General Reading / Book Thread for 2019

yeah it’s not her fault, the press are ridiculous. but idk, the themes/story don’t intrigue me all that much. partly it is my own issues, with my background and all i don’t feel particularly represented in these kinds of books. i went through that phase in my early 20s where you read all the books you’re “supposed to” and except for the pynchon and the eugenides and stuff, which i loved, i just couldn’t connect with them. i realised about a third of the way into some jonathan franzen/dellilo thing that these tales of manners, hysterical realism or whatever we call it, just aren’t for me. it was a big relief to also realise this was perfectly fine and crack on with my ellroy and le guin and whatnot.

thinking of DS records and hoping this is right tbh :wink:

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This tweet swung me back to more interested

https://mobile.twitter.com/sallyrooney/status/982202320099225601

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this is also a good and correct opinion tbh

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Finished Eleanor Oliphant. Pretty good innit. Obvs nothing groundbreaking but it’s my kind of thing really.

Next up: The rider by Tim Krabbé

The Vatican Cellars. Farcical romp. Enjoyed.

Have started Growth Of The Soil by Knut Hamsun.

Books

Looking forward to MBV’s Inherent Vice then.

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Finished Never Let Me Go the other night. Don’t really get the hype. Spent the entire book waiting for the inevitable payoff which you do get but got really annoyed that every chapter essentially started with “now I want to tell you about this thing that happened, but before I do that, I have to go back and explain what happened a few days before it.” (haven’t seen the film).

Have ordered The Day Of The Locust and Ubik next but they’re taking ages to be delivered.

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I love Day of The Locust.

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The Disposessed by Ursula K Le Guin.

(btw guys I am probably going to be reading Le Guin for half the year now I have two massive collections so I won’t be shutting up about her)

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Good to know, looking forward to getting into it. Hopefully it arrives today :crossed_fingers:

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After barely picking up a book for majority of 2018, over the past couple of weeks I’ve somehow managed to race through Blood Meridian (nightmare-ish brilliance! Have yet to read anything by Cormac McCarthy that I didn’t like), Help by Simon Amstell (amusing and incredibly self deprecating), Limmy’s Daft Wee Stories (some of these had me absolutely howling! Particularly the ones about the struggles of present buying plus the one about the couple and the partner is suspicious about the others late night wanking) aaaaand I also finally got round to Roger Deakin’s Swimming which @GarethI (gotta thank you so much again - this was an absolute delight! Found it to be incredibly calming and inspiring throughout; littered with all these wonderful tidbit facts about local and natural history which fascinated me to no end. Gonna seek out a copy of Waterlog as a follow up!) kindly got me for the DiS Secret Santa in 2017 (!).

Just started Irvine Welsh’s The Acid House.

Magic - really chuffed you liked it. I think it’s extracted from Waterlog. I’ve not read any Deakin but he was close friends with another superb nature writer, Robert Macfarlane. I can’t recommend his The Old Ways highly enough.

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Yeah it seems to be that way and an extended version in my mind would only be more rewarding. Deakin has quite a meditative and contemplative writing style that just floats along nicely. Imagine an audio version of it would be quite relaxing too! Not familiar with Robert Macfarlane but have added The Old Ways to my my reading list and will keep an eye out. Cheers bud!

Did you add me on Goodreads?

Someone reading Magic Mountain did…

Aye that’s me!

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How on earth did you manage to race through Blood Meridian? As much as I liked it in the end, it was absolutely not a page turner for me.

Had started it earlier in the year, found it to be a bit slow going and then put in down for months after getting about 150 or so pages into it. I wouldn’t say that it was light / easy read but I finished it with a combination of stubborn determination, plenty of coffee and some time on hands. Glad that I didn’t give up on it in the end as it was totally worth it.

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I actually did the same as in putting it down for a good bit. Didn’t exactly rattle through it when I picked back up again but I get you.

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Also I really don’t like to start a new book until I’ve finished the last one and it was starting to get to me that I couldn’t stomach another 200 pages of this book. The story has so many layers and the imagery is incredibly rich which all takes a while to digest but when it does sink in a lot of it sticks with you. The Judge is honestly one of the most terrifying characters that I’ve ever encounter in a novel.

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