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Favorite Books in the Public Domain: January 2025
Welcome readers and Happy New Year!
With the new year that means it's Public Domain Day and new works being admitted to the public domain! In the US, that means anything made in 1929 is now available for public use (like being made available for free on http://gutenberg.org/). To celebrate, we're discussing our favorite books in the public domain!
Also, we'd like to remind you that we're running a Best Books of 2024 contest which ends January 19. If you'd like to take part, you can find links to the various voting threads here.
If you'd like to read our previous weekly discussions of fiction and nonfiction please visit the suggested reading section of our wiki.
Thank you and enjoy!
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Is there a specific book genre that you can never hate?
No matter how shitty the book overall is, do you happen to have a specific book theme/genre that makes you still like it?
For me, it will be High Fantasy. Books that are set in an alternative fantasy world with different creatures, cultures, myths, history, etc. are the ones I always enjoy, no matter how bad the writing or how silly the plot is.
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What was Huxley on about?
I’m reading Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World for the first time, and am completely stuck on a particular passage because I have no idea what it could possibly mean!
It says:
“And in effect the sultry darkness into which the students now followed him was visible and crimson, like the darkness of closed eyes on a summer's afternoon. The bulging flanks of row on receding row and tier above tier of bottles glinted with innumerable rubies, and among the rubies moved the dim red spectres of men and women with purple eyes and all the symptoms of lupus. The hum and rattle of machinery faintly stirred the air.”
What on earth is he talking about? People don’t fit in jars, they’re not purple eyed red ghosts! I thought maybe this was some sort of metaphor for the embryos, but what do the symptoms of lupus have anything to do with embryos?? If it’s meant to be taken literally, I’m totally lost, and if it’s meant to be a metaphor I have no idea what it’s supposed to convey.
Does anyone have ideas?
I’m not reading this for school, just to clarify. I’m an adult.
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Just finished watership down, need books that are just as good.
This book was outstanding, I don't think I can read just any book after this high. I need recs for books that are also amazing. Does not have to be even remotely close to the genre of watership down the only criteria is a amazing book in every thing it does.
I was meaning to read lonesome dove, will that be a good read right after?
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free to recommend me books based on what you think I would enjoy. Thank you and a happy new year!
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Final Architecture Series
Edit: No spoilers, just thoughts!
Just finished Lords of Uncreation and oof. What an ending.
The book took a few chapters to draw me in and then shit just started going down. Found it very hard to peel myself away and do other things! I thought the ending was really satisfying and having to take a moment to let it all percolate.
As someone that devoured all 9 core Expanse books in the space of a few months, I'm starting to think Space Opera is my new favourite genre.
Have read all of Children of Time series (also excellent) and now all of Final Architecture, so consider me a Tchaikovsky fan!
My one quibble is that Tchaikovsky could do with perhaps a wee bit less navel gazing from the Idris/into side of things, but I very much enjoyed it nonetheless! The guy knows how to write a page turner.
Would love to know what other people thought?
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Literature of Haiti: January 2025
Bienvenue readers,
This is our monthly discussion of the literature of the world! Every Wednesday, we'll post a new country or culture for you to recommend literature from, with the caveat that it must have been written by someone from that country (i.e. Shogun by James Clavell is a great book but wouldn't be included in Japanese literature).
Today is Independence Day and to celebrate we're discussing Haitian literature! Please use this thread to discuss your favorite Haitian books and authors.
If you'd like to read our previous discussions of the literature of the world please visit the literature of the world section of our wiki.
Also, we'd like to remind you that we're running a Best Books of 2024 contest which ends January 19. If you'd like to take part, you can find links to the various voting threads here.
Merci and enjoy!
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New Releases: January 2025
Hello readers and welcome! Every month this thread will be posted for you to discuss new and upcoming releases! Our only rules are:
1. The books being discussed must have been published within the last three months OR are being published this month.
2. No direct sales links.
3. And you are allowed to promote your own writing as long as you follow the first two rules.
That's it! Please discuss and have fun!
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the perspective of a self-important rich enabler with a broken messiah complex*."
Other interpretations see the story in light of themes relating to capitalism and business, and suggest that the story has an anti-business theme and is a critique on capitalism and markets. By simply not participating as a producer in the economic system he's part of, Bartleby causes a meltdown. Closely linked to this is a philosophical interpretation that sees Bartleby as a hero of radical free will, who refuses to do anything that he doesn't want to.
Because Bartleby's motives are never made explicit, and because we only learn about him through the eyes of an unreliable narrator, it's hard to be definitive about which interpretation is correct, because a lot of questions are left unanswered. What triggered Bartleby to suddenly stop doing everything, and what is his motivation? What is the flavour of "*I would prefer not to*", and to what extent does this include disrespect and disobedience? Is Bartleby a hero or a villain, and should we be sympathetic to him or critical? How far should compassion be extended to someone who is struggling, and when does carelessness, laziness, or insubordination become intolerable? And how do we deal with obligations and expectations in our own life, when we prefer not to? How would we act if we were the boss in this situation, or one of Bartleby's co-workers?
The author doesn't give us the keys to unlock the answers to these questions, but he does force us to think about them, and to reflect on our own experience of existence. Bartleby may not have provided measurable value to his employer, but a read of his story certainly can give value to us by making us think about our lives.
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Herman Melville's Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street
Should I review this? I'd prefer not to.
Have I figured out the meaning of Herman Melville's Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street? No. But then again, few people have. And that makes it perfect for a literature class, reading group, or discussion, because there are so many things to discuss about it.
On the level of story, this novella is easy enough to read and understand, despite being a bit wordy at times. Melville also takes his time to paint the scene in the opening, by going into detail about the minor characters that populate his story. Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut are the nicknames of three underlings who work in the office of the narrator, an elderly lawyer. But the interesting part comes when we meet Bartleby, a new recruit whose job as a scrivener is to copy and check documents by hand. At first Bartleby works very well, but after a while he politely declines his boss's requests to do specific jobs with the phrase "I would prefer not to."
The number of jobs that Bartleby refuses to do increases, always with that calm and inexplicable refusal: "I would prefer not to". Eventually he does nothing at all, just staring out of the office window at a brick wall, and even using the office at night as his sleeping quarters. The narrator is completely puzzled and perplexed, and so are we as readers at this absurd and irrational behaviour. Bartleby's boss tries everything to get him to cooperate, but even his repeated attempts to dismiss Bartleby fail, as do his efforts to make him leave. Eventually our narrator resorts to moving his business out of the building, leaving Bartleby behind. The new landlord eventually calls the police, and there's a tragic ending after Bartleby gets jailed for vagrancy.
The reason for Bartleby's behavior is never explained, but is left open to interpretation, and that's what makes this story so interesting. Equally puzzling is the narrator's reaction to Bartleby, and how he sympathizes with him and even caters to an attitude that would normally be completely unacceptable in the workplace. It's not just Bartleby that strikes us as absurd, but also the narrator for being an "enabler".
Regardless of one's feelings for or against Bartleby, he makes for an interesting and memorable character. His character has become larger than the story that tells it, and he's become a metaphor for something that refuses to work. I especially love the tale I came across about an office printer that frequently didn't cooperate, and was given a sign that read "Bartleby the Printer".
But more importantly, Bartleby's story touches on interesting ethical themes about work and duty, compassion and coercion, fate and free will. A common interpretation is to see Bartleby's character as somewhat autobiographical, as an expression of Melville's own pessimism and frustrations as a writer after bad reviews of his previous novel, which made him feel cheated by the literary world and economic system in which he lived.
Others see in Bartleby the classic symptoms of depression, where he loses motivation for everything to the point where he doesn't even eat, and present him as a sympathetic figure who needs compassion. But should be feel sympathetic to Bartleby or critical of him? Some readers critique Bartleby as an extreme example of sloth and selfishness, because he disrupts an entire business by refusing to work and refusing to do what his boss tells him.
With this view, the narrator is seen as partially to blame, because he's crippled by an upper-class guilt and is too weak-willed in dealing with Bartleby with the force he needs. He seems paralyzed by the fact that he knows how to run a business but falls apart when confronted with the inexplicable Bartleby. As one person put it: "Bartleby is a self-centred a\*hole who doesn't care if he upsets other people, and the narrator has all the worst traits of a megalomaniacal capitalist with a bleeding heart. It's a story about an insufferable child from
Stephen King's "The Eyes of the Dragon".
"The Eyes of the Dragon" by Stephen King is probably the closest, no, I should say is the most conventional fantasy story that ever wrote. And is, in my most humble opinion, one of the most wonderful story I've read. And just now, tonight, I've finished it.
The future of the Kingdom of Delain is in jeopardy after King Roland is murdered. And his son and rightful heir to the kingdom, Peter, is framed for it and later imprisoned.
Plotting against the prince is the evil Flagg and his pawn Prince Thomas. But every single has holes, and one such hole is Thomas's horrible secret. And also the daring escape plan from a very determined Peter.
King obviously took a lot of cues from traditional fairy tales, and it really shows. And of course fairy tales are the oldest precursor to fantasy after all. "The Eyes of the Dragon" gave me some thrills with maybe a little bit of horror along with the whimsy and wonder.
I'm also getting some big connections here, the same kind of connections I've started to notice in the two collaborations that King did with Peter Straub, namely "The Talisman" and it's sequel "Black House", and another of King's novels "The Stand" (that I never got to finish), to the entire Dark Tower universe. REALLY need to get my hands on that series (and also "The Stand") and go through it!
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Alexandre Dumas year
I will start by admitting thar even though I like to read, I get very discouraged by long books, usually I try to stick to sub 400 pages. I thought I would give The The Musketeers a try because I liked the idea of a swashbuckling adventure. I couldn't put the thing down and it became my favorite book.
I took a break, then decided to take the plunge into one of the longest books I've ever seen, The Count of Monte Cristo. I figured I love the Musketeers so I might be able to make it through another Dumas work. I was not disappointed, in fact Dumas takes the top 2 spots of my favorite books list.
Yesterday I finished Monte Cristo, today I begin my third Dumas book, The Companions of Jehu. Unfortunately, I could not find an unabridged copy but I'm sure it won't disappoint.
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Genuine doubt about The Inheritance Games
So I am reading the first book, The Inheritance Games and I am genuinely confused about something. So when Avery and Jameson enter the forest to find the 2nd clue the find Tobias Hawthorn II (Roman number 2) and when they find all four clues they put it together as “Eight, One, One, Zero”. Where did the other “One” come from??? Isn’t it supposed to 2??? I am genuinely confused by this and it’s bugging me ever since cuz it just doesn’t make sense. And I don’t think so they are gonna get clarified further in the book. Please help me out 🙏🏼
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first book of 2025
my plans for the first book of 2025 that i want to read failed because I've been sooo busy I can't finish the book I'm currently reading before the new year/tomorrow, but on the bright side I absolutely cannot wait to make the "I've been reading this book since last year" joke inside my head as soon as midnight hits !
I know some people get annoyed by these jokes and think they're unfunny but I honestly find them hilarious, I'm laughing just thinking about it.
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Is contacting a published author about typos in their book inappropriate/wrong?
I’m one of those readers whose eye catches on typos, grammar, and formatting. As you can imagine, if a book is full of typos (i.e. 1+ in each chapter), it’s a stop-and-go experience to read what is otherwise a good book.
Is it wrong to try contacting the author about the errors that were flagged while reading their book (that I purchased)?
Often, these books are otherwise very good. They’re usually either self-published or from a small publisher, some with an editor credited and some without. I’m not convinced flagging anything using Kindle does anything because it’ll say it’s sent even while offline.
To clarify, I get that some edits can be subjective, but the ones I’m talking about are objective and should have been flagged, especially with an editor (e.g., using “was” when it should be “were”, “me” instead of “I”, duplicate words in a sentence, etc.).
Before you come for my commas, I’m using Canadian English :)
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Son returns mom’s 72-year overdue book to New York Public Library
https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/son-returns-moms-72-year-overdue-book-to-new-york-public-library
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New Classical Book Club for busy/ slow readers
https://bookclubs.com/clubs/6051226/join/7a9988/
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What is your book cover ick?
I was chatting with some girlfriends about how (despite what the old adage says), we usually do end up judging books by their covers.
That led us to talk about our biggest “icks” when it comes to book covers.
Personally, my biggest book cover turn offs are books where the author’s name is bigger than the title, and any books with actual people pictured on the front. It feels oddly clinical to me, since I only ever see actual people in textbooks.
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Can someone with a copy of A Little Life help me, please?
I have read it twice but don’t have a physical copy. Can someone with a copy please find the part towards the end in which Harold spoke about contract law being the most…something. inspirational, I don’t know, whatever it was but if you’ve read the book you know what I’m talking about. Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to look!
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A short review of the 12 books I read in 2024
The books are in the order I read them.
1) Sula by Toni Morrison: Bleak and beautiful, the sentences flow and connect so seamlessly, it feels like gliding in the wind when reading her work. Highly recommended for anyone interested in American Literature.
2) Failure is not an Option by Gene Kranz: An in depth account of what it was like to get the first man on moon. When you read about the magnitude of efforts involved, required, both on an organizational scale and the personal scale, it puts into perspective what a huge feat it was. Recommended for anyone who enjoys reading about how impressive humans are.
3) Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown: An average self help book. Might be useful for upper management and leadership.
4) The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande: An insightful book about the crucial role of checklists in the functioning of modern society, not something you usually think about. I really enjoyed the book because the core idea is presented from its conception to its fruition as a set of stories. Recommended reading for everyone.
5) Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman: Possibly the best book I read all year. It tells the story of Vincent Van Gogh through a series of letters they wrote to each other. Even if you think you know about Van Gogh, you should read this story. A genuinely touching book that left me in tears in the end.
6) Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir: Excellent modern science fiction. The science is thorough and the story is compelling. At points it seems that the story is quite linear and predictable but it manages to pull twists and ends up in an unexpected place.
7) A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini: A brutally beautiful book. It is riveting and shook me to my core. The story is one of both reckless optimism and harrowing reality. It is fictitious but inside your heart you know that many ugly variations of this have happened in real life. The way the author weaves the stories of these two women set to the background of Afghanistan in turmoil is a masterclass in writing. I will regret not being able to read it again for the first time. Cannot recommend it enough.
8) Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande: This book was probably a difficult one for the author to write and it is difficult for a reader to read. The topic isn’t one we particularly like to think about and often don’t think about until it is too late. It was an enlightening read even if sometimes uncomfortable. The reason it was only sometimes uncomfortable and not all the time is solely because of the tact shown by the author while approaching this subject.
9) When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut: The most surprising read of the year for me. Go in blind with this book. Do not read any reviews or summaries. If you enjoy science, you will enjoy this book. Highly recommended.
10) Yugandhar by Shivaji Sawant: The way Shivaji Swant writes you forget that he, the author is writing. It feels like the characters themselves are real and all he is doing is just giving a word to word historical account. It feels like he was omnipresent when the story was unfolding and recorded everything in crisp detail and is just sharing the recordings through his books. If you are interested in Indian Mythology, pick this book up.
11) Exhalation by Ted Chiang: This is a set of unique stories capturing the everyday minutiae of life and setting them up against large existential questions in a creatively imagined world. Ted Chiang is a master storyteller and if you enjoy science fiction, you need to read this one.
12) Moonshot by Mike Massimino: A good book if you want entry level knowledge about how Astronauts are made and how what they learn can be applied to our daily lives. Although I would recommend reading 'An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth' by Chris Hadfield instead.
Hope this was helpful. Please feel
Quick Reviews of My 2024 Reads
I was inspired by another user’s post to do this!!
1. The Hunger Games trilogy (Collins) (reread) - Still as good, if not better, than when I first read it.
2. The Empire of Gold (Chakraborty) - Well-done and intense finale to an amazing political fantasy series.
3. The Blue Bar (Biswas) - Interesting mystery, and one of the only books I’ve read set in India so that was cool too.
4. Crush (Wolff) - More interesting than the first book Crave, and I’ll definitely continue the series sometime, but I hate the main character.
5. Dracula (Stoker) - I understand why it’s a classic and what it’s done for vampire (and horror) literature, but it was a slog to get through for me.
6. Binding 13 (Walsh) - A romance has no business being this long, but also it flew by and I loved it so much.
7. You, Again (Goldbeck) - The main characters are flawed, but I love them & love them together, and the enemies to lovers was actually convincing.
8. The New Neighbor (Wilson) - Really enjoyed most of it, but the ending felt so unfinished I checked to see if there was a sequel (there is not).
9. The Housemaid (McFadden) - Lives up to the hype, a thriller that actually surprised me!
10. Twisted Hate (Huang) - My favorite in the series thus far, but still suffers from over-possessive “touch her & I’ll kill you” male lead syndrome.
11. Local Woman Missing (Kubica) - Solid thriller with some good twists, but I pretty much knew who the kidnapper was from the start.
12. Bunny (Awad) - This was weeeeird & I still really don’t know what to think, but I liked it.
13. The True Love Experiment (Lauren) - I was disappointed by this because of my own expectations of the concept.
14. Keeping 13 (Walsh) - Loved it even more than Binding 13. These books are not for you if you don’t like to just read about the day-to-day of Irish teens but they are apparently for me.
15. People We Meet On Vacation (Henry) - My least fav of her romances I’ve read, but still good, and still made me sob.
16. Assassin’s Apprentice (Hobb) - Wanted to try another political fantasy since I loved Daevabad, and this fit the bill & scratched that itch perfectly.
17. Royal Assassin (Hobb) - And it’s second book was very exciting too.
18. The Charm Offensive (Cochrun) - This is what I wanted The True Love Experiment to be, but make it gay, and it was perfect.
19. Before We Were Strangers (Carlino) - Did not like. Vibes are good for a while, but everything about the end was laughably bad to me.
20. The Secret History (Tartt) - Showstopping, amazing, strange, wouldn’t change a thing.
21. Tampa (Nutting) - Hated. The premise doesn’t bother me, I liked My Dark Vanessa, but it is uncomfortably graphic with the explicit scenes for a book handling this topic.
22. If We Were Villains (Rio) - My favorite book I read this year, blew me away, changed my life.
23. Monsters of Verity duology (Schwab) - Have a few unanswered questions about the logistics of the world, but it’s a cool world nevertheless & these are fun to read.
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A one line review of the 25 books I read in 2024
1) On the Beach by Nevile Shute: The best book I read this year and a contender for my favorite book of all time, 5/5.
(A one-liner doesn't do this justice, will make a separate post about this one day)
2) Maus by Art Spiegelman: The author writes about his dad's experiences in the concentration camps and I love how he shows both the good and bad side of him, 5/5.
3) Another 2001 by Yukito Ayajutsi: The sequel to Another (1997) lived up to my hype, wish there were more horror books set in school like this, 5/5.
4) Turtles all the Way Down by John Green: Not as good as Looking for Alaska or Fault in our Stars but still a very nice read, 3.5/5.
5) A Midsummer's Equation by Keigo Higashino: This guy never misses - the modern day Agatha Christie, 4/5.
6) The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell: Well written, an excellent mystery but also a very weird book that made my head spin, 3.5/5.
7) Endless Night by Agatha Christie: Very different from usual style, slightly spooky even and a slow burn, 3.5/5.
8) Carribean Mystery by Agatha Christie: Although the mystery and characters are not as memorable as her usual standards, the setting alone is enough for me to give it 4/5.
9) Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Torton: Beautiful prose, incredible characters with a touch of Agatha Christie meets Groundhog day - only let down by the rushed ending, 4/5.
10) In My Dreams, I hold a knife by Elizabeth Winstead: Really well written dark academia with a side of steamy romance, 4.5/5.
11) The IT girl by Ruth Ware: This is supposed to be similar to the above and although it was well written, I did not care for the characters as much, 2.5/5.
12) World War Z by Max Brooks: The only zombie book you'll ever need to read thanks to it's unique manner of storytelling, 4/5.
13) Good girl, bad blood by Holly Jackson (AGGTM #2) : I love Pip, I love Holly Jackson, 4.5/5.
14) As good as Dead by Holly Jackson (AGGTM #3) I was screaming at Pip in some scenes but I still love her, 3.5/5.
15) Five Survive by Holly Jackson: One particular scene genuinely made my heart race like no other book and that alone elevates this to a 4/5.
16) The Reappearence of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson: Yeah, I really like Holly Jackson - although the ending here was rushed, 4/5.
17) One of us is Next by Karan Mcmanus: An easy to read YA high school thriller. 3.5/5.
18) The woman in the window by AJ Finn: Too much filler, mediocre prose and a big disappointment, 2/5.
19) Thirteen Days by Robert Kennedy Sr.: RFK's memoir about the Cuban missile crisis is a fascinating read for any cold war history nerd, 4/5.
20) The Tattoist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris; Awful prose and one dimensional characters - doesn't do justice to the horrors of the concentration camps, 1/5.
21) Five Chimneys by Olga Lengyel: The complete opposite of the above - Read this and Maus if you want to read something about the holocaust, 4/5.
22) River in Darkness by Masaji Ishikawa: A beautiful, heartbreaking tale of a man's life and escape from North Korea, 4/5.
23) City of Thieves by David Beinoff: An amazing historical fiction book set in Stalingrad at the height of WW2, 4.5/5.
24) Sundown Motel by Simone James: If you are looking for a well written, motel thriller/horror, please pick this up, 4/5.
25) Broken Girls by Simone James: The fate of one of the characters still gets to me, loved this boarding school horror story, 4.5/5.
26) An Unexpected Guest by Shari Lapena: Tons of potential but piss poor execution, the worst thriller book I have read, 1/5.
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It’s Public Domain Day. Copyright has expired in the US on notable books by Hemingway, Faulkner, Woolf and Hammett.
https://old.reddit.com/domain/web.law.duke.edu/
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Herman Melville's Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street
**Should I review this? I'd prefer not to.**
Have I figured out the meaning of Herman Melville's *Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street*? No. But then again, few people have. And that makes it perfect for a literature class, reading group, or discussion, because there are so many things to discuss about it.
On the level of story, this novella is easy enough to read and understand, despite being a bit wordy at times. Melville also takes his time to paint the scene in the opening, by going into detail about the minor characters that populate his story. Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut are the nicknames of three underlings who work in the office of the narrator, an elderly lawyer. But the interesting part comes when we meet Bartleby, a new recruit whose job as a scrivener is to copy and check documents by hand. At first Bartleby works very well, but after a while he politely declines his boss's requests to do specific jobs with the phrase "*I would prefer not to*."
The number of jobs that Bartleby refuses to do increases, always with that calm and inexplicable refusal: "*I would prefer not to*". Eventually he does nothing at all, just staring out of the office window at a brick wall, and even using the office at night as his sleeping quarters. The narrator is completely puzzled and perplexed, and so are we as readers at this absurd and irrational behaviour. Bartleby's boss tries everything to get him to cooperate, but even his repeated attempts to dismiss Bartleby fail, as do his efforts to make him leave. Eventually our narrator resorts to moving his business out of the building, leaving Bartleby behind. The new landlord eventually calls the police, and there's a tragic ending after Bartleby gets jailed for vagrancy.
The reason for Bartleby's behavior is never explained, but is left open to interpretation, and that's what makes this story so interesting. Equally puzzling is the narrator's reaction to Bartleby, and how he sympathizes with him and even caters to an attitude that would normally be completely unacceptable in the workplace. It's not just Bartleby that strikes us as absurd, but also the narrator for being an "enabler".
Regardless of one's feelings for or against Bartleby, he makes for an interesting and memorable character. His character has become larger than the story that tells it, and he's become a metaphor for something that refuses to work. I especially love the tale I came across about an office printer that frequently didn't cooperate, and was given a sign that read "Bartleby the Printer".
But more importantly, Bartleby's story touches on interesting ethical themes about work and duty, compassion and coercion, fate and free will. A common interpretation is to see Bartleby's character as somewhat autobiographical, as an expression of Melville's own pessimism and frustrations as a writer after bad reviews of his previous novel, which made him feel cheated by the literary world and economic system in which he lived.
Others see in Bartleby the classic symptoms of depression, where he loses motivation for everything to the point where he doesn't even eat, and present him as a sympathetic figure who needs compassion. But should be feel sympathetic to Bartleby or critical of him? Some readers critique Bartleby as an extreme example of sloth and selfishness, because he disrupts an entire business by refusing to work and refusing to do what his boss tells him.
With this view, the narrator is seen as partially to blame, because he's crippled by an upper-class guilt and is too weak-willed in dealing with Bartleby with the force he needs. He seems paralyzed by the fact that he knows how to run a business but falls apart when confronted with the inexplicable Bartleby. As one person put it: "*Bartleby is a self-centred a\*\*hole who doesn't care if he upsets other people, and the narrator has all the worst traits of a megalomaniacal capitalist with a bleeding heart. It's a story about an insufferable child from
I thought I was losing my love of reading. Turns out, there's just so few new books I like,
I think I saw a post a week or so back saying that social media has decreased attention and concentration span. I use social media more than I should- my situation is such that I can rarely contact my friends these days otherwise- and was thinking that I'm affected as much as everyone else. That might not be entirely true.
I personally love fantasy, and right now the Big Name is of course Brandon Sanderson. Well, the more he puts out, the less I'm liking what he writes. Even worse- I'm a fan of Tolkien, Robert Jordan, and all the old classics. Sanderson has said he's made a deliberate choice to depart from their style of writing, even though he's in the same genre. And it's showing- I'm currently reading The Lost Metal... and it's a slog in the beginning. I'm going to ultimately push through though.
And I understand that this is what's being pushed at a publishing level- these "branded for adults but written in YA style" books, courtesy of things like Booktok (note that I could be completely wrong on this). So maybe this is the current trend?
Al this to say... because of the TV show, I decided to start reading James Clavell's Shogun. I didn't realize that it had originally been published in 1975- well before several of my favorite series. Of course, I'm always fascinated by Japanese history,and I'm well aware that Shogun is historical fiction. Anyways... I'm finding myself DEVOURING this book. It's written in the old style that I grew up on, and I absolutely love it.
This kinda makes me sad- I want to look forward to new books being published, but it looks like the market for the foreseeable future is going to be putting out stuff that I can't get into. I suppose it's time to look into the old books again- probably lots of hidden gems I haven't found yet.
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I got myself back into reading again after downloading the kindle app and beginning to read samples on the train to work. I found myself ordering books that I was reading quickly again after that. Has anyone else found ways to get back into reading after a gap?
I missed reading like I used to and couldn't get into books anymore. But after reading samples on the app (the Kindle app often has a full chapter or two to sample) and getting into more and more books, I've started reading again. For longer books, I began pairing the audiobook at night with my reading and this got me back into books (I can lie awake for hours and this has been magic for filling the time)
I realized I was fully back into my reading after finishing Eleanor Oliphant in less than 2 days. I read Verity before seeing any reviews about it and I don't have TikTok so I didn't realize it was hyped up. I was extremely disappointed with the final chapters. It felt like a fire that fizzled in a matter of pages. 😂 I had thought it was a good and easy read but I have not had any interest in Colleen Hoover after finishing Verity. She could have really improved the ending.
How did you find yourself reading again after a gap, if you experienced the same?
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I just read the Haunting of the Hill House and some thoughts….
It’s one of the best books I have read and had me totally hooked for a couple of days.
I agree with the most common interpretation that the house is really haunted, as in it plays psychological tricks on people. Different tricks on different people.
- The thermometer does not register any drop in temperature outside the nursery, but people feel it. At least the initial group does. Mrs. Montague and Arthur apparently don’t.
- Initially only Nell and Theo hear the banging on the door. The other two don’t. The door was entirely unharmed in spite of all that banging.
- The second banging is felt by all four who are sharing room with Eleanore. The whole house turns sideways, but all furniture is totally fine. Mrs. Montague and Arthur only complain about air circulation and some branch banging against a window.
- Theo’s clothes are all soiled, with the red paint or blood. But only when they examine it in Eleanore’s presence. When they re-examine it all days later, in her absence, the clothes are fine. Presumably there was no writing on the wall either when they re-examine that room. So possibly there was no writing on the wall the first time round with the chalk either and again they only felt it because of Eleanore.
- Eleanore also feels a smell in the library which no one else does. So was there a smell at all?
- Similar things had happened to that companion too in the past. She felt that someone was stealing from the house, but physically nothing was really stolen.
Basically, it seems to me that the house (and Eleanore with it) was haunting ONLY people’s minds, and did not alter the physical materialistic world at all. The only thing that doesn’t fit this explanation is voluntary closing of doors even when they prop them open…
A few more connections I noticed.
- Eleanore seems to have had psychic/poltergeist experiences twice in her life. When the stones started raining on their childhood house, it was soon after her father’s death. And the Hill House was soon (three months?) after her mother’s death.
- The companion of the older sister was accused of dallying with some man while the old lady died alone. Eleanore failed to wake up while her mother called her before her death. She is carrying that guilt. That’s probably why she connected so strongly with that companion’s story, the library tower etc.
- A few people died with their carriages overturning or horse bolting while entering or leaving the Hill House. The House seemed to decided who entered and left it. And it wasn’t all during darkness either, as was in Eleanore’s case.
- Eleanore had said it pretty clearly that the house did not want her to leave. The others did not understand what she meant. I believe the doctor’s call to let her go alone was right, because if there was someone else with her in that car, it might still have resulted in some accident.
Now the only thing I am entirely confused about is the relationship between Nell, Theo and Luke. All three seemed to be flirting with one another and jealous of one another from time to time. Luke stole Theo’s stocking? Why? And Eleanore seemed least bothered by that. And Mrs. Dudley and Mrs. Montague seemed to imply that perhaps there was something going on between Theo and Luke. But then earlier Theo was trying to tell Nell that Luke is taking advantage of her? I’m totally lost on that point. lol.
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Reading as a hobby 2024
So halfway through this year I became frustrated at the brain rot caused by social media and my lowering attention span (as well as the depression that accompanied it) and set out to improve it.
I deleted all but one social app which I heavily monitor my use on and started to read a bit more.
I am so happy tonight because after I finished work I thought about how I would like to relax this evening and was pleasantly surprised that over watching TV or surfing videos that I wanted to read for the night.
So I'm reading Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim. What books are you finishing out 2024 with?
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Karin Slaughter
What are your thoughts on Karin Slaughter?
I read Pretty Girls by her and was floored by the book. It went to a disturbingly gruesome place but was well written. The main characters Claire and Lydia were flawed but some of the most complex characters written. I rated that book 5/5
I have read The Good Daughter and False Witness. I do not mind an author repeating tropes I like reading about lawyers and estranged sisters, but I felt like while still great reads they did pale a little in comparison to Pretty Girls.
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Buying used books makes me feel like Harry Potter getting Snape’s old potions book
Honestly, I used to buy new books exclusively because I am very particular about my things. I still buy some books new, but it’s especially exciting reading a lot of non-fiction and seeing others’ notes in the margins, what they’ve underlined or emphasised, and feeling that shared connection over a joint interest.
Just very cool to see, and exploring what maybe made particular things stick out to them. Almost feels like you get to know them a bit by the end of the book and you see the patterns in the things they found important, or their notes.
Just my observation, anyway, and thought I’d share because at least to me it makes this hobby of ours that little bit more magical.
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