>last book you read and thoughts on it
>what you’re reading now and thoughts on it
>next book you are going to read and why
>last book you read and thoughts on it. >what youre reading now and thoughts on it
>last book you read and thoughts on it
>what you’re reading now and thoughts on it
>next book you are going to read and why
No one reads?
>Last Book
A Confederacy of Dunces
It lived up to the hype and was funny. There was a shadow of depressing realism throughout the story. It convinced me to read Boethius. Shame Toole killed himself, although that is partly what convinced me to read him. Lots of dialogue.
>Reading now
All the Pretty Horses.
I wanted to read some more McCarthy and the Passenger was too reddit/bugman for me after the first few pages. All them Purty Horses is nice. I have been paying close attention to his style b/c I want to steal it for my writing.
I'm also reading 'Technics and the Myth of the Machine' by Lewis Mumford, and 'Discipline and Punish' by Foucault
Im reading these for ideas about something I'm writing.
>Next
On deck I have No Longer Human, Shakespeare's first tetralogy, Cioran's The Trouble with Being Born, and I feel like I should read some Faulkner b/c of his influence on McCarthy
Been reading mostly poetry, essays, and plays recently so I’m just gonna highlight a few
>last read and currently reading
-Williams Carlos Williams
Finding him has been a recent highlight. He is everything I love to read about in a poet or artist. He celebrated the imagination, which incorporates artistic tendencies, and what art is and why it is created. That is always a subject matter that has spoken to me and almost taken on spiritual significance. Reminds me strongly of Blake’s “mission”. I’ve been devouring WCW poems, essays and short stories. His famous short poems like wheelbarrow and plums have a very Chinese like touch where there is a specific sentiment highlighted, but I like his latter stuff much more, Pictures From Brueghel, The Desert Music, and Journey To Love. He has some very surrealistic avant garde stuff like Kora in Hell, which I liked but probably isn’t for everyone. Spring and All was also great. I’m planning on dipping into his short stories and then undertaking Paterson soon
-The World Outside the Window by Rexroth
An essay collection. I believe Rexroth has the finest Chinese poetry translations and I liked his short couple page book reviews in Classics Revisited so I figured I’d check out this. I have high praise so far. I find Rexroth to be a very astute observer. He has a conversational like tone and is easy to read but also informative. He reminds me of Edmund Wilson. In fact one of his essays led me to…
-DH Lawrence Complete Poems
He’s long been a favorite of mine but I was meh on his poetry. I finally got the feel for him and can appreciate his poetry a lot more. Birds, Beast, and Flowers is some of the best stuff I’ve read in recent times. I’ve spoken some on Lawrence some in the past so I don’t want to take up too much space. It’s great to finally love his poetry
>next
I preordered Byron’s Travels; a collection of his letters, poems, and journals. I’ve always liked Byron the man more than his poetry so I’m hoping this book is kind of like “a life” where a picture or biography is put together by chronological entries and there is some explanation in between. I shall find out.
I forgot:
>next
I also want this to be the year I read all of The Canterbury Tales so I might undertake it soon. I’ve always found Chaucer to had a high adjustment curve and I always bail after a tale or two. I plan to stick it through once I get the hang of it
have a nice day, you effeminate homosexual
>>last book you read and thoughts on it
Gawain and the Green knight, Very good, a short read, interesting characters and the language isn't too bad (at least in the version I read)
>>what you’re reading now and thoughts on it
More's Utopia, the first half was okay- the second half when he comes into the workings of utopian society are so divorced from any reality I know that I'm having trouble with it. Some of the concepts I get, but the way more describes utopian society it not only requires man to behave as automata, but also for geographic and ecological constraints to be non-existent. Utopia of people with the necessity of paradise like landscape. Maybe I'm just getting filtered but it's to the point of being nonsensical.
>>next book you are going to read and why
My backlog is huge, probably either "the Last Days of Mankind" on the recommendation of someone on this board, Ben Franklin's Autobiography because it's been on my docket for a while, or Heinlein's the cat who Walks Through Walls. I greatly enjoyed Starship Troopers, but I couldn't finish Stranger in a Strange Land because it was just too slow for me- Maybe I'll give Stranger another try instead.
>last book you read and thoughts on it
The Brotherhood of the Grape - Fante
His books go down easy. Sad, funny, moving.
>what you’re reading now and thoughts on it
Martin Chuzzlewit - CD
All the complexity of a Dickens novel, without the heart. There’s not much that grips me in this read. His thoughts on an Englishman visiting America are hilarious.
>next book you are going to read and why
Maybe The Man Without Qualities, but I might do a quick palate cleanse with something goofy like Starship Troopers first to remind my brain that reading is not all strife. I love Dickens, but Chuzz aint doing it for me.
>Last book
Babbit.
It was decent. I was hoping that he would have more of a change rather than just deciding that he should let his son do whatever he wanted to do. Would not recommend even though I found most of the book comfy.
>Current book
Atlas Shrugged.
I would enjoy it more if the people weren't such strawmen, and if it didn't remind me of my boyfriend so much. He did recommend it so I should have expected it. I just do hate how the parts of him I dislike are reflected in Reardon so often. I think it's a good book over all and I'm only a third through. I can see Rand's points clearly and agree with her. I dislike how there is no nuance to it.
>Next book
Either How to Get Ideas, Grammar and Style, or The Federalist Papers.
After all of this I want to read some more books on writing, and a nonfiction book. I am too much of a moron to write and feel good, and an even bigger moron because I know not what to write about. If I could find some good diaries from the colonial period I would love those. I've burnt myself out on what I typically read, and Atlas Shrugged will burn me out from fiction I bet.
>my boyfriend
gay
>last book
Enchanters Endgame by Eddings. the end of the belgariad series, it started off slow with all of the different POV's rather than focusing on garion or ce'nedra, but was essential to forward the plot. a comfy story of destiny, coming to face it, and good triumphing over evil with one or two surprises in the end that made the book better than expected. 7/10 for the book, 8/10 for the series as a whole
>current book
I'm bouncing between lattimore's Iliad and nine princes in amber by Roger zelazny. the Iliad is proving to be more of a challenge than I expected so I'm trying to focus on understanding the actions and roles of the major players instead of letting the details overwhelm me. NPiA seems interesting so far, not enjoying it as much as I liked the belgariad but I'll give it a few more books before I cement any hard feelings on it
>next book
my gf wants me to read the court of x and y series by Maas so I might read the first one of those. she claims it has more elements that appeal to a wider audience than her typical cliterature so I shall see. if I dislike it, I might start some Arthurian legend (I have the once and future king downloaded but might do some research to find a better starting point, as I haven't truly read any of those stories before)
>my gf wants me to read the court of x and y series by Maas so I might read the first one of those. she claims it has more elements that appeal to a wider audience than her typical cliterature so I shall see
Don't listen to your girlfriend. It's basically fricking smut
that's my expectation but she's reading Steinbeck's cannery row on my recommendation so I'm going to give it a fair shake. worst case, I get a few chapters in and decide to bail for my own sanity which she will respect
>last book you read and thoughts on it
Your Utopia by Bora Chung. Technically a collection of short stories, but whatever. I found it better than her previous collection, Cursed Bunny. The writing style is deceptively simple, but the insights about life and the human condition are pretty deep.
>what you’re reading now and thoughts on it
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. An immediately gripping account of his life as a poor child of a drunken loser first in New York and then later in Ireland. It's got a hefty emotional impact even in the early portions -- i'm not even a quarter of the way through yet -- and I expect it'll only get rougher. But it's also a reminder of just how resilient and adaptable children can be even in the worst of times. I just wish I didn't feel so much like we're headed back to living like his family did.
>next book you are going to read and why
Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor. Why? Because I've had a number of people whose opinion I trust on books tell me it's good. I don't really know much else about it, but that's how I prefer to go into books.
>last book you read and thoughts on it
Conquest of bread by kropotkin
Interesting read, it shows the importance of food during and after the revolution. Combining his ideas with lenin, as to create an anarchist vanguard party, is the way to go i think.
>what you’re reading now and thoughts on it
Summer in termuren by louis paul boon
Part 2 of chapel road, the greatest flemish (and dutch) book of the 20th century.
Dit wil je echt niet weten by huib modderkolk
Book by a journalist about cyber warfare and secret agents. Maybe a bit paranoid.
>next book you are going to read and why
Critique of pure reason by Kant
Because I want to understand better.
The Guermantes way by marcel proust
Because i've read swann's way and in the shadow of young girls in flower.
>Combining his ideas with lenin, as to create an anarchist vanguard party, is the way to go i think
gl
Not many anons reading on IQfy, I see
>last book you read and thoughts on it
Gravity's Rainbow, just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me.
>what you’re reading now and thoughts on it
e-girlta, this homie's a freak
>next book you are going to read and why
Infinite Jest, because I'm working my way through IQfy's required reading
start with the greeks
Crime and Punishment
Amazing book, will reread. Beautiful story about the victory of slave morality over master morality.
Reading now:
The Sun Also Rises
Its harder to extrapolate meaning from than CP but I still like it read Book 1 3 times and am on chapter 11 rn
Reading next:
Probably Notes from Underground or Demons idk
Really? Dostoyevsky pretty much explained everything. Hemingway just presents a sliver from a group of people’s lives with no explicit explanations or motives. Hemingway needs more extrapolation in my experience to understand him. With Dostoevsky what you see is pretty much what you get with everything laid out for you
Id still say dostoyevsky leaves a decent amount beneath the surface but leaves decent trail to follow meanwhile hemingway its extremely subtle
im 18 so i could just be moronic
>Our Mutual Friend
That Charles fella sure knew how to write. Didn't care too much for the storylines but that didn't really matter.
>Oblomov
He's not as lazy as I've been memed to believe. I could outlaze him any day of the week.
>Grey Bees
Well I bought it so it'd be a waste not to read it.
>last book
Ignition! An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants. Neat chemistry. Makes me wistful. A time when even industrial chemistry had sovl. The sort of thing that made me major in engineering.
>current book
Icarus Plot by Timothy Zahn. Hope it is a fun pulpy adventure like his first Icarus book.
>next book
No idea. I'm open to suggestions.
>last book
Figment by Leila Chatti. Contemporary poetry, chapbook. Appreciated its experimentalism but thought it took itself a little too seriously. Did contain some striking minimalistic poems though. Liked it all things considered.
>reading now
picrel. not sure what I think about it, only twenty or so pages in. remind me when I've finished it. heard a lot of good things about it.
>next book
shit idk probably Middle C by William Gass because it was a gift from my sister
Bomp
>last book
Candide by Voltaire. Found it invigorating and somewhat relatable is the sense that I found Candide held onto the hope of his love with cunegonde and persevered through all sorts of ails to find it all turns to to shit in the end but actually works out
>current
White nights by Dostoyevsky. Another short foray into the pain of unrequited love. Enjoyable.
>next read
Return of the king by Tolkien. Recently devoured the first two on night shift, took a short break between books to stave off the exhaustion but thoroughly looking forward to finishing it. Going to listen to the Silmarillion as I finish nights so it all culminates at once
I read two books at a time. One is only about knowledge, the other has knowledge that it can be applied in life.
>>last book you read and thoughts on it
>The Secret History by Procopius
Very entertaining and full of drama, first hand account by a historian during age of Justinian.
>Karmic Astrology by Martin Schulman
Garbage modern astrology book on karma and reincarnation, with vague and inaccurate delineations.
>>what you’re reading now and thoughts on it
>The Quest for the Phoenix, by Hereward Tilton
So far maybe the greatest esoteric book I've ever read, it refutes the claims by the new historiographers of alchemy Principe and Newman that spiritual alchemy was a 19th century phenomenon, as well as criticizing them for their characterization of Jung's work. The main focus of this book is Michael Maier and his work.
>Horoscope Symbols by Robert Hand
So far it's good with the exception of the chapter on the planets which described them in not clear enough terms, sometimes it was even woke. May be the best beginner book on astrology if such a thing as a good beginner book can exist for a complex practice such as astrology.
>>next book you are going to read and why
Not sure maybe a book by Richard Carrier, or Richard Tarnas' work on philosophy in preparation for his highly praised astrological work.
And also the Multi Orgasmic Man by an author whose name I don't remember to learn more about sexuality and its relationship with spirituality. I'm interested in history, esotericism and spirituality. Both for learning and for practicing.