Literary Classics & Library

I know this is a classic to many, but my introduction to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings was the movies. Three action packed, gorgeous movies with incredible scores. Absolute cinema to a 11,12,13 year old.

Of course I was curious about the books after seeing them so I remember picking up the hobbit fresh off of seeing RoTK in theaters. Underwhelmed was an understatement. I wanted action and adventure and grand battles and I remember DNFing after the troll fight, unsure why there was 10 pages of a feast but only 1 page for a fight.

Fast forward to now and my toddler (3yo about to turn 4) and I read every night to bed. On a whim I bought a nice copy of The Hobbit with illustrations and started to read to her every night. It was a bit darker than I anticipated which required me to often have to subtly skip words or sections which were violent or scary, however overall it was the perfect book. It took us about 8 months of reading a few pages every night. Most nights it'd be the second book we'd read, her choosing the first. Whenever she chose it first was a night I knew she was just trying to fall asleep ASAP and she'd be out within a couple paragraphs.

She loved the picture of Smaug in the book, regularly having me swap back to the full page picture of him and then she'd gobble up all the gold on the page. She also loved the songs, frequently asking me to find one to sing which I was more than happy to oblige (I can't sing at all but doing a low 'dwarf' voice worked for every song in the book).

As we got to the last few pages she kept asking "how many pages did we read?" and I'd say "340 pages!" and she'd go "Wow, that's crazy!" Finishing it felt monumental and bittersweet. She really enjoyed the book. Loved Smaug and loved Bilbo. She started calling her brother Bilbo because he was short with curly hair and big feet.

Anyways, since then I've been trying to fill the void with another book and... failing.

I've tried Tale of Desperaux (this one seems great but she's not into it), Narnia (not nearly as fantastical so far, hard to get her into it) and I looked at Redwall (a bit too advanced). I was really taken aback by how well structured the hobbit is. She loves the songs, the supporting characters jump off the page (she was aware of Gandalf, Bilbo, Smaug, Bard), the songs were plentiful and really helped with engagement and lastly the illustrated version was just enough to keep her engaged without it being purely a 'just words' book. Also the narrative style worked super well with each chapter feeling self contained as a story. It made it really easy to recap events when we'd pick up after a hiatus. Finding something to replace it has been super hard. I didn't respect this book growing up but now I see it for the masterpiece that it is.

I’m looking for a book (any genre really) set in the pre smart phone era. Just looking to immerse myself in a simpler time.

5/5. An absolutely fantastic, extremely thought provoking book. I've read four Cormac McCarthy books before this one, with two I loved (The Road and No Country for Old Men), one I enjoyed (Child of God), and one I felt mixed on (All the Pretty Horses). Good thing too because this was easily the most dense book by him so far, and unfortunately his artistic writing choices (not using typical punctuation) make reading Blood Meridian unnecessarily difficult at times. But, that being said, I think the book is well worth reading if you're able to handle the writing style, you're interested in the themes, or you can handle the violence in the story.

At it's heart, I think Blood Meridian spends the most time focusing on the ideas of war, violence, and the human condition. I don't even know where to start because there's so much to chew on in the book. Maybe the best place would be to address how the violence is depicted in the book to help determine if this is something you would want to read. The barebones story is that there is a 15 year old kid who joins a gang of men who are hunting Native Americans to scalp them and get monetary rewards for each one. Obviously, with a premise like that, there is some pretty gruesome material here. There are multiple depictions of murder, scalping, senseless violence against men, women, children, and even infants, people getting shot, stabbed, decapitated, set on fire, and basically anything that could have happened to a person in the mid 1800s. For the most part, the violence is graphic but not explicit. McCarthy writes everything very matter-of-factly but you won't be reading gratuitous descriptions like you would in an extreme horror novel (although arguably the base level of content here would fit in the genre). I could see people saying that the violence seems unnecessary and pointless, but I would argue that that's exactly the point McCarthy is trying to make and that it fits thematically.

Speaking of the themes, McCarthy has a lot of interesting ideas here. As addressed already, violence and domination are probably the biggest and also the central themes of the book. This is most heavily illustrated by Judge Holden, one of the most well written evil characters that has ever graced the pages of a book. Talk about an absolutely terrifying, creepy, and just completely unsettling character. The judge is this satanic, seemingly supernatural and immortal, charismatic, agent of chaos and warfare that is utterly compelling to read about. His ideas about how war is the only God, and how domination over creation is the most important concept make for great discussions. There are so many examples from the book to illustrate these themes that it'd be impossible to talk about them all here so, suffice to say, if that interests you just know that you will be well rewarded.

Tied into the ideas of violence and domination, we also get to see moments of mercy which, in this story, particularly stick out. The kid does a handful of things that contrast tremendously with the actions of those around him, and yet he himself is an incredibly violent individual. This brings us around to the good ol' free will versus determinism debate. Are the characters fated to the lives they have? Can they change things? The judge and the kid play off each other and ask these questions, but the reader is never given any definitive answer. Blood Meridian also tackles religion, the existence of God, racism, nihilism, knowledge vs wisdom, natural evils, identity, morality, and more.

I am not a prose snob by any means, but I just have to address McCarthy's writing style real quick. The prose is absolutely wonderful. There were multiple times while reading this book that I just took a moment and thought to myself, "Wow. That is some really well crafted writing." This happened especially in McCarthy's descriptions of the landscapes and weather; early in the book there is a scene where the host of characters is traveling and the descriptions of the mountains and the thunderstorms seen in the distance was just so dang good that it felt like I was transported to that time and place. It's not all good though; there were also times where I would read a sentence, reread it again, try to tackle it a third time, and then give up because it was so obtuse that I had no idea what it was trying to say. This is probably a personal problem and I'm not intelligent enough to decipher it, but I figured I'd address it anyway.

All in all, I think this is a really great book if you're looking for a lot of thought provoking material. Reading it was not always an enjoyable experience; in fact I think I'd give the reading enjoyment a 3/5, but the literary merit a 5/5, which more than makes up for the difficulty I had at times. The book is also only 350ish pages which makes it way more approachable. This is one I would reread, especially now that I am more familiar with the story and the themes, and I would recommend others do as well (with the caveats already mentioned above).

I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've read it, whether you liked it or hated it!

Looking for adult characters (not teenagers or young adults, unless they grow up and spend a significant portion of the book as adults).

No large age gaps. Seriously. Not even of the vampire/ fay variety unless *both* characters are over 100 years old.

Can be technically a romance or not, as long as there's a strong romantic subplot.

Any gender combination but if they're not straight, I don't want them to be a straight coded queer couple. (I.e. no men who are basically "the woman" or women who are "the guy" in the relationship).

Well written, obviously. Something that will evoke emotion. And that relies on the old adage of "show, don't tell".

Thanks.

I have never read nonfiction before so I am wondering if there are some books that can act as a good bridge between fiction and nonfiction.

I did do a quick search of this sub, but a lot of the recommendations I pulled up seemed to be murder centered or other true crime. I don’t really want that at the moment.

I’m thinking of starting with my childhood favorite topics. I was a big fan of the history channel as young as 3 years old so ancient history would be a fun topic. That or dinosaurs.

I am also interested in recs based on your favorite topics too! I tend to prefer medium to fast paced stories so which makes nonfiction a bit intimidating as it can lean slow and academic and I am not sure I have the stamina to push through that right now lol

Here was the most polarizing question: if an author runs their writing through an LLM to ask for advice on structure, does that make the finished work "AI-written"?

Hi! I’m looking for books where a stage play is part of the plot. It can be a major part of the plot like Glorious Exploits, or it can be a smaller, side character project like in The Saint of Bright Doors.

Thanks in advance, I look forward to your suggestions!

Hi! As the title said I would love any books that look at a developed Native American focused North America.

In general I would love any other books about Native American communities novels or informative. Ideally I am not looking for books focused on real modern or historical tragedy rather celebratory or uplifting books focused on a real or fictional character, group or cultural practice.

I am quite into subtle, near future sci-fis with something to say. I really like ones that follow a semi-ordinary person in a sci fi world where you slowly learn more about the sci fi surroundings as the story marches along. Some ones that I’ve read and liked a lot:

* 1984
* Farenheit 451
* Brave New World
* The Lathe of Heaven
* Never Let Me Go
* I Who Have Never Known Men
* Parable of the Sower and Talents
* Chain Gang All Stars
* The Wall
* The Road
* Slaughterhouse Five

Got any good suggestions? Thanks!

Over the past year ive started a journey on reaching through heavy and controversial books, sort of searching for something to really hit hard and leave a lasting impact. The list of what ive read so far includes:

Tender is the Flesh

Lord of the Flies

A Clockwork Orange

Brave New World

Flowers for Algernon

Animal Farm

1984 (currently working on, ill get back to this in a second)

Some others I should mention, in a hopes to flesh out my taste profile some more:

House of Leaves is my all time favorite book (so much so that I got a tattoo to honor it)

I loved the John Dies at the End series, and have read almost all of his other work as well

I have attempted infinite jest multiple times, but its density is just too much for me, I loved it and enjoyed what I read greatly, but wow its tough

I got halfway through Knockemstiff and dont think ill ever pick that book up again, I felt physically disgusting just reading it

Mr. B Gone was a very fun and entertaining book that I enjoyed

-- the reason I need some recommendations is because everything ive read recently has just left me feeling more and more hopeless and saddened by the world and life in general, and now reading through 1984 this is definitely pushing its limits. Don't get me wrong I love this book, but its seriously doing a number on my mental state and how I feel about the political world and such, AND IM ONLY HALFWAY THROUGH WITH IT!

Officially, my next book ill be reading is The King in Yellow, but after that im all out of books and would really like something thats the total opposite of 1984, I guess? I cant shake the feeling of not having true freedom, and that were all being manipulated by media and politics, which im not here to argue the validity of, instead im thinking the best ideas for my next few reads should be more along the lines of a nihilistic absurdism, preferably something comedic as well? The only book I can find under this idea is The Stranger, which i may end up reading as well.

Sorry for the lengthy post !! Im a bit of a rambler, but if you read through all of that then please enjoy a cookie 🍪!! Thank you for any recommendations you may have :)

RAGAD is an absolute masterpiece, and thematically it's very tied to Hamlet, but! It's fun to think of what other stories could be explored with a similar concept:)

Hello, I'll be visiting Poland soon and I'd like to read some literature to really get in the mood. As I'm practically a noob when it comes to Polish authors or even books set in Poland, I'd appreciate some recommendations.

So far the only book I read that's set in Poland was The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass (I have mixed feelings about the book as I hated the protagonist, but I definitely want to visit Gdansk because of it).

Some of my preferences:

-preferably female authors (not obligatory, but I do try to read more books written by women)

-I enjoy historical fiction and magical realism

-I dislike books where nothing ever happens, and I prefer an interesting plot to just psilosophising

-I enjoy mysteries/books with eerie atmosphere

They can be new or old, ideally from the 20th century or more recent, but everything works really.

Thanks you immensely in advance!

I don't say this lightly, I just finished E.F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia series (all six books) and I am bereft. In the best way. I need to talk about how good these are, because I feel like they don't come up nearly enough.

If you haven't heard of them, they're a series of comic novels written in the 1920s-30s, set in small, impossibly charming English villages (Riseholme, then Tilling) among a cast of "idle rich" characters whose entire lives revolve around social one-upmanship. Who hosts the best garden party. Who "discovers" the next fashionable fad first. Who can out-manoeuvre whom over a bridge table or a recipe for lobster à la Riseholme. That's it. That's the plot, for six books. And it is an absolute delight.

The comedy is razor-sharp but never mean. Benson clearly adores these ridiculous people even as he's skewering them mercilessly. Lucia (self-appointed queen of Riseholme, then invader of Tilling) is a monster of vanity, ambition, and reinvention, and you root for her anyway. Miss Mapp is her equal and opposite-- paranoid, scheming, endlessly plotting from behind her garden hedge. Watching the two of them go to war is one of the great pleasures in English comic fiction.

It's a peek into a world that doesn't exist anymore, and honestly, may never have quite existed the way Benson paints it. Small towns where everyone knows everyone, days structured around callers and correspondence and elaborate social rituals, crises measured in things like who got invited to whose bridge evening. It's nostalgic in a way that feels almost fantastical, and that's exactly the appeal. You get to live inside it for a while.

And it's just so cosy. For all the scheming, there's real warmth here. It's gentle in a way a lot of satire isn't; there's no cruelty underneath it, just people being magnificently, entertainingly petty about very small stakes, in a world that feels safe and enclosed and full.

If you like Barbara Pym, Wodehouse, or just want something funny and warm and slightly wicked to disappear into, start with Queen Lucia and just keep going. You will not want it to end. I didn't.

Hello everyone! Looking for some fantasy western novels (will also accept space westerns, huge Firefly fan). Recently I read Lone Women and just finished The Good Luck Girls, and I'm looking for something similar. Thank you!

I'm going to try not to make this post too long as I tend to overexplain. I was a huge reader as a kid. I would read Goosebumps, Fear Street, Baby Sitter's Club, Boxcar children. When I was a teen/young adult, I moved to Daughters of The Moon, different vampire fiction and Sailor Moon manga. I liked A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore in my early college years and Half the Blood of Brooklyn by Charlie Huston particularly.

I took a long time off from reading mostly due to just life stuff. I feel like I've tried a little of every genre but I finish very few books. Most of which I did notice have been nonfiction. I guess that might end up answering my own question but I still want to try. I think the only fiction I did finish was Lilith and Never Lie. I know I absolutely don't want straight up romance books or main characters under the age of 35. (I'm 40). I also don't want anything made popular by "booktok" or other social media because I think that has also been part of the issue. I don't care about trigger warnings and open to almost anything. I just have no idea what that would leave me with or where to turn first.

If it helps: some of my favorite shows currently and in the more recent(ish) past are Yellowjackets, Evil (from 2019), Lucifer, Supernatural, Shrinking, Star Trek TNG and some of the news ones, Dead to Me...probably some others I'm forgetting.

I am looking for a recommendation for my office book club! I joined the office last year and they are re-upping the book club and I volunteered to be in charge. It is all women and we all get along well. We work in policy so I am not looking for an overly political book or a book about work dynamics (both in mild doses would be fine). I would prefer fiction but would also be open to Sci-fi or fantasy! It would also ideally be under 400 pages. Thanks!

I'm looking for book recommendations for the 2 following genres:

1. Dystopian fiction similar to Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I love this slow, character-driven storytelling that deeply reflects on the human condition. Also open to books that are more fast-paced and have a political focus.

2. I've recently been doing a refresh on my knowledge of early-to-mid 20th century history, including WW1, WW2, and Cold War. The internet is a great resource but I'd like to do a deeper dive with some reading.

I think these two genres make an interesting combination because most dystopian novels, in some way, reflect on human error throughout history. So, bonus points of you can recommend me a dystopian novel and historical nonfiction that connect. :)