Topic: Nintendo Life Book Club

I'm really excited for the NYRB translation of Chevengur. Platonov is the non-antisemitic, antifascist version of Solzhenitsyn. The Foundation Pit comes highly recommended, if you don't mind relentless bleakness (but it;s in no way nihilistic).

I'm toying with the idea of reading every Don DeLillo novel. Part sunken cost fallacy, part because I think when DeLillo is good he's really good. I've already read White Noise (twice), Mao II, Cosmopolis, Underworld, Point Omega, End Zone, and some of Libra.

There's an unfortunate number of otherwise intelligent modernist writers who endorsed fascism and/or antisemitism, Ezra Pound and TS Eliot among them iirc. Both were American expats so go figure. I guess it's to be expected from such a volatile historical era.

If anything it just makes writers like Fallada and Zweig more heroic.

I wish I could comment on this, I love reading but the most high society book I've read is Runaway Jury https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Runaway_Jury

@TheSaneInsanity don’t worry, it’s the book club, not the book snob society.

@TheSaneInsanity I think you’re using the term High Society wrong as reading thinky-wordy books isn’t confined to posh folk, the poor can read and write wordy-thinky books too.

In any case why not both? There’s plenty of room for both wordy-thinky books and dumb fun escapism. It’s boring to just confine yourself into one without indulging in the other. As with most things it’s about finding the authors that click with you so if Kafka doesn’t work out for you then try Margaret Atwood or Virginia Woolf, Thomas Mann or Haruki Murakami or Kurt Vonnegut etc.

@TheSaneInsanity You might like John le Carré if you're into Grisham. He sticks mostly to spy novels but they can enjoyed on multiple levels (casually or literary)

I often find myself disappointed rereading Vonnegut novels (Breakfast of Champions suuuuucks) but he got me into 'heavy' literature in high school so I'm very grateful for that.

I'm thinking about picking up one of the novels you recced, I've done nothing but read internet published stories for the past 5 years, and I think it's time for a change of pace.

Talking of fan fiction, there’s a book called For Love And Bylines. It started out as Star Wars fanfic of shipping Rey and Kyle Ren in a 90s romcom trope of Never Been Kissed but they have since scribbled out their names and setting to be an original work. I’m curious about it but don’t think I can be arsed to read it as I’ve got a long list of books to read as it is.

Anyway I’m reading A Night In The Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny at the moment. I would say I’m reading it for insight on the human condition or for it’s rich themes and subtext but really I picked it up as the protagonist is Jack The Ripper’s dog.

Just finished reading the entire Scott Pilgrim series after about a week and a half.

(buckle up cause this is going to be a LONG one)

I went into SP with relatively low expectations personally; I had a feeling I'd like it, but I was mainly starting it so that I would be caught up for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which was (and still is) the main reason I wanted to get into it).

yeah I don't think I can properly put into words how much I adore this series holy s*** it was INCREDIBLE

I'm usually not too big into romance stories myself (I find them to be quite boring a majority of the time) but Jesus Christ man SP did the impossible and not only made it insanely enjoyable, but also immensely compelling throughout it's entire 6-Volume run. Scott and Ramona's relationship is such a fascinating thing to watch unfold, slowly seeing how the both of them aren't just what they appear to be like on the surface and how they both affect/change each other over the course of the series. This, while definitely great, wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable as it is if it weren't for the supporting cast who are easily the best part of the entire book series in my eyes. Kim, Stephen, Wallace, Knives; everyone is incredibly distinct from each other, get the time necessary to flesh them out beyond just being 'Scott's friends' and have so many memorable interactions with both each other and other characters around them, leading to one of my favourite collections of characters in....any piece of media to be honest.

Couple all this with great illustrations (particularly in later volumes), excellent verbal/visual comedy and some hype as hell action moments and you're left with probably my new favourite book series of all time. And to think I never would've touched it if it weren't for the upcoming Netflix anime XD

Going to be watching the Edgar Wright film adaptation within the next week or so since I've heard it's also VERY good (plus a lot of the actors in it reprise their roles for Takes Off so it just makes sense) and I'll 100% be grabbing the game off the eShop when it goes on sale next (I've had Another Winter blasting the entire time I've been typing this as a matter of fact XD) before finally watching the whole reason I gave the series a go in the first place (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off) the day it comes out on November 17th. God I f***ing love this series man😭

Guess it's time I start reading Lacan.

Just thought I'd share my junior novel collection:

BTW, "Connected" was the early title for "The Mitchells vs. the Machines". There's even a sticker on the cover that says it's based on the current title.

I brought my hardcover copy of The Prisoner of Zenda to read on this roadtrip, and it was a quick and fun old school adventure about romance, duty, and mistaken identities.

I might go and search for the sequel some day.

Just found this thread first of all jurasic park is a brilliant book i really need to read the lost world

I have read all the main 4 tolken books(or 5 or 2 depending how you class lotr) love the hobbit ... As a book it's the best one and it reminds me of star wars(a new hope) in that works as a stand alone but later linked in to a wider series. Out of the lotr books fellowship is my favourite as was the movie too.

I had a game of thrones but i'm opting to jump into the tv show instead as i sadly work too much to be relaxed enough to read now.

Other favourites include adrian mole,jack reacher,without remorse(the book that preludes rainbow six), of mice and men,the outsiders and the david walliams books

I love a good auto/biography too as well as reference books and tv/film adaptations

A book i enjoyed not too long ago was i'm a teacher get me out of here i love learning about how a work sector REALLY IS

I've been reading more than usual lately. I read a lot as a kid but then I had quite a long gap without reading any traditional books (though I still read comics and played visual novels). I picked up reading again few years ago but this has probably been the year I've read the most. Big part of is it that I've been visiting the library.

I've lived in my current city for almost 10 years now but I never bothered going to the library. Now I ended up going there in spring for sheet music because I'd bought a digital piano and wanted something to play. I got bunch of manga and couple of Christie's Hercule Poirot books alongside the sheet music and since you need to return the books, you might as well get something new to read too while you're at it.

While the library has a large collection of books, music, games, etc., they also give you access to bunch of digital content. Books, magazines, movies... I was pleasently surprised to find out they had free online video courses for playing music too, by professional musicians.

Anyway, here are some books and comics I've read this year:

• Bunch of books by Agatha Christie
• Before Coffee Gets Cold 1 & 2 (about to read the 3rd book in the series)
• The Housekeeper and the Professor
• The Devotion of Suspect X
• Heaven (by Mieko Kawakami)
• Bullet Train
• Scott Pilgrim
• Spy x Family vol. 1-8
• Hunter x Hunter vol. 1-10
• The King of Fighters: A New Beginning (Japanese)
• Roman vol. 1-2, Märchen vol. 1-2 (Japanese)
• The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague vol. 1 (Japanese, about to read vol 2)

Out of these, my biggest recommendation would be Before Coffee Gets Cold. It's a series about a small café that has a chair that allows you to travel back in time with the caveat that you are unable to change the past. You are also on a timer. You must return before the coffee gets cold. It's largely themed around regret, grief and loss but it's not too heavy. There are currently four books in the series but the first book works as a standalone novel.

@D20Nat20 lost world is a little slower but it’s still a fun read if you stick with it.

If the film sticks to the book thats alot to cover as it has the discovery of site b,re/introducing charicters going to site b,exploring site b,the boat trip and the city section

@D20Nat20 I won't spoil it but, while it's not to the same degree as with the first movie and the first novel, the second book is also different compared to the movie.

That reminds me of trainspotting which was the same as the book but different the sequel T2 took a small section of the 2nd book but ignored most of it

Oh and football factory was a very diffrent film to its book