Reading Books For Pleasure

[IrisAlthea]

The Professor's House.
Willa Cather

Willa Cather was a crossword answer last week and I was once again reminded that I still haven’t read anything by her.

I read O Pioneers a few years ago and liked it. I think I found it via my love for Laura Ingalls Wilders books - when I was looking for a book with her letters perhaps.
For some reason I didn’t get back to reading any more.
I find that this happens sometimes when I get a lot of books digitally at once by a writer. I don’t know if it gets overwhelming or what it is.

I’ve been reading chick lit in Swedish. Kärleksdans i obalans is up next. It’s by Anna Jansson, the same that writes the gruesome Nordic noir detective stories. This series is about a hair salon in Visby and there’s nary a corpse to be found.

It’s funny, because since you talked about them, lots of others have mentioned Jansson’s non crime fiction and how much they like them.

Yes, that’s always interesting to me as well when reading books from decades and centuries ago. People are people with all their relatable happy and sad moments, some things never change

I had a nagging feeling that something like that was actually in O Pioneers so I went looking and found it:

Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before; like the larks in this country, that have been singing the same five notes over for thousands of years.

But it’s often poignant how the lack of experience or knowledge of certain cultural concepts, technological advances or major historical events shapes the characters and the choices the writer makes.

In Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon (great book btw) the writer imagines the future of humankind thousands, millions of years into the future, but somehow space travel seems so out of reach that it doesn’t occur in the book until centuries into the future. The book was written in 1930, and less than 40 years later man was in the moon.

I’ve always found this bit intriguing and a reminder of how difficult but important it is to imagine the future.

We were just talking about how much the internet has changed the way we think and interact and just generally structure our lives and our days.
Still, just decades ago when it all began (almost died writing decades there ) people in general were so naively unaware.
Just look at Bowie here:

 

[NC_Coastal]

I read O Pioneers a few years ago and liked it. I think I found it via my love for Laura Ingalls Wilders books - when I was looking for a book with her letters perhaps.
For some reason I didn’t get back to reading any more.
I find that this happens sometimes when I get a lot of books digitally at once by a writer. I don’t know if it gets overwhelming or what it is.



It’s funny, because since you talked about them, lots of others have mentioned Jansson’s non crime fiction and how much they like them.



I had a nagging feeling that something like that was actually in O Pioneers so I went looking and found it:




We were just talking about how much the internet has changed the way we think and interact and just generally structure our lives and our days.
Still, just decades ago when it all began (almost died writing decades there ) people in general were so naively unaware.
Just look at Bowie here:

Brilliant. I had a front-row seat as the internet destroyed my industry. Bowie foresaw everything about it. And we're still just seeing the tip of the iceberg.

 

[twister947]

I Have Some Questions For You, by Rebecca Makkai

 

[Wonderer67]

Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs. This is the autobiography of John Lydon, a.k.a. Johnny rotten.

pretty decent book, but such a giant fucking ego. He invented everything apparently, just ask him.

This was written before is flip-flop on the queen and politics in general (I really could give a fuck about politics on either party or side.) He was kind of an asshole, although I admire how well he was to his wife, and stayed with her to the very end.

 

[seela]

The Cult on Fog Island by Mariette Lindstein.

It’s a story if a young woman who ends up in a cult that’s set on a remote island in Sweden. The author herself has been a member of Scientology and, while the ViaTerra cult of the book is completely fictional, she has used her own experiences as basis for her book. I think knowing that the author has some personal experience of a cult made the book better for me. I’m always curious about how much people leave unquestioned in situations like that, and at least in some parts of the books I got answers to why and how that happens.

There were things that I found kind of thinly and less than perfectly written, but all in all it was a good, fast read for me despite reading it in the original Swedish. It’s the first book of a series, trilogy perhaps, I’m not entirely sure, and I’ll definitely read at least the next book of the series, too, to see where the story goes next.

Off to the library in a couple of hours!

 

[IrisAlthea]

I’m always curious about how much people leave unquestioned in situations like that, and at least in some parts of the books I got answers to why and how that happens.

Sounds like an interesting read.

I’ve often thought about how people manage that suspension of disbelief that must be necessary to end up with those kinds of organizations.
On the other hand, my religion teacher when I was 15, asked me to go with the class mates who went to interview the scientologists because he wanted
”someone hard headed enough to be safe” with them.

Way back I read some books by Laurie R King - ”A monstrous regiment of women”and ”A darker place”, that are about cults and how and why they work.
King has a degree in comparative religion and I think she does a good job explaining the lure and why some are more vulnerable than others.
She writes well and about some interesting themes.

I read a book by Anna Jansson recently.
Dansa mn docka, is not one of the romance ones, but the themes about how people could end up in mental institutions for getting pregnant out of wedlock are and how the Social Insurance Agency treat sick people are interesting.

 

[seela]

Sounds like an interesting read.

I’ve often thought about how people manage that suspension of disbelief that must be necessary to end up with those kinds of organizations.

Yup, I’ve wondered about that too. I wrote a bachelor’s thesis about something that vaguely touched romance scams, and I ended up reading a lot about online scams. Romance scams, all sorts of money scams, etc. The psychology behind them is fascinating. One thing that the studies show is that people who are or consider themselves to be smarter than average end up losing more money and staying in the trap longer. It’s because first, they are convinced they they’d definitely notice if someone was trying to scam them; second, even after they start suspecting they’re being scammed, they try and often manage to find a logic that makes their doubts go away (because they’re convinced they can’t be scammed, they would have noticed); and third, they’re too ashamed to ask for help before the situation gets very hairy, because they can’t accept that their intellect hasn’t been enough to keep them from falling victim to the scam.

I think there’s lots of same in why people end up in cults. And on top of many other reasons like being seen, having a standing within the community, truly believing in a cause and that it’ll get better etc.

On the other hand, my religion teacher when I was 15, asked me to go with the class mates who went to interview the scientologists because he wanted
”someone hard headed enough to be safe” with them.

Honestly, if I had to take someone, I’d probably take you as well. I like your no-nonsense-ness and I think together we’d be pretty good at weeding out the weirdos.

Way back I read some books by Laurie R King - ”A monstrous regiment of women”and ”A darker place”, that are about cults and how and why they work.
King has a degree in comparative religion and I think she does a good job explaining the lure and why some are more vulnerable than others.
She writes well and about some interesting themes.

These sound interesting.

I read a book by Anna Jansson recently.
Dansa mn docka, is not one of the romance ones, but the themes about how people could end up in mental institutions for getting pregnant out of wedlock are and how the Social Insurance Agency treat sick people are interesting.

This as well!

 

[IrisAlthea]

One thing that the studies show is that people who are or consider themselves to be smarter than average end up losing more money and staying in the trap longer. It’s because first, they are convinced they they’d definitely notice if someone was trying to scam them; second, even after they start suspecting they’re being scammed, they try and often manage to find a logic that makes their doubts go away (because they’re convinced they can’t be scammed, they would have noticed); and third, they’re too ashamed to ask for help before the situation gets very hairy, because they can’t accept that their intellect hasn’t been enough to keep them from falling victim to the scam.

Yes, it’s the ”in for a penny, in for a pound” thing.
People seem to be so afraid of admitting that they were stupid about something, that they rather stay stupid than change their mind.

I think there’s lots of same in why people end up in cults. And on top of many other reasons like being seen, having a standing within the community, truly believing in a cause and that it’ll get better etc.

And there often are parts of the organization that are ”for real” - true believers that might well be doing good things.
People are often uncomfortable with the gray scale and want things to be either black or white.
And then those specks of white, the grains of truth confuse people and those who ignore those good parts and the (partial) thruths, have a hard time reaching the people they are trying to save from the scam, cult or conspiracy theories, because the come off as false or ignorant.

Honestly, if I had to take someone, I’d probably take you as well. I like your no-nonsense-ness and I think together we’d be pretty good at weeding out the weirdos.

I think be both may have had upbringings that were helpful, in that respect.

 

[twister947]

Milk Fed, by Melissa Broder

 

[twister947]

Milk Fed, by Melissa Broder

This turned out to be a sleeper. I bought it because it was marked way down, thinking I was getting just another novel. How wrong I was. Let's just say it's a novel that includes lesbian porn. This may be just the ticket for those who long for literature that includes porn instead of the flip side of that coin.

 

[IrisAlthea]

Yup, I’ve wondered about that too. I wrote a bachelor’s thesis about something that vaguely touched romance scams, and I ended up reading a lot about online scams. Romance scams, all sorts of money scams, etc. The psychology behind them is fascinating. One thing that the studies show is that people who are or consider themselves to be smarter than average end up losing more money and staying in the trap longer. It’s because first, they are convinced they they’d definitely notice if someone was trying to scam them; second, even after they start suspecting they’re being scammed, they try and often manage to find a logic that makes their doubts go away (because they’re convinced they can’t be scammed, they would have noticed); and third, they’re too ashamed to ask for help before the situation gets very hairy, because they can’t accept that their intellect hasn’t been enough to keep them from falling victim to the scam.

I think there’s lots of same in why people end up in cults. And on top of many other reasons like being seen, having a standing within the community, truly believing in a cause and that it’ll get better etc.

Honestly, if I had to take someone, I’d probably take you as well. I like your no-nonsense-ness and I think together we’d be pretty good at weeding out the weirdos.

These sound interesting.

This as well!

I just finished The Runnnig Grave by Robert Galbraith (JK Rawling) and it made me think about this conversation, because it is about infiltrating a cult.
She does her research, so it is quite interesting and a good read.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Reading through Courtney Milan's "The Marquis who Mustn't". Good fun romance with her usual sharp sense of humour.

 

[clearcreek]

At the semi-local VA clinic I discovered "Life on the Mississippi" by Rinker Buck. I blasted through the 380 or so pages in a couple days. Then went down to the local library and picked up his books "The Oregon Trail" and "Flight of Passage".
I mainly read history and his writing is a combination of the right now and the history of the land he is passing through.
Flight of passage is the story of as teenagers he and his brother bought a Piper Cub, rebuilt it, then flew from the east coast to San Diego and back. No electronic gadgets or radios. The Oregon Trail is his trip with Mules pulling a wagon along of what is left of the trails the waggoners left on their move from the east to the west.

 

[Handeguy]

At the semi-local VA clinic I discovered "Life on the Mississippi" by Rinker Buck. I blasted through the 380 or so pages in a couple days. Then went down to the local library and picked up his books "The Oregon Trail" and "Flight of Passage".
I mainly read history and his writing is a combination of the right now and the history of the land he is passing through.
Flight of passage is the story of as teenagers he and his brother bought a Piper Cub, rebuilt it, then flew from the east coast to San Diego and back. No electronic gadgets or radios. The Oregon Trail is his trip with Mules pulling a wagon along of what is left of the trails the waggoners left on their move from the east to the west.

Read the Oregon Trail a few years ago. Fantastic! Buck lives not too far from me. Have you read "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon?

 

[clearcreek]

I will have to check it out. Thanks

 

[seela]

What were the best books you read last year and why did they stand out?

Do you have reading goals for this year?

 

[IrisAlthea]

What were the best books you read last year and why did they stand out?

Do you have reading goals for this year?

Best book is difficult but I really liked How far the light reaches: A life in ten sea creatures by Sabrina Imbler, Mirrorland by Carole Johnston and The running grave by Robert Galbraith.
Not counting re-reading.
I’m boring when it comes to goals - I aim to read most days. Failed badly last year. Want to do better this year.

My bigger reading project at the moment is Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s Incerto series.
I read the Black Swan and a lot of Antifragile back when they came out, but need to go back to them and read the other two.
When I don’t have the bandwidth (and that happens a lot), I read for fun without any plan or standards.

 

[seela]

Best book is difficult but I really liked How far the light reaches: A life in ten sea creatures by Sabrina Imbler, Mirrorland by Carole Johnston and The running grave by Robert Galbraith.
Not counting re-reading.
I’m boring when it comes to goals - I aim to read most days. Failed badly last year. Want to do better this year.

My bigger reading project at the moment is Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s Incerto series.
I read the Black Swan and a lot of Antifragile back when they came out, but need to go back to them and read the other two.
When I don’t have the bandwidth (and that happens a lot), I read for fun without any plan or standards.

Thanks! I put the sea creatures on my library list.

 

[IrisAlthea]

Thanks! I put the sea creatures on my library list.

I found it through this article with a link to one of the short stories.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science...pus-vigil-motherhood-eating-disorders/672340/


Do you have a bucker list or project?

 

[seela]

Do you have a bucker list or project?

I don’t have any reading projects or goals this year. I’ve done a 50-book reading challenge set by my library a few times, but I haven’t participated since 2019. The library sets a movie challenge as well as the reading challenge and I do that instead. It’s more interactive, because I can the watch movies with J and talk about them. Reading is a more solitary activity.

Even though I don’t do the reading challenge anymore, I still use the challenge list as an inspiration when I’m trying to find something new to read.


It is very difficult to pick the best books I read last year, but to name a few that stood out:

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo was excellent. It’s written from the point of view of a child in Zimbabwe. The whole book was good and gut wrenching, but especially one chapter about immigrants’ relationship with the old country, empty promises and such hit hard.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata was great. It’s about a Japanese woman who works in a convenience store and does not fit into the expectations of the society around her.

 

[seela]

Russians Among Us: Sleeper Cells, Ghost Stories, and the Hunt for Putin's Spies by Gordon Corera.

The title really says it all. It’s a book about spies, mostly about Russian spies in America. It was an interesting read. It goes from Soviet times to modern days, from illegals with fake identities to spying over the internet, cyber warfare and troll factories.

I want to rewatch The Americans now.


Also I thought about reading projects. My project for 2024 is that I’ll read books in languages that I don’t usually read as much in. So basically languages other than Finnish, Swedish and English. Feels like a good project, not too strict.

 

[twister947]

The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty
She was prolific and well thought of. When it came on sale I thought I'd give it a go. 200 pages in, I'm throwing in the towel. An acquired taste, I'm afraid.

 

[IrisAlthea]

The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty
She was prolific and well thought of. When it came on sale I thought I'd give it a go. 200 pages in, I'm throwing in the towel. An acquired taste, I'm afraid.

I read Delta Wedding as a teen, probably hoping for more Gone with the Wind feeling.
I had to bully and force myself through it, because I had a thing about not giving up on books back then.

I’ve thought at times I should get back to her, but never have.

I had the same issue with Caldwell and God’s Little Acre, I could see that the writing was great and even enjoy the language but somehow the stories annoyed me, perhaps even made me angry.

 

[seela]

Also I thought about reading projects. My project for 2024 is that I’ll read books in languages that I don’t usually read as much in. So basically languages other than Finnish, Swedish and English. Feels like a good project, not too strict.

I already forgot that I had come up with this project. But even without this project in mind, I’ve already read more in other languages than those three listed above than I read last year, so well done me, by accident.

I went to Spain and bought books about the Basque language and people/culture and I’ve read them. I also read a book in Polish that was okay but not the greatest.

I’m currently reading book #3 in the Perveen Mistry series by Sujata Massey and I’m enjoying it thoroughly. I’ll probably finish it today.

 

[seela]

I had the same issue with Caldwell and God’s Little Acre, I could see that the writing was great and even enjoy the language but somehow the stories annoyed me, perhaps even made me angry.

This is always interesting! Sometimes I have more patience and actually finish a book that annoys or angers me and sometimes I just drop it. But I find it interesting to think about what made me react the way I did. It’s not always easy to pinpoint. Sometimes it’s just a book read at the wrong time rather than the book or something about the story or writing itself.