What are you currently reading?
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sheetsadam1 — 9 months ago(June 18, 2025 04:42 AM)
After a couple of mediocre books in a row, I've happened upon a winner.
House of Bone and Rain
is phenomenal and I would rank it third on my list of favorite books published in 2024, behind only Tommy Orange's
Wandering Stars
and Kaveh Akbar's
Martyr
. Billing itself as a "barrio noir," it is simultaneously an ultraviolent revenge tale set in the Puerto Rican underworld in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, an effective horror story with Lovecraftian overtones and a stinging indictment of colonialism. Reading it I was reminded of the surreal Basin City of Frank Miller's
Sin City
comics and the brilliant fiction of Argentinian author Mariana Enríquez. Highly recommended. In fact, I think this is one that
@Sophienoire
would very much enjoy.
Tomorrow, I will begin adding some nonfiction to my literary diet with this one:
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sheetsadam1 — 9 months ago(June 20, 2025 06:45 PM)
Empire of the Summer Moon
was very insightful. While I am quite well-read on the Eastern tribes and those of the old Northwest Territory, and the story of the Sioux is one that any American with a modicum of historical or cultural literacy will know the basics of, I began this book with little knowledge of the Comanche tribe beyond their reputation as fierce warriors, promulgated through many Westerns. But their story is a fascinating one and here the author examines a three-century history involving the tribe's dealings with the Spanish Empire, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy, and the United States, while honing in specifically on Quanah Parker and his mother Cynthia Ann. This is mostly objective history, with nobody coming across as saintly, although the author does seem to suffer slightly from the excessive pride which seems to be ubiquitous among Texans. Would definitely recommend to anybody looking to gain a greater understanding of this period of American frontier history.
Up next, I will be tackling an early book by Barbara Kingsolver, author of the brilliant novels
Demon Copperhead
and
The Poisonwood Bible
.
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sheetsadam1 — 9 months ago(June 20, 2025 07:02 PM)
Great book! Have read it several times. Among my favorite passages:
Leviticus 19:34
The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Acts 4:32-35
: Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need
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/.ㅤ — 9 months ago(June 27, 2025 12:46 AM)
regarding leviticus, i would agree if those aliens want to join my small tribe, are loyal and assimilate.
and with acts, this can work if it's a small community. most people don't want that, so it can't work. maybe ask "why do most people not want this". not really. -
Sophienoire — 9 months ago(June 20, 2025 06:55 PM)
finished Demons (Dostoevsky) … 10/10
started:
Eileen
by Ottessa Moshfegh
The Christmas season offers little cheer for Eileen Dunlop, an unassuming yet disturbed young woman trapped between her role as her alcoholic father’s caretaker in a home whose squalor is the talk of the neighborhood and a day job as a secretary at the boys’ prison, filled with its own quotidian horrors. Consumed by resentment and self-loathing, Eileen tempers her dreary days with perverse fantasies and dreams of escaping to the big city. In the meantime, she fills her nights and weekends with shoplifting, stalking a buff prison guard named Randy, and cleaning up her increasingly deranged father’s messes. When the bright, beautiful, and cheery Rebecca Saint John arrives on the scene as the new counselor at Moorehead, Eileen is enchanted and proves unable to resist what appears at first to be a miraculously budding friendship. In a Hitchcockian twist, her affection for Rebecca ultimately pulls her into complicity in a crime that surpasses her wildest imaginings.
Played out against the snowy landscape of coastal New England in the days leading up to Christmas, young Eileen’s story is told from the gimlet-eyed perspective of the now much older narrator. Creepy, mesmerizing, and sublimely funny, in the tradition of Shirley Jackson and early Vladimir Nabokov, this powerful debut novel enthralls and shocks, and introduces one of the most original new voices in contemporary literature. Ottessa Moshfegh is also the author of My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Homesick for Another World: Stories, and McGlue.
the sound of your racing heart -
sheetsadam1 — 9 months ago(June 20, 2025 07:05 PM)
That sounds interesting. I may have to check it out around Christmas (as much as possible, I try to coincide my reading with the seasons lol). I may be misremembering but didn't you mention
The Emperor of Gladness
? I'm considering reading it soon.
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Sophievirus — 9 months ago(June 26, 2025 10:14 PM)
yes i finished this and it really is a great holiday "mystery" novel. i liked it a lot even if i read it in June lol
i've read The Emperor of Gladness earlier this month, yes, and it's fantastic! my 2nd fav book so far i read in June, after Demons.
suck it. -
sheetsadam1 — 9 months ago(June 21, 2025 07:07 PM)
I picked up
The Bean Trees
on a whim after coming across a copy for less than a dollar in a local thrift store, and having enjoyed the two Kingsolver novels mentioned above. It's a very short novel and my main takeaway is that she was already an excellent writer before I was born, with a skill for well-drawn characters. What surprised me, based on my experience with her other novels, was how funny it was in places. The plot is pretty standard: a young woman leaving home and making her way in the world, though her interaction with undocumented migrants could make it particularly pertinent to our time. I could quibble with how often major plot points hinge on pure chance, but I won't. This doesn't reach the heights of
Demon Copperhead
or
The Poisonwood Bible
, but it's very, very good. I definitely should read her other novels sometime.
Before getting into my next read, let's take a moment to appreciate how badass the cover art for Stephen King's novels used to be. This cover is my personal favorite, but all of his old school covers are wonderful in their own way.
I bring this up, because they have now devolved into… whatever the **** this is:
Still, one shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Holly Gibney has been a divisive character among King fans. Personally I like her, even if the books featuring her - and King's late-career foray into crime fiction in general - are very hit or miss. At this point in his career, I'm not expecting a masterpiece, merely an entertaining story told in a voice that I've been reading for over two decades now. The literary equivalent of comfort food. I'm hoping it meets those expectations.
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sheetsadam1 — 9 months ago(June 24, 2025 11:15 AM)
Never Flinch
was solid mid-tier King, which was about as expected. This is a pretty straightforward crime thriller, with no supernatural elements to be found (these elements do pop up from time to time in some, but not all, of the stories and novels featuring Holly Gibney), and it remains engaging throughout, even if the skills and achievements ascribed to the Robinson siblings are becoming increasingly far-fetched as the series progresses. Like it's immediate predecessor
Holly
, the novel is very political in nature. As someone who tends to agree with King's politics, I both cheer that on in the present moment and ultimately recognize that such pointed references are likely to make the novel age poorly in a way that King's true classics have not.
Next, I will be diving into the latest from legendary author Joyce Carol Oates.
Oates is far too prolific for me to be an expert on her work (and unlike King, I didn't begin reading her at 11), but I am a fan of the novels and short stories I have read and this one in particular has been getting tremendous reviews. At nearly 700 pages, it's unlikely I'll finish it in my typical 2-3 days, especially with the new season of
The Bear
dropping tomorrow.
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Sophievirus — 9 months ago(June 26, 2025 10:08 PM)
still reading
Young Stalin
which i take in small doses, a chapter a day basically. it's utterly fascinating and i need to absorb what i'm reading by taking my time with the material. great ****ing account on the early days of this person's path of life, the people he met along the way and his times.
finished
The Vegetarian
by Han Kang the other day. hasn't left my mind since.
Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life. But the dreams—invasive images of blood and brutality—torture her, driving Yeong-hye to purge her mind and renounce eating meat altogether. It’s a small act of independence, but it interrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. As her husband, her brother-in-law and sister each fight to reassert their control, Yeong-hye obsessively defends the choice that’s become sacred to her. Soon their attempts turn desperate, subjecting first her mind, and then her body, to ever more intrusive and perverse violations, sending Yeong-hye spiraling into a dangerous, bizarre estrangement, not only from those closest to her, but also from herself.
Celebrated by critics around the world, The Vegetarian is a darkly allegorical, Kafka-esque tale of power, obsession, and one woman’s struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her.
started today:
July's People
by Nadine Gordimer
For years, it had been what is called a “deteriorating situation.” Now all over South Africa the cities are battlegrounds. The members of the Smales family—liberal whites—are rescued from the terror by their servant, July, who leads them to refuge in his village. What happens to the Smaleses and to July—the shifts in character and relationships—gives us an unforgettable look into the terrifying, tacit understandings and misunderstandings between blacks and whites.
Nadine Gordimer was a winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
suck it. -
sheetsadam1 — 9 months ago(June 26, 2025 11:37 PM)
still reading Young Stalin which i take in small doses, a chapter a day basically.
I typically only read one book at a time, but will make exceptions when I'm working through volumes of short stories or poetry. But I used to be able to read like three or four books at once.
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sheetsadam1 — 5 months ago(October 09, 2025 01:17 AM)
So how I mentioned above that I was going to make a Peter Straub book an annual October tradition? On second thought, **** that. The year has 12 months last time I checked
Dude is gooood… Even better than I remembered!
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Celestia Bloodshed — 5 months ago(October 09, 2025 01:21 AM)
On second thought, **** that. The year has 12 months last time I checked
true lol
oh btw since you're here, there's one chapter in
The Flamethrowers
that is dedicated to Barbara Loden's film
Wanda
. just saying.
cursed, scarred & forever possessed -
sheetsadam1 — 5 months ago(October 09, 2025 01:35 AM)
That is a promising touch for sure… I mentioned it the other day as one of the greatest Appalachian films.
1.
Harlan County USA
(1976, Barbara Kopple)
2.
Wanda
(1970, Barbara Loden)
3.
Matewan
(1987, John Sayles)
4.
Spring Night, Summer Night
(1967, Joseph L. Anderson)
5.
Lawless
(2012, John Hillcoat)
6.
The Devil All the Time
(2020, Antonio Campos)
7.
Coal Miner's Daughter
(1980, Michael Apted)
8.
Cold Mountain
(2003, Anthony Minghella)
9.
Where the Lilies Bloom
(1974, William A. Graham)
10.
The Deer Hunter
(1978, Michael Cimino)
Honorable mention:
Justified
(2010-2015)
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