The Book Thread Book • Page 178

2666 might have been my fav read of the year. so incredible

I don't have a fav Paz collection yet! I'm still working through it and it's been incredible. but maybe The Labyrinth of Solitude is a good start

 

Ordered! Sounds like a mash up of Borges and Garcia. 2666 is scheduled for next year.

@sawhney[rusted]2 just want to say your PFP is incredible

 

Finally starting NOS4A2 @Vivatoto !!

 

I’m on a break from horror novels after DNFing Headcheese, although I did start the newest collection of short stories from Brian Evenson which is great so far.

I’m reading my first Sally Rooney book, Intermezzo, and I’m liking it a lot so far.

 

Sitting at 24/30 on my reading goal, now switching to shorter books to pad this out

Just started We Have Always Lived In The Castle

 

I only started reading books since late August, and I met my goal of 12/12 books! Probably on track to hit 14 or so by the end of the year. Most I've read since high school most likely!

edit: if anyone wants to friend on goodreads

 

We Have Always Lived In The Castle is so fucking good

 

Read this in October and it's so good.

 

Had a goal of ten. I think I’m up to 8 now. With 5 coming in the last two months. Also now trying to squeeze some small ones in between

 

Had a goal of 30, but have about 120 pages left in number 48. Then planning to fly through 2 smaller ones to reach 50 before the end of the year

 

Set a goal of 24. Currently at 21 and decided to choose a 600+ page book with 3 weeks to go

will probably read a couple of graphic novels to reach that goal

 

My goal was 12 and I'm at 14 now. Just started DisneyWar, but I doubt I'm getting through the 600 pages of this before the new year. Might try to squeeze something short in before then.

Highlights of the year were

The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
The Long Walk by Bachman/King
Christine by Stephen King

 

Set my goal to 30 but I’m at 26 and prob will not read much more.

In a tremendous reading slump where I have no idea what I want to read. Bored by thrillers. Bored by horror. Considering fantasy.

I did read 4 of the GOT books this year, and will plan to dive into more fantasy in 2025

 

The Tunnel - William Gass
Dhalgren - Samuel Delany
Outline - Rachel Cusk
The Mezzanine - Nicholson Baker
Foucault’s Pendulum - Umberto Eco
Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino
Tampa - Alissa Nutting

some of my favorites of the year

 

2025 ultimate goal is one of the big Pynchon three: Gravity’s Rainbow / Mason + Dixon / Against the Day

 

The Fantasy/Sci-Fi Books Thread • forum.chorus.fm

 

I just finished reading Atonement and was soooo enamored by it. Part 3 (the nursing section) was particularly engaging (and heartbreaking to me)

Before that I read Americanah which had its moments -- I didn't love the way it ended and found the Obama-era celebratory stuff a little bit dated (maybe just extra hard to face at this particular moment)

Before that, A Clockwork Orange, which had me saying "ah it's a pain in me gulliver" for days

 

Atonement is phenomenal. Is any of McEwan's other stuff close to that good?

 

Also a big fan of Atonement. I’ve heard Enduring Love and Amsterdam are both great, haven’t read them yet though.

 

Best books I’ve read this year (out of 38 so far):

Fiction:
Angels, Denis Johnson
A Perfect Spy, John Le Carre
Dog Soldiers, Robert Stone
Warlock, Oakley Hall
American Tabloid, James Ellroy

Nonfiction:
Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe (reread)
Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs, Kerry Howley
Doppelgänger, Naomi Klein
Blood and Thunder, Hampton Sides

Fiction but nonfiction but fiction lol:
When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamin Labatut

 

I read a lot in the last days of December so I’ll hold on making a list until then.

 

yeah i've also been trying to figure out what from him i could read next and haven't really found a consensus

 

Favorite books from this year were the first three books of the Neapolitan series by Elena Ferrante. I loved them so so so much. Holding out on reading the 4th one because I'm going to be sad it's over. I also looooved 2666 by Bolano and Franzen's The Corrections. Both were such great reading "experiences."

I quit smoking weed recently so been cranking through books these days. I'm happy to get my brain back after falling asleep every time I try to read 2 pages.

I don't do reading goals anymore because it made reading somewhat less enjoyable; but for those of you looking for short books to 'pad your stats' I highly, highly recommend Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These and Foster. I'm in the middle of Foster right now and Keegan's characters are so vibrant.

 

I’m about a quarter into the last book of the Neapolitan quartet myself. Amazing and aggravating series.

 

I have My Brilliant Friend on my shelf. Think I’ll plan to read that next year. Maybe I’ll also do Swann’s Way and Spring Snow. It’ll be the year of not being intimidated by multi-book series