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I answered someone’s ask with my favorite books but thought I would make a post with them, too. I’m a pretty strict book rater, so I don’t have a ton of five star books but I’m going to list a few of my favorites in a variety of genres in case you haven‘t read them yet. I’m going to link a couple that I especially loved:
Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut - This is one of those books that if I could read any book for the first time again, it would be this one.
We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin - Such an amazing book, mystery/thriller/contemporary suspense.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote - This one is true crime and it kind of broke my heart but that’s also how you know the writer did a good job sometimes, especially with non-fiction.
Crush by Richard Siken - This one is one of my favorite poetry collections. I also love the collected poems of T.S. Eliot for poetry.
Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh - The story of a young sociologist studying a Chicago gang from the inside. This is a very unique read.
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle - If you haven’t already read it, it’s such a good read. I know Sherlock Holmes is something that’s been re-adapted so many times in media but the actual books are so well-written, fun, witty.
And if you read one of these you totally have to come back and let me know what you thought!
Related Recs
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I’m a pretty strict book rater, so I don‘t have a ton of five star books but I’m going to list a few of my favorites in a variety of genres in case you haven‘t read them yet:
Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut - This is one of those books that if I could read any book for the first time again, it would be this one.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote - This one is true crime and it kind of broke my heart but that’s also how you know the writer did a good job sometimes, especially with non-fiction.
Crush by Richard Siken - This one is one of my favorite poetry collections. I also love the collected poems of T.S. Eliot for poetry.
Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh - The story of a young sociologist studying a Chicago gang from the inside. Super unique read.
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle - If you haven’t already read it, it’s such a good read. I know Sherlock Holmes is something that’s been re-adapted so many times in media but the actual books are so well-written, fun, witty.
And if you read one of these you totally have to come back and let me know what you thought!
Jan 21, 2025
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credentials: 92% of the way done with my bachelors degree, i’ve read a LOT of books.
if anyone sees this and reads any of these please tell me how you like them
the rum diary - hunter s thompson
not a particularly niche author, but it seems like this is one of his least read novels. published posthumously, it’s the first novel he ever wrote about his, or paul kemp’s (depending on who you ask), time working at an english language sports newspaper in puerto rico in the late 1950s. super engaging read, you can really see where the writing style of fear and loathing developed.
breakfast of champions - kurt vonnegut
written to himself as a birthday present, this is just anything and everything in vonneguts head onto paper. he is a self-insert character in this book. lots of silly little drawings, and it immediately sucks you in. vonnegut is never really that much in reality but this is definitely on the “what the fuck?” end of the spectrum.
geography of nowhere - james kunstler
ok now an academic book. basically, why are the suburbs like that? a historical review of how suburbs developed in america, and more specifically, how does the physical and social geography of the suburbs create the american culture of isolationism and the loss of community we experience today.
stranger in a strange land - robert heinlein
THEE freaky sci-fi book. as a non-sci-fi fan, it’s the only one i’ve ever enjoyed. sort of half grounded in reality, but beautiful and awesome. it’s kind of hard to describe but it did inspire a real world cult so that’s pretty fun.
the screwtape letters - c.s. lewis
he’s the devil from the bible and oh boy is he writing some letters. a fun read about christianity and the idea of hell. it’s been a hot minute since i’ve read this but i remember enjoying it a lot, enough to call it one of my favorites.
Jan 29, 2025
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Favorite books in no real order
•Gilgamesh (David ferry translation)
•The passion according to GH by Clarice lispector
• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (Burton Raffel translation)
•le princesse de Clèves by mme de Lafayette
•mrs dalloway//Orlando//the waves - all by virginia Woolf
•paradise lost by John Milton
•autobiography of red by Anne Carson
•the poetics of space by gaston bachelard
•house of leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
•theory of colors//metamorphosis of plants by Goethe
•meno//symposium//republic by Plato
•ethics of ambiguity By simone de beauvoir
•invisible monsters by chuck Palahniuk
Bonus: not a book but: the wasteland by ts Elliot
Sep 24, 2024
Top Recs from @saylor
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So we all think it’s sketchy that Tik Tok is already back right? And that they posted a statement kissing Trump’s ass and making him out to be the one saving Tik Tok when he isn’t even sworn in yet? And now Trump wants the US government to have a 50% ownership, aka turning Tik Tok into state owned media just like I thought was happening. And I’m sure most people won’t be able to stay away from Tik Tok and Meta which is so disappointing. I want nothing to do with Tik Tok now because I know the app as we knew it is already gone at this point.
Jan 19, 2025
There’s something about the quality of digital camera photos that make a picture of anything you take look more pleasing (to me anyway). The nostalgia, the saturation, I love them. I have a couple cameras that still work from when I was a kid, but I also bought one on eBay that was similar to one that used to be a favorite of mine. I just throw it in my purse and take it everywhere, and it’s so much more fun than trying to get the “perfect shot,” especially now that I’ve deleted Meta and gone with Pixelfed it seems that people love posting anything from the little things they see or their drinks. It’s making photo sharing fun again! Although, if you do download Pixelfed (which isn’t the point of this post but) I highly recommend using it in your browser on your phone for now, they’ve already made things run smoother from when I first downloaded but they’re definitely still working on the app.
Jan 20, 2025
So many people are so scared to do things on their own, but it can be so fun and liberating! I’m my own favorite travel partner. You can try fun places without worrying about what someone else is in the mood for, meet so many people, people watch, read, visit museums Or other stops and take all the time you want, etc. I think a lot of people care too much about what others think when they’re seen doing something or dining alone, but in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter. Starting out, go to a restaurant that has a bar and sit at the bar, you can enjoy your food and maybe a drink, if you get anxious about people talking to you or aren’t having fun people watching, take up watching the sports on the tv to look occupied! Or maybe your solo outing could first be taking yourself on a museum date and getting to spend as much time as you want in each exhibit.
Jan 18, 2025