What are you currently reading?

[DavidW]

Worth a read? Maybe it would be less fatiguing with reading-only glasses, trust me I'm an optometry student 

Nope!  I have astigmatism.  It is progressives or nothing.

Yes it is worth a read.  Even though we live in a more feminist society, Thackeray's critique of the patriarchy has elements that definitely still stand today.

[Brian]

I just finished the famous novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. There were moments I appreciated, but the last third or so of the novel dragged badly; not for me, I'm afraid.

You may be reacting to the feelings of Twain himself, who famously put it down and stopped writing two-thirds through because he realized that his subject matter was too tragic for his usual cheery ending. I think it was years before he picked it up again (to add the ambivalent but somewhat cheery ending).

[vers la flamme]

Nope!  I have astigmatism.  It is progressives or nothing.

Yes it is worth a read.  Even though we live in a more feminist society, Thackeray's critique of the patriarchy has elements that definitely still stand today.

I didn't mean dollar store readers, you  can get prescription glasses for reading only that correct your astigmatism! The optics are different than progressives, and might be easier on the eyes. The drawback obviously is you'd have to change glasses when you have to read but worth considering I'd say.

[vers la flamme]

You may be reacting to the feelings of Twain himself, who famously put it down and stopped writing two-thirds through because he realized that his subject matter was too tragic for his usual cheery ending. I think it was years before he picked it up again (to add the ambivalent but somewhat cheery ending).

Hemingway famously dismissed the final third of the book as "cheating", going beyond the "real ending". It wasn't that I found it too cheery, but Tom Sawyer's behavior at the end was kind of despicable. At least he got shot for it

[Florestan]

Nope!  I have astigmatism.  It is progressives or nothing.

I have astigmatism too and I use two pairs of glasses, one for driving and one for reading.

[DavidW]

I have astigmatism too and I use two pairs of glasses, one for driving and one for reading.

Yeah I have a friend that does that but I need my glasses on all the time, my vision is awful.  Progressives make more sense then instead of flipping between two different prescription glasses.

[Florestan]

Yeah I have a friend that does that but I need my glasses on all the time, my vision is awful.  Progressives make more sense then instead of flipping between two different prescription glasses.

Of course, whatever works best for you. I have a friend who gave up progressives (he found the transition from close to far or viceversa too abrupt and annoying) and went for two pairs instead.

[Karl Henning]

I was slightly disappointed to see Gravity's Rainbow in there, as it's a personal fave that I reread occasionally.

The issue with the first 100 pages is that the narrative is epicyclic rather than linear.  I didn't get that the first time I tried, and didn't make it past - because I was looking in vain for a thread to follow, rather than simply enjoying it as an extended bravura literary cadenza.  Nowadays I enjoy that part the most, and tend to find it falls a little flat when it gets more sensible.

Interesting, thanks!

[Karl Henning]

Well, I plowed through that one. A very addictive story that I could not have put down if I wanted to, and just an incredibly enjoyable read. Highly recommended to anyone, though I expect there may be those who do not take this book or its author seriously, as the stuff of mere entertainment and unworthy of the time needed to read it. (For shame!)

Without scorning him, I've just not read any Dumas. I'll keep this in mind, thanks!

[Karl Henning]

I switched to Project Gutenberg on the Kindle.

Very resourceful, I must keep that in mind.

[Karl Henning]

You may be reacting to the feelings of Twain himself, who famously put it down and stopped writing two-thirds through because he realized that his subject matter was too tragic for his usual cheery ending. I think it was years before he picked it up again (to add the ambivalent but somewhat cheery ending).

Intresting, gents.

[DavidW]

Without scorning him, I've just not read any Dumas. I'll keep this in mind, thanks!

I've read Count of Monte Cristo twice, it is quite a page turner!

[AnotherSpin]

Of course, whatever works best for you. I have a friend who gave up progressives (he found the transition from close to far or viceversa too abrupt and annoying) and went for two pairs instead.

I have progressives and reading ones.

[DavidW]

I have progressives and reading ones.

After the recent posts I am starting to think maybe it wouldn't be too bad to have dedicated reading glasses for when I am reading.

[vers la flamme]

I started Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace about a week ago. I've never read it—indeed, I've never read a book this long, though Monte Cristo came close—but I've loved everything else I've read from Tolstoy, including Anna which I read in high school. So far so good, but it's been a slow read. Not that it's a particularly difficult book, at least not yet, but there's so much detail on every page, and sometimes I have to stop to admire the author's masterful execution, and reread. So this will probably take a while Being lazy, I got a translation with minimal French, the Briggs on Penguin.

[DavidW]

I started Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace about a week ago. I've never read it—indeed, I've never read a book this long, though Monte Cristo came close—but I've loved everything else I've read from Tolstoy, including Anna which I read in high school. So far so good, but it's been a slow read. Not that it's a particularly difficult book, at least not yet, but there's so much detail on every page, and sometimes I have to stop to admire the author's masterful execution, and reread. So this will probably take a while Being lazy, I got a translation with minimal French, the Briggs on Penguin.

I've read War and Peace three times!  I hope you enjoy it.

[vers la flamme]

I've read War and Peace three times!  I hope you enjoy it.

Nice! Assuming you read it in English, may I ask what translation(s) you read?

[AnotherSpin]

I started Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace about a week ago. I've never read it—indeed, I've never read a book this long, though Monte Cristo came close—but I've loved everything else I've read from Tolstoy, including Anna which I read in high school. So far so good, but it's been a slow read. Not that it's a particularly difficult book, at least not yet, but there's so much detail on every page, and sometimes I have to stop to admire the author's masterful execution, and reread. So this will probably take a while Being lazy, I got a translation with minimal French, the Briggs on Penguin.

When I read and re-read War and Peace years ago, I was unaware of the profound influence Schopenhauer had on Tolstoy. I'm still going to read it again, through the prism of the latter's ideas.

[Henk]

If you are reading thick books, consider Thomas Mann's magnum opus 'Joseph and his Brothers':
Mann thought his book would be remembered as 'humanizing mythology'. It's really exceptional good, but difficult. Since I read in bed the book is hard to hold, the font is also small and since it's a difficult read I gave up and choose to read other books first. Maybe will pick up later again.

https://www.amazon.nl/Joseph-His-Brothers-Translated-Introduced/dp/1400040019/ref=sr_1_19?crid=35FK21YS35HTX&keywords=thomas+mann+joseph&qid=1706924998&sprefix=Thomas+mann+%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-19

[vers la flamme]

If you are reading thick books, consider Thomas Mann's magnum opus 'Joseph and his Brothers':
Mann thought his book would be remembered as 'humanizing mythology'. It's really exceptional good, but difficult. Since I read in bed the book is hard to hold, the print is also small and since it's a difficult read I gave up and choose to read other books first. Maybe will pick up later again.

https://www.amazon.nl/Joseph-His-Brothers-Translated-Introduced/dp/1400040019/ref=sr_1_19?crid=35FK21YS35HTX&keywords=thomas+mann+joseph&qid=1706924998&sprefix=Thomas+mann+%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-19

I just saw a copy of this at Strand here in New York a couple of days ago, and while I was there I read the first couple of pages. I really admire Thomas Mann and would love to read that one. Really want to read Zauberberg (of which I read the first half while in an inpatient mental health facility  but never finished) and Faustus as well, which I also started but never finished. Death in Venice and Buddenbrooks are two of my favorite books.