The Book Thread Book • Page 138

On a YA/Teen kick arm. Started The Inheritance Games this week and I'm really enjoying it so far

 

Thanks for replying! Yes, I figured it would be more like this for the first few years but good to hear. I think having the correct expectations helps so that’s why I thought I’d ask. Congratulations on number 4!

 

Just sitting here drinking my morning tea, going to the hospital in less than 5 hours lol

 

About 80 pages into Gravity’s Rainbow and finally feel like I’m starting to understand a fraction of what’s going on

 

I've been meaning to reread that one for a little while now. I really enjoyed it the first time around several years ago when I was nowhere near as good a reader as I am now, so I think a second reading is in order if I ever get the time. It should remain more or less coherent until the last 100 pages or so, which are really out there and painfully confusing if I remember correctly

 

Just finished Frank O’Hara’s Meditations in an Emergency. Unbelievably good poetry that blew me away in the last few of the collection. I always read poetry alongside my fiction, so I’m also reading Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room which is real good so far—about halfway through that and I still think I like Another Country more, but this is fantastic.

 

So, Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami is amazing.

 

Like all of King’s stuff, some of it is very not okay, but I can’t believe how much I’m enjoying The Shining. Going to fly through it and then probably start To Paradise next.

Also, going to reiterate my love for The Lesser Bohemians.

 

Just started The Yiddish Policeman's Union - only other Chabon I've read is Kavalier and Clay, which is one of the best things I've read in the last 5 years. This one is already giving me similar vibes. What a writer.

 

Only thing I've read from him is the mysteries of Pittsburgh

 

I’ve only read Kavalier and Clay which I *loved.* I have Moonglow on my shelf but I haven’t gotten around to it yet

 

I've got a copy of that I haven't read yet, really need to. Kavalier and Clay is one of the best things I've ever read.

 

Reading Patrick Radden Keefe's "Empire of Pain" about the Sackler family dynasty and it's so fascinating, infuriating, enlightening, all the above. It even turns into something like Succession when it gets to the later generations. His book "Say Nothing" on Ireland and the Troubles is one of the best nonfiction books I've ever read and this is right up there. He's forever on the "I'll read anything he writes regardless of the subject" list now.

 

hello book thread I made a zine which is like a tiny book I make myself and I'm giving them out for free if you want one! three short stories and you can request one here if you want: Zine Request

I also wrote a little more about it in my newsletter today: #14: Introducing Last Ditch plus two more

 

At about 175 now, somewhat speaking its language, and actually, this may be the most beautiful/captivating thing I’ve ever read Lolol.

Every sentence, every word, every semblance of thought and germ of idea feels deeply intentional, multilayered. There’s a palpable electricity that arises each time I read a sentence, think “um, this is not grammatically correct,” re-read it, think “oh fuck, it’s actually very correct and gorgeous and just above my natural reading level.” It reminds me of the first few times i heard/‘unlocked’ Bitte Orca and it feels akin to the excitement of a teen pursuing someone that’s ‘out of their league’ and somehow sharing a beautiful moment or two with them despite that preconceived notion…I’m overcome with a feeling as if I’m the lucky one that this book’s even letting me read it?


Idfk what I’m even talking about anymore but yeah this book slaps and I’m fully in ha

 

Giovanni’s Room was fantastic. Every sentence shined, as per usual with Baldwin. He’s very good at making me enjoy hating main characters haha. The level of empathy in his writing is momentous, clearly a master at tapping into anybody’s humanity. I was more blown away by Another Country, but this was great and I’m hyped to check out more from him.

On to the next one, The Abyss by Marguerite Yourcenar, a historical fiction set in 15th century Europe and essentially a book-long meditation on the nature/condition of humankind. It’s very very good so far.

 

One of my resolutions this year was to read more, and I would love some recommendations! Looked back about 10 pages and added a few to my list so far.

My favorite author is Dennis LeHane. Most of the books on my shelves are mystery, science fiction, and historical, but I’m open to any recommendations. Thanks in advance!

 

For a mystery/historical/literary bent, I highly recommend Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s The Shadow of the Wind.

For science fiction, an extremely fun one that’s pretty recent is Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary.

 

Just finished Breasts and Eggs. Loved it.

 

Thank you both! I'll them to my list.

 

Had to put down The Abyss. Wasn’t immediately grabbing me and I’d like to try again some other time. Replacing it with Richard Adams’ Watership Down which I’ve never read before. Excited about it.

 

Read The Shining and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Some of it did not work for me (particularly the end, in true King fashion), but overall, I thought it was one of his scarier books and I was pretty excited that I liked it as much as I did given that the movie is a masterpiece and a lot of people seem to just like one or the other.

DNF To Paradise. I might jump back to it eventually, but 250 pages in and the only thing carrying it for me was the prose - sometimes (usually) that’s enough, but something about the first book and the part of the second I got through felt very…cold, and I realized I wasn’t getting anything from it whatsoever.

Started an ARC of Ottessa Moshfegh‘s Lapvona. Not familiar with the author but so far it’s living up to the little I read about her work before starting it - EXTREMELY fucked up and dark. I think I’m loving it though?

I discovered the other night that Goosebumps books can be read in 1-2 hours, and I am going to try to choose a night each week where I read an entire one in bed. This started because I was a little too tipsy to focus on To Paradise so I decided to open up a Goosebumps book on my Kindle (I have them all on there, lol) and it was an extremely fun nighttime read, haha.

 

been a long time since I really connected with a book and wasn't just passively reading to pass the time, or re-reading old favourites. but man Station Eleven really is incredible. I keep having to stop and restart paragraphs because random sentences in the prose are so beautiful I start tearing up lmao. truly special book

 

Got a new phone and recently got Audible free for 12 months. Listened to a few Matt Haig books and Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo which was brilliant. Anyone got any recs? I don't think i'd be able to focus on fantasy/sci-fi via audio (though i'd always take those recs) but perhaps general fiction or any other genre? Looking to also get out of the fantasy/sci-fi comfortability hole i've found myself in.

 

I’m sure it doesn’t surprise you that a majority of my 447 Audible books are fantasy/sci-fi, but glancing through…

Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Shadow of the Wind
Elizabeth Kostrova - The Historian
Stephen Chbosky - Imaginary Friends

I think every audible account can receive one book from another member for free (at least, you could when I signed up in 2016). If that’s still the case, I can send you one if I have it to save some money.