Books - What are you reading?

Homage To Catalonia

the one Orwell book I will recommend to people in earnest

Down and out in Paris and London is great too

I read it just after Tropic Of Cancer by Henry Miller. It was interesting to see 2 different takes on a similar subject matter (being broke in Paris at the beginning of the 20th Century), published around the same time. Orwell's account seemed very stuffy and uptight compared to Miller's.

Here’s some Rimbaud.

Voyelles

A noir, E blanc, I rouge, U vert, O bleu: voyelles,
Je dirai quelque jour vos naissances latentes:
A, noir corset velu des mouches éclatantes
Qui bombinent autour des puanteurs cruelles,

Golfes d'ombre; E, candeurs des vapeurs et des tentes,
Lances des glaciers fiers, rois blancs, frissons d'ombelles;
I, pourpres, sang craché, rire des lèvres belles
Dans la colère ou les ivresses pénitentes;

U, cycles, vibrements divins des mers virides,
Paix des pâtis semés d'animaux, paix des rides
Que l'alchimie imprime aux grands fronts studieux;

O, suprême Clairon plein des strideurs étranges,
Silences traversés des [Mondes et des Anges]:
—O l'Oméga, rayon violet de [Ses] Yeux!

I need to re-read 1984 at some point.

So, seemingly, does everybody else as we're blissfully moving forward towards universal surveillance. I remember a time when people were genuinely worried about what is told in 1984. Now people are putting Alexa devices in their homes ...

I like the T-shirt slogan 'Make Orwell fiction again'

About 50 pages into this jazzy fucker at the minute. Hoping to get a lot of reading done over the next few days and excited to get into this properly. So far it's just classic Vonnegut, it's making me want to re-read Slaughterhouse 5 which I absolutely loved when I first read it years ago.

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I particularly liked 'Breakfast of Champions'.

Yeah I enjoyed that when I read it too!

I have all of his books. Collected from second hand book stores and read them when I was a kid and loved them. If I didn't have so much other stuff to read I'd go back to some of them.

I've only seen the film of Slaughterhouse 5 - the plot with the time travel element was really philosophical and profound-when I found out that Vonnegut had actually been in Dresden the night of the bombing it blew me away! Which of his books would you recommend as an introduction to his work?

Sirens of Titan.

Sirens of Titan is maybe the Vonnegut book I enjoyed the least! Not sure why. Not to say it's bad, I just like his other stuff more. If you've not read Slaughterhouse 5 that's the obvious introduction. I actually really enjoyed Galapagos as well. Breakfast of Champions is enjoyable as well.

Also, I just finished The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks for the second time. I'd forgot how good it is, I might reread The Bridge at some point soon. It's a shame he's so hit and miss, some of his stuff is absolute dog shit (without even mentioning his sci fi stuff which just isn't my cup of tea).

Does anyone do https://www.bookcrossing.com/ stuff with their old books?

Guess not, given so few in London: https://www.bookcrossing.com/hunt/3/1558/

I've not seen that before! Might see if there's anything near me. I tend to give most of my books to friends/family after I read them though. Unless I know I'm going to want to reread something I don't see the point in holding on to them.

I hoard most of mine (lots of non-fiction) but now and then I get given a novel or something and have no interest in keeping it. I might release some of these.

Am gonna do this. Unless anyone near me just wants to collect them

I'm currently reading 'living on the volcano'

I hate football, but this is a great book about being a football manager.

I just finished 'Convenience store woman' by Sayaka Murata. Really enjoyed it, quite dark humour. Would recommend it to anyone who has had the Japanese convinience shop experience, the descriptions felt both familiar yet unfamiliar, having only experienced the customer's side of the world.

I reread The Martian. Its very entertaining, albeit trash.

You should really consider reading Brave New World by Aldous HUXLEY and We by Eugen Zamiatine.

Both are masterpiece in the same genre (dystopia ? S-Fi?).

Have you read the one he wrote about the moon. If it’s not called ‘The Moon’ then I can’t remember what it’s called.

The Moon was just another part of The Martian, wasn't it?

Fine bit of political satire there! :-)