Thank you. I'll look for it!

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Patrick Bateman's existence is incredibly mundane. Outside of appearances (clothes, physique, being seen at the best restaurants) nothing matters to him. There is absolutely no mention of family until close to the end (and these brief glimpses into his family give us a bit of insight as to how he ended up this way without really being a sole "reason" for his state). The people closest to him are as vapid as he is (probably moreso). And because of this, they pay absolutely no attention to what are very likely cries for help. A recurring theme in the book is the absolute conformity of his peer group --everyone wears wool suits, slicked back hair, and horn-rim glasses-- to the point that no one can tell anyone apart, which aids him in his ability to blend in and get away with the killings. It's a very well written commentary on the socio-cultural state of the time. Another interesting aspect to this book is Bateman's dissociative perspective in terms of his victims and personal attachments (if you can call them that), while he speaks passionately about pop music. He goes into tactile diatribes about Genesis, Whitney Houston, and Huey Lewis, but is emotionless when it comes to the murders and even attire (which he obsesses over). He speaks endlessly about clothes and designers, but even as he passes judgement on the attire of others and obsesses over his own, he does not seem to extract any joy from it. It's just something he does almost robotically. Pop music seems to be the only thing he actually enjoys, though even his reviews on the subject seem detached. Despite being descriptive to the point of being almost flowery, they are written in the passive voice.

EDIT: Sorry for the wall of text. I pulled this from my Goodreads review.

To understand a bit more about the US obsession with men needing to be manly, you might want to read Jesus and John Wayne.

That book hurt so bad because it reminded me of my dad and I didn’t want to think about that. It made me realize that someone treating you good after treating you like shit isn’t a good relationship to be in. When the dad stole all the money they were saving for NY I literally threw the book across the room.

I just view it as a way of saying “make the story personal to you.” A lot of writers fall into a trap of trying to make their story have broad appeal so they write with bland details with no personal touch.

When crafting a story, even if the subject matter isn’t necessarily something you’ve experienced, don’t be afraid to let personal tastes dictate the characters and settings. It’s these little details that add up and craft more memorable experiences.

I remember reading some of her work and channeling the

"That's not how that works... That's not how ANY of that works" lady

I understand this makes me a pedant but it would be the 19th century.

For choice people have already talked about ways to decide what books to read. For me personally I used to make TBRs and POPs (piles of possibilities i'd choose from) but this year i've finally decided to stop doing that. Don't get me wrong, I think they worked for me for a time and got me into reading and reading diversely (which personally I enjoy) but it no longer works for me. I just want to read what I want, when I want. And now? I'm more excited to read than ever before! What will I read next? I don't know. I have ideas. I used to share my TBRs and POPs (book blog, booktube ...) so I felt stuck in them, like a promise, and I could not break a promise.

Now I write down a bunch of books i'm thinking of but I don't share it, no promise is made. When I go to pick up another book I decide what I want to read based on what I feel like reading. There may be other considerations but nothing set in stone. Like, is this book club on Goodreads reading a book I want to read? Do I feel like joining in? If so, I will, if not, I won't.

Granted all this is me personally. I'm not saying it works that way for everyone (or even anyone) else. You'll figure out what works for you. Good luck :).

I liked his books as a weird middle schooler.

Probably not very good by adult standards lol.

If you like historical crime Anne Perry is fun although stay with her early stuff. She's also an irl murderer so that's a weird meta layer.

Question here... is this book written by Jeannette Walls? I just tried looking it up but there were a few different results with similars named that popped out.

"The Glass Castle: A Memoir" by Jeannette Walls?

I'm not so sure that's the same thing as what JK does.

I spent some time in Saudi Arabia. It was quite usual to find two men walking around holding hands. Homosexually is a crime there and this didn't raise any eyebrows. A man and a woman on the other hand...

A super long time ago, I really liked a couple books by him that had kids that were genetically engineered to have wings. This was a really long time ago (20+ years)

Then ... stop reading the classics? It sounds like you don't like them, and that's ok. Just read what you want to read, for fun, for enjoyment. Not what you feel like you're supposed to.

I do get anxiety about what book to read next and think about other books while i'm reading one, because I want to read so many books and there's not enough time in a lifetime to read them all, but ultimately I choose something and I read it. If i'm not liking it I generally DNF and move on. I don't need to be blown away by a book to finish it though. But it sounds like you're hating the classics, which is fine, just means that's not what you want to read and that's ok.

“You know,” said Arthur, “it’s at times like this, when I’m trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space that I really wish I’d listened to what my mother told me when I was young.” “Why, what did she tell you?” “I don’t know, I didn’t listen.”

. The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied.

I totally purchased this as soon as I saw it My son is going to love it

I'm looking for some interesting novellas to read - I just finished All Systems Red by Martha Wells and really enjoyed it.

I generally enjoy fantasy books but don't mind some sci-fi too. Horror is okay too. I like snarky protagonists and nothing too bleak.

You could tell everyone that he's spending a year dead for tax purposes, like Hotblack

You can read the bit about Saint Antwelm (the king who believed that what people really want is a good party, willed his fortune to that, and was canonized for it)

Personally, I like the bit about Arthur making sandwiches - I think it speaks to the joys of a simple life

If I were you, I'd slap a hot pink somebody else's problem field on top of the coffin and then have a funny speech with quotes to explain it. (They sell bright pink sequined duvet covers for little kids that aren't too expensive)

You could give the eulogy in your bathrobe (ideally with a bone in your beard)

If your dad drank or partied, can you serve gin and tonics (or pan galactic gargleblasters) during the eulogy? My dad died this year, and he drank a lot and dislked religion, so I served booze during the eulogy and played the parting glass in lieu of prayers or a hymn

End with So long and thanks for all the fish

And I'm sorry about your dad and proud of you for sending him off with a laugh - I think that hoopy frood would be proud of you too

Yes, all of his books are like that. James Patterson is a grocery store novelist. Broad appeal, highly accessible, quantity over quality.

Yes! It drives me crazy when someone critiques a book by saying the main character isn't likable. For God's sake, most people aren't likable.

You may want to look at some books on the history of sexuality. The words homosexual and heterosexual did not even exist when David Copperfield was written. They came two decades later and even then were not understood the way we do today.

Attraction and sexual acts existed, but in general they were not seen as markers of an identity or orientation.

This article gives a simple background of the general understanding of the history of our understanding of sexual orientation.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170315-the-invention-of-heterosexuality

I haven’t read it since high school and absolutely didn’t like it. Maybe I should try it again as an adult.

I read for entertainment and escapism. If the book doesn't give me what I am looking for I have no problem returning it to the library. I can always try it again another time.

when did people start condemning homosexuality? was it because of religion?