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/lit/ - Literature

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2496730 No.2496730 [Reply] [Original]

/lit/, I would like to see if there is any correlation between what you read and what is frequently discussed here.

I always see the following books brought up here: LOTR, 1984, Brave New World, ASOIF, The Old Man and the Sea, and others that I'm sure you've all seen brought up to death.

But what do you actually read? What is the last few books you've read, and what you plan on reading in the near future? Whatever you're reading now can also be posted.

Is it that we are afraid to actually discuss what we read, or that our community is to small that bringing up books other than the ones that already have a significant place here will likely result in 0 replies?

>> No.2496735

Well I think one of the problems of this board is, that there are a lot of entry level readers here. So a lot of people start reading the 'well known' classics, like the ones you posted. Those people start discussions about these books and a lot of people join in.
Threads about books that are not well known, or people have not read, don't get much posts on the other hand.

About myself. I am currently finishing Brothers Karamasov by Dostoyevsky. Before that I read (oh well... don't hit me) Old Men and the Sea.

My next readings will be:

Pushkin - Eugene Onegin
Kafka - The Castle
Schiller - The Robbers
Murakami - Kafka on the Shore

And I finally want to finish War and Peace.

Yes I know, I am pretty much entry level when it comes to classics.

>> No.2496741

Last read; Naked by David Sedaris
Currently reading: Terrorist by John Updike

>> No.2496748

I've been on a travel writing/geography/entry level environmentalist kick, so my recent books are
Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
Death Valley and its Country by George Palmer Putnam

I'm planning on reading more of the same, so I've got West by Wallace Stegner up next.

So no required academic/classic books for me right now - All my reading is for pleasure right now, and my chosen subjects are dictated by my whims. It's an absolute luxury.

>> No.2496749

Currently reading- Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
Last Read- Mother Night by Vonnegut
Next Up- V. by Thomas Pynchon

>> No.2496755

>>2496735
THAT'S COOL BRO, YOU HIT IT RIGHT ON THE NAIL.

I HAVE YET TO READ THE ROBBERS MYSELF.

I'LL PRETEND THIS IS MY TYPE OF THREAD

LAST FIVE:
MALDOROR - LAUTREAMONT
WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD - FORSTER
GLORY - NABOKOV
THE LADIES' PARADISE - ZOLA
AN IDEAL HUSBAND - WILDE

CURRENT:
CONFESSIONS OF AN ENGLISH OPIUM EATER - QUINCEY

NEXT FIVE:
THIRST FOR LOVE - MISHIMA
STRANGE LIFE OF IVAN OSOKIN - OUSPENSKY
INVITATION TO A BEHEADING - NABOKOV
THE LIBRARY OF BABEL - BORGES
L'ASSOMOIR - ZOLA

I'M CURRENTLY BRANCHING OUT INTO LESSER KNOWN (FOR /LIT/ STANDARDS) AND MORE OBSCURE CLASSICS AND HAVING FUN WITH IT.

RECOMMENDATIONS ALWAYS APPRECIATED AS WELL, BUT FEEL FREE TO OFFER THEM TO OTHER ANONS BEFORE ME, SINCE I'VE GOT A MASSIVE BACKLOG AS IT IS.

>> No.2496758

The last book I read was Stanley G. Payne's Spain: A Unique History, and before that The Lay of the Cid. Currently I'm reading Payne's older A History of Spain and Portugal.

My main interest is Spanish history, and so it is on this subject that I do much of my reading. I don't think it's too far off the mark to presume that much of /lit/ don't share my interest, hence why I never discuss it.

>> No.2496765

>>2496749

Oh how is the Gogol one? He is one of the writers I am interested in!

>>2496755

How was The Ladies' paradies by Zola?
Also I highly recommand The Robbers, I am German and I read it back in school and I remember that I really enjoyed it, so I want to read it again.

>> No.2496766

I just finished
The Plauge, and Hunger Games
I'm reading
All of H. P. Lovecraft's fiction and Brave New World.

>> No.2496777

>>2496765
I POSTED SOME THOUGHTS ON GOODREADS

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/174774840

>> No.2496782

http://emilkirkegaard.dk/reading_page.html

That's what I read. Pretty sure about none of them have been discussed here.

>> No.2496786
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2496786

>Last read
Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs. This book is crazy! I have never seen words be used in such weird and arbitrary ways like this. I loved this book. The theme of power and suppression were conveyed in really silly vignettes that were grotesque in nature ,but humorous in tone. Some how it felt natural to read The Trial after this book... I am guessing it is because the themes and the nightmare like events...

The Trial by Franz Kafka. I was blown away by the amount of creativity and the outrageous moments K went through. My favorite scene is with the Painter. The whole book is like a weird existentialist dream. I am so happy I got this off my to read list because it has instantly became one of my favorites.
>Currently reading
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. I am reading it for school and I am surprisingly enjoying it. Almost done just a 40 more pages.

The Castle by Franz Kafka. After finishing the Trial I thought it would be a good idea to read this as a chaser. I barely read any of it ,but I hope it is as good as the Trial. From my understanding the Castle is a nearly finished work compared to the Trial and from the summary it seems like the expansion of the story the prison official told K in the church.

>Reading Next
Probably some H.P. Lovecraft
Maybe V. by Thomas Pynchon
Maybe Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs
Maybe Ubik by Philip K. Dick

>> No.2496789

>>2496749
How is Dead Souls? I might read that next actually.

>> No.2496797

>>2496789
Dead souls is great, especially the first part. I think Gogol had some sort of religious conversion/breakdown and destroyed a lot of the book

Last read
Roadside picnic, mostly because the Tarkovsky film Stalker was based on it

>> No.2496804

>>2496789
EXCELLENT READ, THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE RUSSIAN HUMOUR. BOOK HAS AGED BEAUTIFULLY.

PROBLEM WITH RUSSIAN LITERATURE IS THAT ONCE YOU'VE READ ALL THE GREATS, THERE ISN'T ALL THAT MUCH ELSE AVAILABLE

>> No.2496809

>>2496789
>>2496765
I've only just started reading it, I'm about 30 pages in and it's quite good. It's part of a batch I ordered of popular Russian lit that I haven't read yet, the others being Oblamov, A hero of our time, Master and Margarita and WE.

>> No.2496839

>>2496809
NOT A BAD CHOICE, MANY OF THEM WERE SOME OF MY FIRST FORAGES INTO RUSSIAN LITERATURE.

>> No.2496844

>>2496839

>MY FIRST FORAGES

I think you mean forays.

Tit.

>> No.2496848

>>2496844
CHEERS MY GOOD MAN.

NOW I WILL NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE IF I EVER HOPE TO EXPLAIN SOMETHING SIMILAR IN A SITUATION THAT ACTUALLY MATTERS.

>> No.2496854

>>2496848

You'll still be a tit though.

>> No.2496857

>>2496854
THAT'S GREAT.

>> No.2496859

>>2496857
Is there any particular reason you type in all caps or 'tis but a peculiarity of yours?

>> No.2496860

>>2496859

Because he's a tit.

>> No.2496863

>>2496859
HAPPY TO OBLIGE IN ANSWERING YOU, ONLY IF IT EVENTUATES IN STEERING THE THREAD BACK ON TOPIC.

DURING A PARTICULAR INCIDENT IN /LIT/, A COUPLE YEARS AGO, I WAS MAKING EXCELLENT POINTS AGAINST A DIRTY WHORE WHO WAS USING HER FEMALE SEX IN A BID TO GET MORE FREE BOOKS (WISHLIST THREADS USED TO PLAGUE /LIT/).

I WAS GENERALLY SICK AND TIRED OF WISHLIST THREADS, ALTHOUGH I WOULD PURCHASE A FEW BOOKS HERE AND THERE TO GET PEOPLE READING AUTHORS I ENJOYED

ANYWAYS

SO I WAS MAKING VALID POINTS, THEY WERE BEING IGNORED. SO I PULLED OUT CAPSLOCK AND FIRED AWAY.

THE COLLECTIVE EFFORT OF SOME USERS HERE INCLUDING MYSELF WORKED, BEGCHAN FUCKED OFF. FROM THEN ON I WAS CAPSGUY I GUESS.

>> No.2496866

>>2496857

You know, all you'd need to do is speak like a Russian, constantly brag about the superiority of Mosin Nagants and be more hostile towards people and I'd swear you were Ivan from /k/

>> No.2496868

>>2496866
NEVER BEEN ON /K/, NO IDEA WHO HE IS.

IS IT FILLED WITH PRO-GUN AMERICAN DICKHEADS AND TROLLS? IS THE JEWISH FRENCH SHOOTING IN THERE AT THE MOMENT?

>> No.2496871

>>2496868
>Pro-gun

Shit. I'm dense. I just now understood Progun's name from /ck/.

>> No.2496872

Currently reading: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Previous: Villette by Charlotte Bronte
Next: Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

All for class. I don't think /lit/ has much respect for women authors, so I don't really get an opportunity to talk about the Brontes, and especially not Gaskell, who's relatively undiscovered even among people who like this sort of thing. I think they're very talented, though, and I really enjoy their work.

>> No.2496874

last read: The Mandarins by de Beauvoir

current: The Poet and the Lunatics by Chesterton

next: something by Forester or Rilke

I mostly lurk, especially in discussions of the "entry level classics." I've read nearly all of them, but in most cases its been awhile. Also, I've gotten plenty of interesting recommendations from /lit/

>> No.2496875

>>2496874
BUT THERE IS ALWAYS AN 'ENTRY' CLASSIC THAT POPS UP NOW AND THEN THAT YOU HAVEN'T READ. ALWAYS GOOD TO FINALLY GET INTO IT

>> No.2496876

>>2496875
exactly, it's what keeps me coming back to /lit/ despite all the repetition and trolling. it's well worth it

>> No.2496877

>>2496876
DAMN RIGHT

IF /LIT/ NEVER EXISTED, OH GOLLY WHO KNOWS WHERE I'D BE.

I CAME HERE WHEN IT STARTED, AND GOT INTO STEPHEN KING AND A COUPLE OF OTHER AUTHORS. PEOPLE TROLLED ME SAYING IT'S POINTLESS, NOT LITERATURE ETC. SO THAT'S HOW I STARTED.

>> No.2496879

>>2496877

And people say we're just being elitist assholes when we tell the truth about shitty literature. See? We have done some good!

>> No.2496884

>>2496879
AT TIMES I WISH I HAD A BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND GRASP OF LITERATURE BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD TAKE LONGER TO READ EACH BOOK, SO IT'S A BIT OF GIVE AND TAKE...

>> No.2496885
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2496885

>>2496871

I haven't seen one of his threads for ages. I thought he'd finally succumbed to heart disease or negligent discharge.

>> No.2496921

>>2496885
POOR GUY

HE SEEMS LIKE A NICE ENOUGH GUY, FOR A PROGUN

>> No.2496932

I read Melville and his disciples. For ages I was an open-legged whore, accepting any and all who would have me. But now I am more 'specialised,' if you'd like, in southern literature with sparse, terse prose. My writing has improved since, I think.

>> No.2496938
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2496938

I FUCKING LOVE LORD OF THE RINGS. Seriously, it is the best series I've ever read! (and the book individually are best too) I'm reading The Two Towers for the second time right now. I'm also reading Brave New World, The Stranger and Catcher in the Rye (trying to figure out if I like it or not through the third read)

Pic related, picture this badass everytime Aragorn is mentioned

>> No.2496942

>>2496884

Proof that capsguy doesn't understand all the shit he reads - just ploughs through it and adds each book to the trophy cabinet, understanding nothing.

>> No.2496947

>>2496942
I ENJOY WHAT I READ, AND FROM DISCUSSIONS AND SO FORTH THAT OCCUR AFTER MY READING IT, I AM FURTHER ENLIGHTENED ON IT.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS?

YOU COULD DEDICATE YOUR ENTIRE LIFE TO ONE BOOK AND STILL NOT UNDERSTAND 'EVERYTHING' IN IT.

I ALSO HAVE STATED ON MANY OCCASIONS THAT I READ ALMOST SOLELY FOR MY PLEASURE. DOES THAT STOP ME FROM PARTAKING IN CONVERSATIONS? NO.

I DO NOT 'PLOUGH THROUGH' AS YOU STATED, JUST CERTAIN PARTS ARE JUST BEYOND ME FROM MY LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE IN LITERATURE, THE TIME AND LOCATION IN WHICH IT WAS WRITTEN, AND THE MENTALITY BEHIND THE AUTHOR.

WHY DO YOU GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THE REASONING BEHIND WHY AND HOW I READ?

>> No.2496959

>>2496947
Capsguy, console yourself over the fact that he considers your literary interpretation important enough to criticize.

At any rate, i'd have thought you'd have tougher skin than that by now... had a bad day?

>> No.2496963

>>2496947

D'awww, did I hurt your feewings?

That other guy was right - you are a tit.

>> No.2496971

>>2496963
NOT REALLY, I'M IN A PRETTY GOOD MOOD, JUST TIRED IF YOU REALLY WANTED TO KNOW. JUST BECAUSE I'M SWEARING AND STATING WHY YOU'RE WRONG DOESN'T MEAN I'M UPSET.

I'M PRETTY SURE I HAVE THE SAME TONE AND LANGUAGE IN PRETTY MUCH ALL OF MY POSTS?

>> No.2496978

Last read: The Norse Myths
Currently reading: T.S. Eliot - The Waste Land and Other Poems
Next to Read: I am uncertain, maybe Treasure Island, The Republic of Plato, or some Norse lit.

>> No.2496993

Last read: All the Pretty Horses.

Currently reading: The Dear Green Place and Lord of the Flies.

>> No.2497017

>>2496971

I think someone has rustled your jimmies. tell us about it capsfag, we're your friends.

>> No.2497024

Last few: Transition by Iain Banks, Straw Dogs by John Gray, Moneyball by That Moneyball Guy, and most recently, The Third Reich by Roberto Bolano.

Currently reading Sharpe's Rifles by Bernard Cornwell.

>> No.2497086

>>2496971
Capsguy could you please explain why you went to Japan? Did you just have a pile of cash and wanted to live there for a while? school related? etc.

>> No.2497108

>>2496993
How did you find it?
Last read: All the Pretty Horses

Currently: Marlowe's Edward II, Kim's Philosophy of Mind.

>> No.2497123

Currently reading: Infinite Jest

Last read: Ham on Rye

>> No.2497655

Fairly sure my tastes don't correlate much with what gets discussed here. I read a lot of female authors, weird stuff from smaller countries, and just general books that don't seem to be read much by anyone.

Last several books I've read: Irene's Cunt by Louis Aragon, The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter, Amorous Exploits of a Young Rakehell by Guillaume Apollinaire, Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman, The Finishing School by Muriel Spark, Absinthe: History in a Bottle, and The Juniper Tree by Barbara Comyns.

What I'm planning to read: Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman by Friedrich Delius, On the Marble Cliffs by Ernst Junger, A Bohemian Youth by Josef Hirsal, and Whiskey: A Global History.

Right now I'm reading The Complete Works of Urmuz (which did get mentioned in a Romanian lit thread the other day!), Tea: A Global History, Antilyrik & Other Poems by Vitezslav Nezval, The Leg of Lamb by Bejamin Peret, and American Ghosts and Old World Wonders by Angela Carter.

And I'd say it's the later - I really doubt I'd get more than one or two troll replies if I tried to discuss any of the above books in their own threads. I'll put some of my thoughts about them in general threads like this, but I'd never dedicate a thread to them. No one would reply.

>> No.2497678

>What do you read
too much fantasy and a few "classic" authors like Jack Kerouac and Hemingway. Kerouac and Hemingway are, from what I've read, one of the few non-fantasy authors who can grasp my attention. The Old Man and the Sea was full of action and On the Road was energetic and fast-paced. In my opinion, many authors lack those qualities in their work. Put simply, I don't care how deep and symbolic a book is if I can't even read it without falling asleep.
>inb4 entry-level fantasy man-child
I just opened up Book of the New Sun today.
I plan on reading some short stories by Hemingway and Kerouac and maybe some William Gibson.
And if anyone can help, are there any "classic" pieces of literature or authors that are captivating, interesting, and fast-paced?

>> No.2497687

>>2497655
I studied The Bloody Chamber for A level - I think it's a fairly common set text, so you'd probably get some replies for that. I quite liked it as well. I read one other Angela Carter novel - The Magic Toyshop.

I see no reason an Angela Carter thread couldn't work, personally. The other books, I don't know anything about.

>> No.2497717

>>2497687
Ah yeah, Angela Carter would. She gets mentioned here a lot, and I think there have been several successful threads about her stuff. I wasn't thinking of her so much as the others though.