/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.2009924]

LAST 3 READS:
CURRENTLY READING:
NEXT THREE:

WITH DISCUSSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS IF YOU WANT

LAST THREE:
A TALE OF A TUB - SWIFT (1694-'97)
HIS FIRST WORK, PRETTY MEDIOCRE WORK SATIRISING OTHER SATIRE.

NARCISSUS AND GOLDMUND - HESSE (1930)
ANOTHER TYPICAL PHILOSOPHY 101 SPEND YOUR LIFE SEARCHING FOR SALVATION THROUGH RELIGION OR WORLDLY MEANS HESSE WORK. PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD AS CLEARLY DISTINCTIVE BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT PARTIES' BELIEFS THAT YOU FOLLOW THROUGH THE ENTIRE TALE.

GERMINAL - ZOLA (1885)
MY FIRST CHECK OUT OF ZOLA, AND MAYBE TOP 5 NOVELS I HAVE READ. PRETTY GRITTY PROSE THAT ZOLA THREW OUT HERE ON A CERTAINLY RELEVANT AND STILL DEBATED ISSUE. SETS THE SCENE PRETTY WELL FOR THE STRUGGLE AGAINST BOURGEOIS IN FRANCE/EUROPE AT THE TIME AS THE FIRST CORPORATIONS AND MEGA-COMPANIES BEGAN CHEWING UP ALL OPPOSITION AND UTILISING THEIR POWER TO BE RUTHLESS ON THEIR WORKERS AND FORCE THEM INTO POVERTY AND SUBSERVIENCE. HAVE SINCE DECIDED THAT MY GOAL IS ALSO TO WORK MY WAY THROUGH HIS WIDE ARRAY OF NOVELS UNTIL COMPLETION. INTERESTING HOW ANOTHER NATURALIST AUTHOR HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF MY FAVOURITES TOO (TOLSTOY), PITY ZOLA MET SUCH AN UNBECOMING ENDING

[twattle !EA3bdMFX0. No.2009929]

LAST 3
Val Valerian - The MATRIX #1
Prinicipia Discordia
Simulacra and Simulation

CURRENT
The Recognitions - Gaddis
The Secret Teachings of all Ages - Manly P Hall

NEXT
Matrix II The Abduction and Manipulation of Humans using Advanced Technology
Name of the Rose

[Anonymous No.2009928]

CURRENTLY READING:
THE ART OF WAR - TZU (300 BC)
AROUND HALFWAY THROUGH, PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD (FOR TODAY'S STANDARDS) TREATISE ON WAGING WAR, ALTHOUGH PRETTY GROUNDBREAKING STUFF FOR ITS TIME. SOME INTERESTING KNACKS HERE AND THERE THAT STILL HAVE APPLICABILITY TO RESOLVING PROBLEMS/OPPONENTS THAT YOU MAY BE FACED WITH

NEXT THREE:
UNDER FIRE - BARBUSSE (1916)
THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY - WILDER (1927)
THE TRAIN WAS ON TIME - BOLL (1949)

JUST READING A FEW WORKS (THE ABOVE LISTED THEE) RECOMMENDED BY PEOPLE ON /LIT/ BEFORE I PLUNGE BACK INTO DUMAS, FLAUBERT, ZOLA, BALZAC, AND MY FIRST EVER STENDHAL (WHICH WILL BE THE RED AND THE BLACK)

[Anonymous No.2009943]

>>2009924
I hate reading your posts.

Last 3:
Goethe Faust II
First read, was damn confusing all those greek mythologies. Lots of very interesting aspects, though, liked the subplots with the humonculus most.

Goethe, Elective Affinities
Was pretty ok, seems too dragged out and too many uninteresting subplots but beginning and ending was good.

Khalil Gibran, The Wanderer
Perhaps not the best idea to read through this in one go but pick a few stories everyday and think about them. I felt most were not worth the effort and seemed abit outdated for modern reading. Still a few nice stories in there, too.

Currently: Hesse, Siddhartha.
Like it alot till now.

Next:
Gibran, The Prophet
Pamuk, White Castle
John Updike, My Father's Tears and other Stories.

[Anonymous No.2009951]

>>2009943
SAYING THAT DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING

[Anonymous No.2009957]

LAST 3 READS:
>Trout Fishing in American by Richard Brautigan
Felt a lot different than the other two by him I'd read before. More subdued, less outright absurdity maybe. It was a calm surrealism, imo. Lots of references that went over my head, I'm sure, but I enjoyed all the stories. Things concerning Trout Fishing in America Shorty and the whole of the Cleveland Wrecking Yard scenes were my favorites.
>Sombrero Fallout by Richard Brautigan
Read In Watermelon Sugar first by Brautigan and loved it and wanted more of something similar. This was different - very much more hilarious and maybe a little bit more weird but not as creepy - and I loved it just as much.
>No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai
Finally read this! Having read a lot of his autobiographical stories first, I can definitely see the ties to Dazai's life in this, which only make it more heartbreaking. Really need to finish that transcribing project for it.

CURRENTLY READING:
>Cosmos by Witold Gombrowicz
A reviewer on LibraryThing put it well:
"Obsessive-compulsive, finicky, fidgety, microscopic, auto-erotic, pointless but sharp as a scratchy saw. Like a perverted Conan Doyle. Like a psychotic entomologist I knew, who was nearly blind and wore absurd thick glasses and could be seen wandering around the college campus trying to peer at bees from one inch away. He thought that car crashes happened somehow on account of him. Like Freud's idea of Dalí (as fanatic, as embarrassment to the institution)." Its kind of like that.
>Diary of a Madman and Other Stories by Nikolai Gogol
My favorite was "The Nose," though "The Overcoat" was definitely up there as well. Started this after wanting to read the roots of absurdism and wondering how I hadn't read Gogol yet. Reading "Taras Bulba" now.

NEXT THREE:
>The Dwarf by Par Lagerkvist (or maybe Barabbas)
>The Hawkline Monster by Richard Brautigan (something else by him, at least)
>The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai

[Historian !!hBUE55ABNbF No.2009963]

>>2009924
Glad you enjoyed Germinal and are enjoying Zola. However, Germinal is also a critique of non-embedded revolutionary "intellectuals" and how they treat working class communities.

[Anonymous No.2009968]

Last Three

Spring Torrents B+
Girl With Curious Hair A-
Cien Anos de Soledad A-

Current
Homage To Catalonia: I love Orwell's non-fiction. He makes even subjects I hate mildly interesting (war, for one).

Next Three
Fortress of Solitude
A collection of Poe
Ham on Rye

The next three are subject to change, though, I bought ten books this week instead of buying food. Food is for chumps. And it's not as fun.

On C.A.S: Spanish is my native tongue, but I seriously loathe reading it. I went through both Girl with Curious Hair and Spring Torrents in two days, but whenever I hit something in Spanish it messes up my entire reading schedule-- it's like I'm going at 70mph but suddenly my car refuses to go over 10mph. It's infuriating. Cien Anos de Soledad was nice, but not good enough to last two whole fucking weeks.

>>2009928
hey capsguy how was the adolescent?

[Anonymous No.2009971]

>>2009963
I CAN DEFINITELY SEE THAT BEING THE CASE, WHICH WOULD EXPLAIN THE DEMISE AND FAILURE OF MANY REVOLUTIONARY GROUPS AND THEIR SPONSORED/SANCTIONED ACTIVITIES AT THE TIME.

[Historian !!hBUE55ABNbF No.2009974]

>>2009971
It does to a certain extent. On the other hand, the working class can just plain lose, as it lost in 1937 in Barcelona, or 1956 in Hungary.

I would recomment L'Assommoir, Nana (a sequel to L'Assommoir) and Earth for your next Zola reads. The "Ladies Paradise" cycle revolving around the commercial bourgeois is also enjoyable.

[cas(｡◕‿‿◕｡)tiel No.2009975]

>>2009957
My father recommended Richard Brautigan; specifically A Confederate General from Big Sur.
Worth buying?

[Anonymous No.2009978]

>>2009974
I PICKED THE BEAST WITHIN AS MY NEXT READ

DID I DO WRONG?

[Historian !!hBUE55ABNbF No.2009985]

>>2009978
Not at all. The Beast Within is the Novel that Zola intended Etienne to star in. But... well... so he had to insert another brother into that section of the family.

The Beast Within is more action based than many others. Enjoy! I quite enjoy the tunnel sequences.

[Anonymous No.2009986]

>Last 3
Invisible Monsters - Chuck Palahniuk
This was okay I suppose, I only read it because my girlfriend insisted on it (she is pretty hipster).

The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
Very good story. I've only read one other Hemingway novel (The Sun Also Rises) and I really enjoy reading him. This one actually made me tear up near the end.

Around the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne
Another very good story, I always love reading Verne and he's probably my favorite author. He writes in a very smooth way that always makes his stories easy to read.

>Currently reading
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
This is fantastic so far, I'm only about 1/4 of the way through but I love it.

>Next 3
A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway
The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky
Who knows after that.

[Anonymous No.2009987]

>>2009975
Haven't read that one yet! But if the three I've read so far are any indicator of his general quality, he's definitely worth buying/reading. They tend to be pretty short as well, so you aren't losing much by checking them out (you can get that one on #bookz if you're unsure of whether or not to buy it).

[Anonymous No.2009990]

>>2009985
I'LL DEFINITELY LET YOU KNOW.

[cas(｡◕‿‿◕｡)tiel No.2009992]

>>2009987
Ah, thanks, but I've never been one for ebooks; worst case scenario of actually buying a book is that I support a used bookshop. I'll be sure to bump him up a few notches on my Wish list though.

[Anonymous No.2009996]

>>2009968
PROBABLY DOSTOEVSKY'S MOST UNAPPRECIATED WORK. THE CONSTANT PLOT TWISTS REALLY KEPT ME GOING, ALTHOUGH IT DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF DOSTOEVSKY'S TRADEMARK PHILOSOPHICAL/RELIGIOUS DISCUSSIONS.

DOSTOEVSKY WAS THE MASTER AT DEPICTING A LARGE CAST OF CHARACTERS THAT ARE BELIEVABLE EVEN IN EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES. HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE ADOLESCENT MIND SHONE THROUGH IN THE ADOLESCENT, PROBABLY WORTH READING IF YOU'RE (A MALE) IN THE AGES OF 18-24 FOR GREATEST READING EXPERIENCE.

THE NARRATION THROUGHOUT THE NOVEL IS PRETTY ENJOYABLE WITH THAT IN MIND, THE ARROGANCE AND NAIVETY OF THE ILLEGITIMATE CHILD REALLY ADDING WELL TO DOSTOEVSKY'S OBSCURE HUMOUR.

[Anonymous No.2010006]

Last three:

Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake. I really enjoyed this. There's hardly any plot at all, but the characters and the little world of Gormenghast were all I needed to get me through this book. Highly recommended, particularly for those looking for fantasy that has nothing of Tolkien to be found in it.

The Metamorphoses by Ovid. Kind of hit or miss, to be honest. Some of the stories were quite good, and others seemed kind of mediocre. Perseus is a bad ass.

Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. Really enjoyed this one. The way the text develops as the protagonist ages is fascinating.

Currently:

For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. About 400 pages in, really enjoying it. I love the powerful style of Hemingway's writing, and the way he accounts for the formality of Spanish by using archaic English (thees and thous, etc.) is interesting.

Next 3 (not entirely sure, but):

Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (reread)
A Case of Two Cities by Qiu Xiaolong

[Anonymous No.2010892]

>>2009992
NOTHING WRONG WITH EBOOKS IF YOU'RE READING IT ON A SOUND DEVICE

[Anonymous No.2011446]

>last 3
Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare) - far from his best comedy, whether read as misogyny or ,as increasingly done now, straight-faced mockery of misogyny. meh overall and i generally love s.

At Swim-Two-Birds (Flann O'Brien) - minduck romping meta-fiction Irish novel with gorgeous lyrical prose (if you pick it up, don't be mislead by how dry the 10pg irish epic imitation towards the beginning is. it just serves as the point of comparison for much of what follows)

Foucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco) - a thriller that remains respectable by mocking the very foundation - conspiracy theories - it is built on. certainly more intelligent than dan brown or the like but not so full of itself that it ceases to be entertaining.

>present
The Devils of Loudun (Huxley) - probably the best non-academic non-fiction books I've read. about a mass demonic possession in a 17th c. french convent, with frequent stops for spiritual pondering/philosophy throughout. highly recommended.

>next
Gormenghast or Tigana. a friend keeps pushing them on me but i rarely read fantasy so maybe not.

[Anonymous No.2011453]

>>2011446
Gormenghast is real good. Ridiculously atmospheric.

[Anonymous No.2011496]

Last Three:
American Gods, Neil Gaiman
Heart-Shaped Box, Joe Hill
A Clash of Kings, George R. R. Martin

Currently Reading:
The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas
Luck in the Shadows, Lynn Flewelling

Next Three:
A Storm of Swords, G.R.R.M.
Idylls of the King, Tennyson
A Feast for Crows, G.R.R.M.

>>2009986
If you like the Count of Monte Cristo, and aren't averse to watching anime, I'd recommend Gankutsuou. It's basically the Count of Monte Cristo... IN SPACE.

Give it a shot. It's got a really interesting visual style.

[Anonymous No.2011507]

I'm currently reading some of Francis Bacon's work. It took me a fucking hour to read 10 pages... also I wish I knew more of the Bible and a lot more Latin. That aside, it's pretty interesting and he has some bitching quotes

[Anonymous No.2011534]

>>2011446
>At Swim-Two-Birds (Flann O'Brien)

Check out The Third Policeman if you haven't.

Last 3:

The Third Man - Graham Greene. Good short little crime thriller novella. Haven't seen the movie, which is suppose to be good. Now I ruined it though.. well it was one or the other I guess. 3/5

The War of the World - H.G. Wells. I figured it's about time I got this one behind me. I remember watching the 1953 version when I was a little kid, scared me shitless. I don't know what it is about it, but the book managed to creep me out a little too. I rather enjoyed it overall, it felt like Wells wanted to really get at human pride and confidence. 3/5

Our Town - Thorton Wilder. Never read a play like it. It must be fascinating to see. I really don't know what to say about it.

Currently reading:

Of Human Bondage - Maugham.

Next 3:

Breakfast at Tiffany's - Capote
Treasure Island - Stevenson
No Exit - Sartre

[Anonymous No.2011548]

>>2011534
>Haven't seen the movie

Watch it. WATCH IT NOW. You will not regret it.

[q2 !!YII/XfOIyAE No.2011569]

[Anonymous No.2011572]

>>2011569
So, what books are you reading?

[q2 !!YII/XfOIyAE No.2011574]

>>2011572
not telling you

[Sherlock Holmes Guy No.2011581]

>>2011534
>Our Town - Thorton Wilder. Never read a play like it. It must be fascinating to see. I really don't know what to say about it.

one of my favs.

[Anonymous No.2011582]

LAST 3 READS:
THE WAR OF WAR - TZU (300 BC)
A TALE OF A TUB - SWIFT (1694-'97)
NARCISSUS AND GOLDMUND - HESSE (1930)

CURRENTLY READING:
UNDER FIRE - BARBUSSE (1916)

NEXT THREE:
THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY - WILDER (1927)
THE TRAIN WAS ON TIME - BOLL (1949)
INN OF THE TWO WITCHES - CONRAD

[Anonymous No.2011598]

Last 3
Ham on Rye
The Rum Diary
Ishmael

Current
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Tests
Infinite Jest

Next 3
Slaughterhouse Five
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Dharma Bums

[Anonymous No.2011600]

>>2011574
Not the other guy, but how come in the two times I have replied to you, you have deleted your post? Why don't you answer my emails?

Am I a part of Quentin Incorporated or not?

[q2 !!YII/XfOIyAE No.2011605]

>>2011600
mods are crazy

what did you even email me about i never check it

[Anonymous No.2011609]

>>2011605
I still await my money.

[Anonymous No.2011636]

>>2011609
CAN YOU KINDLY TAKE THIS SOMEWHERE ELSE?

[Anonymous No.2011689]

current: the savage detectives
last three: war and peace, 2666, the hobbit
shits dank

[Anonymous No.2011796]

>>2011689
Good choices

[Anonymous No.2011823]

Last three:
Don Quixote
Lord of the Flies
The Outside

Currently reading:
Scoop!
Catch-22 (re-read)
Chavs: the demonization of the working class

Next three:
The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Brothers Karamazov
Slaughterhouse 5 (re-read)

[Anonymous No.2011915]

>>2011823
How's your /lit/ essentials going?

[Anonymous No.2011953]

Last 3
Hunter S. Thompson - Fear and loathing in las vegas
Crime and punishment (again again)
Magic and Witchcraft: From Shamanism to the Technopagans

Current
Tropic of Cancer
and when I'm bored I look in my collection of Hunter S. Thompson articles

Next:
Hitch 22
Women - Bukowski (again)
Probably gonna re-read The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Tests since I'm a sucker for New Journalism at the moment

[Anonymous No.2012336]

>>2009957
LAST 3 READS:
>Cosmos by Witold Gombrowicz
The ending went in a sudden and detached direction that I wasn't expecting, but I really enjoyed it. I was kind of surprised at some of the vulgarity and what seemed to be careless indifference from the characters near the end, but the narrator got way creepy, something that was only enhanced with the stream-of-consciousness, and that made the whole ending very suspenseful.
>The Hawkline Monster by Richard Brautigan
Probably the weakest Brautigan I've read so far, but also probably the best weird mix of western and gothic horror I've read. The bits where they're confused due to the monster's mental influences got a little repetitive and annoying, but the first section concerning the journey there and the parts about the monster's shadow were great.
>Principia Discordia
Wasn't really sure how to approach this but, eh. I saw it recommended in the surreal thread. I laughed a ton of times through it, but I guess I missed the life-changing aspects. Wasn't nearly as "mind-fuck" as I was expecting, I guess. It kind of reminded me of things I used to write when I was 14 and it was 3am. The bits with the forms and letters were my favorite, though I probably need to pick up a physical copy so I can see all the diagrams and charts and stuff.

CURRENTLY READING:
>Diary of a Madman and Other Stories by Nikolai Gogol
>Outlaws of the Marsh by Shi Nai'an

NEXT THREE:
>The Dwarf by Par Lagerkvist
>The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai
>The Golem by Gustav Meyrink

[Sunhawk !M9PhF5nIzs No.2012401]

Last 3:

Love in the Time of Cholera - GGM - decent
Sunset Park - Paul Auster - good
The Skating Rink - Robert Bolano - weak

Currently reading:

Moon Palace - Paul Auster

Next 3 reads:

Monseuir Pain - Roberto Bolano
The Autumn of the Patriach - GGM
Flow my Tears, the Police Said - Philip K Dick

I think I'll read those 3 next, I'm not sure. I've been enjoying my reading quite a lot recently, I got some good stuff. Still sticking to the same authors too much, though.

[hakas No.2012417]

>>2009929
Did you give up with everything else? i.e. sons and lovers?
p.s hi :)


Last 3:
Rubaiyat - Omar Khayyam
Sons and Lovers - DH Lawrence
Exercises in Style - Raymond Queneau

Currently:
Gravity's Rainbow
Riddley Walker - Russell Hoban

Next:
Ada or Ardor - Nabokov

[Anonymous No.2012722]

Last 3
1. I Robot by Isaac Asimov
2. The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
3. Beam Me Up Scotty by James Doohan
Currently Reading
1. The Hobbit
2. 1984
3. Star Trek Movie Memories by William Shatner
Next 3
1. I Am Not Spock by Leonard Nimoy
2. Children of Dune by Frank Herbert
3. ????

[twattle !EA3bdMFX0. No.2012731]

>>2012417
No I finished sons and lovers awhile ago

[Anonymous No.2012737]

Snow Flower and Secret Fan- A historical novel set in China written by an American. The author did a lot of lot of research on women's culture, but nothing else. A lot of telling instead of showing.

Ella Minnow Pea- It's a lipogram about an island where certain letters are progressively outlawed. It was interesting until the author gave up on making everything grammatically correct and started using pidgin.

All Quiet on the Western Front- A great book. I watched the movie in school, which was a shame. I was looking forward to reading the butterfly scene the entire time and it ended up not being in it.

[Anonymous No.2012743]

last 3
>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Decent book, I liked it and read it in 4 days. Second best of all 7, first one is Azkaban.
>The Shinning
I was annoyed by King's mediocre writing, but the story and characters were very interesting. Finished it in 2 days. I watched the movie after I read this and I fucking hated that Kubrick piece of shit.
>100 Years of Solitude
I get why some people hate this one. It's tedious, has lots of characters with similar names and can get dull at times. But I kinda loved it. The story was great and very tragic, it left me a little shocked at the end.

currently reading
>Farmacology and Radiology.
lol, I have to study for my exams.

next 3
>1984
>Shogun
>A Farewell to Arms

[Anonymous No.2012745]

Last 3:
At The Mountains of Madness (I think)
Catch 22
The Sirens of Titan

Currently:
Gaza in Crisis

Next 3:
The Idiot
Player Piano
The Dispossessed

[Anonymous No.2012777]

last 3:
city of god— doctorow
infinite jest— wallace
the trial— kafka

currently:
the recognitions— gaddis

next 3:
the pale king— wallace
the corrections— franzen
unsure

[Anonymous No.2012780]

Last Three:
Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas
>I am a great fan of Hunter S. Thompson and I loved this book for what it is, a semi-concious statement on the decay and death of the American Dream

American Psycho
>I never watched the Movie, or read a Bret Easton Eliss novel before so I came to this fresh and for lack of a better word I enjoyed it. I loved how You sometimes forget Bateman is a fucking evil psycho and even sympathise with him, and Ellis's message about the consumerism and greed of the Yuppies of the Eighties and Ninties.

The Shinning
>I havn't seen the Kubrik Film, and I liked it but Now, By Christ, I have nothing more to say.

Currently Reading: The Rum Diaries

I am halfway through and am enjoyning it, as I said before I am a great fan of Hunter. It seems to be an enchanced, as usual, account of his own time down there, but more enchanced than usual, as if this is merely inspired than based.

Next: Rendezvouzs with Rama, by Arthur C. Clark
First Blood, by David Morrel (Already Half-Read, But I lost it)
Human all too Human, By Nietzsche (Been meaning to start reading this one for a while.)

[Anonymous No.2012799]

>Last three
Harry Potter and the deathly hallows
Harry Potter and the half-blood prince
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

HP: PoA was on ITV last-last Saturday, I never bothered buying the books (after Prisoner) when they came out, so I felt I should at least finish it. It was fun, although not very memorable.


>Current / Next three
Discworld: The Colour of Magic
Discworld: The Light Fantastic
Discworld: Equal Rites

I read most of the discworld books quite a while ago, and I feel like some wizardry. That said, I prefer discworld to Potter, Pratchett's worlds feel more open and alive to me, although Ankh-Morpork would undoubtedly be more alive in comparison to Hogwarts.

[Anonymous No.2012837]

Last 3:
- Walden (H. D. Thoreau)
- Cosmos (Carl Sagan)
- The Dragonfly of Chicoutimi (Larry Tremblay)

Current:
- The Life of Samuel Johnson (James Boswell)
- The Dragons of Eden (Sagan, again <3)
- Gravity's Rainbow (Thomas Pynchon)

Next 3:
- The Poverty of Theory (E. P. Thompson)
- Troilus and Cressida (Shakespeare)
- The Second Sex (Simone de Beauvoir)

pic semi-related: Yann Martel's (Life of Pi) recommended reading list for the Canadian PM.

[Anonymous No.2012855]

Last:

Bluebeard - Vonnegut
The Name Of The Rose - Eco
Lisey's Story - King

Current:

Cabal - Barker

Next three:

Long-awaited re-read of LoTR.

[Mad Scientist Hououin Kyouma !VFku6Ixxx. No.2012882]

Last thin I read:
House Of Leaves

Currently:
Brave New World and ADWD

Next:
The Republic, The Lathe Of Heaven, Notes from Underground, The Brothers Karamazov.

[Anonymous No.2012889]

Last three:
Catch 22 by Heller - fantastic book. Probably one of my favorites of all time. The writing style is very clever and the characters were amazing.

Prince and the Pauper by Twain - Read this in a day. The writing style was in old proper English, so it was annoying to read sometimes, but the story was pretty good. There were a lot of down times were it was very boring, but it was still a good book.

The Stand by King - I really liked this book. It was unbelievably long and sometimes dragged on a bit, but I loved the characters and the plot. The ending was kind of weak, but I was thoroughly entertained throughout the book.

Current:
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemmingway

Next three:
The Sirens on Titan by Vonnegut
Gormenghast by Peake
The Trial by Kafka

[Anonymous No.2012935]

Last three: 'The Red and The Black', Stendhal, which I found dreadfully boring
'Vanity Fair', Thackeray, fifth read and as delightful as always
'Don Juan', Byron, a great poem.

Currently reading: Kveldulf Gundarsson, 'Teutonic magic' - I love how down-to-earth and focused it is, without the usual henotheistic bullshit such publications are full of.

Next three? Wherever fate takes me, I guess.

[Anonymous No.2012940]

>>2011496
I wish you many happy moments with Tennyson's poetry, personally I find it masterful...

Pic related, my face when I realize I will never read it again for the first time.

[Anonymous No.2013302]

>>2012336
GOD SPEED

[Anonymous No.2013612]

Last Three Reads:
Slaughterhouse-Five, The Myth of Sisyphus, and The Philosophy of Right

Currently Reading:
The Stranger, Wuthering Heights, and A Farewell to Arms

Next Three:
The Old Man and The Sea, Catch-22, and something by Faulkner

[Anonymous No.2013622]

Last 3:
All the Pretty Horses
Infinite Jest
One Day in the Life of ID

Currently:
Robert Bolano - 2666 (up to the part about the murders, jesus christ)
Melville's short stories (The Piazza is my favorite so far)

Next:
probably Updike's novels, maybe Nabokov's Ada

I picked up 2666 on /lit/'s discussion. If anyone could recommend other long (overly)detailed novels, that would be great.

[The Tourist !!zaCQyFZeSRS No.2013623]

Feel free to recommend me anything, even if it's not based on something I've written below.

LAST 3 READS:
Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian
>one of the best things I've ever read

Cormac McCarthy - No Country For Old Men
>not as good as above, but almost as entertaining

Lois Lowry - The Giver
>quite good for a novel targeted at a younger audience

CURRENTLY READING:
Thomas Pynchon - Gravity's Rainbow
>only 56 pages in and finding it tough already

Henry David Thoreau - Walden
>read the first chapter the other night and loved it

NEXT THREE:
Don DeLillo - Underworld
Thomas Pynchon - V
Albert Camus - The Plague

[Anonymous No.2013627]

Last: Annals of Klepsis (RA Lafferty), Someplace To Be Flying (Charles De Lint), Strange Cargo (Jeffrey Barlough)

Current: Moonlight and Vines (Charles De Lint), Arrival At Easterwine (RA Lafferty), Tremendous Trifles (GK Chesterton)

Next: WHO KNOWS?!?!?!

[Anonymous No.2013629]

Last three: A Mercy by Toni Morrison
The Metamorphasis by Kafka
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

Currently reading: House of Leaves by Mark Danielewsky

Next three: American Psycho by Ellis
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Chbosky
?

[Anonymous No.2013634]

>>2013622
>If anyone could recommend other long (overly)detailed novels

Lord of the Rings? That's the first thing that comes to mind. Dude can go on for five hundred words about a freaking flower.

[Anonymous No.2013649]

>>2013622

Shardik

[sandwiches No.2013652]

Last read:
> A l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs - Proust
I have nothing bad to say about Proust, ever. My favourite author and I liked this one even more than Swann's Way.

Currently reading
> The Dead - James Joyce
About to read. We'll see.
> L'amant - Marguerite Duras
Third read, liking it even more.

Next -
Le Côté de Guermantes - Proust (gonna be amazing)
Zazie dans le métro - Raymond Queneau (movie was awesome, looking forward to the book because it was once described as unfilmable)
The Renaissance - Walter Pater (comes highly recommended)
The Education of a Gardener - Russell Page (NYRB, and heightened appreciation of all things flowery due to Proust)

[Anonymous No.2013663]

LAST 3 READS: Beowulf, pretty straight forward, and shallow characters.
The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath: Recommended for people who already like Sylvia Plath or want to learn more about her.
Leaves of Grass- Walt Whitman: Amazing. Simple as that.
CURRENTLY READING: Candide
NEXT THREE: Crime and Punishment, The Count of Monte Cristo, Hamlet

[Anonymous No.2013667]

>>2013652
I want to read Proust, but it seems daunting. Would it be hard for a 18 year old?

[sandwiches No.2013668]

>>2013663
> Leaves of Grass- Walt Whitman: Amazing. Simple as that.

friends forever

: )

[Anonymous No.2013671]

Last Three:
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
I honestly don't remember, I just finished those two yesterday and my memory is shit.

Currently between books, I'm probably going to head down to the used book store tomorrow and pick up some stuff.

Next three:
Dandelion Wine - Ray Bradbury
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Infinite Jest - David Wallace

[Anonymous No.2013670]

>>2013652
>mfw I whip out the English translation and all girls just read "In the shadow of young girls in flower" and they blush and look away

[sandwiches No.2013691]

>>2013667
I'm not sure. I think he's very hit or miss among readers. Either you love him more than anything or you think he's boring and incredibly slow. It helps if you've ever been in a jealous relationship or ever wondered what it is the one you love does in between the hours you see him/her and you hope that one day s/he will finally explain to you that they've always loved you and they'll finally reveal why they had to hide their love for so long, posing as a simple friend.

I'd also recommend Raoul Ruiz's movie Time Regained. Really good adaptation of the last volume.

[sandwiches No.2013700]

>>2013670
I would blush if I saw someone reading it.

btw, loved you in Chungking Express

[Anonymous No.2013726]

>>2013670
better to have Sodome et Gomorrhe.

[Anonymous No.2013764]

>>2013691
Are you French Canadian?

[Anonymous No.2013798]

Last 3:
Atlas Shrugged
This Side of Paradise
The Great Gatsby

Current:
Naked Lunch

Next 3:
Slaughterhouse 5
House of Leaves
Up at the Villa

[Anonymous No.2014073]

Last Three Reads:

Jurassic Park - Crichton
I enjoyed it, Ian Malcom was a much better character in the book, the kids were worse in the book.

Blood Meridian - McCarthy
For the most part the story was good and dark, but may have to give it another try. Tough book to read.

DT Song of Susannah - King
Breezed through with this one, and it was decent; my least or second least favorite. Though I cannot wait to finish this series.

Currently:
The Dark Tower VII - King
Finally putting an end to the series, and I am excited and sad that it's coming to an end. Easily my favorite series.

Next Three:
American Gods - Gaiman
It - King
Not a fucking clue - :\

[Anonymous No.2014082]

>>2014073
>Jurassic Park

I loved Crichton when I was a kid. Jurassic Park is still one of my favorite movies.

Pic semi-related.

[Anonymous No.2014406]

>>2014082
Gay

[Anonymous No.2014409]

Last 3
The Sound and the Fury
The Catcher in the Rye
Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (Jung)

Current
Aion (Jung)

Next 3
White Noise
American Psycho
Godel, Escher, Bach

[Anonymous No.2014421]

>>2012336
LAST 3 READS:
>The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai
I love Dazai. Again, being more familiar with his short stories, this feels like an expansion and melding of several of his autobiographical ones, changed in some ways, but still obviously personal. The entire book felt like a constant dreamy tragedy.

>One Thousand and One-Second Stories by Inagaki Taruho
Finally read this one all the way through, after having read a story here and there for a few months. Reading it in one go, I got a better sense of the overall atmosphere in Taruho's writing - anthropomorphic celestial objects, motorcycles and guns, the moon beating people up, lots of creepy yellow smoke and general playfulness. Tons of great and very short stories in this.

>Diary of a Madman and Other Stories by Nikolai Gogol
I really adored "Taras Bulba." And "The Nose." And pretty much every story here, honestly. Not much I could say that probably hasn't been said about Gogol already, but I will proclaim that I'll be checking out the rest of his work soon.

CURRENTLY READING:
>Acts of Worship by Yukio Mishima
>Outlaws of the Marsh by Shi Nai'an

NEXT THREE:
>In Light of Shadows by Izumi Kyoka
>The Dwarf by Par Lagerkvist
>The Golem by Gustav Meyrink

[None !!4tV++0AG5iF No.2014429]

>>2014421
i loved the setting sun. have you read, "no longer human"? i was thinking about checking it out. how does it compare? i'm familiar with some of his short stories too.

[hakas !u/t2Vf0FFs No.2014430]

>>2014429

[Anonymous No.2014440]

>>2014429
Yeah, I read No Longer Human (>>2009957), which I probably preferred of the two. I think it draws more directly on Dazai's life, and the narrator of it seems like a sad and desperate fusion of the main characters in The Setting Sun. It actually didn't feel as depressing as I thought it would be, though the epilogue hits you pretty hard. I would definitely recommend reading it if you liked The Setting Sun though.

[None !!4tV++0AG5iF No.2014445]

>>2014440
thanks. i'll probably pick up a copy today.

[PhillyBobcat !Phils1Fb6Q No.2014469]

LAST 3 READS:
Collapse - Jared Diamond
Black Coffee Blues - Henry Rollins
The Last Full Measure - Jeff Shaara

Currently Reading:
The Story of Stuff - Annie Leonard
The Wilderness Warrior : Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America - Douglas Brinkley

NEXT THREE:
The World Without Us - Alan Weisman
Eaarth - Bill McKibben
Undecided

[Sunhawk Loves Deep&Edgy No.2014471]

I finished Moon Palace, it was good. I'm not sure what to read next, though.

[cadavre !!SbnmrAEhouy No.2014928]

Last 3 reads:
- Catch 22 - Joseph heller
- Candide - Voltaire
- Filth - Irvine Welsh
- (and shoplifting from American Apperal - Tao Lin, but it doesn't really count.)

Currently Reading:
- Infinite Jest - DFW

Next Three:
Rules of attraction - Bret Easton Ellis
Divine Comedy - Dante
1979 - Christian Kracht

[Anonymous No.2014958]

>>2014469
Henry Rollins wrote a book?
I need to check that shit out.

[Anonymous No.2015179]

>>2014469
>The Wilderness Warrior : Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America - Douglas Brinkley

I'm just gonna leave this here...

[Anonymous No.2015202]

LAST 3

A Pale View of Hills - Kazuo Ishiguro
A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson
The Day of The Jackal - Frederick Forsyth

CURRENT (I read a book at a time)

Neuromancer - William Gibson

FUTURE

Anna Karenin (I'm a few hundred pages in but gave up a few months ago for some reason or other)
The Remains of The Day (Ishiguro)

and a few of the other forsyth books like dogs of war.

[Anonymous No.2015207]

>>2014958
He writes a lot. Get in the Van is all about the old black flag days. I really loved Solipsist too.

[Anonymous No.2016006]

>>2015207
I agree

[Anonymous No.2016152]

LAST THREE:
THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY - WILDER
UNDER FIRE - BARBUSSE
THE ART OF WAR - TZU

CURRENT:
THE TRAIN WAS ON TIME - BOLL

NEXT THREE:
INN OF THE TWO WITCHES - CONRAD
LOUISE DE LA VALLIERE - DUMAS
THE ART OF LOVE - OVID

HERE I WAS GIVING THOSE "HOW TO IMPRESS WOMEN" BOOKS CRAP, AND I'M GOING TO READ THE ART OF LOVE! THEN AGAIN I'M NOT READING IT FOR THE PURPOSE TO GET SOME ROMAN PUSSY

[Anonymous No.2016183]

LAST THREE READS:
THE ENTIRE WORKS OF HP LOVECRAFT
IT WAS ON SALE IN THE KINDLE STORE, SO I THOUGHT WHAT THE HELL. I REALLY LIKE LOVECRAFT, AND I READ A GOOD CHUNK OF THE STORIES BEFORE MOVING ON

SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD- ALIETTE DE BODARD.
REALLY GOOD READ IF YOU'RE INTO FANTASY. THE SETTING IS IN THE PRE-COLUMBUS AZTEC EMPIRE. VERY WELL RESEARCHED. WOULD RECOMMEND.

INFINITE'S SHORE - DAVID BRIN
DAVID'S UPLIFT SERIES IS SOME OF THE BEST SPACE OPERA-ESQUE SCIENCE FICTION I'VE EVER READ. AMAZING WORLD BUILDING, AND GENERAL WRITING IS GREAT. THE FIRST BOOK IS CALLED SUNDIVER, BUT YOU CAN SKIP TO THE SECOND BOOK (STARTIDE RISING), IF YOU WANT. THE BOOK DOESN'T REALLY DEAL WITH THE MAIN STORY ARC.

CURRENTLY READING: HEAVEN'S REACH- DAVID BRIN
SEE ABOVE

NEXT THREE:
ENERGIZED- CAN'T THINK OF THE AUTHOR.
THE BOOK IS SERIALIZED IN ANALOG: SCIENCE FICTION AND FACT. THE FOURTH AND FINAL PART JUST CAME OUT BUT I HAVEN'T GOTTEN AROUND TO READING IT. IT'S GOOD, AND IF YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON THE RECENT ANALOG ISSUES I'D RECOMMEND.

ENDER'S GAME- ORSON SCOTT CARD
I'VE READ THE BOOK(S) ALREADY, BUT I THOUGHT I'D GO BACK AND RE-READ, SINCE I WAS YOUNGER WHEN I ORIGINALLY READ THEM. I THINK I'LL GET MORE OUT OF THE SERIES THIS TIME AROUND

AFTER THAT, WHO KNOWS. I'LL FIND SOMETHING GOOD.

[Anonymous No.2016192]

>>2014073

I liked the DT series, but damn is it fucked up. It's loaded with symbolism, but unlike most books, the symbolism doesn't MEAN A FUCKING THING

[Anonymous No.2016213]

>>2016183
CAPSGUYS ALWAYS DO

[Anonymous No.2016223]

>>2015202

I really liked neuromancer.


Spoiler: Armitage is wintermute

[PhillyBobcat !Phils1Fb6Q No.2016556]

>>2015179
>check lit before bed
>see this
hell yeah bro, read that shit, loved it
>>2015207
That's the exact thing I said that led me to read it in the first place.
>>2016006
>>2014958
thanks to you 2, my Undecided has changed to :
The Portable Henry Rollins - Henry Rollins
Kudos!
>pic slightly related

[Anonymous No.2017623]

Last three:

Kafka on the Shore
Night Watch (Terry Pratchett)
Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Current:

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Next:

No idea.