What book(s) are you reading at the moment?

[Moksha]

^^

Nanuq You could take a look Harold Bloom’s reading list. Bloom was a literature professor at Harvard who compiled a list of what he considered the world’s greatest literature. He groups the works by century and also by culture. I have been working my way through it for several years, and it’s pretty good. I’m trying to read more non-Western stuff atm, and Bloom is a helpful guide. The list ends in around 2000, which is fine by me. I hardly ever read contemporary stuff. For me, literature is an escape from the modern world.

[Dougella]

Sex, Power, Money by Sara Pascoe.

[Merritt]

Currently reading Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller.

I'm mildly fascinated by the kind of writers who you'd never want to have met or have anything to do with, like Miller, Bukowski, and Burroughs. Fairly awful people living selfish lives in ugly places. I think the ugliness is the draw for me. Probably makes it more palatable that they're all long dead too.

Anyway, if this book has so far taught me anything, it's that Paris in the early 20th century was about 80% brothel.

[Moksha]

Originally Posted by Merritt

Currently reading Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller.

I'm mildly fascinated by the kind of writers who you'd never want to have met or have anything to do with, like Miller, Bukowski, and Burroughs. Fairly awful people living selfish lives in ugly places. I think the ugliness is the draw for me. Probably makes it more palatable that they're all long dead too.

Anyway, if this book has so far taught me anything, it's that Paris in the early 20th century was about 80% brothel.

I vaguely remember Orwell describing Miller. I believe they met in France while Orwell was en route to fight in Spain. Miller told him he was wasting his time, since western civilisation is ****ed, and anyway, the human race is never worth fighting for...or something along those lines. I know what you mean. There is something weirdly attractive about miserable, cynical alcoholics. Maybe that’s why Withnail and I is my all time favourite film.

Am reading Genius by Harold Bloom. Fascinating book. Bloom was a Harvard professor and literary critic, and an unapologetic highbrow. He lists 100 writers he considers geniuses, and then explains why. The usual suspects are there (Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Milton, Dickens, etc), but he adds lots of people I’d never heard of, including several Spanish and Italian writers I might try. I must read more non-English writers this year.

[Professor Willow]

I rarely read books these days however I'm currently reading Killing for company - the case of Dennis Nilsen by Brian Masters.

[Mike.Kzov]

^ That's an incredibly creepy but great book.

I recently read The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. It's certainly, err, restrained by modern standards of horror. But it's elegantly structured, and occasionally chilling.

[Seagull]

Just finished I Am C-3PO by Anthony Daniels, mein gott what a whiney, messed-up, unlikeable, narcissistic, self-pitying piece of work he is. Reading that, I can understand why so many found him difficult to work with.

Next stop The Midnight Library.

[Moksha]

A biography of Siegfried Sassoon. It’s hard not to like someone who single-handedly captures an enemy trench and then sits down to read a book of poems (and forgets to report what he’s done). We tend to think the officers of that war were callous and inhumane, but it’s just not true. There’s a moving letter from Sassoon to Robert Graves (a fellow infantry officer). Both agree that the war is insane, but they also agree to keep fighting, simply because they love their men and want to do what they can to protect them.

[Seagull]

Threw in the towel with The Midnight Library 150 pages in. Matt Haig is stealing a living. Would not recommend.

[Moksha]

Originally Posted by Seagull

Threw in the towel with The Midnight Library 150 pages in. Matt Haig is stealing a living. Would not recommend.

Why? Is that one of his novels? I read his book on depression, which was quite good (though I suspect it was a hit more for the way it’s set out than the actual writing). Bit mawkish in places, though. It wouldn’t surprise me to find his novels unreadable.

[Seagull]

^^ yes, Moshka it is a novel.

Am now onto American Dirt, very gripping first 60 pages.

[girlinterrupted]

I have so many half-read books on the go, but am trying to be more disciplined (pfft) and work my way through methodically. Current one on the go is:



First ever read of Balzac

[Tonkin]

After watching the new Adam Curtis, I've started this:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...uling-the-void

Ruling The Void: The Hollowing Of Western Democracy

In the long-established democracies of Western Europe, electoral turnouts are in decline, membership is shrinking in the major parties, and those who remain loyal partisans are sapped of enthusiasm. Peter Mair’s new book weighs the impact of these changes, which together show that, after a century of democratic aspiration, electorates are deserting the political arena. Mai ...more

Might be a bit too ambitious for me though!

[Mike.Kzov]

^^ I enjoyed a Balzac story I read. Also, you can always enjoy an immature snigger at the author's name.

I'm reading Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. After hearing so much about it being unreadable and torturous, I'm actually enjoying it

[girlinterrupted]

^ I really enjoyed it. Now to decide which is the next target

[Jen.]

^ It's interesting just how many thriller/mystery books released in the last 10 years have "girl" in the title. I don't know if Gone Girl was the one that started it, but it feels like since that was released literally half the titles have that word in them

[Seagull]

^^ and ^

Summed up perfectly by this recent BBC article:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/art...design-cliches

So often off the back of a successful book like Gone Girl the publisher rereleases the authors earlier, less well received, books using an identical cover design and font, as happened with Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn’s less than stellar back catalogue, and more recently with Jeanine Cummings’s, author of ‘big noise’ book American Dirt. Copycat publishing houses also try and ride that wave with parroted covers designed to draw in fans of those books to their own authors (how stupid do they think we are?)

[Jen.]

It's odd that the term "girl" is applied to women in their 30s and beyond when it comes to book titles. I know it's ust the publishers trying to cash in on a buzzword and the authors were probably coerced into having those titles used, but it still sounds strange to me. I don't feel like you would see many books about a "40 year old boy".

[Mike.Kzov]

Originally Posted by Candleholder

I enjoyed it too. Didn't really know what was going on until the last chapter but it wasn't unpleasant. Absalom, Absalom!, however, was not much fun at all. I've read quite a bit of Faulkner now and I honestly believe that he must have been a little bit mad to write some of the stuff he did.

I am reading Selves by Galen Strawson.

sorry just saw this reply. Yes, I finished it this evening, and I'm still fuzzy about some of the plot details. Is Absalom, Absalom! much harder going then? I read Sanctuary, which does serve as a handy primer on Faulkner's sort of themes and concerns...even though it's incredibly grim.

I'm giving As I Lay Dying another shot next. I read online the premise is that the character's dying wish is for their dead body to transported cross country, in the hope that the ordeal of the journey will destroy their own family. Which might be the best premise for a story I've ever heard

[Tubbs]

I'm trying to get back into reading (don't judge) and I always find short stories more manageable, so I bought this.

[Orwell20]

Originally Posted by Tubbs

I'm trying to get back into reading (don't judge) and I always find short stories more manageable, so I bought this.

Roald Dahl is a superb writer - really underrated. Dark though.

[Seagull]

Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz, the latest in the Orphan X series. Always superbly crafted, even if you pretty much know what you’re getting with Orphan X.

[Tubbs]

Originally Posted by Orwell20

Roald Dahl is a superb writer - really underrated. Dark though.

Agreed! Dahl's stuff written for adults is very underrated. I read a few of his short stories ages ago and hugely enjoyed them. My favourite is The Landlady, brrrr 😨

[Orwell20]

Irish Chang: The Rape of Nanking, about the atrocities committed by the Japanese in China in the 1930s. I studied modern history at university, and this was on the syllabus, but I never got around to reading it.

The Japanese were unbelievably sadistic and cruel - beyond ordinary, run of the mill brutality. It’s shocking, actually, how they have got away with what they did. Whereas the Germans are full of shame and self-loathing, the Japanese still seem quite proud and nationalistic. We constantly hear about the ‘evil Nazis.’ In fact, ‘Nazi’ has become a byword for bad. But the ordinary German Army (not the SS) was far less barbaric than the Japanese. I can barely think of any army in modern times to compare to them.

I just hope that as the Chinese grow in power they don’t start thinking about revenge. I know there is a lot of ill-feeling in China to this day, and I don’t blame them.

[Tonkin]

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro is pretty good so far.



Seems quite similar to Never Let Me Go so far, so if you liked that, jump straight in.

I wish I hadn't read any reviews of it as I like the slow unraveling of what's going on which is somewhat ruined by reading a review.

[Seagull]

^ I think I’m the only person on the planet who thought Never Let Me Go was a vastly underwhelming experience and much overrated. Maybe I need to re-read it.

[Tonkin]

Maybe read this new one instead.

[Jen.]

Originally Posted by Seagull

^ I think I’m the only person on the planet who thought Never Let Me Go was a vastly underwhelming experience and much overrated. Maybe I need to re-read it.

Haha, you're definitely not alone! I haaaaaaaated it I also felt exactly the same about The Remains of the Day. There's just something really irritating about Ishiguro's writing to me. I've only read those two so perhaps his others are different, but they're written in pretty much exactly the same dull and lifeless voice, which is strange considering how different the two narrators are supposed to be. He's definitely good at the "posh people whinging about stuff" genre.

[limey123]

[Amara 94]

This is so insightful for me