The Reader’s Nook - The N&G Book Thread

I just finished The Memory Police. There were some things about it that were confusing and I'm not sure if it was because of the story or the translation (the translation was excellent over all, there were just some minor continuity things which make me wonder if Ogawa had meant to use a different word. I studied Japanese translation in school so this is probably something only I would care about). Overall, I enjoyed it a lot and thought it was pretty creepy. I was really in the mood for a good Orwellian dystopia lately and it delivered.

I also just started Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch and I think my next fiction book will be The Picture of Dorian Grey.
 
I'm only halfway through, but I'm reading Kentukis by Samanta Schweblin right now, and it's like a great, quietly disturbing episode of Black Mirror. It's about cute, little, mobile Furby-like robot pets that are all controlled by random strangers on the internet from all over the world. So, some people decide to get the "pets," and others decide to be the "pets." It's exploring a lot of the connection, isolation, voyeurism, and other things that happen on the internet.

It looks like the English translation will be called Little Eyes, and is coming some time next year. I've really liked (if by like you mean been rather freaked out by) her other novel (Fever Dream) and her short stories.
 
LeSamourai said:
Because Internet is a good read, and as a fellow language person (I teach a foreign language for a job) with an interest in linguistics, I highly recommend it.
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Yeah, I have my MA in linguistics, though I'm a phonetician/phonologist so I mainly deal with sounds. I've only read the intro so far but it sounds like it's going to be something I'm really going to enjoy.
 
WhiteDahlias said:
Yeah, I have my MA in linguistics, though I'm a phonetician/phonologist so I mainly deal with sounds. I've only read the intro so far but it sounds like it's going to be something I'm really going to enjoy.
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Have you watched this guy’s videos on YouTube? Brilliant stuff, and there are loads of them on the channel.
 
WhiteDahlias said:
I just finished The Memory Police. There were some things about it that were confusing and I'm not sure if it was because of the story or the translation (the translation was excellent over all, there were just some minor continuity things which make me wonder if Ogawa had meant to use a different word. I studied Japanese translation in school so this is probably something only I would care about). Overall, I enjoyed it a lot and thought it was pretty creepy. I was really in the mood for a good Orwellian dystopia lately and it delivered.

I also just started Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch and I think my next fiction book will be The Picture of Dorian Grey.
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WhiteDahlias said:
I love those videos! Especially the ones where he analyzes actors playing real people. If anyone hasn't seen them you totally should.

On an unrelated note, I am also on Goodreads.
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The Memory Police is on hold for me at the library! I'm excited to read it.

And I *think* I just added you as a friend. :)
 
bfly said:
looks like lots of forum buddies rolling in :giggle: havent used GR in years really, but I think it's very cool and this is inspiration to start up again.
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I feel very mixed on Goodreads. They don't really take advantage of the social network aspect (not as poorly as Spotify, don't get me started on Spotify's squandered social aspects), it's kind of insane that if someone follows you, you automatically follow them back and the controls to remove them are deeply nested, the aggregate and top reviews are reliably unreliable, and the interface hasn't been improved since I signed up. But I like it for keeping track of what I've read and what I want to read.
 
I just finished re-reading Bronte's Wuthering Heights. I haven't read it in its entirety in years. For the life of me I cannot understand why this is such a cherished and well-regarded book. It is less a book about passion and romance as it is of misery, obsession, vengeance, and duplicity, which,If done in a more suitable style, I could have enjoyed. All the characters, and I mean all, are either childish and whining or absolutely horrible. Do not misunderstand me, I do enjoy books with an emphasis on horrible characters but generally when they are leveraged in an impactful manner. Here, they are the bread and butter of almost every character we are introduced to, ala Titus Groan but more off-putting.

I appreciate Bronte's style and get that her descriptors of the moors and area surrounding the isolated locale are a reflection of the story, but I just cannot be bothered to care about her characters and have an even harder time trying to relate to them.

There, that's my vent about a classic book for today.
Carry on!
 
Here's what I'm reading right now.

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So...apparently this has been making big waves this year. It just came out here in the US in September, and I just found out about it last week. The premise is this: you're reading every fragmented thought of the narrator, with no paragraph breaks or periods, and the repeated phrase "the fact that" - and it's nearly 1,000 pages long. There is a b-story going on that is much more straightforward and written in the traditional way, but that barely makes up much of this novel. The bulk of it, and it is a huge, bulky novel to carry around, is daunting to say to least. But I read the concept and was pulled in right away. It takes some getting used to, and it's definitely not for everyone, but I'm already finding it really addictive. It's difficult to find places to stop though as there are no chapters at all, it's essentially wall to wall text. I've read some lengthy books in my time, but this will probably prove to be the most difficult honestly. I've never read something like this in my life, and I look forward to seeing how it all unravels.
 
Bennnnn said:
Here's what I'm reading right now.

View attachment 23244

So...apparently this has been making big waves this year. It just came out here in the US in September, and I just found out about it last week. The premise is this: you're reading every fragmented thought of the narrator, with no paragraph breaks or periods, and the repeated phrase "the fact that" - and it's nearly 1,000 pages long. There is a b-story going on that is much more straightforward and written in the traditional way, but that barely makes up much of this novel. The bulk of it, and it is a huge, bulky novel to carry around, is daunting to say to least. But I read the concept and was pulled in right away. It takes some getting used to, and it's definitely not for everyone, but I'm already finding it really addictive. It's difficult to find places to stop though as there are no chapters at all, it's essentially wall to wall text. I've read some lengthy books in my time, but this will probably prove to be the most difficult honestly. I've never read something like this in my life, and I look forward to seeing how it all unravels.
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This seems either incredibly up my alley or like the most off-putting thing I'd ever read. I love a good, big book, but stream-of-consciousness can really smack me down on my butt.
 
Bennnnn said:
Here's what I'm reading right now.

View attachment 23244

So...apparently this has been making big waves this year. It just came out here in the US in September, and I just found out about it last week. The premise is this: you're reading every fragmented thought of the narrator, with no paragraph breaks or periods, and the repeated phrase "the fact that" - and it's nearly 1,000 pages long. There is a b-story going on that is much more straightforward and written in the traditional way, but that barely makes up much of this novel. The bulk of it, and it is a huge, bulky novel to carry around, is daunting to say to least. But I read the concept and was pulled in right away. It takes some getting used to, and it's definitely not for everyone, but I'm already finding it really addictive. It's difficult to find places to stop though as there are no chapters at all, it's essentially wall to wall text. I've read some lengthy books in my time, but this will probably prove to be the most difficult honestly. I've never read something like this in my life, and I look forward to seeing how it all unravels.
Click to expand...
Bull Shannon said:
This seems either incredibly up my alley or like the most off-putting thing I'd ever read. I love a good, big book, but stream-of-consciousness can really smack me down on my butt.
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Whereas this seems like something I would loathe. Lol. It gives me too much anxiety to not have a stopping place.
 
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