|
I didn't really maintain my reading last year for a number of personal reasons. In fact, it was the worst year for reading I've had. I'm going to try to get back to reading as a daily habit. Still, to make things easier, I'm going to keep by goal to an easily manageable 24 books this year, and hopefully surpass that. This will give me a chance to read through some larger novels I've been putting off, as well. I will also commit to the Book Lord Challenge. My personal goal is to read at least 6 books given to me in the SHAMEFUL: The Greatest Books You've Never Read thread, because it's a good thread that needs more traffic/attention. Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Jan 2, 2018 |
#
¿
Jan 2, 2018 14:51
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 14, 2024 18:59 |
|
|
Corrode posted:Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain by Barney Norris. Enjoy My Uncle Oswald by Roald Dahl! It's short and funny. I could also use a wildcard, please. Please nothing long (500+ pages). Also, there's the Post Your Bookshelf thread, which may inspire some people to read more, or at least show off their bowed shelves.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 8, 2018 22:32
|
|
|
Chazani posted:Under the North Star by Väinö Linna in honour of the 100th anniversary of the Finnish Civil War. I'll look around, but the cheapest copy I'm seeing is $110, which isn't gonna happen. It sounds interesting, though, so I'll post again when I've had more time to look around.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 9, 2018 14:40
|
|
|
Hungry posted:Hit me with a wildcard, please! The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
|
|
#
¿
Jan 12, 2018 20:02
|
|
|
January Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa ... (Full write-up here)I admit that I began this book in 2017, but read more than half of it during the first week of the new year. Dark, vulgar, weird, funny, tragic, nostalgic. Two narratives: an 18 year old aspiring writer experiences love and romance for the first time with middle-age Aunt Julia (whom he is related to through marriage), which causes a fall-out with his family, and a series of radio serials (presented as short stories) which slowly become intertwined as their author Pedro Camacho grows insane. It was a wonderful weird start to my year, but it's a little too long. Remains of the Day by Kazuo IshiguroAn English butler goes on a week-long trip through the countryside in the late 1950's to meet with an old co-worker. Along the way he visits villages, talks with colorful locals, reminisces about the previous homeowner he worked for Lord Darlington, World War 2, the nature of dignity, the past and future of butlers, politics, the state of the UK, and life's many regrets. As we spend more time with Mr. Stevens, we gain more insight into the moral dilemma that came with working with Lord Darlington, as well as the true nature of his relationship with Miss Kenton. Stevens is a fun unreliable narrator. He is knowledgeable, he is intelligent, but only in regards to serving as a butler and being proper. He is polite, but does not know how to banter. His sense of humor is dry. He constantly lies to other characters, the reader, and himself, not with a malicious intent, but because he is completely repressed: emotionally, socially, romantically, etc. His life was spent as a cog in the capitalist wheel, in service to Lord Darlington, who he considers a "great man". However, we learn that Darlington was more villainous than Stevens would want to admit. Stevens never actually lived a fulfilling life, while he allowed his employer to live an evil life that caused the suffering of many people during WW2. The book is full of missed opportunities for happiness, regret, but also nostalgia for the past. All in all, a great book. I liked it much more than I anticipated. Multiple Choice by Alejandro ZambraThis book is written in the form of the Chilean Academic Aptitude Test, which includes 90 multiple choice questions in various formats, such as Sentence Order (see below), Word Association, Critical Thinking and others. The questions are quite bizarre. Where they written by a mad man, or someone experiencing an existential crisis? Does this test have sinister connotations? Are we, the reader, going mad? This is a fun mental exercise if the reader engages the book and considers the questions as if they were actually being tested (there is an answer key included, in fact). It is in turns funny, dark, sad, and creepy. The word games inspired me to meditate on language, literary devices, the idea of standardized testing, authors of standardized tests, the ideas of individuality, and free will. Quite a few questions made me consider which of the answers stood out as "correct" to me, and what that conclusion says about me. It's not all serious, as I said much of it is quite funny. Here are two questions that give you an idea of the tone: Place the sentences in the best possible order:   Quite an enjoyable book. The 2018 Booklord Challenge 1. Set a goal for number of books or another personal challenge 3/24 2. Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by women. 0/5 3. Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by someone non-white. 3/5 Aunt Julia & the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra 4. Read at least one book by an LGBT author. 5. Participate in the TBB BotM thread at least once in 2018 & participate in the SHAMEFUL The Greatest Books You've Never Read thread 6 times BOTM: coming soon Shameful: 1/6 Aunt Julia & the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa 6. Ask another poster to issue you a wildcard, then read it.  I need a new wildcard, the one chosen for me is out of print and too expensive. Something preferably under 500 pages.7. Get a recommendation from a friend or loved one. 8. Read something written before you were born. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (published in 1989) 9. Read a book published in 2018. 10. Read something translated from another language. 11. Read something political. 12. Read a poetry collection. 13. Read a collection of short stories. 14. Read a play. 15. Read something involving history. 16. Read something biographical. 17. Read something about religion. 18. Read something from a non-traditional perspective. Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra 19. Read something that has been banned, censored, or challenged. 20. Read something about music. 21. Read something that involves Maslow's hierarchy of needs. 22. Read something about the future. TOTAL CHALLENGE GOALS COMPLETED 2/22 Currently reading: Pride & Prejudice for the first time
|
|
#
¿
Jan 31, 2018 20:29
|
|
|
February This was a short busy month for me. Still, I enjoyed what I read. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813) Absolutely loved this. Highly recommended. What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist—the Facts of Daily Life in 19th-Century England by Daniel Pool (1993) I read it as a companion to Pride & Prejudice. It's structure makes it incredibly easy to refer to specific topics as they come up in stories, or to jump around as the curious mind asks more questions. Recommended. The 2018 Booklord Challenge 1. Set a goal for number of books or another personal challenge 5/24 2. Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by women. 1/5 Pride & Prejudice 3. Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by someone non-white. 3/5 Aunt Julia & the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra 4. Read at least one book by an LGBT author. 5. Participate in the TBB BotM thread at least once in 2018 & participate in the SHAMEFUL The Greatest Books You've Never Read thread 6 times BOTM: coming soon Shameful: 2/6 Aunt Julia & the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen 6. Ask another poster to issue you a wildcard, then read it. I need a new wildcard, the one chosen for me is out of print and too expensive. Something preferably under 500 pages.7. Get a recommendation from a friend or loved one. 8. Read something written before you were born. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (published in 1989) 9. Read a book published in 2018. 10. Read something translated from another language. 11. Read something political. 12. Read a poetry collection. 13. Read a collection of short stories. 14. Read a play. 15. Read something involving history. What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist—the Facts of Daily Life in 19th-Century England by Daniel Pool 16. Read something biographical. 17. Read something about religion. 18. Read something from a non-traditional perspective. Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra 19. Read something that has been banned, censored, or challenged. 20. Read something about music. 21. Read something that involves Maslow's hierarchy of needs. 22. Read something about the future. TOTAL CHALLENGE GOALS COMPLETED 3/22
|
|
#
¿
Mar 5, 2018 04:27
|
|
|
I recommend them all the time but they're two of my favorite authors and deserve it: Flannery O'Connor and Carson McCullers. Excellent writers, dark Southern Gothic stories that gives chills and sticks in the mind. I'm planning on reading O'Connor's Wise Blood because I somehow haven't read it yet for the challenge, though I may not get to it in time for this week challenge. A few other female authors I enjoy, but also need to read more of: Shirley Jackson, one of the greatest horror authors who embraced negative space writing which allowed her stories to be psychologically unnerving rather than hoping to shock with blood, guts and monsters Han Kang is a South Korean author who's tales are simple and horrific. The Vegetarian was a BotM a while ago, which was a really good thread Susan Griffin is an award-winning feminist writer who explores modern conflicts between genders, sexuality, and society. She has a book on rape, pornography and a collection that's all-encompassing of her ideas. Thought-provoking writings on subject matters that make people squeamish. Ben Nevis posted:I'll throw in a rec for Rachel Ingalls. Apparently she's having a bit of a renaissance with a book of short stories out last year and a republishing of Mrs. Caliban. Mrs. Caliban is a short novel about a housewife who falls in love with a frog monster. That sort of thing is all the rage these days, but it's a really good little book anyways. This is also on my to-read list. Should move it higher on the pile.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 7, 2018 17:20
|
|
|
My book club chose Hunger by Roxane Gay and the SHAMEFUL thread chose The Handmaid's Tale by Atwood, so those are my female author books for the near future.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 12, 2018 18:13
|
|
|
Can I get a new wildcard please? I can't get a copy of the one given to me. Preferably under 500 pages.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 15, 2018 12:33
|
|
|
Mr. Squishy posted:Don Carmusso by Machado de Assis. Nevermind, they are the same text by Helen Caldwell, one just has an intro by Elizabeth Hardwick. Thanks Mr. Squishy! Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 12:55 on Mar 15, 2018 |
|
#
¿
Mar 15, 2018 12:51
|
|
|
I am quite fond of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee, which I would recommend to you Guy A. Person, but I also like Our Town by Thornton Wilder and Fences by August Wilson, and of course Waiting For Godot by Becket. I also have a fondness for the Oedipus cycle of plays by Sophocles. I have also been putting off reading a copy of The Importance of Being Earnest. I may join you in reading that, but I'm not sure. I recently bought a collection of plays, but I don't remember the playwright's name, and didn't seem to add it to my reading list.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 20, 2018 22:07
|
|
|
chernobyl kinsman posted:read shakespeare idiots Pick one for me. Not Hamlet.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 21, 2018 01:16
|
|
|
My go-to recommendation for short stories is Etgar Keret. He's very similar to Kafka and Vonnegut, though his prose is closer to the latter. Strange short stories that are bittersweet, sometimes vulgar, usually optimistic. The stories themselves aren't complex, but they're very imaginative and are fun to think about. He's also just a funny neat guy in general. There's a video--well, it seems to have been erased from the internet now--where he attended a reading where the authors were dared to do something dangerous. He decided to smoke a joint on stage while reading his stories. It's a funny video. All of his collections are great, but his newest collection Suddenly, a Knock on the Door is as good of a place as ever. I tend to buy Complete Short Story collections. I can't imagine why anyone would spend $15 on a single collection instead of $16 for every short story the author wrote. Some collections I have that I recommend: Hemmingway, Flannery O'Conner, Raymond Carver, and Borges of course. I also love horror, which is almost always best served as a short story. Good horror short stories (beyond the obvious King) is Clive Barker, Thomas Ligotti, Joyce Carol Oates, Nathan Ballingrud, Joe R. Lansdale. George Saunders is another good one. Pynchon's short story collection Slow Learner is very interesting, but only if you're already a fan. I have quite a few collections to pick from. Dunno which I'll pick. Though admittedly I haven't really had the reading schedule to stick with these Weeks.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 11, 2018 23:03
|
|
|
I'm gonna read a motherfucking Donald Barthelme collection for this challenge.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 12, 2018 20:16
|
|
|
I have not! It looks good. Any specific reason why it may be a good fit for me?
|
|
#
¿
Apr 12, 2018 21:27
|
|
|
Ben Nevis posted:The stories are fairly dark and all work to create sort of an eerie, macabre world that is sort of horror-adjacent, so I thought that would appeal. Well thank you! I added it to my list and will pick it up next time I want some horror short stories.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 12, 2018 21:45
|
|
|
March & April & some of May The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (1995) It's better than most YA fiction. I can't fault the story or the writing. I wish I could feel as excited for this as I did when I was a pre-teen reading Harry Potter for the first time, but I'm just too old and jaded for fantastical adventures with talking soul animals. Recommended for people that like that kinda poo poo. Hunger by Roxane Gay (2017) A memoir about obesity and eating disorders and dealing with trauma (rape). It's not setting out to prove a point or to provide answers, but to elaborate on what it's like existing as an obese person and the complicated issues that come with it in a culture obsessed with body shaming and gender expectations. Not as exciting as that sounds! This falls into that weird in-between area of books that I appreciate more than enjoy. It's thoughts on empathy and enlightenment on aspects of obesity that go without discussion and the explorations of trauma are heartbreaking and sometimes incredibly hard to read, but they get lost in many mundane sections told in a detached narrative voice. Soft recommendation. Zen and the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity by Ray Bradbury (1987) Essays on writing and the creative process. Are there any unique insights? No! All of the information here is the same as any other decent book on writing and creativity. (Write every day. Read every day. Read a variety of things, but most importantly read poetry. Take care of yourself. Etc.) Bradbury delivers his rote advice with an excitement for the power of fiction and creativity. Each essay is brimming with infectious energy for good fiction and literature. I'm surprised that Sci-Fi/Fantasy fans don't quote this book more in defending genre fiction, as there are whole essays with Bradbury laughing with glee while heralding sci-fi's popularity. Recommended. I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid (2016) A slightly disorienting paranoid horror/thriller about a woman pondering the future of her relationship to her new-ish boyfriend while on a car ride to meet his family. I've seen this book compared to Gillian Flynn thrillers or some poo poo, which is a disservice. There are more similarities to Shirley Jackson's stories or David Lynch's Lost Highway, where reality bends and twists, where thoughts are more dangerous than a killer stalking in a hallway, where paranoia and fear of the unknown are the driving forces. Just as your mind jumps around while stuck in a car on a trip, so does the story move through memories (or are they dreams?) and philosophical tangeants and stories-within-stories. It hit all the right notes for me, and at around 200 pages, was a fast read. Highly recommended (though some people will inevitably be dismayed by some of the more polarizing aspects of the story) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985) Read for the SHAMEFUL thread, baby. Review spoiler: Meh. The 2018 Booklord Challenge 1. Set a goal for number of books or another personal challenge 10/24 2. Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by women. 3/5 Pride & Prejudice Hunger The Handmaid's Tale 3. Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by someone non-white. 4/5 Aunt Julia & the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra Hunger by Roxane Gay 4. Read at least one book by an LGBT author. Hunger by Roxane Gay reviews her relationships with women and men 5. Participate in the TBB BotM thread at least once in 2018 & participate in the SHAMEFUL The Greatest Books You've Never Read thread 6 times BOTM: coming soon Shameful: 3/6 Aunt Julia & the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 6. Ask another poster to issue you a wildcard, then read it. I need a new wildcard, the one chosen for me is out of print and too expensive. Something preferably under 500 pages. 7. Get a recommendation from a friend or loved one. The Golden Compass - they thought I would like that it's a YA fiction book for atheists. 8. Read something written before you were born. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (published in 1989) 9. Read a book published in 2018. 10. Read something translated from another language. 11. Read something political. 12. Read a poetry collection. 13. Read a collection of short stories. 14. Read a play. 15. Read something involving history. What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist—the Facts of Daily Life in 19th-Century England by Daniel Pool 16. Read something biographical. 17. Read something about religion. 18. Read something from a non-traditional perspective. Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra 19. Read something that has been banned, censored, or challenged. 20. Read something about music. 21. Read something that involves Maslow's hierarchy of needs. 22. Read something about the future. The Handmaid's Tale - dystopian fiction TOTAL CHALLENGE GOALS COMPLETED 5/22 Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 18:01 on May 14, 2018 |
|
#
¿
May 14, 2018 17:56
|
|
|
ectoplasm posted:If anyone could give me another wildcard (for my girlfriend) that would be awesome. Anything goes, but something without violence or gore is preferred (she has PTSD). Thank you! Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
|
|
#
¿
May 23, 2018 13:48
|
|
|
May Lectures on Literature by Vladimir Nabakov (2002 edition) Nabakov is the grumpy uncle of literary criticism. He loves what he loves and is dismissive of anything that doesn't fit his standards. He'd fit right in with TBB. This book seems to be disheartening for people looking to it for Nabakov's personal interpretations of literary classics, when instead he's interested in arming his readers with a standard set of reading skills so the details may help a reader come to their conclusions. Most of the advice is pretty standard, though isn't implemented by the average reader (drawing maps, researching the details of a book, making lists of characters, marking patterns in the style, etc.). There are great sections exploring style and prose and what the authors were doing while they wrote the book. Nabakov's attention to detail is more akin to a fascinated scientist, which is an interesting perspective to consider, but might deter a fresh reader who may think Nabakov's the only authority in lit crit rather than one of many voices to consider. Recommended I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara (2018) As well-written as a posthumous book can be with a story that still doesn't have a resolution (at least until we get a trial for the current suspect in custody). I found myself for interested in McNamara's fascination with crime investigation than the actual investigation. I'm a big horror fan, but I have a hard time with true crime; there isn't a layer of disassociation available for me, I have to read this knowing real suffering occurred for these people. It's a good book--a little overlong and monotonous, sure--but it is also a shining example as to why I don't read more True Crime. Recommended , but with the warning that it's full of psychological torture, countless cases of rape and murder, all of which happened to real people. The 2018 Booklord Challenge 1. Set a goal for number of books or another personal challenge 12/24 2. Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by women. 4/5 Pride & Prejudice Hunger The Handmaid's Tale I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer 3. Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by someone non-white. 4/5 Aunt Julia & the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra Hunger by Roxane Gay 4. Read at least one book by an LGBT author. Hunger by Roxane Gay reviews her relationships with women and men 5. Participate in the TBB BotM thread at least once in 2018 & participate in the SHAMEFUL The Greatest Books You've Never Read thread 6 times BOTM: Lectures in Literature by NabakovShameful: 3/6 Aunt Julia & the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 6. Ask another poster to issue you a wildcard, then read it. 7. Get a recommendation from a friend or loved one. The Golden Compass - they thought I would like that it's a YA fiction book for atheists. 8. Read something written before you were born. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (published in 1989) 9. Read a book published in 2018. I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer 10. Read something translated from another language. 11. Read something political. 12. Read a poetry collection. 13. Read a collection of short stories. 14. Read a play. 15. Read something involving history. What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist—the Facts of Daily Life in 19th-Century England by Daniel Pool 16. Read something biographical. 17. Read something about religion. 18. Read something from a non-traditional perspective. Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra 19. Read something that has been banned, censored, or challenged. 20. Read something about music. 21. Read something that involves Maslow's hierarchy of needs. 22. Read something about the future. The Handmaid's Tale - dystopian fiction TOTAL CHALLENGE GOALS COMPLETED 7/22
|
|
#
¿
Jun 2, 2018 15:28
|
|
|
Guy A. Person posted:2018 Reading Challenge Theme Week #8 - Challenge no. 4: Read a book by an LGBT author I'm planning to finally read Stone Butch Blues for this. I've said that two years in a row, but I'm finally going to do it. (But not this week.)
|
|
#
¿
Jun 11, 2018 20:51
|
|
|
Guy A. Person posted:Also ironically I just started rereading Lot 49, so good wildcard! Is this your first Pynchon?
|
|
#
¿
Oct 25, 2018 16:18
|
|
|
Guy A. Person posted:It was, back in the day! I've since done Inherent Vice, Bleeding Edge, and finally read Gravity's Rainbow 2 years or so ago even though I had owned it longer than any of those. I'm doing some re-reads this year and wanted to revisit Lot 49, it's as funny and clever as I remember but I'm definitely getting more out of it. I've read Lot 49 a couple of times now, mainly due to it being so short. I'm ready for a re-read of V.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 25, 2018 16:24
|
|
|
Ben Nevis posted:Lot 49 is the only Pynchon I've read. Any suggestions as to where to go next? If you want something fun and lighter, then I'd say Inherent Vice. Pynchon has what some call the "California trilogy", (Inherent Vice, Vineland, Lot 49) which tend to be more fun and lighter. It's probably my favorite novel. If you're interested in something more sprawling and epic, then I'd say V. or Gravity's Rainbow. Guy A. Person posted:I had gotten Inherent Vice as a more intermediary book after trying to get started on GR a few times over the years and thought it was really great for that. As a bonus there's the really well done (and masterfully casted) PTA movie you can watch afterward. Depends on what you want. If you like GR and Lot 49, I'd say say V., because it's the perfect in-between to those two novels, and it's wonderful and exciting and has some of my favorite Pynchon characters. Mason & Dixon is closer to Gravity's Rainbow and Against the Day. It's epic and weird, but many say it's his most emotionally sincere and fulfilling (personally I think Inherent Vice does this better). Vineland is good, but it's bloated and my least favorite Pynchon novel. It is, however, technically a sequel to both Lot 49 and Inherent Vice, as it makes up one third of his "California" trilogy. Bleeding Edge is good too, but I'm much less interested in the exploration of modern technology and the internet age and the dot com bubble than I am with the subjects of his other novels. It's still fun seeing him use his pulse on pop culture when writing in an era obsessed with it. For both of you, I'd also recommend Slow Learner, which is his short story collection. It's only five(?) stories, but three of them are great and the introduction, which finds Pynchon at his most candid, is excellent.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 25, 2018 18:06
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 14, 2024 18:59 |
|
|
This is a great thread and I'm happy everyone met their goals. I stopped logging my reading. I've learned that trying to keep up with this thread is just not conducive to my reading habits, and I end up reading less than I would without participating. I'm just not good at rigid reading goals, but I always find interesting books from the criteria. Anyway, new year, new books.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 2, 2019 23:08
|
|