Nate > Recent Status Updates

So far, I don't understand why writers I love or admire such as Sheila Heti, Valeria Luiselli, and Samanta Schweblin all give this novel such insanely glowing reviews. Its readable, and I'll finish it, but at this point I'd give it 2 or 3 stars. It feels like something a horny teenager would write (albeit one with good taste). Maybe I'm wrong. The section I'm at now is better than the start of the book, at least.

I've been traveling, and I got this for the airplane, thinking I'd read as much as I could in one sitting. However, since I'm scared of flying, I spent the ride watching mindless movies and TV shows. I'm reading too many books at the moment, but this one is a lot of fun so far.

My normal reading consists of novellas; so perhaps its a bad idea to juggle two long books; but I needed a break from Tokarczuk's mystical narrative, for something softer and more poetic.
I've read Knausgaard's Autumn, and I maybe enjoyed that slightly more than this; (also, in terms of 'autofiction', my favorite is Cusk). Still, I love his focused awareness, and how he makes the mundane into something astonishing.

Stoked I found a used copy of this out of print collection. I’m 3 stories in. Cortazar is simply one of the best.

Wonderful so far … Better than Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, which I really admired and liked.

On Part Two now :)

I'm officially reading too many books right now. Though this is a short one at least! So far, its incredibly poetic and incredibly sad. The writing is just outstanding. Every sentence shimmers, and I find myself re-reading many of them. For example, the one I stopped at for the evening: "My childhood grew thin and flat, paperlike."

This will likely be a highlight of an already strong reading year for me.

Nauseating and disturbing

Couldn’t help myself from starting another Dostoevsky (even though my to read pile is long). Loved C&P so much — this one has a very strong opening.

About to start "Part Four!" (I like how its divided into seven parts).

Started this afternoon. Pretty mind blowing and swift moving collection of short essays. I read and loved her newer book, The Unreality of Memory -- but I like this one even more so far. Its a bit more "fun" and playful than the other one, for some reason. This could be read in one sitting pretty easily.

I've recently made the decision to take a prolonged and extended break from drinking, for various reasons which I don't need to discuss on this site ;) I was on the phone with my Mom about it, and mentioned that so many artists romanticize drinking, especially American writers. Our role models make it into this beautiful thing (which at times, it is). The next day, I found this book in a free pile, as if by magic.

First time reading Dostoevsky; and perhaps its an unfair comparison, but so far, I like Tolstoy better. That said, the novel is starting to pick up steam and I'm beginning to like the character's and Dostoevsky's psychological evaluations of them.

I'm reading the Constance Garnett translation -- and incidentally, just found out she was good friends with DH Lawrence, the next writer who I want to read :)

After setting this down for a number of months, I picked it up again last week. Once "part two" of the book starts, the ideas become both more original and more provocative/mind blowing. One of the better psych books I've encountered.

Finally getting around to this book ...