[ SECRET POST #2216 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2216 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 05 pages, 120 secrets from Secret Submission Post #317.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 2 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ], [ 1 - personal attack ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Reading actual books

[tamabonotchi]

It's really sad for a while now I spent a good deal of my free time reading, but 95-98% of it is fanfics and not actual books. I've only read books recently for classes (and that failed attempt at reading Anna Karenina) and I'd like to get back to reading published stuff.

I'm not sure how many other people have this problem.
Also what are some classics I-should-read-before-I-die to start me off? I'm stuck between first reading some of Hauki Marukami's works or a classic.

Re: Reading actual books

[dreemyweird]

I think the majority of people does that?

But I personally see no point in reading if one doesn't enjoy it. There's no direct profit in being well-read, and I noticed that avid readers usually have a fucked up personality as a bonus. [I guess it is a cause rather than a consequence]

I also hate it when people start bitching about how it is necessary to know Tolstoy, Kafka and Shakespeare and how one is a bad/stupid person for not knowing the guys. Literary snobbery is the worst kind of snobbery.

/Haruki Murakami is fairly vapid, IMO./

But I really, really love encountering people who read a lot. It hurts so much when you read something, and there's no one around to discuss it with.

Re: Reading actual books

[(Anonymous)]

I agree with everything that's been said in this post a whole lot.

Although that said I think things that are well-regarded like Kafka and Shakespeare etc are often very good and very much worth reading.

Re: Reading actual books

[(Anonymous)]

So you think people who read a lot are fucked up...but you like people who read a lot?

I don't know how to process this.

Re: Reading actual books

[agentcthulhu]

I find it a lot easier to read humorous books and shorter books than long, prose-heavy books. Start on something light and work yourself up to the heavy tomes?

Re: Reading actual books

[(Anonymous)]

Me too. Things aren't going very well for me, and I've been reading mediocre slashfic for pairings I don't give a shit about instead of the multiple books I've bought and been given that I know I will enjoy. I even have the last Scott Pilgrim to read. It's messed up.

I liked Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World if you're looking for Murakami recs. Classics might be a bit dry if you're already having trouble motivating yourself...

Re: Reading actual books

[(Anonymous)]

It's not quite a classic, but I'd like to recommend Little, Big by John Crowley. I love that book so much, it is just absolutely beautiful. Not for everybody, I guess, bit of a strange structure, but I found it really compelling and wonderful.

In terms of classics as such... To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf might be a good choice, great great book and a quick enough read. I don't know, kind of depends on what you're interested in, I guess.

Re: Reading actual books

[(Anonymous)]

I do this, but I don't think of it as a problem. I enjoy reading, so I'll read what I enjoy; a lot of the time, that means fanfiction. Even the last three actual physical books I read were Star Trek expanded universe novels.

Re: Reading actual books

[(Anonymous)]

I have the opposite problem. If I go too long without reading fanfic I find it harder to read than real books.

As for classics recs:
- Ivanhoe
- Villette (I think it's better than Jane Eyre, which was written by the same author, but that's just my opinion.)
- Don Quixote

And if you don't mind sci-fi:
- The Martian Chronicles
- Space Viking (It's not as silly as the title suggests.)

Re: Reading actual books

[morieris]

My current genres of choice are flooded with shit and copies ('Then look for something else?'). I'm just reading internet comments and textbooks, and I'm dotting through Harry Potter again.

Re: Reading actual books

[making_excuses]

I got the same problem dear, which is why I am planning to finish at least two books a month this year.

Re: Reading actual books

[unicornherds]

I do this. I'll go through phases, usually. Where I'll get sick of fanfic and switch to books and go on a book reading spree. Or if I find a new series or whatever.

But I'm really picky about books and it takes a lot to keep my sad attention. Fic is a lot easier to browse and switch to something else if it's not keeping my interest.


Slightly OT: so the other day I actually ran across someone mocking someone else for reading books, calling them "oldschool" and trying to be "retro". So bizarre.

Re: hey nonnies

[caecilia]

I don't think there's any point in forcing yourself to read something you're not enjoying. When I read books, I pretty much have to spend several hours at a time on it, and finish it within a couple of days. So when I'm in the mood for a certain book I need it right then. And if I don't know what I'm in the mood for, I go to a bookstore or a library and I look around until something catches my eye and I feel like it's what I need.

That said, I enjoyed the first couple of Haruki Murakami books I read, but he does tend to use repetitive themes so I got tired of him. And I also really love Shirley Jackson.

Short story collections are excellent, especially anthologies with multiple authors. I'm also fond of Nightmare Magazine. E-magazines are great because they're published works, but still free (or cheap) and on the internet.

Re: Reading actual books

[(Anonymous)]

I read more fanfic because it's free. If I get 3 chapters in and decide to give up I haven't wasted my money on buying it (or have to organise free time to return it to the library. Kind of outta my way)

My trick for reading published books is to go to a secondhand store and read the $1 sections. I've found some goodies that way...like nearly every book of Michael Crichtons (bought 1, went back and bought another...rinse and repeat, bought all their michael crichtons)

...Read Michael Crichton. Congo was my favourite.

Re: Reading actual books

[dimestoresaint]

I have the same problem as you. Fics are just faster than books, and I don't have a lot of down time.

Re: Reading actual books

[(Anonymous)]

If you want something humorous but "classic", can i suggest you some plays by Plauto? They really make me laugh a lot when I'm down. And since it's not properly a novel but a play and the pace is really fast, you can easily finish the book in two or three hours.
If you want some tragic material, I suggest Euripides. Medea and Bacchae are the best of his plays in my opinion.

Regarding novel, maybe Madame Bovary (Flaubert). Or The Decameron by Boccaccio! It's a collection of short stories, some of them really funny and... dirty. Well, it was written in 1300, so dirty maybe in not really the word for that.
I've read Norwegian Wood by Murakami Haruki, but I didn't like it that much (in fact, I kind of hate his works). I instead suggest you Confession by Kanae Minato, a very dark and catchy novel.
Mishima Yukio is my favorite japanese novelist and I warmly suggest Kamen no Kokuhaku (don't know how it's translated in english... maybe confession of a mask?). It's very introspective and the protagonist is gay, so maybe that picks your interest.
Oh, AND THE PARASOL PROTECTORATE SERIES! Werewolf and vampires! I'm reading it now (thanks to f!s) and it's really great and refreshing. Maybe try to start from it, it's the "easiest" book of the (shitty)list.

Ah, and don't worry. I, too, struggle with the guilty of not reading proper books that much, but fuck it all. I'm going to enjoy what I want when I want. Now, I'm going back to read my beloved Third!Doctor/Master porny fics, so excuse me.

sorry for my awkward english, tis my third language ahaha

Re: Reading actual books

[inkmage]

Really quickly - I just finished reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and it was both awesome and heartwrenching.

Re: Reading actual books

[thene]

I've had this problem for ages. I feel like I've drifted away from fiction, in general, and also from the novel in particular. Novels clearly aren't that fulfilling to me. When I read 'actual books' it's often nonfiction, these days; I spent last year getting really into Hunter S Thompson, for instance. I'd often rather read a long nonfiction article than a fanfic or a chapter from a novel. I find ideas more interesting than longform structure, these days, that's all.

Try The Death And Life Of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs, if you're up for a good nonfiction book.

Re: Reading actual books

[(Anonymous)]

Just throwing some of my favourites out here; they're a mix of genres/styles, so you'll hopefully find something that appeals to you:

Changing Planes, by Ursula K. LeGuin
Science-fiction-ish, but very much not the point; it's a great introspective, and the chapter structure affords very neat stopping-points [no cliffies] for if you can't read everything in one go.

A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuin
Fantasy, done well. It's the first in a series, so this is the perfect gateway to decide if you like LeGuin's fantasy writing.

White Noise, by Don Delillo

Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro
Again, science fiction, but the genre is not the point; it's an introspective look at what makes a person. Ishiguro's works are hit-and-miss with me, but this was definitely a hit.

The Book of Evidence, by John Banville
First Banville book I read, and I still think it's a great introduction to him. The point of Banville is always to slow down and enjoy the writing, because he does some truly beautiful things with words. You won't like the protagonist; you shouldn't, that's the point - but the amazing thing about Banville is that he'll make you care anyway.

The Infinities, by John Banville
Another Banville novel, though not his latest; this one plays with mythologies and has that same gorgeous lyricism that's characteristic of his works. Except even more refined.

Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy
Fair warning, this is a really graphically violent novel. But it's also beautifully written. I had to keep stopping because I've got a really good imagination and McCarthy's really good at describing exactly what a sacked village looks like... but I kept going back because the writing was just that good.

Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov
Nabokov's probably better known for Lolita, but this is my favourite of his works. It's a very playful novel, rife with footnotes etc that will tell you to go jumping all throughout the book. I suggest following the direction of the notes; don't try to read this like a conventional novel, from page 1 all the way to the end. If you do what the book tells you to, it's a whole lot more fun (also, you find out the plot in the first ten minutes or so).

Beloved, by Toni Morrison
I love almost anything by Morrison, but this is at the top of the list. It's an achingly gorgeous look at slavery, violence, and the people at the heart of it all.

Sexing the Cherry, by Jeanette Winterson
I like most of Winterson's works, but I've got a soft spot for this. Actually nothing to do with sex or cherries (or, well, very little).

Weight, by Jeanette Winterson
Myth reinterpreted. This was a very clever novel, and also a lighter read than most others I've listed here.

The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros
Bite-sized chapters, and very accessible language. I think this one's probably on school reading lists? I think it's very pretty writing, and likely a much easier read than anything else I've listed, so it might be a good place to start easing yourself back into reading published works.

Re: Reading actual books

[lunabee34]

As far as classics go, I think I read somewhere in the thread that you enjoyed Pride and Prejudice; if that's so, may as well work your way through Austen's books. She didn't write that many, so it wouldn't be a massive undertaking. I think Northanger Abbey is the funniest, but Emma is probably my favorite.

Re: Reading actual books

[bluepard]

Why not read some classic YA? I've been reading a lot of Diana Wynne Jones lately. Eight Days of Luke is held up by authors like Orson Scott Card and Neil Gaiman as great reading even though it's a short and easy read.

Re: Reading actual books

[(Anonymous)]

Well, I...am mildly ashamed to admit this but, as someone who owns something like the upwards of 2,000 books, what genres in general are you looking for? Just classics or...?

[For classics I would say Arabian Nights. I'm really *not* a classics fan, but I almost couldn't put it down.]

Re: Reading actual books

[inkdust]

I mentioned some classics further up, but as others have recommended more contemporary stuff as well, my top rec for quality YA scifi/dystopian right now is The Knife of Never Letting Go (and the rest of the trilogy). Could not stop.

Re: Reading actual books

[loracarol]

I can list you off the only two books I enjoyed reading for High School English, that counts as a "classic", right?

"Life of Pi" is pretty good, even if you don't agree with it.

Also, "Bel Canto" by Ann Patchett is so freaking good okay but I don't know if it's actually a "classic" or not... But again, I read it for HSE, so... Yeah, you should read it. It's good. :)

Also, any Shakespeare you can get your hands on that has a "translation"/explanation on the side, or an illustrated version, if you like (there's both manga and comic, my favs are these ones [especially Hamlet; I fell in love with the aesthetic of it, not actually sure why]).

And! Rozencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead! (/requires some knowledge of Hamlet), it's a play about meta-ness, and it's my favorite thing.

Anne of Green Gables is a classic, and it's available through the Gutenburg Project if you have an e-reader...

Does that help at all? :)

Re: Reading actual books

[creambun]

Ah, I completely skipped this thread last night! Gonna put titles in quotations rather than italicize everything because I'm lazy, sorry about that.

For classics, I would suggest

-John Steinbeck. I've only read his short works but I like them well enough (more "Of Mice and Men" than "The Pearl", which is why I avoided him for years)

-The Bronte sisters. I adore "Jane Eyre" and "Agnes Grey" wasn't bad but I could never get into any of Emily's work.

-Shirley Jackson. "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" was such a good read and her short stories are the same.

-"Catch-22" by Joseph Heller is actually one of the only novels that has made me laugh and I really like his style.

-Margaret Atwood. I've only read "The Handmaid's Tale" but it was good and I have a friend who assures me that the rest of her novels are just as fine c:

-"Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" by Winifred Watson was a quick and cute book.

-Daphne du Maurier. "Rebecca" was just really enchanting and her collection of "lost stories" was a worthwhile read.

I personally like Murakami but I will admit he has a lot of repetitive themes; I recommend starting with "The Wind-up Bird Chronicle" and then read any of his short story collections. "Kafka" was okay but I was way more in-tune with the old man sections than Kafka himself; however, I do like "1Q84".

Others books I enjoy but aren't classics are most of David Sedaris' essays, "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski, "The boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To" by DC Pierson (I am really not too happy with the ending but I loved the relationship of the main two boys), "Water for Elephants" by Sarah Gruen, and "The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland" by Catherynne Valente

Perhaps you should look into classics for children or for manga? I'm really into Edward Gorey and lately I've been reading a lot of Hagio Moto and Yoshihiro Tatsumi