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What are you currently reading?
LTK:
I finished Worm, took me about two weeks, and now I know that's the time it takes for me to read 1.65 million words, if I'm sufficiently motivated.
I see a lot of people saying "it's so dark and gritty!" which I'm not sure I agree with. It's *human*, with all the highs and lows that entails. Adding superpowers to an quintessentially human story makes those highs and lows correspondingly extreme: the stakes keep getting higher until they literally can't, victories become increasingly hard-fought and happen in lower and lower odds, and losses are more devastating each time.
The author hasn't bothered to give content warnings because pretty much every disturbing thing you can think of happens, with the exception of sexual violence. But unlike other grim 'n gritty stuff, it doesn't revel in it, it doesn't rub your face in how horrible people are, even if the upper limit for horribleness is much higher than normal. I really enjoyed it because of that; it contrasts with the other fiction I've tried to read recently, superhero and otherwise, where the world is shit and horrible things happen for basically no reason, which is no way to write a story.
LeeC:
I reread "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward." I tried to listen to this on audible during a trip. In this case it was a train ride to NYC back in August. I fell asleep several times and had to rewind and re-listen for me to catch up. By the end of the trip I felt like this was by far the worse Lovecraft story I have ever read! I meant to write up my review but things were so busy in my life at that moment that it fell to the way side. Last week I felt I should pick it up again and re-listen to it since it has been so long the details became fuzzy. I finished it today on my way home from work and my opinion had reversed from my initial reading. I am glad I gave it another try as there were chunks of the story I missed or misheard.
It was a great mystery story! I will say, the second time reading it, having a basic blueprint of the story from the first reading did help me make more connections than previously. I wonder if that is why I enjoyed it more the second time around. Lovecraft seemed to be at his best in this novel. Not the most chilling, but definitively his most satisfying from begging middle and end. Whereas his previous stories seems to start atmospherically, bring on the tension, only to ramp up and rush the ending; this novel was very well paced and did not disappoint in the end. His poetic language was expertly used and didn't come off as too self indulgent at all. Definitely a fine read and I recommend it to any mystery and/or paranormal novel enthusiasts.
LeeC:
I read Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman. I was going through audible a few weeks ago with 2 credits and trying to figure out what to get. I got Red October for myself and relized that my wife should read something too. She didn't seem to interested in anything, but then I came across Bringing Up Bébé. The synopsis seems to indicate it was an American mother's exploration of Parisian parenting. It triggered what I learned in my French culture class back in college. I mentioned it to her and played an excerpt of it for us to listen too. It sounded so interesting that we decided to get it. After I finished Red October I decided I hadn't read many "baby books" other than the mayo clinic's guide to pregnancy and newborns, and so I decided to listen to Pamela's pseudo-anthropological study of French parenting.
It was fascinating! Druckerman had moved to Paris with her British husband and decided to settle there. After having her first baby and she started noticing that French babies behaved differently. They did not cry or throw a fit in public, they slept through the night 3-6 weeks after delivery, and they were overall just well behaved. And the French parents looked happy and content as opposed to the ragged looking American and British parents. She found through Parisian anecdotes and some research that the French parenting philosophy exists but is taken for granted in France. To them what they do is just "common sense." There's an entire chapter dedicated to what the author calls "The Pause" and how it teaches the baby to "do their nights" as well as instill patience in their child. Another chapter is how they introduce children to food in a way they gets them to eat all kinds of different foods that most Anglophone kids would never eat let alone try. Its all very fascinating with pros and cons to the French parenting philosophy. For example, my wife and I have decided that we will do "The Pause" as well as getting them on a feeding schedule that matches our own, but unlike the french we do plan to breastfeed and do more than just let the child "discover" things.
I would highly recommend this book if you are going to be a parent, love french culture, interested in anthropology, love philosophy, or just love fun short stories about family. It was just an utterly captivating book that not only shows and critiques French parenting philosophy but also Anglophones as well.
LeeC:
I am at an impasse. I want to continue delving into classical literature, particularly those that are well known that I have missed out on. I am trying to choose from the following:
Moby Dick
Pride and Prejudice
The Three Musketeers
War and Peace
Heart of Darkness
any suggestions?
TheEvilDog:
Moby Dick is one of those books where you need to read it in a couple of sessions over a relative short period, its not the kind you can drop and pick it up over weeks or months. Its just so dense.
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