*What book are you reading? (part 2)

[sojourner]

How's it working out for you ?

I've just inhaled Silence of the Girls by the ever-amazing Pat Barker. Immersive, interesting and worth a whirl.

Only just started it Will report back. Got heavily into meditating over the last year or so, and wanted to know more about Buddhist meditation. I love the breath-based meds.

Ooo, love Pat Barker! Will get hold of that.

 

[T & P]

Re-reading The Never Ending Story, the first time since I was a kid. I first read the book before the film had come out, and it might arguably be my favourite children’s book ever. Certainly one that stands up to being read again as a grownup.

As a slight derail, I regularly worry about my indescribably shit short term memory and what it might suggest health wise later in life. But I was very pleased to see I am actually remembering certain sentences/ quotes from the book pretty much word by word, more than three decades after I last read it. My long term memory at least is working okay

 

[Orang Utan]

Re-reading The Never Ending Story, the first time since I was a kid. I first read the book before the film had come out, and it might arguably be my favourite children’s book ever. Certainly one that stands up to being read again as a grownup.

As a slight derail, I regularly worry about my indescribably shit short term memory and what it might suggest health wise later in life. But I was very pleased to see I am actually remembering certain sentences/ quotes from the book pretty much word by word, more than three decades after I last read it. My long term memory at least is working okay

Bist du Deutscher?

 

[Johnny Vodka]

I am reading The Remains of the Day. The film/book never looked like my sort of thing at all (toffs), but the combination of Adam Buxton going on about it a lot and me really loving Never Let Me Go persuaded me... I must be enjoying it because I'm getting through it really quickly. Been a while since I read Never Let Me Go, but I'm sure there are a few similarities between the two books.

 

[T & P]

Bist du Deutscher?

No, I'm not German. My aunt, who's always been a bookworm, bought it for me. I hadn't heard of it when I first got it.

 

[Dillinger4]

It’s in my pile. Should I move it up?

Yes. This is Olga Tokarczuk's masterpiece. It is not perfect, but it is all the better for that. I think it was published in Polish in 2012 or around then, and translated into English fairly recently, but it feels very relevant to now, and to right now. A good part of the novel is set in Podolia in what is now Ukraine, within a week or two of finishing this book, Russia invaded Ukraine. Then, as of now, this has been a part of the world with mixed, uncertain, unresolved and changing identities. I found the portrayal of Jacob Frank to be deeply fascinating. The book never shows the events from his perspective, only from the perspective of all the people Frank interacts with through the events of the novel, so you only see him from the outside. This portrayal of Jacob Frank also feels very relevant to the present moment. I also ended up learning quite a lot about Judaism, its history in Eastern Europe, and more abstract ideas from Kabalah and the Zohar.

This is a long book and is not always an easy read, but it is interesting and rewarding, and I have found myself thinking about it quite a lot after finishing it, so I would definitely recommend it, and there really is no better time than right now to read it.

 

[Dillinger4]

Only just started it Will report back. Got heavily into meditating over the last year or so, and wanted to know more about Buddhist meditation. I love the breath-based meds.

Ooo, love Pat Barker! Will get hold of that.

If you want any recommendations on books about Buddhism and / or meditation, let me know! At the very least I could recommend some poetry that I reckon you would love (if you haven't read it already!), the poetry in particular definitely helped me deepen my practice.

If I could recommend just one book about Buddhism though, I would recommend this:

The Heart Sutra translated by Red Pine

You can google the Heart Sutra and find it very easily, it is short enough to fit on a couple of pages. It is the translation and the collection of commentary by Red Pine that make this book worth reading. There is a sense that the Heart Sutra contains absolutely everything you need to know about Buddhism. There is a lot to unpack, and that is why the collected commentary is so valuable.

 

[sojourner]

Thank you Dillinger4 , yes please to all recommendations. I didn't know where to start tbh, so made myself pick 2 books. The other is The Little Book of Buddhism

I'll get the Heart Sutra one.

 

[flypanam]

William Maxwell's 'So long see you tomorrow' heartbreaking in all the best ways. He builds the community with such economy and goes off in some amazing riffs.

 

[izz]

I am reading The Remains of the Day. The film/book never looked like my sort of thing at all (toffs), but the combination of Adam Buxton going on about it a lot and me really loving Never Let Me Go persuaded me... I must be enjoying it because I'm getting through it really quickly. Been a while since I read Never Let Me Go, but I'm sure there are a few similarities between the two books.

Lovely, pivotal but heartbreaking moment in there, makes me cry every time. I'm currently on The Dark Vault by Schwab, which I'm enjoying hugely

 

[BristolEcho]

Finished Men who hate Women - Laura Bates. Really good. Covered some stuff I knew, but lots that I didn't and had some good thoughts on ways to combat the problems.

Also finished Harry Potter Philosopher's stone Audiobook. First time I've worked through these since I was a kid and I can't help but think they need some child safeguarding policies to be put in place.

Next:

Book: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart - Saw this on here too I think.
Audiobook: Currently working my way through Wool by Hugh Howie. Read the books and it's good to revisit it in Audio format.

 

[BristolEcho]

I am reading The Remains of the Day. The film/book never looked like my sort of thing at all (toffs), but the combination of Adam Buxton going on about it a lot and me really loving Never Let Me Go persuaded me... I must be enjoying it because I'm getting through it really quickly. Been a while since I read Never Let Me Go, but I'm sure there are a few similarities between the two books.

I am going to add Never Let Me Go to my audiobook list. I read the original book and watched the film, but can't remember what I thought about it so would be good to listen to it.

 

[rubbershoes]

I've been on The Busconductor Hines by James Kelman. It's not one of his best.

But yesterday I was distracted by A Guinea Pig Pride & Prejudice. The classic novel with some important scenes recreated by guinea pigs in period costume.

Here we see Lizzie being wooed by the oily Mr Collins



It's an easier read than the original. You can get through it in 10 minutes.

 

[Nikkormat]

Rosa Luxemburg biography by Dana Mills. Very readable so far.

 

[inva]

Just started Naming Names by Victor S. Navasky on the Hollywood blacklist, HUAC and all that. I've been wanting to read something about it for a while and so far this seems like a good choice.

 

[DotCommunist]

Just finished Mark Lanegan's 'Sing Backwards and Weep' autobio, now onto Purgatory Mount by Adam Roberts.

 

[sojourner]

Just finished Mark Lanegan's 'Sing Backwards and Weep' autobio, now onto Purgatory Mount by Adam Roberts.

And? What did you think?

 

[sojourner]

I'm halfway through Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake as well as the Dalai Lama book now. My daughter outlaw has read EL and wants to talk about it when we visit next week.

 

[Dillinger4]

I'm halfway through Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake as well as the Dalai Lama book now. My daughter outlaw has read EL and wants to talk about it when we visit next week.

I read Entangled Life recently, very interesting. There is so much in the life of fungi that really is absolutely astonishing. They really do defy any and all categorisation. My impression after reading Entangled Life is that we as humans would do well to learn from the life of fungi. They existed before us, they made so much of the rest of nature possible, and they will without question outlive humanity as well. I love that they can exist symbiotically with algae as lichen. I think there is so much to be gained from further study of fungal life, I think there are lessons to be learned that might change everything.

You might also like The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Tsing

Matsutake is the most valuable mushroom in the world—and a weed that grows in human-disturbed forests across the Northern Hemisphere. Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing’s account of these sought-after fungi offers insights into areas far beyond just mushrooms and addresses a crucial question: What manages to live in the ruins we have made? The Mushroom at the End of the World explores the unexpected corners of matsutake commerce, where we encounter Japanese gourmets, capitalist traders, Hmong jungle fighters, Finnish nature guides, and more. These companions lead us into fungal ecologies and forest histories to better understand the promise of cohabitation in a time of massive human devastation. The Mushroom at the End of the World delves into the relationship between capitalist destruction and collaborative survival within multispecies landscapes, the prerequisite for continuing life on earth.

 

[sojourner]

Dillinger4 What's really struck me out of all of it so far is the seemingly obvious (when you think about it!) theory that the impression/feeling of 'interconnectedness', that is so much a feature of any trip, could be related to the actuality of everything genuinely being connected via mycelium. He uses the Carpenter ant example of a physical takeover by fungi (and how gobsmacking is THAT?!), and relates the interconnectedness to a possible mental takeover. It's such a logical proposition, and makes absolute sense of every time I've ever felt that.

Oh without doubt, fungi are the most impressive 'being' we have on planet Earth - not quite flora, not quite fauna, more robust than everything else in existence, and operate in countless ways.

Ta for the tip!

 

[DotCommunist]

And? What did you think?

I thought he was funny, fucked up and not without a certain self-absorption but very human with it. His eye for the trivial but engrossing anecdote had me laughing. Theres a lengthly passage about how much he hated Liam Gallagher when forced to work with him that's worth the cover price alone.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

I'm in the middle of Entangled Life and tbh I'm finding it a bit hard-going. There's an obvious overlap with Michael Pollan's How To Change Your Mind and I thought Pollan managed to bring science to life in a more accessible and engaging way. (If you haven't read the Pollan book, it does take occasional detours away from psychedelics - e.g. how other animals perceive the world, the wood wide web, etc.)

 

[sojourner]

I'm in the middle of Entangled Life and tbh I'm finding it a bit hard-going. There's an obvious overlap with Michael Pollan's How To Change Your Mind and I thought Pollan managed to bring science to life in a more accessible and engaging way. (If you haven't read the Pollan book, it does take occasional detours away from psychedelics - e.g. how other animals perceive the world, the wood wide web, etc.)

Tbf, Entangled Life is about much more than psychedelics anyway. What are you finding hard going about it?

 

[Johnny Vodka]

Tbf, Entangled Life is about much more than psychedelics anyway. What are you finding hard going about it?

Yeah, I know it's about more than psychedelics. But I guess my main interests in shrooms are the psychedelic and the foraging/culinary aspects. I find some of the other science, or at least the way he describes it, a bit dry. I'm not too far from the end and aim to finish it though. It's just become a bit of a victim of me deciding to have two books on the go, a fiction and a non-fiction one, and me preferring the fiction one (The Remains of the Day).

 

[sojourner]

Yeah, I know it's about more than psychedelics. But I guess my main interests in shrooms are the psychedelic and the foraging/culinary aspects. I just find some of the other science, or at least the way he describes it, a bit dry. I'm not too far from the end and aim to finish it though. It's just become a bit of a victim of me deciding to have two books on the go, a fiction and a non-fiction one, and me preferring the fiction one (The Remains of the Day).

Understood.

And yeh I know - I make myself read nonfiction because a) I am genuinely interested in learning more, and b) I can't just read fiction forever. Can I?

 

[Orang Utan]

I’ve got both the Pollan and the Sheldrake in on my to read bookcase. I read the introduction to the Sheldrake with wariness as his pop is a nutbar, but it really is fascinating for the reasons sojourner and Dillinger4 state. Can’t wait to really get stuck in to it

 

[Johnny Vodka]

I’ve got both the Pollan and the Sheldrake in on my to read bookcase. I read the introduction to the Sheldrake with wariness as his pop is a nutbar, but it really is fascinating for the reasons sojourner and Dillinger4 state. Can’t wait to really get stuck in to it

Merlin is at least slightly mystical, as well as being a scientist. That's my interpretation of him anyway. Despite what I said about the book, I've really enjoyed his appearances on various podcasts.

 

[sojourner]

Merlin is at least slightly mystical, as well as being a scientist. That's my interpretation of him anyway.

I concur

 

[Dillinger4]

I have the Michael Pollan book too and started reading it around the same time as Entangled Life, but stopped at about a third of the way in order to read the rest of Entangled Life. I intend to finish it sometime soon. They compliment each other quite well.

 

[Orang Utan]

Merlin is at least slightly mystical, as well as being a scientist. That's my interpretation of him anyway. Despite what I said about the book, I've really enjoyed his appearances on various podcasts.

Mystical ie spiritual ie delusional