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Finished Don Quixote finally I still enjoyed it overall even if it was a massive chore in the middle.
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Sep 20, 2023 03:38
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Lawman 0 posted:Finished Don Quixote finally I still enjoyed it overall even if it was a massive chore in the middle. 
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Sep 20, 2023 06:23
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Lawman 0 posted:Finished Don Quixote finally I still enjoyed it overall even if it was a massive chore in the middle. It's a bit long because it's actually two books that just have a nearly 400-year history of being published in one volume.
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Sep 20, 2023 16:46
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I've got a dumb question that I don't know where it better fits. I just finished Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union and adored the author's writing style of dense, clever prose. I gobbled it up, so was a little surprised to see some of those I'm reading it with report they found it frustratingly hard to follow, frequently requiring backtracking and rereading a sentence a couple times for it to click. But more striking was my realization that I actually experience the same sort of frustration with writing that offers, ostensibly, a far lower readability bar. A few examples where it stuck out would be The Hunger Games, Jay Kristoff's Stormdancer, and Susan Burke's Semiosis. All would score as very readable, but in each I actually found myself stumbling awkwardly through, getting hung up on, I don't know, the excessive simplicity of the sentence structure and narrative presented? Each was an outright painful read. The same isn't true for obvious children's books. Reading "See Spot. See Spot run. Run, Spot, run!" doesn't leave me in a befuddled state wondering if I've missed something deeper. I guess I'm just coming at this YA-level literature with the wrong calibration? My intent isn't to put down those who enjoyed those books, just shout my confusion into the void. Am I crazy? Pretentious? Is this unreadable readability a known, named phenomenon with any research behind it? Cugel the Clever fucked around with this message at 07:42 on Sep 21, 2023 |
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Sep 21, 2023 07:18
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My ability to follow what I read often has more to do with my mental state than the qualities of the text itself.
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Sep 21, 2023 08:07
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Cugel the Clever posted:I've got a dumb question that I don't know where it better fits. I just finished Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union and adored the author's writing style of dense, clever prose. I gobbled it up, so was a little surprised to see some of those I'm reading it with report they found it frustratingly hard to follow, frequently requiring backtracking and rereading a sentence a couple times for it to click. Different people find differing material more or less difficult. Like a lot of Goons in a lot of situations you're making mountains out of molehills and massively overthinking; many of the works you list are garbage, the reason you bounce off them is not readability it's that they aren't in any way interesting or challenging. Imagine a chess match and you're playing someone much more talented than yourself, you might struggle with every move, but you will be engaged. If they give you a handicap of turning all your pawns to queens than you won't be, even if you're poor enough that you still get outplayed the experience will still be unenthralling with the knowledge that you both aren't actually being held to any standard nor are you making interesting decisions in your match.
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Sep 21, 2023 08:24
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Cugel the Clever posted:I guess I'm just coming at this YA-level literature with the wrong calibration? Your mistake is that you're reading it. It's all poo poo. 
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Sep 21, 2023 11:52
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The other goons have hit the nail on the head, but I will say I've experienced the first half of it myself with a TV show; it feels like I am the only person on Earth who perfectly understood the third story arc of obscure dense Britich scifi show Sapphire and Steel with no outside help. Mostly I just wonder if it's me who is the crazy one, haven't had something like that happen since. Sometimes you just click with an author's work I guess? For the second half I'd also guess you're expecting too much of YA lit. Usually I go in to lighter stuff like that trying to predict if they'll follow the cliches or not and roll my eyes when it conforms to expectation in dumb ways.
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Sep 21, 2023 16:07
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Speaking of fast reading, I just sped through Gabriel Garcia Marquez "Erendira" book, it was super well written, such flowery language, and it only took me a few hours (short book, 160 pages including a few short stories). I thought it would take me much longer. Now, the talent is undeniable, these are some wonderfully written sentences, perfect for magical realism. But uhhhh how is this a respected classic, Erendira is 14. If you haven't read it, maybe look up the plot first lol
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Sep 21, 2023 21:20
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Comfy Fleece Sweater posted:But uhhhh how is this a respected classic, Erendira is 14. If you haven't read it, maybe look up the plot first lol It's literally titled an increíble y triste story. e: I just realized that, for some reason, the Finnish translation is "sad and incredible" instead of the original way around.
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Sep 22, 2023 07:56
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Psssssssst hey, don't look behind you.......but there's a POLL for the October book club book!
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Sep 25, 2023 04:41
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Just got an email from Amazon confirming that they are finally, once again, and this-time-they-mean it... removing MOBI / AZW support for Send to Kindle, everything must be EPUB now. They'll start "winding down" on November 1st and fully cut it off on December 20th If this sounds familiar it's because they actually claimed they were doing it as far back as 2021 but then just never did lol. and if this sounds familiar but in the opposite way, that's because until last year Send to Kindle only supported MOBI / AZW. it's a well oiled machine over there at Amazon anyway not a big deal, EPUB has always been better and it's easy to convert via calibre, but fyi
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Sep 25, 2023 23:39
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Got Ulysses for free. It's a bit beat up but intact. (It used to belong to a nurse in Dublin in 1964. How it came to be here IDK  )Now I have to read it 
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Sep 27, 2023 20:07
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3D Megadoodoo posted:Got Ulysses for free. It's a bit beat up but intact. (It used to belong to a nurse in Dublin in 1964. How it came to be here IDK You do not have to self-harm. You can put the book down.
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Sep 27, 2023 20:14
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(I haven't actually read ulysses. I tried the first few pages a year or so ago and went "this is not for me". It might be good! I don't know. But I am a huge fan of reading books you want to - there are too many genuinely great books to slog through one that doesn't work for you)
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Sep 27, 2023 20:16
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StrixNebulosa posted:You do not have to self-harm. You can put the book down. Reading on the floor? How 1980s. StrixNebulosa posted:(I haven't actually read ulysses. I tried the first few pages a year or so ago and went "this is not for me". It might be good! I don't know. But I am a huge fan of reading books you want to - there are too many genuinely great books to slog through one that doesn't work for you) I'm strictly in the "it was there" camp. Of course it doesn't mean I can't choose what to read next from what I have. I picked up Pratchett's Strata for 2½€ (I think?) at the same place. It's a perfect size for reading on the bus. 3D Megadoodoo fucked around with this message at 20:19 on Sep 27, 2023 |
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Sep 27, 2023 20:16
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Lying on your stomach with your head over the side and the book on the floor is a great way to read
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Sep 27, 2023 20:38
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Gaius Marius posted:Lying on your stomach with your head over the side and the book on the floor is a great way to read 
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Sep 27, 2023 20:42
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I wish I could afford, like, a massage table with a hole for my face in a special room so I could read something below it with my head and neck supported.
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Sep 27, 2023 21:29
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3D Megadoodoo posted:Reading on the floor? How 1980s. i have a huge softspot for strata, it's no where near as polished as his later work but as a soft-satire of ringworld it's a really fun read. no rishathra either which is a plus.
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Sep 28, 2023 00:01
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Megazver posted:I wish I could afford, like, a massage table with a hole for my face in a special room so I could read something below it with my head and neck supported. I've read a few books with XReal Airs plugged into my ipad. Just laying without a pillow, reading off the ceiling. Setting it to dark mode makes the text just look like it's floating since black is transparent. I got the Beam too so I can look at the "screen" a bit more naturally. I flip pages with one of these things  https://a.co/d/hEnuGpO I've actually done a lot of work like that too, highly recommend if you have neck problems and the means to access these things. Massage table is probably less expensive, but extra room is moreso.
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Sep 28, 2023 00:15
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https://www.redcometpress.com/adult/101 Maybe you can still submit this one
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Sep 28, 2023 04:04
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Comfy Fleece Sweater posted:https://www.redcometpress.com/adult/101 Not gonna click anything with "adult" in it 
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Sep 28, 2023 07:36
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Megazver posted:I wish I could afford, like, a massage table with a hole for my face in a special room so I could read something below it with my head and neck supported. I can buy you one but only if you let me watch you use it.
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Sep 28, 2023 13:22
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3D Megadoodoo posted:Not gonna click anything with "adult" in it Probably a good way to go through life
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Sep 28, 2023 21:36
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It's been far too long since I sat down to read a book (of fiction), so today I bought the Penguin Classics translation of The Count of Monte Cristo, which I've wanted to read for the longest time. Read chapter 1 and am excited to continue when it's not 2am 
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Sep 29, 2023 00:16
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Terper posted:It's been far too long since I sat down to read a book (of fiction), so today I bought the Penguin Classics translation of The Count of Monte Cristo, which I've wanted to read for the longest time. Read chapter 1 and am excited to continue when it's not 2am oh hell yeah, there's nothing better than getting back into reading by reading something REALLY good
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Sep 29, 2023 00:25
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Count of Monte Cristo is the longest uninterrupted period of reading I've ever engaged in I believe. I went from page three hundred or so to the end in one stretch over night because I just couldn't put it down. Felt like my eyes were bleeding afterwards.
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Sep 29, 2023 00:37
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Is that the modern translation by Robin Buss? That's the one you want and it matters
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Sep 29, 2023 00:59
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Yeah that's the one Penguin uses
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Sep 29, 2023 01:01
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I was one of those people who dropped out in Rome, knowing that revenge would be hundreds of pages away.
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Sep 29, 2023 02:46
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I don't think I've ever read a Frenchman's writings about Italy and not loved it.
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Sep 29, 2023 04:02
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Smdh at these wish-fulfillment MCs... captain of a three-master at 20?? Some guys have all the luck!
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Sep 29, 2023 10:16
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Action Jacktion posted:I can buy you one but only if you let me watch you use it. TBH it's more of a "afford a different appartment with an extra room to put in" thing. But if I ever figure it out, I will personally PM you to share a video of this deeply intimate moment with you.
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Sep 29, 2023 10:23
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Terper posted:Smdh at these wish-fulfillment MCs... captain of a three-master at 20?? Some guys have all the luck! Tordenskjold made captain at like 21 so its not unheard of
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Sep 29, 2023 17:55
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Megazver posted:I wish I could afford, like, a massage table with a hole for my face in a special room so I could read something below it with my head and neck supported. Holy poo poo... you just gave me a light bulb moment. I have a massage table in storage. Have been hardly able to pick up a book in a year because of my neck, switched to audio.
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Sep 29, 2023 19:12
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escape artist posted:Holy poo poo... you just gave me a light bulb moment. I have a massage table in storage. Have been hardly able to pick up a book in a year because of my neck, switched to audio. Report back if my idea was genius or hubristic defiance of Gods' will.
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Sep 29, 2023 19:33
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So who is y'all's tip for this year's Nobel prize? I've seen some betting odds that seemed to claim the surefire bet is Murakami, which is a choice I'm honestly not a fan of.
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Oct 2, 2023 17:29
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none of the sources I've come across have him as the frontrunner. I think most people are expecting Fosse or Can Xue
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Oct 2, 2023 17:39
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since i’m norwegian I would obviously root for Fosse, but Xue or Krasznahorkai would be good choices, too
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Oct 2, 2023 18:28
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