of that, how do you compile those lists? set a point of pride?

>> guest: the actual mechanics of that, the top-secret coca-cola formula of the new york times. because, we do have our own methods to take into account. sales across the country. to do it independently responsibility. we have a team of editors who compile those. the remain separate from the rest. it's to avoid conflict of interest. were wayne and i making judgments on the books. what they are doing is independently assessing the sales and looking at the data. we want to make sure there's no undue influence between the two very different tasks. i love the fact that a new york times bestseller is such a point of pride that itremains the standard for what makes a book a significant seller in this country. is different from what we do. overdoing his criticism and judgments about the quality of the book. this terrific books that become

bestsellers and maybe there some that we either didn't reviewer gave a negative review and they still become bestsellers. there are many books that are review proof. you can say the worst thing possible and people will still want to read them. >> guest: what are some books you're looking for to reading the summer? for this fall what's on your bedside? >> guest: the book that i just opened is of book by robert -- former editor-in-chief and editor of the new yorker. it's an older book. spot charles dickens and his children. charles dickens had ten children, possibly and 11. this is a book about what their lives were like. and what charles dickens was like as a father. i can't really type of the new book some reading because i

don't want to show you our cards for plant review coverage. there are many great books, and out from big names this fall. will be an exciting book season. lester think there's some hesitation around the fall book season because of the election. i think this your people are hoping there will this year there will be that kind of distraction. at the same time readers are looking for counterprogramming and to get away from that. especially when people are watching tv and looking at social media, think a good book weather history or novel can provide an escape from that rapid new cycle. >> guest: pamela's editor of the new york times book review. her most recent book, my life with bob, a book tv visited the

new york times a few years back. we did a profile case of the new york times book review. if you like to see that go to the website, book to be.org and type in pamela paul. you can watch the entire clip. >> every month, book to bnc spent two features an in-depth conversation with a nonfiction author about their writing career. join us on september 3 when our guest is eric the task is. his latest book is, if you can keep it. october 1, author new york times columnist, maureen dowd will discuss her books, bush world, are men necessar necessary, mics will talk about his books including his latest, the undoing project. he is written the big short, and the new, new thing. join us for