Books about… books? More specifically, books about writing?
Not too long ago, I came across a book that changed my life, or at the very least, my writing. While I have some trouble remembering specifics, I do remember it going deep into the world of philosophy and psychology, exploring the intricacies of what makes a book, and what our writing really means. The book analyzed the craft of writing, discussing how humans perceive the differences between good and bad writing, the difference between a good speech and a dull monologue, and how good writing becomes great. This, as well as the nuances of human perception on language in general. Alas, I have since lost the book's title and author, but the captivating writing style and genre remains with me, and I’d really enjoy some recommendations of similar works. I don’t expect to ever find it, as my search has led me to other good books about this sort of writing.
*Please forgive me if this is not the method I should be following when I post, this is my first post here. *
The one that comes to mind first for me is "On Writing" by Stephen King. It was a long time ago since I read it, but I think it matches what you describe? Basically SK describing some of his process, and his thoughts & tips for other writers
"Elements of Eloquence" by Mark Forsythe is another one I recall that might suit your interest. IIRC this book was about exploring how to use different writing style techniques/sentence structures/word choices/etc to create writing that is more memorable or immersive. I liked that this book discussed many forms of writing (books but also letters, speeches, songs, etc) and often quoted examples to illustrate different concepts directly
On Writing is a interesting one because as you had said King does go into how he writes, it also acts a memoir of sorts. The reason for this that he goes into how he got into writing at a young age, his drug and alcohol usage and the fallout for it to, such as there are books where he had no idea that he wrote at all. And how it affected his relationships.
For writing in general, I like Strunk & White's The Elements of Style, and The Economist Style Guide.
Two relatively thin, yet comprehensive books on writing well in English.
I’ve recently been enjoying my backlog of economist magazines, and the writing level has consistently been a level above every other news publication. I never knew this style guide existed. Thanks, I think I know what I’m doing with my evening now…
I’ll start, given that I have come across many good books in my search for the one illusive one.
Bird for Bird by Ann Lamont
New York Times Book Review Bird for Bird - no paywall
In my opinion, It’s an interesting read with the underlying how-to guide feel, which seems to undermine it in some ways, but also many remarks that seem well thought out about publishing and writing itself. It has what seems like a well honed feel about writing, undoubtedly from the writers vast experience in writing and in life itself.
This is a decent book for what you might be looking for,
Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting
By Robert McKee
Not a whole book, but this made me think of Orwell's Politics and the English Language.
What kind of writing are you interested in? Fiction writing? Poetry? Or are you just interested in the theory behind prose/writing/creativity in general? I have a million craft book recommendations, but knowing better about what you're looking for will help narrow my response.
If you are looking for the specific title of the book you read, r/whatsthatbook is a helpful community on reddit
It's a little out there, but you might be interested in Italo Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveler, which is about both reading and writing, albeit in a rather elliptical way.
I haven't read that particular book you're describing, but I can recommend reading up on metaphors; they're pretty much the basic building blocks of language, so it's awful practical to have a handle on how they go about their business. One book I liked was I Is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How It Shapes the Way We See the World, which also happens to be quite well-written. Another (well-written) book on the nature of language is Through the Language Glass.
A solid no-nonsense book is Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark. So far, I consider it the best book on writing. It's very to the point, but of course, that comes at a cost; don't expect any deeper musing on the purpose of writing, the nature of language and suchlike.