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the australian italo calvino! his 1982 masterpiece The Plains is totally magical, the sort of book where nothing at all happens but youre still totally rapt from page one. it’s about artists and patrons, it’s about the act of creating, it’s about nature, it’s about community, it’s about art. it’s thrilling. it’s haunting. it’s ekphrastic! i love murnane.
Apr 9, 2024
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“...we can not love or think except in fragments of time each of which goes along its own trajectory and immediately disappears."
second calvino of the year after invisible cities. very meta, which in less serious hands could become cloying. it manages to work out.
you (the real you, not the second perspective protagonist of most of the book) will think about the act of reading in a different way by the end of it, or at least become more conscious of it. so read if you like to read and read about reading.
Mar 3, 2025
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I actually read this awhile ago but reread it recently (and I neverrrrr reread stuff so that’s saying smth) because it’s such a fun, experiential read. I am a sucker for a good metafictional shtick (been also meaning to reread Paul Auster’s New York Trilogy, so maybe bit of a theme there to what I feel compelled to reread)
7h ago
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Awesome book by Ãtalo Calvino highly recommend
Jan 24, 2025
Top Recs from @booknotesblog
reading aloud to a friend or husband or partner is truly one of life’s little joys. swapping chapters back and forth is the perfect activity for a day in the park, a rainy afternoon on the couch, before dinner after a long hike on a camping trip, or in bed. i particularly recommend doing this with something silly, like a 1970s pulp fantasy novel or 1950s teen romance from the discount bin of a used book store.
Apr 8, 2024
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it’s fun and you’ll probably fall in love!!!!!
Apr 10, 2024
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the first time it’s an accident, the second time it’s a bit
Apr 8, 2024