Einherjar86
Active Member
A book that has long haunted my bookshelf, taunting me. Now one hundred pages in, and I'm hooked.

Finished this. I probably won't read another Hemingway work the rest of my life because I wasn't impressed with this one although the ending was pretty heavy
![]()
I completely understand the importance.
Why is this work so important though?
Do you get much time to read for pleasure vs what you need to read for your profession?
The second (and more important) reason is his writing style, which has been hugely influential on later writers. Basically, it was a show-don't-tell approach; Hemingway believed that a story should be told as directly as possible and in as few words as possible.
Yeah I do, especially now that I'm out of coursework and basically just doing research and teaching. Obviously research dictates what I read to an extent, but I also choose the projects I work on; so in a way I pick the books.
I've had more time lately since I finished my dissertation. Bolaño's 2666 is just taking me a while because it's almost 1000 pages long.
Wheel of Time
Just the first book? I still need to continue past the first book in the series.
Nope, im on book 13 now. As much as I have enjoyed the series thus far, I can understand a lot of the criticism it gets. Entire books could be filled with political infighting of little consequence and ridiculous levels of haughty Aes Sedai posturing. Characters could also spend significant amounts of time in annoying moods that can be frustrating. Most book snobs would probably call it a shit series, but I enjoy it so I dont care. I admit that I may have dropped the series midway (where the plot slows to a crawl) if it werent for hearing that the series gets redemption in the end via Brandon Sanderson. Honestly the series is hard to recommend, but ill have to hold judgment about the series as a whole until I finish it.