I reread this literally just last week and I was struck the same way by that section. It was empathetic and humane and terribly believable.

I haven’t read any of Colleen Hoover’s books and reading this makes me not want to. I only want to read one just because what I’ve been hearing about her books and am curious on if I’d like them or not. And this one was going to be the one I was gonna try and read first. Now not sure if I want to.

The Major Major Major Major chapter of catch-22 is the best and most entertaining thing I've read. I love catch 22 but I read/listen to that chapter on its own frequently.

It's his 'dislike' of capitalism, that is the source of his alienation.

There's a really great section in Gass's The Tunnel about a grasshopper swarm. Sounds weird, but it really knocked my socks off.

I read the first few pages. If the prose gives me a chill down the spine, I buy the book. Otherwise, no.

I also use Meet New Books.

Don't know why people get so offended by this sort of complaint. God forbid anyone expects to get enjoyment out of a leisure activity like reading fiction... You could have the best idea for a story ever, but if you write it in a way that makes it a chore to read, what you've created is a textbook guide to your idea, not a good story.

+1 to the Underworld opener.

Literally the only point of the MC being a sleepwalker needing to be locked in and her mom dying/losing the apartment/trauma superpak was that one moment where Verity locks them in the room. Jeremy breaks out from the window and comes back around to unlock it from the outside iirc? I forget what but it bought Verity an extra 60 seconds to do…something. Idk it was dumb and convoluted, she could have easily just set up an old house with finicky locks to add to a creepy atmosphere.

“The Symphony” chapter of Moby-Dick.

> Knowing that the books are cheap allows you to let your curiosity lead you.

Yes! Though I didn’t buy it second-hand, I wouldn’t have read Ulysses if it had been $18 or more. I bought the cheap Wordsworth edition for about $3, and it’s one of my favorite books now.

I used to be a bookstore/library browser, but I don’t do that anymore. I read primarily nonfiction. Now days, I’ll read an article, hear a lecture, or see a TV show about a subject, and when it sparks my interest, I go to Wikipedia to find what books are used to support the article. Once I locate a title or titles, I go to Amazon to read the customer reviews on the selected book(s). If I don’t want to add the book to my personal library, I go on-line to see if it’s available at the local library. Usually, however, I’ll purchase the book.

The second method I use involves picking a book from the footnotes and bibliography of the book I am reading. For those, I skip Wikipedia and go directly to the reviews. If I think I’d like the book, I go ahead and order it: usually a used copy from an independent bookseller at AbeBooks. For example, a few years ago I determined I wanted to learn more about the Second World War in the China-Burma-India Theater. I bought Burma: The Longest War 1941-45 (1984) by Louis Allen. It sat on my shelf for about ten or fifteen years, but I started reading it at the end of this past December. As I was reading it, I became curious about three other books Allen cited as primary sources. I bought all three of them. I finished the third one last night. I received it from England last Monday. It was published in 1946, and it’s not available in my local library.

One area Allen didn’t cover well was China’s role in the war in Burma. So, by the first process I described above, I found and selected China at War: Triumph and Tragedy in the Emergence of the New China 1937-1952 by Hans van de Ven. I started it today.

One last thing. A couple of years ago I came across a title in a bibliography I was interested in. When I researched it, I found that it was out-of-print, and no one was selling new or used copies. On that occasion, I luckily WAS able to check it out of the local library.

My favorite book My first BIG Book too And an annual read

I love how the chapters were short and I was able to push and keep making progress.

The story is fabulous.

I’m so dumbfounded I don’t know how to respond.

Honestly, a few pages a day is much more than most people.

I think it’s the fact that the books are cheaper then they would be at a normal bookstore. Plus, your giving books a second Chance instead of just being thrown away or being left in attic to rot.

I usually walk in with a short wish list from my Goodreads tbr. If I see something with an interesting-looking title or cover while I'm in the stacks, I might grab it to take home. Then I'll browse new fiction. I try not to borrow more than 3 books at once, but sometimes I can't help myself. 😊

[deleted]

That's what I did, as well. It took me over two years to finish but it was worth it (I can't read just one book. I'm normally reading three or four books at any time, and I've found myself to be a bathroom or nighttime reader in my middle age).

Really, the only thing I thought that was dated in it was how episodic it was.

I was surprised by how funny it was, given the age.

You really think the best chapter of fiction of all time came from Brandon Sanderson?

Chapter one of One Hundred Years of Solitude.

For those who have read Anna Karenina, I really enjoyed Levin in the wheatfields

I had been wanting to read Writers & Lovers but grabbed wrong book and that was Book Lovers. Ended up donating it after reading it. (I was on vacation when I went to the bookstore for a book to read since I had already finished all of my books I brought with me on vacation). I already forget what the book was about.

Foundation is magnificent.