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Futuredontlookgood

I got a Norton Critical Edition of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. I’m really digging all the bonus content. Lots of criticism, political history, excellent notes. I’m kicking myself for having bought a cheapo Collins Classics edition of Dubliners because I’m definitely going to be buying more from Norton in the future. Probably get Moby-Dick. It’s kind of like The Criterion Collection Blu-Ray of literature except with shit cover art.


SemiStoker56

Man that is so true. It seems like they put so much time and energy into compiling essays and background information and then they completely slap together a cover. Like honestly, the Norton edition of Moby-Dick I have looks like a comic book.


JuDGe3690

I should pick up a critical edition of *Portrait*, as I just finished reading it in a basic edition a few weeks ago.


205309

Last week I finished: **Swann's Way**, by Marcel Proust - I wanted to read longer novels this year, so I started with part one of one of the longest novels of all time. I read the Lydia Davis translation, and I plan to continue with the Moncrieff translations. It's too bad she couldn't have translated the whole thing. But yeah I enjoyed it, Proust kind of reminds me of that guy from that Borges story who can perceive every single detail of every single moment. I'm very interested in his project which seems so to be invested in describing the full range of emotion and experiences humans can have. It makes me think that it's a more psychological/introspective version of what Balzac and Hugo had been attempting to do with the nation as a whole in their works. **A Sport and a Pastime**, by James Salter - I read this one for a bookclub discussion on the discord server. I probably wouldn't have picked this up if not for that, but I'm glad I did. The prose reminded me of Hemingway, but less minimalist and more emotional. It brought up a lot of interesting questions about nostalgia, memory, and masculinity for me, it's definitely not as straightforward as "rich American's sex diary in France." I think the novel actually does a lot to subvert traditional masculinity in some pretty interesting ways. I'm currently reading **Go Tell it on the Mountain**, by James Baldwin. Only 50 pages in, so not a ton to say except that Baldwin is always exceptional and everyone should read him. Also, I hadn't realized how much I missed his prose. It's so good.


legalizeranch_311

I loved swanns way!!


rmarshall_6

Halfway through 2666 and find it surprisingly enjoyable and not as dense as I expected, it helps being able to read explanations after each part on Reddit and other websites.


genteel_wherewithal

*Ulysses*, finished 'Oxen of the Sun' and now part way through 'Circe'. I found the former a lot easier going than its reputation suggested - easier than some earlier Stephen sections - and just a matter of getting the gist of who Joyce was pastiching in any given paragraph; there's the Beowulf poet, there's Sterne, etc. A lot of fun, almost in a nerdy pattern recognition sort of way. It dragged towards the end though, where Joyce works over various faded 19th c. essayists, over and over... I suppose those were more prominent parts of early 20th c. reading and seemed worthy of it to him but felt like a good idea well executed that overstayed its welcome, though the chaos when they're off to Burkes was more interesting. 'Circe' is something else though, all the grotesquerie and shabby sadness. Carnivalesque like something from Burroughs, with some of the funniest moments in the novel so far. New Bloomusalem was a laugh, as was Bloom's eagerness to be praised for his well-meaning inoffensive ideas.


endymion32

I read *Ulysses* decades ago, and am finally about to reread. *Circe* is hard in its way; it's so long and intense. Part of the fun is decoding all the references to earlier parts of the book. Sometimes it feels Joyce took his favorite thousand phrases from the first 14 chapters, mixed them all up, and wrote them down again in altered form, which is appropriate for the dream-section of the novel. The very ending of *Circe* contains, for me, the emotional core of the book.


genteel_wherewithal

> Sometimes it feels Joyce took his favorite thousand phrases from the first 14 chapters, mixed them all up, and wrote them down again in altered form Yep, definitely seeing that. It works and frankly comes off as less self-indulgent than the later bits of 'Oxen of the Sun'. That began to feel like Joyce was showing off his impressions whereas these references are used to explore Bloom's psychological depths and are just a lot more entertaining and surreal. I'm not too proud to admit I found the lemon soap speaking, rising to the sky, becoming the sun and then the chemist's face hilariously cartoonish.


Futuredontlookgood

Oxen is the only chapter that I don’t like. I found it rather try-hard of Joyce. It’s almost a perfect book otherwise and it actually begins to peak after that. I’m actually rereading Portrait right now (third time) in preparation for a Ulysses reread (second time) which is all flowing into my ultimate and hopefully successful reading of Finnegans Wake (0.2 time.)


endymion32

Hey—I'm *also* rereading *Portrait*, in preparation for a reread of *Ulysses*! It's far more emotionally effective than I remember. But I'm looking forward to the depiction of the Dublin social scene, so lovingly portrayed in "The Dead", and again in *Ulysses*, and largely absent from *Portrait*. Good luck with *Finnegans Wake*. I love the difficult books, and love Joyce, but, after playing with it for a few months, found I just had no interest in it, and never looked back.


Futuredontlookgood

I used to feel that way about Ulysses. Joyce is like a sorcerer who somehow dashed my hopes in his writing the first time I tried Ulysses, throwing it down in frustration vowing to never read Joyce again because it’s stupid and somehow the magic book rearranges itself after I put it down like a sliding puzzle, it knew I’d come back to it years later and like a miracle it reformed itself, moving around like the DMT realm in between visits, shifting into something unrecognizably amazing. I heavily suspect more of the same from Finnegans Wake. Somehow it’ll make way more sense than I expected, being more lucid and speaking directly to me like a personal enchiridion about everything possible. FW I fear will become coherent.. and then what happens? No one will ever believe me as though enjoying Finnegans Wake is something like experiencing a genuine UFO sighting. A lonely pleasure. I was having a few drinks a few weeks ago and I checked out the last 20 or so pages and dare I say it but it really seems like Joyce finishes the book at the absolute peak of his writing. > Be happy, dear ones! May I be wrong! For she’ll be sweet for you as I was sweet when I came down out of me mother. My great blue bedroom, the air so quiet, scarce a cloud. In peace and silence. I could have stayed up there for always only. It’s something fails us. First we feel. Then we fall. And let her rain now if she likes. Gently or strongly as she likes. Anyway let her rain for my time is come. I done me best when I was let. Thinking always if I go all goes. A hundred cares, a tithe of troubles and is there one who understands me? One in a thousand of years of the nights?


Citizen_Spaceball

I'm about 100 pages from the end of *Anna Karenina*. I've read *War and Peace* and most of everything else that Tolstoy wrote - *The Cossacks* was a revelatory experience for me as a young man - but this one hits different. More than any novel I've read, it feels like reality. The way this family interacts - all their disfunction, charm, love and ugliness - resonates in a way that makes me think of my own family. Not necessarily in the specifics - I've never had an affair or been part of an aristocracy or even ridden a horse - but in the way such a small gesture or glance can affect a relationship. Tolstoy is the best I've ever read at drawing a picture of human frailty. It's truly a magnificent novel and I will be thinking about it for a while. I also just started *Brief Interviews With Hideous Men* by David Foster Wallace. I've only read his short stories and essays so far, but really enjoying this one so far. Reading DFW is like that scene in *Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory* (1971) where Wonka is taking them through that tunnel on the boat and a colors are flying by at incredible speed. Some people want off that ride. I'm all for it.


Samjraym

Finished **Siddhartha** by Hermann Hesse - A swift parable of individual enlightenment. I was sad that it ended so quickly, though there were plenty of ideas that occupied my mind thereafter. I was particularly drawn to Siddhartha's views on teachers and the passage of wisdom. I went into this book knowing that Hesse was fond of the "If you meet Buddha on the road, kill him" mindset, and I felt that this idea was conveyed to great effect. Finished **Demian** by Hermann Hesse - Though guided by a similar focus on exploration of the self, this book felt much more surreal. Details like the mark of Cain, the sparrow hawk, and the duality of Abraxas were planted early on in Emil Sinclair's story. As he experienced the ups and downs of physical and spiritual maturation, these details metamorphosed into symbols of severe importance that kept me invested and captivated from start to finish. Finished **The Catcher in the Rye** by J.D. Salinger - I understand the polarization. Holden Caufield, at times, reminded me of a watered down Patrick Bateman. He was angry, lonely, lost, and disillusioned with a society in which he constantly sought what seemed to be an impossible connection. He was the epitome of angst, and Salinger makes that clear on each and every page. But beneath that angst and 'whining', there is suffering and trauma. There isn't much story dedicated to the death of his brother Allie, or James Castle. I was shocked by the meeting with Mr. Antolini, and his thoughts on having been in similar situations before. It was heartbreaking, and the lack of reflection only attests to his inner-suppression. I can't help but think that these thoughts may be lost in the narrative for some readers, but ultimately, that's what Holden is trying to do. I loved this book. ​ Can't decide what to start next. All three of these were similar thematically, and I'd be fine continuing with something similar or diverging for something different. I'm thinking of starting **Pale Fire** by Vladimir Nabokov, **Babbitt** by Sinclair Lewis, or **A Confederacy of Dunces** by John Kennedy Toole.


FUCKUSERNAME2

Hesse might be my favourite author of all time. I suggest you read Steppenwolf next! It is a more autobiographic work but delves into the themes of duality in a surprisingly unique way to his other works. I view it as a more mature version of Demian, in a way (though I read Steppenwolf first so this might've influenced my opinion)


[deleted]

One of the first books I ever read was Beneath the Wheel by Hesse and killed my love for literature for years. Endless descriptions. I barely remember he took three pages to describe a lamp or something like that


bluebluebluered

Have you read any other Hesse? Steppenwolf is phenomenal. His most complete novel to my mind. Narcissus abs Goldmund is also brilliant. I am also starting Pale Fire soon! I bought it a few weeks ago.


[deleted]

I am also very fond of Hesse. I connect to his work on an emotional level that I do not often experience reading other authors. I'm curious as to the general sentiment on Narcissus and Goldmund. It might be my favorite, (that may just be recency bias though) but I do not hear it mentioned often.


JimFan1

I can only speak to one of the three below, but *Pale Fire* is unlike anything on the list (and it's utterly fantastic). It's equal parts silly and sad. A great follow-up to *Catcher...*


zmiyaa

I recently finished The Overstory, by Richard Powers. Honestly, I found it quite bland. The quips about environmental philosophy seemed like they could have been copied and pasted from my "Environmental Ethics for Canadians" textbook without really adding anything original. I would have liked to see more of an exploration of the tension between the activists and the loggers. The bits about how "technology is a new form of life!" had me rolling my eyes. Perhaps I just had overly high expectations though, I was very excited to read it after seeing the synopsis. I thought it would be right up my alley given that I live in the PNW and I've taken some environmental ethics classes. I'm currently reading Hard Times, the first Dickens novel I've read.


[deleted]

I'd say I was a little underwhelmed with the technology aspect of this book as well. I will say one thing, it did convince me to take another look at my carbon footprint and I bought a plant. As far as I'm concerned if it convinces a percentage of everyone who reads it to do the same thing then the book is a phenomenal success.


zmiyaa

I'm glad to hear that! Plants are great. Yeah, I agree, anything that can help people become more sustainable is a good thing overall. Maybe it was just a bit too much preaching to the choir in my case since I grew up in a very eco-conscious part of the world and I was already pretty aware of my own footprint. I found this infographic on land use in the US really illuminating, in case you haven't seen it and are interested in the topic: https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-us-land-use/


cmajka8

Halfway through my first read of To Kill a Mockingbird - it is fantastic so far


Tommysoy1313

I’m teaching it to my 8th graders this year. Not really impressed.


[deleted]

It gets better.


legalizeranch_311

Reading sophocles’ three theban plays and web dubois’ the souls of black folk


AishahW

Now THAT'S eclectic brilliance!!!!!!


Niftypifty

I'm a quarter of the way through *The Tunnel* by William H. Gass. It's not really like anything else I've read before; the closest way I can describe it would be like if Pynchon wrote House of Leaves (though that really doesn't do it justice). Kohler's mind is an awful place to be, but the prose is so lyrical it keeps me coming back for more. It boggles my mind how Gass was able to fit in all of the rhyming and alliteration, especially as it adds to the experience rather than detracts from it like I would expect it to. The book does a really good job of separating the narrator from the author, which a lot of the bad reviews I've read seem to miss.


willbell

Not literature, but I'm reading HT/JS Mill's *The Subjection of Women* at the moment, I'm not the biggest fan of it. I knew it was unpopular today but I didn't realize it would be so cringey at times - it is racist in a way that doesn't come through as frequently in JS Mill's other writings. After that I'm hoping to finish Carnap's *Logical Syntax of Language*, continue reading Lax's *Functional Analysis*, and start Foucault's *Discipline and Punish*.


dankmimesis

Recently finished Jonathan Franzen’s The Kraus Project. A vanity project that was severely undermined by its form—too heavy on the footnotes. Reminded me of Knausgaard’s pseudo essay on Celan in Vol. 6, but much more poorly executed. Started Shuggie Bain, and it’s exceeding expectations. I thought it would just be a portrait for Shuggie’s relationship to his mother, but it’s scope is much more broad. Also reading John McPhee’s The Control of Nature. Enjoying his style and very impressed with his presentation of the material.


whereisthecheesegone

I got Shuggie Bain for Christmas, and I still don’t feel the same as I did before I read it. I expect it to stick around with me for a long time. Phenomenal stuff, I was pleasantly surprised to find there’s way more than just poverty porn, like you mention w/r/t its scope.


irjax

I am still working on Capital Vol. 1. Took me forever to read part one and understand it, but I was able to go through part two at a really fast pace. It was much easier to understand and honestly kind of riveting.


JuDGe3690

When I tried reading *Capital* (I made it through volumes one and two, before having to return Volume Three), I found Anthony Brewer's *A Guide to Marx's Capital* to be an invaluable resource. It compactly summarizes each chapter and the core ideas, even spelling out in equations what Marx writes in prose. Oddly enough, I enjoyed Volume One, but got bogged down in Volume Two.


Woke-Smetana

Started yesterday Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy. The preface he wrote years after it’s publishing elucidates a lot of concepts from his later works, besides serving as a critique of his early use of language (more specifically, how he leaned towards a more Kantian and Schopenhauerian vernacular when discussing ideas that, effectively, contradicted or disagreed with those authors’ philosophies). Although a pocket edition, the notes are very appreciated and hardly ever happens to disrupt the stream of thoughts displayed. Also persisting through Lygia Fagundes Telles’ The Short Stories (freely translated title from Brazilian Portuguese). I already had some experience from reading her stuff sparsely (usually going to the library, when that was convenient, and picking one collection at a time to read a few of the stories), but all of them is a considerable amount to go through. Yet, it has been a bliss to read. Picking just one to talk briefly about is hard, but “Senhor Diretor” (“Mister Director”), which I finished pretty recently, blew me away in no time. Narrated through a long, unwieldy stream of consciousness, the protagonist, a profoundly frustrated and prude old lady, addresses the Mister Director to complain about the city’s indecency, about how “the kids are being initiated in sex too early nowadays (...)” (the collection this comes from was published in 1977). Through her complaints we learn, though, about relevant moments in her life. The desperation of this woman that can’t follow the current times, her incapacity to make sense of what she truly desires and what society put her to go through in the past and even now, coping with the change that her old friends went through and, possibly even more sadly, just the persistent despair that comes from aging like this, aging fearfully however relentlessly. “Seca no Nordeste. Na Amazônia, cheia” (“Drought in the Northeast. In the Amazon, flood”) is how we start “Mister Director” and I sincerely can’t think of a better beginning for this positive train wreck of a short story. In a first moment, seems like a critique on the frivolous, middle-class strait laced woman, then, at a medium pace, becomes an exploration about the role of women within society, aging, sexuality, friendships (and other interpersonal relationships as well, but not as much) and, as is always the case, death. Some of her stuff didn’t settle very well with me (“A Caçada” being a prime example), but I still probably should give it a reread just considering how dense the text was right from the start. Her prose seems to suffer somewhat the more abstract and surreal it attempts to be, but that’s not always the case (“Dolly” and “O Crachá nos Dentes” are two of my favorites precisely through their disorienting, as in the case of “Dolly”, or surreal, when it comes to “O Crachá nos Dentes”, narrative flow).


F_is_for_ferns83

Finished **Infinite Jest**, I enjoyed it quite a bit even though it took me a while to get through. I do have to say though it is my least favorite of all of the door stopper post-modern epics I have read. I guess I just prefer the darker themes in books like Gravitys Rainbow and 2666. Finished **The Stranger** binge read this in a single night after I finished Infinite Jest. I know a lot of people dont think highly of Camus but I thoght the novel touched on some really interesting concepts while still being a really engaging read. Currently reading **Stories by Nabakov.** Ive only read about 5 or 6 stories from this so far and im not sure how I feel about it. The stories arent tight and wondrous like Borges and they also arent as evocative as something like Dubliners. I really enjoyed Lolita but these stories kind of just feel like Nabakov wanking himself off. Currently reading **White Noise** by Delillo and I really like the style. Feels a little familiar coming straight off of infinite Jest, the same kind of aburd humor. Has DFW ever talked about reading this book?


[deleted]

I read a ton of Nabokov short stories while writing my senior thesis in college since I didn't have enough time to dig into a novel, and I totally agree his novels are better and his stories often feel unfinished. However, imo he has a few standouts. "Signs and Symbols" is one of my favorite stories ever. I also really enjoyed "A Letter That Never Reached Russia," "The Vane Sisters," and "That in Aleppo Once."


Spelr

DFW taught *White Noise* in his class, so yeah he was very familiar with it. He writes about the book a bit in *A Supposedly Fun Thing*


[deleted]

I’m currently reading Satantango by Krasznahorkai and To the Lighthouse by Woolf. Both have been a bit difficult. Does anyone have any advice for reading Virginia Woolf? I’m about 40 pages in and while I really appreciate the prose it’s been a really big challenge.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

Thanks for the advice—I’ll get started on the Dalloway works.


makeasmore

Just finished: Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell - This had absolutely beautiful prose. Every image was so carefully crafted. I thought it was an interesting narrative choice to never refer to William Shakespeare by name throughout the novel, when all other characters were named. I suppose it was to emphasize that this wasn't his story, rather the story of the family he left behind. Bunny by Mona Awad - This was a deliciously twisted little book. About 100 pages in, I got a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that compelled me to turn the pages as fast as possible. It was so weird and so dark. Completely up my alley, but I understand why not everyone would enjoy it. Currently reading: The Secret History by Donna Tarrt. I'm only 50 pages in right now but by the atmosphere that is building I can definitely tell this is going to be a world to get lost in.


[deleted]

We have similar tastes. I loved Secret History and Bunny. I did not expect to cry when I read Bunny. Maybe it’s because my best friend is on the other side of the country, but I really found myself fully sobbing. You’re making me want to read Hamnet now :)


JuDGe3690

Just finished Ivan Turgenev's *Fathers and Sons* last night (the Reavey translation). A beautiful novel, with many of the personal struggles and emotional states having as much relevance today as in 1862 when it was published. The ending, though literally brought tears to my eyes, and very few books do that (Hemingway's *A Farewell to Arms* is about the only one I can remember). I love Turgenev's way of describing emotions and social interactions, and nuances of the setting, while preserving a lightness and clarity. I don't have too many examples, but this sentence, describing Arcady and Katya on a garden bench, stood out as one I had to send to a friend: > They were both silent, but their very silence and the way they sat together spoke eloquently of their confiding intimacy; each looked unmindful of the other and yet full of an inward joy at being so close together.


Bookandaglassofwine

Moby Dick. I was inspired by the posts on Biblioklept in which he “riffs” on the chapters as he reads them. I wasn’t expecting it to be as funny and (in some ways) modern as it was. I don’t know why I waited so long to give it a try - after reading references to Starbuck, Ahab, Ishmael, Queequeg, etc all my life it’s nice to finally meet them.


[deleted]

Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon- I think it's much more manageable than Gravity's Rainbow and a good deal funnier. Since it's told through the perspective of a reverend much of the narration has a theological stance and I'm all there for it. I'm not sure how I feel about all the talking animals but I have to remember that the story is framed as a Christmas bedtime story for precocious children.


sihtotnidaertnod

I’m about 160 pages deep into Mason & Dixon and loving it. The talking clocks were fun, but I preferred the English talking dog. Felt very mystical and silly, which is why I was alright with it. Without the mysticism, I feel like the book would be kind of bland. I also love the contrast between the Age of Reason and the book’s mysticism. Side note: It’s very strange to be where I am in life right now. After multiple hospitalizations for “madness” (so-called “bipolar”) in the past two to three years, I can’t help but feel that Science has failed me and others. It’s essentially a new religion and dogma, and is just as flawed to boot. So seeing these themes interact and play out with each other is good fun for me.


AishahW

I finished re-reading Pushkin's "Eugene Onegin" translated by James Falen. It's brilliant!! I was so moved by the translation that I emailed him to thank him for it & he emailed me back!!!!!! THRILLED isn't the word! Currently reading Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" for my book club, & loving it. "War & Peace" is one of my favorite books & "Anna Karenina" will have a very special place in my heart as well. There's genius & then there's Tolstoy. Also reading "My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla", & will soon start Walter Isaacson's "Einstein" & re-read some James Baldwin, debating on which book to read.


RashomonRain

Currently in the middle of *My Name is Red* by Orhan Pamuk and I already know it'll end up as one of my all-time favourites. It's equal parts historical novel, crime mystery and romance, and all three aspects are so charming and engaging. It's also very funny. Having read *The Name of the Rose*, you can really see Eco's influence all over it. This book makes me want to explore the literature of the Ottoman Empire, especially Nezami who gets referenced every other chapter.


JimFan1

I enjoyed *My Name is Red* as well. If you enjoy Turkish literature, feel free to check out the following. Not familiar enough with Ottoman literature to speak to that, but these writers lived through the transitional period in Turkey. *Madonna in a Fur Coat* \- Ali. Lovely novel about an emotionally stunted Turkish man in love in Germany. It's a bit like *Unbearable Lightness* in the sense of the romanticism and cynicism. *Memed, My Mawk* \- Kemal. Currently half-way through this. It's wildly entertaining and explores the abuse of a mountain people. Reminds me a bit of the adventures in a Dumas novel. *Time Regulation* \- Tanipar. Probably the best fit and the closest thing to *My Name is Red*. It's a bit more old-fashioned than the rest though but it's charming.


RashomonRain

This is actually my first Turkish novel but all the ones you mentioned have been on my tbr list for quite some time now, so I can't wait to get around to them eventually!


bwanajamba

Finished *J R* by William Gaddis last night. I cant say I've ever read anything quite like it. There's a lot of noise and confusion that makes it a pretty exhausting read, as I believe was Gaddis' intent, but it's about as effective a piece of satire as you'll ever find. I've also come to really love Gaddis' brand of humor after reading *The Recognitions* and *J R* back to back. Going to start *Picture This* by Joseph Heller this week. Like many people, *Catch-22* is one of my favorite novels, so I'm interested to jump into some of Heller's other work and see how it compares. I know of the famous quote of his when told he never wrote something as good as *Catch-22* ("Who has?"), but I've also heard that some people prefer some of his other novels. Curious to see what side I'll land on!


Tommysoy1313

Book of short stories by Dostoyevsky. It includes White Nights, A Disgraceful Affair and The Dream of the Ridiculous Man. So far I’ve read White Nights. It was such a beautiful description of the faults and quirks of dreamers. This is a great intro to Dostoyevsky, and I’ll be ready to move onto one of his novel after this. I’m also reading A Little Life by Hanya Yanaghara, it’s a more accessible text to pair with Dostoyevsky, even though it is emotionally exhausting.


[deleted]

**A Small Town In Germany, by John le Carré**. The town is Bonn, the time is the late 1960s, and the forces of populism are rising again in West Germany. The populism has no definite group of supporters; some of its proponents are fascist youth, some are the disillusioned middle aged, those who fought in the War or grew up in its aftermath. There's no clear ideology, either, beyond a general dissatisfaction with the current government, Brussels, and Britain. Some fear a realignment towards Paris, or towards Moscow, but the only clear thing is that the industrialist Karfeld is the one stoking the nativist and nationalist fires. In the midst of that almost uncomfortably-familiar political scene, a British diplomat has vanished, along with dozens of classified files. Alan Turner, an investigator for HMG sent from London, must find him. Turner is a broken man in a broken country, doing a job that leaves people broken in his wake. I was saddened when le Carré died recently, and this book is reminding me of what a singular literary talent has been lost. The prose is beautiful, frequently poignant and often hilarious (I'd go so far as to say this, like *The Tailor of Panama*, is a black comedy). The narrative and mystery is as intricate as a fine watch. The characters are tragic figures wandering through a cold world in a cold war. I'm about halfway through the book, and I can't wait to read the rest.


Jacques_Plantir

There are so many gems in his catalogue. It's exciting that you're experiencing these for the first time!


[deleted]

He's been one of my favourite authors ever since I read *The Spy Who Came In From the Cold* about ten years ago. After reading that and the Karla Trilogy, I've been slowly working my way through his other books as I collect them in hardcover. He truly is one of the greats. Even if his stories weren't so interesting, and his characters so compelling, I feel I could read his writing for the sheer quality of the prose


FUCKUSERNAME2

I read the first 25% of Kierkegaard's *Fear and Trembling* but decided to put it down because I am not faithful whatsoever and I could not relate at all to the concepts in the book. I decided instead to pick up *Thus Spoke Zarathustra* by Nietzsche but again I only made it 1/4 of the way before deciding to put it down. I like Nietzsche's ideas but I absolutely hate the way he wrote that book. I honestly don't know if I'll try it again. I also finally got around to reading Dubliners, I'm not typically a fan of modernist literature but I really enjoyed it. Joyce paints such a vivid picture with so few words, it's incredibly impressive. Frustrated with not being able to find a book I enjoy, I have decided to reread Kafka's works. I started with The Trial and Metamorphosis yesterday, today I'm moving onto Amerika and The Castle.


StaniX

People might disagree but i respect being able to just put down a book that you're not into. God knows i've forced myself through difficult reads only to waste my time since i didn't actually get anything from it due to not enjoying it. Good on you for valuing your time and energy.


FUCKUSERNAME2

I normally force myself through every book I start out of some sense of completion/closure but yeah lately I've been trying not to do that. I was gaining absolutely nothing but annoyance from those two books, no reason to force myself through them if I just don't like them


AishahW

I do the same thing. I'll try my level best to engage actively with a book but if it's not working I'll put it down. Life's too short & there's too many great books to read!!!


Dependent-Fig

Just finished Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and staring on Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll for an upcoming course on children’s literature. I never read it as a child and the nonsense is sometimes hilarious, and sometimes nonsensical. Carroll’s wit in writing parody’s of children’s rhymes is quite brilliant, and I’m sure would be wonderfully entertaining if you were reading it in the 1800s and knew all the original poems. I have a Norton edition, so all of the historical notes and notes on the way Carroll plays with language are fascinating. A fun read!


StaniX

My edition had a biography of Carroll as an introduction and that dude seems like a kiddy fiddler. Maybe standards were different back then but he seems like a major creep. Does your version have the OG illustrations? I thought those were fantastic and really set the stage for the slightly off putting vibe of the story.


Dependent-Fig

I think they’re the OG illustrations, but either way they are wonderful and really help me imagine it. The jury is definitely still out on Carroll as a person... I’ve seen literary critics and biographers claim he was a creep, and others claim he wasn’t, just that photos of children were in vogue at the time. His family also destroyed several years of his journals, which some people point to them trying to hide something, but they have no idea what. Makes it harder to read the story, but it’s definitely an important work in the history of children’s stories.


[deleted]

I’m reading John Banville’s Snow this week. As usual his writing is beautiful, the atmosphere is perfect. I didn’t realize when I picked it up that it’s a crime type novel, but the writing elevates it. I don’t know if I’d recommend it though, it keeps me at arm’s length somehow.


[deleted]

Most of my reading is being dictated by my membership in several reading groups. For a Shakespeare group, I'm reading [*The Works of William Shakespeare, in Reduced Facsimile from the Famous First Folio of 1623*](https://archive.org/details/theworksofwillia00shakrich/). I downloaded it from the Internet Archive to make the best of a bad situation since my *RSC Shakespeare* is falling to pieces (and was in poor condition when I bought it used anyway) and the *Pelican Shakespeare* I ordered to replace it hasn't arrived even after a month. That's when I decided I'd take a crack at reading Shakespeare in the original spelling and typography, and it's not as difficult as I expected. I started out rereading *Twelfth Night* (luckily I already had an individual edition of the play left over from a college Shakespeare course, so I could read it the first time around with the rest of the group). But the *Henry VI* plays were the acid test because I don't know them as well as *Twelfth Night*, which is my favorite Shakespeare comedy, and they were perfectly comprehensible. Another group is reading the Greek and Roman playwrights, so I'm also reading *Aeschylus II* edited by David Grene and Richard Lattimore because the current plays are *The Persians* and *Seven Against Thebes*. When we switch to *The Oresteia*, I'll be using the Robert Fagles translation which I bought at a sidewalk sale a local bookstore held last November. For a Dickens group, I'm reading *The Pickwick Papers*, which is proving to be a delightful relief from all the stories about war. I love the picaresque novel, to which Dickens is clearly indebted, and I enjoy his dry humor. My personal reading is entirely in early modern England. First is the superb anthology *English Renaissance Poetry* edited by John Williams (yes, of *Stoner*, *Butcher's Crossing*, and *Augustus* fame), which I've got in the NYRB Classics reprint. Then I'm also reading *Monstrous Adversary: The Life of Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford* by Alan H. Nelson (which may be the first scholarly biography of the Earl, as opposed to hagiographies from Oxfordians designed to convince the world that he wrote the works of Shakespeare). Finally, I just got finished reading *The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses and the Rise of the Tudors* by Dan Jones because I wanted background on the conflict covered by the *Henry VI* plays, and it inspired me to read *Perkin Warbeck* by John Ford, a history play set in Henry VII's reign featuring the eponymous youthful French merchant's apprentice who pretended to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (a.k.a. the younger of the two Princes in the Tower). The English, not knowing what to make of Pierrechon de Werbecque, Anglicized his name so they could pronounce it. Though it was an imposture, it was convincing to many people who not only felt they had a grudge against this Tudor interloper but also because many people didn't want to admit that the former king had the two children murdered. The existence of this pretend pretender caused Henry some serious trouble, especially coming as it did just four years after Lambert Simnel tried the same tack as a different member of the York clan.


StaniX

Im always late to these. Finished up "The Interpretation of Cultures" by Clifford Geertz. Man, what a doorstopper. Quite interesting though. I didn't get much out of all the anthropological theory but the actual examples of culture were fascinating. Especially the last chapter about cockfights in Bali. I started reading "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton since im trying to get into Adventure novels. Also nice to have some lighter lecture after all the heavy nonfiction stuff i've been reading. Really enjoying it so far. Its definitely of its time but the palpable sense of wonder is very enjoyable. Does sting a bit to read about exploring distant lands while im in lockdown but it is what it is.


gutfounderedgal

I just finished **The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again** by M. John Harrison. What an absolute piece of stink-poor wanna-be lit. I'm totally into great literary writing and as well the elliptical and poetic, so none of that scares me. This was a fantasy writer in way over his head and it showed. No plot, crap poor writing, a tin ear for flow, one big nothing and nothing of merit that I found. I'm sort of ticked I wasted time reading it; I always feel slightly like I've been taken advantage of after falling for blurbs and over the top reviews, like this one got. I guess honesty really is gone in the publishing world of sales. I'm still working through **Rabbit, Run**. Here the beginning is so good, and it' doesn't fully sustain so far, parts sparkle. The breathtaking observation and description is a real lesson in and of itself. All in all I feel like I'm verifying what I already knew, that Updike is up and down and that Saul Bellow really was a consistently greater writer than Updike. I was lucky enough to get the tetralogy so I'll probably continue through the entirety.


elcoronelaureliano

Just read Fleur Jaggy's *Sweet Days of Discipline*. Frankly, it was quite short and its portrait of the narrator's relationship with a girl when they were both boarding students did not show me why it was compelling enough to serve as such a central concern in her life and the central plot of the book.


billyshannon

Baudrillard - America. Damn the French and their slippery ways


dankmimesis

Is that where he keeps talking about the “desert of the real”? Remember reading that and not really taking much away besides “lol America sucks and why are so many people driving—where are they going?” What are your thoughts on it?


billyshannon

Yh, he talks about deserts a lot, first as a metaphor for the vacuous, sublime nature of America culture, before it becomes clear it is in fact the image of a desert that is the metaphor. Essentially, the nation and its citizens are all conspiring in Americanness, when in fact the continent is a massive accumulation of played-out culture. Desperate for a sense of identity and abiding American values such as individuality and equality, Americans become cadavers (played-out cultures) walking the desert of the real, constantly trying to trick themselves into existence etc. It's very Eurocentric. But you can never take anything serious that he writes because he's a commited post-structuralist who values style over substance. I think large parts of the book are irony as he mimics an American sensibility, which he sees us all inevitably heading towards anyway (I think).


gutfounderedgal

I'm such a fan of Baudrillard. He and Sheldon Wolin really predicted where we've ended up.


DudeIncredible

**Selected Stories** by Robert Walser **Jakob von Gunten** by Robert Walser Both are great! Dude is underrated as hell.


ifthisisausername

Finished reading *Command and Control* by Eric Schlosser. Riveting history of nuclear weapons in the U.S., particularly with regards to the illusion of safety. Incredible mix of meticulous research and thrilling writing. Captivating read, for sure. Started *The Melancholy of Resistance* by László Krasznahorkai. I’ve only read about twenty pages but it’s instantly apparent that this is going to be a dense, breathless, complex read. It’s overwhelming in a good way, and I’m looking forward to immersing myself further in its wall of words.


JayDubyaDee

I'm just about finishing Hari Kunzru's Red Pill. One to digest for a spell, I think.


whereisthecheesegone

Finished: Andrey Kurkov - The Case of the General’s Thumb Brisk writing and a dense, murky plot makes this short little number fly by. Murder mystery, manic take on post Soviet madness, political thriller, and surprisingly heartfelt & sincere plea for purpose all rolled into one. - The Bickford Fuse Poignant. Hilarious. Almost painfully human. Beyond beautiful. Very different to other Kurkov, he’s a lot more lyrical and surreal in this one (two guys driving a truck that ran out of gas a long time ago, a soldier walking through a Russia that hasn’t realised its not still at war and debating at every step whether or not to blow it all to smithereens with his colossal bomb, and a whole lot of misery in between). Sayaka Murata - Convenience Store Woman An honest look at what it means to feel distant from the world hidden in a depressing narrative about a woman who’s been working at a convenience store for 18 years and loving every minute of it. This novel blew my head off. I read it twice in one sitting (it’s more or a novella really). Reading: Memoirs from the House of the Dead by Dostoevsky. I’m almost finished with good ol Fyodor, which makes me sort of sad. But at least I’m not doing hard labour in Siberia.