Hobbies book6 - suggestions pls

[teal6]

good afternoon and evening folks. my name is teal6, and you may remember me from such hits as "somewhat being adjacent to numerous more successful players" and "the guy who thinks that typing out an incredibly, almost annoyingly lengthy opening to his forum post implies that he's being humorous but really that style of humor has been out of vogue since somethingawful died in like 2012".

basically i want to game-ify my reading habits because i noticed that they are falling off as i'm aging more and more and i dislike that. so i set a simple goal. i would read one novel a month for 2022. no lofty heights, but make sure i ingest something that isn't illegal or incredibly damaging to my internal organs. last month i reread The Rebel, which normally i wouldn't count, but i had been planning on doing that for a while anyway. btw check that out, it's quite good.

ultimately i need some suggestions though, as i'm pretty sick of reading shit from white guys between the years 1850-1950. i need something new, but as we all know, the internet is terrible at providing real suggestions. as such, i'd like to ask a slightly dumber source, that being the general smogon userbase, under the assumption that intelligence and recommendations will follow smoething like a horsehoe, and i can come out with some good ones by decrementing the esteem within which i hold the folks that i ask.

of course, i jest. but seriously, please recommend a novel to read for the month of february before february 5th at 12PM ET.

i will read one of the novels suggested. please don't do any huge super tomes or anything like that. i'll write up at least one paragraph of a review. maybe other people can read the same one and we can chat about it a bit. admittedly, i've been meaning to read / finish Less Than Zero, so if someone suggests that, i'll likely pick it. but if they don't i promise i'll do one from the other suggestions. thanks and peace.

 

[Myzozoa]

only less than 500 page fiction books considered to have some type of merit or will at least not bore u to death I hope:

The Parable of the Sower- Octavia Butler (Butler novel set in a highly realistic to the 202x decade mad-max type civilization collapse survival scenario, somewhat introspective, very topical)
Milk Fed-Melissa Broder (a psychological novel about a Jewish woman discovering her attraction for women and working on her toxic relationship with her own mother)
Amateur- Thomas Page Mcbee (story of the first trans man to box at madison square garden, p short, v readable if youre just looking to knock something out quickly)
Awakenings or"Zartonk" Trilogy- by Malkas (3 books, all very exciting and around 300-400 pages each, a fictionalized recollection of the Armenian revolutionary movement that captures the intensity of many moments in a v thrilling suspenseful way)
Scheherazade also called The Arabian Nights or The 1001 Nights- translated by Muhsin Mahdi (a classic in entertaining lit whose devices have stood the test of time)
Breakfast of Champions-Vonnegut (my fav Vonnegut and possibly my favorite novel, this one is where he talks about mental illness and American history/culture, unfort unlike the other books on this list he won't be a break from white men)

I reserve the right to make a second post in this thread if I think of other books, but these are the ones that stood out for my on my all time list and in my most recent reads omitting all avante garde/experimental/overly theoretical/abstract novels which are good, but I'm p sure aren't what you're looking for.

 

[chimp]

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

 

[antemortem]

Lot by Bryan Washington for a novel length set of Houston-anchored vignettes with a very dry, sardonic sense of humor. I read it recently and thought it was a poignant, albeit dramatized, account of a lower-class, biracial (Black/Mexican), and queer (bi/pan) guy in his childhood through early adult years. The helpful thing about this book is that it isn’t one cohesive narrative so the chapters read like full story arcs—sometimes he uses callbacks that are helpful for pinning down the timeline—which should maximize how quickly you rip through it.

gl!

 

[Martin]

It’s a little on the shorter side, but I read Territory of Light by Yūko Tsushima back in 2019 and remember enjoying it a lot. I’m currently debating between rereading this and actually attempting to address my book backlog atm lol.

I also finished reading Foundation by Isaac Asimov a few weeks ago and also greatly recommend it. It’s apparently part of a larger series of books, but I’ve only read the first one. It’s once again on the shorter side, but if some early modern science fiction is smth that’d interest you it’s one of the better ones I’ve come across.

If you want a fast-paced, wonderfully written post-apocalyptic thriller, I very strongly recommend The Girl with All the Gifts and The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey (in that order). Very enjoyable, easy to read, and difficult to put down. Probably my favourite books that I’ve read for the first time over the past 2–3 years.

I haven’t gotten around to reading the books yet, but I’ve watched the TV adaptation of the first two of Hillary Mantel’s Wolf Hall books two or three times now and it’s one of the absolute best things I’ve ever watched. It’s one of the most brilliantly researched pieces of historical fiction I’ve ever seen, and I’ve heard the books are even more detailed and brilliant than the TV adaptation was.

Another one I’ve seen the TV adaptation for but not yet read that’s in my backlog is Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackery. It is admittedly directly adjacent to that time period you said you’re a bit sick of (1847–8), but I remember thinking the TV adaptation was very good when I watched it back in 2018, so I figured I’d recc it anyway.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is a pretty easy recommendation that I wouldn’t be that surprised if someone else has recc’d it before. A really fantastic apocalypse story that jumps backwards and forwards through time to talk about life before and after the disease, tied in a lovely knot by a comic book that is in one of the characters’ possession.

It’s also just far too easy to recommend Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials books if you somehow, by some miracle, haven’t already read them.

 

[Leo]

randomly stumbled upon this thread and it made me think of the 1 novel i recommend to pretty much anyone that asks me for book recs: 100 years of solitude. It's hard to explain what made this such an enjoyable read for me, it's purposefully convoluted and abandons all logic pretty much from the get go but García Marquez' style makes it feel magical and fantastic, like a fairy tale taking place in the real world. Not sure if it gets lost in translation but the humor is on point too despite how old the novel is. 10/10 would recommend

 

[Kink]

Siddhartha is a lovely tale that you will enjoy.

 

[Lemonade]

Who fears death by Nnedi Okorafor (back cover summary)

In a post-apocalyptic Africa, the world has changed in many ways, yet in one region genocide between tribes still bloodies the land. After years of enslaving the Okeke people, the Nuru tribe has decided to follow the Great Book and exterminate the Okeke tribe for good. An Okeke woman who has survived the annihilation of her village and a terrible rape by an enemy general wanders into the desert hoping to die. Instead, she gives birth to an angry baby girl with hair and skin the color of sand. Gripped by the certainty that her daughter is different—special—she names her child Onyesonwu, which means “Who Fears Death?” in an ancient tongue.

From a young age, stubborn, willful Onyesonwu is trouble. It doesn’t take long for her to understand that she is physically and socially marked by the circumstances of her violent conception. She is Ewu—a child of rape who is expected to live a life of violence, a half-breed rejected by both tribes.

But Onye is not the average Ewu. As a child, Onye’s singing attracts owls. By the age of eleven, she can change into a vulture. But these amazing abilities are merely the first glimmers of a remarkable unique magic. As Onye grows, so do her abilities—soon she can manipulate matter and flesh, or travel beyond into the spiritual world. During an inadvertent visit to this other realm she learns something terrifying: someone powerful is trying to kill her.

Desperate to elude her would-be murderer, and to understand her own nature, she seeks help from the magic practitioners of her village. But, even among her mother’s people, she meets with frustrating prejudice because she is Ewu and female. Yet Onyesonwu persists.

Eventually her magical destiny and her rebellious nature will force her to leave home on a quest that will be perilous in ways that Onyesonwu can not possibly imagine. For this journey will cause her to grapple with nature, tradition, history, true love, the spiritual mysteries of her culture, and ultimately to learn why she was given the name she bears: Who Fears Death?

Left hand of darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (goodreads description)

A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can choose - and change - their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters.

Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.

 

[Diophantine]

Not a novel, but given the things I know you're interested in, Soccermatics: Mathematical Adventures in the Beautiful Game is what I'd recommend for you

 

[boo836]

If you want some scifi:

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
The Expanse, James SA Corey
Machine Man, Max Barry
Three Body Problem By Liu Cixin

 

[Eeveeto]

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I literally finished this 2 days ago, lol. Very good book and the sequel ( Crooked kingdom) looks very promising too so far. Definitely recommend everything this author writes.

 

[teal6]

It’s a little on the shorter side, but I read Territory of Light by Yūko Tsushima back in 2019 and remember enjoying it a lot. I’m currently debating between rereading this and actually attempting to address my book backlog atm lol.

just a headsup but i will be doing this one. expect a shitty written review within the next three weeks

also, some really great suggestions in here. ty for that. i have read a large number of the suggested works so far (bluntly i have spent my entire life feeling intrinsically lesser than those around me and by pretending to be learned i can push back that negative feeling if only momentarily, which resulted in a lot of reading as a kid) but most are quite good. particularly the foundation recommendation, i recc. that all the time but have gotten so few takers on actually reading it

 

[teal6]

side note but if anyone wants to be a beta reader for my own novel hmu in PM cuz my natural hermit tendencies + having moved + not wanting to burden people by asking directly means a combo of 1) i dont talk to anyone irl anymore and 2) i feel bad asking my typical online friends to do labor on my behalf

 

[STABLE]

expect a shitty written review within the next three weeks

teal6 why did you have to lie to my face. It's been almost 2 months. I am so tired of waiting.

 

[Martin]

teal6 why did you have to lie to my face. It's been almost 2 months. I am so tired of waiting.

 

[teal6]

teal6 why did you have to lie to my face. It's been almost 2 months. I am so tired of waiting.

i will get to it i promise. i decided to quit my job which made the last month a little harder than i thought it'd be + i'm also manic depressive and it's usually pretty obvious to see my manic states when i think i can accomplish ten billion things

 

[STABLE]

oh, sorry

 

[teal6]

no theres no need to be sorry its a fun mental illness like haha isn't teal nuts! dw

 

[STABLE]

i love you teal

 

[antemortem]

no theres no need to be sorry its a fun mental illness like haha isn't teal nuts! dw

With all due respect, just let us know if it turns into that so we can know not to expect the book review anymore!

Also if you wanted to turn this into a book club sort of situation, without the weird connotation/stigma book clubs are normally surrounded by, I could be into that.

 

[teal6]

With all due respect, just let us know if it turns into that so we can know not to expect the book review anymore!

Also if you wanted to turn this into a book club sort of situation, without the weird connotation/stigma book clubs are normally surrounded by, I could be into that.

its coming, the new job owns so i'm finishing this week. "believe it" - naruto.

 

[teal6]

just about done. review tmrw

 

[teal6]

i'll start by saying that territory of light felt longer than it's page count. perhaps this is due to my state in reading it, perhaps this is due to a bit of padding in the narrative. the novel plays around with its language, which is something that i enjoy a lot and attempt to practice in my own writing - though of course, it's difficult to tell the extent of intentionality, given that i'm reading a translation. still, though, i think the mood of the period is captured very well, and i've literally never engaged with any writing for 1970s japan, so that was neat. this is a feminist novel, and i am a feminist too, though i think it fails to say anything new on the subject (accounting for culture and time, this is maybe more damning than it really needs to be as a piece of criticism). the novel is a little ponderous, but i think that's by design, and is inherent in the structure. i give points for someone trying something even if they don't achieve what they've aimed for. you can pick this novel up and put it down for a while at the end of chapters, that's a positive and a negative of it's narrative. the dialogue was mostly fine, and that's something i struggle with a ton when writing, and i've grown to love a certain type of ultra realistic dialogue which simply isn't present in this novel (though it's largely not present in most novels). the character(s) did not leave a super strong impression on me.

overall, fine, but i do feel this could have been more. i'd be unlikely to reread it, and will score it a 6/10, slightly above average.

please recommend the may 2022 novel, which will be significantly easier as i now have a new job which is only part time and i feel like i can breathe again

 

[teal6]

also please let me know if that's a reasonable summary. i dont' want to give spoilers in case anyone else wants to read it, but i know that when people suggest things, they' sometimes look for reactions to certain techniques, scenes, even lines. i can provide this and notes as necessary, but i've never been a phenomenal critic (see my 500 in 500 movie thread, a lot of those reviews are "this was bad") so its something to work on

 

[Paulluxx]

I am trying to get back into reading after COVID and finishing high school crippled any drive I had to read. So seeing this thread on smogon has me excited and interested.

Breakfast of Champions-Vonnegut (my fav Vonnegut and possibly my favorite novel, this one is where he talks about mental illness and American history/culture, unfort unlike the other books on this list he won't be a break from white men)

Breakfast of Champions is actually the only Vonnegut book I haven’t read, it sits on my shelf unopened, but seeing somebody mention it as their favorite book in general has me interested. What puts it there?

Personally my favorite Vonnegut is Galapagos, mostly for nostalgia reasons as I read it when I was definitely too young to read Vonnegut. Especially Galapagos but, I was just drawn in by everything in it.