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No. 351028
File: 1706139164733.jpg (122.38 KB, 1000x501, 81UoFA1BYPL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL…)
>>351019i'm on book 3 of the arc of a scythe series, i posted about my grievances with it in the woke media cringe thread.
>>350612 still enjoying it though, even though it really makes me miss dystopian novels. i can't stand the current romantasy spicy fae dark romance schlock trend so i hope whatever comes next is more appealing to me.
No. 351035
>>351029>or at least i've heard the author was a gayboit's oscar wilde, of course he's gay, he was sent to jail for it. why even read wilde if you don't like gays?
>>351028schlock will always be schlock, but i wish it was at least something that can serve as a guilty pleasure. i hate the dark romance trend, it's woke spicy straight and/or thinly veiled maledom bullshit.
No. 351243
File: 1706214648444.jpg (53.66 KB, 662x1000, 61pqsSlspIL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL…)
Just finished reading Eileen, I liked it a lot. I think this is definitely my favorite of hers that I've read. I didn't really care for My Year of Rest and Relaxation (it was fine, but overhyped) but I did like Lapvona and Eileen a lot. Idk, the way she writes disgusting characters is really interesting to me and I love that she isn't afraid to get gross with it.
No. 351285
>>351243Too bad the movie completely fucked up the casting and characterization of Eileen.
Agree though, I love the passage where she imagines the ice falling from the roof and entering her skull or neck.
No. 351357
File: 1706260618785.jpg (22.6 KB, 326x500, 41vcbrpjSIL.jpg)
I finished this book yesterday and I can't describe how odd this book was to read. I liked the mood of the book and all but the writing was so horrendous to me? It felt like it wasn't properly translated or something. Has anyone else read it?
No. 351385
>>351213I also want more werewolf books kek, preferably horror but I could live with some crappy fantasy romance too. I'm also hoping for a return in more pulpy horror with creatures and slashers but maybe done more tastefully than in the past rather than "this shit barely makes sense because everything in it is just a big metaphor" type horror
>>351243This sounds really good nona, thanks for the rec!
No. 352278
File: 1706651477422.jpg (70.77 KB, 306x515, The Gate to Women's Country.jp…)
I can't believe that this crap was ever considered feminist science fiction. I'm still appalled by this, because 2/3 of it feels like something written by a RW misogynist, and then the last part feels like it was written by a male feminist author. So, this is a post-apocalyptic story set a few centuries after a nuclear war. It centers around a group of matriarchal-led city-states called women's country, where the sexes are technically segregated in a bizarre way. All women born in women's country have to specialize in specific fields, either related to science or manual work. Meanwhile, males, starting from age 5, have the choice of being either warriors (and then they live in warrior communes outside the cities) or as servitors in women's country.
Now, the servitors are not second-class citizens in the city-states, but they are deemed lesser by both all other males and the younger women, who see them as cowardly and ugly. Children are born through courtship festivals, where young males from the warriors communes and women and girls from the city-states freely choose mates between each other and have consensual relationships. This is also a eugenics-based society, so homosexuality and other illnesses are stated to have been removed(I'm not making this up). Now, here comes the spoiler for the main twist of the book. in the near end, its revealed that none of the warriors have ever fathered children. Instead, it has been the servitors all along. The warriors are actually artificially made sterile and the women are artificially inseminated when they get medical check-ups, all without their consent and knowledge. This is approved by the women's country female elders, whose master plan is to remove aggression and the capacity for violence from men. The novel basically cheats by showing a society of fundamentalist ultra-patriarchal Christian cults as the only sort of alternative
I'm not going to judge what the hell the author meant, but this is genuinely an awful confusion for the type of feminism.
No. 352605
>>351243Eileen was my fav of hers too, and I really ended the book loving the character of Eileen. MYoRaR was middling imo–the most enjoyable bits by far were any scene with the psychiatrist. Lapvona was my first Moshfegh and it's my lowest ranked, right behind Death in Her Hands. I was excited to read it bc I love middle ages stories but the author's voice didn't work for me. she also very annoyingly used some anachronistic vocab a couple of times and it broke my nerd immersion lol
>>351285who would you've cast as Eileen, nona? I've not watched the film mainly because Anne Hathaway as Rebecca totally throws me off. like you said she really feels miscast
No. 352625
File: 1706797702022.jpg (145.81 KB, 662x1000, 91OPITVpQbL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL…)
Just finished pic related, I liked it until the last 150 pages. The ending was too "and then they lived happily ever after" and the romance with skandi felt shoehorned in so it could be marketed as a "queer retelling". But I liked the way the author wrote Angrboda.
Speaking of book trends, i'm ready for the ~feminist/queer~ myth retellings to die. I liked both Circe and Song of Achilles but its getting old. I think one of the reasons I enjoyed the witchs heart is because I'm not familiar with Norse mythology so I didnt know what was going to happen
No. 352684
File: 1706815669289.jpg (59.16 KB, 1000x744, Fugitive-Telemetry-e1620744850…)
I love Murderbot.
Tl;dr: A series of scifi novellas about a weaponized guard robot who gains sentience. The sentience causes the robot to become socially awkward and addicted to TV, but the robot must continue their guard duties.
It's cooler than it sounds, I swear.
No. 353284
>>352684I also love these. I only read them for the first time a little bit before System Collapse came out and for some reason they really hit the spot and I've read the whole series at least 3 times.
>>352690She's under contract for 2 more books, so we're getting at least those pretty much for sure.
No. 353618
File: 1707104945328.jpg (73.25 KB, 662x1000, iron widow.jpg)
I'm retarded and made a new thread by accident. Anyways I finished iron widow, which I picked up because i've been following the xiran jay zhao drama pretty closely lately.
It was competently written, I'd say. Easy to follow and I liked the two romantic interests (it's mmf). The mixing of scifi and fantasy was a little strange, and I often found myself skipping over her describing the strengths and weaknesses of the magic system, which basically is just magic with a chinese flavor.
I wanted to see if zetian was really as NLOG as people on here have said she is, and I wouldn't necessarily call her NLOG, but she is extremely angry all the time, and written in a super edgy way. Like, she'll constantly be interrupting the story to rant about how terrible misogyny is and how much the world has wronged her. And then she'll act all smug and self important every time she commits one act of violence or another against an unsuspecting man . It's not that she isn't justified, it's just really really edgy. Has anyone else picked it p? thoughts?
No. 353766
>>353618what i don't get is why and how xiran can write a book that criticizes misogyny and still identify as a they/them. make it make sense.
>>353639i who have never known men by jacqueline harpman is very short but very good.
No. 353795
>>353618My biggest issue is that there is absolutely no reason for any of the characters to be "historical figures" because they aren't. So, most historians, whether they like her or not, agree that Wu Zetian was smart and patient. She waited and kept a low profile for years, making important allies who would support her. Her paternal clan and the emerging Buddhists in China. She used religion and appealed to the sensibilities of the nobility. Her alleged ruthlessness is a matter of debate; however, even in the most critical accounts, she was never foolish about it. She never killed anyone whose death would cause a backlash against her or create a potential threat. On the other hand, Xirna's Zetian
murders her entire family in the end and also kills Gao's dad and his criminal syndicate, who wanted to ally with her. Li Shimin also has a weird characterization. He was enlightened in some ways (very humble by emperor standards), but also brutal as hell. He murdered his brothers to take power. she tried to add that, but instead of killing his brothers for power,
she just made her Li Shimin murder his brothers, who were irredeemable rapists that he had to kill for being awful rapists. Additionally, there's a big deal about him being Rongdi, but in ancient China, race was more understood through cultural backgrounds. Despite the real spoiler having Turkic ancestry, he would never been judged for it, plenty of emperors came from that background, as long as they were culturally Chinese and Confucian, it wouldn't be an issue.
No. 353814
File: 1707164757462.jpg (663.81 KB, 1100x1760, 40864002.jpg)
I guess this is the opposite of what the anon above is asking for, since this is a wholesome sci-fi book about a peaceful future, where robots have been released into the wild. It's been relaxing for me to read.
However, my warning is that there is genderspecial stuff going on, including the protagonist, if you're sensitive to that.
No. 354192
File: 1707271800537.jpg (19.48 KB, 230x350, perdido.jpg)
I'm really loving picrel. Fantastic worldbuilding, fantastic setting.
No. 354322
File: 1707319306103.jpg (367.95 KB, 1056x1600, castle-32343735.jpg)
Boring, annoying, overrated like hell. Kafka has written like 2 good short stories, others are pretty meh, and his novels are shit. I don't get why people call him a genius writer. 'Kafkaesque' my ass, it's just boring. The plot of The Castle is basically
>be male MC
>arrive at castle place
>get told to leave because you are a jobless bum
>"ree I have the right to be here!"
>see woman
>coomer activate
>try to marry her
>nothing happens for a whole 300 pages
Why did I read this?
No. 354882
nonnies, can we talk about titles? which ones do you like, which ones do you hate?
i dislike
>an [x] of [x] and [x] / [x] and [x] - mostly when it's super atmospheric/aesthetic words
see: A Court of Thorns and Roses, Serpent & Dove
>the [amount/adjective] [x] of [first name] [last name]
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, The Seven deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
>[first name] [last name] does [thing]
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail, Iris Kelly Doesn't Date
>a [thing] so [adjective] (and [adjective])
A Curse So Dark and Lonely, A Prince so Cruel
i like
>fragments, references, titles from poems/other works
All the Light We Cannot See, The Sun Also Rises, Tender is the Night
>"simple" titles that describe the story/protagonist
Convenience Store Woman, My Year of Rest and Relaxation
>name titles
Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Eileen, Marlena
>the [x]
The Secret History, The Paper Wasp
>full sentences
I'm Glad My Mom Died
No. 354884
>>354882I like simple, story relevant titles best because they're (imo) easier to remember over time than more floral or disconnected titles as they directly link to the contents of the book.
>fragments, references, titles from poems/other worksI like the idea of this, but I feel like a lot of the books I see titled like this are either pretentious or using a line from a famous work to elevate an otherwise bland or shitty book. I feel similar about epigraphs though so it might just be me kek
>an [x] of [x] and [x] / [x] and [x]>the [amount/adjective] [x] of [first name] [last name]I am so tired of these in particular though kek, they really blur together now
A bonus titling style that I find irritating is this format (usually it's just part of the cover and not actually the book's title though):
>Title: A Novel No. 354885
>>354882I'm at the point where i mentally filter almost every book with "and" or "of" in it. The "A bowl of mac and cheese" trend makes it impossible to tell most of these dumbass books apart.
Some of my favorite titles I've seen
>To bleed a crystal bloom>Trying to live with death>When the moon hatched>Wise man's fear>Tonight I burnUnfortunately all those books suck despite the nice titles kek. also I should give a shoutout to Seveneves and And then there were none for being decent while having interesting titles.
No. 354904
File: 1707584411299.jpg (133.65 KB, 826x1200, Baby-Sitters_Club_10_Logan_Lik…)
>>354882>Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me>Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail>Iris Kelly Doesn't DateI haven't heard of these books but the titles makes them sound like children's books. There are so many books written for elementary and middle school that are titled [character][verb][thing/person]
No. 355051
>>354882I mostly read weird fiction, sf and horror and I prefer titles that are a reference to something in-universe. A place, an event etc. Simple and memorable, immediately intriguing.
>Borne, The Scar, Titus Groan, SolarisPhrases and single words usually peak my interest too
>When the Devil Holds the Candle, OutNot sure why but I found these
>>354885 kinds of flowery titles cringe
No. 355055
>>354192>honey_you've_got_a_big_storm_coming.jpgThis is the book/author that ruined fiction for me, literally nothing I've read since compares to the worldbuilding and setting. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the ending once you finish it. Also the fucking
moths are genuinely one of the scariest creatures/concepts I've encountered in fiction.
You should definitely read The Scar next! It's also set in Bas Lag. In my opinion it's a huge improvement in terms of pacing, atmosphere, ideas, character development and overall storytelling.
No. 355809
File: 1707867447402.jpg (59.3 KB, 329x500, 35456.jpg)
I just finished All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby and enjoyed it. It's about a Black former FBI agent who returns to his small Southern hometown to run for sheriff and ends up facing off with a serial killer, while also balancing the growing racial divide in the town. It scratched the same itch that True Detective scratched for me (not as good as TD, but the Southern backdrop and themes of religious skepticism, grief, and family ties were there).
No. 356438
File: 1708052002809.jpeg (70.58 KB, 768x768, American-Gods-Paperback-978006…)
Can anons rec me a series that uses demigods and (migrating) gods as a concept like Percy Jackson?
I tried picrel but didn't like the pointlessly verbose descriptions, blank slate-yet-contradictory protagonist, and how Gaiman wrote the female characters like pokemon with boobs, if that makes sense. I got 25% through and dropped it, but if an anon here has read and liked it I'd be willing to try again.
No. 356824
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I'm the nonna who was reading Lilith's Brood upthread and I'm back after finishing the series and I just want to say that I take it all back. I get it. When I finished the last book, I realized all along that this was a horror story. I started by the reading Parables last year, and I am again ridiculously, extremely impressed at her writing and her ability to create this slight, but very deep, feeling of discomfort in me. I'm actually finding that her writing has quite a dark tinge to it, which I appreciate a lot. Lilith's Brood honestly blew me away after flying over my head for so long. I especially appreciate her female protagonists, both their physical description as well as their specific mental fortitude. I actually cried a bit learning that she died so young and that we will never get more of her writing back.
Needless to say, I've already ordered her Patternist series. Other booknonnas, what are your thoughts on Butler's books? I couldn't have found her works if it wasn't for this thread.
No. 356870
>>351051I had never heard of Kushiel's Dart before you mentioned it, which is strange since it seems pretty famous. I did read ACOTAR though, it was not very good, and extremely unoriginal, and the pacing was all over the place. There's tons of youtube videos dissecting it if you're interested.
I got through the first 2 chapters of Kushiel's Dart. Main character's name is Phedre (mc in ACOTAR is feyre) Kushiel's Dart also mentions "the night court" (ACOTAR has a night court as well). The book also begins with the main character basically talking about her appearance and going on about how gorgeous and unique she is. If I'm remembering correctly Feyre thinks about how gorgeous she is (in her head she thinks she's plain, but she goes on about how she has this unique shade of honey brown hair and "too sharp" cheek bones or something). Definitely some influence there. Just when I thought ACOTAR couldn't get more unoriginal and derivative.
No. 356896
File: 1708233856768.jpg (34.34 KB, 333x500, 51Ws7cboLFL.jpg)
My favorite childhood novel. I decided to re-read it again and it still captivates me just like when I was 10.
No. 356924
>>356880I hope you enjoy them my
nonnie. Do come back and post your thoughts once you've read one of her books.
No. 356927
File: 1708254998702.jpeg (41.95 KB, 328x500, make_nimage.jpeg)
I've been learning about the Unabomber recently and was interested in reading one of his books, either by starting with his manifesto or with his last book, Anti-tech Revolution, which I garnered is where his philosophy was most developed.
I expressed this to some normie friends and they gave me flak for wanting to read books written by serial killers. I'm interested in truecrime in general and recent AI developments etc. got me interested in tech-critical points of view, may they be luddite or otherwise as long as they make a convincing argument. But since he was an actually insane moid it's got me wondering if it's actually worth it.
No. 358355
>>356927I watched the Netflix show Manhunt about Ted Kaczynski, it was as gruesome as it was interesting how bad those boomer kids/teens were screwed with, not just in their family settings but society in a large scale due to the Cold war, the shit both Blocks did was nuts. And how many ended up doing absolute insane shit with the rest of their lives (to themselves or others).
I understand why Ted would go and think the way he did, even without reading the manifesto (I might read it some time if I ever find a translated version in my language), but that's because he was on the shit end of the stick if that era. Unfortunately he misguided his anger towards innocent people. Which is a shame because he was a brilliant math student, had he not been part of MK Ultra, I reckon he'd be one of those mathematicians that write a bunch of books and are well known like Nassim Nicholas Taleb and stuff.
No. 358523
File: 1708955545980.jpg (489.25 KB, 627x965, 64414866.jpg)
I finished this book and I though it was pretty good. It's basically a lesbian romance/horror involving vampires. I think the atmosphere of the book is probably it's main appeal. There's actually a part of this book that actually genuinely kind of creeped me out and made me think of the Lucy crypt scene in Bram Stoker's Dracula. But similarly to S.T. Gibson's last book, I felt like the ending was kind of predictable and anticlimactic.
Still liked it though. In fact I think this is the only book that has ever made vampirism seem hot to me. I never understood the vampire fetish or why so many people find it erotic. As someone who nearly faints when I get my blood drawn, I do not like thinking about blood or find bleeding sexy. I also don't think having sex with someone who is cold to the touch (which is how vampires are often described, not in this book though) has 0 appeal. Not sure what the point of vampires having sex is anyway since that's not how they create each other. But this book opened my eyes to the concept of your vampire lover having feed off of you routinely which is.. idk, kind of hot.
I sound retarded. But yeah check this book out if you like vampires.
No. 358842
File: 1709058561802.jpg (149.53 KB, 736x736, 72b01563a0ac189ae3926ee34017d2…)
Do any of you write notes like this or similar?
If yes what do you write about? What are the annotations for?
I only did this eith studying but I see some people do it with casual readinv
No. 358851
>>358842>fantasizing about her in class that afternoon - Connell Whatshisname, you're whipped>But why Marianne? - Why not her?>And yet he was there blahblahblah - because you like he blahblahThis person looks like she can't think in her head and needs to write down every thought
I never made any notes in the book and never understood how and why people do them. Now I get it thank you anon
No. 358855
>>358842I've only ever done this kind of annotating to textbooks, I can't imagine doing this to a novel for any reason. Imagine going back to read this book years later and having to see your dumb little thoughts scribbled all over some lame romance novel like they or the book is in any way insightful or interesting kek
(plus I lend all my books out to friends, they don't need to see this shit lmao, they just want to read a neat book)
No. 358942
>>358853>>358842>>358846A lot of people do stuff like this to make reading a more interactive experience, you remember it better. Especially if it's your favorite book, you can highlight the parts you love. Also it helps a lot with book reviewing.
>>358855>Imagine going back to read this book years later and having to see your dumb little thoughts scribbled all over some lame romance novelI think that's the point. It's kinda fun to look back years ago and see the things you were thinking/feeling at that time, kinda like journaling
No. 358953
>>358842I could NEVER ruin a book like this, I'd feel so bad!
Especially not with school textbooks as every single one I had in school was provided to students by the school and you weren't allowed to damage them
No. 358995
File: 1709119492530.jpg (92.99 KB, 664x1000, 818TqHBV7NL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL…)
This book was really interesting and disturbing. It's about Holly's time as a girlfriend of Hugh Hefner. He'd keep at least 7 gfs at that time and have a "main" gf. They'd have really strict routines like having to be back at the mansion every single night at 9pm, not being allowed to be anywhere else on Christmas (they could take time off around Christmas, but on actual Christmas day they had to be at the mansion). They'd get lashed out at for only being a few minutes late. They weren't allowed to have boyfriends, even though Hef would have orgies with them twice a week. The orgies were super cringey sounding. They'd all have to go upstairs and take turns with this 80 year old man who definitely had to take viagra. He'd go inside each of them and according to Holly he'd always finish himself off with his hands and that he never came in a girl. He'd have these orgies routinely twice a week after going out and this is how he'd try out women to see if he wanted them back. This is how Holly ended up living at the mansion when she got kicked out of her apartment. She said she felt gross after that first night and like she had to keep going with it otherwise it would have been for nothing. I don't really understand that. If I felt that grossed out I'd just try to forget it ever happened, but everyone is different I guess.
Most of his gfs were there because they thought it would be a stepping stone but it wasn't. Holly ended up getting promoted to main gf after only a few months because she was "good" (meaning she didn't like to go out and party or do drugs like most of the other girls did). She didn't understand why they didn't like her, and she thought she'd be happy with Hef if it wasn't for all the other women, but after they started leaving she realized she was still miserable and even contemplated committing suicide while at the mansion.
Hef was extremely manipulative and treated his gfs like children. He'd also constantly pit them against each other and neg them. He was really specific about how they had to look. One time Holly cut her hair into a bob (which looked really good) and he lashed out and said it made her look "hard, old and cheap". This coming from an 80 year old man directed at a 20 something year old. He also hated red lipstick and lashed out at her again for her wearing red lipstick. Which is super fucking weird considering he worshipped Marilyn Monroe and other beauties from old hollywood. One of the reasons a lot of women wanted to be Hef's main gf was so they could get playmate of the year. He stopped making any of his gfs playmate of the year at that point, but he wouldn't tell them that so they'd stick around and try to please him I guess. Holly kept wondering why she was never on the cover of playboy, although I think she did end up on the cover after a while because of the fame that came from the show Girls Next Door, which I had never even heard of. Even though his mansion and gfs were basically a cult where he'd control the women and neg them, he wanted to present to the world this wholesome image that his gfs were all really happy with each other and it was just this happy little paradise.
He'd give his gfs $1000 a week, but they had to spend it on stuff to make people think he was spoiling them. Stuff like lingerie, makeup, hair, outfits, etc etc. They weren't supposed to be saving it and would get in trouble if he found out they were. He'd also lease them cars, but not buy them so if they left he could repossess them. They weren't allowed to fraternize with the staff either.
Then after that she talks about how she started dating Criss Angel who was also really controlling but in a different way and he had anger issues which scared her. Ngl, the book gets kind of boring after that point. I'm glad Holly wrote this book and is speaking about this gross stuff now, but at times it is a little bit hard to judge. She definitely helped him with his gross behavior especially near the end when she was helping pick women to be in the magazine. She also went back to the mansion after he offered her a quaalude and told her "we used to call these thigh openers". But then again the early 2000s were a very different time I guess. Holly is apparently also on the autism spectrum, though she didn't know it at the time and only got recently diagnosed.
I kind of fell down a rabbit hole (lol) after this and watched the A&E documentary series about Playboy after this and it was all super fucking disturbing. Holly was practically treated like royalty compared to some of Hugh's older gfs, like Sondra Theodore who he forced to be a drug mule.
I'm gonna read Crystal Harris' book next.
No. 359014
>>358842ngl this looks a bit staged, like those journals filled with washi tape or some dumb "dark academia" crap just for the aesthetic.
I don't write in my books but if I'm studying or writing a review I might put removable sticky notes in them as bookmarks and maybe if it's not a library book I'll highlight some important passage (for study books only though, and I avoid overusing it because the it loses its function). If I need to make notes I write them in a separate notebook.
No. 359129
File: 1709162399489.jpg (19.81 KB, 264x400, index.jpg)
>>359013>The title words and cover are really odd for such a harrowing account of essentially being a geriatric old man’s sex slave.Different anon here but yeah reading that post made me doubletake because I thought it was picrel book which I have been seeing on the featured new releases at my library
No. 359145
>>359131Crime and Punishment imo, it's more simple than The Brothers Karamazov which is kinda convoluted due to the amount of side stories he shoves into that final novel.
Raskolnikov's cope about his crime is interesting to see fall apart by the end.
No. 359356
>>358842i never understood this because it seems pretentious and, frankly, most of the notes are fucking stupid. and then you stumble over guides on "how to annotate" and it's just basic stuff like "funny scenes", "smut scenes", etc. and of course they always annotate easy YA books that really aren't that complicated to understand. if the book isn't used for studying purposes, isn't very difficult and/or isn't a fave read that you keep rereading over the years, i just don't understand the need to annotate. additionally, if i'm super into a book i completely lose track of time and don't even think about grabbing my cute pastel stabilo highlighter and my pastel aliexpress page tabs so i can write a deep, thoughtful comment such as "why not?" in the margins of the text.
>>358855>Imagine going back to read this book years later and having to see your dumb little thoughts>>358942>I think that's the point. It's kinda fun to look back years ago and see the things you were thinking/feeling at that time, kinda like journalinga booktuber i watch sometimes actually said in a video i watched just a few days ago that if she has an annotated version and she wants to re-read the book, she buys a new copy.
No. 359520
File: 1709304779975.jpeg (45.17 KB, 274x450, IMG_3320.jpeg)
>>359356Annotation is good for keeping track of recurring themes and motifs, noting down possible references to external sources that may provide extra context or depth, other influences, etc. This only applies in books with any depth and care involved though. Most YA/romance books are so simple I think these people are literally just annotating for the aesthetic, or to film a detailed review about it later.
>>359408I wonder if she did that to generate some distance for herself from the situation? Just to make it easier to write the book. I can’t imagine this was easy to reminisce on enough to fill hundreds of pages. Or maybe some tone-deaf ghostwriter?
Unrelated, I have two books by Alexander Dumas in my possession now. What are your thoughts on his work? I haven’t read either of them yet, but I am curious on nonnies thoughts on his female characters.
No. 359596
File: 1709341216686.jpg (66.19 KB, 375x550, 114056-ml-82973.jpg)
I suddenly remembered this series and having adored it (or the first two books at least) as an edgy proto-emo kid. I haven't read a children's book since I was an actual child but I'm so tempted to reread them, I wonder if they hold up.
No. 359651
File: 1709379481531.jpg (70.42 KB, 667x1000, 81vgUG0k1vL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL…)
I don't remember what thread it was in, but I'd like to thank whichever nonna I saw recommending Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom. I'm about halfway through and the entire time I'm reading I just have this heavy pit in my stomach, and that's a compliment.
No. 360680
File: 1709830680162.jpg (68.99 KB, 633x1000, 71sDDGFkInL._AC_UF894,1000_QL8…)
reading picrel right now and i'm enjoying it. the beginning was a bit slow and i was close to giving up because it kept going on about the boring minutiae of the protagonist and her moid, but it finally picked up at around page 100. trigger warning: there is a rape scene fairly early in the book that comes out of nowhere.
No. 361181
>>360143>Plato is a boreAre you kidding me? Plato is the funniest philosopher of all time. Socrates pretending to be a retard and trolling random people is peak comedy. The end of Euthyphro where he runs away is one of the funniest things I've ever read.
>Soc. Speak out then, my dear Euthyphro, and do not hide your knowledge.>Euth. Another time, Socrates; for I am in a hurry, and must go now.>Soc. Alas! my companion, and will you leave me in despair? kek!
No. 361202
File: 1710028171211.jpg (82.87 KB, 563x751, 082d9ca58e49799176da2c6477c135…)
Nonnies, is there anyone into Latin/Ancient Greek literature?
More than 10 years ago, I started reading, let's call it a book, by either a Latin or Greek writer, where he made fun of different types of people living at the time. It was like a set of generalized descriptions, not stories about some characters. Unfortunately, that's all I can say, I don't remember his name or the title. I wasn't able to find it on my own, so I hope someone will recognize what I'm talking about
No. 361213
File: 1710030225320.jpeg (475.17 KB, 828x882, IMG_2869.jpeg)
>>361202could it be
Characters by Theophrastus? you might also ask the 'help me find' thread in /ot/
No. 361445
File: 1710103453381.jpg (161.84 KB, 1400x2113, 199798179.jpg)
is there such a thing as "industry plant" for books cos I think this book might be it. i keep hearing about it everywhere and it's already being made into a tv show and it's not even out yet. then apparently there was some controversy with people accusing the author of plagiarizing a Spanish tv show, which caused Goodreads to ban people from posting reviews of the book (which afaik they have NEVER done before). but the plot just sounds like….fanfiction for The Terror?!
this is the plot btw
>In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.
>She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machine,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But he adjusts quickly; he is, after all, an explorer by trade. Soon, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a seriously uncomfortable housemate dynamic, evolves into something much more. Over the course of an unprecedented year, Gore and the bridge fall haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences they never could have imagined.
No. 361524
File: 1710107826590.jpg (448.62 KB, 741x1118, chrctrs.jpg)
>>361213>Characters by TheophrastusYes!!! Thank you, nonna!
No. 363256
File: 1710669978225.jpeg (134.3 KB, 474x720, IMG_1938.jpeg)
Long and rambling vent post, sorry.
I’ve been rereading Stephen King books, since I grew up with them, but it’s making me realize I probably won’t be rereading these anymore because I HATE the way he writes female characters, especially the figure of wives/mothers or (god forbid) ex-wives. Little girls are angels, young women are willful although dumb bombshells, and anything between that and sweet old lady is written in an almost hateful way. his women are petty, mean, overbearing, neurotic, often greedy, almost always spiteful and full of grudges. It’s like those boys’ club jokes about the old ball and chain, but with a serious mean streak behind it. Picrel used to be my favorite book (it’s definitely the coziest one) but I’m having a hard time getting through it because of how petty the writing is when it comes to the protagonist’s ex wife (after a serious accident with head trauma, he suffered from rage attacks and hurt her physically more than once, choking her and leaving a scar after stabbing her with a plastic knife. These are the incidents we know of, although the protagonist has amnesia about that time of his life, so there were probably more) Maybe five lines in total are spent on how that might have made her feel, or acknowledging she was by his side the whole time he was hurt and recovering, before the protagonist decides she divorced him because he was a different person after the accident, and leaving it as that (including a rant by a side character about how much of a bitch she is and he’s innocent because he had rage attacks and it was beyond him, even though he doesn’t even try to apologize once when he’s doing better, and his first and only reaction to his ex saying he choked her is to flip the bird at her)
It would be one thing if this was a way to show the character as a flawed protagonist, but he’s written in an almost saintlike way the whole book.
No. 363280
File: 1710684916979.jpg (92.3 KB, 662x1000, 81JMAsBlAjL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL…)
Just finished pic related, its about obsessive idol fans and the consequences it has on their real lives. Its a short read, around 100 pages but was still pretty good. Especially if youve been in idol circles or just fandom in general
No. 363862
>>363855Started a wheel of time once but gave it up quickly. Was recommended ACOTAR and… hell no. I sadly don't like classics like lotr and dune, the movies are alright though. Thinking about it now a lot of the books I do like don't exist in english (usually small authors from my non-english speaking country) or they're kids books like harry potter (and yes I read those as a child/teen so it's mostly from nostalgia these days kek)
>I have similar tastes and I actually enjoyed a lot of stuff recommended in this general.I just came to vent so I should read the thread more, maybe I'll be able to find something here
No. 363877
File: 1710853619409.jpeg (24.55 KB, 180x280, IMG_1953.jpeg)
i’ve come to the realization that i prefer low fantasy books with purple prose and a fairytale-esque feeling over high fantasy or porny romantasy. i really enjoyed picrel. anyone have any similar recommendations?
No. 363923
File: 1710868331166.jpg (17.77 KB, 200x300, manrape.jpg)
This is the ultimate manifesto to me, the one and only rape and revenge story. Just read it for the second time. Everything in it feels so real, despite the fact that it was written in the 1970s. It's both sad and hilarious at the same time, and rage-inducing. The shitty "autotheoretical" essays of mediocre libfem writers such as Maggie Nelson do not even compare. This book is it.
No. 365233
File: 1711298945234.jpg (29.67 KB, 360x545, 70a056f0-7e33-4a74-9184-021cb6…)
am i weird if i wasnt disturbed by this book at all? like, it was just alright
No. 365240
>>365237good points. i would usually get lost in conversations, but the rest was fine.
honestly i prefer gore if it was written like this and not the trash that was american psycho
No. 365333
File: 1711317097379.jpg (116.03 KB, 661x1000, 81xqiuXsd2L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL…)
I finally read this book. It's about a female serial killer who kills men, mostly rapists. It wasn't ground breaking or anything, kind of predictable, but it was nice to have an overtly pink pill book without any troon shit in it and all of the men she killed deserved it. okay, I kinda felt bad for the first guy she killed, since he never even raped anyone and was just mildly douchey. But other than that.
No. 366871
File: 1711944916095.jpeg (58.01 KB, 310x500, 500.jpeg)
>>351019Just read The Time Machine, first work of H.B. Wells I've read. I really enjoyed it, it felt too short in that I wanted to know more (tho that's way better than a story overstaying its welcome)
I want to try his other stuff because i'm into some sci-fi creepiness at the moment, but I heard it's similarly nihilistic and incites existential dread/depression and idk if i can handle that shiittt
No. 366896
File: 1711950803689.jpg (1.89 MB, 1772x1177, the-time-machine-850830l-31751…)
>>366871I haven't read it but as a kid I was obsessed with the 2002 movie based on it, although I've later read it's considered a very tacky film, kek. Maybe I should read the story that inspired it. I haven't read much Wells but I remember liking a short story of his called "The Moth." It wasn't really sci-fi, but instead about two entomologists, one of whom basically loses his mind trying to win his competitor. A sad story, really.
No. 367054
File: 1712013764879.jpg (64.79 KB, 555x1000, 816Noun8HfL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL…)
this was so boring. stupid characters, literally no plot anywhere
No. 367983
File: 1712307317048.jpg (112.44 KB, 400x1109, small spanish book order.jpg)
Ordered some books. I'm learning Spanish, which is why they're all in that language. I'm good enough now to not need an English translation but sometimes still have to look things up.
I'll explain why I bought these books:
>Nazarin
I saw Buñuel's film adaptation and it really moved me so I hope I enjoy the book.
>two books from Marquez
I really like his style of writing and right now I'm reading One Hundred Years of Solitude (also in Spanish) and for once it's living up to the hype. Shame he's obviously a pedo.
>El juguete rabioso
Never read this guy but heard he's good. Shot in the dark because they had a cheap copy.
>Los Intereses Creados
Also a shot in the dark bought because it was cheap. This one is actually bilingual and should be helpful since it's a lot older than most of the other books here. I think it's a play.
>Historia de un armor turbio
I really like Quiroga's work and this was the only book of his they had that wasn't a shitty print-to-order Amazon abomination. This will be the first novel of his that I read after reading two books of short stories. I wonder if he can pull off a long-form story.
>Obras Completas tomo II de Romulo Gallegos
I really liked Doña Bárbara, though it was really hard to read. This is a collection of 5-6 of his other novels and convenient to have in one book.
No. 368006
File: 1712322375001.jpg (77.15 KB, 663x1000, 81ZPhEbyYIL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL…)
Has anyone else read this? What were your thoughts on it?
No. 368237
File: 1712367931295.jpeg (58.43 KB, 850x400, IMG_1645.jpeg)
>>367054Thoughts on the declaration?
No. 368537
File: 1712450528136.jpg (44.06 KB, 345x522, 128007059.jpg)
i was in the mood for some suspense/thriller so i read picrel. it was enjoyable and easy to read but a lot of stuff doesn't make any sense. also didn't enjoy the ending that basically has a resolution and resolution #2.
No. 369909
File: 1712927504685.jpg (29.68 KB, 420x649, clan-of-the-cave-bear-15703199…)
I started reading this book after not reading for a long time and I was so interested in it. It details the life of a young Cro-Magnon girl living with Neanderthals. The girl defies the cultural norms for a neanderthal woman and is especially hated by one male. I was hoping the male character would be gotten rid of or at least leave the main girl alone but no. I am half way through it and he brutally rapes her. I can't even read it anymore. Of course, he gets off of abusing her because she wouldn't pay him any attention. Why, why does such a wonderful character have to be diminished to being raped multiple times, becoming pregnant, and ostracized from the clan? Maybe I'm just being overly sensitive because I'm not doubting that males have been this violent since the beginning, but still I can't help but get so upset every time rape is used as a plot-line to break down a woman. I'm not even going to finish the book.
No. 370036
File: 1712968982889.jpg (403.62 KB, 1200x849, 113121812_p0_master1200.jpg)
Read The Brothers Karamazov and I decided I'd fuck Pavel, marry Alyosha, and kill Fyodor and steal his 3,000 ruble banknotes.
No. 370154
File: 1713020434437.jpg (828.66 KB, 1034x1200, 81848309_p0_master1200.jpg)
>>370039I like Ivan, I like all of them because they are interesting, and I like his meltdown at the end of the book but I wish there was a proper conclusion to everything. Or maybe not. Who is your FMK? Also kek at the spoiler; I'd do it in lieu of Pavel so he can open a restaurant in France and Ivan won't see the devil.
No. 370169
File: 1713023254980.jpg (Spoiler Image,246.71 KB, 1200x1080, 106450121_p11.jpg)
>>370036what a coincidence anon, I'm reading it rn. currently in part 2 and my favorite is Alyosa
that sceane where Rakitin called him a virgin and he blushed was so cute kek No. 370216
File: 1713027381364.jpg (645.61 KB, 1200x1080, 106450121_p14.jpg)
>>370211they're all from pixiv anon, you can tell by the filename
No. 370341
File: 1713034557298.jpg (93.93 KB, 500x660, 72389398_p19_master1200.jpg)
>>370169You ship Alyosha x Ivan? I like Ivan x Pavel aka Smerdyakov, but I can't imagine them actually having sex. I can imagine Smerdyakov only sucking Dmitry's dick, but in fear. Alyosha is also my favorite, but I really am fascinated by Smerdyakov and his characteristics. Alyosha really is so pure and sweet, and I don't want to spoil anything but rest assured, he remains that way.
No. 370453
File: 1713047491349.jpg (Spoiler Image,306.2 KB, 1200x1080, 106450121_p12.jpg)
>>370341>You ship Alyosha x Ivan?nah, I just liked the art. I'm not that far in so I don't feel like I can ship any of them yet, the dimitri and alyosha moments were cute tho I like the way men were allowed to show love to each other back then, calling each other dear kissing and such too bad those traditions fazed out in modern russia. I'm glad alyosha stays the same, I was worried since the book seems to be hinting that he's just as bad as the other brothers. picrel Ivan x Pavel for you nonna ♥ I'll probably update here or in the fujo thread about my thoughts once I finish this part.
No. 370454
File: 1713047800876.jpg (149.13 KB, 900x584, 72389398_p9_master1200.jpg)
>>370453Niiice pic, also yes I do love the brotherly kissing. Unfortunately I think that's why so many people ship the brothers together, though their interactions may also lend credence to that dynamic-wise.
>update here or in the fujo thread about my thoughtsKek, if you do update on the fujo thread please link from here
No. 370467
File: 1713054558450.png (440.07 KB, 828x1792, IMG_5501.png)
>>370036AHHH an artist I follow posted them this morning… @emilyamiao
I love how autismo she is about literature, it makes the best fanart
No. 370470
File: 1713054773017.jpg (45.82 KB, 1280x720, 1712516504609263.jpg)
>>370036Damn…I need to join in on the conversation here, I guess I'll be bumping this book to the top of my queue, be back in a few weeks
No. 370481
File: 1713058176195.jpg (137.06 KB, 1200x768, 72389398_p11_master1200.jpg)
>>370467Is that Alyosha and Ivan again? That is damn good art
>>370470Yesss
No. 370552
File: 1713077991791.jpg (302.82 KB, 832x1200, 94440730_p9_master1200.jpg)
I read cute melancholic fic about Alyosha and Pavel, I didn't read the book itself I'm planning to watch musicales and rock operas in my native, than I'll be familiar with.
Reading fanfiction made be unable to enjoy reading original stories because you have to relearn setting and characters and I feel discouraged. Shame on me. I started to read Summer in pioneer tie two days ago. Do you fill reader's diary? When you read multiple books and make notes what you liked the most, collecting quotes and writing style choices as well as curious characteristics of period time, etc details.
No. 370577
>>370561Yeah they are. They're the sons of Fyodor, Dmitri is from his first marriage, Ivan and Aleksey from the second,
and the servant Pavel Smerdyakov is his (likely) bastard son from when he raped a mentally ill woman iirc. (Sorry, forgot to spoiler.)
No. 370590
File: 1713090619758.jpg (303.99 KB, 1265x1808, tumblr_10c0a98d4f8d125fb174bee…)
Found russian literature bingo made by fingermosaic on tumblr
No. 370620
A discussion about Dostoyevsky on LC? That mentions shipping the Karamazovs? With cute art? This almost feels too beautiful to be true.
My absolute favorite is Smerdyakov/Ivan. I like Alyosha/Ivan too. I've been meaning to read Demons aswell. The premise is really interesting to me and the characters seem as memorable as Karamazovs. Maybe this is a sign
>>370154Fuck Pavel or Ivan, Marry Alyosha, Kill Dmitri
No. 370621
File: 1713103645597.jpg (635.23 KB, 834x1200, 93938291_p0_master1200.jpg)
>>370556I read it as "serious lit" if I understand what you're saying, and the characterizations of the characters are so good I can't help but imagine them interacting more than they do in the actual book… and of course there is an autistic shipping fandom for it, it's a ~950 page novel only women would have the patience and skills to read. Tumblr doesn't even need a mention, although the best art is from Pixiv obviously.
>>370590>katerina ivanovna (specifically) why?
No. 370623
File: 1713104589985.png (440.32 KB, 500x624, IMG_2854.png)
based russian lit doiscussion.
gotta say im not much of a dostofag though, in general i prefer 20th century stuff. my favourite author is bulgakov. picrel is great but his short stories are amazing.
my obscure fave is 'peter and alexis' by dmitry merezhkovsky but i've never met anyone else who's read it
No. 370624
File: 1713104902195.jpg (345.36 KB, 1265x1808, karamazov.jpg)
>>370620I am going to read Crime and Punishment next, then probably Idiot because my sister owns it so I can just borrow it. Why specifically Demons? What's the plot? Which one is the one with the horse, because I've been seeing pixiv fanart of that and I want to read it.
>>370623Explain the plots! Also I filled out the bingo for The Brothers Karamazov.
No. 370627
File: 1713106237544.png (902.03 KB, 500x750, IMG_2855.png)
>>370624explaining the plot of the master and margarita is no small feat since it has several intertwined stories. simply out the main action is abiut the devil and his retinue visiting 1930s moscow. there's a lot of satire about soviet life and society but also witches' sabbath, a novel wothin a novel, discussions of christianity and atheism and a giant talking black cat. The covers aren't exaggerated.
bulgakov's also written a lot of short stories, mainly about life during the russian civil war and in the early soviet days and they're all really good.
"perter and alexis" is a 1900s novel about the historical confrontation between tsar peter the great and his eldest son alexis. they represent old and new russia but also there's an exploration of tragic family dynamics. you might like it if you like dostoevsky, it's not the same writing style but i relally liked how it handles the
abusive father/son relationship as well as the philosohical aspects.
finally , it's not a book but one of the best pieces of russian media ever is the opera khovanschchina (Хованщина) by mussorgsky. criminally underrated.
No. 370644
File: 1713109755412.jpg (396.67 KB, 708x1000, 75134713_p24_master1200.jpg)
>>370625Wow, very happy at all the Pavel-fuckers, I thought I was a weirdo
>>370627These sound great I'll look for them today
No. 370646
File: 1713112248828.jpg (483.33 KB, 1500x1500, tumblr_d36cd4834043598b6b6160e…)
>>370608I'm sorry nona, it's on Russian
It was really bittersweet Alyosha pov about Pavel's hard character and him being patient and understanding
If you fine with google auto translate, I can send a link
>>370621> ~950 page novelSuddenly I'm becoming more hesitant. You're so cool nonas… I'm no longer possess bookworm ability to stay focused on even on 300 page book. I'm looking at you with admiration.
>>370627I'm weak to father/son struggles. Thanks for bringing it!
No. 370654
File: 1713113105679.jpg (122.54 KB, 381x433, 20892260_p2_master1200.jpg)
>>370646That person's art is so good but their Smerdyakov sucks. She draws him as a 4'1'' gay albino with short curly hair. Like that is how I see Dmitry and Ivan, I see Alyosha as dirty blonde, but that is
not Pavel in the slightest. Pavel is
not gay, he is
not 4'1'' and he is
not white-haired. Ree! It's okay, you didn't know.
No. 370662
File: 1713114172608.jpg (2.55 MB, 1945x3072, tumblr_cee8ea33838d51007a8f6a7…)
>>370654I thought Pavel is the tall, aloof, dark boy here because he is the eldest, it seems there no descriptions of their looks every art shows them differently. I don't mind, it's awesome to see other's interpretations.
> I see Alyosha as dirty blondeSutekooooo's portrayal ingrained in me. Please check her tumblr, illustrations are done with so much love.
>>370659Thanks! I need it.
No. 370665
File: 1713114723607.jpg (Spoiler Image,425.97 KB, 2048x886, tumblr_609802fc7092ebb84ed7a0c…)
>>370662No, Pavel is also not the eldest. He's 24, I believe he's the second to youngest. And I have seen that person's art, it is very beautiful although their Pasha is quite greasy and stinky looking. Picrel contains spoilers so I am spoiling it for anyone who wants to read the book.
No. 370728
>>370673>bastard child and feigned humilityYes and the sickliness.
Also I just came back from the bookstore and bought Crime and Punishment. I also bought this book
>>370627So thank you for the recommendation! I don't know what to read first, as I also borrowed from my sister The Black Obelisk by my current favorite author Remarque, as well as The Razor's Edge. I will likely read Crime and Punishment first.
No. 370743
>>370644>>370646>>370728i'm glad to hear ppl are intterested in "peter and alexis". ther should be an old public domain english tranlsation in the interet archive irc. the og russian verison is in the publc domain as well.
sometimes it's alternatively titled "the antichrist", i've seen both titles but it's the same book
No. 370770
>>351243I just finished my year of rest and relaxation and I didn't like it tbh, agreed that it's just ok.
the random 9/11 plot point at the end actually made me laugh out loud. When her friend got a new job at the Twin Towers I had a moment of "they're not actually going to do THAT are they?" I'm about to read Eileen, I gave it as a gift and she seemed to like it so I'm hopeful.
No. 370786
>>370776You could skip "Clan of the Cave Bears" and just read "the Valley of Horses". No rape there. But, do be warned, the "I've found my Nigel" vibes are strong in this one. Still worth reading if you like the description of the world and stories centering bonding with animals (early animal husbandry), there is a lot of that.
Everything after "The Mammoth Hunters" is 100% soap opera drivel.
No. 371089
>>369909>>370772>>370786Seconding the recommendation to skip Clan of the Cave Bear and start with Valley of Horses. The rape scenes really are brutal and
many and that makes it such a hard read. But everything important that happens in the first book is explained again in the rest of the series (it's actually kind of annoying if you did read the first book, but if you didn't it's perfect). I also skimmed over all the sex scenes because they're basically identical and not very interesting, but I liked the rest of it so much that that didn't bother me.
Most people complain about the Plains of Passage being boring and tedious, but I really liked that one too. The sixth (and last) book is the only one that I thought was unbearably boring, mostly because the descriptions of the cave paintings sucked. It's kind of ironic since the cave paintings were apparently the main reason Auel wrote the series in the first place.
No. 371204
File: 1713244817851.jpeg (1.01 MB, 809x1145, IMG_1866.jpeg)
>>371203I immediately thought of hunger by knut hamsun, an influential stream-of-consciousness novel about a starving artist
No. 371211
File: 1713247094570.jpg (21.45 KB, 375x500, 41oMbkAK6hL-3621756536.jpg)
>>371203Seconding Pale Fire. Also The Kindly Ones, but the narrator Maximilien Aue is more of a horrorcow. Like if Varg was an OG Nazi instead of a Neonazi and also a gay faggot.
No. 374981
File: 1714437483900.jpg (209.54 KB, 1024x768, 102795137_p2_master1200.jpg)
>>374100I dunno I read the Penguins Classic translation by David McDuff.
I also just finished Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and I ship Rodion with Pasha from Karamazov because they're similar. Crime and Punishment is like if Catcher in the Rye was about a generally sociopathic/nihilistic crone killer
No. 374991
File: 1714442254779.jpeg (1.35 MB, 1125x1409, IMG_5341.jpeg)
>>374100I have Volokhonsky & Pevear's version, the language seems a little simplified compared to other translations but from what people said theirs catches more of the nuances/humor other tls missed. I also liked their footnotes about events from the time period the story takes place in