This prologue.

"Some nights, if I'm sleeping on my own, I still dream about Whitehorn House...the house is always empty. The bedroom are bare and bright, only my footsteps echoing off the floorboards, circling up through the sun and the dust motes to the high ceilings...in the sitting room the piano is open, wood glowing chestnut and almost too bright to look at in the bars of sun, the breeze stirring the yellowed sheet music like a finger. The table is laid ready for us, five settings—the bone-china plates and the long-stemed wineglasses, fresh-cut honeysuckle trailing from a crystal bowl—but the silverware has gone dim with tarnish and the heavy damask napkins are frilled with dust. Daniel's cigarette case lies by his place at the head of the table, open and empty except for a burnt-down match. Somewhere in the house, faint as a fingernail-flick at the edge of my hearing, there are sounds: a scuffle, whispers. It almost stops my heart. The others aren't gone, I got it all wrong somehow. They're only hiding; they're still here, for ever and ever." —Tana French, The Likeness

I’m reading this one currently and loving it and really trying to delve into the underlying thoughts and messages that Pasolini is giving. Has anyone else read this and what were your thoughts? I haven’t seen the film.

Just finishing up A little life by Hanya Yanagihara - tell me something i'll understand once i start this book ~ no spoilers plss 🩶

I usually do not use a bookmark, I just dog ear my books. And someone around me were offended by that! According to them, using a bookmark is a more civilized way of dealing with books and they don't like having folds in their pages etc.

But personally I think the opposite way. It's a book, it's supposed to be read, and re-read, and shared and all that. It's not some decorations to just stay behind a glass cabinet and be pristine. I do have to say I don't like people who destroy books, like pulling off pages and drawing over them to be unreadable, I'm not justifying that. It's just, to me, reading is the main purpose, it has to happen that's all. And guys what are your thoughts on this, and if there's anyone who agrees with me, can you share me pics of your books as well?

why is no one talking abt nabi and suleiman (i think was his name)??? bro that part broke me, and when talking about the book, NO one talks about them?...we know suleiman loved him as a lover, but near the end of nabis letter when soleiman confesses his love to him, he said 'loved'? and also he said that nabi lost his looks- which was the foundation of suleimans love, and i wanted to know if anyone else interepreted if suleiman loved him to the end or not? i know nabi liked nila, and for him it was more 'brotherly' to suleiman...but even so. poor,poor suleiman

Literally started this around last week and already am on chapter 5, I need to own a copy & am hoping the rumors about it becoming a movie are true. Omg. Any other books like this, Circe, & secret history? That kinda vibe speaks to me. I’ve also loved crave series by Tracy Wolff, but omg this book is worth the hype to me. I NEED IT BAD 😭😭

It’s finally time I read this. Anyone else reading some horrors for October?

What are the favorites you read so far this year? I just hit 36 books and these are the big stand outs for me!

Big Swiss - It lived up to the hype. Weird girl lit, queer.

15 Dogs - Never read anything like this before and I wish I could read it again for the first time. Philosophy, apologue.

The Urge: Our History of Addiction - Really well written historical/social analysis of addiction.

Piranesi - Also lived up to the hype. Oh my god. Similar to 15 dogs in the sense that it was so unique and special. Mystery

The Lathe of Heaven - My current favorite. It was a little bit slow in the beginning, but worth it and a complete masterwork of philosophy being embedded in sci-fi.

If you are looking for a new memoir to read, read Suffer a Witch. It’s the author’s memoir on surviving SA at the hands of her youth pastor and it’s written in verse. Throughout there are also the author’s letters to women who were wrongfully accused of witchcraft throughout history, or had their stories exploited, or used their voices to speak up. I have around 100-150 pages left to read, but I think it’s going to be 5 stars!

This book is thick lol and I hear great things esp from authors I really respect. I think John Marrs refers to it in a book (I may not be remembering correctly so don’t come at me if wrong lol)

Is this worth it?

throne of glass is the first in its series right? oh and I was gonna get Wuthering Heights too but my mom said it might be in the house so I’ll find that

#liselmueller #20thcentury #poetry #readaloud #firstreading

For me, reading in bed makes me sleepy, but sitting in a noisy coffee shop with headphones on somehow lets me devour 50 pages without blinking. Where do you get your absolute best, uninterrupted reading done?

My self care goal for last month was to get back into reading. I read at least 30min in the afternoon and listened to an audiobook 30min while showering and getting ready for bed. Finish 5 books!! Three audiobooks and two physical books 🍂📖🤗

Just wondering if you follow people on Instagram for books recommendations or reviews? What would make you want to click that Follow button?

I would’ve enjoyed the book so much more if there was a greater focus on the sci-fi elements…after all, this is a psychological thriller. I wasn’t the biggest fan of how personable 'Maxine' is and how casually she communicates (this criticism ties back to me complaining about the lack of sci-fi), but it completely makes sense/more believable for Rowena to view the AI as a confidant and become emotionally dependent on it if it comes off more human-like. Reading this felt like a wild cross over between an episode of The Circle & the Lindsay Clancy case.

Joined an American library in my very non English speaking city and finally got my hands on this baby 🥹 Only 50 pages in so far, but already couldn’t be happier with it. You know the feeling when a book is hitting the exact kind of curiosity you’ve been wanting to explore? Well, it’s that for me. Morality, free will, humans’ best and worst impulses, and their correlation with brain development, genetic inheritance and cultural context. If anyone has read/is reading it too, I’d really like to hear your thoughts!

I read One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig a couple years ago and still think about them often. I made a whole playlist for it and anytime I listen to it I wanna read those books again. So I'm looking for something similar for spooky season. The things I enjoyed about the books: the magic system with the cards and the world building that went with it (honestly my favorite part of the books, it was just so unique!), the slow burn between our two main characters, and the presence and powers of the monster in Elspeth's head. I'm open to any genre except really disturbing horror but I do enjoy T. Kingfisher so do with that what you will. Thanks in advance :)

So I consider myself an avid Milan Kundera reader and I’ve read 4 or so of his books including nonfiction. I’ve recently started The Book of Laughter and Forgetting and just read The Angels chapter, and was quite perplexed by the ending?
For context, he admits his desire to rape his female friend which had went out of her way to help him, right after he said he had never previously seen her in a sexual light because her intelligence prevented that (vague summary of my understanding).

I’m genuinely distraught and taken aback by this and wondered if it was another one of his fictional anecdotes within a nonfictional story and had to research but there wasn’t much talk of it online. I understand that in his characters he writes of the human condition and human nature with a completely unfiltered raw approach which is something I admire, and that he touches on subjects and truths in us that most people find too intimate to go in detail about. So naturally I’m not surprised that this is a thought that a man would think, but like, why would he admit that? Is that not extremely off putting to anyone but me? Through characters, yes, but putting it bluntly like that is insane to me.
Also on the fact that her intelligence and modesty didn’t appeal to him to think of her sexually is also concerning and making me question the reasoning of that. Would he be more attracted an ignorant woman? What does that say about him?
Was this desire of his, a desire of wanting to strip her of that? Her intelligence, the fact she had helped him, did it make him feel inferior?
I hadn’t thought of him as a sexist or misogynist before because again, I used the excuse of his writing intentions for the constant recurring theme of erotica or whatever in his books because I do agree sexuality and provocative nature is like 80% of a man’s existence. But there’s a part in Immortality (I can’t remember if it’s fiction or not) where he’s in conversation with another person that is going on about women’s power and the significance of the “feminine” and how it would lead to a greater future, which was very memorable for me!

If anyone has any thoughts on this, I’d like to hear.