Ancient Rome - The Rise and Fall of an Empire by Simon Baker.

I am also going to reread some Heinlein which I haven't read since probably the late 80's. Starting with the collection Revolt In 2100 and then Methuselah's Children.

I've finished 8 books so far this year:

Nina Simone's Gum by Warren Ellis
All Fours by Miranda July
The Courage to Be Disliked: The Japaneses Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your LIfe and Achieve Real Happiness by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
What He's Poised to Do: Stories by Ben Greenman
The Unknowns by Gabriel Roth
Whale and Vapor by Kim Kyung Ju (collection of poems)
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
Wizard and Glass by Stephen King, book 4 in The Dark Tower series

It's Black History Month, so I'm planning on reading only Black authors. Currently:

Chain-Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (for the Books & Bars monthly series in the Twin Cities)
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

So Much Blue by Percival Everett and NW by Zadie Smith are on deck.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:40 am I’m a couple chapters into The Ginger Man by J. P. Donleavy and loving it. A booze soaked and squalid story that’s funny until it’s very much not, as all that stuff tends to go.

I’ve read Suttree more than a few times and its sort of crazy how much Cormac pulled from this book.

Looks interesting! I added The Ginger Man to the library queue.

I’m about 1/4 into The Knockout Artist by Harry Crews, and I’m not sure if I’m going to stick with it. I find it boring, and the premise is a little ridiculous. I’ll give it a dozen or so more pages, but I’m pretty sure it’s not for me.

Books I’ve read so far in 2025-

Give Us A Kiss by Daniel Woodrell. Not his best work, but still enjoyable.
The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell. I enjoy her other books quite a bit, but this one was a little bloated. Would’ve been a solid 300-pager. Still trying to figure out what cuntshells are.
Salvage This World by Michael Farris Smith. A not-so-distant futuristic take on storm-ravaged and mostly evacuated Mississippi/Louisiana border. The climax of the book was a little far-fetched, but it was still an enjoyable read.
The Heavenly Table by Donald Ray Pollock. Loved it. This is the only one I’ve read by Pollock, and the reviews I’ve read seem to consider this to be his weakest book. I thought it was an expertly woven yarn. Can’t wait to read his other stuff.

Reading and napping are my favorite things to do nowadays. Read, nap, read, nap. It doesn’t make me very productive or constructive, but it sure makes me happy.

germ war wrote: Sat Feb 08, 2025 6:16 pm
The Courage to Be Disliked: The Japaneses Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your LIfe and Achieve Real Happiness by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga

I read this recently, was interesting but not exactly life-changing. Maybe for certain individuals it is, but the "do what you love even if it doesn't lead to fame/fortune/approval" message is certainly good.

the ethical slut

Book thread on the second page

Europe Central by William T. Vollmann.

Fucking great. Wasn’t sure if I was in for some sort of hallucinogenic Burroughs thing after that intro but it pulled together beautifully for the narrative.

It’s a historical novel set in the 20th century and I’m liking it as much as anything I’ve ever read by Robert Graves. National Book Award winner, which I’m only mentioning because it’s confirming my early opinion of the book.

The Flavor of Wood: In Search of the Wild Taste of Trees from Smoke and Sap to Root and Bark by Artur Cisar-Erlach
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/501 ... or-of-wood

Recently finished While We Were Dreaming by Clemens Meyer after reading that it was about the era of the Berlin wall. It turned out to be mostly just a story of depravity somewhat in the vein of Irvine Welsh or Hubert Selby Jr. but it was enjoyable enough.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/617 ... e-dreaming


Considering giving a re-read of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Grey or Aleister Crowley's Diary of A Drug Fiend.

Cherie Nutting with Paul Bowles, Yesterday's Perfume. What little Bowles says about himself in here is more than what he says in his entire autobiography probably. In here we learn why.

Ruland's Corporate Rock Sucks - The Rise and Fall of SST Records.

Recommended.

enframed wrote: Tue Feb 25, 2025 4:47 pm Cherie Nutting with Paul Bowles, Yesterday's Perfume. What little Bowles says about himself in here is more than what he says in his entire autobiography probably. In here we learn why.

Nice. The man who recorded the last ever Islamic call the prayer that wasn't electrified in Morocco, and a great writer. I lived there for a year.