“Sometimes the very best of all summer books is a blank notebook. Get one big enough, and you can practice sketching the lemon slice in your drink or the hot lifeguard on the beach or the vista down the hill from your cabin.”

American book critic

Michael Dirda is an American book critic. He worked at The Washington Post from 1978 to 2026 and has been a Fulbright Fellow. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993. Dirda is best known for his literary criticism and reviewing, especially in print journalism. His career has centered on books and the reading life, and his work has been recognized with one of American journalism’s highest honors.