What are you reading

[Anonymous No.17059263]

Post:
>last finished
>what did you think of it
>currently reading
>thoughts so far
>plan on reading next
>reason why you want to read it

[Anonymous No.17059317]

>>17059263
>last finished Demons
>loved it
>currently reading Brothers Karamazov and COVID-19: The Great Reset
>reading next: Life at the Bottom
>Am interested in modern British conservatism and pessimism. I consider it research for the novel I'm working on.

[Anonymous No.17059392]

>last finished
Shinto: The Kami Way by Sokyo Ono
>what did you think of it
It was interesting enough, though not as in-depth as I would have liked it. On some points the author made it sound like the knowledge simply has been lost, which is both sad and interesting, since it's not like Shinto is a dead tradition.
I read Mircea Eliade's The Sacred and the Profane recently, and so it was also interesting to see how some of the general concepts Eliade explains manifest themselves specifically in Shinto.
>currently reading
The Valmiki Ramayana
>thoughts so far
I haven't gotten very far, but the style is enjoyable enough.
>plan on reading next
Considering whether it's worth trying to read the Mahabharata.
Other than that haven't decided yet.

[Anonymous No.17059428]

Implying I read at all

[Anonymous No.17059455]

>>17059263
>Another Bloody Love Letter by Anthony Loyd
>Really really good, I made sure to read is s-o-o-o slowly to really savour it
>KJV Bible; The Curve of Time by Marie Wylie Blanchet (been reading it for the longest time so I started it over again a few weeks ago and I'm almost finished); Deadly Dictators by Terry Stafford; The Mystery of Easter Island by Katherine Routledge; Surprise, Kill, Vanish by Annie Jacobsen (thanks anon for the rec)
>I'm currently enjoyng the Surprise, Kill, Vanish book and Rise and Fall the best since I've been listening to them on Audible (augmenting Rise and Fall which I've been reading since the middle of this year, and listening to SKV like the anon who rec'd it suggested I do). Deadly Dictators is good too and gives a good rundown on 20th century history just by its profiles of infamous dictators of the 20th century. The Curve of Time just feels classic to me already at this point and I love it.
>I've been perusing a lot of First Nations and native indian art and reading about their way of life and myth
>prob gon finish The Curve of Time & Surprise, Kill, Vanish before the end of the year: that will be 4 books completed. The Holy Bibe is good ofc and I'm almost finished the book of Numbers.
>my immediate TBR includes: To the Lighthouse; A Time of Gifts by P.L. Fermor; Wuthering Heights; and The Postmortal by Drew Magary (this one is probably going to be next)
>because I love beautiful literature--especially beautiful non-fiction

[Anonymous No.17059458]

>>17059428
You read my post

[Anonymous No.17059513]

>last finished
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
>what did you think of it
i haven't sorted out my thoughts on it yet, just that i think it's a good book. i liked it a lot
>currently reading
i just started Dead Souls, by Gogol yesterday.
>thoughts so far
i'm feeling comfy getting back to reading russian lit again
>plan on reading next
One Hundred Years of Solitude or Crime and Punishment
>reason why you want to read it
i'm reading Dead Souls because i want to get a taste of the works of many russian authors.
i want to read the next books because (a) they're said to be fantastic and (b) i've been putting them off for like 6 months now

[Anonymous No.17059554]

>>17059263
>Amerika by Franz Kafka
>My least favourite of the three Kafka novels, but still good, completely different feel to most of his longer writing, and it had a genuinely fuckin happy ending which is something you basically never get from Kafka
>Journey to the End of the Night
>I reckon I'll finish it today as I've only got 45 pages left, and yeh it's absolute dynamite, all the stuff that comes before Bardamu comes back to France is fuckin 10/10 stuff, even though the rest hasn't been as brilliant, it's still good with some really great parts, I especially enjoyed the whole bit when they get invited on the wealthy artist's houseboat on his birthday. And also reading Durant's The Story of Philosophy, I've finished the sections on Plato and Aristotle and I'm really enjoying that one too.
>no idea what I'll read next, I've got way too many options to choose from. The most I can narrow it down to is one of: The Good Soldier Svejk, The Stranger, Murphy, Ogniem i Mieczem, Titus Groan, Faraon, A Confederacy of Dunces or The Late Mattia Pascal. I've got no clue which one it's gonna be of those lot tho, probably be one that I've not even considered reading next.

[Anonymous No.17059651]

>last
Home by Marilynne Robinson
Felt kind of sad at the ending. A bit slow to get started and not my usual cup of tea but I really enjoyed Gilead even though that isn’t my usual cup of tea. Much as I like to badmouth female writers, Robinson does have a nice prose style and convincing insights into character’s psychology. I wouldn’t quite call it a page Turner (it’s very much a domestic drama) but it did manage to keep me involved

>currently reading
Pic related
I was a bit surprised by his socialist sympathies because I thought he was a hardcore right winger. But he has no love for the decadent bourgeoisie dancing in Berlin nightclubs while the poor starve, the French parade in the streets and Right wing and the communists shoot it out in the streets. I’m about three hundred pages in and there’s been plenty of action (mostly in Latvia and fighting a Polish uprising in Silesia but some street fighting in Berlin and a pretty brutal battle
against the Reds in Hamburg. I also enjoyed the bits about organizing revolutionary cells and all the paranoia with spies and informers and just plain incompetent degenerates.
This is a page Turner and more my usual cup of tea. Nice mix of political philosophy and action/violence.

>next

Auto da Fe by Elias Canetti

I didn’t think much of Canetti’s ‘Masterwork’ Crowds and Power but I did really enjoy the first two volumes of his memoirs, so I thought I would check out his only novel.

[Anonymous No.17059678]

>>17059263
>last finished
The Charterhouse of Parma
>what did you think of it
I really really loved it.
>currently reading
Emma
>thoughts so far
It's one of the most well-structured and well written books I've ever read. Every single line is ironic or foreshadowing, and the breaks in Emma Woodhouse's ironic reality are very satisfying.
>plan on reading next
Great Expectations
>reason why you want to read it
I'm reading through the Novels that Harold Bloom recommends in his book "How to Read and Why" (Haven't really read his book, just the list tho so I can't really recommend it or not.)
Also, I've never read Dickens, so I am interested.

[Anonymous No.17059809]

>last finished
El núcleo del disturbio, Schweblin
>what did you think of it
In top of all, I'd say fun. Every story in it is unique. I enjoyed the dark undertones
>currently reading
Pájaros en la boca (Mouthful of birds), Schweblin
>thoughts so far
Not as fun as the previous one. Darker. Much of the stories ends up in a tangent, which is a bittersweet experience I pretty much enjoy
>plan on reading next
Siete casas vacías, Schweblin
>reason why you want to read it
I'm going through the author's bibliography

>>17059513
>They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
I have seen it mentioned among pessimist literature, would you say it aligns with that philosophy? How did the novel make you feel in that respect? I'm looking for reading something along those lines.

[Anonymous No.17059954]

>last finished
Heaven's River - Bobiverse book 4
>what did you think of it
It was not too bad. Wasn't as good as the first 3
>currently reading
The Last Town
>thoughts so far
Not far in enough to make an opinion
>plan on reading next
Hell's Rejects
>reason why you want to read it
Time for some sci fi again

[Anonymous No.17060023]

[Anonymous No.17060046]

>>17059263
>last finished Darconville's Cat
>it was masturbatory yet transcendent at times
>currently reading At Swim-Two-Birds.
>So far it's God-Tier
>Plan on reading White Teeth by Zadie Smith
>People have told me that we write in a similarly humorous manner.

[Anonymous No.17060257]

>>17059263
>last finished
Difference and Repetition

>what did you think of it
I'll have to read it again someday, because I didn't undertand the philosophical discussion in the first two chapters until I got to the last two.

>currently reading
The System of Objects
Count Zero

>thoughts so far
TSoO: Lies that are comfy and easy to read. It describes what it must have felt like to do The Sims (2000). It also sounds like a "Dē rērum natūra" on home-decor catalogs.
CZ: Like it. I hope that in the rest of the book Bobby will be more relevant, since he is the most interesting character (so far I've read). Really liked the passage about Bobby's mother, and also the passage in which Newmark is insulted by a boy tipping a barrel of radioactive substances.

>plan on reading next
Idk, but I wan't to read most of Baudrillard's books.

>reason why you want to read it
Because I haven't and so far I know the deleuzian critique on Baudrillard, I never realized it was that necessary until I got to this overpsychoanalyzing anglo trap (TSoO).

[Anonymous No.17060315]

>>17059263
>last finished
The Sound and The Fury
>what did you think of it
I enjoyed Jason's chapters, thought everything else was meh.
>currently reading
Nothing
>plan on reading next
Game of Thrones series and Weaveworld.
>reason why you want to read it
I've been watching GOT lately and I'm enjoying it so far (I'm on season 5 now) so I thought I'd read the books and see how they compare to the show, what are the differences, what's better, what's worse. Once I'm done with the show. I want to read Weaveworld because I've enjoyed Hellraiser and I'm liking the vibe from what I've heard, that it's a dark fantasy, that it's set in Liverpool etc.

[Anonymous No.17060398]

>>17059263
>last finished
A Little Princess
>what did you think of it
It was beautiful and heartwarming, I loved it as much as Little Lord Flaunderroy. I really want to read more of Frances Hodgson Burnett, but pretty much all her books are out of print and I'm not willing to pay more than 10 USD for a shitty independently printed book.
>currently reading
The Misfortunes of Virtue, and Other Early Tales
>thoughts so far
Currently reading Justine, I finished the tales a few days ago. The tales are way less violent and gruesome than the ones on The Crimes of Love, the same could be said about the first edition of Justine.
>plan on reading next
November Night Tales
>reason why you want to read it
Why not?

[Anonymous No.17060430]

>last finished
The Sound and the Fury
>what did you think of it
Probably the most lucid piece of experimental writing I’ve read, a little challenging but worthwhile in the end
>currently reading
Vineland
>thoughts so far
Meh, the character explorations are cool I guess. This is my first Pynchon but I’ve heard it’s probably his worst.
>plan on reading next
Suttree
>reason why you want to read it
My next step in reading all McCarthy novels.

[Anonymous No.17060671]

>>17060398
>goes from reading a children's novel to Marquis de Sade

[Anonymous No.17060689]

>>17060671
Post yours faggot

[Anonymous No.17060714]

>>17060689
>>17059392

[Anonymous No.17060786]

>>17059263
>last finished The Trial
>loved it
>currently reading Invisible Man
it's kinda slow, I feel a bit like a brainlet, I'm having trouble sometimes following exactly what's going on. I'm about 1/3 of the way through. There was a part about helping this sick guy and I just really didn't understand any of the meaning in their conversation. Can someone try to explain?
>plan on reading maybe Demons or East of Eden next
I want to read something a bit meatier, the last few things I've read have been relatively short and light. Looking for a heavy hitter to close out 2020.

[Anonymous No.17060815]

>>17059263
>last finished: The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea
>what did you think of it: Really enjoyed it. Mishima has a unique ability to paint scenes. I felt like I was a fly on the wall in 1950s Japan. Very very good.
>currently reading: 1984 and The Rational Male.
>thoughts so far: 1984 is pretty much as I expected. Very enjoyable and eerie. Makes me feel a kind of existential dread. The Rational Male is fine so far. Midway through and it's kind of repetitive and really only telling me thing's that I'd learned on my own (female hypergamy, social shaming of men to the benefit of women, SMV, etc). It's been alright, but certainly not some occult tome of masculine secrets.
>plan on reading next: Lament for a Nation
>reason why you want to read it: I'm a leaf and this is supposedly a concise summary of why my nation went from "cool kilted guys BTFOing Germans in WWI and farming on the plains" to "mulatto dogfucking homosexuals demanding the abolition of gender". I expect it will make me feel like shit but it's better to know and mourn than it is to live in the dark.

[Anonymous No.17060851]

>>17059263
>Hamilton: Writings
>Really good, great insight into the times and political landscape, but fuck me, he really did write like he's running out of time
>The Last Gasp
>Started today, liking it so far. Thrilling climate fiction from the 80's
>Don't know yet, probably A living Spirit of Revolt (anarchism) or Enemies and Neighbours (Israel/Palestine)

[Anonymous No.17060888]

>>17060815
>>reason why you want to read it:
That sounds interesting, actually, but as a non-leaf I'm not sure I'd want to read an entire book about it

[Anonymous No.17060919]

>>17060888
massively checked and iirc it's very very short. I'll upload it to zlibrary for you.

[Anonymous No.17060994]

>>17060888
>>17060919
Here ya go
https://b-ok.cc/book/11031597/c5d40c

[Anonymous No.17061007]

>>17060919
>>17060994
Thank you, leaf, I will have a look!

[Anonymous No.17061119]

>>17059263
>last finished Odyssey
>Great
>Lovecrafts complete collection but was reading crime and punishment before
>Crime and punishment is a fucking kino book, kind of comfy too.
>plan on reading next: Anne Karenina by Tolstoi
>reason why you want to read it: The more I read the better, right?

[Anonymous No.17061156]

>last finished
Fear And Trembling: I thought Kierkegaaed's writing and prose was wonderful, and he had some pretty interesting ideas on ethics and faith.
>currently reading
Divine Comedy: At some parts I have no idea what's going on, but if I stay focused I know. I'm really just reading it because the poem seemed interesting to me when I found Doré's drawings off it a while ago. I'm kind of reading it for the excitement it brings.
>plan on reading next
Not sure yet, maybe Chronicles of The Crusade, but I got a Jung book and Nietzsche book I gotta finish too.
>reason why you want to read it
Chronicles of The Crusade seems like I book I wouldn't have found out about if I hadn't found it at the store. The concept seems unique to me

[Anonymous No.17061158]

>last finished
Demian
>what did you think of it
Its a very attention-grabbing work, I think of it as anti-Crime & Punishment. Its got me interested in gnostic thought.
>currently reading
Monkey. Taking a break from my explorations of German lit for some comfy dragon ball
>thoughts so far
I like it, but it goes on for quite too long and sits uncomfortably between episodic and serial storytelling. I'd imagine its more tangible in its original cultural context.
>plan on reading next
Probably some more germoid works, maybe trying to get at Kafka again with The Trial
>reason why you want to read it
I hated Amerika and I can't even conceive of why Kafka is considered a touchstone author, so now I have to investigate further.

[Anonymous No.17061253]

>last finished
Niebla (Mist), by Miguel de Unamuno
Libertad bajo palabra (poetry anthology), by Octavio Paz

>what did you think of it
Niebla was incredible, such a good novel if only because I was inmersed in the dialogues and monologues of the characters. The metafictional device was also well deployed. Paz's poetry was rather ok, it had some good poems but overall I wasn't impressed by what I read. Piedra de sol (Sunstone) was the best, but I thought it would be mind-blowing. Instead, it was enjoyable, period.

>currently reading
Poesía (complete poetry), by Alí Chumacero
La región más transparente (Where the Air is Clear), by Carlos Fuentes

>thoughts so far
I'm enjoying much more Chumacero's poetry than Paz's. Such an underrated poet, and yet there's individuality and clarity in his voice. I tend to dislike love poetry because it tends to be sentimental, but the best writers of love poetry really outdo themselves. Chumacero is one of them.
Fuentes, on the other hand, I'm not enjoying that much. He's good, that much is evident, but it feels like a drag. I'm reading it with a friend in a "bookclub" that consists of the two of us, so can't help but finish it, but it might take a lot of time.

>plan on reading next
>reason why you want to read it
Not really sure. Next in the list of my "bookclub" is Pynchon's Slow Learner, so that's a given. Other than that, maybe El Quijote, or Juan José Arreola's Complete Fiction. We'll see what happens.

[Anonymous No.17061258]

>last finished
Dubliners
>what did you think of it
It's become one of my favorite books. I greatly admire Joyce's sensitivity and the way he finds something of interest or profundity in the mundane. "The Dead" in particular struck me, especially considering it was a reflection of Joyce's own experiences.
>currently reading
Paradise Lost
>thoughts so far
It's pretty good, though it's no Iliad. I think I see why Ezra Pound decried Milton for writing English as though it's Latin. Sometimes his English comes across a bit stiff or just unpleasant to read, but I find no reason to be quite as critical as Pound was concerning Milton overall.
>plan on reading next
I'll probably finally get around to reading Plato's Republic or perhaps The Turn of the Screw
>reasons why I want to read it
I've yet to read The Republic, so I might as well do it now. I've read much of Plato's other work and I'd like to read Timaeus, but I figure I'll get through The Republic before tackling that. As for Turn of the Screw, I would like to get into Henry James and I figure that books is as good a place to start as any.

[Anonymous No.17061316]

>last finished
Animal Farm
>what did you think of it
Nice and short, but the allegory was a bit too strong for me. It's a nice fable-like re-telling of historical events, but not much more than that. I did end up learning some things about the Soviet Union's early days though.
>currently reading
1984
>thoughts so far
Absolutely horrifying. I know that's the most milquetoast take ever, but the destruction of language in the Appendix really struck a chord with me.
>plan on reading next
Probably the last Narnia book, or perhaps finish up The Two Towers.
>reason why you want to read it
I've read the rest of the series and really enjoyed it, for the former, and I stopped reading it half-way through for the latter, even though I enjoyed it. School took priority and it sort of fell to the way-side.

Thanks for reading my blog

[Anonymous No.17062154]

>>17060046
utterly based

[Anonymous No.17063010]

>>17061316
>t. is under 20 years old

[Anonymous No.17063622]

>>17063010
No, just not well-read. I'm playing catch-up. I also read Lord of the Flies, but to be honest I'm glad I didn't read it before turning 20. I don't think it would've hit so hard.

[Anonymous No.17063672]

>>17063622
oh gosh I hate that book. I had such a hard time with it in highschool so I ended up just coasting thru the unit on the backs of my table group. never finished it but somehow i know every facet of this book. it's not particularly deep, either. if you want some more classic (good) lit you might like to try out The Master and Margarita, I Am Legend, On the Road are all good and which i read at a younger age.

[Anonymous No.17063711]

>17059263
>last finished
Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
>what did you think of it
Surprisingly touching book. Less cerebral than Dostoyevsky and more concise than Tolstoy.
>currently reading
The Beetle by Richard Marsh
>thoughts so far
I can see how it initially outsold Dracula. Not as good as Richard Marsh's short stories but good nonetheless.
>plan on reading next
No idea
>reason why you want to read it
See above

[Anonymous No.17063990]

>>17059263
>c&p
>absolutely based, love is the only thing that can give you happiness
>anna karenina
>pretty nice, i wanted to read something of Tolstoj and also Dostoyevsky loved it
>war and peace
>im enjoying tolstoj

[Anonymous No.17064898]

The Brothers Karamazov.

All I got to say is, Got damn...

[Anonymous No.17064906]

>>17059263
https://www.deviantart.com/uthp/journal/The-Legend-of-Twilight-Zelda-Princess-part-I-348420007

[Anonymous No.17064976]

>>17059263
>last finished
The Hobbit (reread it)
>what did you think of it
Comfiest book in existence.
>currently reading
Hampton and his Cavalry in '64 and Down and Out in Paris and London
>thoughts so far
Hampton and his Cavalry is a great historical work, if not a bit dry. It takes a good bit of foreknowledge of the Civil War to fully grasp but it's a good insight into how the Confederate army was fairing towards the end of the war, specifically the cavalry (obviously). Down and Out is so far a gripping and liniment look into poverty. This is my first memoir, but so far it reads like a story in the best way possible.
>plan on reading next
The Fellowship of the Ring
>reason why you want to read it
I never read the LOTR books and if they're anything like The Hobbit I think I'll love them.

[Anonymous No.17064986]

>>17064976
They're not so much like The Hobbit. However, they're much more rewarding by the time you get to ROTK.

[Anonymous No.17064988]

>>17064976
>liniment
intimate*, thanks autocorrect.

[Anonymous No.17065044]

>>17059263
>last finished One Hundred Years of Solitude. >Thought it was great, my first magical realist book, might check out Pedro Paramo next as that was a major influence on Marquez.
>Currently reading The Emigrants by Sebald
>My first Sebald, I enjoy it, but it lacks interesting prose that drives you too read more. In a way its
a little reassuring given his acclaim. Because Sebald is a writer many people could aspire to reach in terms of his writing capabilities. Unlike say someone like Pynchon who is one of a kind.
>Speaking of Pynchon, Mason and Dixon is next
>Obvious reasons, I loved his other works, so looking forward to the last of his big undertakings.

[Anonymous No.17065068]

>>17059263
I honestly don't read like I used to. When I was a teenager I somehow possessed the capacity to buzz-saw through 700 page novels like it was the only thing I had to enjoy. These days I'm a cretinous slave of the internet and obey its every stimulus, reading various articles or essays and piecemeal and then jumping to the next without finishing it like a subservient thrall with no control over his mind, destined only to increase the profit of various web trackers that monitor my existence and improve Google's algorithms.
This is a bit of a hyperbole but the internet really does suck my soul and its boundless information feast tempts me with a seductive lie.

[Anonymous No.17065080]

>last finished
True Grit by Charles Portis
I loved it. My fourth book by him that I’ve read this year, and he has turned into my favorite author. True Grit turns all expectation around, and ends up being such a great book.
>currently reading
The Knight by Gene Wolfe
I’m about 2/3 of the way through, and it’s alright. Expected a bit more from Wolfe, but I still like it.
>next read
Either gonna finish the Wizard Knight duo with the Wizard, or I’m gonna read A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr
>reason
It was recommended as a poetic read similar to The Peregrine, which I read this year and liked a lot.

[Anonymous No.17065096]

>last
Love by Stendhal
>what did you think?
It was amusing, Stendhal is very entertaining. I especially liked the stories from foreign countries and from the far past.
>currently reading
Charterhouse of Parma
>thoughts
Very fun so far, the way Stendhal talked about Italy in Love also shows here (especially the way he contrasts it with the France of the day). Like everyone else I enjoyed the way the battle of Waterloo was portrayed, the influence it had on Tolstoy's Borodino is immediately obvious
>plan on reading next
I am going to read The Moon and The Sixpence by Maugham and then get stuck into The Precipice by Ivan Goncharov
>reason why
The first is because I like returning to familiar authors at the end of the year, the second is because I just got a copy of the new translation and because I enjoyed the other two Goncharov novels I've read. It will also be neat to read a big Russian tome I have not read before, it's been a while since I've had that experience.

[Anonymous No.17065128]

>>17059263
Please pardon me for not using your template, I am flipphone posting at work and cannot copypaste Just finished A Suggest Inquiry Into The Hermetic Mystery by Mary Anne Atwood. Book was an absolute slog, I was reading it since February. Stil rather insightful though. Now I am onto Roobs Alchemy and Mysticism. It is more an art reference book, and gets some of the Gnostic and Hermetic connections a tad bit wrong but otherwise it is excellent.
Next i believe i wil either read Wealth of Nations or The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. >>17059651
Speaking as something of an exfascist who still bears some sympathies to it, the wiggle room for sympathy to socialism is oddly large in what one would think as any otherwise seemingly reactionary idealic outlook. The book sounds great, I will have to give it a look >>17061119
Raskolnikovs state of perpetual ilness is quite comfy. And the poorfag relatability just makes it perfect to read it the Winter time, great pick, anon
>>17064898
The Grand Inquisitor and the trial scene still get me fucking hyped

[Anonymous No.17065279]

>>17061158
>I hated Amerika and I can't even conceive of why Kafka is considered a touchstone author, so now I have to investigate further.
Go for his short stories. Read "The Burrow", that's why Kafka is considered such a great author.

[Anonymous No.17065289]

>>17061316
>the destruction of language in the Appendix
You missed the point completely.

[Anonymous No.17065394]

>>17059263
Can someone explain this picture please?

[Anonymous No.17065421]

>>17065394
Pepe the semite squirts a piece of orange onto the holy flame that he uses to light the mennorah once every night for 8 nights

[Anonymous No.17065553]

>>17065080
>Expected a bit more from Wolfe, but I still like it.
all of his later books are sadly like that. his editor told him to lay off the dense prose so unfortunately there is a certain accessibility present in his later stuff, even though the thematic content is just as dense as ever, which i think makes them more of a difficult read.

[Anonymous No.17065571]

>last finished
Dom Casmurro, by Machado de Assis
>what did you think of it
Great and complex, though I prefer de Assis' short stories, I also think Posthumous Memories of Brás Cubas it's his better novel.
>currently reading
The Castle, by Franz Kafka
>thoughts so far
Delicious, I love Kafka, I already loved The trial (wich I read two times), and I'm starting to think that I'll like The Castle even more.
>plan on reading next
I really don't know, I should read Franco Moretti's The Modern Epic for my monography, but I want to read Os Sertões by Euclides da Cunha or maybe read again The Complete Short Stories of Dostoyevsky
>reason why you want to read it
I need to read Moretti for academical purposes, Euclides da Cunha's Os Sertões it's a great classic book of Brazilian Literature (and I'm very curious to read It), and Dostoyevsky it's my favorite writer and maybe my best friend.

[Anonymous No.17065675]

>>17059263
>Hyperion
>it was interesting, hated that it ended in a cliffhanger
>Infinite Jest (plus a few others on the side)
>enjoying it thus far, a bit hard to understand but not incomprehensible
>Gravity's Rainbow
>saw recommendations for it premise makes it seems to be a trip

[Anonymous No.17065702]

>>17065675
Did you read the Hyperion sequels too?

[Anonymous No.17065713]

>>17065702
i'm holding off on those for now, i read too much sci-fi and fantasy i want to expand my horizons a bit with other genres

[Anonymous No.17065743]

>>17059263
>last finished
Man and His Symbols
>what did you think of it
bretty gud. Incredibly interesting stuff and really opened my eyes to how much more there is to life than what we learn in school
>currently reading
Cien Años de Soledad / One Hundred Years of Solitude
>thoughts so far
Maybe my favorite book ever. I'm reading it in English and Spanish and it really amazes me how much better the Spanish version is lmao. The translation sucks ass. It's the first (real) Spanish book I've read though so it's taking me forever to get through it. I love the way Márquez talks about how love affects people's lives in the most roundabout, random ways.
>plan on reading next
Probably The Brothers Karamazov. Maybe some random books my family got me (i.e. normie-tier 200 page self help books)
>reason why you want to read it
It's the last book I have left on my bookshelf. Also it's a /lit/ meme. I read Moby Dick for the meme and really enjoyed that, so how bad can it be.

[Anonymous No.17066021]

>>17059263
>last finished
pic related
>what did you think of it
I think BPK is easily one of the top three poets of the last 50 years, and the title poem is aces. Here's a link: https://poets.org/poem/song
>currently reading
Olio by Tyehimba Jess.
>thoughts so far
His marriage of form and content is very impressive and thought provoking. I think his deep, deep use of historical personae for his poems sets him apart from what a loooot of people are doing. His writing is also beautiful.
>plan on reading next
Buddha's Little Finger by Victor Pelevin.
>reason why you want to read it
I read S.N.U.F.F. and it was fabulous. I highly recommend it to everyone. In fact, this board would absolutely love it for it's Zizekian critique of SJW mantra

[Anonymous No.17066055]

>hobbit
>one of the best books ive read, i love tolkiens writing
>harassment architecture
>it can be cringy at times but i like it because no netflix or movie corp would do anything that doesnt fit the politcal agenda. books are the only form of media that arent manipulated
>how to read a book, wanna read the trivium and a grammer txtbook before next semester

[Anonymous No.17066417]

>>17059651
you're german, arent you? anyways, i highly recommend von salomon's questionnaire, one of the best books i've read this year. the way he weaves a fabric of living in weimar germany and the third reich from strands of anecdotes, meetings and talks is really immersive. i cant recommend auto da fe, had to read it for german class in high school and it was easily my least favorite read ever. never got this frustrated reading a book.

[Anonymous No.17066471]

>last finished
Kate Chopin's The Awakening.
>what did you think of it
It was really, really good. My literature class previously read Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure (a thick, dense read) and heading into The Awakening was as light and buttery as a pastry. Chopin's modern descriptions combined with her innate objectivity lends a very soothing, gentle tone to the book even as Edna reaches the end of her journey, and the events themselves make enough sense that I found the ending fitting.
>currently reading
Swann's Way, Marcel Proust, Lydia Davis translation.
>thoughts so far
I'm only a couple pages in but it seems alright so far. I'm not sure how much the translation affects Proust's own writing style, but the sentences haven't bored me yet so that's a good sign. Mostly I'm reading the book to get a feel for how Proust as novelist sees the world--is his work really as life-changing as people purports it to be? How exactly does he transcribe his local reality (even fictional) into text? Is it good? But I'll figure out those questions when I continue reading.
>Obama's Dreams of My Father
I'm not too invested in politics so I don't care too much about Obama's political escapades, but apparently, he's a great writer (and this seems to be just a memoir anyway).

[Anonymous No.17066511]

>>17061253
>Niebla (Mist), by Miguel de Unamuno
Sounds very interesting, going to put that one on my list, thank you

>>17065394
When you press citrus peel like that, a fine spray of oil comes out, which easily ignites if you do it near a flame. It produces a neat effect, and so kids or childlike frogs are bound to find it amusing.

[Anonymous No.17066673]

>>17059263
>Last Finished
"KD Rebel" by David E. Lane
>Thoughts on it
I find it bizarre how all of /pol/'s opinions were so easily condensed into a nearly two decade old book. Nothing new under the sun, I guess.
>Currently reading
"American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
>Thoughts on it
It's a decent fantasy novel. I think his character names can be a tad cringey. I find it fascinating how this work is the prototype to half of the YA fiction I grew up with.
>Plan on reading next
Something by Olson Scott Card that isn't "Ender's Game" (I've already read that one)
>Why I want to read it
I want to see more sci-fi where religion plays a bigger role in the story. Also I find it interesting to see Mormon mythology allusioned to in media.

[Anonymous No.17066700]

>Right ho, Jeeves!
>Loved it.
> Satantango and old French fairy tails
>Not bad and very good(an antique, the book was published in 1914, besides, I love reading old French)
> Random book on my list

[Anonymous No.17067014]

>>17064976
>Down and Out is so far a gripping and liniment look into poverty. This is my first memoir, but so far it reads like a story in the best way possible
Orwell is great, I recommend his essays afterwards

[Anonymous No.17067190]

>>17059651
Auto-da-Fé is great fun.

[Anonymous No.17067258]

>>17059263
"egipto a la luz de una teoria pluralista de la cultura" by Jan Assmann (I don't konw the original title)
and
the Rig Veda (yes)

[Anonymous No.17067301]

>Parerga et Paralipomena
>absolutely loved his essays, especially on women
>The Bible
>Convincing me to become a Christian
>Either Pensées by Pascal/The metamorphosis
>It's a supplement to Christianity/I just bought a bilingual version in German.

[Anonymous No.17068374]

>>17065289
I'm quite sure I didn't, but feel free to enlighten me.

[Anonymous No.17068431]

>>17059263
>>last finished
Color of mind - Darby
>>what did you think of it
idk i liked the history and im more knowledgeable on the racial achievement gap in schools
>>currently reading
A week on the Concord and Merrimack - Thoreau
>>thoughts so far
Comfy, but Thoreau rambles a bit too much.
>>plan on reading next
Walden
>>reason why you want to read it
Because Thoreau is comfy and gives me uncle Ted vibes

[Anonymous No.17069039]

>>17059263
>>last finished
book 4 of the tapestry series
>>what did you think of it
I liked it a lot, I had only read up to the third book when i was younger so finally getting to book 4 was awesome, really excited for the final book to become available literally anywhere
>>currently reading
the name of the wind
>>thoughts so far
im only about 100 pages in and the story is just kickin off, started with a flash back and it seems really interesting, dont think im really far enough in to have a solid opinion but i plan on continuing it
>>plan on reading next
if i like my current read I'll pick up the next book in the series, if not ill prob swap to a different series my friend reccomended me the farseer trilogy
>>reason why you want to read it
i like fantasy novels and so does he, hes a good buddy of mine so i trust his recs and want to give it a go

happy holidays /lit/

[Anonymous No.17069166]

Lolita
Lived up to hype
The Magic Mountain
Very German, one of probably 3 books I've reread.
Probably finish The Will to Power by NEETche
Already started it

[Anonymous No.17069182]

>>17067014
I've read Notes on Nationalism and A Hanging so far. I have a collection of them I plan on reading at some point.

[Anonymous No.17069206]

>>17059263
>last finished
Black flags, blue waters
>what did you think of it
I liked it. It provides a less sympathetic and more American centered approach to piracy than the other more Caribbean focused books such as Republic of the Pirates
>currently reading
Pride and Prejudice
>thoughts so far
Really fun. Great characters and great writing. I’m just waiting for Darcy and Elizabeth to fuck already.
>plan on reading next
Surgeon’s Mate
>reason why you want to read it
I love the Aubrey Matchurin series and was just taking a break. That’s also the reason I read P&P. Austen is O’Brian’s favorite author.

[Anonymous No.17069207]

>Last finished
Brothers Karamazov: I really liked it, great work, but I didn't appreciated it as much as many of you probabily did. The Dostojevski's beauty, themes, philosophy aren't exactly my flavor
>Currently reading
Invincible by Stanislaw Lem: I'm close to finish it, and it's a pretty book, but I feel like that is more "classic sci-fi" than the "philosophical" of other Lem's work I've read.
>plan on reading next
I've got to finish "Small moral Works" by Leopardi, before the end of the year. Not an easy book, and often boring, but it has its pros. After that, I think I will start the new year with something like The Book of Disquiet, or the Myth of Sysiphus, for their premises. I hope 2021 will be a productive year, I've got much on my list, pic somewhat related

[Anonymous No.17070586]

>last finished
Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World
>what did you think of it
It was alright, one of those books that probably should have just even a long magazine article.
>currently reading
Plain of Snakes-Paul Theroux
>thoughts so far
Pretty good but not among his best travel books.
>plan on reading next
Skeletons on the Zahara
>reason why you want to read it
Caught my eye

[Anonymous No.17071574]

I was trying to read The Portrait of a Lady but shit was so boring that I dropped it for Ulysses, which immediately hooked me from the start. Great stuff

[Anonymous No.17071741]

>>17059263
>last finished
Le dernier jour d'un condamné
>opinion
Didn't really understand most of it(I'm negated in understanding nuances)
Liked the old priest that gave up on the condemned right away
>currently reading
Le rouge et le noir by stendhal
>reading next
L' etranger
>I miss the protagonist I want to re-read it

[Anonymous No.17071791]

>>last finished
Oedipus at Colonus Fagles translation, after Antigone and Oedipus Rex
>>what did you think of it
regarding the translation, I haven't read any Fagles before but /lit/ memed me into believing he's "dumbed down". True, he doesn't seem to be aiming at the same elegance of language that Fitzgerald reaches, but it still seemed to have a sound, rhythmic poetry about it.

The play was my favorite of the three and it was interesting to see some parallels with King Lear (disloyal and loyal children, dying father, blinded father, thunderstorm)

>>currently reading
The Birth of Tragedy by Nietzsche
>>thoughts so far
I haven't read any pre-Zarathustra N before, barring a few notes in WTP. It's more of a "traditional" book and doesn't act as a springboard for deeper interpretation/reflection as much as his later books. It makes me want to take a closer look at the chorus parts in the plays I just read.
>>plan on reading next
>>reason why you want to read it
The Case of Wagner, which is included in the same volume as TBoT. Then I was going to read the Recognitions but I might read some Aeschylus and Euripides first to compare them with Sophocles and get more of the context for TBoT

[Anonymous No.17072105]

>>17059263
> Last finished
'Brighton Rock'
> What did you think of it
I was in awe of how Greene represented sociopathic thoughts. Ida Arnold was also a fascinating character: no real strong ideological or philosophical conviction yet the only true champion of good. Can't say I was a huge fan of it's prose style.
> Currently reading
'In Paris With You'
> Thoughts so far
Verse novels are somewhat virgin territory. It's quite enjoyable.
> Plan on reading next
Either 'Far from the Madding Crowd' or 'I married a communist'
> Reason why I want to read them
Having seen a stage adaption of the former a while back, I've been meaning to get to the book. In the case of the latter, I loved 'Sbabath's Theater' and wanted to read more of Roth's work.

[Anonymous No.17072569]

>finishing books

[Anonymous No.17072930]

>>17059263
>last finished
Everyday Saints by Archimandrite Tikhon
>what did you think of it
Extremely comfy.
>currently reading
Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux
>thoughts so far
Therese was far more mature at any age than I am right now. Very interested in what happens after she enters Carmel.
>plan on reading next
The Everlasting Man by Chesterton
>reason why you want to read it
Lots of good reviews and recommendations from anons on /lit/.

[Anonymous No.17073507]

>>17059263
>Last finished
Love's executioner
>What did you think of it
Decent writing. Good insight into psychotherapy and analysis. Helps explain some of the existential roots of the author's clients' problems and the relation to the trauma. Shows just how ineffective therapy can be if the client is not active in their treatment.
>Currently Reading
Confessions by Saint Augustine
>Thoughts so far
Excellent. From what I know of the period of history Augustine wrote this book during and his life, the writing is insightful and profound.
>Plan on reading next
Cloud of Unknowing. I have a few books I have half-read and put down because of school, so I may finish those (Psychopolitics and Sean Hannity's latest book Live Free or Die).
>Reason why you want to read it
I want to engage with the best Catholic writing I can find. Cloud of Unknowing was suggested to me by a devout Catholic, so I figured I'd read that after Augustine's Confessions. The other books I listed I want to read because I never finished them.

[Anonymous No.17073840]

>>17059263
>"Call Me By Your Name"
>It had its moments. That's the most I can say for it.
>The Odyssey
>I'm 70 pages into the 90-page introduction, so I haven't started the book proper yet
>Something lighter. Maybe something by Roald Dahl.
>Because I like to pace myself. A refresher between complex, difficult or heavy books helps.

[Anonymous No.17074319]

>>17059263
>miss lonelyhearts
great. funny and depressing. very zen. will read more of him.

>Pnin
>the haunting of hill house
Pnin is cute and wholesome. very easy on the heart compared to miss lonelyhearts. i almost dont want it to end but i wanna read more nabakov too.

hill house is slow. the writing is very clean which i like. nothing too creepy has happened yet. i hope the last act has big surprises.

>becketts molloy trilogy
>more pale fire/ada or ardor
>brian evenson

everyone praises the trilogy and i like that kind of nonesense language explosions. dont know if that is what itis but still.

and just horror in general

[Anonymous No.17074547]

>>17059263
>last finished
invisible cities
>what did you think of it
i loved it, it was a lot of fun making connections between each city and figuring out what he was getting at with each description
i also liked the the conversation interludes between polo and khan
>currently reading
the third policeman
>thoughts so far
i really like the writer's style and it is super engaging so far, i did not read about it beforehand and I'm only two chapters in so I cannot wait to see where it goes next
>plan on reading next
locos by felipe alfau
>reason why you want to read it
it seems to be the type of book that I like and the little that I read about it makes it seem pretty interesting

[Anonymous No.17075175]

>>17059263
Last: Make it Stick
>Breddy gud. Simple but easy. Nothing new more just confirming things I was already aware of/practicing.
Current: Principles of Biomedical Ethics
>Reading in anticipation for uni next year. Enjoying a lot. Looking for recs on ethics, morals etc. Was hinting for an ethics chart but couldn't find one.
Next: Power of Habit - Duhigg
I'll be in a train for a few hours tomorrow so want something i can just consoom and not have to think about too much.

[Anonymous No.17075229]

>last finished
Killer Fiction by Sondra London and GJ Schaefer
>what did you think of it
It's really dark. A bunch of short stories written by a presumed serial killer that blend fact and fiction. Surprisingly well written but still kind of rambling sick necrophilic fantasies that make you feel complicit for reading it.
>currently reading
Making of a Serial Killer by Sondra London and Danny Rollins
>thoughts so far
Also written by a serial killer but seems to be marketed as autobiographical and true. Danny Rollins can't really write very well and it's been hard to get through so far, I might abandon it.
>plan on reading next
You Can't Win by Jack Black and finishing The Thief's Journal by Jean Genet
>reason why you want to read it
They're both hobo diaries by outsiders which piques my interest. Thief's Journal is good so far.

[Anonymous No.17076271]

>>17059263
>last finished
Confessions of a Mask
>what did you think of it
Lots of great passages but a bit strange and gross.
>currently reading
Gravity's Rainbow
>thoughts so far
Nearly on 700 pages now, the most fun I've had reading a book and easily the best book I've read, but I'm fairly sure my brain is melting at this point.
>plan on reading next
No clue, GR, as much as I've enjoyed it makes me want to take a break from reading to be honest. Maybe some more Mishima.
>reason why you want to read it
To cool off a bit.

[Anonymous No.17076323]

>>17059513
wait to read One Hundred Years during the summer and keep reading winter lit

[Anonymous No.17076351]

>>17059263
>Herberstein's account of his trips to Muscovy
>quite good
>The Cossacks : a warrior society between liberties and freedom, Ukraine, 1490-7190, by Iaroslav Lebedynsky
>bretty gud
>The second part of 'In Iranian Islam' by Henry Corbin
>because the first volume was great

[Anonymous No.17076375]

>>17060815
Let me summarize for you: Trudeau is exploiting woke performativism so he can get away with murder extracting oil in the background. People take his performance as a signal of leadership and it escalates as they reverberate off one another.

[Anonymous No.17076397]

>>17061158
>I think of it as anti-Crime & Punishment
I'm finally going to read Demian now. Thank, you, anon.

[Anonymous No.17076504]

>>17065068
Check out The Shallows by Carr. It honestly probably won't help you but it is highly relevant and easy to read. It's pop sci

[Anonymous No.17076509]

>>17065743
also reading 100 years of Solitude, so good

[Anonymous No.17076622]

>>17075175
For your first semester, take a philosophy course specifically centered around Ethics. My mind was blown.

[Anonymous No.17076637]

>>17075229
You are a w*man, I can tell.

[Anonymous No.17076855]

>>17059263
>Rabelais and His World by Mikhail Bakhtin
>really interesting. I truly didn't understand what "folk culture" was until reading this. A bit repetitive in parts. Need to read Rabelais now haha
>Re-reading Ficciones and other books I read as I write essays on all books I read this year
>Borges, like his labyrinths, is infinitely re readable.
>Kokoro by Natsumi Soseki
>A friend gave it to me and I have never read Japanese lit
>>17059317
Demons was amazing. better than Karamazov imo.

[Anonymous No.17077595]

>lord of the rings
>pleasant message
>crime and punishment
>interesting
>blood meridian
>memes

[Anonymous No.17078404]

>finished
Storm Of Steel
>opinion on finished
Pretty great, I'd kill to be able to copy Junger's attitude to life into mine.
>now reading
The Iliad (Fagles)
>thoughts so far
Definitely thought I'd enjoy it more, I might be getting filtered because my reading comprehension suffers if I don't put 100% of my concentration into it.
>next
gonna look at anon's recommedations in this thread

[Anonymous No.17078863]

>>17076622
Unfortunately it's a master's course where all units are preset. I might try wriggle into some ethics classes. That sorta stuff is weird here in Aus.

[Anonymous No.17078901]

>last finished
Master and Margarita by Bulghakov
>what did you think of it
At first confused but love the second half of the book; it was a re-read and first time I noticed there were errors which I did not notice before; still great work though if you consider the state of the author at that time
>currently reading
The Black Obelisk by E.M.Remarque
>thoughts so far
One of the best books I have read. The simple language, funny passages and the deep thought that appear from time to time make it enjoyable for me
>plan on reading next
The White Nights by Dosto
>reason why you want to read it
Read few books per year with some friends and we wanted to discuss it.

[Anonymous No.17078946]

>last finished
Moby Dick
>what did you think of it
Very good, I'm not too hot on American history of the period, so whatever contemporary political allegory people read into it was lost on me. I loved the characters, I thought the meandering style was excellent, I loved the humour. Always feel like things go over my head though, will hopefully be rereading this one a few times throughout my life. When you think about the scope of the book it really is astounding.
>currently reading
Walden, it was mentioned in the introduction to my edition of MD and I already had it
>thoughts so far
Excellent, very illuminating
>reading next
who knows, one of the books in my possesion, presumably

[Anonymous No.17079002]

>>17078863
That stinks. In that case I'd recommend you scour the internet on places like Coursera to see if any institutions such as Harvard have posted an Ethics 101 course online.

[Anonymous No.17079155]

>dead souls
>was solid, would recommend
>eugene onegin
>pretty good, the poetry is new to me, but enjoying it so far
>boris godunov
>next up on russian "classics"

[Anonymous No.17079550]

>>17079002
Good call. I've been doing similar stuff related to ethics (ethics of medical screening, ethics of sorogacy/fertility treatments, gamete freezing embryo storage) but nothing hard ethics. Short of just driving head first into nichomedian Ethics i wasn't sure. I'll have a look anon, cheers.

[Anonymous No.17080438]

>last finished
The Zürau Aphorisms
>what did you think of it
Comfy short collection of aphorisms by Kafka which he wrote when he had moved to his sister's home in the countryside.
>currently reading
2666 by Bolaño and The Ego and its own by Stirner.
>thoughts so far
For the novel I can say that it's written in a simple way yet it's addicting and not tiresome. One must not confuse subtle writing with poor quality since the book is very readable with plenty of metaphysical passages and interesting references to specific books or authors in general. Nevertheless Bolaño brings light to the current state of society and to what was ignored or forgotten in it.
From Stirner's work I can say that the book is greatly written like most German philosophy. It's an interesting enquiry into the individual way of thought. There is also great moral commentary in the book and one can clearly see how Nietszche was impacted by it.
>plan on reading next
Lolita
>reason why you want to read it
I'm not the biggest fan of erotica since it's cliche at times but Nabokov is a great writer and the plot seems interesting. Also the scenario is a personal interest since it takes place in America.