Books that require physical effort

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10396723]

/lit/ I'm looking for novels that require you to physically engage with it. Long books like Tale of Genji or Don Quixote don't count; those can be read on e-reader. Looking for books like House of Leaves or Infinite Keks (both of which I've already read) that encourage you to physically engage with the paper copy, beyond just turning one page at a time.

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10396732]

>>10396723
Also, should note that I've already read most of the doorstoppers on the /lit/ wikia. Again, though, most of those are just classics that can be read on an e-reader with one hand. Not at all what I'm looking for

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10396752]

>>10396723
Just gonna keep dumping workout girls in the hope that some folks here will have some good recommendations

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10396761]

>>10396723

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10396770]

>>10396723
Again, books that are preferably large, require a lot of back and forth to endnotes, or require you to physically turn the book...open to any and all suggestions

[Anonymous No.10396780]

>>10396723
literally who goes to the gym in their underwear

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10396788]

>>10396780
You'd be surprised. Gym near a college campus I go to, I'd say 1/8th of all the young women in there wear sports bras and shorts with booty half exposed

[Anonymous No.10396791]

bottoms dream

[Anonymous No.10396795]

>>10396770
Go to the law library.

>find reporter
>case has end notes and foot notes
>have to go check if the case is up to date
>have to go check if up to date book is up to date
>have to then find case this case is referring to for context

[Anonymous No.10396798]

my diary desu

[Anonymous No.10396801]

Any version of The Histories with a lot of endnotes. Recently finished the penguin version, very engaging.

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10396807]

>>10396791
Thanks, I'll look into it. Heard of it, know nothing about it. Amazon had it recommended to me based on my shopping history haha
>>10396795
>what are novels
>>10396798
Email me desu
>>10396801
Adding it to my Amazon cart now, thank you

[Anonymous No.10396811]

>>10396770
>>10396723
What's it even like having a girl with an ass like that? Does she let you lick it when you want to

[Anonymous No.10396864]

>>10396811
Yes, but you have to be in shape too.

[Anonymous No.10396899]

2666

>the 75th anniversary of moby dick, folio edition

The bible

[Anonymous No.10396905]

>>10396811
they get protein farts.
their poop and meat-sweat stinks like a guys.
sweaty and greasy

[Anonymous No.10396920]

>>10396905
vegan orifices and sweat tastes the best. this is an indubitable fact

[Anonymous No.10396925]

physically is the new literally

[Anonymous No.10396979]

>>10396770
>sexually frustrated boy in background looking away, dead center of the photo so you don't even notice

Wow, artistic composition. Deep photo

[Anonymous No.10397097]

Pale fire

[Anonymous No.10397126]

larva: a midsummer night's babel

[Anonymous No.10397170]

What the hell is it to 'physically engage' with a book? Holding a big thick volume and working your arms?

[Anonymous No.10397177]

>>10397097
Seconding this and adding Finnegans Wake to the mix, which is the superior Bottoms Dream. Zettels Traum only wishes it was as good as its inspiration.

[Anonymous No.10397180]

>>10397170
He's looking for books where you have to reread multiple times or have a companion book to even understand the basic plot. He's looking for books that are designed on a complex level where you could write entire books on a single chapter or section.

[Anonymous No.10397183]

>>10396899
>moby dick published in 1959

[Anonymous No.10397186]

>>10397180
The why doesn't he just say very complex book? Why must he trick me with wording and images into thinking he has found some way to become physically fit by reading a book?

[Anonymous No.10397190]

A 2000 page leather bound annotated Works of Shakespeare could keep you busy for 50 years on your desert island

[Anonymous No.10397191]

>>10397186
Because you have autism.

[Anonymous No.10397196]

>>10397191
It just sounds so fucking stupid. I could think of several better ways to it. Fuck him.

[Anonymous No.10397198]

>>10397186
He's already told you he read Infinite Jest, where he learned to turn 3 normal words into 100 pointlessly misleading ones

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10397206]

>>10396905
true
>>10396920
sort of...some of those vegan curry dinners can cause their own unique smells/tastes around orifices.
>>10396925
this makes physically no sense
>>10396979
Damn. I did not even notice that. Workout boobs for you!
>>10397097
Will look into it, but I've read Lolita and Ada and I don't think that's quite what I'm looking for.
>>10397177
Good call. Still have to read Ulysses, too.
>>10397180
Sort of... books like that, sure, I'm down for any recommendations, but I'm also interested in novels where the format of the book requires lots of back and forth (like IJ), possibly rotating the book to read passages that are oriented along the side of the page (like House of Leaves), or books where text color or something makes an e-reader copy undesirable

[Anonymous No.10397214]

LOL

How about get a book that has a lot of notes, then you can get your gimmicky two bookmarks bullshit out of your system.

[Anonymous No.10397219]

>>10397206
So you want novelty books? There's thousands of those. Look them up.

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10397223]

>>10397186
>>10397196
see >>10397206
I'm not looking for complex (though that's desirable too), I'm looking for a novel that makes you physically engage with the bound stack of paper. Google videos for House of Leaves, you'll see what I'm talking about.
>>10396899
Just finished The Savage Detectives, and I have 2666, so thank you.
What does the folio edition of Moby Dick bring to the table?
And I'm reading through the bible right now, actually
>>10397198
kek
>>10397190
Already have a paperback copy. Again though, and e-reader copy will suffice me, I don't HAVE to read a giant book copy.

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10397228]

>>10397219
>novelty
>look them up
Jesus you're so helpful.
>>10397214
Someone sounds like a manlet

[Anonymous No.10397245]

>>10397228

[Anonymous No.10397250]

Look up the Holman Rainbow Bible, every single verse is color coded, I reckon you'll be fully engorged when you see it

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10397252]

>>10397245
>What is a novel
Nice try.

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10397258]

>>10397250
>not being fully engorged all the time
Mmm...it looks more like a study aid to get themes. I'm doing fine with my cheap KJV, but thanks for the rec anyway.

[Anonymous No.10397320]

>>10397245
This is honestly the best response here.

OP, what on earth do you want out of this? What is the point? What experience are you trying to reproduce that you found reorienting your book or flipping to an index again and again, and why ever would you want to?

Genuinely mystified. Please share your experience.

[Anonymous No.10397346]

[Anonymous No.10397371]

>>10397320
because he thinks flipping around a 2 lb book will get him jacked LOL

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10397452]

>>10397371
Do you even LIFT, brahh?
>>10397320
It's not the best response, even in a funny way. Most people have actually given me good recommendations, or at least tried to come up with good novels.

I'm asking because soon I'm going to have a new baby coming, and newborns sleep 16-17 hours a day in short bursts for the first few months. Meaning lots of time for reading, but I'll need it to be light, something I can toss aside at a moment's notice.

Even longer works, like The Count of Monte Cristo, can be read on an e-reader with no drawbacks.

House of Leaves could not be read on an e-reader. Infinite Jest could be, but the point of the book, according to DFW, is to physically engage with it.

I know that in a couple months, books like that will be pretty tough for me. Which is why I'm here, asking for recommendations.

Thanks so far to all the people who have actually attempted to positively contribute to this thread.

[Anonymous No.10397489]

I think Dune- but it might not be Dune- has an index at the end that I had to keep checking for various definitions of different world facts, factions, etc.

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10397496]

>>10397489
Possibly. Read Dune already. Clockwork Orange is also great, if you're into dialects & invented language

[Anonymous No.10397500]

Maybe S. By Doug Dorst. Never read it, but it seems gimmicky like you're looking for.

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10397506]

>>10397500
Great suggestion. Never even heard of it before. I'll check it out; as long as the writing is good, I'm game

[Anonymous No.10397509]

>>10396723
>>10396723
The Recognitions, JR. Lots of references you gotta look up, many instances that had to be re-read

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10397513]

>>10397509
GREAT suggestion. Just bought a copy last week

Thank you!

[Anonymous No.10397682]

>>10397452
This doesn't actually explain anything at all.

[Anonymous No.10397888]

>>10397682
How autistic are you? He wants bulky and/or difficult books he won't have the hands or mental energy that having a newborn will require.

I'd second Finnegan's Wake. Long, bulky, and complicated. You'd do well to have a second book nearby examining all the references.

[Anonymous No.10398128]

I'd go back to one of the earlier great paratextual books: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman.

[Anonymous No.10398206]

No more jezabels! Get them ouuuuuuut!

[Anonymous No.10398221]

Finnigans wake is best read out loud, and taken through very slowly during a specially reserved time of the day.

[Anonymous No.10398248]

Not a book but a comic:
Chris Ware's Building Stories. Comes in a box with several separate pieces.

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10398276]

>>10397888
No need to attack him, but trips speak the truth. And thank you for clarifying what I was trying to say. Appreciate the rec.

>>10398128
Funny you should mention Tristram Shandy. It's a book that's been popping up on my radar a lot lately. I'll definitely have to find a copy, thank you.

>>10398221
Lol noted! Might actually be fun to read to her then, maybe. Babies like silly voices, I can probably make a horrible attempt at an Irish accent.

>>10398248
I am very, very intrigued. Looking it up now, I see it's by the guy who wrote/drew Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth, which I got after I saw a bunch of people on here recommending as a graphic novel for people who don't care about comics. Thank you very much!

[Anonymous No.10398352]

>>10396723
If you delete those pictures of scantily clad women ill give you a real wrist breaker.

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10398363]

>>10398352
Size isn't everything, I'm looking for more than that. Long books can be read on my Kindle

[Anonymous No.10398366]

>>10398363
Its not the size that makes it a wrist breaker.

[Anonymous No.10398374]

its called HYPERTEXT
yr welcome, just google that word

[Anonymous No.10398375]

>>10398363
Haha btfo op faggot

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10398410]

>>10398366
I'd appreciate the recommendation, then.

>>10398374
What is? I mean in the context of the thread.

>>10398375
pfft

[Anonymous No.10398451]

>>10398410
The Bible is the great cross-referential pageturner in the history of writing
http://www.chrisharrison.net/index.php/Visualizations/BibleViz
Now go raise yourself a goodly, chaste daughter.

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10398527]

>>10398451
You had my attention, now you have my interest.

Seriously, thank you.

[Anonymous No.10398539]

>>10396788
Amazing

[Anonymous No.10398570]

>>10396788
The Jezebels, why do they torment me?

[Anonymous No.10398715]

Just read about it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberature

This leads you to the site:

http://www.liberatura.pl/historia-liberatury.html

I know it is in Polish, but just skim the cahpter list on the right, get some names, watch some photos.

[Anonymous No.10399159]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergodic_literature

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10399451]

>>10399159
A very good definition of what I'm looking for, thank you.

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10399455]

>>10398715
Also true of what I'm looking for. I'll have to sit down and take a closer look at that second link, but I'm very intrigued, thank you!

[Anonymous No.10399746]

>>10397509
Except Gaddis wanted J R to be read at a talking pace and didn't want the reader to go back if he didn't understand something. He just wanted them to keep on reading to create the illusion of witnessing dialogue and entropy.

[I wanna get physical, physical No.10399916]

>>10399746
Good to know! Has anyone here read American Gothic? I've had that one waiting on my shelf for years, but figured I'd try reading The Recognitions and J R first.