Recent comments in /f/books

TormundIceBreaker t1_j6nwgtq wrote

It took me a long time to finish Leviathan Falls, which is the final book in The Expanse series. I'd spent 10 years with these four characters and it was difficult to process that their journeys were coming to an end. That I wouldn't get to spend more time among them on any new adventures, but that's one of the signs of a remarkable book/series

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elizabeth-cooper t1_j6nvk0j wrote

Nothing wrong with having a preferred genre. Mine is mystery/thriller. But only 20% of my favorite books are mystery/thriller, so I think it's worth it to keep branching out - you never know what great books you'll stumble over. Get books from the library so experimenting doesn't cost you anything.

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vivahermione t1_j6nvecw wrote

I read 8 books, but half of them were novellas or short stories, so it felt like cheating. My favorite was probably Excellent Women by Barbara Pym. It's a love/hate relationship. I wanted to shake the main character Mildred, a single woman in her 30's, because she had no ambition. But I loved the writing style, Mildred's sarcastic inner monologue, and her flirtation with her smooth-talking neighbor Rocky. I'd read it all over again.

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BlankyForce t1_j6nuu3a wrote

Great question that I have pondered often.

I don't think there is a subject that I can't read, they can be challenging and disturbing, but if the quality of writing is good, I can usually make it through.

A similar book that I have thought about a lot is Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club. When I first read, I just didn't get it. It just seemed like gratuitous violence for shock value. But I saw with it for awhile and reread. I felt differently after the second reading. I don't think the book could have expressed such primal drives without the gritty, graphic violence.

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