books to read

[oyolar]

I finished The Savage Detectives last night and really like it. The middle section definitely dragged on for a while, especially because you're missing a big chunk with no hints about what happened between the end of section one and beginning of section two, but the disjointed and "off" atmosphere definitely shines through and makes more sense after you finish the book. That was really well done I felt.

I'm starting Agua Viva by Clarice Lispector tonight or tomorrow and am excited for that. I read. A few of her early short stories last night and thought they wer really good, especially for being so early in her career.

[brycickle]

Finished this over the weekend.

[Grampa]

Shit and piss and abuse and castration and more. What's not to love?

[shark tits]

Beekeeping the Gentle Craft

[20matar]

Beekeeping the Gentle Craft

How goes your new hobby? You probably posted about your progress elsewhere, still I'd like to know.

[shark tits]

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Beekeeping the Gentle Craft

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How goes your new hobby? You probably posted about your progress elsewhere, still I'd like to know.

so far it's just the studying level. i convinced my mother to take a class [it's an hour away i only drive mopeds] so she's doing that once a wk and after 6 wks we get to take home NUC of bees, basically a young hive w/ a Queen and we've got suits, 2 'deep' hive frame boxes and 2 smaller 'honey supers' which are smaller frame boxes, a smoker, couple hive tools [look like scrapers] and a bee brush. mostly i think she'll handle smoking the bees while i'm gonna touch them or pick up the heavy, wax and honey laden frames. at first they'll be light, only bee-laden but they'll get heavy fast ideally.
i'm wicked looking forward to it but right now it's just youtube vids, books and so on. i'll have someone film once we're actually out there checking the hive or once our plants have buds and i can observe the girls inadvertently pollinating while grabbing powder for their own consumption.
so yeah, 20M, i'm just waiting anxiously and learning as much as i can now so i'm not overwhelmed when my package of bees arrives.

[Carrolls Chesthairs]

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

I finished The Savage Detectives last night and really like it. The middle section definitely dragged on for a while, especially because you're missing a big chunk with no hints about what happened between the end of section one and beginning of section two, but the disjointed and "off" atmosphere definitely shines through and makes more sense after you finish the book. That was really well done I felt.

Nice! I felt the exact same way about the second part. Some stories are fun, others are kinda senseless, but the structure makes sense after you finish the book and you start to appreciate it. And yeah, the ending's just great 

I'm glad you're getting into Bolano. In my personal opinion, Amulet isn't his strongest writing. You also know the whole "plot" already, as you've read The Savage Detectives. I thought that Auxilio Lacouture's story was one of the strongest in the second section, but there's little to discover in Amulet. Maybe that's just me though.

I'm also planning on reading 2666 this summer. People have told me that The Savage Detectives is the perfect starting point, while 2666 makes the most sense after you've read the whole rest. While I'm not too sure about this, I think it'd be a great idea to pick up another (short) Bolano novel before 2666. 2666 is all about the theme of evil, which is not covered too prominently in The Savage Detectives. Distant Star and A Night in Chile are both very brief and great reads and they open up whole new perspectives on Bolano's writing. The Savage Detectives is Bolano's most "innocent" writing, while 2666 is supposed to be his most serious. Both Distant Star and A Night in Chile kind of bridge the gap, if that makes sense...

I finished Giovanni's Room and I absolutely loved it! I haven't read a bad book in a long while. Right now, I'm getting into the Nazi Resistance book and it's gonna be White Teeth after that...

[oyolar]

2666 is definitely on the list but thanks for the advice.  I'll definitely pick up his other novels before starting that one.  The bookstore I was at had a couple of his other books, but I bought Amulet because Bolaņo said it was the only novel of his that he wasn't ashamed of (or something like that).   Obviously, that doesn't mean anything but I didn't know which book to get so that seemed like a good enough reason to pick it up.

The Lispector novel is really interesting.  It's like a stream-of-consciousness poem/rumination on the creative process.  Very very loose plot, but there is something there and it's kind of fun picking out the little hints and bits that are there.  But yeah, definitely very free-form and can see why she would pick the name "agua viva" as its structure and feel give that sense.  It's only about 85 pages and I'm hoping to finish it this weekend but I'm excited to pick up some of her other works and read more of her stories.

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

2666 is definitely on the list but thanks for the advice.  I'll definitely pick up his other novels before starting that one.  The bookstore I was at had a couple of his other books, but I bought Amulet because Bola�o said it was the only novel of his that he wasn't ashamed of (or something like that).   Obviously, that doesn't mean anything but I didn't know which book to get so that seemed like a good enough reason to pick it up.

Yeah, that's just my personal opinion anyway. I didn't want to discourage you from reading at all. Quite the opposite, I'm stoked you're getting into Bolano !

[oyolar]

Actually, just realized that I bought Antwerp, not Amulet.  Oops.

I finished the Lispector novella last night and it got a little tedious towards the end.  It was almost too loose.  I thought te intention behind it was interesting and she succeeded for the most part, but it started to kind of lose momentum at the end, which sucks as it is really short as it is.  However, I'm open to the fact that it might not have been the best book of hers to start with since it seems to be a distillation of a lot of themes and ideas she pursues in her other novels and short stories.  I still have liked what I've read of her enough that I want to continue reading her, so maybe I'll appreciate it more in retrospect or by revisiting it after reading some more of her stuff.

[oyolar]

To be fair, I have read like 3 or 4 of her short stories as well and thought they were fantastic, which is saying something as I'm much more of a novel person am than a short story person.  I'll pick up an earlier novel by her and see what happens.

[ChronicBluntSlider]

First time I've ever read Eggers. Not typically a fan of memoir(I haven't looked into it, but I assume most of this really happened) but I'm loving this book. It reads like a novel and is legitimately funny. I think it would particularly be interesting for people in the bay area. It is set in the mid-90s at kind of the onslaught of the tech boom/major gentrification. He makes several passing references to skating for whatever that's worth. He breaks the fourth wall a lot in interesting ways, and it's just been a very enjoyable book.

[Tufty]

[Grind King Rims]

Just finished "A Visit from the Goon Squad" by Jennifer Egan, thoroughly enjoyed it, although the majority of the chapters felt like they ended with a punch in the stomach, it was like picking a scab, couldn't not love it. Cool book.

[shitsandwich]

I finished Radical by Maajid Nawaz. It's about a man turning into and out of a radical muslim and its pretty interesting considering the current state of the world right now

[20matar]

I picked up A Canticle for Leibowitz again. Science fiction by Walter M. Miller, Jr. Found it dull when I was younger, since the pace is slow, absolutely loving it now. It's about a monastic order that seeks to preserve knowledge from before the nuclear apocalypse and the fall of civilization. Feels very medieval, which makes a lot of sense if you think about it.

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

These past weeks were kinda busy for me and it took me a loooong time to finish that book about subcultures in Nazi Germany, even though the book is rather short (220 pages). Even though it's a really important and innovative topic, the book didn't blow me away as much as I hoped it would. I guess it had a lot to do with the book's chapters being structured into different German cities. The first 50 pages were amazing, but then the book turned into "So this was Leipzig, let's see how things were in Munich...". Turns out that things were kinda similar. There are a couple of super interesting individual stories in the book, but unless you're interested in the small differences between "Swing youths" in Munich, Leipzig, and Berlin, the book will begin to feel repetitive after a while.

The other day I finally picked up White Teeth by Zadie Smith and so far I love it! As far as themes are concerned, it's right up my alley: the relevance of history for the present, multiculturalism, the role of religion in Western society, love, the role of women... yeah, a lot of 21st century themes in there. Similar to the Adichie book, White Teeth is packed with different themes. The style is very tongue-in-cheek, but it's not annoying or condescending at all.



The sad thing about the book is that it made me realize how much the Western view on Muslims has changed since the book's publication in 2000. As said, Smith deals with the clash between traditional Muslims and British society in a very innocent way that is at the same time funny but doesn't ignore (smaller) conflicts. I guess that was possible pre-9/11 and also 2010ish, but nowadays I feel like Muslims are - before anything else - seen as a threat. And just for the record: I don't mean radical Islamists, I'm talking, for example, about the Algerian corner shop owner next door...

[oyolar]

I've been meaning to read Zadie Smith and it seems like White Teeth is the book I always see people mention when web she is brought up.  What you describe regarding the relationships of Muslims and other members of society is really interesting and it's definitely a stark reminder of how much societies and perceptions can drastically change in a relatively short period of time.  Let me know what you think when you finish it.

My reading has slowed down a little lately.  I've just felt like I've been forcing myself to read instead of just picking up a book. I tried to mix in some sociology work by Howie Becker, but could not get into it. I'm about 115 pages into Knausgaard's book 4 right now and feeling ok. I have the goal of finishing by the end of the month so hopefully will be able to knock it out. I like Knausgaard because even those his books are long and there is a lot beneath the surface, a lot of the actual text can be kind of surface level and mundane so it's easy to just get into a flow and read at points without having to use a lot of effort or exerting yourself to get what is going on.

[layzieyez]

Still reading 1Q84 and a bunch of graphic novels.

[Gnarfunkell]

Currently reading Demian by Hermann Hesse. It's a very relatable coming of age book that delves into the duality of our nature and the search for inner peace/self-awareness.

[Andrefosho]

I have been trying to read "Thinking fast and slow". Definitely not an easy read, and I'm struggling with chapters, but already the book has given good food for thought and ways to improve my professional and daily life.

[WantSomeSlaw]

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
It's a collection of short stories revolving around the common theme of Americanized Indians. Read it for school a while back, interesting read.

[oyolar]

I have been trying to read "Thinking fast and slow". Definitely not an easy read, and I'm struggling with chapters, but already the book has given good food for thought and ways to improve my professional and daily life.

Warning that it gets super tedious at times.  I definitely got the sense that he was splitting hairs when it wasn't necessary to bulk up the text.

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

I've been meaning to read Zadie Smith and it seems like White Teeth is the book I always see people mention when web she is brought up.  What you describe regarding the relationships of Muslims and other members of society is really interesting and it's definitely a stark reminder of how much societies and perceptions can drastically change in a relatively short period of time.  Let me know what you think when you finish it.

My reading has slowed down a little lately.  I've just felt like I've been forcing myself to read instead of just picking up a book. I tried to mix in some sociology work by Howie Becker, but could not get into it. I'm about 115 pages into Knausgaard's book 4 right now and feeling ok. I have the goal of finishing by the end of the month so hopefully will be able to knock it out. I like Knausgaard because even those his books are long and there is a lot beneath the surface, a lot of the actual text can be kind of surface level and mundane so it's easy to just get into a flow and read at points without having to use a lot of effort or exerting yourself to get what is going on.

Same here. I haven't read any of her other novels, but I gathered that White Teeth is both Smith at her best and the most logical starting point. I mean, it's the book that put her on the map in the first place. I'm really really liking it so far. It's funny, quirky but also very serious at times.

Again, we're in the same boat. Took me a month to finish that book about youth cultures during the 3rd reich. These kinds of periods come and go.

[PC500]

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I've been meaning to read Zadie Smith and it seems like White Teeth is the book I always see people mention when web she is brought up.  What you describe regarding the relationships of Muslims and other members of society is really interesting and it's definitely a stark reminder of how much societies and perceptions can drastically change in a relatively short period of time.  Let me know what you think when you finish it.

My reading has slowed down a little lately.  I've just felt like I've been forcing myself to read instead of just picking up a book. I tried to mix in some sociology work by Howie Becker, but could not get into it. I'm about 115 pages into Knausgaard's book 4 right now and feeling ok. I have the goal of finishing by the end of the month so hopefully will be able to knock it out. I like Knausgaard because even those his books are long and there is a lot beneath the surface, a lot of the actual text can be kind of surface level and mundane so it's easy to just get into a flow and read at points without having to use a lot of effort or exerting yourself to get what is going on.

[close]

Same here. I haven't read any of her other novels, but I gathered that White Teeth is both Smith at her best and the most logical starting point. I mean, it's the book that put her on the map in the first place. I'm really really liking it so far. It's funny, quirky but also very serious at times.

Again, we're in the same boat. Took me a month to finish that book about youth cultures during the 3rd reich. These kinds of periods come and go.

Zadie Smith is awesome, one of my favourite writers. I read The Autograph Man first up, but White Teeth is my favourite. On Beauty is excellent, as well as NW. Read them all. She is also smoking hot and I say this in the most respectful way possible.

I just finished Moby Dick. It was a slog in parts and took me probably 4 months to finish, but immediately slots into my top 10. Definitely worth the effort and surprisingly funny.

[7 year old]

anyone know of good sites where you can download books illegally like you would music/movies etc. ?
i dont really give a shit to buy a book from someone who has been dead 200 years.
my library is ok but it doesnt have a lot of stuff i would like to read.
cant find a lot of stuff at used book stores around here either.

[Alan]

Here for old books, and here for old and new books, academic and fiction and everything in-between.

[4LOM]

Title got my interest, but saw it was Marxist, so wouldn't laziness in capitalism just further alienation?

Like from our essence/species-being?

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

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Title got my interest, but saw it was Marxist, so wouldn't laziness in capitalism just further alienation?

Like from our essence/species-being?

There's different brands of Marxism, each one being a little different from Marx himself. As far as I know, Lafargue's Marxism is rather unorthodox and his main point is that capitalism and its striving for efficiency and exploitation took away our right to be lazy (or to relax if you will). To oversimplifiy things, alienation is a result of "dull work", not laziness. I've only read excerpts from Lafargue (years ago), but that's what I got from it.