So I think I finally "figured out" reading. As a 35-year-old, I've been influenced by myriad things in my life. One in particular is video games - to the point that I often will choose books and films that are video-game-esque. That is: science fiction, action-oriented, etc.
Here's the thing: I don't actually like them. I enjoy playing video games set in space and running around shooting things...and in those cases, the brief narrative interludes are interesting. But absorbing an entire novel's worth of material with a huge cast of characters engaging in lots of "plot" is not something I ultimately care about.
Imagine then, how discouraged I've become as I force myself to read the Three-Body Problem, Dune, The Dark Tower series (which I actually do kind of like, though I'm never motivated to keep reading the books), and even "classics" by Robert Heinlein (you can probably see I have a strong opinion that his work just isn't good, regardless of genre tastes).
Anywho:
What I crave in films and books are intimate, honest stories of the human experience! That, however, is harder to find than something with a genre name like "sci-fi" or "horror" or "romance."
I recently re-read Never Let me Go and fell in love with it all over again. Indeed, I like science-fiction and technology being part of a story, I just don't want it to be the point! Never Let Me Go does an excellent job of telling a story about humanity - through three central characters - with scientific morality as only a sub theme. And now I'm reading Stoner, and I'm similarly taken by the raw earnestness of our protagonist.
So two questions:
1. Have you ever experienced an "awakening" like this? In which you realized you've been "doing it wrong" with reading?
2. Any recommendations for books I might love after hearing my thoughts on Never Let Me Go and Stoner?
The advice I generally give people about reading is to simply read what you like. If a book or a genre doesn't interest you, then don't bother with it. If you like something, read more of it. Pretty simple. I can give good recommendations in fantasy and sci-fi and some historical fiction. That's pretty much all i've read for the past 40+ years.
Yeah. I had ideas about what I'd like, and usually tried out modern literature, either genre or classics, sort of bouncing between different hypes of recent literary history. I found some stuff I really liked, absolutely, but never really a strain of literature that was catnip to me, guaranteed success.
Then I started, a little randomly, checking out Victorian literature and first got excited by Dickens, before falling head over heels in love, pure passion, obsession, with the Brontë sisters, George Eliot, Fanny Burney, Austen. That was exhilarating - just blowing through big books, giddy with excitement. There was really no way for me to know I'd love this so much more than, say, De Lillo, but when I read, I knew.
Breezed through this myself last year, need to get to the follow-ups.
For me I loved how all the people she spoke to were so hyper-eloquent. It was like we got access to the fully formed ideas in their minds, their personalities as filtered through an analysis tool, not inhabited by the rough, imprecise articulation we usually speak in.
For me I loved how all the people she spoke to were so hyper-eloquent. It was like we got access to the fully formed ideas in their minds, their personalities as filtered through an analysis tool, not inhabited by the rough, imprecise articulation we usually speak in.
You said it better than I did. It's like the fully-formed ideas didn't have to come from Cusk's narrator expounding on what she was being told - she was simply recording what she was told. It's almost an odd device - everyone being so eloquent - but once you sense that is the central conceit, it works. It also really speaks to the fact that people are excellent at picking themselves apart in retrospect, but basically suck at doing so in the moment.
Hmm Rachel Cusk sounds kind of like my cup of tea - I like introspective and detailed writing even if there's not a lot of plot. I may check it out soon, since I just finished Cherry, my second book of the year already!
Also managed to get ahold of Tampa, through the intra library loan program, should be able to pick it up in a couple days. Gonna be a couple really bleak books in a row so hopefully I can deal with it lol.
I recently re-read Never Let me Go and fell in love with it all over again. Indeed, I like science-fiction and technology being part of a story, I just don't want it to be the point! Never Let Me Go does an excellent job of telling a story about humanity - through three central characters - with scientific morality as only a sub theme. And now I'm reading Stoner, and I'm similarly taken by the raw earnestness of our protagonist.
Haven't read the books you mentioned, but you may like Ben Lerner's 10:04, which I talked up a little earlier in the thread. It's a very personal novel, and goes a lot into the narrator's thoughts and past experiences, rather than having much of a plot. Also there are a couple long sections about art that some people may struggle with. But the writing is really fantastic and it's very funny - I'd definitely give it a try at least.
Currently reading Infernal Devices from the Mortal Engines Quartet. Really enjoying the series so far. It's not difficult reading, but it is an adventure :)
Hmm Rachel Cusk sounds kind of like my cup of tea - I like introspective and detailed writing even if there's not a lot of plot. I may check it out soon, since I just finished Cherry, my second book of the year already!
I think I might be turning around on The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (took a 2 week break, but currently half-way through). All of the Murakami books I've read tackle the same themes (young male isolation and identity) and use the same voice and are all in first-person, so sometimes it's hard to determine whether or not this is a chosen stylistic choice of his archetypal character or if the mundane, repetitive, and numb prose is the only way Murakami knows to write. It helps me to think Wind-Up is written as the former, stylistically from the main character's perspective when scenes and tones of other characters are described. He is a character who is numb to the world with no motivational-goals and who keeps up the self-assured facade that he is very smart/logical despite constant contradictions in behavior. For example, He'll say he's calm and collected and never gets mad, yet describe his out-bursts at his wife's father and brother.
Probably try to finish this up in the next week or so, I'd like to see what the resolution to the story becomes... I think that will be my true deciding factor of whether or not to drop Murakami totally.
During the two week break from Murakami, I started The Name of the Wind. It was a gift for christmas along with the second book, so I figured I give it a shot. I'm currently 60% of the way through it... it's fine... I don't think I'll continue with the series. Just kind of a typical wunderkind power-fantasy novel that is really going nowhere in terms of story. I don't understand why fantasy authors insist on 750+p novels when they could just use a good editor. My friend mentioned it was because of world building, but that's not really the case here.
I am finishing my re-reading on Andrzej Sapkowski's books about Geralt. I've already read 2 short-stories books and the 5-volume series. Currently, I am reading Sezon burz (Season of Storms), which was released after the saga and is set somewhere in the middle of the short-stories and saga.
This is a kind of stand-alone book (it's better to read it after finishing other books though about the witcher). Geralt is taken to the prison and accused of some crimes, he also loses his swords. It is a nice (not the best of Andrzej Sapkowski), quick read with a lot of witty dialogues, some insights in the way how witchers were made and the new characters like Coral (Lytta Neyd, she was also in the TV Show for like... 5 seconds?). Coral is a talented sorceress from Skellige Island and as we all know - Geralt has a thing for sorceresses so... I won't spoil it to you - it is good in general, but average for Sapkowski who can deliver better stories.
Zoe's Tale. Haven't started it yet, but I gather it's a retelling of the previous novel from a different perspective which doesn't sound exciting or like it will push the series. It was only 99p though so worth trying before moving onto the next book.
It is a very different take on events though so it almost reads like a completely different tale. It's worth reading especially for 99p. Where is available for that price, please? It's £4.99 on Amazon and Google for me. I did find a whole bunch of Scalzi books on Google for less than a quid so thanks for prompting me to check. I had a bunch of Google Rewards points burning a hole in my pocket so that did very nicely 🐱.
It is a very different take on events though so it almost reads like a completely different tale. It's worth reading especially for 99p. Where is available for that price, please? It's £4.99 on Amazon and Google for me. I did find a whole bunch of Scalzi books on Google for less than a quid so thanks for prompting me to check. I had a bunch of Google Rewards points burning a hole in my pocket so that did very nicely 🐱.
I thought that you might say that 🐱. No worries, I managed to pick up quite a few uber-cheap that I would have missed if not for your post so I did well out of it!
Wrapped up a couple books, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood being the first and A World Undone: The Story of the Great War by G.J. Meyer the other. I enjoyed both and finding that I'm starting to really like non-fiction more, especially when you're having a sick day. My next couple reads are A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne and Japanese Tales by Royall Tyler.
Recently I've started reading non-fiction books more as well - about science, societies, politic and history equally. I find it easier to get hooked in the facts than in fictional stories, which are easier for me to jump in via TV shows, movies and games. The rise in popularity of non-fiction is actually becoming a big trend for the publishing industry: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamro...y-more-non-fiction-than-fiction/#7e1ef55b56d0.
The Japanese Tales that you've started reading seems really interesting - especially that I know nothing about that topic.
Finished Ender's Game and in the end it was ok. I never really could imagine the world in my head. Ender being just a little kid never felt right with me. But there were parts that I liked towards the end, Command school parts and things after the war were good read. I'm gonna pick up the second book as well.
Before that I decided to re-read Babylon 5 Dark Genesis: The Birth of the Psi Corps. It's good entertainment if you like B5. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.
I also decided dive into fantasy. Never really got into the genre. I bought The First Law trilogy but haven't cracked it open yet. I also saw copy of The Colonel by Mahmoud Dowlatabad which I bought. I have read some of Dowlatabad's books and they have been really interesting and gives you insight into Iranian society.
A little bit choir preachy as I'm another filthy lefty, but there's some good stuff about critical thinking in there. Also just bought a bunch of kindle stuff for my upcoming holiday! Any ideas what to start first?
The Poppy War
The Border Keeper
The Hunger
South
Made Things
Zero Bomb
The Girl Who Could Move Shit With Her Mind
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
T Kingfisher (the adult pen name of Ursula Vernon) and Frances Hardinge (who writes for young adults,) are the closest authors I've found to Pratchett. Try Fly-By-Night and Swordheart.
Taking a break from Neuromancer because I'm not in the mood right now for this type of scifi, so I started The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson. It's a really short book so I will have it done in a day. It's pretty good so far. I'll return to Neuromancer after I get my fix of horror/mystery.
Edit: I'm enjoying Tade Thompson's writing style so I decided to pick up Rosewater as well, since it's on sale on Amazon for $4.99.
Recently I've started reading non-fiction books more as well - about science, societies, politic and history equally. I find it easier to get hooked in the facts than in fictional stories, which are easier for me to jump in via TV shows, movies and games. The rise in popularity of non-fiction is actually becoming a big trend for the publishing industry: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamro...y-more-non-fiction-than-fiction/#7e1ef55b56d0.
The Japanese Tales that you've started reading seems really interesting - especially that I know nothing about that topic.
Hey that's cool. It's amazing how people's taste in media changes like at one point it was all ereaders, and now physical books are hot, vinyl is back as a music medium, and one day malls will be back in style cuz people miss the community aspect...
Japanese Tales is a huge bunch of folk tales, stories of all genres like horror or tales of caution. Some of the stories are only a couple paragraphs long so they're quick to get through. I read another book of stories called Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling and truly loved it for the historical aspect, but also for how good the stories were. Some can get pretty weird but its cool to see what passed for entertainment back then.
After reading the Lightbringer series over Christmas and new year (with Sacrificial Grounds by Sara Clancey and Monster Hunter Guardian by Larry Correia sprinkled in between) I was compelled to get into another fantasy series Malazan was my decision.
Going back to the Lightbringer I really enjoyed the series, I got so into it it ended being one of the series I kept telling myself 'one more chapter before bed', soooo many late nights. I won't go into too much detail but I will spoiler the next bit because knowing it really would effect the impact of what goes down at the end of the last book
I am always a little sad when I'm on the final book of a series but one of the flashback chapters with Andross Guile seems to indicate that there are two separate prophecies about Kip and while the Lightbringer series is done there is a good chance of a return to the world.
Now for the Malazan series, it seems to be one of those that is a bit like Marmite, you love it or you hate and oh my I do. I love world building so I am currently in reading nirvana right now, I started on the 11th of Jan and now on book number 10 (read Archangel Rising by Evan Currie, Transcendence and Rebellion by Michael G. Manning, No Middle Name by Lee Child, Coffin Cemetery by Ron Ripley and Omega Force Rebellion by Joshua Dalzell as well but compared to the Malazan books they are almost short stories 😂)
I think I kind of get some of the complaints, I'm reading them in the authors suggested reading order from here Book order and the the first real 'Malazan' book is number seven and Gardens of the Moon is written in a way that you are dropped into the middle of the story with an already established plot and characters, things get fleshed out as the series goes on but I imagine it could be a little hard to get into if that is where you started.
If you haven't read the series, Forge of Darkness, Fall of Light, Dancers Lament, Deadhouse Landing and Night of Knives are required reading. With those read a lot of what could be confusing in book seven isn't and it's just a continuation of the story. While The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach probably isn't required I do recommend it, they do pop up in later books so there is some character history to learn but the main reason is they are kind of a palette cleanser, the writing style is lighter and I genuinely laughed out loud so many times
I'm even chuckling right now thinking about the sailor in the second book who loses multiple body parts and half of his foot chomped off
even though two of the main characters are necromancers.
I'm almost regretful I did start the series though, apparently a follow up to fall of night was put on hold and I think it probably have directly referenced a number of new characters who feature in Midnight Tides. My reading list basically sorted for the next 4-6 weeks, no doubt I have some pre ordered books that will appear on the kindle in that period but basically the next month is all Malazan.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the official Malazan re-read which I'm sure is quite the valuable resource. If I ever nut up and tackle it myself (I stopped at Memories of Ice waaaaay back in the day, and never read any of the 'offshoot' stuff, I intend on putting it to good use.
I think I kind of get some of the complaints, I'm reading them in the authors suggested reading order from here Book order and the the first real 'Malazan' book is number seven and Gardens of the Moon is written in a way that you are dropped into the middle of the story with an already established plot and characters, things get fleshed out as the series goes on but I imagine it could be a little hard to get into if that is where you started.
Thanks for the link. I've dropped Gardens of the Moon twice now, so maybe a fresh approach will actually get me into Malazan. Bookmarked for the time being, since I'm currently working on a different series.
Finished Heart of Darkness. Interesting book. I'm not really sure if Marlow liked or hated Kurtz on the end. Maybe what he admired was Kurtz 'sticking out to the man', even if, you know, that included becoming a violent megalomaniac.
Finished Dubliners, generally really enjoyed it. I think my favourite stories were Evelyn, The Dead, The Boarding House, and The Sisters. Definitely want to read more James Joyce but I don't know if I'll ever be able to get to Ulysses and then make it all the way through that book.
Now reading Monsieur Pain by Roberto Bolaño. I fucking loved Bolaño in my early 20s. Recently when I've read more of his stuff, it's been more of a struggle. However I read all his bigger works early on and then moved on to more obscure and posthumous stuff. 2666, The Savage Detectives, and Amulet are still my favourites.
Finished Dubliners, generally really enjoyed it. I think my favourite stories were Evelyn, The Dead, The Boarding House, and The Sisters. Definitely want to read more James Joyce but I don't know if I'll ever be able to get to Ulysses and then make it all the way through that book.
Now reading Monsieur Pain by Roberto Bolaño. I fucking loved Bolaño in my early 20s. Recently when I've read more of his stuff, it's been more of a struggle. However I read all his bigger works early on and then moved on to more obscure and posthumous stuff. 2666, The Savage Detectives, and Amulet are still my favourites.
If you can read 2666 then you can read Ulysees - and in my opinion you should. It's an immense book and even if certain sections are a slog, it is worth it. As is 2666!
T Kingfisher (the adult pen name of Ursula Vernon) and Frances Hardinge (who writes for young adults,) are the closest authors I've found to Pratchett. Try Fly-By-Night and Swordheart.
Last time I posted here I wasn't far into Sandman.
Well, I'm now halfway through Worlds' End, and what can I say? This is the greatest story I've experienced in years.
I read these through a hodgepodge of editions, like 5 different printings (one original paperback, two vastly different-looking hardcovers, a few of the recolor editions and a few of the 30th Anniversary editions) and that's really bothering me hahaha. I found a box set of the recolor TPBs somewhere and almost dropped a hundred bucks (Canadian) on it just to have a consistent set on my shelf. I think I'll try to collect the Absolutes of the main series instead, though... or I'll decide what to buy if I ever want to reread it. Because I want to buy a really gorgeous edition of this series to celebrate it, but I don't have that kind of budget or space lmao.
My favorite part so far is either A Season of Mists or Brief Lives. I'm not sure which I like more. Runner up is A Doll's House, probably. Short stories are great but they just don't have the visceral pull of a volume-long tale.
Its been Dune reread. I went through the first Dune through Children of Dune in January and about to finish God Emperor soon. Man, these books are amazing read thousands of pages in a month and it feels like a breeze.
Just finished Worlds' End... This was probably the best short story volume so far. Due to spoilers and such I think I know what this is leading up to... oh dear.
Charlene's rant at the end got to me, about how all the stories were boys' stories and they didn't reflect what her real life is like. And it was touching to see her stay, after that. Guess she preferred the stories that didn't include her to the life she was trapped in.
Also, while this is not true for text, this volume solidified more than anything the fact that I definitely won't read comics (not necessarily manga, but comics) digitally if I can fare otherwise. Looking at the funeral procession at the end and feeling drawn into that art... then realizing that the scale of the art just keeps going... Wow.
I finished Leviathan Wakes today and have started reading The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. I haven't really read many classics and Amazon has a lot of them for free, so I'm giving it a go.
It was a super enjoyable read the entire way through - even the material you'd expect to be kind of a drag, like Agassi establishing a first-class school for underprivileged kids, because you can clearly see the chain of events that lead to him making that decision (how he fondly remembers the teacher that praised his poems, the insecurity he feels being surrounded by and relying on extremely educated friends and colleagues, etc), and then the effects of that decision on his life (how he finds the inspiration to continue playing tennis (which he hates until the twilight years of his career, where he's passed thirty) and win to fund it), and so on.
Agassi is just an interesting guy in general too. His upbringing is all kinds of fucked, the relationships he cultivates with his brother, best friend, trainer/father figure, various coaches and romantic partners all have interesting dynamics to them, and he's unafraid of delving into the more sensitive aspects of his life (desperately clinging on to his hair, the public perception of him, his self-destructive streak, watching his then-girlfriend (and soon to be wife) Brooke Shields lick Joey's hand on the set of Friends, blah blah). It's just a surprisingly good book in general, and easily one of the better biographies I've read.
Continuing my way through some horror classics. This is a nice quick read. Reminded me of Dorian Gray with the theme of a perfect public persona and a corrupted hidden one. (And as with Dorian Gray there's the belief that your looks reflect your character which I'm glad isn't prevalent anymore)
But the Victorian morals stand a bit in the way of the story (at least from today's perspective), Mr Hyde seems more like a grumpy asshole than the primal evil he's supposed to be, since aside from killing one guy in a rage and running over a child we never see him do anything terrible. But hinting at some unnamed perversions was probably all an author could do at that time
Just finished the Murders of Molly Southborne by Tade Thompson. It was pretty good. Ultimately, it also was a concept that ended up being a little bit more interesting in theory than where the writer went with it.
I'm not sure if I'm going to get back into Neuromancer or start something else. I feel like I need to go in a different direction for a while. I also picked up Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice) and the Mysterious Affair at Styles (Agatha Christie).
I'm... somewhat disappointed. Did I rush too hard through the volumes?
It just feels like there was little rhyme or reason to what was happening while it felt like too many people were involved in too many things. I felt like I didn't remember enough from previous volumes of Sandman to make full sense of what was happening- Hippolyta, Corinthian and Larissa come to mind.
Also... I don't feel like Morpheus understood that taking Daniel from Lyta brought about his demise. I want to be sad about the ending -because it was touching in so many ways- but I just... don't feel much, because it feels like Morpheus never really figured out how to properly treat the women around him; he never really faced having consorted with mortal teenagers, or the fact that he did tear Daniel away from Lyta (was it even made clear why?). About the only non-explicit thing I understood, I think, is that the murder of Orpheus was used as a pretext by the kindly ones to invade The Dreaming, to exact revenge on him for taking Daniel. I don't understand why killing Orpheus a second time made him want to die.
I'll read the last volume sometime soon... In a day or two. I'll read Overture (bought the deluxe edition) some time after that.
Reading The Blade Itself and I'm not sure how to feel about it so far. 46% of the way through and it just seems a bit aimless.
I want to know more about the world and more about the characters though which is the mark of a great book.
I just feel a little detached from it is all. Like there is something more I should have come in knowing and don't. I'm not sure how much it detracts from my enjoyment. I feel like I am the last one in the room to ge the joke. Coming from Sanderson where I feel like everything is explained ad nausem to the point where I began to question what Brandon thinks of his audience to here not really getting much other than a few tidbits here and there. I'm sure it will come eventually. Maybe I'm just impatient. Maybe I'm not used to the style. Seeing place names and wanting to know more is hard!
Reading The Blade Itself and I'm not sure how to feel about it so far. 46% of the way through and it just seems a bit aimless.
I want to know more about the world and more about the characters though which is the mark of a great book.
I just feel a little detached from it is all. Like there is something more I should have come in knowing and don't. I'm not sure how much it detracts from my enjoyment. I feel like I am the last one in the room to ge the joke. Coming from Sanderson where I feel like everything is explained ad nausem to the point where I began to question what Brandon thinks of his audience to here not really getting much other than a few tidbits here and there. I'm sure it will come eventually. Maybe I'm just impatient. Maybe I'm not used to the style. Seeing place names and wanting to know more is hard!
Plot takes a back seat in those books. It's more about interesting characters from very different backgrounds clashing with eachother. The plot isn't bad, just not why you keep reading.
I am looking for shorter (~300 pages) novels that deal with mental illness for my bachelor thesis. It would be favourable if the main character has one but it's not necessary. It's important that the author doesn't have a mentall illness themself. I could just google but I thought that people here would recommend something that they have enjoyed reading. I would appreciate any tips.
Little update: Blew through The Wake, so now I've finished reading the main Sandman series. I have a deluxe edition of Overture but I won't get to it soon.
Overall, the series is the best story I've read in years. It's the first book I can say I'm passionate for since East of Eden and Dhalgren-- and I dropped the latter in the middle because of a 20-page long abuse scene, though I might get back to it now, as there's nothing else like it-- so it had been a while since something gripped me like this. Easily the best graphic novel I've ever read (including manga).
I'd want to have the Absolute editions or the Omnibus editions, because I want to celebrate the series on my shelf, but I can't justify the expense right now (if I could somehow rebuy the series in a nice format for <$100CAD, I would bite).
I don't know what I'll read next - I'll probably get through The Player of Games, which was getting quite interesting when I last checked on it. After that, I'll probably read Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind; I got a really nice box set for it through a deal recently and what I read of it was gorgeous.
