Books

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“Are you happy here?” I said at last.

I felt a little spoiled when I was reading this book, primarily because thrillers are some of my favorite types of books and I have read some that have twists on every page and then here was The Secret History, starting with the death of a main character, telling you who did it and then rewinding the clock and through the whole book showing us why it happened the way it did.

In that context, it seems fairly understandable to think that I should not be comparing this book to the fast and forgotten triumphs of Dan Brown but more meditative, characteristic journey of people who are friends. Normal teenage people just living life really, attending college, falling in love, studying haha

To me that feels like Harry Potter, Tolstoy, it feels like warmth and love. Don't get me wrong there is a lot of tension in this book and the characters are for the most part not likeable because they are rich assholes but compelling because of how truly Donna Tartt embraces her characters and lets them be as they are, she lets them run around in circles doing their own little things and because the writing is so good, you engage with their actions and want to follow them wherever they go.

This is a book built on great pacing and rigid structure, there are only eight chapters and they are really big ones. The shortest is like 19 pages and the big ones are 82. What it allows the book to present to the reader is a story told in stages where each stage is a mood, a haze, a drunken splendor of amazing writing and aesthetics that put shame to anything Instagram can create; each stage being able to stand out distinctly meanwhile living cohesive with the others.

That can sometimes backfire and it does, sometimes you have no idea what happened just twenty pages before, only because most of the text feels like you're in a trance, drunk and moving through the motions of life. That's probably my only complaint about the book aside from Donna Tartt showcasing large sections that read as Islamophobic but not having the gall to use the word Islam instead using the fiction term isram which is just confusing, especially when one of her principle character's whole mythology is built around meeting people that actually existed in real life, like George Orwell!

Overall: I really adored the book, the vibe it brings and just how beautiful the writing is. While I understand it feels like not much happens in the story itself, that does not take away much from the book because it was never going to play that card anyway, from the moment we see Bunny falling down that cliff to it's last sci-fi/afterlife reunion.

Apologies for the ranty nature. I read alot of books sure but my writting is trash

I started reading Sanderson with tress of the emerald sea. It was fantastic and Sandersons style was very catching to me. Recently, I made the decision to read more of his work. Sanderson suggested on his site an order and I started by his suggestion with Mistborn. Absolutely loving it still very catching but, in my opinion, it's much weaker than tress a book he made much later. Just going into the last of the 3 in the apparent first run so I'll be done in about 5 days. Thus, I'm looking for my next few books to read.

My major worry is that it just won't catch with me. If I start a book that's reasonably good but doesn't pull me back in I find myself failing to read it or anything else for quite some time. I essentially took a 6 month reading hiatus when I read Lessons in birdwatching a good, though very flawed, book. I'd do 20-50 pages a month with that book. Before I was reading daily for a few years, and after I've been doing the same, but sometimes I just find a book I won't give up and can't find myself excited to read.

He states that his suggestion to start with mistborn comes from the fact that he finds elantris to be weaker. With this in mind I'd like to know if it'd be worth it to skip the book, read the wiki or some synopsis, and move on to his more recent work. With nearly 600 pages that book would take 3-6 days of reading depending on how well it catches.

Is this sacrilege? Is the writing a serious downgrade for somebody who liked very much liked mistborn though thought it weak at times?

The authors great though. The guys got me planning to read what I asssume is magi-punk from the cover art for mistborn 4 which is not something I'd do normally

What are the best public domain books that you've read? My currently downloaded books include "The Time Machine", "Pride and Prejudice", "Frankenstein", "War and Peace", "On Liberty", "Metamorphosis" (all from Librivox), etc. I especially like "Crime and Punishment" and "Brothers Karamazov" and others by Dostoevsky since they delve deeper into human psychology, values, and morality. Also to add, Librivox is so fucking cool and now I have something to listen to on my daily bus/car rides.

"Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil" examines the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi bureaucrat instrumental in organizing the Holocaust. Eichmann was captured by Israeli agents in Argentina in 1960 and tried in Jerusalem for crimes against humanity. Hannah Arendt controversially described Eichmann as "terrifyingly normal," emphasizing his thoughtlessness and blind obedience to orders rather than inherent sadism or hatred. He executed his role as a logistical organizer of mass deportations and killings with bureaucratic efficiency, seeing himself as a law-abiding citizen fulfilling his duties.

Arendt coined the term "banality of evil" to highlight how ordinary individuals, through moral disengagement and adherence to authority, can commit horrific acts. She criticized the trial for its theatrical nature and questioned Israel's jurisdiction, arguing it was more about Jewish suffering than Eichmann’s crimes. Her work sparked debates on morality, justice, and the nature of evil, challenging traditional views on Nazi perpetrators.

It's been too long since I've read anything, but I do love horror books. My favorite horror book so far is Last Days by Adam Nevill. Almost put it down, it was that scary. In general, any horror books that are a must-read?

I didn't know where else to share this but it's what I think every time someone says something like "ok 'Breq' from 'Gerentate.'"

Harry Frankfurt's "On Bullshit" is a philosophical exploration of the nature and societal impact of "bullshit." Frankfurt defines bullshit as speech or communication that is indifferent to the truth, distinguishing it from lying. While liars deliberately distort the truth, bullshitters disregard it entirely, focusing instead on personal goals or persuasion without concern for accuracy.

Frankfurt argues that this indifference to truth makes bullshit more dangerous than lies because it undermines the value of truth itself. He attributes the rise of bullshit to societal pressures to express opinions on topics regardless of expertise, often prioritizing appearance over substance. This growing disregard for truth, he warns, poses a significant threat to society's ability to discern reality.

https://forrestsellsout.substack.com/p/on-the-phenomenon-known-as-love

The essay is mostly about the nature of "love," but also covers my thoughts on the book itself (hint: I liked it, for the most part). Figured this was a good place to post it, since the book was runner-up for best literary fiction on this subreddit. No pay wall or anything.

Looking for some self-contained grimdark books to read. Most of the genre seems to be the form of trilogies or even longer series, but I'm not looking to start a long project right now. Just a single story within one book, and then move on to other stuff (unless I get hooked..)

The internet didn't come up completely short on this topic. This article contains some recommendations already.

I know that this is an obscure and very niche request, but I thought if there ever was a place to try it would be here.

For those that are unaware, Blood Incantation is a prog death metal band that makes music based around the themes like consciousness, the universe, and extraterrestrial life.

If someone were to ask me the same question, I would probably recommend Slaughterhouse Five, Semiosis, and American Cosmic. Do you have any I could add to that list?

It's quite easy to read, the book seems to urge action before the foe becomes too strong...

Full book is accessible on stanford.edu . This chapter explains how LLMs work. The full book is on the topic of Natural Language Processing.

Fellow bookworms, I am glad to announce that I am at the last book of Cosmere (Yumi and the Nightmare Painter). And then, I will have finished it all. So this is where I need your help. Recommend me some awesome Sci-fi and Fantasy books that you believe will blow away my mind, like the impact needs to be huge, cannot believe this happened type of stuff. Preferred genre are Sci-fi and Fantasy, but if you know some awesome book from other genre, don't hold back, all suggestions are welcome.

Thank you in advance.

UPDATE: Piranesi is currently on lead and I am almost finished with Yumi, so that is the next on my list. But don't let that stop the recommendations coming. Eventually all of us are going to run out of recommendations ;)

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/56619187

More than meets the eye, again and again.

At first, things seem quiet and unremarkable. A cliché premise, cliché developments, cliché characters... Actually, things didn't seem quiet and unremarkable at all; Re:Zero seemed boring and uninteresting. More of that ever-pouring slop Japanese webnovels insist on becoming, more of that persistent stench of mediocrity and the unbridled numbness of barren creativity.

Re:Zero is just more of the same old, same old.

At first...

But, at first, even the normal is strange. Even as we're born, we cry. We're confused, lost, terrified as the world that we now take for granted assaults our senses and wrecks our mind and body alike. Voices endless, smells, feelings, all of it is so much---too much! What makes life beautiful aren't the large pieces that we all have in common, but the small distinctions that make us unique. One would assume death is the same, of course.

All one can do is assume death is the same. That is, of course, except for Natsuki Subaru.

Re:Zero throws us into the typical isekai fantasy world---it even tricks us for a bit!---but pretty soon we understand that that's not the case at all. Natsuki Subaru doesn't die. Or rather, he dies and is then reborn. He gets to try again. That's what Re:Zero is about.

What if you could try again? What if your biggest failures were erased and you had a do-over?

As a premise, this is brilliant. It's not the first time I've read a time-travel story with a somewhat similar outline---shout-out to Mother of Learning---but Re:Zero is unique enough from within what I've read to trigger that novelty factor.

The cast is extensive and varied, including several of the traditional isekai tropes while continuously subverting them in some of the most creative ways possible. Even Subaru himself, the MC, is a subversion of the typical isekai MC. He reminds me of Kazuma from KonoSuba, actually, at first.

That's always the point, isn't it? At first, at first, at first... There's always more than meets the eye.

If that was all that Re:Zero was, it would be enough to make for a good story. However, Subaru is faced with the flip-side of his condition: he loses all the good parts too. The pain, the suffering, the despair that dripped from the pages when he loses everything was at times so overwhelming I actually had to take a breather. It's like the Witch's miasma bled through the screen and seeped into my eyes---that's the only reason I cried, of course...

What if you had to choose? What if you could try again, but even then you failed?

The ever-growing pressure of his mistakes digs into your heart and crushes your very soul, I'm telling you. Seeing him come to terms with how much he's lost and watching him gather the courage to keep going... It's beyond fantastic.

My biggest gripes with the novel are the following:

• The translation is mediocre and littered with errors;
• Subaru does too much talk no jutsu.

Still, it's not a big deal. I'm used to reading webnovels, so reading a poor translation isn't a significant problem; I just expected more. Subaru's incessant yapping can get frustrating at times, but I can rationalize it by saying that, well, if he dies, he can just try something else. When it works, it's hard to say that that wasn't the best option so... I can't really complain... I just don't like it that much. Let it be known, though, Re:Zero isn't just Subaru's yapsesh; he very much works! He tries, and fails, and tries, and fails, and he tries again. He tries everything he can think of. What I love most, perhaps, is that he doesn't get random power-ups like you see in other series. He gets stronger by failing and learning. He improves slowly by trial and error. It's really satisfying to see him figure things out!

The world is getting more and more complex by the volume, by the chapter, by the page really. By Volume 15, it felt like the world had grown ten-fold, both geographically and lore-wise. It's so complex and enticing with so many mysteries to dive into. I can't wait to learn more.

I mentioned the extensive cast already, but there's really no reason not to bring it up again. There isn't a single character I dislike in this whole thing. There are characters that are very much despicable, yes, but there aren't any of those cliché "bad because they're bad" or "good no matter what" characters. Every character is either extremely complex, with believable and deeply emotional motivations, or simply not developed enough to tell just yet. After all, there's so many characters but only so many pages to talk about them. I don't think that's to the detriment of the narrative in the slightest, though.

Really, the only character I actually have sincere gripes with is Subaru himself! Specifically in regards to his choice of heroine. He's wrong, and I'll stand by that. He's the only character in the whole series whose motivation I question. You'd think this would be a big deal, but it really isn't. He's an idiot, an irredeemable moron. That's what makes his story so compelling: we get to see an irredeemable moron turn into a somewhat redeemable moron, little by little, life by life, death by death.

Is this the greatest masterpiece of the 21st century? The century isn't over just yet, but it's in the running; I'll tell you that much.

What do you think?

---

Rating: 5/5

Read on Witch Cult Translations!
Disclaimer: I read the Light Novel version of Re:Zero, not the WCT webnovel translation.

It's mainly about the war in Mali, how it got to that point, and even some of the people that participated in it got more "page-time" than the librarians (around a 90% of the book, I'd dare say). Who are basically a single man.

I really wanted to read about saving manuscripts, so I'm very disappointed.

I wouldn't say that the book is bad, it's just that the title is clickbait material.

If any of y'all know of other books that REALLY talk about saving/protecting/restoring documents, please do tell me the titles!

Appeal factors are the characteristics that engage the reader and include the book’s pacing, the level of character development, the types and complexity of language used, the mood of the story, and the book’s overall tone. 

I'm excited to try out some of the tools they link to. Right away I see so many new-to-me interesting titles on whichbook.

Mason & Dixon is classified as a “postmodernist” novel. I was intrigued by what the usage of the word here entailed. Postmodernism in literature refers to an abandonment of “absolute meaning” that is seen in modernist and realist literature and espousal of fragmentation, playfulness and incertitude, as well as the usage of literary methods such as metafiction and intertextuality.

This then makes of M&D a postmodernist literary work. The narrator, a certain Rev. Cherrycoke, who tells the adventures of two (historically real) astronomers, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, arouses one too many times the suspicion and doubt of his audience in regards to the veracity of what he is narrating. Throughout the novel, Cherrycoke's authority is put into question time after time, as he mixes historical accounts with speculation, fabrication or, indeed, mere fantasy. From talking animals to conversing clocks and a flying, mechanical (quasi-omnipotent) duck; fiction and reality intermingle. Pinchon/Cherrycoke takes liberty in designing actual historical figures as either he or the circumstances please. Another thing that caught my attention was the capitalisation of words mid sentence; as I found out, besides highlighting the importance of a words, it serves as reference to the practice of randomly capitalising words in old print.

As for the content itself, the novel critically presents several serious themes, some of which it demystifies. The two protagonists come to realize the grim reality of the colonial ventures and their exploitative consequences which they find themselves in the midst of:

Slaves. Ev’ry day at the Cape, we lived with Slavery in our faces,— more of it at St. Helena,— and now here we are again, in another Colony, this time having drawn them a Line between their Slave-Keepers, and their Wage-Payers, as if doom’d to re-encounter thro’ the World this public Secret, this shameful Core. . . . Pretending it to be ever somewhere else, with the Turks, the Russians, the Companies, down there, down where it smells like warm Brine and Gunpowder fumes, they’re murdering and dispossessing thousands untallied, the innocent of the World, passing daily into the Hands of Slave-owners and Torturers, but oh, never in Holland, nor in England, that Garden of Fools . . . (Ch. 71)

‘Sir, an hundred twenty lives were lost!’ “I reply, ‘British lives. What think you the overnight Harvest of Death is, in Calcutta alone, in Indian lives?— not only upon that one Night, but ev’ry Night, in Streets that few could even tell you how to get to,— Street upon desperate Street, till the smoke of the Pyres takes it all into the Invisible, yet, invisible, doth it go on. All of which greatly suiteth the Company, and to whatever Share it has negotiated, His Majesty’s Government as well.’ (Ch. 14)

“Sooner or later,” Dixon far too brightly, “— a Slave must kill his Master. It is one of the Laws of Springs.” (Ch. 72)

On the other hand, the book is not free of an incessant mystification which M&D battle with as the self-proclaimed “men of Science” they are. For instance, during their encounter, the Learnèd English Dog informs Mason, somewhat mockingly: “I may be præternatural, but I am not supernatural. ’Tis the Age of Reason, rrrf? There is ever an Explanation at hand, and no such thing as a Talking Dog,— Talking Dogs belong with Dragons and Unicorns. What there are, however, are Provisions for Survival in a World less fantastick.” (Ch. 3)

And again, after Mason perceives the ghost of his deceased wife:

He tries to joke with himself. Isn’t this suppos’d to be the Age of Reason? To believe in the cold light of this all-business world that Rebekah haunts him is to slip, to stagger in a crowd, into the embrace of the Painted Italian removed herself, and the Air to fill with suffocating incense, and the radiant Deity to go dim forever. But if Reason be also Permission at last to believe in the evidence of our Earthly Senses, then how can he not concede to her some Resurrection?— to deny her, how cruel! (Ch. 15).

“Get a grip on yerrself, man,” mutters Mason, “what happen’d to ‘We’re men of Science’?” “And Men of Science,” cries Dixon, “may be but the simple Tools of others, with no more idea of what they are about, than a Hammer knows of a House.” (Ch. 69).

I assume Pynchon expresses a disenchantment of sorts with the supposed “Age of Reason” which had been forcefully detached of its earlier, seemingly mystical, origins; perceived as a revolution that ineradicably changed the ways of logic, and which must be indiscriminately embraced, regardless of the cruel exploitation it may cause. In fact, M&D parallels what Pynchon had previously expressed in his 1984 essay “Is It O.K. to Be a Luddite?”, in which he wrote:

THE word "Luddite" continues to be applied with contempt to anyone with doubts about technology, especially the nuclear kind. Luddites today are no longer faced with human factory owners and vulnerable machines [...] there is now a permanent power establishment of admirals, generals and corporate CEO's, up against whom us average poor bastards are completely outclassed [...]. We are all supposed to keep tranquil and allow it to go on, even though, because of the data revolution, it becomes every day less possible to fool any of the people any of the time.

If you have books on Amazon and you want them to be on any device besides Kindle, download them soon.

Just waiting on my library hold for System Collapse. Can't get over the belligerent Asexual tension. 10/10 thus far.

😁 Pass the Salt is in queer liberation library! Check it out at https://share.libbyapp.com/title/10584475 @[email protected] @[email protected] @bookstodon @bookstadon #Books #Library #LibbyApp #Libby #EBook #EBooks