September 2010
35 posts
Why bother reading? →
This article describes my motivations for starting booksijustread. I don’t want to forget what I read!
The Millions: Why did J.M. Coetzee Write Master of... →
This Millions treatise on J.M. Coetzee’s work, Master of St. Petersburg, was really interesting. Coetzee is one of my favorite writers, and I really like Dostoyevsky so I’m excited to read Master of St. Petersburg. I really appreciated this article because it reminds me of a really great conversation you’d have with someone you really respected.
Kafka's Last Trial NYT →
I know I’ve already written about this here, but the Kafka trial continues to fascinate me. I am adding Kafka’s biography to the list of books I’d like to read soon, and I am going to re-read Bruno Schulz this weekend, the first translator of his literature to another language. This quote from the NYT piece encapsulates what draws me infinitely to Kafka, that fact that his...
50 Banned Books That Everyone Should Read →
Here we go!
DFW Praise Compendium →
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Gilead
I recently read Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson. It was a pure pleasure to read.
I hadn’t really been expecting anything about this book, and reading it was a calming, gentle experience. The whole book is written as a letter to the narrator’s son, since the narrator is old and is told he doesn’t have much time left in life. He has a heart condition. The letter is soft,...
100 Best First Lines from Novels according to... →
camillereads:
A few of my favorite novels made the list.
This list is AWESOME.
My Favorite's Favorites, The Millions →
I really want to explore this idea for my own literary genealogy, but I suppose I already know where my reading choices come from. I put a lot of weight on the reading tastes of my friends and family, and generally ask for their recommendations. My friend Dan is a huge influencer on what I read, and my friend Gabriella just lent me Gilead. I tend to follow the path of an author I like in a...
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The Last Bookseller on the Streets of Vilna →
Via NYT Bookbench, a haunting yet beautiful look at a time when books were sold on the streets.
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Yesterday I read Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I tutor at 826 NYC and one of the kids I’ve been tutoring for like, three years now, insisted I read Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He LOVES the series, and I am pretty sure he idolizes the main character.
This book was so snappy! I read happily, almost transported to my childhood. I read a lot of books that were similar in style to DOAWK but from the...
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Eat When You Feel Sad
I read Eat When You feel Sad by Zachary German quite quickly, and the lag in review is because I really didn’t know what to say about this book. It’s clear the author is trying to do something. I looked at the bio, and German is very young. So on one hand, Eat When You Feel Sad is somewhat of an achievement, a young writer publishing a very different book, but on the other, this...
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David Markson's Lost Library →
A beautiful article about David Markson’s (who’s is one of my favorite writers and died recently) posthumously scattered and gathered library.
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“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books...”
– Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
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Dreaming of Hogwarts and Hunger Games →
“That is one of the great appeals of young adult literature: there is so much plot to spoil.”
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On Reviews.
I don’t trust book reviews any more.
I only listen to my friends about books.
I just don’t trust REVIEWERS, actually.
Book reviews are biased, sensational, overwrought, hyperbolic, and sometimes, wrong. These book reviews also happen to have a lot of undue power over the book buying public. Sometimes I have to blink back angry blindness when I read book reviews, or see the NYT...
Happy Birthday to Agatha Christie, Queen of Mystery, now and forever!
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Wallace's Pale King's Cover and Release Date →
April 15 2011.
The cover is designed by his widow. It’s beautiful.
I will read this.
Today I finished Three Wogs and I’m starting Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson. I hadn’t finished a book in two weeks!
David Foster Wallace’s Papers Opening to the... →
Something I so dearly want to go and see.
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Three Wogs, Alexander Theroux
I finished Three Wogs, by Alexander Theroux this morning. Three Wogs revolved around a conceptual inherent racism in three separate situations. Many of the nuances in these situations were simply fascinating. Theroux excels in nuance.
The ideas behind this book, and its title, do not seem as subtle as the book eventually is. Each section revolves around two people, one English, and one...
Three Wogs is taking me kind of a while. I’m going to rededicate myself starting Monday, I’ve blogged embarrassingly little this week.
YES! Someone else also disliked "Super Sad True... →
Roald Dahl Month →
This piece is so, so good. If you read Dahl as a young and enjoyed him, read this piece.
I’m reading Three Wogs by Justin Theroux. So far it’s pretty ridiculously awesome. #FridayReads
#FF @goodrandomhouse, @JessGrose, @tao_lin, @mcnallyjackson, @chikitlinski, @jezebelsadie, @smrtgrls, and @ColleenLindsay
Twitter bookish hashtag: Friday Reads →
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Steingarten Food Diary in NYMAG Grub Street →
This food diary is splendidly written, truly virtuosic. I’ve read Steingarten before, but this food diary is above and beyond anything I’ve ever seen him do. I was absolutely enthralled while reading this piece in NY Mag’s Grub Street blog. Snobby, yes. Elitist, yes. But good. Very, very good.
Fascinating Spreadsheet of Book Reviews, by Gender →