Books - What are you reading?

I'd be interested in some of these. Can do a swap with you if you like. I can post up a list.

Sounds great!

I've actually just edited the list. My housemate wanted to read a few.

....gave up on Catch-22.......life's too short!

I am tempted to give up again. The plot is rubbish, it's soooo repetitive which I believe is also part of the story. But my god its a terrible book.

It's not a terrible book. Granted, its style might not have universal appeal. I think it has to be read with an understanding of the time in which it was written.

I read it a long time ago and enjoyed it - I can't even remember why. But I tried to read it again not so long ago and it didn't resonate in the same way.

Whenever I read a book I try to bare in mind the period, but even so I'm finding it hard work. It's more that there is a ton of dialogue between characters but very little is actually happening.

I really enjoyed it when I read it when I was a teenager! Can't remember much about it now though. I've actually been meaning to reread it soon.

Catch-22 is famous because of its central premise. That's good, but that's also it. It then hammers home the inescapability of the situation and is pretty boring for it. I don't remember it too well, as I read it about 30 years ago, but it's certainly not a book I'd consider reading again.

Also read Catch-22 as a teenager and really liked it. Have been thinking about giving it a re-read to see if it feels any different now.

I wonder if it's a bit like The Catcher in the Rye? A lot of people read it as a teenager and really empathise with Holden and think the book is incredible, but then they try re-reading it in middle age and realise that Holden is a dick and they can't relate to him, the story, or who they were at all anymore. And if you didn't read it as a teenager you go straight to the "omg this guy is a dick!" stage without collecting the idealistic teenager baggage first.

@ltc or anyone else, happy to swap any of these

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I'd take the Hunter S Thompson! I'll shoot you a PM in a bit, currently looking at LFGSS when I should be working.

This rings true for quite a few books!

Thanks to @moocher for the book swap!

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Wasn't sure if you'd read the 2nd one, so added it anyway.

Kill Your Friends was very entertaining. I'll post it back up on here with a selection of others books for people to claim.

After the weekend, this:

I have but not since I was a teenager, looking forward to re-reading it!

A couple years back I wanted to read it but somehow got it confused it Worst Person Ever by Douglas Coupland. I absolutely hated reading that and I still blame this book for having read that.

#csb

So if I am only going to read only one book by Toni Morrison, which one should it be?

Just listened to an On The Media episode with the author of that one. Very good.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?i=1000447598828

Finished the other bookswaps from @ltc
Octavia E. Butler - Parable of The Sower
Dave Eggers - The Parade
Maggie Nelson - The Argonauts

Really liked the first, would read more by her. Enjoyed the Eggers. Always like Eggers.
Didn't get on with the 3rd so well. Too intellectual.

Nice one, I'll listen to that episode soon. Thanks.

I wasn't too big on Nelson either, really struggled to get through it for a short lived book club.

Happy to swap any of these

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Finally finished The Master and Margarita today. I really enjoyed it, just haven't had much time to read recently. Been ill off work today so spent most of the day in bed reading that and a decent chunk of Road To Wigan Pier by George Orwell.
Feeling loads better but staying in bed reading is way better than being at work so I might take a bit of a turn before tomorrow.