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credentials: 92% of the way done with my bachelors degree, iāve 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, itās the first novel he ever wrote about his, or paul kempās (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 āwhat the fuck?ā 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, itās the only one iāve ever enjoyed. sort of half grounded in reality, but beautiful and awesome. itās kind of hard to describe but it did inspire a real world cult so thatās pretty fun.
the screwtape letters - c.s. lewis
heās the devil from the bible and oh boy is he writing some letters. a fun read about christianity and the idea of hell. itās been a hot minute since iāve read this but i remember enjoying it a lot, enough to call it one of my favorites.
Related Recs
I answered someoneās ask with my favorite books but thought I would make a post with them, too. Iām a pretty strict book rater, so I donāt have a ton of five star books but Iām going to list a few of my favorites in a variety of genres in case you havenāt read them yet. Iām 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 thatās 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 havenāt already read it, itās such a good read. I know Sherlock Holmes is something thatās 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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Favorite books in no real order
ā¢Gilgamesh (David ferry translation)
ā¢The passion according to GH by Clarice lispector
ā¢ Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (Burton Raffel translation)
ā¢le princesse de ClĆØves by mme de Lafayette
ā¢mrs dalloway//Orlando//the waves - all by virginia Woolf
ā¢paradise lost by John Milton
ā¢autobiography of red by Anne Carson
ā¢the poetics of space by gaston bachelard
ā¢house of leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
ā¢theory of colors//metamorphosis of plants by Goethe
ā¢meno//symposium//republic by Plato
ā¢ethics of ambiguity By simone de beauvoir
ā¢invisible monsters by chuck Palahniuk
Bonus: not a book but: the wasteland by ts Elliot
Sep 24, 2024
ā
Iām a pretty strict book rater, so I donāt have a ton of five star books but Iām going to list a few of my favorites in a variety of genres in case you havenāt 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 thatās 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 havenāt already read it, itās such a good read. I know Sherlock Holmes is something thatās 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
Top Recs from @nxtsw
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not in a scientific sense. how does time perception change cultures, how do we pass down knowledge via generations, why does making someone wait signal power and why do we get pissed off when someone waits six days to respond to our text messages? eventually i'm going to write a paper on this but way too busy as of right now. highly recommend
Jan 30, 2025
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i get it, sometimes a bitch gotta wallow. but i believe that the music you listen to shapes your outlook. like yeah if all you listen to is midwest emo My Mom Hates Me And I Hate Her Too, sad indie āi miss my ex and heās the only one that could understand meā tunes, then maybe you wonāt be the most optimistic person alive.
pop some techno, eurodance, or really anything with strong beat and slightly positive lyrics (or no lyrics at all) into your headphones.
Jan 30, 2025
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society places too much pressure on everyone having their own style (but only in approved marketable categories), being hot and funny and interesting all the time. kind of a lot of pressure if you ask me.
be yourself! even if you are lame as hell.
Feb 10, 2025