Mr Moore
Well-Known Member
I bought this one off the back of Light Perpetual which I loved. Haven’t got around to it yet but looking forward to it.
2024 Reading Challenge
- Thread starter Selaws
- Start date
LeSamourai
Well-Known Member
It was actually my first read from Spufford, but I'm definitely going to be reading more from him now.
Selaws
Well-Known Member
Ah amazing, I've picked this up a few times and considered buying it so might have to get it the next time I come across it!
mdmost
Well-Known Member
Finished the Ashley Kahn book on the making of Kind of Blue. Really enjoyed it. Added some good context on the time period, what led up to the recording, and gave me things to listen for when I put the record on. Proud of myself, 3 books in one month.
Had a chance to go by an actual independent book store today on my way home from taking my car into the shop. Couldn't really decide if I wanted to do another historical book or something more modern. This one kept speaking to me so I took a chance as my knowledge of the South and what went on is very deficient.
This was a really good book. I realized it wasn't really meant for me as soon as I started it but I enjoyed reading it. Imani is a very talented writer and the stories she writes and relates to her own heritage is really good. I'm glad I picked this up by chance. I love that books can still offer that option of being something you happen upon and really enjoy.
Not sure what direction I'll go for the rest of the month. I may see if I can go by my local used bookstore today and find something.
Fleetwood-Matt
Well-Known Member
The first bit and the ending drag a bit but my god I love this book. Favorite book of all time for me. I read it sophomore year of high school (probably way too young to read this lol) and it still feels so fresh in my mind. I really should go back a re read the trilogy. Absolutely loved the second one as well, the third one not as much but I do remember feeling like it was a satisfying ending to the trilogy. I have absolutely no interest in the newer books
Fleetwood-Matt
Well-Known Member
Fell into bit of summer reading slump brought on by between some truly stressful months of work and a book that I disliked so much that I needed a break from the medium lol. Since then I started and stopped a few different books but nothing really gripped me until the past two weeks
Book 10: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by
Read this back in July and never posted it. This book is so highly praised and recommend that I thought I was sure to love it, but instead I absolutely hated every moment I spent on the novel. These characters just aren’t realistic in any way. The way they talk is just so inhuman, like aliens trying to understand human emotions. The two leads act like they are simultaneously 7 years old and 17 years old. The philosophical discussions in this just feel faux deep. Stuff that would do wonder with teens on tumblr but not actually insightful. Just really hated this experience
Rating 1/5
Book 11: Another First Chance by Robbie Couch
After several months of no reading I needed something quick and cute to get me back in. Had no expectations for this because the plot seemed far fetched and full of cliches. But I must say I was really surprised by this! The exploration of grief and loneliness were moving and believable, the characters were all likable and relatable, the plot reveals were not totally obvious (though I really should have seen them coming more than I did) and it kept me hooked the whole time, and the sci-fi aspects that I were hesitant about were also way more thought out than i expected. Don’t go into this expecting something mind blowing but for what it is I really loved it
Rating 4/5
Book 12: If I See You Again Tomorrow by Robbie Couch
Immediately jumped into another book by Couch after being surprised by book 11. Groundhog Day inspired plots with time loops are my shit and this is gay so I was beyond excited to check this out. The thing this author really nails is capturing how it feels to be alone. Probably because I have been feeling super lonely the past few months but man I really felt understood while reading this. But as a romance novel this completely fails. The love interest is such an unlikeable dick for like 80% of the book, I could not understand why the MC wanted to be with him outside of the conceit of the time loop. Everything else outside of that is just so good though. Learning how to connect with people again, both new people in your life and old friends, was just done so well. Time Loops always fall apart for me in the ending and I must say this one wasn’t too bad but the love interest being so awful lessens a punch that could have been great
Rating - 4/5
Book 10: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by
Read this back in July and never posted it. This book is so highly praised and recommend that I thought I was sure to love it, but instead I absolutely hated every moment I spent on the novel. These characters just aren’t realistic in any way. The way they talk is just so inhuman, like aliens trying to understand human emotions. The two leads act like they are simultaneously 7 years old and 17 years old. The philosophical discussions in this just feel faux deep. Stuff that would do wonder with teens on tumblr but not actually insightful. Just really hated this experience
Rating 1/5
Book 11: Another First Chance by Robbie Couch
After several months of no reading I needed something quick and cute to get me back in. Had no expectations for this because the plot seemed far fetched and full of cliches. But I must say I was really surprised by this! The exploration of grief and loneliness were moving and believable, the characters were all likable and relatable, the plot reveals were not totally obvious (though I really should have seen them coming more than I did) and it kept me hooked the whole time, and the sci-fi aspects that I were hesitant about were also way more thought out than i expected. Don’t go into this expecting something mind blowing but for what it is I really loved it
Rating 4/5
Book 12: If I See You Again Tomorrow by Robbie Couch
Immediately jumped into another book by Couch after being surprised by book 11. Groundhog Day inspired plots with time loops are my shit and this is gay so I was beyond excited to check this out. The thing this author really nails is capturing how it feels to be alone. Probably because I have been feeling super lonely the past few months but man I really felt understood while reading this. But as a romance novel this completely fails. The love interest is such an unlikeable dick for like 80% of the book, I could not understand why the MC wanted to be with him outside of the conceit of the time loop. Everything else outside of that is just so good though. Learning how to connect with people again, both new people in your life and old friends, was just done so well. Time Loops always fall apart for me in the ending and I must say this one wasn’t too bad but the love interest being so awful lessens a punch that could have been great
Rating - 4/5
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mdmost
Well-Known Member
Very enjoyable. The chapters about when Reagan was shot and 9/11 were really interesting to read. I can't imagine the stress of being in a place that at any moment on 9/11 or even after could've been destroyed in an instant. The 9/11 chapter really took me back to that time period. The detail behind the Bin Laden raid was also great. Tying it back to the failed Desert One rescue under Carter with Secretary Gates being present for both was a nice bookend. Lot of unsung heroes working behind the scenes to keep us safe and keep the government running. The Trump chapter made me queasy because the chaos he generated felt excruciating.Went ahead and grabbed this as my other September read. It came in 2nd to the South to America book I had chosen.
Not sure where I go from here. I have a dentist appointment today so I may run by my local used bookstore to see if they have anything interesting.
Mr Moore
Well-Known Member
September 2024
Book 53: Rebecca F. Kuang - Yellowface
Interesting read about race bias in the publishing industry. Following a friend's death a writer steals her manuscript, rewrites it and finds publishing glory. Eventually, claims of plagiarism abound and June's (now Juniper) life starts to unravel. It was pretty good and very entertaining although, I think that the lead character was fairly one dimensional in order to fit the role she was designed to exemplify. It's tough to critique the race aspects, I suspect, without being told, 'that's easy for a white person to say', and I dare say there's some truth to that, so I won't. The more interesting aspect of the novel for me was the depiction of the world of social media, specifically Twitter here, and how easy it is for oftentimes nameless, faceless people to make or break another person's life and career. I have no doubt this was a rather tongue-in-cheek, somewhat exaggerated critique of cancel culture but, it sounded like it represented the voice of experience and it just made me grateful all the more for never delving into that nest of vipers.
Book 54: Graham Greene - Brighton Rock
Not bad British gangster thriller, a tad dated to it's detriment but, featuring a truly despicable lead in the form of Pinkie. Catholicism seems a recurring theme for Greene and plays a role here too as characters try and deal with their own sins. Not great but not bad, probably wouldn't recommend as it could have done with upping the pace a bit. Catch the classic movie though, that's ace.
Book 55: Jennifer Egan - Look at Me
Egan is yet to do any wrong for me. This is my third and it is just so well written with an amazingly crafted plot chock-full of interesting characters. The overarching theme seems to be the gaze – how our visual sense predominates our sense of worth and our judgment of others. Launching right in with a road traffic accident that leads to face changing injuries for a commercial model, we're introduced to her close and not so close friends, family and associates. A mystery unfolds surrounding a sleeper terrorist (the book released a few months prior to 9/11 and I've read Egan was flooded with questions about how she could have foreseen such a thing), and while the unravelling was telegraphed enough to see it coming, it still maintains the locomotion needed to push the book forward. My favourite read of the month.
Book 56: Paul Auster - Oracle Night
All the elements were here for a great book but the meta-world of Auster writing a writer, writing a writer whose two worlds seem to crossover with both each other and indeed, Auster's proved just a little bit too contrived to be wholly enjoyable. The main problem was that it felt like it's been done to death, largely by Auster and at this point it seemed a little bit too self-referential and just a bit boring to be honest.
Book 57: Agatha Christie - Five Little Pigs
Great fun, never fails to entertain. Christie was superb at leading you down a very clever pathway to thinking you're the world's greatest detective just to remind you in the closing chapter that there can be only one world's greatest detective and that is of course, Hercule Poirot.
Book 58: Paul Lynch - Prophet Song
Beautifully written but absolutely bleak as fuck story of a land overtaken by a totalitarian dictatorship. Ireland is the country of record here but the most frightening aspect for me is that it feels like this could really happen just about anywhere in the current political climate. The depth of the language, the continuous prose, the unsigned speech that passes from person to person without forewarning made it take a little longer than a book of this length might normally take to read. All this coupled with the third person present tense gave it a momentum though that always felt urgent and drenched with a sense of foreboding. Amazing fiction but, all too harrowing to claim I really enjoyed it.
Book 59: Angela Carter - The Bloody Chamber
I finished my September reads a few days early so, I've moved on to October's which I like to hand over to horror and adjacent. This short story collection, like most, has some hits but a few misses too. Carter uses fairy stories and folk tales as a springboard to focus on the more grotesque elements and accentuate the sexuality latent in them. Like I said, not bad but, the language often seemed all too pretentious and I felt like there was tons of subtext that I just couldn't get in the mood to spend time decoding.
Book 53: Rebecca F. Kuang - Yellowface
Interesting read about race bias in the publishing industry. Following a friend's death a writer steals her manuscript, rewrites it and finds publishing glory. Eventually, claims of plagiarism abound and June's (now Juniper) life starts to unravel. It was pretty good and very entertaining although, I think that the lead character was fairly one dimensional in order to fit the role she was designed to exemplify. It's tough to critique the race aspects, I suspect, without being told, 'that's easy for a white person to say', and I dare say there's some truth to that, so I won't. The more interesting aspect of the novel for me was the depiction of the world of social media, specifically Twitter here, and how easy it is for oftentimes nameless, faceless people to make or break another person's life and career. I have no doubt this was a rather tongue-in-cheek, somewhat exaggerated critique of cancel culture but, it sounded like it represented the voice of experience and it just made me grateful all the more for never delving into that nest of vipers.
Book 54: Graham Greene - Brighton Rock
Not bad British gangster thriller, a tad dated to it's detriment but, featuring a truly despicable lead in the form of Pinkie. Catholicism seems a recurring theme for Greene and plays a role here too as characters try and deal with their own sins. Not great but not bad, probably wouldn't recommend as it could have done with upping the pace a bit. Catch the classic movie though, that's ace.
Book 55: Jennifer Egan - Look at Me
Egan is yet to do any wrong for me. This is my third and it is just so well written with an amazingly crafted plot chock-full of interesting characters. The overarching theme seems to be the gaze – how our visual sense predominates our sense of worth and our judgment of others. Launching right in with a road traffic accident that leads to face changing injuries for a commercial model, we're introduced to her close and not so close friends, family and associates. A mystery unfolds surrounding a sleeper terrorist (the book released a few months prior to 9/11 and I've read Egan was flooded with questions about how she could have foreseen such a thing), and while the unravelling was telegraphed enough to see it coming, it still maintains the locomotion needed to push the book forward. My favourite read of the month.
Book 56: Paul Auster - Oracle Night
All the elements were here for a great book but the meta-world of Auster writing a writer, writing a writer whose two worlds seem to crossover with both each other and indeed, Auster's proved just a little bit too contrived to be wholly enjoyable. The main problem was that it felt like it's been done to death, largely by Auster and at this point it seemed a little bit too self-referential and just a bit boring to be honest.
Book 57: Agatha Christie - Five Little Pigs
Great fun, never fails to entertain. Christie was superb at leading you down a very clever pathway to thinking you're the world's greatest detective just to remind you in the closing chapter that there can be only one world's greatest detective and that is of course, Hercule Poirot.
Book 58: Paul Lynch - Prophet Song
Beautifully written but absolutely bleak as fuck story of a land overtaken by a totalitarian dictatorship. Ireland is the country of record here but the most frightening aspect for me is that it feels like this could really happen just about anywhere in the current political climate. The depth of the language, the continuous prose, the unsigned speech that passes from person to person without forewarning made it take a little longer than a book of this length might normally take to read. All this coupled with the third person present tense gave it a momentum though that always felt urgent and drenched with a sense of foreboding. Amazing fiction but, all too harrowing to claim I really enjoyed it.
Book 59: Angela Carter - The Bloody Chamber
I finished my September reads a few days early so, I've moved on to October's which I like to hand over to horror and adjacent. This short story collection, like most, has some hits but a few misses too. Carter uses fairy stories and folk tales as a springboard to focus on the more grotesque elements and accentuate the sexuality latent in them. Like I said, not bad but, the language often seemed all too pretentious and I felt like there was tons of subtext that I just couldn't get in the mood to spend time decoding.
Selaws
Well-Known Member
I finished Yellowface the other week. I liked how it was written in a way that I found myself rooting for June in the more spur of the moment/tense situations before a subtle comment would reiterate how bad of a character she actually is. I didn't like the ending though, seemed too rushed and just cut off.
ayayrawn
Well-Known Member
Sad book September has come to a close.
31. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders - Appreciated this on its radical form, and what it was going for (creating an emotional throughline in history), but found it more fascinating than affecting. The toilet humor didn't really mesh with the otherwise profound ruminations on death and grieving. Still interested in checking out other Saunders though.
32. Stoner by John Williams - Just finished this tonight and thought it was absolutely incredible. Probably a new all-timer for me. Stirring and haunting look at a normal guy's life that kind of sucks, but still full of meaning. Gorgeous, sparse prose. Teared up several times. Feel like I have to reevaluate my life after this one. Anybody here read it?
Had a couple horror novels planned next for the season, but idk, we'll see. I feel like I need to read something happy soon. lol
ranbalam
Well-Known Member
I haven't, but it just made my list.
I have like 40 pages left in Lonesome Dove. If the Tigers weren't in the playoffs I would have finished it yesterday.
ayayrawn
Well-Known Member
Another all-timer for me. Loved that one.
ranbalam
Well-Known Member
Did you read the other three in the series? Someone put all four in the little free library at our local brewery, I only grabbed LD initially but I may borrow the others.
mgp
Well-Known Member
Yes!
I love both of these, but am a particularly strong supporter of Stoner, since it seems especially unheralded (maybe a metaphor for Professor Stoner?). I came across that one a few years back (I think Hamilton Leithauser of the Walkmen, of all people, recommended it), and then pushed it on so many people. Despite all that happens (and doesn't happen) to Stoner, I found it strangely uplifting?
Edit: found the Leithauser recommendation. It was more than a few years back, apparently:
A Year in Reading: Hamilton Leithauser
He has a plain-Jane, perfectly mild style that is so satisfying. It’s like a great roasted chicken.
themillions.com
Stoner by John Williams: My favorite book I read this year. He has a plain-Jane, perfectly mild style that is so satisfying. It’s like a great roasted chicken. It’s the life story of a guy named Stoner, who comes to work in the academic world, and is basically screwed over from all sides time and time again. Between his wife and the dean of students, he’s just not catching any breaks. There is less humor here than, say the Coen brothers’ A Serious Man, but the matter-of-fact storytelling hooked me like a fish. I didn’t know a thing about John Williams beforehand, but after reading Stoner, I picked up Augustus (which I also recommend) and Butcher’s Crossing (which I haven’t yet read).
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Mr Moore
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I really enjoyed it. It was just what I needed at the time. I found the gaming stuff interesting and the ‘will they, won’t they?’ aspect of the relationship was right up my romcom loving alley.
ngower
Well-Known Member
It's such a weird read for me because I like the writing--it lends to good readability/page turning--but as far as the plot itself is concerned I'm nearly 200 pages in and feel like pretty much nothing is happening. I am totally fine with a slow burn (I love period pieces) but this one needs to give me some meat!
Hoping to plow through the second half as I have Sally Rooney's latest and the new TJ Klune (I didn't like the last one but I have to finish series)