The Books/Reading Thread

[Einherjar86]

Alright, some recent LitCrit reads that have piqued my interest:

These texts don't apply to my dissertation work, but I have a few projects running in the background (i.e. two hopeful journal articles) that focus on postmodernist fiction and its recursive effects. The novel has been a recursive genre since its early days (Tristram Shandy famously laments the infinite regress of narrating his own narration), but postmodernist fiction seems particularly obsessed with its own recursivity. Plenty of people have written on this, but more work needs to be done.

 

[TageRyche]

I finished the Eva Gates mystery "Reading Up A Storm".

 

[suckerleaf]

 

[unknown]

Finished a couple of books today. First off...

I had been working on this for a couple of months. The novel itself is clearly pastoral. The novel focuses around a family of woodspeople/farmers in the forests of Norway. The novel mostly deals with the tension and encroachment of civilization upon nature and the pastoral way of life. It's evident that Hamsun prefers the idyllic pastoral life. The writing is pretty simple and straightforward but definitely rewarding. I feel like for such a "simple" novel, there's a lot going on beneath the surface in terms of wealth, law, and family relations

I had some time to kill and wasn't burned out today, so I tackled this afterwards...

It's only about 60 pages, so it's a quick read. The only way to describe it is "unnerving" and certainly "filthy". The plot is fairly simple. A bartender breaks up a bar fight one night and finds a cell phone left behind. On the cell phone are pictures and videos that are unsettling, to say the least. Wheels are set in motion and shit starts to happen. While it isn't overly original, it does a good job at what it set out to do. It read quick and paid off. It's also motivated me to check out more of Ballingrud's stuff, so there's that. If you like horror fiction, this is a good/quick read worth checking out.

 

[CiG]

What was the first book you read of your own will and interest, rather than school etc? Go.

 

[suckerleaf]

Where the Red Fern Grows

 

[unknown]

The first ones that I can remember are Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Time Warp Trio, and probably Goosebumps. I was a voracious reader as a little kid and was already reading chapter books in kindergarten a couple grade levels higher.

 

[EspaDa]

@unknown Cheers for Growth of the Soil!

My first book to which reading I wasn't forced by anyone was either Under the Dome by Stephen King or the LotR series.

 

[CiG]

My first book was The Hobbit back when I was like 10.

 

[Einherjar86]

I read a ton of the Goosebumps books on my own. First singular and significant book...? Probably Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis.

Finished a couple of books today. First off...

I had been working on this for a couple of months. The novel itself is clearly pastoral. The novel focuses around a family of woodspeople/farmers in the forests of Norway. The novel mostly deals with the tension and encroachment of civilization upon nature and the pastoral way of life. It's evident that Hamsun prefers the idyllic pastoral life. The writing is pretty simple and straightforward but definitely rewarding. I feel like for such a "simple" novel, there's a lot going on beneath the surface in terms of wealth, law, and family relations

I had some time to kill and wasn't burned out today, so I tackled this afterwards...

It's only about 60 pages, so it's a quick read. The only way to describe it is "unnerving" and certainly "filthy". The plot is fairly simple. A bartender breaks up a bar fight one night and finds a cell phone left behind. On the cell phone are pictures and videos that are unsettling, to say the least. Wheels are set in motion and shit starts to happen. While it isn't overly original, it does a good job at what it set out to do. It read quick and paid off. It's also motivated me to check out more of Ballingrud's stuff, so there's that. If you like horror fiction, this is a good/quick read worth checking out.

Thanks for this, I've been meaning to look into Hamsun for years now. Unfortunately, he's a bit out of my area and his books are tough. I'll get to him eventually.

I'll have to check out Ballingrud, as I'm trying to get into more contemporary horror fiction. Recently acquired a copy of Ligotti's Songs of a Dead Dreamer & Grimscribe, and those stories are really good.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

The first real book I remember reading was The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King (in swedish translation). Then I read a couple more King books; Salem's Lot and Cycles of the Werewolf. Then LotR. And then Harry Potter which became my first real obsession.

 

[Einherjar86]

Is The Eyes of the Dragon any good?

 

[Vegard Pompey]

How the fuck should I know I was like 7

I gave it a 5/5 at the time though

 

[unknown]

I'll have to check out Ballingrud, as I'm trying to get into more contemporary horror fiction. Recently acquired a copy of Ligotti's Songs of a Dead Dreamer & Grimscribe, and those stories are really good.

Nice! Those are his first two collections. I prefer The Shadow at the Bottom of the World. If you want to check out the inspiration for Rust Cohle in True Detective, read The Conspiracy Against the Human Race

 

[Dak]

I have no idea what my first book was, we had a bunch of them and were read to etc prior to reading on our own. I do remember my favorite book at the library when I was young was "Benjy the Football Hero". Kind of like a "Little Giants" sort of story except nothing was organized and the "good kid" was a Cowboys fan lol. Read pretty much every Hardy Boys book the library had. Eventually I switched over to military history and Louis L'Amour probably around age 11.

Edit: We went to the local library every 1-2 weeks.

 

[EspaDa]

I read a ton of the Goosebumps books on my own. First singular and significant book...? Probably Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis.



Thanks for this, I've been meaning to look into Hamsun for years now. Unfortunately, he's a bit out of my area and his books are tough. I'll get to him eventually.

I'll have to check out Ballingrud, as I'm trying to get into more contemporary horror fiction. Recently acquired a copy of Ligotti's Songs of a Dead Dreamer & Grimscribe, and those stories are really good.

Hamsun's Hunger is much shorter but is a great psychological novel. Growth of the Soil is very serene and I loved the idyllic atmosphere of that book. Generally, Hamsun is my favorite Norwegian writer after Ibsen.

 

[unknown]

Yeah I'm going to tackle Hunger next. I've heard it's pretty brutal and often compared to Crime & Punishment or some of Joyce's work.

 

[EspaDa]

Yeah, the main character reminisces Raskolnikov. I haven't checked Joyce out yet but Ulysses is lying on my shelf.

 

[Einherjar86]

Hamsun's Hunger is much shorter but is a great psychological novel. Growth of the Soil is very serene and I loved the idyllic atmosphere of that book. Generally, Hamsun is my favorite Norwegian writer after Ibsen.

Excellent, many thanks.

I slogged through Ulysses last summer. It's a pain in the ass, but one of the most rewarding novels I've ever read.

 

[EspaDa]

I'm going to read that this summer. Why is it a pain in the ass?