The most prestigious law school admissions discussion board in the world.
|
 |
 
|
CharlesXII here with my year-end book review thread. Taking ?s
Poast new message in this thread
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:33 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode A few opening thoughts: -This was something of an ad-hoc goal. In mid-January or so I decided to set a goal of 50 books for the year, with a notion of becoming a more active reader like I was in high school. But I set a really rapid pace during the winter, so by March I’d upgraded my goal to 100. I stayed roughly on pace through July, but then started to fall behind in August through October for a variety of reasons. There was a bit of burnout, I was distracted by playing quite a bit of Age of Empires 2, and I also had a pretty bad depressive spell where I didn’t read much. But I rallied big-time in November, and finished 23 books in just two months. For my 100th book, I picked The Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe, which suitably brought things full circle, since I began the year reading The Book of the New Sun by him. -Besides just reading more, I hoped that reading a large quantity of books would increase the variety of my reading, and that definitely happened. After leaving college I hadn’t read much besides history, but since I was hitting a new book every few days, I felt a lot more freedom to experiment and check out stuff I never would have in years past. So I read some junk-food politics books, journalistic nonfiction, and even one work of philosophy. I also started reading novels again, which I got a lot of enjoyment from. -There’s no way I’m going for 100 again this year. I have some other goals I’d like to accomplish that will take up time. Plus, I’d like to read a few really long books this year, which I put off due to the quest. I’ll probably read a bit more history this year, and I’ll continue my secondary goals of reading more sci-fi, more short fiction, and more canonical writers that I haven’t engaged with before. -New authors I plan to read in 2019: Mervyn Peake, Jane Austen, Flannery O’Connor, Thomas Carlyle, Ernest Hemingway The full list: 1. Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe 2. Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe 3. Psmith in the City by P.G. Wodehouse 4. Black Mischief by Evelyn Waugh 5. The Forever War by Joe Haldeman 6. Scoop by Evelyn Waugh 7. Girl, 20 by Kingsley Amis 8. Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh 9. Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban 10. Flashman on the March by George Macdonald Fraser 11. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole 12. Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh 13. A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh 14. Edmund Campion by Evelyn Waugh 15. Skin in the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb 16. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut 17. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates 18. Put Out More Flags by Evelyn Waugh 19. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh 20. Ubik by Philip K. Dick 21. The Sack of Rome by Luigi Guicciardini 22. Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick 23. The Bowmen of England by Donald Featherstone 24. The Knight in History by Frances Gies 25. Helena by Evelyn Waugh 26. The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh 27. The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold by Evelyn Waugh 28. Men at Arms by Evelyn Waugh 29. Officers and Gentlemen by Evelyn Waugh 30. Unconditional Surrender by Evelyn Waugh 31. Lost in the Cosmos by Walker Percy 32. Red Plenty by Francis Spufford 33. On Grand Strategy by John Lewis Gaddis 34. The Moviegoer by Walker Percy 35. Whatever by Michel Houellebecq 36. The Hundred-Year Marathon by Michael Pillsbury 37. Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian 38. Love in the Ruins by Walker Percy 39. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather 40. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather 41. Submission by Michel Houellebecq 42. Huey Long Invades New Orleans by Garry Boulard 43. The Thanatos Syndrome by Walker Percy 44. Russia Against Napoleon by Dominic Lieven 45. The Crucible by Arthur Miller 46. Post Captain by Patrick O’Brian 47. Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw 48. The Lion in Winter by James Goldman 49. Sandkings by George R.R. Martin 50. A Universal History of Iniquity by Jorge Luis Borges 51. Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges 52. The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges 53. The Unfair Sex by Nina Farewell 54. Brodie’s Report by Jorge Luis Borges 55. The Book of Sand by Jorge Luis Borges 56. HMS Surprise by Patrick O’Brian 57. Adios, America! by Ann Coulter 58. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 59. Suicide of a Superpower by Pat Buchanan 60. Walden by Henry David Thoreau 61. The Mauritius Command by Patrick O’Brian 62. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein 63. Resistance is Futile by Ann Coulter 64. Ancient Egypt by George Rawlinson 65. Holy Legionary Youth by Roland Clark 66. Don’t Know Much About Mythology by Kenneth C. Davis 67. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams 68. The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis 69. Egyptian Tales by W. M. Flinders Petrie 70. The Military Revolution by Geoffrey Parker 71. Mugged by Ann Coulter 72. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou 73. The Birth of Tragedy by Friedrich Nietzsche 74. The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis 75. The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis 76. The Big Short by Michael Lewis 77. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Unknown 78. Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis 79. A Colony of the World by Eugene McCarthy 80. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick 81. Silence by Shusaku Endo 82. Byzantium and Its Army by Warren Treadgold 83. The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene 84. Fight Club by Chuck Paluhniuk 85. The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe 86. The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain 87. The Western Way of War by Victor Davis Hanson 88. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene 89. The Open Empire by Valerie Hansen 90. The Quiet American by Graham Greene 91. We Wanted Workers by George Borjas 92. Ship of Fools by Tucker Carlson 93. A Concise History of Scotland by Fitzroy Maclean 94. Melting Pot or Civil War? by Reihan Salam 95. Race, Wrongs, and Remedies by Amy Wax 96. Brighton Rock by Graham Greene 97. The End of the Affair by Graham Greene 98. A Troublesome Inheritance by Nicholas Wade 99. The Camp of the Saints by Jean Raspail 100. The Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe 101. The Pearl by John Steinbeck
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:35 AM Author: turquoise foreskin toaster (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511390) |
 |
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:36 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode Honestly...it sucked. Was incredibly disappointed by it (see below). (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511398) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 5:09 AM Author: Boyish Wagecucks Locale The Forever War by Joe Haldeman haldeman writes for men, like most SF authors...great book...romance and sadness and small human lives caught up in the struggles of empire...
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck ....classic steinbeck...a progenitor of bourgeois white guilt...
|
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 5:31 AM Author: titillating tanning salon potus What did this say? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511738) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:36 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode Top Ten Books: 10. Post Captain: I got nagged for a long time to give the Aubrey-Maturin books a look, but avoided them because I frankly didn’t have much interest in nautical stuff. I still don’t, but Post Captain especially is a lot more than that. It was just a great all-around historical fiction work with a very distinct style. 9. We Wanted Workers: I’m astonished by how under-the-radar this book has been. It’s a Harvard economist gruesomely demolishing the stock arguments we’ve seen over and over again in favor of mass immigration. It’s a quick book and frankly a must-read for anybody interested in the immigration debate. 8. The Unfair Sex by Nina Farewell: This is an oddball 50s humor book that focuses on encouraging women to not have sex with the men they’re dating. A female friend was reading this and I borrowed and read it in a single day. Shockingly funny and highly NOT okay by today’s standards. 7. Sword of the Lictor: I read four different Wolfe novels this year and this one was my favorite. It’s frankly kind of hard to describe why Wolfe is an enjoyable read, since his works are confusing and full of easily-missed subtext, but every time I finish a work of his I find myself wanting to read more, and wanting to reread much of what I just finished. This would rank higher if I could actually figure out what the heck was going on in Book of the New Sun. 6. Submission: Houellebecq is not really an enjoyable read at all. His books are pure toxicity, but presented in such a compelling manner that you have to plow ahead. I want to read more by him but frankly I’m waiting until I’m in a better spot in my life. Houellebecq is not a guy you want to read if you’re already feeling down. 5. Borges’ Collected Fiction: I counted each collection as a separate work for my quest, but on this list they’re getting grouped together. Borges’ work is just full of interesting, funny, and original ideas, and he never overstays his welcome. I found myself recommending him over and over this year; the only person I recommended more is at #1 on this list. 4. The Camp of the Saints: A much, much better book than I honestly expected. I expected a racist screed and just wanted to read it because of how notorious it is, but it was a lot more than that. More than any other book I’ve read, it digs into the psychological and moral flaws that are driving the cultural decline of the West, and frankly assesses what is likely to take its place. It’s also a very funny book. I’m shocked it came out all the way back in the early 70s. 3. Russia Against Napoleon: The only Big Fat History Book I read this year, and a well-chosen one. It was GIRTHY with scholarship throughout and just had loads and loads of great facts, narrative, and so forth. It provides an excellent understanding of a complicated subject while still providing an exciting narrative too. Easily one of the best military history works I’ve ever read. 2. The End of the Affair: Probably the single most beautiful novel I read this year. I started writing in my books this year and I was constantly underlining different passages in this one. The religious element is great (though somewhat troubling, as Greene certainly didn’t end his own affair which inspired this book), but it’s a lot more than just a Catholic novel. It’s a novel about people, and the jealousies, yearnings, foibles, and habits that make us who we are. 1. Collective award to the novels of Evelyn Waugh: Waugh was by far my favorite writer this year, and if I broke his works out separately he’d possibly have 3-4 novels on this top ten. So instead, all his works combine for the top spot. I’ve gushed about Waugh in about 10 different threads this year, so I won’t repeat everything here, but suffice it to say that if I were a novelist I'd want to be one like Waugh. He can handle both serious and humorous themes, his wit is absolutely vicious, his style is superb, and he can write on all sorts of different topics. I'd never read him before this year and I'd probably call him my favorite writer now.
|
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:36 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode Five most disappointing books (not worst per se, as I intentionally read a few bad books): Race, Wrongs, and Remedies: Amy Wax is one of the handful of elite professors who are perpetually pissing off libs, so I was hoping her book would have some good anti-lib content. But frankly, it sucked. All it basically says is that for improving the lot of black Americans, we should focus on promoting self-improvement rather than erecting more programs. But there are no interesting facts, arguments, or rhetorical flourishes to make that argument interesting. It was less than 150 pages, but did nothing but drag. The Bowmen of England: This was a short history of the longbow that I got at a used book sale. Sadly it just wasn’t that good. It’s mostly just short accounts of various battles the longbow was used at. There isn’t much interesting scholarship, and in fact the book frequently tries to illustrate the power of the longbow by quoting from 1800s novels and the like. Just not a good book. A Troublesome Inheritance: Nicholas Wade was a science writer for the New York Times and retired right around when this book came out, probably in part because of how controversial it was. But just like with Wax, a controversial premise (race is real and races differ genetically) doesn’t make the book good. The first half does a good job summarizing contemporary science in a non-technical way. But in the second half, Wade indulges in a lot of unsupported speculation on how genetics and evolution may intersect with human history. There’s not a lot of actual science underlying it, and sometimes he states facts that seem totally bogus, like when he says Jews were .01% of Western Europe’s population in the middle ages (there’s no way it was that low; that’d be just a thousand people in a population of ten million). Walden: I read this because I spent a week in relative seclusion in the woods this summer, and a chick I wanted to date loaned me the book before I left. Sadly the book is very boring and Thoreau comes off as a smug asshole. Also the chick did not date me. Fight Club: A tremendously popular book among my generation, but honestly I just thought it was stupid. Not really much else to say. I’m astonished this dumb book became so popular.
|
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:43 AM Author: indigo juggernaut Thoreau was an unprincipled fraud whose friends snuck him butter and sausages like he was in jail in Goodfellas.
Interesting that you rank End of the Affair that high; I thought you'd put it on the "most disappointing" list. It was underwhelming for/not moving to me, and made me revise downward my opinion of Quiet American as well.
Steinbeck is cornpone bullshit, n'est-ce pas? |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:59 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode I’m surprised how much I liked Affair myself. I read five Greene novels this year and that was the last one in no small part because I expected to find it boring, but instead it really resonated with me to a degree I did not expect at all.
Steinbeck aroused no strong feelings in me. I read those two books because they’re short and widely-read. I’ve heard East of Eden is genuinely great though, so maybe I’ll check that out someday. |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 2:02 AM Author: indigo juggernaut Was Willa Cather mind-numbingly boring for you or is it different because you're from the state you're from (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511455) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 5:57 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode Pretty much. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511750) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:39 AM Author: Gaped bat shit crazy address affirmative action why do you read fiction (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511405) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:44 AM Author: indigo juggernaut (xo 2019) (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511423) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:47 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode All kinds of reasons. Fiction can be funny. It can be beautiful. It can be informative. It can make you a better writer and communicator. It can engage with ideas in a way non-fiction struggles to. But I guess the simpler reason is that I enjoy it. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511431) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:07 PM Author: bearded sick striped hyena (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513253) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 5:10 AM Author: Boyish Wagecucks Locale fiction reading is correlated with high IQ (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511729) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 5:05 PM Author: Shivering Coiffed Crackhouse also correlated with being a woman (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37514714) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:39 AM Author: odious round eye Not a bad list. This year I read about 7 of those - Ubik, Pinfold, Vile Bodies, Helena, a few others. Can't recommend Mervyn enough - ghormenghast is unadulterated 180 escapism in the good old fashioned british tradition (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511406) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:04 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode 180; I already own his novels but they were at my parents’; this comment encouraged me to bring them back with me to DC. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511759) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 2:02 AM Author: flesh church idiot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdyyps2wmd4&t=77s (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511456) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 2:13 AM Author: Light stag film coffee pot describe week of relative seclusion in the woods (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511484) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:01 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode During the day I was working remote in a small town, but the rest of the time I was with a friend at an isolated cabin that didn’t even have electricity. I read a lot on the porch when there was still light and we shot a lot of guns. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511752) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 2:14 AM Author: spectacular fighting parlor trust fund have u ever sat down with a textbook on a topic ur interested in? im working through a probability textbook for fun. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511486) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:02 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode I have not though I have thought about doing this to re-learn calculus. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511753) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:01 PM Author: spectacular fighting parlor trust fund for calculus and other well-covered math subjects, i'd go with someone like khan academy or coursera. having interactive exercises is nice. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513237) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:08 PM Author: bearded sick striped hyena Start with All of Statistics if you don't have a math background. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513256) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:42 PM Author: spectacular fighting parlor trust fund thanks will check it out (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513392) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 2:34 AM Author: odious round eye Oh, by the way - you really should read The Penultimate Truth. I randomly picked it from my DICKSTASH after finishing Ubik and it's almost a post-apocalyptic sequel - very, very good little book about propaganda. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511564) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 4:05 AM Author: Charismatic jet point Read moar PKD next time. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511696) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:03 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode I want to read his collected short fiction. Might get to that this year. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511755) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:05 AM Author: Charismatic jet point VALIS trilogy first, I'd suggest. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511760) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:32 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode I’ve read that Valis is Dick at his absolute weirdest so it may be wise to “build up” to it. Flame? If so, I actually already have Valis so I could read it whenever. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511786) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:39 AM Author: Charismatic jet point I don't know if PKD was ever not-strange. Probably his best work was The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, which is truly fucking weird.
You will appreciate the idea he introduces in the first paragraph of Divine Invasion, the second of the so-called VALIS trilogy. It would be an idea worthy of an entire series on its own.
I equate the VALIS trilogy to the trinity -- you may not. |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:40 AM Author: odious round eye I read Valis but never finished the trilogy either. I find his shorter, less 'important' works more compelling, generally. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511802) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:43 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode Best unimportant Dick books? He has a ton. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511807) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:47 AM Author: Charismatic jet point I enjoyed Galactic Pot Healer. It's a nice story. Flow My Tears too, but you read that during your achievement unlock. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511814) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:52 AM Author: odious round eye Penultimate truth, as above. Also enjoyed solar lottery - the best kind of paranoid political scheming and some really outlandish concepts thrown in. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511823) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 4:10 AM Author: Impressive corner hominid Rate Gravity's Rainbow (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511697) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:44 AM Author: French genital piercing cuckoldry I tried to read that shit once and I gave up after about 10 pages (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511810) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 12:48 PM Author: indigo juggernaut 120... (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513178) |
|
Date: January 3rd, 2019 3:12 AM Author: Impressive corner hominid 120... (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37517802) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 7:03 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode Have not read it and strongly doubt that I ever will. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511851) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 12:48 PM Author: indigo juggernaut 120^120 (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513181) |
|
Date: January 3rd, 2019 3:12 AM Author: Impressive corner hominid 120^120 (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37517804) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:40 AM Author: Naked Cuckold Old Irish Cottage Thoughts on Walker Percy? He's my favorite, just curious what you think. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511803) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 9:15 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode I liked Lost in the Cosmos quite a bit and Love in the Ruins a decent amount. I feel like my friends like him way, way more than I do, though. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37512125) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:57 AM Author: Magical charcoal hissy fit 180 bro. Quite jelly (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511833) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 6:58 AM Author: Alcoholic bistre people who are hurt doctorate 180 (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511837) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 7:13 AM Author: azure fanboi indian lodge (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37511862) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 9:58 AM Author: arousing boltzmann box office What did you think of Confederacy of Dunces and Slaughterhouse Five?
I loved the former and am on the fence about reading the latter. |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 10:12 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode I liked Confederacy a lot, but it dragged a bit in the second half which kept it out of the top ten.
Didn’t like Slaughterhouse much at all. It barely avoided the top five disappointments list. I’m told that other Vonnegut books are much better but I’m not racing to read more by him. |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 11:08 AM Author: fluffy thirsty half-breed goyim Please rank the Waugh novels you read. Tyia (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37512472) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 12:07 PM Author: Beady-eyed Abode http://autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&mc=31&forum_id=2 (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37512809) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 12:49 PM Author: Violent 180 property Fiction is trash. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513183) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:04 PM Author: Alcoholic resort indirect expression 180 nice to hear you got a lot out of waugh. i've heard good things about him, so between that and this thread, if i ever read a novel again it'll probably be one of his. |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:33 PM Author: Beady-eyed Abode 180, everything by him is good. Just grab any of his pre-war comic novels to start with, imo, and then go for whatever interests you.
If it helps, none of his novels are particularly long, either. I read many of them in a single day. |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:08 PM Author: Razzle-dazzle becky Have you ever read Middlemarch? What do you think? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513254) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:27 PM Author: Beady-eyed Abode Have not read George Elliot either. May reach her eventually but there's some other 1800s writers I want to hit first. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513333) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:31 PM Author: Razzle-dazzle becky Which other ones? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513343) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:44 PM Author: Beady-eyed Abode Jane Austen and Thomas Carlyle for starters. Some others on my radar would be Goethe, Tolstoy, and the Dostoevsky books I haven't read yet. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513408) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 3:42 PM Author: Exhilarant plum hairy legs lettuce Sorrows of Young Werther might make you suicidal with the aggressively incel intellectual protagonist pining after a genetic female, but it is a 180 book (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37514165) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 3:59 PM Author: Beady-eyed Abode I've had that thought. Was mostly thinking of Faust tho since I have a big critical edition of it lying around. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37514269) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 4:11 PM Author: Exhilarant plum hairy legs lettuce when it first came out, there was a significant uptick in suicides in Germany, not flame (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37514335) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 4:18 PM Author: Razzle-dazzle becky can you describe the book more and the parallels to incel life today? it seems the writer was a huge aspie irl - wrote some encyclopedia about PLANTS. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37514387) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 4:24 PM Author: Exhilarant plum hairy legs lettuce Werther is a young, smart, but prideful guy who feels like he is owed the woman he wants. She is married and takes care of her younger siblings, and he feels like if he spends enough time with her/them, she will see that he is a "nice guy" and be with him. The book is in the form of letters he writes to a friend, describing every interaction he has with her from this biased/untrustworthy perspective. He simply cannot understand how she could have so much in common with his intellectual interests and yet not want him sexually. ***SPOILER*** he eventually makes a move on her, she rejects his advance, and he shoots himself (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37514432) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 9:21 PM Author: Beady-eyed Abode Haha who could that fellow possibly resemble. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37516015) |
|
Date: January 3rd, 2019 1:19 PM Author: azure fanboi indian lodge (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37519567) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:09 PM Author: bearded sick striped hyena 180. Nice job selecting a wide variety of books to read. I'd love to do something like this. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513268) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:12 PM Author: dashing black woman dilemma Thoughts on Ta and Michael Lewis books? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513276) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 7:10 PM Author: Beady-eyed Abode Ta's book was predictably bad, but it was short and had a lot of unintentionally funny lines. Glad that I read it.
The Big Short and Liar's Poker were both entertaining and interesting, and in the latter's case it was quite funny as well. The Fifth Risk was weak, though. Lewis was clearly phoning it in and there's not really any narrative to the book at all. It was a breezy read at least, though. |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 8:54 PM Author: Tan knife masturbator Read 60 this year and fifth risk was the shittiest. Never quite figured out the point of it and it had about an articles worth of material. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37515808) |
|
Date: January 3rd, 2019 2:58 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode The only really interesting part was the saga of Chris Christie building a whole transition and then getting fired. It’s onky enough for an article, as you say, and fittingly that intro was an Atlantic article that had a good XO thread back in September or so. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37517774) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:24 PM Author: copper vigorous stock car why did you read the ridiculous coates book? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513319) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 3:37 PM Author: Beady-eyed Abode It's very short, and I thought it'd be interesting to read it so I could get inside the head of the libs who worship it. A totally worthwhile exercise, especially since the book was hilariously bad. Also, we got a 180 thread out of it:
http://autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3912506&mc=102&forum_id=2 |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:25 PM Author: Maize lascivious selfie university u need to read harder books (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513322) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:27 PM Author: Sinister Depressive Mediation Finnegan's Wake sucked. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513330) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:28 PM Author: Maize lascivious selfie university lmao. he needs to stop wasting his time on ficiton (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513334) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:31 PM Author: Sinister Depressive Mediation Fiction is fine, walk it off Melvin. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513342) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 1:34 PM Author: Maize lascivious selfie university you're a real nasty little prick (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37513351) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 4:08 PM Author: spruce water buffalo (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37514327) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 4:07 PM Author: Violent 180 property https://www.amazon.com/Classical-Greece-Princeton-History-Ancient/dp/069114091X/ This blew my mind about history. |
|
Date: January 3rd, 2019 2:58 AM Author: Beady-eyed Abode What stands out about it? It looks interesting at least. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37517777) |
|
Date: January 3rd, 2019 3:46 AM Author: Violent 180 property Instead of being personality based [Great Man of History X] did [feat of strength Y] because of [ethical principle Z] is does a much better rational breakdown of rents & power using the wealth of archeological data. Living standards were highest during this period so we definitely want to know why.
It's a Stanford professor published by Princeton press so it's definitely legit. |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 4:29 PM Author: Marvelous blood rage trailer park How do you read so fast? It would take me 2 weeks to read a book. It takes you 2 days. Not fair (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37514465) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 4:42 PM Author: Beady-eyed Abode I don't think I read that quickly. It's just about putting in the time. Some people spend 10-20 hours a week watching Netflix, playing video games, etc. I was reading. It adds up. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37514554) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 8:02 PM Author: odious round eye I read about 100 pages an hour if it's light fiction. 40-60 if it's heavier stuff. honestly, everyone should learn to speedread. try an online course sometime. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37515493) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 4:48 PM Author: rusted concupiscible degenerate was one of the books about how to get mushy-mush (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37514587) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 9:00 PM Author: Beady-eyed Abode Haha nope. The Unfair Sex did advise women on how to AVOID giving away mushy-mush, though. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37515858) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 5:12 PM Author: Filthy pozpig which of these books, if any, would you describe as "essential, like air or water" ? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37514752) |
|
Date: January 4th, 2019 1:12 PM Author: provocative school cafeteria cuck (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37526281) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 9:21 PM Author: spectacular fighting parlor trust fund according to dirte, u should add corey wayne's the 3% man. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37516018) |
|
Date: January 2nd, 2019 10:30 PM Author: Curious Rough-skinned Laser Beams Stain Borges is great. The New Yorker has a fiction podcast with Deborah Treisman where an author comes on and reads, then discusses, old TNY fiction pieces. There’s a few Borges episodes - the most recent being with Mohsin Hamid, I believe. If you like Borges, you might like Donald Barthelme, too - if you haven’t read him already. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37516564) |
|
Date: January 3rd, 2019 3:17 AM Author: Sooty medicated gas station liquid oxygen Can you read some Raymond Carver (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37517810) |
|
Date: January 3rd, 2019 3:48 AM Author: hideous chapel Another year older and still a kissless virgin no closer to finding a wife or procreating. Great job. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37517854) |
|
Date: January 3rd, 2019 3:52 AM Author: Amber Tripping Faggot Firefighter Mad Cow Disease How do you find so much time to read?
I have so many things I do in the day I can maybe read an hour. |
|
Date: January 3rd, 2019 12:43 PM Author: Beady-eyed Abode Reading during my commute helps, but otherwise it’s just about making time. If I were married with kids it wouldn’t happen, but I’m not, so it’s just about repurposing time that would otherwise be wasted on Netflix, video games, etc. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37519364) |
|
Date: January 3rd, 2019 4:49 AM Author: translucent excitant stage scourge upon the earth handful of Greenes in the last few weeks. I think I was talking him up to you when you were in your Waugh phase. What did you think? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37517919) |
|
Date: January 3rd, 2019 12:48 PM Author: Beady-eyed Abode I really liked him. I gave the top 10 spot to End of the Affair but The Power and the Glory or Our Man in Havana could easily have been there as well. I’ll probably read The Comedians and The Heart of the Matter soon. Anything else by him worth hitting? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37519407) |
|
Date: January 4th, 2019 6:33 AM Author: lavender impertinent really tough guy international law enforcement agency What did you think of The Fifth Risk? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37524661) |
|
Date: January 4th, 2019 12:32 PM Author: Beady-eyed Abode A breezy read, but otherwise crummy and phoned-in. The only good part was the introduction about Christie working on the transition during the campaign, and that was published in The Atlantic as its own article. Read that instead. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4168503&forum_id=2#37526022) |