/lit/ - Literature

>>14779124
Damn. She’s just rolling her eyes at that book right now.

I am reading News From Nowhere, and enjoying it. It’s a little simple dystopian, but nice and lovely old English prose. I should read a little Pater for comparison I think.

Currently reading “The Baron’s Cloak” by Willard Sunderland.
I am enjoying it so far. Sunderland’s ability to describe places throughout Europe and Russia is particularly impressive. It helps that he has travelled to these places as it really makes them come alive. As an historian he is very accurate and impartial. The character of Baron Ungern Sternberg himself is such an enigma that the more I learn about him the more I come to appreciate his unique and uncompromising life. His battle against the Bolshevik scum was righteous and just. This period in history is quite astonishing, especially when looked at through Ungern’s eyes.

>>14779140
Looks /comfy/ my dude

currently doing the war and peace meme, mostly because my gf lent me her copy a while ago. desu it's pretty good, some parts are great but its such a fucking slog and i keep fantasizing about finishing it and moving on to other things i'm more excited about. I just don't want this book to conquer me.

>tfw 137/1125 :(

>>14779140
"Defence of Guenevere" is also quite something

>>14779124
>What are you currently reading?
>How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence
Nimble title, isn't it? It's captivating and serious enough but even though the book constantly tries to deal with its own bias it still feels like the author is preaching his gospel, and for that experience I'd much rather reread The Doors of Perception. As of yet (I'm about 150 pages in) it also fails to convincingly address the topic of spirituality. But I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the topic.

A Scanner Darkly. I think this is PKD's best prose so far of what I've read from him. Over the last two or three weeks I read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, The Man in the High Castle, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and Ubik

>>14779124
Pilgrim's Progress. Bit tough reading the early modern English, but I'm enjoying it. I've heard Kafka's The Castle described as an inversion or a modernist version of Pilgrim's Progress so it's interesting reflecting on that book which I've already read as I read this one. It's more like Dante than I had expected.
One of my favorite sections so far, a prayer given to Christian by Hope.
>I told him that I knew not what to say when I came. And he bid me say to this effect: God be merciful to me a sinner, and make me to know and believe in Jesus Christ; for I see, that if his righteousness had not been, or I have not faith in that righteousness, I am utterly cast away. Lord, I have heard that thou art a merciful God, and hast ordained that thy Son Jesus Christ should be the Saviour of the world; and moreover, that thou art willing to bestow him upon such a poor sinner as I am, (and I am a sinner indeed); Lord, take therefore this opportunity and magnify thy grace in the salvation of my soul, through thy Son Jesus Christ.

>>14779186
>A Scanner Darkly
Dick is weirdly obsessed with nipples for some reason. Anyway, other than the prose which book have been your favourite?

>>14779225
My boy Keanu played in that? I'm going to watch it tomorrow.

>thirst for love by yukio mishima

Not too far but its been a comfy read so far. I enjoy the main character a lot: Etsuko, a widower suffering from listlessness and longing for love. She has a really negative personality and even monologues about how she hates the sound of children laughing at one point. Story is about her living in a huge house with her in-laws following the death of her husband. I like the structure of the book so far, which seems to be jumping between Etsuko's daily life (which is described in great details) and the history of side characters. First Mishima book I'm reading and only choose this one because I ended up passing it at a store.

>>14779225
So far, Man in the High Castle. There is something very special about that book. I don't get the hate for it on this board.

>>14779156
>Only 137 pages in
Ouch

>>14779182
Doors of Perception is excellent. Really helped me after a very bad trip on LSD. Helped me to come to terms with what I had experienced, especially relevant after my ego melted away.

>>14779156
Imagine having your gf giving you russian lit. Based to say the least.

I'm currently reading Moby Dick. I feel the book is longwinded but as I progress through the story I've begun to appreciate the constant side-tangents. I might read Dubliners next.

>>14779272
>I'm currently reading Moby Dick
>might read Dubliners next.
When was the last time you read for your own enjoyment and not for pseud cred?

Business Law and Practice 2019/20 (Allinson, Hancock, Kempton et al).

Pretty good so far. Nice, clear writing style.

i haven't had time to read anything of much substance lately but i've been reading a Zen Bridge: The Zen Teachings of Keido Fukushima on my commute, it's okay, quite humorous at times though i did notice that it uses She as the default third person pronoun throughout the book, i don't know if it's like that in the original or what the deal is with pronouns in Japanese, anyway pic is translator

I got Steiner out to keep my brain sharp and then he went and died on me. What a mind he had.

Sillabari is terrific! I got it to brush
up on my Italian and ended up dropping everything else for it. Just some short stories, some of them very short , and an exercise in restrained lyricism.

Cunningham I got for the Latin translations but he's worthwhile in his own right. Fun fact: he's the inspiration for Stoner

>>14779248
>Doors of Perception is excellent
It really is. Beautifully written and filled to the brim with interesting thoughts. The almost sober tone of the book really highlights the difference between psychedelics and other forms of intoxication.

I have yet to try any psychedelics myself, and even though I'm intrigued I'm in no hurry. In regards to How to Change Your Mind: bla bla bla, have LSD changed your spirituality in any way? The book make it sound like almost all users develop some kind of belief in the divinity of nature, lacking a better word.

>>14779326
Yes, love when he’s describing his corduroy pants and the cavernous nature of a plant.

I did a heavy dose of LSD after smoking weed all day and drinking heavily in the afternoon. Terrible combination really. I had some extremely dark experiences. I felt I had lived many lives previously and some spooky golden coloured anthropomorphic angelic beings watched over me while I was writhing naked in my bed with my gf at the time. Ended up seeing what appeared to be like the matrix pod scene.
I also had a vivid recollection of a past life where I had been buried alive in a mass grave (probably during WW2, maybe Stalingrad?)
Anyway I had always been an edgy nihilist atheist person but then after the terror trip I was a husk of a being, felt completely wrecked and depressed. Went on anti-depressants and all that jazz. Saw a psychotherapist who recommended I look into Buddhism and now I’m a deeply religious person doing yoga + meditation daily and have never felt better in my life.
So yes I would say that psychedelics can open up doorways toward spirituality.

>>14779276
I've been reading a lot of classics lately for the same reason people "start with the greeks"; I want to get a firm grasp on the western canon. Why do you link these books with pseuds?

>>14779124
Halfway through 'The obscene bird of night' by José Donoso. Really liking it so far, just got to end of part 2 (out of 3, I assume), and the monster baby - 'Boy' - has been born. Can't wait to find out more about him and what he's like. Definitely one of the wierdest and most disturbing books I've ever read, but damn good and so is the prose.

RAW - Prometheus rising. Like it quite a bit
Litti/häkkinen - valonkantajat (finnish occult book) it's good as well

Crime and Punishment. It's 4am so I just spent 3 hours past my bedtime reading, just finished part 4 of 6.

>>14779326
Stop right now. These drugs permanently rewire your brain and can do you a lot of damage. Don't listen to these retards who glorify it. I've been in your position before. Please don't do it anon.

>>14779276
i get a lot of enjoyment from trying to decipher experimental modernist/post-modernist fiction, even though I know I don't have the required knowledge to fully understand all of it. Does that still make me a pseud?

>>14779481
Sorry but I've become quite desensitized to advice regarding the extreme dangers of various drugs during the years. Unfortunately I don't seem to be the kind of person who can reach a state of trance without artificial aid. And I am interested in experiencing it.

>>14779124
that is a pretty fucking cosy looking kitty cat

Fun read, a life focused on revenge. Wonder why Bester didn't write more?

>>14779124
Buddenbrooks. It's surprisingly gripping I have to be honest, it lacks Mann's characteristic intermittent pontificating on the nature of [phenomenon related to what the character is currently experiencing] that became a staple component from The Magic Mountain and onwards, and as a result it is quite the page-turner since he has (it seems to be) always been such a master of storytelling. I'm only 250 pages in but I think I might end up ranking this as my second favorite major work of Mann's if the tremendous drama and pacing keeps up as it has been.

>>14779124
tiddies

>>14779124
Im reading Mason & Dixon. It's my first Pynchon and I'm glad he has a lot more after it because it rules. The last thing I read was The Sound and the Fury and that was a struggle whereas this is a joyride.

>>14779225
I felt the same way about ASD. My favorite is Ubik.

>>14779481
It's literally different for everyone though, I knew a couple of people that fell far into the deep end but I did quite lot of acid and similar badly sourced RCs when I was like 16-18 and it didn't really have any long term effects
It was the booze that fucked me up but that's another story

The Master and Margarita. I’m 30% in and enjoying it. Haven’t been introduced to the Master or Margarita get.

Spinoza's Ethics & The Idiot. I've yet to be drawn in by Dusty but Spinoza is a delight.

>>14779140
Based. The book he's responding to, Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward, is worth reading to understand the ideological squabble.

>>14779276
Dubliners is great though. It’s not his fault pseuds love it

>>14779124
About 2/3 of the way through. I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but damn if I'm not impressed. This shit puts /trash/ to shame. Putrid, vile, monstrous, beautiful.

Very interesting and exciting, would recommend.
I have gotten a couple of boners from it also lol

>>14779124
Just read Mickey Spillane's "I, The Jury" and I'm going to read "My Gun is Quick" next. They're not the greatest, but they're fun in a trashy sort of way, I guess. Spent a few hours reading from the Philokalia yesterday. Either going to start "Revolutionary Road" soon or reread "Red Cavalry."

>>14782315
fag