--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like these nonfiction books where…" description: "\"I like these nonfiction books where everything that is interesting about them is lost in that catch-all description of their \"about\"-ness.\" — Geoff Dyer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/geoff-dyer-8822_book_i-like-these-nonfiction-books-where-ever_2690210.jpg" --- # I like these nonfiction books where everything that is… ![“I like these nonfiction books where everything that is interesting about them is lost in that catch-all description of their "about"-ness.” quote by Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/geoff-dyer-8822_book_i-like-these-nonfiction-books-where-ever_2690210.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/geoff-dyer-8822_book_i-like-these-nonfiction-books-where-ever_2690210.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/geoff-dyer-8822_book_i-like-these-nonfiction-books-where-ever_2690210.jpg) > “I like these nonfiction books where everything that is interesting about them is lost in that catch-all description of their "about"-ness.” [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nonfiction often loses its intrigue when reduced to generic summaries, stripping away its unique appeal. **In simple terms:** Summaries can dull a book’s charm. Key Takeaway Read beyond the blurb for true insight. Themes reading nonfiction summary Mood curious analytical Type literary reflective When to use this quote - book clubs - education - publishing - marketing Key Concepts literary criticism media studies Questions to Reflect On - What details do you miss in a summary? - How can you capture a book’s essence without oversimplifying? A Different Perspective Over‑summarizing may misrepresent content. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-interesting-1995868/) [Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting/) [Interesting Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting-lost-2651975/) [Like Nonfiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-nonfiction-2400235/) [Nonfiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonfiction/) [Nonfiction Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonfiction-books-750539/) ## Related quotes > [I like nonfiction books about people with wretched lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-like-nonfiction-books-about-people-with-wretched-lives/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [One of the reasons so many nonfiction books are so boring is because what they've done, very diligently, is fulfill the terms of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/one-of-the-reasons-so-many-nonfiction-books-are-so-boring-is-because/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [People like nonfiction presented to them in a certain way, so that they don't have to think about whether it's true or not. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/people-like-nonfiction-presented-to-them-in-a-certain-way-so-that/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [We like nonfiction, and we live in fictitious times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/we-like-nonfiction-and-we-live-in-fictitious-times/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [“Rarely do page-turners written for middle-school kids also ignite excitement in adults. (A notable exception is the series of Harry Potter books.) Fewer still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-lovejoy/rarely-do-page-turners-written-for-middle-school-kids-also-ignite/) [Sharon Lovejoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-lovejoy/) > [I've written many nonfiction books, but that's a special gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/i-ve-written-many-nonfiction-books-but-that-s-a-special-gift/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [Nicholson Baker talks about the way in which the most successful nonfiction books are those that can be boiled down into an argument so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/nicholson-baker-talks-about-the-way-in-which-the-most-successful/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [I like detective stories and spy novels, but I also like nonfiction, and of course cookbooks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wahlberg/i-like-detective-stories-and-spy-novels-but-i-also-like-nonfiction/) [Paul Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wahlberg/) > [My parents read me some typical children's books: 'Green Eggs and Ham,' 'The Little Engine That Could,' 'Peter Rabbit.' But I quickly developed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-holzhauer/my-parents-read-me-some-typical-children-s-books-green-eggs-and-ham/) [James Holzhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-holzhauer/) > [Give me a man or woman who has read a thousand books and you give me an interesting companion. Give me a man or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/give-me-a-man-or-woman-who-has-read-a-thousand-books-and-you-give-me/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“READING CAN EDUCATE YOU AND IF YOUR BORED SOME BOOKS THAT ARE INTERESTING. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-de-andrade/reading-can-educate-you-and-if-your-bored-some-books-that-are/) [Antonio de Andrade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-de-andrade/) > [“Zander was always sneaking off to the library to get more books ... Guy would read anything. Said books were more interesting than people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cronin/zander-was-always-sneaking-off-to-the-library-to-get-more-books-guy/) [Justin Cronin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cronin/) > [Books seem so much more interesting in the book store.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/books-seem-so-much-more-interesting-in-the-book-store/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Some people have children. I have books. Much more interesting and they never ask me for money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lincoln-fenn/some-people-have-children-i-have-books-much-more-interesting-and-they/) [J. Lincoln Fenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-lincoln-fenn/) > [“I soon developed myopia and a firm belief that people in books were not only more interesting but more real than people outside of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-soon-developed-myopia-and-a-firm-belief-that-people-in-books-were/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More by Geoff Dyer > [I think I can recognize when a piece is at a state of completion. I always say to my wife, "Oh yeah, it's roughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-think-i-can-recognize-when-a-piece-is-at-a-state-of-completion-i/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [“I've always liked things I can just trance out to. Because what that means is that you've escaped the chafe of time. Often when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-ve-always-liked-things-i-can-just-trance-out-to-because-what-that/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [One of the reasons so many nonfiction books are so boring is because what they've done, very diligently, is fulfill the terms of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/one-of-the-reasons-so-many-nonfiction-books-are-so-boring-is-because/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [I really like the George Clooney of Solaris also filmed by Andrei Tarkovsky, before Steven Soderbergh: that's very obviously sci-fi, and it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-really-like-the-george-clooney-of-solaris-also-filmed-by-andrei/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [When you are lonely, writing can keep you company. It is also a form of self-compensation, a way of making up for things—as opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/when-you-are-lonely-writing-can-keep-you-company-it-is-also-a-form-of/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [Nine times out of 10, the most charming thing to say in any given situation will be the exact opposite of what one really feels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/nine-times-out-of-10-the-most-charming-thing-to-say-in-any-given/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [In foreign countries, when people see what Donald Trump is saying on Twitter since the election and seeing what he's saying in these calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/in-foreign-countries-when-people-see-what-donald-trump-is-saying-on/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [I would agree on the aging thing. Because, at a certain point, once you start noticing it, it is your subject. And I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-would-agree-on-the-aging-thing-because-at-a-certain-point-once-you/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [If you help them (the crew) create good memories, they'll forget all the bad stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/if-you-help-them-the-crew-create-good-memories-they-ll-forget-all-the/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [“Photographers sometimes take pictures of each other; occasionally they take pictures of each other at work; more usually they take photographs - or versions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/photographers-sometimes-take-pictures-of-each-other-occasionally-they/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [Have more than one idea on the go at any one time. If it's a choice between writing a book and doing nothing I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/have-more-than-one-idea-on-the-go-at-any-one-time-if-it-s-a-choice/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [“We'd never seen anything as green as these rice paddies. It was not just the paddies themselves: the surrounding vegetation - foliage so dense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/we-d-never-seen-anything-as-green-as-these-rice-paddies-it-was-not/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [I always like to be in the presence of people who are good at and love their jobs, Irrespective of their jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-always-like-to-be-in-the-presence-of-people-who-are-good-at-and/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [“The paradox is that some of the most artistically valuable contemporary photographs are content with being photographs, are not under the same compulsion to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/the-paradox-is-that-some-of-the-most-artistically-valuable/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [“So far I’ve only read a page but I like that page a lot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/so-far-i-ve-only-read-a-page-but-i-like-that-page-a-lot/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) [Explore all 76 Geoff Dyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I like these nonfiction books where everything that is interesting about them is lost in that catch-all description of their \"about\"-ness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Geoff Dyer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-like-these-nonfiction-books-where-everything-that-is-interesting/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-like-these-nonfiction-books-where-everything-that-is-interesting/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/geoff-dyer-8822_book_i-like-these-nonfiction-books-where-ever_2690210.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/geoff-dyer-8822_book_i-like-these-nonfiction-books-where-ever_2690210.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/geoff-dyer-8822_book_i-like-these-nonfiction-books-where-ever_2690210.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I like these nonfiction books where everything that is interesting about them is lost in that catch-all…” — Geoff Dyer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Geoff Dyer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I like these nonfiction books where...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-like-these-nonfiction-books-where-everything-that-is-interesting/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-like-these-nonfiction-books-where-everything-that-is-interesting/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```