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File: 1480241306979.jpg (262.41 KB, 1240x775, books.jpg)

No. 119078

Book thread - recommend books, share what you're reading or what you're planning to read

No weeb mango shit, but books about Japan okay

No. 119079

I'll start: I've never read fantasy before besides Harry Potter and LOTR. I recently finished Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy and LOVED it. I highly recommend it.

I try to cycle between one fiction book and one nonfiction book, since I study/work at a university and my crowd is very intellectual and well-read. Currently I'm reading The Communist Manifesto, because I think it's worth reading such a watershed political document firsthand.

No. 119088

>>119078
I'm rereading Morrissey's biography. It's grand. You should read it even if you think he's an asshole.

"Whenever I'd overhear how people found me to be 'a bit much' (which is the gentle way of saying the word 'unbearable'), I understood why. To myself I would say: Well, yes of course I'm a bit much — if I weren't, I would not be lit up by so many lights."

No. 119092

Currently reading Frankenstein and it's not at all what I was expecting. It was meant to be a Halloween read, but I don't have much time for reading anymore unfortunately.

Next up in my pile on unread books on the shelf is Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb. A book about sentient pirate ships sounds like quite a ride. If I like it, I also have the second in the trilogy, Mad Ship, that I got from a flea market.

No. 119110

File: 1480268021422.jpg (508.82 KB, 1024x682, 45335565.jpg)

I just moved to a little podunk town without a real bookstore, but I managed to find a used one that's stocked pretty well.

I bought a bunch of horror novels that'll last me for awhile. I got the majority of Rice's Vampire Chronicles, a few books written by John Saul, some random trade paperbacks, and even found one written by RL Stein. I had no idea he wrote adult horror novels.

Right now I'm reading a book called Hellstorm by J.N. Williamson. It's a little corny but in a good way. It's got a corny 80s/90s horror movie feel to it.

No. 119122

I'm fresh out of books to read and am having a hard time finding something new, the last couple of books I tried to read I deleted after a couple of pages or halfway through. I recently read Sharp Objects and Dark Places by Gillian Flynn and loved them, I thoroughly enjoyed Horns by Joe Hill.

The best book I've read all year was The Contortionist's Handbook by Craig Clevenger. Random Acts of Senseless Violence was another book I've read recently and liked a lot.

No. 119123

>>119092
>Robin Hobb

I powered through all the Fitz & The Fool books not too long ago and loved every page.

No. 119126

Trying to finish all the Earthsea books but I just can't handle my attention span.

No. 119137

>>119122
What I do when I have nothing in my "PLS READ ME" pile and no idea of what to pick up next is look through a list of the classics, pick one out, and buy it from thriftbooks for like $3. You know, Wuthering Heights, A Tale of Two Cities, Lolita, Moby Dick, etc. Pretty soon, you'll be well read as fuck.

No. 119149

I'm terrible and always try to read everything at once, so currently I've got a canticle for leibowitz, beloved, house of leaves again, and some trauma theory and gestalt counselling textbooks.

No. 176026

File: 1483819054118.jpg (29.52 KB, 264x400, 5094000.jpg)

So far it's been rather amusing, halfway through it atm.

No. 176037

File: 1483823265271.png (161.7 KB, 1366x768, Screenshot 2017-01-06 19.45.01…)

Tatami Galaxy, the intro just resonates with me so much.

No. 176038

Mary Beards' SPQR: History of Ancient Rome, really makes me want to play Rome Total War tbh

Before that I've read The Sound of Waves by Mishima, and it's a 10/10 book.

I'm planning to read plenty of others but currently I'm trying to become a programmer so I just study related books.

No. 176041

I was gifted some Murakami books for Christmas and since I haven't read an actual book in years (srsly), I have not made it past the first paragraph of Norwegian Wood. Someone cure my ADHD mobile article reading brain please.

No. 176043

I'll just dump my "to-read" list here.

>Catch-22 (tried to read it when I was 16 and I liked it but couldn't finish reading it at the time due to other preoccupations)

>The Dark Tower series (halfway through the second book currently)
>Herbert's Dune
>Sharp Objects (Gillian Flynn)
>Good Omens (Neil Gaiman)
>A Boy and His Dog (Harlan Ellison)
>Watership Down (Richard Adams)
>The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)

I'm sure there are way more but anytime I write a list it goes missing or gets deleted.

No. 176044

>>176041
You just do it. Nobody can cure the laziness that makes you too inattentive to read more than a headline. Just sit and read the thing.

No. 176045

I'm currently reading Pride and Prejudice. It's very comfy, my first of Austen, and I like her capacity of observation and the dialogues. Too bad I read very slowly.

No. 176046

>>176043

Watership Down is great, anon. You should get on it.
Sharp Objects wasn't very good, though.

No. 176049

>>176043
Harlan Ellison is amazing! I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is my favorite collection of his short stories.

No. 176050

I was >>119088
I'm currently reading the price of salt. I watched the movie Carol and got really curious to read the book. I recommend it.

No. 176051

>>176044
I mean provided they actually have ADHD it's not really laziness it's just short attention span and inability to retain info.

>>176041
White noise helps me a lot when I have a hard time focusing.

No. 176053

>>176051
Even people with ADHD are capable of discipline and reading more than a headline. It's a condition to be managed, not used as an excuse for poor performance when they complain about their own performance.

No. 176056

>>176053
I know, I have ADHD myself. I just interpreted "cure my ADHD brain please" as more tongue-in-cheek than actual complaining.

>>176050
I've been meaning to watch Carol, I might check out The Price of Salt.

No. 176058

>>176056
OP here. That comment about needing to be cured was completely tongue-in-cheek/self-deprecating lol.

I come back here to see that someone actually took it literally…wew the autism.

No. 176059

Mazalan Book of The fallen by steven erikson.

It's a mammoth but very worth it the long read.

No. 176060

>>176058
>Can't read a book
>Calling someone else retarded


I'm struggling to find fiction that isn't shit. Everything featured in the best of xyz lists is Jodi picoult level trash. It's like McDonald's but for words, instead of fries.
I recently finished beloved by tony Morrison and it was okay but predictable.

No. 176062

>>176060
I really enjoyed The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It seems like of up its own ass but that's the atmosphere of the book, and it's dark and sticky in the middle. Not a cheap thrill but very compelling.

No. 176069

>>176062
Ooh I do have a copy of that floating around somewhere I'll have to give it a shot!

No. 176070

Finnegans Wake. It's like squeezing out a particularly lumpy turd.

No. 176073

Did anything ever come out of the goodreads group that was talked about in the other book thread? I searched but didn't see anything on there so I'm going to assume no.

No. 176075

>>176056
The movie is lovely and so far I've been enjoying the book, def give it a try

No. 176080

>>176070
Masochist or pretentious or both?

No. 176085

>>176070
I feel bad for you anon. James Joyce is a trip and a half.

No. 176090

>>176080
Neither, bucket list

No. 176172

File: 1483930664505.jpeg (335.72 KB, 615x993, gwiw.jpeg)

Have any of you read Gone With the Wind? I think this is one of the few places on the Internet where I'd be able to talk about with people dismissing it as "racist" or "trashy women's lit" right away. I'm not even from the US.

It's incredible. I've read it so many times during my lifespan and I think it's taught me a few things about resilience. But if we're being honest, I think the character I'm most like is Ashley, which is sort of depressing.

No. 176174

>>176172
I loved it, still have a copy somewhere in my personal library. People who bitch about historical shit being racist and sexist are kinda stupid. Most of them will still read mark twain anyway.

No. 176186

>>176172
Trashy women's lit? Who have you been talking to anon?
It's a very well made story, I put it right with many classics

No. 176226

>>119137
I'm again out of books after having read some non-fiction for a change (Shutting Out the Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation, Tokyo Vice and The Death Penalty In Contemporary China to name a few and which all were excellent) and I'm going with your method this time and am going to read some more Steinbeck next, I enjoyed Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men a lot (not classics in my country and not read in school, so I've just read them two years ago). I tried Faulkner before but can't enjoy his work.

>>176041
I dropped every single of his books except Norwegian Wood, which I really liked. Get your shit together and read it!

>>176043
I can recommend the Dark Tower, I re-read it every couple of years. Dune's first book is great, everything after that can't compare IMO (much like the Ender's Game series in that regard). While I haven't read A Boy and His Dog yet (going to grab it after seeing the title here), Ellison is universally great to read. Watership Down was one of the best reads I've had this decade, I'd urge you to read it first, regarding your list.

>>176037
Grabbing that one.

No. 176227

Just a friendly reminder that books also exist outside of the Anglophone world that some of you definitely would enjoy. I know they have to be translated for the anons who only speak English (or English and their native tongue) but here are a few suggestions that have EN translations available:

Paulo Coelho / Brazilian
The Alchemist, The Fifth Mountain, Veronika Decides to Die, The Devil and Miss Prym, Eleven Minutes, Like the Flowing River, Brida, The Valkyries, The Winner Stands Alone, The Zahir, etc

Gabriel García Márquez / Colombian
Love in the time of cholera, Farewell to the ark, Mary my Dearest, The invisible children, etc

Milton Hatoum / Brazilian
The Brothers, Tale of a Certain Orient, Orphans of Eldorado, Ashes of the Amazon, etc

Haruki Murakami / Japanese
Kafka on the shore, the wind up bird chronicle, 1Q84, etc

Etel Adnan / Lebanese
Sitt Marie Rose, In the heart of the heart of another country; Paris, when it's naked, Of cities and women, etc

No. 176233

File: 1483969956244.jpg (11.51 KB, 236x262, fee465d1af28bcc9c3208ae7c7657a…)

>>176227
Nice list. I'd like to add some other non-english speaking writers, though mine aren't as recent.

Fedor Dostoevskij/ Russian
Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, Poor Folk

Max Frisch/ Swiss
I'm not Stiller, A Wilderness of Mirrors, Man in Holoscene

Wacław Berent/ Polish
Rotten Wood, Snowy Crop, The Dusk of the Commanders

Albert Camus/ French
The Stranger, The Plague, The Silent Men

Franz Kafka/ Czech
The Trial, The Judgment, In the Penal Clony

Saša Stanišić/ Bosnian
How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone

Klaus Mann/ German
The Volcano, Mephisto

No. 176238

>>176227
Wow really? I thought books were only made in like the US and UK.

No. 176240

>>176238
Well people hardly mention anything else unless it's Karl Marx or some other fedora drivel (inb4, I'm an economics student so I know how important his work is but you can't deny that people mostly bring him and his ilk up when they want to sound like exceptional fedora-tipping individuals)
My suggestions:

Juhani Aho - The Railroad (Finnish)
Ivo Andric - The Bridge Over Drina, The Damned Yard (Yugoslav)
Mesa Selimovic - Impure Blood (Yugoslav), this one's really fucked up
Honore de Balzac - Le Pere Goriot (French)
Anything by Pushkin, all easy (and beautiful) reads

No. 176242

>>176240
Oh and I really liked Room by Emma Donoghue, haven't seen the film though

No. 176250

The Worst Journey in the World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard

It's a memoir of the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition. Even if you're like me and couldn't care less about Antarctic expeditions and all that, you should still give the book a chance. Cherry-Garrard was a hell of a writer.

No. 176254

>>176238
A stupid anon in another thread though punk music only existed in the US/UK so i wouldn't be surprised if idiots here didn't know incredible books exist outside of those two places, asshole

No. 176255

>>176254
Thought* sorry for the typo, folks

No. 176286

>>176254
that other anon sounds like cunt with her ~friendly reminder~. Just list books you like, or are reading/planning to read.

I love Andrei Platonov's Soul and other Stories, the main novella is a guy trying to share Communism with his nomadic Uzbek tribe.

Highlights: Virus by Sakyo Komatsu, The Nexus Trilogy by Ramez Naam, and Blindness by Jose Saramago.

I'm currently reading Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick. It's written from interviews with North Korean defectors of their lives there growing up.

No. 201178

File: 1502130261945.jpg (18.8 KB, 220x329, Wolf_Hall_cover.jpg)

Been reading the following. It's really good- about how Thomas Cromwell pushes England into becoming somewhat (at the time) modern country. Anne would probably be on /snow/ if lolcow was around back then too, lol.

No. 201179

I'm reading Anna Karenina. Seems alright so far, it's like a 19th century soap opera so it's right up my alley, lol.

No. 201180

File: 1502131551118.jpg (721.6 KB, 2400x2400, 91j2W0mp19L.jpg)

Currently reading Cop Town by Karin Slaughter. She writes really good police thriller/mysteries. I discovered her first by reading the Grant County series and have been devouring the rest of her books ever since.

No. 201218

Currently reading The Waves by Virginian Woolf, as well as rereading Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert.

No. 201219

>>201218
Virginia* lol

No. 201222

I'm currently reading Killers of the Flower Fields by David Grann. It's a really interesting read, I love historical books, fiction and non fiction, but this is a little out of the time periods I'm usually interested in. The book is about the Osage native american tribe during the 1920's after oil was discovered on their land and a series of murders of these people. I've always known native Americans were treated badly but wow, its actually pretty shocking to read as someone who isn't American and was never taught anything about any of this.

No. 201234

Hey, I'm finding it really hard to find new things to read lately. I just got a Kindle and I want to fill it with books to read on the train.

I went through a phase in my late teens of reading a lot of books for teens (The Princess Diaries, Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games, Divergent, Mortal Instruments, The Mediator…etc) which I heavily enjoyed but I'm in my 20s now and I'm getting really sick of reading about characters who are younger than me, who are still in school and I'm definitely sick of fluffy "first kiss" scenes. I can't relate to any of these teen protagonists anymore but at the same time crime novels and books about young women "finding themselves" with shitty wine humour bore me to tears. I tried to read some of Danielle Steel's novels on my mom's suggestion and I just didn't get the appeal.

I guess I'd be considered "new adult". The only thing I've read so far that really felt age-appropriate was the True Blood series because it was centered around a protagonist in her mid-20s who was working and featured a lot of sex, death, drinking and drugs. It was close enough to reality to be relatable but at the same time had an awesome fantasy element that was really well thought out (I loved all the slang terms and culture that surrounded the vampires, very clever and kept the story grounded).
Does anyone have any suggestions? Any 20-somethings want to share their favourite novels?

No. 201236

>>201234
I love reading older books about young maidens 'of marriageable age' since they read considerably more mature than quirky John Green-esque YA. Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, Victorian novels. I'm also really into Old Hollywood stuff and midcentury crime novels, and works with old women as protagonists is also a lot of fun.

No. 201237

>>201234
Classic lit is my favorite because it seems like they're pretty universally enoyable regardless of wether you can relate to the characters or not. You know, stuff like The Catcher in the Rye, Moby Dick, The Great Gatsby, Little Women, Lord of the Flies, Wuthering Heights, Les Mis etc.

No. 201243

Does anyone have any good recommendations for existentialist works?

So far I've liked most of Dostoevsky's works, and I enjoyed "The Plague" by Camus, but I did not enjoy "The Stranger" by Sartre. If one thing stood out, I felt the universe created by Camus was more engaging, though detachment was a theme in both works.

No. 201249

>>201236
>>201237
Both of you are spot on. I didn't think of mentioning it, but I absolutely love Jane Austen. I read Little Women, Wuthering Heights, the Brontë sisters' novels and everything by Enid Blyton over and over while growing up. Haha maybe that shaped my tastes more than I realised. Would highly recommend everything posted above tbh. Great suggestions guys, I'm going to download and research some of that new info now!

Still open to modern suggestions if anyone has any!

No. 201252

File: 1502230279072.jpg (1.08 MB, 630x954, 10_15_spqr-cover.jpg)

I like history.
Does anyone else find it really difficult to read any fiction? For about a decade now, I have lost all interest in anything fiction.

No. 201272

>>201243
Anon, Camus wrote the stranger. I hate that book tbh, absurdism is retarded and Camus was an edgelord.

Read your Nietzsche like a good girl, he's pretty important for the foundation of existentialism

No. 201278

>>201272
Wow, that was a bad case of mistyping my thoughts, even for myself.

I meant to say ''Nausea'' by Sartre. I never finished ''The Stranger''.

>Read your Nietzsche like a good girl

I've completely read ''On the Genealogy of Morality'' and ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' . The former is something I can come back to and find something new every time, the latter was by far more "edgy" than anything I saw in ''The Plague'' or what I read of ''The Stranger''.

No. 201298

File: 1502255813277.jpg (100.21 KB, 538x761, metamorphosis.jpg)

I would love to read more from Kafka. Only read one book in class but I actually loved it. It's weird but is well written (pic related) I can really recommend metamorphosis Europeans will probably know him anyways but people from the US not that much I think?

I used to read a lot of Fantasy but most books that are Fantasy and sound interesting are always for Teenager ?? Idk how to find good Fantasy books anymore. I don't mind a little love story but most fantasy books I used too like are just not relatable anymore because the main characters are kids and make stupid choices.

No. 201299

>>201298
Metamorphosis is actually only one of his stories. For a full novel I recommend The Trial, it was mandatory reading for me in secondary school, sure, but it's a good book nonetheless. Particularly relevant for us ex-commies and everyone else suffering from bureaucritis.

No. 201313

File: 1502266173383.jpg (45.73 KB, 307x475, 25877663.jpg)

>>201298
Yep, it's the problem I have with fantasy. I find med settings and magic compelling but most of it is YA shit. It's pretty hard to find anything aimed at adult.

Anyway, I'm reading The Expanse serie right now. I'm on the 6th book and it was pretty OK. The writing is not always good but I like the universe building and the fact that we follow adult protagonists for years.

No. 201315

I can't read, anytime I pick up a book I can't concentrate enough to finish a fucking page, any tips to fix this? I only read one book this year, ugh

No. 201316

>>201315
Stop using the internet so much and get an attention span back. Then read the book.

No. 201317

>>201315
Read short novels to get back on the horse.
Try to pick books with subjects you find really interesting and get at least a few pages in. Chances are you're going to want to get back to it.
Make time for reading and stick to it (I do 30 minutes at least before going to bed, it's a great way to relax before sleep).
Shut off your computer and phone before starting to read, notifications are the real book killer.

No. 201320

>>201317
I'll just add personal things I did to read more :
-Always make sure I have my e-reader on me so I can read if there's a lull during my day instead of checking my phone.
-Take advice of people with similar taste and do some research. (I used to read anything when I was younger but I just don't have this kind of time or energy now, so better be selective)
- Make sure to remind myself I enjoy reading (It sounds stupid but even though I love it, it was hard getting back to books after stopping for a long time and just seemed easier to browse the internet aimlessly. So I make sure to savour books now and remember that I enjoy them more than just dicking around)

No. 201322

>>201237
I'm about to pick up a new copy of LOTF because I'm having my upper level ESL kids read it this year and I'm excited. I loved the combination of subtle and obvious imagery.

Does anyone have any good horror recs? I've read Dracula, Frankenstein, Let the Right One In, bunch of Lovecraft/Poe/King/Rice.

No. 201324

>>201322
Ray Bradbury does some really great scary stuff, jack Ketchum wrote the most fucked up novel I've ever read, house of leaves is good if you don't mind being mindfucked and turning the book around and around to read it, Harlan Ellison has some really horrifying stories like 'I have no mouth and I must scream'

No. 201329

>>201298
>>201313
So, have you guys never been to a book store? The Sci-fi/fantasy section is 99% books for adults. Just don't go to the YA fiction section and you'll be fine.

No. 201333

>>201329
Maybe it's something done in my country in particular, idk but all the fantasy displayed is YA. There's no separation between YA and mature literature, they just throw fantasy and sci-fi in there and call it a day. So yeah, just going and picking a random book means I'm probably going to end up with some urban fantasy shitty love story with teen werebears. No thanks.

No. 201334

>>201333
Wow, that must suck if so. In big stores in the U.S., anything aimed at the teenage/YA demographic, even if it's fantasy, is put in the YA fiction section.

No. 201344

>>201324
I've only read Fahrenheit 451 and had no idea Bradbury wrote scarier stuff. Cool! Thanks for the recs!

No. 201345

>>201333
Same here, we have 'fiction', 'non-fiction', guides and cookbooks divided by theme (maternity/family/self-help/gardening/baking etc), textbooks and then stationery. There's one small section at the front with 'pokkarit' (pocket books for light reading at the beach and such) and bestsellers and any one of these sections could have YA and you wouldn't know.

No. 201376

>>201315
Here's a short story for you anon
https://sites.middlebury.edu/individualandthesociety/files/2010/09/jackson_lottery.pdf

Anyone else have short stories they recommend? My attention span is shit too

No. 201379

>>201376
I remember this story from high school. Lot of dreadful stuff there, not least of which were the hundred or so essays I had to write.
Another was about some guy who played chicken with other cars on the road and then watched as the people died.

No. 201387

>>201344
You'd probably like Something Wicked This Way Comes

>>201376
In the Hills, In the Cities by Clive Barker - It's from his Books of Blood short story series

No. 201569

File: 1502408156666.jpg (26.67 KB, 211x346, 516yP3uDS1L._SY344_BO1,204,203…)

Exactly this edition.
I read it when I was 16 but I was dumber and younger back then. Now I can appreciate and understand Paul's struggle a lot better. Almost cried a few times on the bus too.

No. 201577

>>201387
Thanks again! I've been dying to find something new to read. I re-read Let the Right One In and all it did was depress me.

No. 201579

File: 1502411752992.jpg (398.83 KB, 652x1000, cover.jpg)

Wars, Guns & Votes: Democracy in Dangerous Places.
It's extremely informative and easily digestible even with no former knowledge on the topics, I've got about a third of it to go.

No. 201581

File: 1502413024460.jpg (48.56 KB, 332x500, 5132-NZaJsL.jpg)

because weed lmao 420

The caption is just meant to be a hook. The book is a little libertarian for me, but it makes solid arguments.

No. 201615

File: 1502433230759.jpeg (61.49 KB, 524x725, 1234318.jpeg)

i like to rotate books as i'm reading. right now it's

>Dune

>Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software
>Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet
>The Happiness Effect: How Social Media Is Driving a Generation to Appear Perfect

but i'll probably stop on happiness effect bc it's less scientific than i would like and i'm tired of reading derpy anecdotes by college students that all say the same thing.

rec me dystopias and cyberpunks pls. i just finished neuromancer by william gibson.

No. 201633

>>201615
If you liked Neuromancer you'll love Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
Can you tell me your thoughts on the books on code and the internet? They sound interesting.

No. 202351

File: 1503080727897.jpg (49.13 KB, 324x499, 51oVF7yZDJL._SX322_BO1,204,203…)

just finished reading this book. highly recommend it if you like david lynch movies or just abnormal horror in general. it takes place in a russian gulag

No. 202353

>>202351
>havent read for fun in years
>see this post
>look it up online
>$60 everywhere, not in any bookstores near me
):

No. 202357

>>202353
ack my library had it, didnt realize it was so expensive!
i know you said no bookstores had it but check this? http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781933929057

if you have a library near you, check that too. you never know!

No. 202358

>>202357
thanks anon!

No. 202362

File: 1503090611781.jpg (96.45 KB, 650x434, 341899093-650x434.jpg)

>>202358
good luck anon, i hope you find it for a decent price! the book is only 145 pages so unless its a concept youre reallllllyyy into im not sure $60 would be worth it.

also since you like the idea of that book i would also recommend https://bizarrocentral.com/ because the author has a lot of other books published through this provider! there's a lot of other authors too that all seem to have the same sort of tone and topics in their novels.

No. 202454

File: 1503158571144.jpg (41.93 KB, 542x535, spookbuster.jpg)

The Ego and His Own, naturally.

No. 202477

>>202454
good choice my property

No. 202734

>>201633
i'll check it out i think i saw it at the library!

code is about building a computer from the ground up, logically. it starts off with basic switches and morse code and then gets to logic gates eventually it'll build up to operating systems and etc. i picked it up to learn more about computer science (hardware since i'm a software person), but you don't need to be knowledgeable about the field already - the author has really well done explanations about every concept. his illustrations are also helpful in clarifying what he talks about and the overall tone makes me feel really excited to learn.

i haven't gotten to far on wizards so i couldn't tell you much :( right now i'm reading about DARPA and the prose weaves a good narrative.

No. 203740

File: 1504019079095.jpg (92.04 KB, 1014x517, southern-reach-paperback-cover…)

Has anyone read the Southern Reach triology? I just saw someone mention it on Twitter and it sounds really interesting to me. I have so many other books on my to read list but I'm thinking of skipping right to these…

No. 204045

File: 1505048185689.jpg (68.07 KB, 328x500, massachusetts-review-v58-n2-20…)

Does anyone here know where I can get past issues of The Massachusetts Review? I bought the latest from Books A Million and I really enjoy the short stories and poetry. Any recs for a similar journal? Aside from The Paris Review.

No. 204061

File: 1505066306991.jpg (50.36 KB, 321x500, 841438.jpg)

currently reading "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" by Marisha Pessl and I honestly can't wait to finish it because it's such a tedious book. The story itself could be much better if the book was just half as long as it is (around 600 pages). And what still angers me that I had to read about 350 pages to get finally to the main reason why the main character tells her story, which is actually super interesting BUT as I already said, the first hundred pages are filled with unnecessary side-stories, endless quoting of other books or memories within memories which made me skip sometimes an entire page bc it had just NOTHING to do with the actual story. So much wasted potential.

If you plan to read this book, just get ready for a lot of things that have no point of being there.

I still have to read around 100 pages, because I already spend so much time on it, now I want to finish it and put away and never read it again in my damn life.

No. 209641

>>201252
Same here, I'm always feeling like I'm wasting my time. Like "this isn't real lol" and I wish I was reading some non-fiction.

No. 209642

>>201298
I pretty much hated Metamorphosis because it's lame stuff for kids, but I'm really glad I gave him another chance because I _loved_ The Castle (read it twice) and the great story In the Penal Colony.

No. 209677

>>209642
I enjoyed what I read of The Castle, yet I couldn't get through all of it. I think I got to the part where Frieda leaves K., closed the book with the intention of reading more later and then… never opened it again. Idk.
The first Kafka novel I ever did a close reading on was The Trial, so that's my favourite one (but I guess I'm a bit biased) :) I also greatly enjoyed The Hunger Artist short story!


I just finished reading The Iguana by Anna Maria Cortese - very disorienting towards the end, what a read! - and I'm about to start Love In Time Of Cholera by GG Marquez next. I'm on a bit of a magical realism kick :)

No. 209688

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I'm reading IT right now, since I just saw the remake, and it got me in the mood for some spooky stuff.

I'm actually enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. I don't know what happened to Stephen King, but his older books are so much better than any of the stuff he's published in the past 5 years. I tried reading his book, Joyland, last year and it was so awful.

No. 209694

>>201298
>I don't mind a little love story but most fantasy books I used too like are just not relatable anymore because the main characters are kids and make stupid choices.
Just what books are you reading?

I really liked The Black Company or Tales of Earthsea, and you also can't go wrong with Old Mans War or The Forever War. Been meaning to start on the The Wheel of Time but its size intimidates me a bit.

No. 209705

books I own that I haven't read yet:
>Crime and Punishment
>Catch-22
>One Hundred Years of Solitude
>Blood Meridian
>The Southern Reach trilogy
>Infinite Jest
>Good Omens
>Sharp Objects
>On the Road
>Dune
>Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

I haven't had the energy to read lately and I think I'm going to read the Southern Reach trilogy first out of these. I haven't properly read a book in so long that I've gone full brainlet and I think I'm going to have to ease myself into it with something easy lol.

No. 209706

>>209688
his older books were good because he was on copious amounts of drugs.

that said, i think It is one of his worst drug fueled books. the whole thing reads like a fucking vision quest, not to mention the gross child orgy. this is the one instance i’ll say the movie was better and more coherent than the novel.

i loved the shining though. such a great book.

No. 209717

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>>209706
Under what context does an orgy of children make sense?

No. 209721

>>209717
it doesn’t. it’s completely out of the blue and makes 0 sense, with only the flimsiest of excuses for it to be there at all. king is super defensive about it too, it’s just fucking weird.

No. 209737

>>209705
Definitely recommend Crime and Punishment and One Hundred Years of Solitude! Some of my favourite books.

No. 209739

I really hate Stephen King. I haven't finished a single one of his books and I'm not really sure how anyone can class them as horror. I'm a member of a few groups on facebook for readers/writers and all the Americans worship King like he's a god. God forbid that you mention that you don't like his work because they will descend upon you like a swarm of rabid Beyonce fans.

I hate how big his ego is and how he thinks he has the right to comment on other people's work also. I think it's a really shitty trait in a person when they feel the need to bring others down to make themselves feel superior. I hate how he defends his scene in IT with a child being raped by saying "oh well, it was a different time then!" And his fans just mindlessly believe every word he says. Fuck Stephen King, he's an asshole and his work is absolutely vile.

No. 209740

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>>209706
Yeah, a lot of his older books have sexual abuse in them or just weird sexual situations and it's uncomfortable as fuck to read. Especially the stuff in IT. I can't believe something like Gerald's Game was made into a movie.

I think the only books of his that I've genuinely enjoyed cover to cover are Pet Semetary and The Shining. Have you read the sequel, Doctor Sleep? I tried my best to like it, but just couldn't get into it. It didn't have the same feel as The Shining.

>>209739
I'm not a big fan of him either. He has always come across as arrogant, but it seems to get worse as the years go on. Most of all, I can't stand his political shit on Twitter. I don't like Trump or anything, but King's holier-than-thou attitude when it comes to politics is annoying as fuck.

No. 209748

>>209739
It's disappointing that King is revered as a horror god and Ray Bradbury (my favorite author so I'm biased) doesn't get as much recognition for the scary things he's written. Bradbury is just so articulate and such a great sentence crafter, and he writes things that admittedly scare himself without it being shock-horror or child rape. Bradbury was sort of an old soul, though, so maybe I'm comparing apples to oranges.

I enjoy King but sometimes he falls back on shock stuff or a "quirky" blunt attitude. 11/22/63 has a part where the protagonist pees and King felt the need to include how unique and wacky writing about peeing is in a novel. I appreciate the attitude in some books or parts because it's a refreshing style but sometimes it feels condescending and arrogant. It does really work in Rose Madder, though, I'll give him that. He nails the "asshole sexist male" trope, lmao.

No. 209756

Currently reading Yakusoku Neverland and I highly recommend it. It became my all time last month. There's a new chapter every week

No. 209810

>>209756
Did you miss the part in the OP where it says >no weeb mango shit

This thread is for real literature.

No. 209850

>>209748
People often tend to confuse things that are popular/famous and things that are good. I'm not sure when people suddenly started taking King really seriously but it feels kind of sudden, I feel like remember him just being a popular author, not one taken too seriously. I would say Bradbury is more respected, he's just not known as well. In all fairness, King is an easier read and more "fun" and therefore accessible than a lot of writers which accounts for his (not undeserved) fame and popularity.

I liked Rose Madder but his most underrated female book was Carrie, he did a good job humanizing her in a way a lot of male writers have a hard time with and the structure of the book was interesting.

No. 209865

>>209706

And because he had excellent editors reining him in. People don't realize just how magical a good writer&mediator combo can be. When it works, the writer gets all the credit, but people who work in the publishing industry know who really did the heavy lifting. Carrie, The Shining, Night Shift, Salem's Lot, and The Stand are his best books. They're all shamelessly copying earlier authors like Bradbury, Theodore Sturgeon, Robert Bloch (when HE had a good editor. Bloch can suck donkey balls too) and my very favorite, Robert Aickman. Read a story by him called 'Ringing the Changes'. He writes female protagonists really well. They have a lot of agency, and they're dangerous in a good way. Aickman's men are afraid of the women, and they should be.

I'd rather read Angela Carter, Shirley Jackson and Joyce Carol Oates for horror. The short stories Phase Change and also The Bingo Master, both by Oates, are so much more terrifying than any bullshit SK can write because she understands why women are afraid.

No. 209866

>>209865

fuck you spell 'check', mediator is not editor.

A good writer/editor combo is magic.

No. 209867

>>209850

King is a good genre writer, but nothing more than that unless you consider ripping off Love raft, Derleth, and later, the Arthurian legends and Tolkien; to be great writing.

We all know how the Dark Tower series ended and while a lot of people saw that coming, we are also aware that it's shit and he's been coasting on his rep since the eighties.

I have a friend who works in publishing and she says he's had ghostwriters since he stopped using drugs. He was one of those guys who wrote much more concisely and entertainingly when he was high, which is apparently a lot of them a lot of the time, and when he stopped he confused verbosity with depth. Which is also a lot of them.

He just sucks now.

No. 209922

Little list of what i've read this month:

>Emile Zola-Germinal

>Tiny book of the poems of Catullus
>Burroughs-Junky
>Hubert Selby Jr.-Last Exit on Brooklyn
(Last exit on brooklyn was so far my fave)

No. 209923

>>209748
I don't understand how people can like Bradbury. His stuff is really bland, and he is super judgmental and a hypocrite. Turns me off.

No. 209939

Can anyone recommend me an author who has Murakami's vibe? I think the genre is called magical realism in English. Something philosophical and with a bit of fantasy

No. 209943

Just finished In a Dark Wood Wandering. The ending hit me so hard since I've been contemplating my own mortality lately and imaging what it'll be like when I'm on my death bed. Now, I've started on The Name of the Rose. So far, so good. I'm wondering if I should watch the movie with Ron Perlman when I'm finished.

No. 209945

currently reading wild swans by jung chang. it's great, i highly recommend it!

No. 209950

I can't stop reading YA. I know a lot of adults read YA but it's because fantasy written for adults is so damn boring. I want to read something that's trashy and sexy and features fantasy/sci-fi elements but is for a more mature audience. Does anything like that exist?

No. 209952

>>209939
Borges' Fictions

No. 209963

>>209923

Why do you think Bradbury was a hypocrite? He had dementia, so a lot of the things he said late in life should be taken with many grains of salt.

No. 209964

I was at the Chamblin Bookmine recently (like Powell's in Portland, this is one of the most amazing bookstores I've ever been to, well worth a day trip to Jacksonville) and picked up tons of seventies gothic romances and Harlequin Presents, which were supposed to be the 'prestige' line.

I'd love to show off some of the covers but I don't know if anons are interested in that sort of thing.

No. 209970

>>209964

Oh please do anon! Gothic romance is probably one of my favorite genres!

No. 210006

>>209952
Lmao, idk if I'd recommend that to someone who likes Murakami. Great read though

No. 210012

>>210006
Why not? They'll only dislike it if they come to murakami for muh jazz muh cigarettes beer and women alone and nothing else, which is clearly not the case here.

>>209939
This >>209952 plus Julio Cortazar's Bestiary.
I haven't read anything from him yet but my friends with similar taste also recommend Guimaraes Rosa

No. 210132

Flowers in the Attic

No. 210133

>>210132
nice, Im reading Garden of Shadows. I want to read Flowers in the
Attic.

No. 210137

>>210132
>>210133
Good series. I love a lot of V.C Andrews other books as well.

No. 210144

>>210132
Absolute favourite, just ordered a new beautiful hardback version of it today. Can anyone recommend stuff similar to It?

No. 210162

>>210144
Petals in the Wind
Seeds of Yesterday
Where there be Thorns (or something?)

They’re all sequels to FiA!

>>210133
I would love to read Garden of Shadows! I’ve read the plot on Wikipedia but want to read it word for word.

No. 210165

>>210137
These are my not-so-secret guilty pleasure, but I like the ones she actually wrote, not the ghostwriter. Something about his stuff feels off and way too clean, there was a genuine craziness to her writing that is hard to capture.

One of my favorite Andrews books in that series is If There Be Thorns, which is about Cathy's fucked up, autist son who gets brainwashed by an MRA.

No. 210167

>>210165

Not to bring cows into this but Onision kinda reminds me of either Bart or Malcolm Sr., overly self righteous and loves degrading women while Lainey seems to be the type to lock up her children in an attic (or the basement to be precise); AKA Corrine given today’s most recent events.

No. 210174

>>210012
speaking of Julio Cortazar - I recommend his Final del Juego (End of the Game). Great short stories, couldn't stop thinking about some of them for quite a while! Especially Don't Blame Anyone and Axolotl.

No. 210196

T'was thinking of reading Infinite Jest but iirc my brother brought that book with him before he moved out of the house.

Currently I'm reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes because I want to cleanse myself from the mistake that is the BBC series (I only liked the first season). I might also try rereading other books like Anne Frank's Diary (haven't read it in years), One Hundred Years of Solitude, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Catcher in the Rye.

It's nice to see what you anons have been reading because I'm saving up for more books.

No. 210217

>>210196
>paying for books in 2017

wtf nigga just use libgen or irc

No. 210243

>>210196
Sounds like you've fallen for the /lit/ meme. IJ is mediocre at best, in my opinion.

>>210217
Buying books is still worth it if they're not the expensive, commonplace hardcovers that are at retailers like B&N. I'll pay extra for a pretty edition of a book I love though, especially if I don't yet own a physical copy. It seems like reading and collecting books is a hardcore hobby these days.

No. 210287

>>210196
I just finished reading a Sherlock Holmes pastiche! I only read it because of all the 1 star reviews on goodreads. It was called The Last Sherlock Holmes Story by Michael Dibdin. I don't know how I feel about. It's really easy to see why it made people so mad.

No. 210332

Here's a stupid question: What's so special about A Hundred Years of Solitude? I see/hear so much praise about it and I could only get halfway through the book. It seems way too much like a soap opera to me. Does it redeem itself in the latter half? Idk maybe I'm way too retarded to "get" it, but is there something I'm missing here?
>sage for autism

No. 210580

>>209739
And most importantly, he's a shitty writer. I've laughed out loud multiple times when reading his shit, just because of how badly it was written.

No. 210621

>>209739

King isn't fantastic, but he's many people's first foray into the genre. It's more of a nostalgia trip coloring people's perceptions of him here.

Also I don't like the "lol it was a different time" excuse but I kind of understand. I like Moby-Dick, for example, or Joseph Conrad or Rudyard Kipling, even though what came off as funny then is racist and gross now.

I guess it's similar and I'm glad that it only took 30 years for gangbanging a 11 year old to become anachronistic.

No. 210672

>>210332
Hey, if you don't like it, you don't like it. Maybe you'll come back to it later. No need to enjoy all the "classics".
What I love about the book is Garcia's writing style and the manner, with which he creates stories upon stories within stories, covering a massive amount of themes in a single page, and how poetic and, unsurprisingly, magical the story itself is. So many metaphors and allusions, I can find something new with every reread. The elements, which would usually make one doubt the book-universe's realness, are so well incorporated that I found myself thinking, for example: Of course Rebeca devours dirt, how could she not? Because, really, how could she not.
The messages the book carries just feel very meaningful to me.

No. 210980

>>210672
Omfg I get it now anon bless you. Idk but the example with rebecca really made it click. Maybe it's Garcia's writing style that made it belivable enough that I didn't really notice some other tiny things. The issue probably was that I was taking everything too literally.
I think I'll go back and read it again haha thank you

No. 211763

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>>176038
>>201252
I finished SPQR last month, have to confess it's kinda boring and dry at many places. Heard Rubicon is a better book on Rome (but at a different time).

Just finished the second volume of Gulag Archipelago today, will read pic related for a break before tackling the final volume. Ancient near east is my jam.

No. 219275

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>>210243
This. I love libgen, but there are some things that I'm not able to find on there. There are also books I would like to have physical copies of.

Pic related is what I'm currently reading and it has been an eye opener. At the same time, I'm alternating between books about feminism in China and South Korea as well as a textbook on fiber optics.

No. 219308

I'm reading Dostoyevsky's Brothers Karamazov rn and it's actually a pretty catchy read. I like Russian realism, its in depth psychological and philosophical themes are exactly what (I feel) the works of their european contemporaries lacked.

also reading Barthes' A Lover's Discourse: Fragments in bite sized pieces. Can't honestly say I understand everything 100% but it's still an interesting read, and not just because of its concepts - even the language is somehow poetic.

No. 219316

Does anybody else find Russian literature to be tedious and dry? Genuinely curious.

No. 219320

I just want to read something exciting and trashy. Any suggestions?

No. 219321

File: 1514413161529.png (40.53 KB, 334x499, granny sex.png)

>>219320
I don't know about exciting, but this was certainly pretty trashy and disorganized.

No. 219340

>>219320
"how to murder your life" by cat marnell hits both those requirements! it's a fun read

No. 219351

>>219321
Its honestly like having your grandmother tell you about how loose she used to be when she was younger and the very first chapter tries to push this idea that if you fuck everything in sight you'll be popular. Also lots of edgy misappropriating tantricism while simultaneously shitting on religion like a fedora.

No. 219358

>>219275
>"stealing" feminism
The title itself is loathsome. How far are you into that book?

No. 219363

>>219358
Fourth chapter.
I realize the title may be grating to some but she does bring to light the plight of radfems and people who have been polarizing the public since the 80s. The insane, "Tumblr" behavior was very much alive even back then. She is a self described equity feminist. I mean, it's kind of sad that shit has become so fractured that certain types of distinction are necessary.

No. 219367

>>219363
This is a review I found on it:

And in other news, local authorities reported today that “feminism” has been stolen. Anyone who has any tips on the whereabouts of feminism or its thieves, please contact the hotline.

Seriously, how does one “steal” feminism? I know it’s just a title, and it’s probably the publisher’s idea of a grab for readership, but Who Stole Feminism? is not a title that bodes well for a measured, logical analysis of the state of feminism. The subtitle, How Women Have Betrayed Women, is even worse. Christina Hoff Sommers clearly has a bone to pick with feminism, or at least the feminism of 1994. This book is a little dated, which is not to say it’s necessarily obsolete. However, as I noted in my review of The Beauty Myth (which Sommers targets explicitly in this book), my knowledge of the state of the world, much less feminism, in 1994 is somewhat vague at best. So I’m coming to this book with a perspective different from someone who was, say, a university student at the time Sommers wrote this.

A previous reader of this book (I borrowed it from the library) took the time to scratch some pencil notes in the margins. I love notes from the past (almost as much as I love notes from the future)! I don’t mark up library books or books I think I’ll donate to the library, but I enjoy encountering them when I do. The first of several somewhat cryptic notes appears on page 37, next to a paragraph in which Sommers recounts Professor Faye Crosby’s experiences with trying to be inclusive in her classes. The sentence from the book reads, “Like Raphael [Atlas], she was clearly exhilarated by how terrible she felt.” The note says, “In ‘love’ with how good she is—that’s vanity.” Various admonishments such as “look in the mirror!” and “that’s vanity” appear sporadically throughout. Whoever this person was displays an almost religiously vehemently agreement with Sommers’ thesis.

I guess I should mention what the book is about. Sommers essentially advances the argument that a subset of feminists, whom she calls gender feminists, have come to have an undue amount of influence when it comes to public policy, particularly education. Gender feminists see the world through a “sex/gender lens” and generally promulgate radical, even misandrist views. In contrast, Sommers labels herself an equity feminist of the old school, one who believes women merely need to be accorded equal rights and privileges of men. (I suspect this is second wave versus first wave stuff but am not clear enough on the distinctions to say for sure.)

Sommers is reacting against the gender-feminist claim that “mainstream” (whatever that means) society and media are oppressive (towards women) and inherently patriarchal. She asserts there is no evidence for such claims and goes on to show, in painstaking detail, how some groups within this school have used misleading statistics and surveys to advance their agendas. Finally, Sommers turns it around and accuses the gender feminists themselves of being oppressive, of curtailing debate and censoring dissent at any opportunity. Thus the title, the implication that the feminist movement has been hijacked by a select subset of those who claim the label.

Sommers speaks of “transforming the academy” (Chapter 3) and the movement to revise both the humanities and the sciences to be more inclusive of women voices. She laments the vandalism of the Western Canon: “Why can’t we move on to the future and stop wasting energy on resenting (and ‘rewriting’) the past?” This subject is near and dear to my heart because, as a teacher, I’m on the front lines of education. What should I be teaching in an English class? Who should I use to help teach concepts and ideas? These are a big questions, and while I think Sommers raises some good points about the overzealousness of policy-makers in attempting to include more diverse voices, her tone detracts from the effectiveness of her argument. She’s whining: why can’t we move on, why can’t we just let the past be the past?

Such a sentiment is absurd. As much as Sommers is eager to demonstrate that gender feminists and their allies are blinded by their own transformationist agendas, she seems remarkably quick to discount the possibility of extant bias in culture. Her attitude appears to be that it’s either/or, that if we bring more women voices into the conversation we’re obligated to sacrifice the traditional classics on the altar of feminism. I’m sure there are some “radical” feminists out there who would love to do that, and I’m sure this attitude lends itself well to a polemic—but it seems just as radical and wishful as the thinking being done by the people Sommers criticizes. The reality is much more complicated than she portrays here.

This oversimplification pervades Who Stole Feminism? and makes it difficult for me to praise Sommers even when I’m inclined to agree with her. Such is the case when she calls out Sandra Harding for advocating for “feminist science” without really describing what that would look like. I encountered Harding in Feminism: Issues and Arguments and a chapter on “Feminism, Science, and Bias.” Harding’s contention that scientific knowledge is a social construction, as well as similar introductions to the anti-realist position in the following year’s Philosophy of Science & Technology course, triggered a mini-crisis in my personal philosophy of science. It’s something I’m still working through (though I still think I’m a reductionist—or maybe just a physicalist—don’t know!). So when Sommers dredged it up again, I felt that familiar stab of disagreement—but Jennifer Saul provides a far superior analysis in Feminism: Issues and Arguments, in which she points out that even if Harding is off the mark, science has historically had a lot of bias in it. Much of that bias happens to be white and male.

Sommers is eager to reject the idea that our society is patrarichal. She is dismissive of the “sex/gender lens” perspective of gender feminism. I find this tactic peculiar considering her background in philosophy—rather than analyze the philosophical claims of the gender feminists, Sommers chooses to cricitize particular people and organizations within this movement. To be sure, some of the concerns she raises are valid. For example, misuse of statistics or surveys to influence public policy is bad news no matter who is doing it. Furthermore, the problems she notes in academia are real and troubling. But none of these invalidates the sex/gender approach at all, nor does Sommers demonstrate to my satisfaction a causal link between the sex/gender perspective and divisive politics. Conflating radical and misandrist feminism with “gender feminism” is, to borrow a term Sommers hates the gender feminists using, “shortchanging women.”

Speaking as a mathematician, I know the siren call of statistics—and I know they can be misleading. Empirical data is an important, essential part of doing science and of decision-making. But in focusing solely on the statistical side of feminism, Sommers is ignoring the larger philosophical debate. Consider her chapter on “Rape Research”, in which she discounts the notion of rape culture as a byproduct of inflating the percentage of women who are victims of rape. Sure, maybe the numbers are wrong—Sommers’ point that definitions of rape vary greatly is valid—but this does not change the fact that, in our society, victim-blaming remains pervasive. Rape continues to be viewed as a problem women have—as in, “boys will be boys—and rape you—so don’t do anything to attract a rapist’s attention.” This toxic idea is harmful to men as well as women. Even if the prevalence of rape remains statistically ambiguous, the cultural representation of rape as something women must prevent remains a problem. And that is rape culture right there.

When I look at society through a sex/gender lens, I see a lot I consider wrong, a lot I want to change. If some feminists are abusing this perspective, that is deplorable and needs to stop—but that doesn’t invalidate the basic ideas that we can work together to make culture less white, male, and heteronormative. Why is it so wrong to point out the ways in which women are marginalized and objectified? Why is it so wrong to want to have a conversation about it? It might be the case that some gender feminists want to shut down the conversation, if Sommers’ anecdotes about being censored are true. Yet, again, that’s the misconduct of certain voices within the feminist discourse and not a flaw with the sex/gender perspective itself.

The problem with Sommers’ cheerleading of equity feminism is that it’s insufficient in our twenty-first century society. I won’t blame Sommers for not anticipating how the adoption of the Web has created new opportunities for feminist discourse. However, I’m willing to argue that it was insufficient even in the 1990s when she wrote this. Feminism may have begun as a movement for women to have rights equal to those of men, but today it is inextricably linked to larger issues of social justice, including anti-racism, anti-homophobia, anti-colonialism, etc. The struggle for equity requires us to struggle for equity for all; otherwise, it is hollow. Sommers’ perspective is a very limited, very academic and American one, in which there are men and there are women and she wants the two to be equal. It’s a nice sentiment and a good start, but it’s not nearly enough.

Who Stole Feminism?: How Women Have Betrayed Women is everything it promises to be: a polemical, confrontational invective against so-called gender feminism. It’s also just as divisive and exclusionary as the feminists Sommers is criticizing. As far as books go, it is by no means a train wreck: it’s well-written, with thoughtful and organized arguments backed by an almost overwhelming amount of citations and statistics. Sommers identifies issues, predominantly in academic departments, that are probably still relevant now in 2012 (though I’d opine they are part of a larger crisis in higher education that Sommers fails to discuss). As with any mosaic movement, feminism has its own internal struggles of dogma and doctrine it must overcome.

So in that respect, this book offers some interesting perspectives on the nuanced and often conflicting voices within feminist discourse. Yet as much as I can appreciate some of her criticisms, I can’t agree with most of Sommers’ proposed solutions. Her future of feminism seems like it’s moving backwards, folding inwards upon itself, in an attempt to return to roots that are always receding into romanticized histories (“it was better in the good old days, when feminism was … and feminists were …”). Perhaps this is just my bias in favour of the idea that society is still oppressive, but I think feminism, in order to make progress, has to be an agonistic process. Anything less is palliative at best.

No. 219369

>>219367
This made me laugh. They seem pretty pressed about the title, like it's not that deep. Granted, the book was written in 1994. Everything else is fair criticism.

No. 219600

File: 1514524463670.png (27.11 KB, 318x453, 10357575.png)

Finished this recently and was bored out of my mind for the entirety of it. I don't know what I was expecting. Probably for it all to end after she killed master, but no it just had to drag on while we hear about uneven breasts, prickly pubes, and superior fashion sense for the trillionth time.

No. 219611

>>219600
I feel like i'm in the minority that can't stand Murakami's work/writing. Maybe it's a rough translation from JP to ENG, but i find it vulgar and tedious at the same time.

No. 219614

>>219611
He's apparently not all that popular in Japan either. I also think that his writing is tedious and redundant.

No. 219619

>>219611
I thought his Colorless World of something something was pretty good, mostly because it was 1/5th the length of 1Q84 and he didn't go off into weird, repetitive tangents about pubic hair as often.

No. 219881

What are farmers opinions on Neil Gaiman? I really enjoyed Mirror Mask as a teenager but I can't say that I was as thrilled by Anansi Boys or American Gods, the latter of which I felt was over hyped.

No. 219883

>>219614
I don't get why he's so popular. If I wanted to read about faux sophisticated coffee shop jazz, leather couches and edgy sex I'd go read Hannibal fanfiction.

No. 219884

>>219883
Ngl sometimes I suspect its due to weebs. They and normies have this weird tendency to make anything from japan seem inherently better. The current "trend" with those people seems to be furoshiki. I've seen quite a few people hyping those as christmas wrap alternatives this year and "great gifts to give to someone" meanwhile I'm here like, "its a rag, calm the fuck down".

No. 221216

Why exactly did Darcy and Elizabeth love each other? I've read P&P over and over and it just comes off as tsundere before tsundere was even an archetype.

Also how do farmers feel about Jane Austen in general?

No. 221391

>>219611
i just feel like the characters are the same in all his books. somehow everything he writes feels /the same/ to me

>>221216
just can't get into romanticist authors tbh. i dont see the love between those two either, idk i dont get it

No. 221766

File: 1515548394340.png (6.59 KB, 180x270, 9780997202915.png)

Anybody else read this?

No. 221813

File: 1515610239768.png (264.59 KB, 367x531, Screenshot_2018-01-10-12-47-16…)

My two favorite types of fiction are books are fantasy creatures, especially mermaids and fairys, more wiccan type leaning stuff though and history, mostly WWII and Victorian stuff


My guilty pleasure is the twilight saga tbh, I've read it multiple times most because of the nostalgia it gives me from when I was im HS

No. 221814

>>221813
Have you tried the Temeraire series?

No. 221817

File: 1515613783504.jpg (28.88 KB, 272x400, AnomanderRake_9597.jpg)

>>221216
yeah lol they were both tsun tsun, but I think they have the biggest chemistry of all Austen's characters. At first they are intrigued about each other, then fascinated, constantly bickering and provoking one another… great dynamics. I didn't like the fluffy ending too much but yeah, I like to come back to this book.
I respect Jane Austen big time.

Any dark fantasy readers? I love Malazan Book of the Fallen, hands down the best saga ever written (fight me). I've actually dropped it for a year half in the first book because it was so hard to read, so much information and lore and everything dumped on the reader without a hint of explanation, but one day I came back to it and forced myself to read and woah. I was MIA until I read everything. Years passed and everything is still bland in comparison.

No. 221819

File: 1515614580839.jpg (69.47 KB, 677x1031, Crash.jpg)

Has anyone read Crash by JG Ballard? I do this thing where I choose a director and watch through all of their films in order, and my most recent choice was Cronenberg. He did an adaptation of Crash, but the thing is that I always prefer to read books before watching their film counterpart. So I started to read it.

Am I fucking missing something? How is this considered a good novel? What the fuck is the meaning of it? Am I just so stupid and anti-intellectual that it flies right over my head? To me it's one of those books where it just seems like an excuse for the author to vomit his sexual fantasies all over the page. There's entire pages of excruciatingly boring sexual detail that isn't even written that well.

I'm not one to give up on a book, and I'm halfway done, but I'm not even kidding that it's taken me three months to get this far because I dread picking it up. If anyone has read it and enjoyed it, can you please enlighten me? What did you like about it? What does it mean to you? Does it all click at the end? Did it make you feel or think anything at all? I mean there's a high possibility that it is a good novel and it just isn't for me, or I don't ~get it.~

No. 221832

>>221817
Looking into this series now. Thanks for the info!

No. 223323

I don't know if this belong more to this or mental health thread, but I'll ask here: can you recommend me some good self-help/psychology/manipulation books? I've read Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People and liked it, but most of modern "motivational books" by "life coaches" just make me barf. I don't want to waste my time and get pissed by randomly picking books that end up being shit. Help?

No. 223344

>>223323
You could try 'Fuck Feelings'.
And yeah that is actually the title.

No. 223369

>>223344
Sounds good lol. Thanks anon, downloaded it

No. 223652

>>219367
Whoever wrote this review sounds like they had an agenda, because they literally only focused on two chapters and the title like some sort of autist. They ignored the other research chapters, the Wellsley lies, and the schism which had taken place decades prior to the one we are witnessing now with feminism.

No. 224002

>>203740
I'm late, but I'm starting to read these. I think they're making a movie of the first one with Natalie Portman.

No. 225787

This is probably an odd request, but what are the best textbooks you've had in terms of information?

No. 229660

>>221819
>I'm not one to give up on a book

Why? What's the point in wasting your very limited time on a book you don't like? There's other books you could be reading.

No. 229665

>>225787
On what subject?

No. 229800

File: 1519018347906.jpg (72.9 KB, 576x768, Libros_Antimateria_1.jpg)

Pretty interesting the way the characters in this book talk about their ideas. Normally economics and politics aren't that interesting to me but it's easy to digest in a conversational format.

No. 315790

What are your favourite mystery novels? Preferably ones that don't involve murder, just creepy shit. Also a nice setting would be even better.

No. 315798

Currently reading Wild by Meghan O'Brien because I wanted some lesbian supernatural stuff.

No. 315800

If it hasn't been mentioned, "The Night Circus" is pretty good.

Do we count graphic novels as books? If so, "Blankets" by Craig Thompson is a must-read for everyone.

No. 317863

File: 1540847810570.jpg (43.52 KB, 334x499, 51Ll86PmwFL._SX332_BO1,204,203…)

Can we talk about YA books here too
has anyone read the Shades of Magic Series?
I think it's one of my favorites.
A feel like a lot of people ignore a lot of great books just because they're in the YA section

No. 317902

>>317863
on the other hand, plenty of adults read nothing but YA, so the 'issue' solves itself

No. 317918

>>317863
>feel like a lot of people ignore a lot of great books just because they're in the YA section

Lol What? The vast majority of "booktubers" on YouTube only read YA fiction. The vast majority of women I know (over 25 age range) only read YA fiction. Where are you getting that it's being ignored? No one is making a movie based on Notes from Underground or Finnegans Wake, but there are plenty of YA fiction books being made into movies because they have mass appeal.

No. 325434

i'm really into the "Serpent Ritual" (idk if its the right translation) y Aby Warburg. It's not difficult to read but it's taking me a bit long to read because I keep taking notes and pause-ing it.

Aby Warburg is like, the father of iconology in art history. He was schyzophrenic and to proove to his doctors that he could get out f psych yard, he had to present an essay and he presented the Serpent Ritual which is about pueblo natives but not really.

strongly reccomand if you're into anthropology, art history/theory or psychology. If you like Jung, you'll love this shit.

No. 325678

Any polanons here? How do you feel about the Ślepnąc od świateł tv series? I have a love-hate relationship with Żulczyk. Fucking hate him as a person (he is bordering an author cow to me, both him and Sapkowski are smug cunts with talent not great enough to justify being assholes), but his books are the only modern Polish literature that borders on readable. I want to find other Polish modern authors that are not insufferable idiots.

Also I hate how everyone overlooks that Zrób mi jakąś krzywdę… is a novel that is LITERALLY 'hmmm, but what if Lolita WAS a love story written from the perspective of a 25 y/o pedo desperately waiting for his 14 y/o victim to hit an age of consent???'.
Both he and the director of the Ślepnąc… tv series created stories about 25+ men dating underage teenagers as a 'fuckboys to men' rite of passage as far as I know, didn't watch Hardkor Disco, so of course they love each other.
And I do not mean rite of passage as stopping being a pedo, quite the opposite. Apparently you cannot become a real men without desperately wanting to fuck a 14 y/o kid cause it's ~true love~.
I wish people were talking about this but nobody touches the novel cause it's a ~literary cult classic uwu~ that just got published for the 3rd time.

No. 326299

I would just like to warn you anons to stay away from The Alienist. 500 pages of building expectations and never fulfilling them. Also lots of rookie mistakes like 2D characters, historical inaccuracies, etc. Never have I been so mad at a book.

If you have Victorian era mysteries/crime/fantasy novels to recommand for me to cleanse my eyes I'm all ears.

No. 326358

>>325678
What about Wladyslaw Mysliwski? Tokarczuk? They are way better that that insufferable cow. Mysliwski came out with a new book recently, it's brilliant.

No. 326359

>>325678
What about Wladyslaw Mysliwski? Tokarczuk? They are way better that that insufferable cow. Mysliwski came out with a new book recently, it's brilliant.

No. 326479

Do any farmers here have good non-fiction historical books to recommend?

I once posted ITT Mary Beard's SPQR, but if you're extremely interested in ancient Rome then, by all means, read Peter Heather's The Fall of the Roman Empire.

He goes through the history of Rome but not in a chronological order so don't expect a textbook sort of revision. Furthermore, his focus is mainly on the last centuries of the Roman Empire where he meticulously examines the various issues arising with the rise of the Roman Empire and how the later decisions of the ruling classes eventually contributed to its downfall. It was interesting to read so many events, trends, etc. that were happening at that time and can be recognized today in certain countries.

If you're a history buff, you're going to love it. Despite being highly scientific and you can certainly tell that the writer is erudite, he manages to present all the facts, all the available data in a way that doesn't make it boring at all. And having read so many books on historical subjects, that isn't an easy task to accomplish.

Another book I would recommend is Cambridge's History of Iran. I've only read the first volume but it's mesmerizing to read about some less known details that you won't find online regarding the ancient tribes and civilization that once inhabited that area. Particularly the chapter on Zoroastrianism where you can see how many things all of today's greatest religions borrowed from it.

Sorry for the long post but please recommend more books history related.

No. 326517

>>326479

David Crystal's The Fight For English is a very interesting book on the evolution of the English language through the centuries if you're interested in that sort of thing.

No. 326756

File: 1542522276255.jpeg (55.1 KB, 464x661, 16642476-091B-419E-805E-82B88B…)

Does anyone have any recommendations for middle grade fiction? I really enjoy the genre as it deals with many sensitive issues and the characters do a lot of growing which is really heartwarming to read. I also like how unlike a lot ‘adult’ fiction genres I’ve read recently they know not to talk down to the reader and spoonfeed them their morals/opinions and don’t feel the need to use over the top language.

I know it’s a genre that’s often shit on since it’s for kids, but I’d appreciate any anon that has suggestions.

No. 326762

>>326756 Omg I love middle grade fiction. Favorites: Holes by Louis Sachar, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, Matilda by Roald Dahl, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, The Little Prince

No. 326948

File: 1542572325246.jpg (61.46 KB, 1200x720, page_habit.jpg)

Any recommendations for adult fiction that centers around people in their early 20s? Because, honestly, I mostly read young adult, which is through the perspective of teens but when I look to adult fiction, so many characters are in their 30-40s. Sure I've read some good books in both genres, but I really want to experience some good stories from the perspective of a protagonist my age. You know? I like realistic fiction a great deal but also quite like books that are supernatural, magical, or dystopian.

Side note, does anyone else have a book subscription? I have OwlCrate now and really like it (I like going into books blind rather than judging a book by it's cover. Gets me going out of my comfort zone.)
However I used to be subscribed to PageHabit. What a shitshow, they up and vanished in August, no explanation. Refunded subscribers and cancelled all future boxes. All social media accounts are dead and their website just says they are no longer in business.

No. 327053

>>209939
Murukami's vibe is particular. Can't think of anyone like him exactly.
For magic realism maybe try Garcia Marquez 100 Years of Solitude, or Carter Nights at The Circus.

No. 327054

I've been getting into bodybuilding and learning about Fascism lately.

Recently read: National Socialism: The Biological Worldview

In German:
Picknick am Wegesrand (eng. Picnic on the Roadside)
Der Mythus des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts (The Myth of the 20th Century)

Currently reading (in German):
Jenseits von Gut und Böse (Beyond Good and Evil)
Soldaten im Feuer: Gedanken zur Gefechtsführung im nächsten Krieg (Published in English originally as Men Against Fire)

In the future I think I would like to get into some fiction like LoTR and become more educated on Paganism. There's a few great female authors who wrote on the subject like Savitri Devi. Does anyone else here share my taste?

No. 327055

Currently reading:
Henry Cornelius Agrippa - 3 Books on Occult Philosophy
Carl Schmitt - The Concept of the Political
Dugin - 4th Political Theory
Mason - Postcapitalism

Barely cracked the spine of the Agrippa - the others are each interesting in their own way,

No. 327056

File: 1542592101552.jpg (54.69 KB, 720x405, 1.jpg)

>>327054
Ja ja meine Allgemeines

No. 327057

>>327056
Bist du ein Deutscher oder?

No. 327058

>>327057
Nein. Ich bin troll.

No. 327059

>>327057
What would you recommend by Devi?

No. 327060

File: 1542592658467.jpg (118.65 KB, 700x394, 1408181826201.jpg)

>>327054
>I think I would like to… become more educated on Paganism
zamnesia.com
10-15g truffles

No. 327061

>>327058
Was für ein Schande. Es gibt ein Mangel an Deutschen in diesen Gremien. Es ist ja eine wichtige Sprache kennenzulernen.

>>327059
It depends what you're interested but I would recommend:

Impeachment of Man, an animal rights/ecology focused book.

The Lightning and the Sun, in essence a book on Esoteric Hitlerism. It's not for the uninformed/beginners into the worldview for sure. Savitri Devi's work is not very accessible to anyone not from the background. I think she's a wonderful author worth checking out though.

No. 327062

>>327061
Yes, it's a beautiful sounding tongue. Unfortunately I have no capacity beyond "Wie komme ich am besten zum bahnof bitte?"
Thanks for the pointers on Devi, mistress. I shall look into those titles.

No. 327063

>>327062
Any time. Another good work of hers I forgot to mention is Defiance. The book is autobiographical in nature and gives an overview of her arrest, trial, and imprisonment for disseminating propaganda in Germany.

No. 327064

>>221216
>comes off as tsundere before tsundere was even an archetype
Sometimes it looks like tsundere is programmed intot eh fabric of the universe, like inside the physics and the metaphysics of it, somehow or other. THo probs it's not written in Japanese.
>>219881
>What are farmers opinions on Neil Gaiman?
A poor woman's Grant Morrison. The one he did with Terry Pratchett about the kid full of love and horsemen of the apocalypse did have a curious kind of power.

No. 327065

>>327063
Danke. Is there a good biography of her do you know? She led such an interesting life. A singular woman.

No. 327068

>>219316
Depends on the Russian. Gogol and Bulgakov are chipper and fun.

No. 327069

>>327065
As far as I know there is not. I quickly asked a couple of my friends and they said that the linked book had a decent write up. Upon skimming it is minor, however the miscellaneous content may be of interest.
If you are interested in the topic I can invite you to a couple Discord servers where it is frequently discussed, but it is important to mention it is populated primarily by young men.

https://archive.org/details/SavitriDeviWomanAgainstTimeCollectionOfArticlesLettersAndEssays/page/n7

No. 327070

>>209922
>Catullus
>Burroughs-Junky
Found these to be good, if degen.
What did you make of Burroughs? Somebody in an amazon review said the prose in Junky was "hard as nails" which seemed to capture it. Best post-WW2 English stylist I've come across.

No. 327073

>>327069
OK, will download that one too. Yes, I'd be interested in looking into the Discord servers. Interacting with mainly men (or mainly women) doesn;'t bother me. Lately I've been somewhat in my feelings so might not be up to it for a week or two, however, when I feel ready I'd like to come along.

No. 327074

>>327069
And thank you for taking the trouble to ask around about the bio. That's appreciated.

No. 327082

>>327074
Here's an invite to my server. DM my account Wolfsangel and I'll let you in.

https://discord.gg/PJWDxff

No. 327086

Ways of Seeing - John Berger
Any recommendations on occcult things? More historical and less new age bullshit preferably

No. 327191

>>327086
Goodrick-Clark Western Esoteric Tradition: A Historical Introduction does what it says on the tin, a serviceable academic
overview

No. 340299

Can anyone recommend some good book subscription boxes? I currently get Owlcrate and Fairyloot but I'm getting tired of all the fandom junk and is considering changing Owlcrate for something else once the subscription run out

No. 340338

>>340299
Have you tried Book of the Month?
I was looking into it and they claim to have a broad book selection and the price is pretty good.

No. 347334

File: 1546331896540.jpg (109.78 KB, 399x650, 9780141192802.jpg)

finished reading this, I loved it so much! it was so easy to read and entrancing, but also had to take pauses often to just think lmao
raskolnikov really reminded me of teen me and weirdly enough, especially in the first 3 parts, your run of the mill 4chan bro

it's like 8 am and I'm still awake and overwhelmed and can't express myself for shit but overall it's like 11/10 do recommend

No. 347336

>>347334
Fuck, I was just at the bookstore and almost picked that up. Maybe next time lol.

No. 347353

>>347336
do give it a try! i was afraid of reading it for some years because older books can have a peculiar, hard to digest language and I'm esl, also bc it's a ~classic~ i was afraid I'd be too dumb to grasp it kek. i didn't encounter any of these things, it was a very engaging read w plenty of reflection opportunities. maybe the particular translation helped, not sure, but will def try to read more of Dostoyevsky!
from other classic russian things, i had read some works of Gogol's before and, while I did enjoy them in a way, they were way more tedious lol. oh and Bulgakov's a young doctor's notebook, enjoyed that heaps too! but crime and punishment is still my fav kek soz for going ham on your reply, anon

No. 347386

>>347334
I've had it on my shelf for years and you just convinced me to put it in my January TBR

No. 347871

>>347334
What translation did you read anon? I read the David McDuff translation but kind of regret it after reading a P&V translation of another one of Dostoyevsky’s books which flowed a lot better. Also I had a weird crush on Raskolnikov the entire book.

No. 347881

>>347871
Oliver Ready! i think it has an alright balance between retained words/phrases and translated bits, I did flip between the notes section and back but mostly to gain more context not because i was utterly lost (unless it were the French phrases lol)
and i understand anon, I was flip flopping between "omg, me" and "omg, fuck me" but not sure what that says about me kek

No. 348813

File: 1546574266627.jpg (74.23 KB, 600x800, skitter_and_her_pet.jpg)

A bit unorthodox, as it's a web serial, but anyone else here read Worm? Probably one of my favorite works of fiction, ever.

No. 348847

>>348813
havent read it but its been on my list for a long time lol, i feel kind of intimidated since its something id have to commit to since it looks long and i can get bored of things easily lol

No. 348923

Did any french farmers see that Houellbecq got the Legion d'Honneur? It's deppressing.

No. 349955

>>348847
Worry not, you'll find out it has lots of fanfiction and will never stop reading it your entire life.

You poor soul, ignorant of your future.

No. 349957

>>348813
I did actually read a small part of it 5 years ago during classes, found it depressing.

No. 349958

>>349957
That's the point, it has the flavor of real life. It's like game of thrones, but for superhero genre instead of fantasy.

The only problem is that indeed it's a bit difficult to get into initial chapters, but once you are past them, oh my, you are in for a journey.

And again, it has really lots of fanfics. So people decided that no they can write a half or full million word story on par with original and so, they did.

No. 350265

>>349957
Which arcs?

No. 350295

>>176062
I thought it was kind of supposed to be quite up its own ass and pretentious for the majority of the story until it all comes tumbling down around Richard and he realises that all the other characters aren't special dignified intellectuals but just as selfish and depraved as anyone else

No. 350297

>>201178
Ooooh I loved her book of short stories, the assassination of Margaret thatcher. The story "the comma" has stuck with me for years

No. 350299

>>201272
I did a couple existentialism and phenomenology courses in uni and we barely ever touched on Nietzsche, and even then mostly to deconstruct his bullshit. My professor was very much of the opinion that he was an immature egotistical idiot and after seeing her proof I'm definitely inclined to agree lol. Kierkegaard, Sartre and Beauvoir are my favourites in existentialism/phenomenology.

No. 350300

does anyone have any recs for short magic realism stories? I've read Gabriel Garcia Martinez and nearly all of Murakami, I was very impressed recently by a lot of the stories in yukiko motoya's picnic in the storm too. anyone got recommendations along those lines

No. 350301

does anyone have any recs for short magic realism stories? I've read Gabriel Garcia Martinez and nearly all of Murakami, I was very impressed recently by a lot of the stories in yukiko motoya's picnic in the storm too. anyone got recommendations along those lines

No. 350305

This is a long shot but any recommendations for old tacky scifi? I like buying used cheap pulp novels from ebay and getting lost in them

>>350301
Not a short one but it's only a single novel, I really recommend Zoo City. Essentially dystopian future, black magic and familiars.

No. 350306

I'm reading a really cool "waterbiography" at the moment called Swell by Jenny Landreth, it's about the history of women's swimming. Very funny and interesting, would recommend if anybody likes cheerful light history/nonfic.

No. 350325

Ive started to read brave new world

No. 350332

What are some good bodice rippers worth reading, lasses?

No. 350344

File: 1546870453641.jpg (106.81 KB, 929x960, 18278914_1525545770810887_3536…)

Recently I've been neck deep in lesbian fiction, and I'm loving it tbh. I'm a sucker for romance stuff, and there are many good writers who are actual lesbians - so it's not shit like most lesbian themed movies.
Praise the Goodreads.com

No. 350358

i already bought the book but i still haven't read it yet but its called everlasting nora by marie miranda cruz about a little girl living in the biggest cemetery in the philippines… to which is a huge issue especially for the people who lost their homes from floods, housing or buildings projects, fires (which there is a known conspiracy that companies are the ones doing it in order to move squatters the away from the lot they plan on making something out from it), and other reasons…

No. 350375

>>350332
Outlander

No. 350638

>>350344
> so it's not shit like most lesbian themed movies.
I'm a lesbian and I fucking hate just about every lesbian film that isn't Fingersmith, Saving Face, or Carol.

Currently reading a collection of Patricia Highsmith's (previously) unpublished works.

No. 350642

File: 1546919967137.png (529.53 KB, 744x638, Screen Shot 2019-01-08 at 4.44…)

I made one of my resolutions to read more this year. I haven't actually read as a hobby for probably almost a decade, and I feel it starting to show in my vocabulary, spelling, and just how I present myself to the world. So for the first time in a long time, real resolutions were made and I think I'm going to stick to them.

I patiently waited for my amazon shipment and got my first two books off of my amazon wishlist, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory and From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death, both by Caitlin Doughty. I just finished Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, a part autobiography on her life in the death industry and part death positivity discussion. I've always been really interested in weird stuff like this so when I found her youtube channel and found she wrote a book I knew I needed to read it one day. Would recommend if you like silly musings mixed with serious discussion on the human condition. She doesn't hold back on grisly details so if you're squeamish I wouldn't recommend, but I think everyone who hasn't thought seriously about how they want their dead body to be cared for or are frightened about death should give it a read.

Tbh I'm a little mad I managed to finish her book in a day, because now I'm already on to her next one which I'm sure I'll be able to finish quickly as well. I'll have to find or buy more books to read and I'm afraid I'll be distracted and not read anything else the entire year…

No. 350643

Microhistory suggestions?
Preferably other than guns germs and steel or the hot zone.

No. 350675

>>350642
As a funeral director I find her super annoying and cringey. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes was hard to get through she's so annoying.

No. 350684

>>350675
I do think she has a specific humor that some people might find cringe, but its also the humor I grew up and around with so her slips into silliness doesn't bother me. I'd rather have someone with a more relaxed approach to death talk about death industry stuff than someone with a stiff upper lip. I also enjoy her openly pushing for alternative funeral and burial services.

No. 350928

File: 1546962263263.jpg (24.52 KB, 300x299, s-l300.jpg)

>>350642
Reading was also one of my resolutions for this year. I bought the entire Witcher series a couple years ago intending to read it before I played the games and that didn't happen. Now that I've played 1,2 and half of 3 I'm really into the lore and story and want to read the source material. I'm half way through the Last Wish and really enjoying it even though the writing has been simplified by translation into English.

Reading was also one of my resolutions last year and I got hooked on booktube and their YA recommendations and fangirl-ing. I started and DNF'd so many books because I discovered I hate YA and cannot suspend my disbelief that so many teenage characters are written like 20 something adults and the romances…no thanks.

No. 350956

>>350928
My thoughts exactly on YA fiction. Everyone I’m surrounded by in work or uni seems to only read this in their spare time, anything else is read because it’s required and it’s really frustrating trying to get recommendationa. I’m glad this thread exists.

No. 350977

>>350375
Already read it and it's not really a bodice ripper but thanks.

>>350643
Depends on what kind of history you're interested in and what time. There's a million books on plenty of stuff in all periods.

No. 351034

File: 1546979035853.jpg (330.09 KB, 998x751, gd2Cyfg.jpg)

>inb4 YA fiction is childish and sucks

Anybody reading this? What other fantasy or supernatural books contain hateships where two people love to hate each other?

No. 351043

File: 1546980098656.jpg (131.34 KB, 740x1141, Skyward.jpg)

>>351034
What do you think about the cruel prince? Is it overhyped? I want to read it but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Finishing up Skyward at the moment.

No. 351068

>>351043
Depends on your personal preferences but I find it lives up to its hype. I like the faerie setting and the hate-relationship as opposed to the all-too-common instalove between the protagonists was great.

No. 351069

>>350956
Adult readers unite
For real though I’ll die if I get another teenage dystopian fantasy recommended to me. If you’ve read the blurb of one you’ve read all the books, they’re so cookie-cutter predictable and unoriginal.

On topic, anyone got recs similar to geek love?

No. 351072

>>350977
Micro histories as in any in depth look at something small, not general history of a time period.
Like the history of salt or Vissers the rituals of dinner. In depth histories of every day objects.

No. 354185

>>347334
just started this last week. didn't know what to expect since never read russian lit before. definitely feels alittle weird but agree that it's reading very east despite how dense the text is.

last thing I read was jane eyre so wanted something from similar time period.

No. 354249

File: 1547479632342.jpg (30.37 KB, 261x400, 9781784870140.jpg)

i'm reading Brave New World at the moment and I'm enjoying it so far. For people who've read it, what did you think of it? (without giving any spoilers)

No. 354330

I just finished re-reading Asimov's Robot Saga (Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, Robots of the Dawn, and Robots and Empire), and I started The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I find it a little difficult since I'm reading it in English and it's not my first language.
I also have a love-hate relationship with Murakami's books. They usually start as boring, then they completely absorb me, but the ending makes me think "is that all?". So far the ones I enjoyed the most are 1Q84 and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.
I'm usually a sucker for sci-fi, and I'd like recommendations for something darker. I really love Asimov's books, but they feel childish sometimes.

No. 354332

>>354330

>I really love Asimov's books, but they feel childish sometimes.


Not a book, but you should read The Last Question. Unless you're diagnosed with depression, then don't.

No. 354346

>>354249
It was required reading in high school, but I missed that week, so I hadn't read it at all until last year. A bit of a mindfuck, tbh, probably because I was expecting something different than what it ended up actually being, if that makes sense.

No. 354372

>>354332
Anon from >>354330, I already read it. I read the Complete Stories, everything from the Robots saga and the Foundation saga. I have the Lucky Starr series in my ebook already, but I feel it's going to be even more childish.
The Last Question was one of my favorite stories though.

No. 354385

>>354249
I wanted to like it and ended up kinda hating it. It has some nice ideas, but overall it's pretty boring, stupid and may have been cool in the 50s, but not today. Pretty overhyped imho

No. 366796

Non-fictions (bonus if female author) that hella empowered you or impacted your life? Go!

No. 366803

>>366796
Women & Power by Mary Beard was something I picked up at an English train station while on holiday there, quite an impactful and honestly rage inducing read

No. 366829

>>366796
Female Chauvinist Pigs by Ariel Levy.

No. 366831

>>366796
silvia federici- caliban and the witch

No. 367298

File: 1549333546245.jpg (58.62 KB, 500x510, tumblr_n7colljHlw1r5cbvto1_500…)

Anyone else struggle with having too many books in their possession?
I bookmark/tag my favourite books quite heavily and enjoy referencing/reading over said notes, so throwing them away is something that I'll probably never do.

However, this has made my room look like that of a hoarders. I have 2 bookcases that are stuffed full of them and I have no idea how to fix this.

I've been contemplating just getting a tablet, but I will still have the previous books on me.

Any storage tips?

No. 367304

>>367298
You could probably start by just donating the books that aren't your favorites or you haven't even opened in a few years. If those have passages you like, maybe scan those pages or copy them somewhere so you can still reference them.

No. 367305

>>367298
I have a huge amount of books as well, it’s not so much the amount as it is the way they are stored and displayed that gives it that hoarder look - don’t stack the books, line them up neatly along the shelves, any books that are either absolute favourites or have gorgeous covers display by placing in front of the other books with the cover facing out, you can always make the books look nicer by organising them in colour or size order as well. Try to keep the bookshelves cleared of any knick knacks as wel as this will just make thk look cluttered no matter how few books you have

No. 367317

>>367298
Due to hit 1000 this year.
No ragrets.

Floor to ceiling shelves. No books laying down. Stack them with similar sizes. Looks tidy as. An overcrowded shelf or books not stacked properly will always look like shit.

No. 380691

Moved to >>>/m/8561.



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