/lit/ - Literature

Reading pic related. Saw it on a 21st century /lit/ chart and it seemed interesting.

It's the best book I read so far this year. It requires you to pay strict attention and I'm pretty sure some of it went over my head, but it's the best book I read about art, its creation and the effect it has on humans.

It's written in an interesting style with almost no periods but lots of commas and interjecting sentence fragments. Most chapters are just half a dozen multiple page long sentences. I'm reading it in Hungarian so I have no idea how well it translates to English, so I'd say check a sample of it before buying the book if you are interested.

I'm reading.... YOUR MOM! LOL! OWNED!

Birth of Tragedy by Nietzsche. It’s pretty interesting,I didn’t know Socrates was such a world revolution. N writes very well, even when translated to english, it feels very personal. But I am more excited to read his better known works.

50 pages into The Recognitions.
I am already really enjoying how well crafted this is. Aunt May...what an incredibly written character. I felt a profound sadness for her. Closed-minded misery is no way to live. Really shows how *not* to be a devout Christian.

300 pages into Journey to the End of The Night.

Bardmau is a bit of an edgy retard, he has the potential to be a good person but he prevents himself from being truly good because he somehow got poisoned by nihilism in his youth and never considered another worldview. The beauty in the prose is what makes the book for me, those little moments where the author goes a bit beyond the whole 'bro the world is just suffering' routine. What I like about the book really is how honest it is, it's humor, it's odd tonal shifts from cold indifference to vivid expressionist imagery. It's very evocative but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who's prone to depression or is excessively impressionable. Highly recommended for adults, absolutely keep this book away from teenagers though.

The Fountainhead. 150 pages in. Im enjoying, definitely re affirming my own personal philosophies. Hopefully it doesn't get repetitive.

>>18217520
>re affirming my own personal philosophies

>>18217520

I am reading The Gambler by Dostoevsky. It is my first novel of his. I am enjoying it and finding it very funny. I am ten chapters in and I don't find that Alexei is very crazy about gambling, he seems more crazy about that sweet Polina puss puss. I may not be gleaning any deep notions about man and his relationship with god and temptation but I don't think this book is about that. It seems to be more about having a laugh at some horrible people, and I do enjoy that.

Just finished this. Was surprised to learn how many disagreements there are on the origin of indians, among other things. The author is good at presenting different theories, but gets a little too excited by some. Learning about how indians burned forests and cultivated crops was probably the most interesting part and it definitely changed the image I had of them

Master and Margarita is really slow going for me

>>18218139
Anglo-Saxons are the true Native Americans

Triumph of Christianity by Rodney Stark
Very interesting book, especially in the early history of the church
He even convinced me away from my total catastrophism in regards to the fall of Rome
While the archaeological evidence that pottery quality fell back one thousand years, animal sizes shrunk, tiled housing wouldn't really return until over a millennium later and the early medieval kings couldn't conceive of grain as an economic good are still true. He makes interesting arguements from economy, technology and getting rid of that most retarded of institutions, slavery.
While he's very biased in favour of Christianity (there's an entire chapter on why the crusades were based. It's not entirely worthless though since he dispels all the moronic economic theories for the crusades and the history of Muslim historiography of the crusades is very surprising, they didn't seem to give much of a shit at all until one of the last ottoman sultans saw it as a good way to justify why his empire was going to the dogs), he also rigourously sources everything he has to say
Also, his constant shots at social "scientists" are very satisfying
Psychoanalysts thought the martyrs were actually all masochists looking for the most exquisite forms of torture

im reading Anna Karenina. at the part where levin, oblosnky, and verslovsky are shooting in the marsh. good book lmao

>>18218182
Cool this is going on the list

>>18217370
History of the Early Church. Just started. Interesting. Some facts I didn't know about Roman paganism in society.

400 pages to tell me to invest in a passive index fund that matches the overall market. I just wanted to have some background before I start reading more in depth or actually doing anything fun with my money.

Under the Dome by King of /lit/

Amazing book, unmatched in its genre

I'm reading The Brothers Karamazov. It's really good so far, just finished the Grand Inquisitor chapter. It does get pretty rambly but it's worth it. Really enjoying it

>>18217370
I'm reading A Farewell To Arms. The prose takes a little getting used to, but it's very interesting to see what Hemingway does with such a limited framework. The terse style works well in narration but I feel it can fall apart a bit in dialogue - the conversations can feel stilted at times. While so far it hasn't necessarily had much to say, the descriptive passages are beautiful. It's good.

>>18218246
ETFs, non-leveraged or 3x if you want to get risky, is better betting.

>>18218302
Check out his short stories. His style suits them better. Hemingway is one of my favorite writers but I admit his novels have their flaws. They also all have some sublime parts so they are still worth it. His short stories are where it’s at and are the cream of the crop

>>18217370
The Hunger Games.
Used to be obsessed with the trilogy as a child(read each book at least 7 times), and while the language used is obviously for teenagers, it's still a good story. I appreciate how Collins didn't make it into a harem with a good/predictable ending where everyone is happy, and the more you think about certain aspects of it the better it gets. Love how she handled it.

>>18218260
yes with a shit ending, like every book he has always written

>>18218268
I finished the book yesterday. It was certainly a good read, but man, the final ~1/3rd of the book was pretty boring. It was the first piece of fiction I have read in years so I don't have much to compare it to (I usually read technical journals for work and philosophy in my spare time bc I'm a midwit), but it felt like a light version of a philosophy book. It presented interesting topics in an easy to understand way that wasn't too heavy handed with shoving a view down your throat. The Grand Inquisitor chapter is a good example of this. My favorite thing about the book is that it still feels relevant. There's a part where someone says "if Jesus were alive today he'd be a (socialist) revolutionary"...I hear people say this shit all the time lol.

Any recommendations on books similar to the Brothers Karamazov that are similar in scope but less repetitive?

>>18217370
If I had read "Winesburg, Ohio" earlier, I probably wouldn't have written the last short story that I did. I'm really enjoying it, but it makes me feel a little less fond of the story I wrote, since it feels like a poor imitation of Anderson.

>>18218139
Pretty good read. Much better than the comparable book "native people's history of the US" or whatever by Dunnbar-Ortiz or whatever that pseud's name is.

>>18217370
I'm reading Dracula. I like how the narrative is told through various diary entries and letters. Very comfy

>>18217370
Njal's Saga, my second read about ten years after I first read it. Forgot what a fucking idiot Gunnar is.

>>18218377
It’s a shame that Winesburg, Ohio is slowly being forgotten. A couple years ago I picked it up on a whim when I saw a Norton Critical Edition of it. It was definitely worth it. Too many early 20th century works are fading from public consciousness that shouldn’t

>>18218183
I love the part where Levin works with the peasants. Sovl. I also love Oblonsky even though he’s a piece of shit.

>>18217370
Reading Bolano's Salvage Detectives and if Borges is the king of short stories then when it comes to writing long books no one comparable Bolano. His books are made of tiny precious pieces that in themselves are already beautiful enough, but when put together create something incredibly intricate that encompass melancholy, humor, erudition and always alludes to something that escape the eyes and can't be quite put into words, something that is at the same time preternatural and ordinary.

just started alien heat by moorcock, only about 20 pages in. really weird the guy is getting it on with his mom. the entire setting is very unique to me, I'm really diggin it.

>>18218260
The Chef saved this book. The ending is, for sure, a typical King, "How the fuck I end this thing? "

The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. This is the first non fiction book I've ever read so all the information makes my brain secrete dopamine which makes me feel good. I learned Neitzsche used a typewriter later on in his life because he couldn't write without overwhelming nausea. And he fell off a horse once kek. Also that the brain is apparently so plastic you can learn any skill at any age if you try. That repetition will eventually work, for everyone, regardless of how smart you are. That the brain's physical shape changes as it receives new info and does new things. That in the 1960s, torturing animals was perfectly ethical, hence, all those experiments. That Freud was actually quite intelligent. That being on 4chan will literally change my brain shape. That it's impossible to not be influenced by fiction or art. That the more easily you're inspired by art, the more plastic your brain is, thus the easier you can learn a new skill.

Reading this, it's sorta like self-improvement but it isn't entirely bullshit, at least not if you believe in the power of creative imagination.

Basically no matter how good you have it, if your own self-image is that of a fucking loser, you'll be a loser. This guy was a plastic surgeon and apparently treated hundreds of patients, coming to the realization that sometimes there was nothing wrong with people other than their own self-image.

Goes well with the kind of stuff Jodorowsky talks about, it might be possible to come with some truly scientific application for this, at least for personality changes

Half way though Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Can't believe this was written at the same time Dickens was rambling on in Victorian prose. Allegedly the first English language Deyective story. Nice and flowey.

I’m reading Call of the Cherokee. It’s the most fun I’ve had reading a book in years.

>>18217370
Diary of a Drug fiend by Aleister Crowley.
suprisingly a very good writer. He has some how portrayed the highs and the lows of the drug experience in words. Don't know any other literature that has done that without sounding like someone off reddit describing their "trip report" of the first time they smoked marijuanna.
Aleister Crowley is definitely underrated in terms of his prose and poetry. Although I found the magick stuff a bit weird in the book, still a fun read so far. Makes me wish I could write as well as he could. Very descriptive imagery and vivid symbolism.

>>18218444
I guess it's there for anyone that wants it. Makes me think of James Whitcomb Riley, too. I work in his hometown and I don't think anyone reads him anywhere outside of the festival they have there any more.

>>18218407
What part stuck out to you the most? The stuff about Amazonia confused me, I found it almost too far-fetched to be true

>>18217370
I'm reading Utopia. Someone tell me what the fuck this word means.

>>18218464
Comfiest segment ever written

>>18217370
I'm about 200 pages into the Republic and it's fucking godawful. I went in thinking it was going to be a great work of political philosophy but, jesus, it's a load of dogshit. Plato's idea of a utopia is completely dystopian in my eyes. That's not the reason I find it bad though. I can't stand the dialogue format of the prose and I sure can't stand the strawman arguments and the way arguments are presented in general. I guess I haven't reached the part of the book that's earned it some esteem, but I don't think it can redeem itself by this point. I started reading Stoner last night too because I couldn't stand to bear through the Republic any longer. I'm only on the second chapter of Stoner and it's pretty decent. Although, I can't tell if I like it because it's genuinely a good book or if it comes from my romanticization of academia.

>>18217555
Alexei is a simp

The New Oxford Annotated Bible
It is excellent and everyone who remotely wants to claim they understand the bible should read it. This book gives me so much joy.

>>18217370
Right now I'm reading Robert Alter's translation of the Pentateuch, currently at the giving of the Law in Exodus. I've found the translation pleasant to read, it flows well and is a lot more engaging than other modern translations I've read such as the NRSV. I really like that he doesn't gloss references to more archaic aspects of Israelite religion, such as the local cultic practices, or the names of God that appear apart from the Tetragrammaton such as El Elyon, Shaddai; makes it feel more tied into the Canaanite and broader ANE context the Bible was written in. The commentary is excellent, he has extensive notes on his translation choices and references relevant scholarship, archaeology, ANE literary conventions and texts, occasionally citing Rabbinic commentators when he thinks they're relevant. So far it has been worth picking up his Hebrew Bible, highly recommend.

>>18217370
Just finished The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea. I enjoyed it, but I don't buy Mishima's ideology. The children felt just like that, children. I'm unsure if I was supposed to sympathize with them (I didn't) because they seem to directly espouse the ideals I associate with Mishima after seeing him memed here so much. I loved Ryuji though, especially in the second half.

The Count of Monte Cristo. I’m about 300 pages in, it’s incredibly comfy

Infinite Jest

Why am I reading this? It's mildly amusing, but mostly feels artificial and ironic.

War and Peace.
Almost finishing. Very lukewarm ending, lots of characters are left out and it seemed kinda rushed. Tolstoy really deslike historicians. But overall great book.

>>18217370
I'm in the middle of Parmenides right now. Honestly, kind of hard to follow, I'm getting the gist, but I don't like how round about the language goes. I almost feel like I need a chart or some kind of visualization to really understand.

I had to stop so I started The Divine Comedy. It seems like it will be fun, if maybe a bit too flowery (and simpy).

>>18218969
The dialogues are the hardest parts for people to get over with Plato. Just realize that most of his work was supposed to be expressed orally or played out as pseudo theater.

Also realize that the strawman's and questions and breaking down are all part of his overall belief that the soul was immortal and knew truth even if it had to be coaxed out. There are some truly great nuggets within the dialogues, but sometimes it is just a horribly annoying slog.

>>18218302
I used to like Hemingway when I was young like everyone else but really his novels kind of blow. His short stories are much better than his novels but I feel I’ve matured from Hemingway. I recently reread the old man and the sea and found it quite bad.

>>18218969
Just tried to read the republic after enjoying gorgias and apology. I felt as though I was wasting my time with it so I skipped to the allegory of the cave and some stuff about the forms and then put it down. Don’t regret my decision

I'm about half way through Burning Chrome. I've read the Sprawl trilogy and liked it a lot, so here I am. Gibson's short stories feel a lot more fantastical than the Sprawl series, but it's interesting to see how his magical thinking developed. I understand the writing a lot more of Neuromancer now and especially Mona Lisa Overdrive. 'The Belonging Kind' is especially interesting because of how bizarre it is. Overall it's my least favourite of the books I've read from him but I'm enjoying it in more of an inquisitive way since I'd like to learn more about what led him to write Neuromancer.

I'm, also reading The Strange Death of Europe. Yeah, it's pretty depressing. Nothing I didn't already know but it's providing me with a fuller understanding of the situation. I think Europe is utterly done for.

Also re-reading Pride and Prejudice. After having read a lot of Sci-Fi recently, Pride and Prejudice feels so easy to read. It's very enjoyable, I forgot how funny this book is.

>>18219174
My favorite adventure story ever

>>18217370
Makes a case for democracy, and, how and why so many ideologies and systems of philosophy make metaphysical claims against it. I have a few arguments against his arguments, but so far so good.
>>18218969
Read picrel as an antidote.

>>18217370
clockwork orange

why are you like this amerimutt, doing such bad things to a language you don't even respect in the first place already

Really good. I’ll read the others in the series as well

I'm reading Lattimore's translation of the Iliad. My thoughts are that I'm struggling. Every time I feel like I've gotten ahold of the rhythm something pops up that seems to completely break it. I'm not blaming this on Lattimore as much as I'm realizing how bad I am at reading poetry. Naturally, this makes for really slow reading. I read it for an hour and a half last night and didn't even manage to finish one book. I'm gonna keep at it but damn is it difficult.

>>18217370
Seafaring Lore and Legend, very comfy, unfortunately not deep enough on some topics, enjoyable light reading overall

Really digging this Warlock book that I honestly picked up because I saw the cover of it it a few years ago on /lit/. I know many pick it up because pinecone praised it but idk shit about him so meh. Defintely the best "Literary" western Ive read. Yet its still entertaining enough to be a pageturner. Defintely one of the better ones character and storywise too if thats what youre into. Decent writing as well

>>18217434
bázisolt magyaranon

Reading Gilgamesh, it's better than Homer so far.

>>18217370
I'm reading The Pugilist at Rest by Thom Jones. I've read through 2/3 parts so far and I'm really enjoying it. It's divided into parts because the stories within those parts all feature similar themes. The first part involves stories of boxers going to Vietnam and experiencing seizures. It's interesting how similar the stories are, you can almost imagine that all the narrators are the same person telling different parts of the war. Despite repeating character elements and setting it doesn't feel repetitive at all. It's also got a lot of genuinely good humor and the characters reference philosophers and writers without it feeling hamfisted. I can't wait to read the third part and I will be reading more Thom Jones in the future.

On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I'm 150 Pages in. It's not the best book I've ever read . It's not deep or clever. It just oozes life and I am at that point of my life that i really want to travel. Just get around and experience something. It's a pretty light read and the characters, apart from Kerouac aren't that important. It's more like a string of storys and anecdotes. But it did inspire me and once I'll get my motorcycle license i will take trips and just see where it goes

>>18218491
what was your favourite part from the interview section?

>>18217434
currently reading it too
what are your favorite stories so far?

>>18217370
I'm on chapter 4, and I did not expect Scruton to be so.... anti-modern. Which is obviously a good thing, but I always had the impression that he was a liberal conservative.
He argues against the Enlightment in, for example, it's way of using God as means to aesthetic, and not the other way around. Or how he talks about Fichte said that Kant's universalism would ruin cultures and their unique thought. I definitely recommend it.

bump

>>18217511
Good book indeed, I like the illustrations of my edition that makes it feel like a comics. I need to reread.

>>18217370
1984.
Cover of the books looks nice

>>18217370
>The Man in the High Castle
pic related

Pic related
Someone recommended it to me because it's both a good introduction to Aquinas and a defense of his arguments against common objections, and how much of Aquinas' thought can only be understood through Aristotelian metaphysics.
It's biggest pro so far is that it clears up how a prime mover isnt necessarily a 'first' mover, but more an axis around which all of the universe revolves, and how the argument against it on basis of infinite regress isnt as damaging as people think it is.

Reading Blood Meridian right now, about 60% of the way through. I liked it in the beginning, but now it just seems like there's nothing really happening. Does the pacing change or something happen or is the rest of the book like this?

I’m about halfway through volume, currently on Farragut’s assault on New Orleans. It’s fascinating how improvisational so many of the battles during the Civil War were, e.g. monster ironclads covered in railroad Ts, or the delayed start to Shiloh that cost the South a total victory.

>>18222406
No, the rest of the book is as garbage as the first half

>>18217370
Confessions of a mask. I made it to page 100 and, to be honest, i don't give a shit about this book, I'll just drop it.

>>18218969
Just finished book 1, it's decent so far. I'm really just reading it so I can get to the metaphysics, and the cave of course. But I thought I would read the whole thing for completionists sake.

>>18217370
I'm reading Blindsight and it bores me to death. I think this is what happens when people without intense lives try to write intense stuff --it becomes cringe content.

it’s nice. i like it

>>18217370
I'm currently reading "Stoner" by John Williams, getting about 100 or so pages into it. I have to say, this story has probably enticed my interest more than any other book in quite a while. I am a good fan of the way that William writes the story. I don't think I can properly word my thoughts and opinions about the prose and writing thus far, so I will end it by saying it is an enjoyable yet dreary book. It isn't so melancholic that it forces the reader to close the book in a depressed sigh, but its effects are still nevertheless present.

Picture of dorian gray.
Its an interesting read that takes you back to another time, sorta like watching some BBC period piece. I like the historical context that the book was amoral and what not so its interesting to read what people were saying about it at the time.

Oscar Wilde is really great at describing beauty is my big take away. Infatuation/desire, that unexplainable feeling of being taken away by someone else is written well. Not a homo but Ive sort of grown tired to read authors whom I already identify with/think I identify with. Its sometimes fun to read stuff you wouldnt normally read.

>>18217370
I'm reading The Temple of Dawn, the third book in Mishima's tetralogy. Spring Snow and Runaway were great, but this one goes at a much slower pace. Honda has mostly been exploring shrines in India and has scarcely interacted with the reincarnated soul of the Thai girl. Kinda boring but the explanation of buddhist doctrines is interesting. I'll still finish it.

The Nigger of the Narcissus by Conrad. It’s right there neck and neck with HoD. It would probably be more popular if it wasn’t for its title. Conrad makes sailing life seem grimy yet cozy at the same time

>>18222442
Damn the torpedoes!

The American Civil War is fascinating merely for the wealth of technology they tried out. From submarines to observation balloons to "portable" telegraph units.

Right now I'm reading For Whom the Bell Tolls. It's starting to pick up now, but I wish I knew more about the Spanish Civil War before reading it. There are some beautiful passages but you have to slog through most parts.

I'm thinking of reading Murphy next.

>>18217370
Reading idiot. I dont like Nastasya.

>>18217370
Could Heraclitus have been the most intelligent human being to live? He prophesied the energy mass equivalence 2500 years ago. Plato and Aristotle deeply revered him and likely built much of their philosophy upon his ideas. It saddens me that his only extant work is a collection of fragmented quotations. Finally, I think he is a based retard-hating individualist which makes reading his aphorisms exceedingly delightful.

Could Heraclitus have been the most intelligent human being to live? He prophesied the energy mass equivalence 2500 years ago. Plato and Aristotle deeply revered him and likely built much of their philosophy upon his ideas. It saddens me that his only extant work is a collection of fragmented quotations. Finally, I think he is a based retard-hating individualist which makes reading his aphorisms exceedingly delightful.

>>18217370
Just started Faust and it's already incredible.

Dead Souls. I read Tolstoy's biography by Troyat (which I highly recommend), where I learned Tolstoy wrote in his journal as a teenager that he thought this book to be a masterpiece. I fell in love with Tolstoy's style when I first discovered him; the way he paints a scene with the most insightful observations about his characters' psychological and physical idiosyncrasies. He will often goes deep into the weeds with detail, and can embed clause after clause while still managing to maintain the flow and impact of the sentence. Reading Dead Souls, it is clear that Gogol influenced these dimensions of Tolstoy's style. In the first chapter Gogol launches into a page-long aside where he describes a squadron of flies who dart mercilessly in and out of the sugar supply of a housewife cooking bread. An eager fly will steal a grain of sugar, lands some distance away, and then triumphantly rubs its front legs over his head, before returning to its comrades for more. Gogol paints this image solely for the purpose of comparing these flies to the scene of partygoers darting about in their black-frocked coat. He has a style which is concise but also ambles when appropriate.

>>18217520
lol

>>18217370
Reading The Cynic Philosopher, this Diogenes character seems like a really fun guy.

I'm only 50 pages in so no real interesting thoughts so far. The structure being deliberately similar to War & Peace is very welcome, short chapters are always welcome and talking about the historical events in a way that is detached from the characters could be interesting. The physical quality of the paperback is also really high, it's nice to see old and somewhat neglected (in translation, at least) books get this treatment.

The giver

I prefer Brave New World

>>18225695
I was sure I remembered to attach the image but apparently not

>>18218268
I'm 300 pages into TBK.

>>18217370
Am reading "The Destruction of Reason" by Lukacs - I'm not a Marxist by any means, but Lukacs is so blisteringly erudite, coherent and steeped in Marxist doctrine that it actually feels like Marx himself speaking to you critiquing those who wrote after him

If you are interested in the history of ideas it is extremely interesting to see philosophers Marx never explicitly engaged with (both in his time and after his death - e.g. Schopenhauer and Spengler) critiqued from a Marxist perspective that is clearly backed up in easily traced and often cited primary sources. This is the essential advantage of Lukacs over others in the tradition of "Western Marxism" - he is rigorous almost to a fault.

Finished this last night. It was really good, but goddamn Egil is a son of a fucking bitch. Like every other chapter he kills someone who doesn't deserve it over something petty.

When he's SIX YEARS OLD he goes to play a ball game and is getting beaten by an older kid, so he smashes that kid in the face with a bat. The kid picks him up and throws him onto the ground telling him that he'll do some real damage if Egil doesn't smarten up. So Egil gets his friend to give him an axe and then kills that kid.

Another time, Egil+his crew are travelling and ask a complete stranger to stay in his house for the night. He agrees because that's the custom and then feeds them. He gives them tons of ale and basically puts on a feast for these dudes out of kindness. Anyways, Egil stays and drinks an outrageous amount just to be spiteful after being egged on to drink more and here is an actual quote of what happens next:

"One man was given the job of serving each toast to Egil and his men, and kept egging them on to drink more quickly, but Egil told his men not to have any more, and he drank their share, that being the only way out of it. When Egil realized that he couldn't keep going any longer, he stood up, walked across the floor to Armod, put both hands on his shoulders and pressed him up against the pillar, then heaved up a vomit of massive proportions that gushed all over Armod's face, into his eyes, nostrils and mouth, and flooded down his chest so that he was almost suffocated." [Egil's Saga, 71. Drinking at Armod's, pg.188]
...
"Early next morning as soon as it was daylight Egil got up. He and his men made themselves ready and went straight to the farmhouse looking for Armod. They came to the room where he was sleeping with his wife and daughter, and pushed open the door. Egil went over to Armod's bed, drew his sword, and taking Armod's beard in his other hand dragged him to the edge of the bed. Armod's wife and daughter leaped to their feet and started begging Egil not to kill him... Then Egil cut off his beard close to the chin, and gouged out an eye with his finger so that it hung out over his cheek. After that Egil went back to his companions and they went on their way." [Egil's Saga, 72. Egil visits Thorfinn, pg.189-190]

He literally does all this because he felt that the farmer's man was being a troublemaker by goading his men into drinking.

He basically is an asshole the entire book, and it's an entertaining read, but I don't find him nearly as endearing as his father or grandfather who were actually good people.

I just read 40 pages of pic related, it's amazing. Really straightforward, just bits of story and nice thoughts around suicide. Didn't finish it all together because I want it to last a few days at least.
>>18217511
I loved this one. Gave it to a friend as a birthday present since I thought it would resonate with him but I think he never read it. It's crazy how many of his idiosincracies ended up being common in contemporary novels.

>>18217370
Lady Chatterley's Lover.
Seems to be more lazily written than Sons and Lovers, which is the only other DH Lawrence novel I've read. I'm questioning the point of finishing it at all, it comes across as Lawrence desperately trying to communicate the single idea of not forsaking the body for solely intellectual pursuits with the plot and characters being reduced to triviality as a result. I couldn't care less about Lady Chatterley's internal struggle.

Very well written, fucked up short stories with great prose. I've only read a few so far but I'm really liking them.

>Walden
It's nice descriptions but he seems like kind of a larper. He talks big about his "self sufficient" lifestyle but he lives down the street from the town and buys a lot of his supplies there, including most of his food. He also seems to be coasting on favors people do for him, like letting him squat on unused land or lend him tools. He leads a minimalistic and fairly ascetic lifestyle to be sure, but it's hardly self sufficient and wouldn't be at all possible if he didn't have townspeople to turn to.

>>18225825
Man what a piece of shit

>>18222406
The last 100 pages are exceptional, don't listen to the other guy. As soon as the Kid is referred to as the Man

The Sound of Waves. It’s fantastic. I avoided this author for so long and it turns out I just love everything he wrote. I wish I had read his books sooner. I don’t really have anything else to add to it.

One of the books I'm currently reading is The Sympathiser. I've been meaning to read it since it came out a few years ago but since the sequel The Committed came out I figured now would be a good time so I can read them back to back. So far so good. One of my favorite reads of the year so far.

>>18217370
Just started reading pic related. The narration is so very flat and yet at the same time also very dryly droll that I can't help but laugh. Pretty good so far I think (I'm only 50 pages in though).

Just finished reading Eugene Onegin like 5 minutes ago. It's probably the most enjoyable piece of literature to just simply read I've ever read before (at least in my Polish translation that is, don't know how good it'd be in English). The way that everything flows together so perfectly and with such ease, and the rhythm that that creates as you read is just pure bliss. The story is also great, as are all the numerous asides that we get from the narrator, and the characters were for me all really solid as well. I already want to read it again.

My second time through it, though the first was an abridged edition.
Most of the theory on war is very sound when translated into practice. I put a lot of it to use when I play strategy games like Dominions V.

Pierre by herman melville. One "book" in, but that shit was both hilariously and amazingly overwrought/idyllic but frustrating when there's no narrative progression.

Nearing the end of pic related.
Pretty comfy, but as I usually feel when reading entire works that were originally serialized, the pacing is all over the place. It also spends too much time on side characters who are mostly uninteresting.
Prose is pretty bad but that may be due to it being a translation

Gonna move on to either more Dostoevsky or Blood Meridian once I finish

>>18218183
wonderful book. Anna's tragedy it's a great contrast to Levin's story. agree with the other anon, the best chapter imo is when Levin works with the Muzchiks

>>18218361
i also finished B.K yesterday. coincidence?
i totally agree with you, the last 1/3rd of the book is way slower. specially the defense a demandant monologues. still, best book i've read. specially the father Zozima's story and Ivan's conversations with the Devil.

>>18228531
>specially the defense a demandant monologues
My first thought was that had to be Dosto taking the piss out of courtroom dramas, but who knows. Definitely my least favorite long chapters in the book
My favorite book as well, though I’m not hugely well-read so that is up to change

>>18217370
500 pages into Anna Karenina
kinda meh desu. I read w&p a year before and on some tolstoy threads a lot of people said AK is Tolstoy's best book, so I did set high expections considering how good w&p was, but it's nowhere near as multifaceted as w&p. It's just Levin and Kitty+ Vronski and Anna storylines - that's it. In w&p there were so many different and intersting characters and different events (war stuff and then peace stuff), but none of that in AK.

>>18228388
Isn't the Everyman's edition abridged as well?

>>18228568
As I was going through AK I was bored in a few spots (especially the election chapter, that was insufferable) but when I finished I thought it was easily worth the read.

>>18217370

>>18228318
Oh man, that book. I've even seen the film, and it's such a mediocre novel, that I really think one might as well just go straight to the movie. NPC recipe there.

>>18218260
Why does he always blatantly self insert?

>>18217370
I am reading "The Post-Modern Condition" by Lyotard. He seems to be saying that truth is kind of linguistic construct and different criteria and such for what counts as truth or evidence exists within separate language games. My only question is whether if what he is saying is the Truth and if so, what language game is it authenticated by? He seems to be taking a birds eye view that should be prohibited within his explanation. Anyone know what this is about?

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison.
Went into it blind. Then a few people told me that the writer is a hardcore feminist. Didn't know what to expect, but it is better than I thought it would be. Fine book so far.

>>18218563
I'm you do intense drugs you realize everything is in your head because you can only see what your head wants you to see.

>>18228835
Congratulations, you have reached: postmodern relativism

>>18228851
Honestly Lyotard seems the closest to the straw man of post-modernism that people bring up out of all the major figures.

>>18218969
I too am currently reading The Republic. It's mostly alright, but many things such as the caste system, abolition of private property, and the strong state control over family life seem incredibly archaic and counterproductive. He still does have some good ideas about politics and metaphysics.

I just got to the part where he discusses the 5 forms of government, and I must say his critique of Democratic life is spot on, from excessive hedonism to hatred of authority. The part where he mentions how criminals in Democracy are celebrated and ignored by law reminds me of the lawless atmosphere of BLM rioters.

this. It's a utopia written in 1908 by one of the main guys in the bolshevik party (who, by the way, also did experiments with young blood transfusion to prolong life).
It's interesting if you are interested in the russian revolution. the plot so far is that a revolutionary is abducted by martians, who are already communists for centuries, because they want to show him the wonders of communism. There is a kind of a melancholy around the martians that I find very fitting, but surprising to find in an early bolshevik book.
The martians are, also, extremely anti-anti-natalism. They basically destroyed their world with progress and development (*communist* progress and development, btw), but they prefer to just all die rather than controlling the number of children. Restraining the offspring is letting nature win over mankind, birth control is the highest possible failure of a communist society. Quite based.

>>18229164
(this is not the edition I'm reading, btw, just one in English whose cover I found online)

In short:
>The Odissey
Feels different from the Iliad, I expected it to be more similar. Yeah I knew the plot, I'm talking more about the paging, the characters... Anyway I'm really enjoying it, but I'm kinda stuck, because I prefer reading
>The Bodenbrook
As expected, kinda easy to read. It's a bit bland sometimes but I'm really into the story, the characters and the themes. I'd like to learn something from this book that would help me to defy the probal "decay" of my family
>Horace's Satyres
I can't understand anything in this book, much harder than I tought. Kinda disappointing

>>18217520
I enjoyed that one. Felt like I was reading a comic book :-)
>>18218260
Barbie in this book is basically harry potter
>>18218302
I hate hemingways conversations and his non-use of quotation marks.McCarthy makes it work though
>>18218377
Will check it out.
>>18218969
Bro definitely finish Stoner. Book almost made me cry and that's saying something for me
>>18219189
you are a peasant and you have shit taste kill yourself as soon as possible please

i've been reading Robert highlines time enough for love and this guy has some interesting ideas on polygamy and shit don't know if I'm super enjoying it. The settler areas are cool I guess

>>18219318
Really? I enjoyed the old man and the sea. Tell me something that you enjoy because you may have more refined taste than I

>>18217370
been reading the gulag archipelago and have enjoyed the authentic snapshot of the soviet prison system. I certainly see where the praise for author and novel come from, but I feel I'm missing a lot of background information on russian history. Any recommendations for reads on pre-soviet russia?

>>18217370
I just finished Haggard's King Solomon's Mines. Not much to talk about. Pretty basic adventure story, full of cliches like the white men predicting a solar eclipse that was fortunately happening just the next day to establish their "godhood" over the Kakuana. It was a nice adventure story, but it wasn't anything other than that. I'll read it's sequel as well as She by the same author, but I admit that it's basically doggerel that I'm using for recovering from not really understanding the last few books from Augustine's Confessions. I'm coping, but I admit it.

>>18217370
Submission - very funny, and seems to be prescient. Recommended.

India Journals - Ginsberg - Love it, mostly because 4 years ago at this time I was in India. Might not be the best if you haven't been but it gives me a comforting nostalgia

Blindness - Saramago - just started.

the recognitions its pretty good

I’m about halfway through Billy Budd. I like it, haven’t really put it down since starting. John Claggart seems very gay.

Pic related
The K/C/Qaballah is an astoundingly deep topic, but Dion Fortune does a good job with summarising the absolute groundfloor of the subject. Short, but makes no bones about being anything other than a handy reference text.

The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James. It is really good and not as turgid as I expected. There is dry humor throughout which I like. Isabel Archer is a likable female protagonist. This is the first novel of James that I’ve read but I’m familiar with his short stories. He has that Proust-like ability to be profound and put into words what can only be felt

>>18223012
That's cringe bro

>>18217370
I just read the gospel according to Matthew and now understand even if I believe I still need to wear my wedding garment when I attend the wedding

>>18217370
The Yoga of Power: Tantra, Shakti, And The Secret Way by Julius Evola.

I'm certainly enjoying it. I especially liked reading about the 36 Tattvas (states of being/becoming) as well as the nature of and meaning behind initiatic sex rites and the "awakening" of mantras (words of power)

One thing I did find quiet disheartening was, much like in Vedic works, the importance of a guru and initiation is stressed as necessary for any form of awakening. I highly doubt I will find anyone who could serve as a true spiritual teacher that I can be personally involved with, but I will still enjoy reading about Tantric metaphysics and experimenting with meditation methods.

I am currently reading about "Bardo", which is about what one must do after death to attain enlightenment, based off the Tibetan Book of The Dead.