2022 Reading Challenge

Yesterday I finished a book called Followers by Megan Angelo. It was a dystopian novel about internet/influencer culture and also about mass surveillance... it was okay but definitely not my favorite, I'd probably rate it a 2.5/5.

Now I am reading Know My Name by Chanel Miller and... Ooof. It's really well written but I can't take more than a chapter at a time.
 
ranbalam said:
Book 1

Somehow, I’ve never read this. So here we go….

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I've been selling of a lot of my books (a couple hundred). Mainly cause I've collected then over time and now they're just ornamental shelf space. I figure if I ever want to reread any of them again, I've got the library and don't mind off-loading some dead weight. Sometimes just keeping a bunch of books I've read already seems like some sub-conscious intellectual flex. Sort of like having a bunch of records I hardly get time to listen to (ouch...self burn...enough introspection).

Any way Zen and the Art... is one of the books I just sold in a bunch to a guy off CL. Funny enough, he picked the books up on a BMW motorcycle so it was fitting. I read that book in high school and bought my first motorcycle at 17 (I'm in my late thirties now). I remember Pirsig talking about the constant consciousness and awareness of experiencing the road on a motorcycle. How at any given moment the rider could touch their foot to road passing underneath at speed and remind themselves of that connection. It's actually a habit I've taken with me all through my years of riding - especially on long road trips. When I was about 23/24 I spent 3-4 months living off my bike and went from CT, out west and back, before putting my bike in storage and hitching around Mexico. I remember riding through places like the Tetons, Yellowstone, or over the Continental Divide and being immersed in the natural beauty. Accompanying that was my man-made contraption and its constant engine hum filling the air. I'd variably put my foot down and let it scrape the road and therein lies one of those nearly ineffable experiences - to connect but also understand the sheer fragility of your position in that instance. Sure, I had a level of control with my positioning of the bike, the speed I chose, and the decisions I made; but also there was/is a level of necessary surrender because my control was tenuous. I wasn't the dominant force in that relationship - I've rag-dolled myself off a bike and that's a sobering awakening.

I eventually studied philosophy as my undergraduate major. I consider some stuff in that book to be a good intro (there is Phaedrus, after all); albeit not the most profound, it has its merits. I mean, at least it doesn't trade in the heavy New Age pseudo-philosophy bullshit you got with stuff like Celestine Prophecy, Teachings of Don Juan, Conversations with God, etc.

Anywho, that's my tangent.

Speaking of One Hundred Years of Solitude....fuck yea. I've reread that book a couple time. Fantastic book and opened the door to magical realism for me. I don't know if I would've read things like Borges, Pedro Paramo, etc if it wasn't for Marquez.
 
BabiesAreWorthlessDiapers said:
I remember Pirsig talking about the constant consciousness and awareness of experiencing the road on a motorcycle. How at any given moment the rider could touch their foot to road passing underneath at speed and remind themselves of that connection.
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Yeah, I'm only 50 pages in and that is partly what he has been talking about; that connection vs being in a car or bus. I know I'm late on this book as I'm in my 50s. But life lately has me wanting to explore more of this type of reading...I'd like to understand myself and others more instead of merely being upset about the current human condition. Since you studied philosophy, I'd love to hear some of your favorite books on the subject.

I'm impressed but also puzzled by people that can re-read a book. I mean, I can re-watch a movie or TV series, but I feel like there are so many books out there, and so little time, that I don't want to re-read anything before I am out of stuff I have yet to read, which will be never.
If I was going to re-read something, it would probably be East of Eden.

100 Years of Solitude is on my short list, based on people in this thread's reaction to it.
 
ranbalam said:
Yeah, I'm only 50 pages in and that is partly what he has been talking about; that connection vs being in a car or bus. I know I'm late on this book as I'm in my 50s. But life lately has me wanting to explore more of this type of reading...I'd like to understand myself and others more instead of merely being upset about the current human condition. Since you studied philosophy, I'd love to hear some of your favorite books on the subject.

I'm impressed but also puzzled by people that can re-read a book. I mean, I can re-watch a movie or TV series, but I feel like there are so many books out there, and so little time, that I don't want to re-read anything before I am out of stuff I have yet to read, which will be never.
If I was going to re-read something, it would probably be East of Eden.

100 Years of Solitude is on my short list, based on people in this thread's reaction to it.
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I reread Hitchhikers Guide from time to time. Dune is on my list to reread soon. I might reread the King Killer Chronicles if Rothfuss can ever be bothered to finish the last book. I’m sure there are a few more I’ve read multiple times.
 
mgp said:
I'm not much for resolutions, but last year I set out to read 18 books, and I actually did 21. This year I'm going for two per month (that works out to 24).

Yesterday I finished Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart, and really enjoyed it. I started it in 2020, but I'm going to cheat and count it for this year! Before that I (unintentionally) read two post-apocalyptic books (Station Eleven and The Dog Stars), so I need a real change of pace.

Next up is Dave Grohl's memoir, The Storyteller.
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I think I mentioned earlier that I’m reading Storyteller and I’m digging it a bunch.
 
Lee Newman said:
I think I mentioned earlier that I’m reading Storyteller and I’m digging it a bunch.
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Yeah. So far (Grohl just joined Nirvana), I really am!

I was a pretty massive Nirvana fan, and knew a lot of this stuff already. I’ve followed the foo fighters stuff much less closely, so I’m looking forward to reading about that stage of his life.

A couple of things:
- His postcards to his mom are adorable… just very endearing to the man. And on the flip side, I cannot imagine looking at my kids and realizing that dropping out of school was the best path for them. Respect to his mom for letting him take the plunge.
- Last night, I read about the infamous Dallas / Nirvana brawl and was a little surprised by DG’s framing. He seemed to really give the bouncer the benefit of the doubt. I had a bootleg of that concert on VHS back in the day, and that was not my recollection.

Here @2:20. I have an unhealthy bias against bouncers, but it doesn’t look like the man was just “trying his best to push Kurt off him.” I digress. It’s a really fun read.
 
mgp said:
Yeah. So far (Grohl just joined Nirvana), I really am!

I was a pretty massive Nirvana fan, and knew a lot of this stuff already. I’ve followed the foo fighters stuff much less closely, so I’m looking forward to reading about that stage of his life.

A couple of things:
- His postcards to his mom are adorable… just very endearing to the man. And on the flip side, I cannot imagine looking at my kids and realizing that dropping out of school was the best path for them. Respect to his mom for letting him take the plunge.
- Last night, I read about the infamous Dallas / Nirvana brawl and was a little surprised by DG’s framing. He seemed to really give the bouncer the benefit of the doubt. I had a bootleg of that concert on VHS back in the day, and that was not my recollection.

Here @2:20. I have an unhealthy bias against bouncers, but it doesn’t look like the man was just “trying his best to push Kurt off him.” I digress. It’s a really fun read.
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You guys are making me want to pick this one up more than I did before!

I stopped really following/listening to the Foo after The Color and The Shape but generally have continued to enjoy what I've seen of Grohl's presence in the media since. He's always seemed like one of the good ones.
 
I start school on Monday, and I'm trying to decide if I should count some of the books I read. One of my classes is a YA lit class (English and French major, trying to become a teacher, it's a required course) and the professor gave us 50 picks and told us to pick 5 that we wanted to read and she picked 3 she's requiring us to read. Since I picked out the books I have a genuine interest in, I'm not sure if I should count them. They are books I would read for fun, but I'm not sure if I should leave them off my list because they ARE for school.
 
sarcasticfairyprincess said:
I start school on Monday, and I'm trying to decide if I should count some of the books I read. One of my classes is a YA lit class (English and French major, trying to become a teacher, it's a required course) and the professor gave us 50 picks and told us to pick 5 that we wanted to read and she picked 3 she's requiring us to read. Since I picked out the books I have a genuine interest in, I'm not sure if I should count them. They are books I would read for fun, but I'm not sure if I should leave them off my list because they ARE for school.
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I wouldn’t say the impetus for reading a book affects whether you’ve read it or not. Do it up!
 
ranbalam said:
Yeah, I'm only 50 pages in and that is partly what he has been talking about; that connection vs being in a car or bus. I know I'm late on this book as I'm in my 50s. But life lately has me wanting to explore more of this type of reading...I'd like to understand myself and others more instead of merely being upset about the current human condition. Since you studied philosophy, I'd love to hear some of your favorite books on the subject.

I'm impressed but also puzzled by people that can re-read a book. I mean, I can re-watch a movie or TV series, but I feel like there are so many books out there, and so little time, that I don't want to re-read anything before I am out of stuff I have yet to read, which will be never.
If I was going to re-read something, it would probably be East of Eden.

100 Years of Solitude is on my short list, based on people in this thread's reaction to it.
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I've been trying to re-read more often these days. Like you mentioned, we listen to our favourite records over and over, we watch our favourite movies regularly; I find it really rewarding to re-read books I've really enjoyed, and often take new things out of them when I do. Especially when I the subsequent read is five, ten, or more years after the first. I sometimes have trouble remembering what I liked about books, or even what happens in them, once I've moved on. This helps a lot with that, and I feel like I know them better each time, which is rewarding in itself.

East of Eden has been on my list of things to re-read for a long time! I read it in 12th grade literature class, so it's been about 15 years for me now. Probably about time.
 
First book of 2022 down.

Joe Ide "IQ" (2016 Mulholland)

Impressions: I've been reading a lot of detective/noir novels over the last few years. Mostly modern. This one was quite enjoyable. The world created here felt quite unique compared to the usual fare. The main character pays homage to classical "deductive" investigators, namely Sherlock Holmes, in that he uses logic and research to get answers. But the writing and L.A. setting has grit reminiscent of The Wire. I was totally picturing Jamie Hector as the main character while I was reading. I devoured this one, which is always a good sign. Will definitely seek out the follow-up.

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Will stick to african-american writers for my next read - a modern detective/noir classic:

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Hhabelt said:
I'll be catching up on some James Rollins to begin the year. In the works are The Seventh Plague, The Demon Crown, Crucible and The Last Odyssey. Nothing too heavy.

For anyone looking for an app to organize their reading and keep track of stuff, I like Reading List. It's super basic and for your eyes only - no pressure to rate, review or follow.
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I finished The Seventh Plague this afternoon. I feel like there was something missing near the end, but I still enjoyed the ride.

I learned about elephant mimicry. Did you know they are capable of imitating human speech?

Also, scientists discovered electron-eating bacteria by shocking mud to see what surfaces. They want to create biocables in order to transmit electricity. Wild stuff.

Oh, and Sokushinbutsu (self-mummification).

I feel ahead of schedule, so I'll probably start The Demon Crown in a few days.

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Book 2 of 2022:

The Giver - Lois Lowry

I mentioned that I'm taking a YA lit class required for my degree. I'm half hesitant to list these books for the reading challenge, but I figured they may as well count, even though it's not what I would normally go for. I read The Giver when I was 19ish, and I remember liking it, but over the years I had completely forgotten what it was about. I read the whole book in about two hours. It filled me with so many mixed emotions as an adult. How lovely it would be to live in a world without pain, without trauma, without bad memories. But, without those things, life loses its luster and it's vibrancy. What a conundrum. Anyway, highly recommend reading this book as an adult.
 
sarcasticfairyprincess said:
Book 2 of 2022:

The Giver - Lois Lowry

I mentioned that I'm taking a YA lit class required for my degree. I'm half hesitant to list these books for the reading challenge, but I figured they may as well count, even though it's not what I would normally go for. I read The Giver when I was 19ish, and I remember liking it, but over the years I had completely forgotten what it was about. I read the whole book in about two hours. It filled me with so many mixed emotions as an adult. How lovely it would be to live in a world without pain, without trauma, without bad memories. But, without those things, life loses its luster and it's vibrancy. What a conundrum. Anyway, highly recommend reading this book as an adult.
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This was one of my favorite books as a kid. I've been thinking about doing a reread of the series as I never got to read any of the others.
 
sarcasticfairyprincess said:
Book 2 of 2022:

The Giver - Lois Lowry

I mentioned that I'm taking a YA lit class required for my degree. I'm half hesitant to list these books for the reading challenge, but I figured they may as well count, even though it's not what I would normally go for. I read The Giver when I was 19ish, and I remember liking it, but over the years I had completely forgotten what it was about. I read the whole book in about two hours. It filled me with so many mixed emotions as an adult. How lovely it would be to live in a world without pain, without trauma, without bad memories. But, without those things, life loses its luster and it's vibrancy. What a conundrum. Anyway, highly recommend reading this book as an adult.
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Whelp, may have to re-read this one, as I was assigned it whenever people are usually assigned it. I remember kinda liking but but I think my brother hated it.
 
Ooh, fun! I don't know about a specific goal, but I definitely want to read more books and less internet this year. More poetry. Maybe even non-fiction--we have so many great books on policing and anarchy here.

As a teenager I easily read 800 pages a day in summer. That is definitely not close to ever happening again.

Wuthering Heights and One Hundred Years of Solitude are two of my all-time favorites. I've read a lot of literary fiction over the years, but now I'm mainly going for fun stuff. I've read 4 of T. Kingfisher's himbo paladin books this month. I'd like to finally finish the last few Sandman Slim novels this year, and catch up on at least severeal of my friends' books.

Anyway, yay! Fun!
 
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