Books you've read in 2019

This arrived today and geeks might be interested in this article about it

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Perversity has it that I’ll almost certainly have to drag myself away from the internet if I’m ever going to actually bother reading it :side-eye:
 
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So I finished this today.

I'm really not sure what to say except that I think I need the day off work to be honest. I will try and post a review later. Has anyone else read it? I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.
 
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I’ve read it and I loved it and hated it all the same. Most of all I’m so impressed by the author because I can only imagine what a colossal job it took to write such a big book, even more so after reading her previous book (People in the Trees, which is so much better).
I cried a lot towards the end of the book but the whole masochism/victimising of whatshisname was frustrating and infuriating. Also disliked the unrealistic aspect of this gang of four rather ordinary guys ALL becoming way too successful in their own fields.
 
I'm reading the last KNAUSSGARD and it's a bit of a struggle

It was going OK but then it deviated into ENDLESS ANALYSIS OF some bit of POETRY and now a DETAILED ACCOUNT of the EARLY DAYS of ADOLF HITLER. The former I CAN DO WITHOUT and the latter is INTERESTING ENOUGH but WHAT IS IT DOING HERE
 
I’ve attempted A Little Life three times but it was either bad timing, or I was just not in the headspace to take on such a colossal book. It’s back third in line in my BOOK QUEUE now though.
 
Suedey said:
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So I finished this today.

I'm really not sure what to say except that I think I need the day off work to be honest. I will try and post a review later. Has anyone else read it? I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.
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It’s a very depressing book and it really got to me when I read it. But I don’t think it’s very good, it’s borderline misery porn and like the amount of bad stuff that happened to that one person was just too much.
 
Phoenix said:
It’s a very depressing book and it really got to me when I read it. But I don’t think it’s very good, it’s borderline misery porn and like the amount of bad stuff that happened to that one person was just too much.
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It did feel like reading a Lars Von Trier film script in parts, I agree..
 
Shirley said:
I'm reading the last KNAUSSGARD and it's a bit of a struggle

It was going OK but then it deviated into ENDLESS ANALYSIS OF some bit of POETRY and now a DETAILED ACCOUNT of the EARLY DAYS of ADOLF HITLER. The former I CAN DO WITHOUT and the latter is INTERESTING ENOUGH but WHAT IS IT DOING HERE
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well it is titled after MEIN KAMPF so I guess there was no way avoiding it!

I came to a halt somewhere in volume 2. I really dislike autofiction
 
By the way -

We need to decide on a December book to end the year and then we'll start off the 2020 rota/poll to plan the six 6 months of the year.

But for now - shall we go contrary for December and go totally anti-festive? Or festive? Or neither?

We've had quite a lot of American fiction so perhaps we should try something else for December. Any ideas?
 
I COULD suggest the joint Booker winners for 2019 - I've already read one but I've also got Queen Evaristo's tome
 
Or what about the Noble prize winners? :zombie:

I like both ideas (Booker and anti-festive)... but I don’t think I’ve read any festive book. Recommend me one!
 
Well last year I read Ali Smith’s Winter to get in the festive zone and it was total garbage.

Obviously Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the obvious one...
 
Let’s try having different themes for each month next year.

And maybe do two books a month?
 
:D

Remember I told you I have to read all the old books I own; well I have read most of them but about five remains (one of them is no less than another fucking book by KADDISH author whose name I can’t rememeber right now)... anyways I have decided to throw them away and therefore I won’t feel bad about not having read them.
 
GANG

I started Circe but I'm struggling with it. Mostly because A Little Life is still being digested and I feel that this is too much of a shift in gears.
 
I'm currently reading My Sister, The Serial Killer. Perfectly serviceable but nothing life altering.

If you're looking for something that shakes your very core I would recommend A Little Life from my 2019 selection!
 
Suedey said:
I'm currently reading My Sister, The Serial Killer. Perfectly serviceable but nothing life altering.

If you're looking for something that shakes your very core I would recommend A Little Life from my 2019 selection!
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Ohhh that might be what I need indeed!
 
I’m reading Snow Falling on Cedars. I think you’d like it, DC.

(Bought it 20 years ago, but only started now)

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I've just finished this, which was a throwaway, but fun read. I quite like an apocalyptic storyline, so worked well for me.

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I'm on 46 books so far this year; four more to go to reach my goal. (Mrs Bev is so far ahead of me.)

@Suedey, re: December books, I have a couple of Swedish books on my list: either Act of Infidelity by Lena Andersson or The Polyglot Lovers by Lina Wolff. I've got two Italian writers, Natalia Ginzburg, and her book Family Lexicon, Elsa Morante's Arturo's Island. And I was also thinking about reading Death in Venice by Thomas Mann. Take your pick!
 
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