Discussion Books

[Greyhawk]

I didn't like reading at all when I was in school. However, I've grown to enjoy it in the last 2 months. I've read some classic books and it really feels like they really touched a part of my soul. I loved 1984, Frankenstein, catcher in the rye and some short stories by Franz Kafka (especially metamorphosis). Reading has been the only thing that brings me joy lately. I'm reading picture of Dorian Gray rn.

What books have you read and what do you recommend? It doesn't necessarily have to be a classic but something like it that explores certain themes/focuses on characters etc.

 

[vanillamilkshakes]

Currently rereading 1984 myself, it's one of my favourites as well! I really enjoyed Cleopatra and Frankenstein, as well as The Virgin Suicides.
+ I also really enjoyed Prozac Nation

 

[Irisse]

I don't read much due to schoolwork but I remember liking russian realism movement when I was in high school and already relating to the characters like Raskolnikov and Anna Karenina. Not in a literal sense because I have never been in a miserable marriage (Anna) nor do I plan to kill anyone with an axe (Raskolnikov) but... Just the vibes of these books spoke to me, as I was already suicidal by that point. Though I admit they were a though read due to how depressing they were. But I think they are worth a try.

 

[gunmetalblue11]

If you're interested in getting into philosophy maybe, Albert Camus and particularly his book 'L'étranger' is a good read that brings up interesting topics and train of thought. If your looking for maybe a well known sad read that again strikes though but is less philosophical in writing is Osamu Dazai with 'No longer human' and then the other which follows 'Setting Sun'. Completely different variety, if you want again romance, set in 1790s England you have the classic Jane Austin with 'Pride and Prejudice'. If you want a fantasy romance, with world building that isn't concentrated completely on the love interest you have Holly Black and the 'Cruel Prince' series. Honourable mention to Harper Lee and 'How to kill a mockingbird' and Khaled Hosseini with 'The kite runner', loved those books. Finally of you want horror that has social, moral and if you think about it enough philosophical criticism you have Agustina (I forgot her surname) with 'Tender is the Flesh'.
Theses are all well known books that if you enjoy them can send you down rabbit holes to find more that you could enjoy.

 

[Greyhawk]

If you're interested in getting into philosophy maybe, Albert Camus and particularly his book 'L'étranger' is a good read that brings up interesting topics and train of thought. If your looking for maybe a well known sad read that again strikes though but is less philosophical in writing is Osamu Dazai with 'No longer human' and then the other which follows 'Setting Sun'. Completely different variety, if you want again romance, set in 1790s England you have the classic Jane Austin with 'Pride and Prejudice'. If you want a fantasy romance, with world building that isn't concentrated completely on the love interest you have Holly Black and the 'Cruel Prince' series. Honourable mention to Harper Lee and 'How to kill a mockingbird' and Khaled Hosseini with 'The kite runner', loved those books. Finally of you want horror that has social, moral and if you think about it enough philosophical criticism you have Agustina (I forgot her surname) with 'Tender is the Flesh'.
Theses are all well known books that if you enjoy them can send you down rabbit holes to find more that you could enjoy.

Thanks for the recommendations!

L'étranger is on my reading list.

 

[pellisetossium]

I just read "The Passion According to G.H." by Clarice Lispector. It was captivating, I finished it in one afternoon. Then, Dostoyevski's "White Nights", which I also loved.
I also had a bit of a Dennis Cooper marathon, with the George Miles cycle and "The Sluts". He has a very simple way of writing, but every word feels secure, perfectly chosen. It feels like his books guide you by the hand to the very end, traversing the most unpleasant paths possible in a bearable way.

 

[MissAbyss]

I also recommend reading George Orwell's Animal Farm; it says so much about power and human nature in such a simple story.

 

[beyond.space]

the 2 books i found especially pleasing are murakami's "norwegian wood" and "tsukuru tazaki and his years of pilgrimage", because (for the most part) i relate to the main characters, as they always have this specific sense of hoplessness, anhedonia and really fit my way of going through depression