Wanted to read it before I watched the Odenkirk show. It was extremely well written -- such a confident and hilarious style of writing. I don't think I've read anything else remotely close to this type of style before. So many great lines, both philosophically interesting and comedic. That being said, the plot (or lack thereof) just made it super difficult for me to get excited about reading it. I understand that the point of the book was not the plot, but Devereaux's inner dialogue and the conversations between the characters could just ramble on way too long sometimes.

Finished this after I saw it in this thread and forgot to log it. Incredible read. Exactly what I wanted out of it. Lethem is clearly a PKD fan, but I think the beauty of the book is it feeling more like a traditional noir and the science fiction being in the world building. The surreal anthropomorphism and evolved infants stuff is so colorful. There's a more modern sense of how the world is getting less personal and more automated without using robots and AI which have been so coopted by those industries as marketing or fear mongering or whatever. I wanted to reread it the second I put it down.

5/5

...man what

>it's real

been a busy month for me bookwise

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

I read The Martian and enjoyed it so thought I'd give this a try. about a guy who wakes up on a spaceship with his past life a blur and has to figure out what he's doing there. nice mix of science without getting bogged down too much, this was a unique and entertaining story. prose was a bit corny at times and the last third got a bit repetitive and stuck in a cycle of problem - > solution, but still a fun read and page turner with a satisfying finish. would recommend for sci fi fans

8/10

Un Verdor Terible (When We Cease to Understand the World) by Benjamin Labatut

saw this recommended itt so thought I'd give it a shot. historical fiction about physicists and scientific discoveries. Labatut took some creative liberties to tell their stories, some of which worked more than others, but he did a great job capturing the madness required to break scientific barriers and the price people pay for those discoveries. this isn't the type of subject matter I'm usually interested in but would definitely recommend for people of a more scientific mind. maybe I would've enjoyed it more in English too

7.5/10

Crook's Manifesto by Colson Whitehead

this is the sequel to Harlem Shuffle which I enjoyed when it came out two years ago. not sure it warranted a sequel tho, and Whitehead switched around from character perspectives to the point where you felt like they weren't really fleshed out. the city of Harlem in the seventies is really the star of the novel, which is divided into three stories. Whitehead is kinda hit or miss for me, and I guess he's got a third book in this series coming out, but I'd wish he'd move on to another story

7/10

The Beast: Riding The Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail by Óscar Martínez

non-fiction book following the harrowing migrant trail through Central America up to the Mexico/US border. really dark subject matter that held no punches when talking about the rapes, kidnappings, and murders that migrants must face in search of a better life. gonzo journalism style, and while it did a commendable job painting a picture, I felt like an overarching message was missing and it could've used more perspective from the migrants, telling their stories and reasons for risking their lives

7.5/10

Pájaros en la Boca by Samantha Schweblin

collection of short stories by an Argentine author. like many contemporary Latin American short story authors, there was a mix of surrealism, horror, violence, and humor. I really liked her prose and some of the stories were very vivid and will stick with me. a lot of open endings and metaphors that might have went over my head or deserve a second reading, but this was a great collection and I definitely want to read more from her

8/10

@KoGoYos reading Project Hail Mary right now.. definitely corny but at the same time pretty engaging.

yea it's just a fun read without much thought provoking content or deep messages. like a summer blockbuster or something, the corniness didn't ruin it for me

feel like making a movie of this one without it becoming utterly ridiculous would be impossible tho lol

lmk what ya think when you finish it

Mishima is quickly becoming my favorite author, insanely problematic politics aside. It seems like every book I read of his I see several of the most beautiful passages I've ever read, especially including this book. This book follows the descent into madness of a young monk. A lot of Mishima's writing deals with an obsession with beauty and how easily that obsession can become compulsive and destructive. A lot of his books also relate that desire for beauty to a kind of arch-conservative belief that the past is always more beautiful than the present, which, given that this is such a commonly understood reactionary opinion makes it easy to follow the thoughts and actions of his characters. This book was fantastic, mostly slow going as it examines the obsessive-compulsive thinking of a teenager. The final third as it builds to the finale is breathtaking.

Rosero reminded me so much of Roberto Bolaño: the story of the everyday (although kind of perverted) countryman swept up in the violence currently ravaging their country. This book could have easily fit as one of the sections of 2666 had the action taken place in Mexico instead of Colombia. I think it's maybe about how little one can understand about violence committed on a countrywide scale? Especially the strange 3-way war being fought in Colombia. Juxtaposed with the confusion seemingly inherent to growing older. It was interesting, and a quick enough read to not be bothersome. 3.75/5

This one was fine. It was a pretty good noir, with some more "thoughtful" things to say about crime and the effectiveness of punishment in western society. Much of the book for me was carried by the whirlwind pace through a huge cast of characters and locations. I felt the more esoteric meaning of the book was somewhat undercut by the strange whodunit ending tacked on to a book that really neither needed nor deserved one, but alas. 3.5/5

I’ve been meaning to read some Mishima for a while, might start there

This one is good because it's stand alone. My favorite by him is Runaway Horses but it's the second in a loose series. If you end up reading any lemme know how you like it!

Which Murakami do you recommend as an entry into his work?

Tricks of light, smoke and mirrors. Noir gone postmodern with conspiracy for a philosophy. Pynchon's fanciful elaborations are milkbone for the dogged paranoiac. Gnawing suspicions and empty stomachs. Lovely prose, but the vibes are haunted and no punchline could ever match the setup.

4/5

Not sure how I missed this, my bad.

This is a serious topic of discussion online and people always fight about it.

I'd say Sputnik Sweetheart is a great start. It has a good mix of his magic realism, tenderness between characters and all the infamous Murakami-isms.

If you enjoy that, you can branch out to either the ones that are heavily leaning into the magic realism stuff(Wind Up Bird, Killing Commendatore), or if you just prefer the nature of his nonchalant writing(Colorless Tsukuru, South Of The Border).

I get why his books might be a bit off putting for some people, but honestly that weirdness and ambiguity is the key factor that draws me personally toward his stuff.

Appreciate it! Will check out Sputnik Sweetheart

5/5

can’t even say too much about this one. you just gotta read it. took me way longer than it should’ve considering the short length, but so many pages had me rereading and rereading to either understand exactly what was being said or to just reflect in awe on how beautiful McCarthy’s prose is.

Got a lot to catch up on here:

Satantango - László Krasznahorkai

Set in the dying embers of a communist society, a few decrepit villagers look for a way forward (or backward?) promised to them by an enigmatic christ-like figure.

This is seriously bleak, strange and unsettling stuff. Time stands still for practically the whole novel and by the end the whole thing just completely collapses in on itself. I struggled reading it but haven't stopped thinking about it since, just insanely impressive writing. Never gunna watch the 8 hour Bela Tarr flick though.

The Complete Stories of Truman Capote

Some f***ing great stuff here, especially the more gothic ones. Guy was a master wasn't he.

Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan

Really well written novella that touches on a bleak part of Irish history. But I think my main issue was exactly that - that it really glossed over the horrors of the Magdalene Laundries to tell a schmaltzy story with a likeable protagonist. Plays out like a BBC Christmas special, but it is really well done if that's your kind of thing.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami

Great, obviously. Can't be bothered saying much because enough has been said about it here already. But yeah, f***ing great. Glad I gave Murakami another try after hating Norwegian Wood.

Labyrinths - Jorge Luis Borges

Nah sorry Borges but I'm just not smart or well read enough for this. I'm sure it's all great, guy is obviously a genius, and the few stories I could actually sink my teeth into I did really like. But too much of it went straight over my head. Maybe I'll read again when I'm old and wise and think back to what a f***ing idiot I used to be.

The Commitments - Roddy Doyle

Fun little story about the rise and fall of an Irish soul band

Train Dreams - Denis Johnson

Just finished this and it's what prompted me to post some stuff here again, just cause I had to talk about it. Never read anything before that does so much with so little. An entire life and 100 years of American history captured in just over 100 pages. Absolutely beautiful writing, I read the whole thing in one sitting (on a train as well!!!) and just sat staring into space for 10 minutes afterwards. So good

Yea Denis Johnson is good, I read his The Largesse of the Sea Maiden a year or so ago. Think it was his final work, Jesus Son also considered a clossic

The book > the movie by a landslide.

picked up lincoln in the bardo…i’m gonna read it while listening to the audiobook

Nice, I've heard the audiobook is really good!

yeah it’s got a whole cast of people it’s insane

rated it 4/5. my goodreads review:

“ holly didn’t do herself a lot of favors with this book. she really did try to play up the whole “innocent not like other girls” vibe through the whole thing and it got old fast. like girl… we know why you were with hugh hefner. you do not have to lie and pretend. plus i think she tried hard to make kendra look bad, then tried to twist around to make herself look less harsh. like i don’t think kendra and the other girls were saints, but i also don’t think holly was an ice queen just because hefner’s weird mind games steeled her into one. i believe she really did think she was better (smarter, more virtuous, more interesting, driven, etc) than the other girlfriends. to top it off she was delusional too. did she really think carrying her geriatric husband’s fifth child was going to secure her future?

i did like and appreciate her insights about the playboy lifestyle and unglamorous it truly was. and her revelations about hugh hefner. he did seem like a manipulative b****** and i don’t doubt that he really warped those women’s brains. but holly madison is not the most sincere person in the world. the book made me feel bad for all of them as unit but i didn’t feel particularly worse for holly.

also didn’t know criss angel was that much of a d*** so that was fun to learn”

i just finished crime and punishment

The book tells the story of Raskolnikov, an isolated, impoverished former student who believes he is greater than most men, therefore can murder with justification. He murders two women, and then falls ill while the investigation is ongoing.

The book offers an at times openly stated critique of western, enlightenment philosophies such as utilitarianism, showing them as cold, inapplicable modes of viewing the world. Rationality in that sense is impossible. You cannot factor everything into how you make decisions as there are so many variables claiming you can be truly rational is folly.

I greatly enjoyed it, going to read some smaller books before i take on Notes from the Underground and Brothers Karamazov next year

About 3/4s in but genuinely such an eye opening explanation of what went down on the US-Mexico border between around 2004-10.
5/5