>age
>current book
>your thoughts on it

>>24460189 (OP)
>27
>Mansfield Park
>Slow, but her ironic take of English society of the time is priceless

>>24460189 (OP)
27
>Lolita by Nabokov
>The Heart is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
>The Idiot by Dostoevsky
>Helena by Machado de Assis

>>24460189 (OP)
>low 2x
>one i was emailed on this site
>its childish, i dont like it much. he desperately needs an editor and to fix his pacing. i dont know what to tell him because i said i would post a goodreads review (its not looking like it will be a good review but i dont want to lie)
books for this feel?

>>24460189 (OP)
>21
>Underworld
>Fuck baseball

>>24460277
corndog zen?

>31
>Atomic Habits
>interesting combination of psychology/neuroscience and actionable advice, I've incorporated some of it into my life already and it works. Though like all self-help books it will turn away anyone with a narcissistic bent, who thinks this is all instinctual information

>>24460305
yeah.. sorry anon
ill email you back with some more of my thoughts if youd like

>>24460322
well I'm not the author but I read it too. I liked it but see your points

>>24460189 (OP)
>20
>Dracula
>deserves it status as a classic. Not particularly scary due to how common vampires are in the media, but still a great story about humans facing off against the supernatural.

>31
>The Master and Margarita (great)
>To Hell and Back Again vol. III: My Prison Story (great)
>Fingerprints of the Gods (backburner)
>Book of the New Sun (backburner) (I finished the first book and I have to start Conciliator over again)

>>24460306
B8

>>24460189 (OP)
>33
>Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone
>I am so glad Harry snubbed that cunt Malfoy, what a bitch, amirite fellas.

>>24460189 (OP)
feet

39
Tarzan of the Apes
Pretty fun so far. It's entertaining and not dull or convoluted, unlike 99% of modern novels.

>>24460189 (OP)
>29
>Rights of Man
>Mr. Burke is a faggot

Cute lady

>>24460189 (OP)
44
Clausewitz - On War
Autistic military mind who spent too much time thinking about war. Boring and obvious in parts but thought provoking in others. Makes me see war in a whole new way

>>24460189 (OP)
>32
>Mason & Dixon
>it's a fun romp, I didn't expect werebeavers, mechanical ducks or talking dogs in it

>>24460189 (OP)
22
Appian's Civil Wars
Cool narrative of the Late Roman Republic. Lot more violence than I thought, for every main figure you can think of there were 3 other guys who got their skull caved in of equal status to them

>>24460775
It’s crazy to me that many people glorify that time. Seems like it would have been terrible to live through

>>24460189 (OP)
>23
>The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino
>Convoluted but interesting

>>24460776
I thought it'd be more like extreme violence inter-spaced by relative peace for the most part but it's really the other way around. Full on political violence was the norm with periods of civil peace being the exception, only really with the two Triumvirates before they both collapsed was there a degree of peace.

>27
>Phenomenology of Spirit
>it's phenomenal

24
The double
Personally, anton antonych, if you permit me saying, anton antonych, that i think that this novel, anton antonych, my good man, is rather annoying to read. But I liked it, Golyadkin is literally me.

>>24460821
This writing, it reads kind of like Bendis dialogue, the writing I mean.

>>24460189 (OP)
23
>Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Incredible, wish I would’ve read it sooner. Don’t think I’m gonna read any of the sequels because it feels like a perfect standalone but maybe I’ll change my opinion based on the ending
>Gravitys Rainbow
Taking a quick break in it, I’ve been jotting a ton of notes but my sense of my own personal retardation becomes very clear when I read it
>>24460248
How is Helena I’ve been meaning to read it one of these days

>>24460189 (OP)
22
Iliad of Pope
Pretty violent

fucking feet

>>24460189 (OP)
>18
>V. by Pynchon
>Very funny so far. Just started.

>27
>The Inimitable Jeeves
>Absolutely love it, thanks to the anon who posted about Wodehouse and introduced me to this legend

24
The Conspiracy Against the Human Race
Formidable so far, based as fuck, love me some pessimistic poppycock lol

>38
>20,000 Leagues Under The Sea - Jules Verne (a third of the way through)
>I feel like this was written when more people were involved in Maritime activities. So much of the book is "we moved SSE 180' and 24' by 36' and 126' Latitude at 300 fathoms and 8% incline at a rate of 600 fathoms". I have no idea what this means other than "They are under the water and going SSE". Don't even get me started on "Black commersons, furnished with antennae; rigger-fish; orthragorasci, venemous; Olive Lamphreys; nacrorhnci; trichiuri, gymnotus and cramp-fish; scaly notopteri; gobies etc" obviously the protagonist is a specialist marine naturalist but this means nothing to me unless I were to sit in front of a computer typing in Latin taxonomy names 10x every paragraph
I think he's just setting the scene and the story is going to pick up but I'm a fairly new reader so it's just annoying that I have to skip whole paragraphs because I have no idea what it means

>>24460911
I may need to read that. I've felt surge of existential clarity with regards to our place in the cosmos and Camus' Sisyphus and Stoicians' "JustDoIt" attitude towards consciousness won't cut it

>>24460189 (OP)
>18
>Paradise Lost
i didn't think i would like it so much because, like most people my age, i had no interest in poetry before. i'm kind of surprised with how beautiful the english language can be and i'm definitely interested in reading more poetry and especially miltons other works.

>>24460857
>How is Helena I’ve been meaning to read it one of these days

Pretty good. This is my first Machado.

>>24460189 (OP)
>36
>Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (reddit, I know... but I'm enjoying it enough. Not a huge fan of the setting in this one, it seems too convoluted and it's hard for me to picture)
>The Illustrated Man (loving it... some of the stories are better than others, but I adore the way Bradbury writes anyways)

I fell in love with Bradbury after reading Dandelion Wine. Everyone should read it. Absolutely beautiful written and it hearkens back to a much better time in this country. Depressing what life is now compared to what it used to be in small town USA. Regardless, it's one of my all time favorite books and I'll probably re-read it after I finish Illustrated Man.

>>24461045
I live on an entirely different continent from Bradbury and my childhood was 70 years removed from his but Dandelion Wine still felt very familiar to my experience
I should read Farewell Summer one day, too

>>24461033
>>Paradise Lost
>i'm kind of surprised with how beautiful the english language can be and i'm definitely interested in reading more poetry
Then you may be interested in Alexander Pope and John Dryden (albeit I haven't read the latter). They made translations of Iliad/Odyssey and Aeneid.

>>24460189 (OP)
30
Lolita
Someone should make an edition with Japanized names and a cute anime girl on the cover.
>>24461033
Agree with other anon. Pope's Iliad is a must read (I haven't read the other two).

>>24460189 (OP)
>27, Devils, The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom, Thucydides on the Peloponnesian War

Devils is alright. Poorly paced and self-indulgent but that's pretty typical of Dostoevsky as far as I can tell. There's a sense of something really ominous bubbling away beneath all the silly domestic farce that I think is very well done. TM: DoF is alright. Smug and self-congratulatory in that way a lot of right-wing American writers are, but the content itself is quite strong. Thucydides is cozy, no notes.

>>24461064
Hamberto-Hamberto-san goes pretty hard

>>24461051
I can see that. I led a somewhat similar life to him, though in a more suburban setting. Friends, adventures, etc. He makes me yearn for the good ol' days in a way I don't think any author could. I think anyone who has been a young man at some point can relate and it will hit home somewhere in your soul. He just has a way of doing that. I can smell the fresh cut grass and the burnt sulfur from fireworks. He really had a talent to transport you into his books.

>26
>Aristotle's Poetics
>Got interested in what he had to say about the poetry of the Classical period. Didn't expect to read about the history of comedy and tragedy. I started reading this morning, so I'm still only on the beginning.

>Play Nice by Jason Schreier
>It's a history and biography of Blizzard Entertainment. It actually makes me sad how much Blizzard has fallen compared to the 90s. I don't like Schreier much personally, but his book is okay.

Does playing Disco Elysium also count as reading?

>>24460277
>i said i would post a goodreads review
Be honest with him. He is not going to improve if you don't tell him what's wrong with the story. If he gets offended or upset, that's his problem alone.

>>24461148
Aristotle's Poetics is the foundation of all literary study, very important book.

>>24461155
So was stated in the introductory chapter. I'm curious to see how the book contains

>>24461175
what*

>38
>the big sky
>I like it, under appreciated western if not a little cliche with a bit of everything plenty of land description and action without beating you over the head with the purple prose or violence of blood meridian

32
Heart of Darkness
I was expecting something more like McCarthy's descriptions of landscapes since people seem to compare them, but the language is clunky at times. When the metaphors land they are really good though.

>27
>Outline by Rachel Cusk
>I'm liking it, but I don't exactly know what it is. It's not experimental even though it's billed as that. Kind of reads like Hemingway

>>24460189 (OP)
25
Blood Meredian
Took me a while to get into it, must admit, but am thoroughly enjoying it now. Going to finish it today and then begin some plays by Euridpes.

>>24460189 (OP)
>28
>The Hobbit

Just started reading it. Second reread. Was looking for a nice summer read and you can't go wrong with the Hobbit.

>34
>Umberto Eco's The Prague Cemetery
>it's interesting but I'm still not sure about whether I enjoy it or not (I'm only in the first half), there seems to be a lot of information dump just like in his other books, but I actually really enjoyed Foucault's Pendulum and Numero Zero despite all of this.

>>24460189 (OP)
36
The Divine Comedy
Inferno was tragic and intense. Pergatorio is feeling redundant. I feel like I would get more out of the work if I understood more about Italian history and Dante's personal life.

>>24460189 (OP)
>22
>the hero of ages
>it's pretty cool, I've been really enjoying Mistborn

>35, Ulysses
I'm loving it, on Oxen and the Sun right now. Reading Cormac McCarthy before has helped me immensely, and I know I would have thrown this book out the window 10 years ago. The way Joyce plays with language is inspiring.

>28
>The Plague by Albert Camus
>It's pretty good.

>31
>Decline of the West
>It’s absurdly good honestly. I’m actually blown away.

>>24460189 (OP)
>31
>Tales of Heresy
>breddi gud desu

>23
>Dangerous Liaisons
>Didn't think I'd day this for an epistolary novel but it's pretty kino so far

>>24460189 (OP)
>29
>House of Leaves
>The fucking around with form is cool but the narrative itself is pretty mid so far
also
>The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
>cozy childhood fave, finally picked up the collected volume since I only got through books 1-3 as a kid

>>24461148
>Does playing Disco Elysium also count as reading?
man I fucking hope so

>24
>in a glass darkly
>it's.... okay

>27
>The Stranger - Camus
>You need to cry for your dead mother to escape a murder charge

I'm reading Tom Sawyer, only read a couple chapters but I'm liking it

>35
>Neuromancer
>Still undecided if the first half of the book was bad or the anime I grew up watching ripped it off so thoroughly that it's impossible to read in current year and not feel underwhelmed

>>24460189 (OP)
>22
>2666 by Roberto Bolaño, A Fan's Notes by Fredrick Exley and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
2666 has been one of the best books I've ever read. I have less than 200 pages left now. A Fan's Notes is not one of the great novels but I've got a real soft spot for it. It might be one of my new favourites honestly. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is the first book I've read by a woman since Frankenstein when I was 15 and it's actually quite good. Only 50 pages in but I'm enjoying it so far.

>>24460189 (OP)
19
Pale Fire
Zembla ramblings are interesting. Poem itself was decent but nothing great. I very much enjoy the unique structure. Looking forward to reading more.

>>24460189 (OP)
22
The plague by Camus
not far enough to give an opinion desu

>>24460189 (OP)
>19
>The Complete Works of Epictetus.
>Slow, but it has been enlightening and certainly has changed my worldview

>>24460189 (OP)
Are picnics good for you?

>>24460189 (OP)
>23
>René Guénon - Symbols of Sacred Science
>a few crackpot far reaching takes but mostly very comfy and insightful, also seeing a few ideas and passages Evola (who I read first) borderline plagiarized lel

>>24462101
IDK YOU GET SUN, FOOD, AND LIQUIDS IDK IS THAT GOOD FOR YOU IDK WOW YOU SHOULD PROBABLY IDK GOOGLE CAUSE IDK THAT MIGHT NOT BE GOOD FOR YOU GOOGLE IT I GUESS IT MIGHT GOOD FOR YOU TO BE IN THE SUN EATING FOOD AND DRINKING WATER

>>24460857
I'm about to finish Fall of Hyperion and think it's well worth it so far

>>24460189 (OP)
31
A Game of Thrones
Very dull read. Bad pacing

>>24460857
Sequels to Hyperion are great and you’d be doing yourself a disservice by avoiding them

>36
>Our Oriental Heritage by Durant
>it's a great read but my middle-aged brain does not retain information anymore

18
Notes from Underground
This Dostoyevsky guy has a knack for putting my thoughts to paper.

>44
>Encyclopedia of Jr. High School Girls Wearing Bikinis
>8==================D

>>24460857
As is typical for scifi nerds, they'll claim you have to read the whole series because it's so great. It's not the case for Dune, it's not the case for Hyperion. Fall of Hyperion isn't half the book that Hyperion is. I had to speed read it by the end because it was so unsufferably moronic.
Just do yourself a favor and go on with your life knowing what you'll know about the characters at the end of the first book. The scholar's tale was genuinely crushing, I forgot I was reading genre fiction. Fall of Hyperion though is such turbo slop that even the ink must be infused with retard juice.

>17
>The prince
>No i am not some zoomer trying to manipulate people, I just like reading, and this machiavelli dude is pretty interesting so far

>>24461614
Yo you also gotta listen to the album Haunted by Poe while reading House of Leaves. She's a musician sister of the author, and he incorporated her music into the book by making it a counterpart to his book.

>>24460189 (OP)
>25
>der außenseiter (osadchuk)
>okay tier, I am only reading it because I need to learn the language

>>24464235
This is what I figured. I read all the dune books, which was definitely a waste of time because I didn’t enjoy any of the sequels until God Emperor. I’ll probably follow this lead

>>24464113
well you're reading him at the correct age

Much less than 67
Just finished Sleeping Beauties by Kawabata.
A 67 year old man gets to sleep with sedated naked girls and reminisces on his life. Can't really relate to having had that much sex and cunny, neither to being an old japanese pervert. But the novella is still somehow nice. Will read Old Capital and something The Mountain next.

>>24460189 (OP)
23
Dune
I like it. I can't put it to words, but the way it's written threw me off at first. The narration, dialogue, names etc. It took a good few chapters to get use to it. I want to see where it goes. The story, characters and autism behind Dune the planet and mentats/bene gesserit training is really interesting. I also really wish I had a bene gesserit concubine.

>>24460189 (OP)
>age
23
>book
Mein Kampf
>thoughts
So far it’s not that bad. I find some similarities in that we both grew up in similar circumstances and have a likewise understanding of history of cause and effect and how it can teach us about larger phenomenon. I also find his beliefs on Austria-Hungary and Jews interesting as he didn’t initially hate either but the latter was later shown to him to be weal due to its multiculturalism and archaic aristocracy. For the latter Infind it interesting that he was hesitant to dislike jews but over time came to hate them after multiple smaller encounters, namely how events in media were misrepresented and were owned disproportionately by them in Austria-Hungary

Just started reading so haven’t read past the first few chapters

>>24462156
Where is the best place to start with Evola? Not really interested in his politics, only in his Guenon-derived esotericism

>>24461809
(You) make this exact post every single time one of this threads pop up

>>24466454
Revolt against the modern world

>19
>The Moonstone
>the dinner table scene where the doctor doesn't hear the woman mention that her husband is dead actually made me cry with laughter

>>24460189 (OP)
27
The Idiot
I don't like Myshkin all that much, but I wish I were him. Inherently liked or respected without much reason and has pretty bitches left and right simping for him, oh and he's also rich.

>>24460189 (OP)
>29
>Exquisite Corpse
>I'm enjoying it. I'm about halfway through and was expecting it to be a bit gnarlier. I'll probably change this opinion by the time I finish it, but I think we're seeing too many characters' POVs. Britfag, Amerifag, Tran(ny), Luke. Based on the first chapter I was expecting it to be strictly from the britfag's POV with a deeper exploration into his psychosis. But I'm halfway through and people love this book so much that I'm pretty sure I'll look back on this opinion and completely disagree.

>26
>The Picts: A History by Tim Clarkson
>Very comfy read, especially the early Roman wars with proto Pict Caledonians

>>24466813
lol you're right

I typed out a reply to about half of you but I'm getting
> Error: Our system thinks your post is spam. Please reformat and try again.
so I'm sorry that I couldn't interact with you all. I guess clicking the post tag button (a built-in feature of this website) is not something supported anymore. Very cool!

33
The Blade Itself
It's fun, the POV's are generally interesting and it passes the time well. Looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.

>>24469569
It doesn’t let you do more than a certain amount (picks and chooses how many) at this point

these threads are now struggling to reach 100 replies... has /lit/ finally fallen?

>>24460908
don't know who that was but i, and mayn others, have extolled his virtues forever
i remember some big pen calling him "brilliant and deliberately minor" in the very best way

a life without Wodeshouse is a lesser life

>>24469569
>>24469912
I took 20 replies and cut it down to ten, then six, then five. Still couldn't post. I'm not going to keep trying.

>>24470051
People want responses, not to post into the void.

>>24470051
/lit/ has undoubtedly gotten worse, no question. However there are some anons here worth interacting with. Problem is no one inquires into other posts and therefore no conversation starts

>>24470051
every boards has had less traffic since the hack
the differences on /pol/ -- due to emergencies in the blue+white flag mid-east country -- are nothing short of amazing

>>24460189 (OP)
23
I'm the evil lord of an intergalactic empire v5
The series is ass but I've only been reading it because I torrented it right before I lost internet, and had nothing else to read. Now that I gained internet I discovered something about the version I torrented, an entire character was removed from the text. Like she's still in the artwork, but completely missing from the story. Besides that the authors other work is better written. I like Trapped in a Dating Sim Otome Games are Tough for us, Too!, it's good for a spin off and it has wincest.

>>24470085
This whole website in general is filled with Israelis now

>>24460905
Chapter 4 the nose job and chapter 9 Mondaugen’s story are both phenomenal, I’ve reread them multiple times

>>24468905
Hell yeah, been meaning to read that one. How in-depth does it get with the history?

26
The God of the Woods
Contemporary mystery novel that my girlfriend recommended me. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it’s decently entertaining, in spite of the fact that there are too many POVs when there are only one or two interesting characters
>>24468885
Is this a contemporary book? Excuse my ignorance but if it is, feel like there’s too many of them that have an excessive amount of character POVs
>>24466422
I found the prose to be really bad, what is your opinion on it
>>24461644
I found that Mr Justice Harbottle and Carmilla do a lot of heavy lifting and the other 3 are quite bad

>>24460189 (OP)
>28
>Abolition of Man
>Sadly still relevant for the modern age

>>24470275
Sorry, was busy today, it sadly doesn't have a ton of detail (more brief overviews) but one thing is the author does point to a lot of primary sources to research. I'll read Agricola by Tacticus next as it seems to be his main primary source on the early Roman period.

Still he does go into the major battles and details of the Roman forts of northern Britain. Has been helpful as I don't have a ton of knowledge in the era. Wouldn't recommend if you're looking for high academic material.

>Late 20's
>Ficciones
I'm halfway through and I don't get why people felate Borges so much, unless it's one of those cases where he was the first one to do things that became ubiquitous latter. The recurring " look at me namedroping all these authors and books" also feels tiresome after a point. For now, the two stories I liked the most were The Lottery In Babylon and the Library of Babel.

>>24460189 (OP)
>32
>Oroppa by Safae el Khannoussi
>Failed attempt at Pynchon pastiche immigrant-style. It won the main literary prize in the Netherlands this year but it feels like boring schlop that's being pushed by literary commentators only because it's so surprising that a literal Moroccan womxn wrote something half-decent. Will still force myself to finish it so know what the hype is about.

>>24460454
Meh. Read it recently and was disappointed. Explains everything a hundred times. I felt it was quite dull and on the nose.

>33
>Iliad, Otto Manninen's finnish translation from 1919
>it's capeshit as we know but the finnish translation in hexameter is fantastic

>>24460189 (OP)
>24
>the electric kool-aid acid test
those must have been fun times to be alive. ken kesey was a truly brilliant individual.
it's gonzo journalism so not the most straightforward read but still entertaining if you're interested in the subject
>>24460470
>>The Master and Margarita (great)
that's probably what i'll be reading next, is it good as a first approach to russian literature?
>>24460754
is it somewhat similar to gravity's rainbow?

>>24460189 (OP)
22
crime and punishment
i am unable to form my own opinion. Im enjoying it so far. thought i'd relate more to it but i already grew out of the self-centered cynical young male attitude

>age
23
>current book
Whatever by Houellebecq
>your thoughts on it
Just finished the book this morning. A lot to chew on, but it goes down smoothly like all his books. The main thesis of sexual liberation leading to pauperisation on the part of sexually unsuccessful males is remarkably prescient and well thought out. I've read several of his books so far and most of his main themes are present in 'Whatever' in some form or another: alienation in the workplace, sexual frustration, depression, hyperconsumerism, feminism, loss of religion, etc etc. However the book itself is not really a typical novel, as he says at the start he's not writing something anywhere near to 'Wuthering Heights'. It comes across as much more bitter and disjointed than some of his later works, perhaps this is Houellebecq at his most raw, before the fame and the riches. I've still got 'Serotonin' and 'The Map and the Territory' to read from him, but I think I'll read 'Invisible Man' by Ellison next. I would like to get acquainted with 'real' literature this summer, so I'll read 'Lolita', 'Confederacy of Dunces', and some Borges in the coming months.

>>24470832
>"No civilization, no epoch has been capable of developing such a quantity of bitterness in its subjects"
>"As paradoxical as it may seem, there is a road to travel and it must be travelled, yet there is no traveller. Acts are accomplished, yet there is no actor."

>>24470729
(Not the anon you are replying to) The Master & Margarita is one of my favourite books of all time, super good shit yo. Heart of a Dog is also groovy and worth the read 100%, could read it over a weekend without a doubt. Nothing overly difficult if it’s an entry to Russian lit for you, by any means.

For my next read I'm torn between The Remains Of The Day, White Fang, Lonesome Dove and The Goldfinch.
Opinions welcome

27
I'm currently on Emily Bronte's poems but literally all I've read is the introduction, this morning. I finished Madame Bovary yesterday and was kinda disappointed. With all the hype about Flaubert autistically spending months writing each page I was expecting some mind-blowing prose, but, although I can say it was economical, I can't recall anything that really stuck with me. Also, I generally like interesting characters and dialogue in books and those weren't really there for me. And the "tongue-in-cheek" le subtle irony humor is too reddit for me. At least it was short. 7/10. The Red and the Black is still the go-to French drama slop for me.

>>24471423
>The Red and the Black is still the go-to French drama slop for me
It's definitely very charming, you get the sense that Julien is a young lad playing dress-up. Quite tender too, for instance when Mme de Renal mistakes him for a young girl on first meeting him, and their eventual reconciliation. You might like 'Bel Ami', similar themes and plot, though the tone is a bit more cynical.

>>24471367
Haven’t read The Remains of the Day but Lonesome Dove is one of the best novels I’ve ever read, some of the best characterization ever written. White Fang is a good option as well

27
Madame Bovary
I hate women

>>24470832
A Confederacy of Dunces is hilarious.

20
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
I'm just over halfway through and I like the book a lot so far: It's one of the funniest books I've read, Heller sells the absurdist conceit of it well, and it's remarkably easy to read despite it being so intentionally scatterbrained and non-linear.

>>24471540
Thanks for the input !

>>24471623
Addendum: On the backburner currently I have St. John Chrysostom's homilies on the Gospel of John and then a volume of Perrault's fairy tales. I'm very impressed with Chrysostom so far ("Golden-mouthed" is certainly an apt nickname for him!), even if I've only finished the first handful of homilies about John 1:1 in which he rants against Arianism and diverse sins. As for Perrault, I'm giving the book to my friend's young son as a birthday gift, and it's refreshing to hear the proper original versions of classic stories.

>>24460857
>>24464235
It's not on the level of the first one, but I'm glad I read it to finish the story. Not "turbo slop" at all, and quite enjoyable and different from the first. At some point I'll read the other two, too, but Fall left me satisfied for the time being.

30
The Disconnected by Oguz Atay, on mention by someone on here
I'm half way. It's a post-modern telling of a grieving man investigating the life of his friend who committed suicide. It's interesting, particularly in the way the narrative shifts from internal imaginary conversations to written ephemera or dialogue, but I'm not really enjoying it. Occasionally there are quite funny moments, perhaps the funniest being an imaginary revolutionary committee of ineffective nomadic Turkish intellectuals, but I think the further I read the less I like Selim, the dead guy, a wunderkind, pompous, egotistical, self described misfit. He's not lonely, seems to make friends very easily, seems adored by his friends, but can't settle with normality and kills himself. That and the lack of a hook to the investigation. I'll keep at it, but it's the slowest I've read a book this year.

>>24461053
>>24461064
I'm going to read Dryden's Aeneid soon but I read Lattimore's Iliad/Odyssey. I didn't want to read Pope's because he obviously has to take liberties when translating hexameter into rhyming couplets. I assume it doesn't read very much like Homer's greek at all. Thoughts? nta btw

>>24471951
I just found it so poor compared to the first one. It read like a Final Destination movie, where every character does their best to get killed, like pulled by destiny, except they're not pulled, they're actively pushing with their stupidity.
It's got more scifi, more ships, more time oddities, but the more there was, the more disengaged I was from the story. I regretted not looking up the summary. Nowadays I drop books that disappoint me like this one did, at least it taught me that lesson.
I'm glad you liked it though. Hopefully the other two are your jam as well.

>30
>Underground Man
>Filtered.
It was the first of his that I didn’t care for. First half better than. 2nd half. I enjoyed the beaver collar bit but everything after that went downhill.
>He knew the logical thing to do and acted against it anyway.
Great. But the dinner scene, and the scene at the end with Liza was so absurd it was physically hard to read. I enjoyed the premise of him scrawling away without the intention of ever showing it to anyone, yet writing as if he’s addressing an audience to make it easier for him to write. I unironically do that sometimes in my own diary.

>>24460189 (OP)
>33
>7.5” uncut
>Herodotus Histories
>I enjoy his looseness with the truth in favor of a good story

>>24472144
You're reading a translation. They aren't very much like Greek.
Homer was a poet. In this sense, you might as well read a real poetic translation instead of modern free verse that has neither meter or rhyme.

>>24471643
That’s a good gift anon

>>24460189 (OP)
>18
> Pale Fire by Nabokov
> I had to re-read it to completely undestand what the fuck was going on but it was worth it.

>>24473362
Do you think Kinbote killed him?

>>24473866
I think so. The gradual slip into insane nonsense is just Kinbote coming to terms with and justifying in his own head the murder of Shade.

What do you think?

>>24466454
I'm the guy you replied to. Revolt is probably his magnum opus and the best distillation of his worldview, but if you just want his esoteric shit I honestly think you'd be more interested in Mystery of the Grail. It's a more in-depth dive into a lot of the Grail stuff Guenon touches on in SoSS and King of the World, while also tying in with Evola's fixation on kshatriya (i.e. knights) over brahmins. I think it was originally written as a lengthy appendix to Revolt and used to be taunted by Evolafags here as an ideal starting point. I started with Revolt and understood/enjoyed it just fine though, just pick whichever interests you more

>>24474172
>taunted
*touted, I need to stop phoneposting.

>>24460189 (OP)
>22
>Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis
>I'm finding it lacking in both plot and deeper characterization of the narrator. Despite this, it's carried by Kazantzakis' strength as a writer, and I'm more interested in his voice than Zorba's.

>>24460799
I've been considering picking this up after Invisible Cities and If on a Winter's Night. Do you know much about Tarot and if so how much would you say it impacts the experience? If not, would you recommend it anyway?

>>24460189 (OP)
>19
>The War of the Worlds
>Don't care much for sci-fi, but it's short and fun. Not sure if I'll like it as much as the The Time Machine.

>>24460189 (OP)
21
Anna Karenina
It's so ridiculous how good Tolstoy's writing is. It's hard to even describe because he doesn't have a particular "style." He just writes with absolutely perfect and precise clarity. Take for example the short chapter describing Levin' affections for Kitty and why he wants to marry her. It's like a little aside, just an explanation for why he feels the way he does, but he writes it in a way where even this exposition dump feels personal, important and impactful. Every sentence is so fluid and feels like it enriches the story. I never feel like "oh this part of the book feels like filler" or anything, everything makes the novel come more alive

>>24474655
Same. I honestly liked every character in that book. I'd even go as far to say Tolstoy is better than Dostoevsky.

>>24460189 (OP)
>age
43
>current book
Inventing The Individual by Larry Siedentop
>thoughts on it
dunno, just started it. I read it after I completed After Virtue by Alasdair McIntyre yesterday

10000
Woman in the Dunes
A really enjoyable read. It's very sensual in its description of surroundings, some awkward metaphors, but it's something I've seen other Japanese writers do. It's a genuinely refreshing experience because it allows itself to ramble on its philosophising without it being preachy or masturbatory or butchering the compelling story, I think you can only get this effect in literature with authors that are actually sensitive and invested in the world. I hate to use this word, but despite the bleak story it seems to be a genuine life-affirming work.

>>24460189 (OP)
God, I would give every away every single property I own just to live as her slave and be able to lick her feet as a reward for being a good servant

>34
>The Long Walk by Richard Bachmann
>It's the first time a book made me thirsty.

>>24474830
Correct opinion

>>24474655
The reason why Tolstoy’s writing is so immaculate is that he had an immaculate soul. This is why he can’t be replicated. All of his art was pure personal expression, that very chapter you mention is verbatim Tolstoy describing his own real-life process of choosing his wife because Levin is based on himself. His strength is sincerity which he picked up from his life-long hero Rousseau. We’re talking about a guy with an immensely eventful life where he lost both parents in his youth, toured Europe and met important historical figures, inherited the wealth of one of Russia’s most prominent families, fought in war where he burned down villages and killed men, became a world-famous author (very rare at those times since most authors are only famous posthumously), had 15 kids, interacted with every new technology and ideology that developed at the time and became a political & religious leader. This is possibly the most experienced life of any novelist ever and you can see that experience on every page he wrote. Everything is straight from the heart with clarity because he knew himself as good as a person could possibly know themselves. Today, our authors are almost completely divorced from anything they write since their lives are so mediocre

>>24475557
Borges basically spent his whole life at the biblioteca, I don't think you need a crazy life to write well

>>24460189 (OP)
>20
>Faust
>Slow opening but I'm feelin it

>>24460189 (OP)
>29
>Wuthering Heights
>The first four chapters were a drag but I am enjoying it far more than I expected to. I absolutely loathe Catherine.

>22
>Don Quixote
>First half was funnier, the second is getting tiresome I'm 2/3 through it. Is it about how people can get in their own bubble, that they become schizo?

>>24460189 (OP)
21
The perennial philosophy by Aldous Huxley

>24
>the idiot
finished the first half, and I've concluded this book is essentially about a group of aristocratic men simping for a woman with daddy issues - all because they're infected with that classic 'I can fix her' delusion.
the drama is nice though and for the first time i like the female characters more than the male ones in dostoevsky stories.nastasya has completely lost her mind in the end of the part 1 lol.

Recomendado

>>24460189 (OP)
>43
>Count of Monte Cristo
>It's a fucking slog.

>>24475106
Based & feetpilled

I'm 24 and currently reading The White-Luck Warrior by R. Scott Bakker.
I like the schizo-philosophical fantasy thing the setting has going on, but the high amounts of NTR and the author's fedora tendencies become annoying at times.

>>24475106
I would become a communist

>33
>Kafka by the Shore
>It's pretty decent. I don't know exactly how to describe it but it has that quality of modern books where it's just a bit profane to show that it's "real". It's also a much lighter read than I anticipated, I just finished Ulysses a week ago and the change is a bit jarring. When the characters talk about reading Arabian Nights and Geothe I get a very strong sense of "Place: Japan".

>>24477134
What chapter are you on right now?
The first and last three hundred pages are pretty good but the middle fucking sucks

>>24468170
>wishes he were myshkin for all the wrong reasons
retards like you are why I come to this board

>>24475557
Plato lived more deeply.

>>24475800
You don't need experience to write well in general, but you need experience to write *as good* as Tolstoy did or at least in the way he did. It's more about how these experiences were kept in his soul and demanded expression.

>32
>Siddhartha (re-read)

idk I've been feeling lately that buddhism and monk stuff is for lazy bozos. Like wow congrats you were a bum begging for food for 40 years, just taking, not providing anything for anyone, just sitting around "thinking" about yourself. I mean they're just NEETs.

>25
>Butcher's Crossing
Barely started but I think I see where it's going. I was hoping for some scorching hot western kino but they going for some winter Colorado Buffalo or something

>>24479886
>"thinking" about yourself
they don't. They sit in the flow of time, we should all do the same

>>24460189 (OP)
>31
>Time of Silence by Martin-Santos
>masterpiece, no other word can describe it.

>>24460189 (OP)
>32
>" The other wind" (final Earthsea book)
> everyone still thinks and acts as though they're slightly high

>28
>Master and Margarita
>"Master and Margarita, I have no read it but moms everywhere recommend it so you know it's gotta have some hot lesbian scene in it" - Sam Hyde

>25
>The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton
I have one year to join the Trappists and become a spiritual beast and finally find peace

>>24471367
Remains of the Day is truly great. Well developed themes about duty, tradition, regret, failure to connect emotionally to others, and left me feeling a bit empty and depressed which is personally a good marker of good writing

>>24474655
>Anna Karenina
which translation?

>>24482311
Maude

>22
>paradise logic by sophie kemp
>i like the writing style, haven't finished yet but it's interesting

>>24460189 (OP)
where do you get a footslut /lit/ gf?

>>24461538
Weirdly I also read this when I was 31. One of my all time favorite philosophy books. I'm 33 now and think about it often.

>>24483298
>>24461538
can i just read the abridged 400 page version?

>>24460189 (OP)
>27
>The Dragon Masters
>I like it a lot

>>24460189 (OP)
>18
>The Catcher in the Rye
>Holden is based

>>24483379
Sure

>gfys
>cant focus long enough

>>24461045
Second this, Dandelion Wine is genuinely one of the best books I’ve ever read. His ability to convey what it’s like to be a kid is unmatched. Wish I could read it again for the first time.

>>24460189 (OP)
23
Gargantua and Pantagruel
Great

>>24484834
Ball knower

>31
>Collected Poems by Gunnar Ekelöf
I am trying to become a "Culture-Man", as described in the Swedish press, as a joke.

>>24461206
There's something very unwieldy about Conrad's prose, though I hold him/Heart of Darkness in very high regard. I suppose we're two ESLs meeting in a language neither of us grew up with.

>>24460908
Been wanting to read Wodehouse for ages, might finally do it this year. Thank you for the inspo, anon

>>24460189 (OP)
>2X
>Intermediate German for Dummies
>I just want to date a euro girl (I'm white btw)

>22
>Death in Venice
>Accurately captures feelings of twink death and my need for bussy as a sort of tortured attempt to recapture my youthful essence

>25
Just finished the sound and the fury, was insanely underwhelmed. I enjoyed the first two chapters, especially Ben's, however the rest of the book felt utterly meaningless and the last part was a complete snoozefest.

>>24460776
that's why they welcolmed augustus by the end, just having someone at the top objectively who took out all other threats and stabilized the institutions was the best they were gonna get.

>>24460189 (OP)
31
The Serpents of Paradise
I'm only 40 something pages into it but I'm intrigued by Edward's prose

>>24488650
What do you like about his prose?

>28
>Atomized, Michel Houellebecq
>Schopenhauer plus hating sexual revolution/hippies/ neoliberals / wokism. Wonderful work. He is rather dry compared to say, Proust or Céline, but he is totally worth for just his ability getting the zeitgeist