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No vanilla number for me, that felt silly this year and I am comfortable with the amount of books I read. But I will do the rest of the booklord challenge.
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Dec 27, 2016 06:47
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I'll add My Goodreads too, because I've always been lonely over there... friend me if you read lit so I can loot your reading choices.
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Jan 4, 2017 05:01
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Corrode posted:I added a bunch of you on Goodreads. Except Bandiet - says yours is set to private and there's no add button, at least on mobile. made it public
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Jan 5, 2017 04:08
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I never did any updates, so here's a giant recap of what I read this year. Olio by Tyehimba Jess. It was a bad book of poetry, and I came to that opinion before it won the pulitzer prize, t.y.v.m. The substantial prose interludes (terribly written; you know it’s a bad sign when a poet can’t even write prose) and some ridiculous sonnet gimmicks are the main reasons the book is considered ambitious. Conquest Of The Useless by Werner Herzog. It’s the little journal that he kept during the making of Fitzcarraldo, as featured in My Best Fiend. It has much of the same melodramatic musings that you can see in the documentary Burden Of Dreams, but if you saw that movie and were disappointed that it didn’t actually give you much behind-the-scenes, this book is delightful in that regard. In The Land Of Pain by Alphonse Daudet. I was attracted because I’d never read a translation by Julian Barnes. It’s much better than Daudet’s novels, at least. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. It was as dumb as I would expect from C.S. Lewis, and also, I will never read David Foster Wallace. How To Eat To Live by Elijah Muhammad. He says that all food is unhealthy so you should only eat once every three days. Tracts Relating To Caspar Hauser by Earl Stanhope. If you watch The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser and get curious, this text has everything that you could possibly want to know about the real case, although there is little ‘enigma’ about it. I Really Like Slop!; Waiting Is Not Easy!; My New Friend Is So Fun!; Today I Will Fly!; Should I Share My Ice Cream?; Pigs Make Me Sneeze!; Are You Ready To Play Outside?; My Friend Is Sad by Mo Willems. I like Mo Willems a lot, but I’m not too impressed with Elephant & Piggie. The title and cover are often the best parts of the book. Look! We Have Come Through! by DH Lawrence. These are very lush poems. I enjoyed them. Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust. After finishing it I was pretty impressed, but I wasn’t too adamant about continuing the journey. Months later, though, I find that there are some really marvelous moments that still stick in my mind, and the idea of coming back to Proust soon sounds very agreeable. The Black Swan by Thomas Mann. I enjoyed it for its hilarious moments of bathos, though I think most moments weren’t intentional. Overall it’s a really embarrassing effort to make a female counterpart to Death In Venice, and it’s a sad end to a great oeuvre. Time In Ezra Pound’s Work by William Harmon. For reading literary criticism about Pound, it’s good to start small, and this book works for that. It goes through all his work chronologically, but focusing superficially on the theme of Time. Crossways by W.B. Yeats. His first volume of poetry was, unsurprisingly, bad. Why read it? One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. Don’t make me tell you it’s bad. A Serious Character: The Life Of Ezra Pound by Humphrey Carpenter. Pound is kind of presented in an undignified light from start to finish, and Carpenter clearly doesn’t think that highly of Pound’s poetry, but it’s a very thorough and fast-paced narrative of his whole life. Read it if you want all the Facts. The Doctor Stories by William Carlos Williams. Some incredibly good short stories. Along with some novels I read, I think Williams was (in fact, much) better at prose than poetry. Dubliners by James Joyce. Uneven, I’d say, but showing a lot of promise. In reading most of Joyce’s work this year, I decided that Dubliners shows quite a lot of promise in terms of “content,” whereas Portrait Of The Artist shows promise in “form,” and they come together perfectly in Ulysses. A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man by James Joyce. I didn’t really like Portrait Of The Artist at all though. I couldn’t figure out what I was missing so I started to re-read it, but… nah. I see other readers agree that the sermon midway through is miserable, but the rest of the novel excluding chapter 1 seems to me to be written in the exact same manner. It’s so grinding. But, I appreciated the modernist structure. The Crying Of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon. Dumbass poo poo. All of the ‘masculine’ ‘quirk’ of Richard Fariña without any of the beauty or nuance. Just a barrage of parodic names and whimsical plots from the pages of a terrible 1960s issue of Mad magazine. The Pickering Manuscript by William Blake. Yes, obviously I read it because there’s the poem in it that’s quoted in Portrait Of The Artist… well, I liked that poem, and I respect Blake’s unique objectives as a poet, but it’s not for me. Othello by William Shakespeare. Not much to say. I read some Shakespeare and I’m like “yep, that is good” A ZBC Of Ezra Pound by Christine Brooke-Rose. I done reviewed it on goodreads, saying that I “felt swept along in Brooke-Rose's enthusiasm, which is rare to find in Pound criticism without accompaniment by excessive apology or defensiveness” Cathay by Ezra Pound. It’s great. I read Arthur Waley’s translation of the confucian odes last year, and some of those poems are translated by Pound in this. That’s where I was affected the most. Since I wasn’t distracted by the historical context, Pound’s own remarkable feeling for rhythm and idiom shone through immediately. Ulysses by James Joyce. I had the time of my life. If you speak English, you can read it. Just read it, loser. James Joyce’s Ulysses by Stuart Gilbert. I stopped in to read this after every episode of Ulysses, just to confirm my understanding of the basic plot. His summaries are very helpful, because they’re essentially provided by Joyce himself. But all critical analysis seemed to be highly suspect, at times laughable and at times repulsive. Ulysses by Hugh Kenner. This is where to go if you want a concise analytical guide through Ulysses that’s actually good. Yoga Bunny by Brian Russo. Some worthless debut picture book. Stuck In The Mud by Jane Clarke. A picture book with ugly illustrations, the worst kind of picture book. Reading Picture Books With Children by Megan Dowd Lambert. This book expounds the ‘whole book technique’ of leading a story-time. I saw some critics of it online bringing up very reasonable points, but in general, I support the idea of teaching kids printing terminology and bringing them to appreciate a book as a piece of art rather than just breezing through the story. At least, I find it very interesting. Sir Gawain And The Green Knight. My edition, the Simon Armitage translation, had the original text on the facing page, which I always love. I had a great time adapting to the old language and discerning the original poetry myself. It is definitely a strange tale. Purgatorio by Dante. I’m a simple guy and I prefer the grotesque, so obviously I had a much better time reading Inferno. But I am still enjoying Robin Kirkpatrick’s translation a lot. It’s not often that you find a verse translation of Dante that you could, should the mood take you, read in one go. Money Galore by Amu Djoleto. A Ghanaian satire full of delightful caricatures and bizarre tragedy. Compagnie by Samuel Beckett. The style is actually pretty accessible, so it’s more apparent than usual that he’s rehashing. Don’t waste your time with Beckett’s late works if they’re accessible. Just go for “Worstward Ho.” Goldfish Ghost by Lemony Snicket. The latest collaborations with Snicket and his wife Lisa Brown — this book and “29 Myths On The Swinster Pharmacy” — have felt extremely uninspired on the writing end. They are much too obviously just vehicles for Lisa Brown’s illustrations, although those are great. Flaubert And Madame Bovary: A Double Portrait by Francis Steegmuller. I’m not really sure why the excerpts from Flaubert’s travel diary in the second part were so ridiculously extensive, but it sucked. The rest, though, was fascinating. The Complete Peanuts: 1950-1952, 1953-1954, 1955-1956, 1957-1958. It seems almost a conspiracy how immediate the shift in the humor was, from the 1950s to 1960, when Schulz added so many idiotic things — Sally Brown, the Great Pumpkin, etc. But these years are a masterpiece of comedic achievement. Just so good. Even in the very early years where they all look weird. Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow. I anticipate reading a biography of every US president. Chernow’s book was as good a place to start as any, I guess. Like a lot of popular biographies, some of the analysis felt hackneyed and overdramatized, but I sure got my Facts. Delicious Facts. Mooncop by Tom Gauld. There are cute parts. It fell a little flat compared to Goliath or what have you. Ezra Pound: Poet, Volume I by A. David Moody. Moody fills you in on sufficient Facts, but mostly uses them to contextualize Pound’s poetical life, which he focuses on very expertly. All your favorite Pound poems are discussed in due time. I want to read how he tackles his criticism of the Cantos in the next volumes. Our Town by Thornton Wilder. As I was writing I nearly mixed up Sherwood Anderson and Thornton Wilder, for some reason. Actually, I know the reason. Literary Essays Of Ezra Pound. It’s every boy’s dream… well, sometimes he lapses too much into essentially listing books and saying “good/bad/good/bad/good.” But he never lapses into the academic non-reality of criticism for criticism’s sake. You get to feel sure that the only reason Pound would force himself to write an essay about a work is because he really, truly wants everyone to read it. You can see that he is legitimately concerned with as many people as possible reading good literature. For someone who loves to repeat that the public are stupid sheep, etc., he works absurdly hard in looking for new ways for people to access Ovid or Homer or Arnaut Daniel or Cavalcanti. Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann. It was okay, I liked it, but it often felt awkward and uneven, which I guess is expected for a debut novel. It’s pretty devoted to being a realist opus, and Mann is really not a realist. He enjoys having a huge cast of characters, all unique and fully developed no matter how minor, and he enjoys extensive technical descriptions of disease and whatnot. But other than that I don’t think he’s set out for such an ‘archival’ approach to writing, especially the financial details. In any case the Swedish Academy are losers for isolating this book as the reason for his Nobel. Gone ’Til November by Lil Wayne. It’s a book by Lil Wayne, don’t judge me. Lincoln In The Bardo by George Saunders. I guess it was some sort of really silly and really dumb fantasy story. There were a few funny parts, though. Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. I read this book in third grade and it fascinated me. There were obviously parts I didn’t fully absorb, but I still had a good time. Now, reading it again ages later, I’m still really impressed. I don’t aspire to make comics or read more comics than I do already, but anyone who’s passionate about their art form on an intellectual, analytical level is worth listening to. Dragon Was Terrible by Kelly DiPucchio. A bit too colloquial for my tastes. I also did not like that the dragon goes to church. A Contract With God by Will Eisner. The art flows so incredibly well. I love the cartoony figures, the copious ink, and his restless alterations of the panel format. Legendary Authors And The Clothes They Wore by Terry Newman. Excellent idea for a book, but doesn’t achieve anything close to its full potential. Hamlet by William Shakespeare. That’s a real good play. Hamlet And Oedipus by Ernest Jones. That’s some real wack analysis. The Pound Era by Hugh Kenner. That's some insanely good lit crit, probably the best I'll ever read. P.S. I'm almost done with the challenge, but I need a wildcard. A WILDCARD!
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Aug 31, 2017 21:47
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Bandiet posted:Olio by Tyehimba Jess General update: Doug Unplugged by Dan Yaccarino. loving shite picture book. Machine Art & Other Writings by Ezra Pound. Some Pound essays that never surfaced for whatever reason. Sometimes that reason is obvious, like when he rants about his bizarre fantasy to organize factory sounds into the same tempo, which would keep the workers entertained during their long day. The Bad Mood And The Stick by Lemony Snicket. Very disappointing after all the kerfuffle, various illustrations in it sanitized before publication because of apparent racism. At least the title is still Snicket's best. We Found A Hat by Jon Klassen. Habitually rereading. Still one of the best. The Peregrine by J.A. Baker. Occasionally charming, ultimately extremely boring. The Anarchy Of The Imagination by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Read it once you familiarize yourself with at least, say, 20 of his films. He's a serious character. From The Hidden Storehouse by Benjamin Péret. A selection throughout his career— most of the poems, I find, are too flowery for me, but there's some turning point where he gets very aggressive. Those must be where the poems I previously enjoyed came from, when they were collected in Death To The Pigs. Pax by Sara Pennypacker. Great Klassen illustrations. So painfully self-serious and awkwardly written. If this were her first novel it wouldn't have gotten published. The Wolf, The Duck & The Mouse by Mac Barnett. Really wonderful new Barnett/Klassen collab. Klassen's usually minimalist illustrations are chaotic and bursting with color in this one, and Barnett is as classy as ever. The Skunk by Mac Barnett. Good. Creepy Pair Of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds. Here's the dumb and tasteless follow-up to Creepy Carrots. Guide To Kulchur by Ezra Pound. One of the first Pound things I read almost two years ago, now coming back to it with a pretty thorough Pound knowledge is like an epiphany. It's a captivating, generous, invaluable book. The Bears' Famous Invasion Of Sicily by Dino Buzzati. The second of many rereads to come. Definitely up there in the masterpieces of children's literature. Ezra Pound: Poet, Volume II by A. David Moody. I was maybe a little disappointed that Moody wasn't going to analyze every single Canto, especially after seeing in volume one how he tied himself in knots trying to pull a philosophy out of nearly every early Pound poem. Very entertaining and illuminating nonetheless. I didn't like my wildcard so I didn't read it.  I guess I'll throw in the towel:Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by women. - 6/64 fail 3) Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by someone non-white. - 5/64 fail 4) Read at least one book by an LGBT author. - Swann’s Way 5) Read at least one TBB BoTM and post in the monthly thread about it. - The Peregrine 6) Read a book someone else in the thread recommends (a wildcard!) - fail 7) Read something that was recently published (anything from after 1st January 2016). - Lincoln In The Bardo 8) Read something which was published before you were born. - almost everything 9) Read something in translation. - In The Land Of Pain 10) Read something from somewhere you want to travel. - Mooncop (I’d like to go to the moon) 11) Read something political. - Washington: A Life 12) Read something historical. - Tracts Relating To Caspar Hauser 12a) Read something about the First World War. - nah 13) Read something biographical. - A Serious Character: The Life Of Ezra Pound 14) Read some poetry. - Purgatorio 15) Read a play. - Our Town 16) Read a collection of short stories. - Dubliners 17) Read something long (500+ pages). - Buddenbrooks 18) Read something which was banned or censored. - Ulysses 19) Read a satire. - The Screwtape Letters 20) Read something about honour. - Hamlet 21) Read something about fear. - Creepy Pair Of Underwear 22) Read something about one (or more!) of the seven sins. - A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man 23) Read something that you love. - The Bears’ Famous Invasion Of Sicily 24) Read something from a non-human perspective. - Goldfish Ghost
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Dec 1, 2017 15:14
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