books to read

[tboian]

Definetely check Atomic Habits by James Clear.

[Madam, I'm Adam]

Will check both of those out, thanks to y’all. My city’s public library system has 47 copies of Atomic Habits and they’re either checked out, past due, or on reserve, none are available…must be good then.

[devils acrobat]

Not a book but I just read Who Goes Nazi by Dorothy Thompson (published in 1941) and I can highly recommend it. Timeless piece.

https://harpers.org/archive/1941/08/who-goes-nazi/

[MichaelJacksonsGhost]

A question for you book nerds:

Does anyone know of any short stories about the artist’s development to maturity? Basically, short künstlerromans. Something like Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist, but less than 40 pages. I have to make a mock syllabus for my grad school comp exams, and I’m choosing to focus on the artist as a young person for the theme. I’m pretty set on novels, but I have to include some short stories too, and I’m coming up blank.

Thanks in advance!

[PatrickSkateman]

A question for you book nerds:

Does anyone know of any short stories about the artist’s development to maturity? Basically, short künstlerromans. Something like Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist, but less than 40 pages. I have to make a mock syllabus for my grad school comp exams, and I’m choosing to focus on the artist as a young person for the theme. I’m pretty set on novels, but I have to include some short stories too, and I’m coming up blank.

Thanks in advance!

Margaret Atwood wrote a bunch. I’m sure she has at least one that follows in the tradition of Cat’s Eye.

[Alan]

From Google: Clandestine in Chile: The Adventures of Miguel Littín is a report, written by Gabriel García Márquez, about the Chilean filmmaker Miguel Littín’s clandestine visit to his home country after 12 years in exile. The book was written based on 18 hours of recorded interviews by García Márquez with Miguel Littin in 1986.

Just finished this last night. GGM will always be one of my favourite writers, but this just doesn't connect. It's reportage about an interesting event, which is right up his alley, but it falls short of being gripping. Also, Francisco Goldman kinda shits on it in his preface, which I found odd.

Having said that, it's a short read and if you're interested in South American history and/or politics this might be worth your while. It sort of makes clear a point about repressive regimes: you can live under one as a normal citizen going about your daily life, but it only takes one wrong step for you to experience the full force of that oppression.

But yeah, this book certainly makes me want to read something else by GGM to cleanse my palate, lol. I also looked up Goldman's own writing, and I've added his books to my mental list.

edit: Began reading this last night: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691168463/the-coming-of-the-french-revolution. It's old, and I'm not really familiar with the state of the scholarship on the French Revolution so I don't know how much of it has been disputed or whatever, but Lefebvre claims in his intro that it was written for a broader audience so I'll give it a go.

[oyolar]

Lefebvre is very well regarded so you're probably in good hands. If it's written to have broader audiences in mind, it's probably not exhaustive, but I'm sure it's not a bad book by any means.

[botefdunn]

A question for you book nerds:

Does anyone know of any short stories about the artist’s development to maturity? Basically, short künstlerromans. Something like Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist, but less than 40 pages. I have to make a mock syllabus for my grad school comp exams, and I’m choosing to focus on the artist as a young person for the theme. I’m pretty set on novels, but I have to include some short stories too, and I’m coming up blank.

Thanks in advance!

 

Knulp is a short story or maybe novella, cant remember, by Hermann Hesse. It's a warning not to fritter away life and wear out one's welcome travelling and being artsy. Of course, I've done pretty much that, but it's still a good read, and might fit your criteria.

[matty_c]

I’m reading question 7 by Richard Flanagan. He wrote the sound of one hand clapping.

It’s good as, bit abstract but good as.

Random House says this about it:

By way of H. G. Wells and Rebecca West's affair through 1930s nuclear physics to Flanagan's father working as a slave labourer near Hiroshima when the atom bomb is dropped, this genre-defying daisy chain of events reaches fission when Flanagan as a young man finds himself trapped in a rapid on a wild river not knowing if he is to live or to die. At once a love song to his island home and to his parents, this hypnotic melding of dream, history, place and memory is about how our lives so often arise out of the stories of others and the stories we invent about ourselves.

You can still snag the first edition if you’re into shit like that.

 

[Candied cigarettes]

I read Heart of Darkness recently and thought it was pretty interesting. Definitely on the re-read list, i don’t think i fully absorbed it. The Secret Agent was in the same book but i gave up 60 pages in. I just wasn’t enjoying it.

Rn I’m reading this book called Talk Talk by one of my favorite authors TC Boyle. There’s not much deeper meaning in a lot of his books, but they’re all just really good stories that draw you in really quickly.

[Candied cigarettes]

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I re read White Noise by Don Delillo a little while back and really loved it. Definitely gonna pick up another book by him next time I go to the bookstore

[close]

Just finished re-reading white noise last week. It was better than I had remembered. The only other book of his I’ve read is Libra. Also quite good. If you grab something else do post in here.

Coming back to this thread after a while. I ended up reading The Silence, his most recent book. It was interesting. Really short, i burned through it in 2 days. Basically about individuals private thoughts during a technology blackout where all internet, communications, etc are down. Not like White Noise at all but entertaining nonetheless

[Alan]

"Perišić (No-Signal Area) draws on mythology and history in this immersive if arcane tale about the founding of a Greek settlement on the Illyrian island of Issa (the present day Croatian island of Vis). Narrative threads alternate between the omniscient moral philosophizing of Scatterwind, a genderless, 2,500-year-old wind spirit, and the maturation and travels of Kalia, an enslaved boy in fourth-century B.C.E. Syracuse."
https://www.publishersweekly.com/9789533513997

This was a great read. A contemplative, eco-historical novel that seems meandering on the surface but never completely loses focus. Very Mediterranean, imho.

[GnarAlarm]

Ohhh I've never seen this thread. Definitely going to come back and comb through it when I get the time.

I very, very seldom read a book twice. Reading is so much more of an undertaking than movies and other media, if I'm taking the time to read 300+ pages I want to do something new.
Having said that, I just read this book for the second time. I dunno if I'd say it's my favorite book of all time, but it's probably the only one I've read twice, so that's gotta count for something...



“An extraordinary real picture of human beings numbed by catastrophe but still driven by the unconquerable determination of living creatures to keep on being alive.” — The New Yorker The classic apocalyptic novel by Pat Frank, first published in 1959 at the height of the Cold War, with an introduction by award-winning science fiction writer and scientist David Brin. “Alas, Babylon.” Those fateful words heralded the end. When the unthinkable nightmare of nuclear holocaust ravaged the United States, it was instant death for tens of millions of people; for survivors, it was a nightmare of hunger, sickness, and brutality. Overnight, a thousand years of civilization were stripped away. But for one small Florida town, miraculously spared against all the odds, the struggle was only just beginning, as the isolated survivors—men and women of all ages and races—found the courage to come together and confront the harrowing darkness.

[Madam, I'm Adam]

I've been reading more, it feels good. I went years barely reading any books, it's ridiculous in retrospect.

Recently finished Bonfire of the Vanities. I was impressed with Thomas Wolfe's skill, it's the first book of his I've ever read. I'm honestly not too enthused by his oeuvre, a lot of what he writes about doesn't jive with me, but this book was worth my time.

Also finished Atomic Habits. Solid information throughout; occasionally I noticed advice that I figured out on my own and implemented into my daily routine, but it still has a wealth of helpful anecdotes and strategies for good/bad habits.

As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner. This was difficult to get through, to say the least. The sentence structure, the dialects and slang...very hard for me. Also my introduction to Faulkner. But I would still recommend it; it's genuine and I enjoyed the interplay of different narrators throughout.

I tried to read Vonnegut's Hocus Pocus after years of reading snippets of his work from other books here and there, and hearing his praises being sung forever, but it didn't really work for me. Just felt repetitive and not as funny as I was hoping.

Currently reading short stories of Elmore Leonard. I had Out of Sight years ago and couldn't get into it, but the short stories are clicking so far. I never thought I'd appreciate his type of genre, but I'm finding that I can appreciate it for what it is.

[sharkjumper]

I tried to read Vonnegut's Hocus Pocus after years of reading snippets of his work from other books here and there, and hearing his praises being sung forever, but it didn't really work for me. Just felt repetitive and not as funny as I was hoping.

Hocus pocus is pretty low of the list of Vonnegut books I’d recommend. I think Cat’s Cradle is a good starting point. Or Slaughterhouse Five. I’m a fan, but I don’t like all his books.

[oyolar]

Yeah, Hocus Pocus is definitely not Vonnegut's best. But he does like to repeat stuff in an intentional way.

[sharkjumper]

Reservation Blues is a really, really strong read. See a lot of early Alexie in Tommy Orange.

Tommy Orange is great. I’m now adding Reservation Blues to my list.

[PatrickSkateman]

10,000 Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

[sharkjumper]

10,000 Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Blue Highways is an all time favorite.

[PatrickSkateman]

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10,000 Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

[close]

Blue Highways is an all time favorite.

I liked it much better than Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Love the road trip genre overall.

[sharkjumper]

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Reservation Blues is a really, really strong read. See a lot of early Alexie in Tommy Orange.

[close]

Tommy Orange is great. I’m now adding Reservation Blues to my list.

[close]

To be clear, Reservation Blues is Alexie, not Tommy Orange. Different than Orange, and a wonderful book.

I was picking up what you were putting down.

[mindfuzz]

About halfway through Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim, enjoying it so far. Much shorter than other epic fantasy books, but that's fine as long as it ends up completed unlike some other series I've been waiting to be finished.

[GardenSkater77]

Not read, although you could. But just listened to Iron John and thought it was pretty unique. It’s a retelling of a myth with some critical analysis and philosophy about whether modern society allows boys to become men. But it’s not a self help book. It’s more of an allegory and the language is poetic. I’ll leave the first section which will link to the other 3 for anyone who might be interested.

https://youtu.be/NPjyrpO2JKo?si=KrV-54q7kXNNqdkS

[GardenSkater77]

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Not read, although you could. But just listened to Iron John and thought it was pretty unique. It’s a retelling of a myth with some critical analysis and philosophy about whether modern society allows boys to become men. But it’s not a self help book. It’s more of an allegory and the language is poetic. I’ll leave the first section which will link to the other 3 for anyone who might be interested.

https://youtu.be/NPjyrpO2JKo?si=KrV-54q7kXNNqdkS

[close]

I read Iron John in 2018. The therapist i was working with was an old ass hippy who had been a VA psychotherapist during Vietnam and ran men’s groups starting in the 80s. He recommended Iron John while I was navigating a lot of survivors guilt as more of my friends from home were dying and I was starting to really level and figure out a new life. There were some really cool aspects to the book. It, or the work of Bly, have at times been co opted by the “men’s rights” folks, which presents challenges in talking about the bool/content in a contemporary context.

Regardless, it was helpful for my soul/being in gaining some understanding of myself, my pop, and a lot of other cats who grew up in similar scenes

I could see the book being coopted to sell a system (Ayahuasca retreat anyone?), but it seems to me that at it’s core the book is about self reliance and taking responsibility for your own happiness. I love the metaphor about loosing the golden ball at age 8 and trying to get it back the rest of your life. I don’t think I have the guts to ask Iron John for my ball, but at least I know he’s the one who has it. My own son is age 12. Maybe I can help him find his golden ball.

[GauchoAmigo]

If anyone is interested in reading about the history of New York's music and underground club scenes from the 70's-early 80's I highly recommend the books Love Saves the Day and Life and Death on the New York dancefloor, covering the disco and new wave movements. They are incredibly well researched and fun reads for music and NYC history nerds alike.

https://www.timlawrence.info/books

[GaryDahLegend]

dave cullen's book on columbine is pretty amazing. just the amount of info from every angle and point in time he was able to stuff into it while making it digestible and even enjoyable to read. given, i was a kid when it happened and remember how the vibe just completely changed at school forever. feels like having closure on something you never really understood or even knew the truth about so your imagination had to fill in all the spaces.

[JM]

Anyone read this? I just started… kind of excited.

Ian Bordain
Skateboarding, Space and the City: Architecture and the Body

[easymoneysniper]

speed read The Pearl by Steinbeck in order to hit my book goal for the year. shit was tight! very exciting & took many unexpected turns. would love a movie adaptation or some shit. Safdie bros directed

[Carrolls Chesthairs]

If you play RDR 2 or have a thing for history, it might be your thing.
I'm enjoying it so far and learning a bit.

[oyolar]

Anyone read this? I just started… kind of excited.

Ian Bordain
Skateboarding, Space and the City: Architecture and the Body

Yeah, I read parts of it for my senior thesis in college. It wasn't helpful for my needs, but I really enjoyed the sections I did read.