Michael Orthofer, one of the world’s most prolific book reviewers, joins Tyler Cowen for a conversation on — what else? — books. Read to discover why Michael believes everyone should read more fiction, how we should choose books, why American popular literature is overrated, what he thinks about authors like Herman Melville, Fyoder Dostoevsky, Goethe, J.K. Rowling, Arno Schmidt, and many others, his recommendations for the best sites for readers, why studying literature at college was such a big disappointment, how much book covers matter, and why his opinion will never be the final word.

Check out the reader Q&A here and the Strand shopping video here.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

Other ways to connect

• Follow us on Twitter and Instagram
• Follow Tyler on Twitter 
• Follow Michael on Twitter
• Email us: [email protected]
• Subscribe at our newsletter page to have the latest Conversations with Tyler news sent straight to your inbox.