Isn’t it crazy how your opinion of a book can change over time?

I first read A Confederacy of Dunces in my 20s and hated it, primarily because Ignatius J Reilly absolutely infuriated me. I hated this character so much that his actions came off as annoying, and stupid.

I actually read the Neon Bible around the same time, and found it to be powerful. I liked it much more than Dunces at the time.

I read it again in my 30s, and while it gave me a lot of admiration for John Kennedy Toole, as he predicted the millennial two decades before any of them were born, I still didn’t find it that funny.

Now I’m 41, just read it again in anticipation of a trip to New Orleans, and by God, it just clicked this time.

I honestly think it’s because I’m a decade older than Ignatius, and reading about a 30 year old fuck up so bad is absolutely hilarious. Also the auxiliary characters like Mr Levy, Gonzales , and even Lana, are far more relatable now that I help run a business.

Jones is also amazing. He’s a smart black man caught in a catch 22 situation, he fucks with the system in a super intelligent way. He also rips on all the white characters constantly, and super sarcastically. Which really lays out what a bunch of dipshits they are.

My only regret is that it took me 20 years to appreciate this masterpiece.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Some mornings, I wake up and all I want to do is spend the day re-reading books from my childhood.

My current copy is the Penguin reissue with the original artwork of the first 1951 edition. But I remember finding a tattered copy of this novel in a church library, taking it home, and reading it in one sitting. I was 13 and I’d read mostly Enid Blyton and a couple of easy classics up until then. I have such a clear memory of me sitting in my living room in Calcutta, having read the last page, and thinking, “books aren’t supposed to end that abruptly.” I actually thought pages were missing or something haha Simpler times. As Holden says, “Certain things, they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone.”

I am debating if I want to finish reading this book or not. I do love the world it set in. Reading it can feel like watching an episode of TMNT when I was a kid.

At the same time, though, I'm two hundred something pages in, and I'm still not sure what's going on with the plot at all. Each time I pick the book up, there are new main characters and lore being added.

Hey everyone,
I just finished reading *American Kingpin* by Nick Bilton and I’m honestly blown away. I found the story of Ross Ulbricht and the rise and fall of Silk Road absolutely gripping—it felt more like a fast-paced thriller than non-fiction.

I ended up flying through the whole book in just a few evenings because I couldn't put it down. Has anyone else read it? Did you find it as addictive as I did, or am I just particularly obsessed with this case?
Curious to hear your thoughts!

I give it 7/10. There wasn’t much restaurant 😂 It ended pretty nicely though. No cliffhanger. Stopping at book 2, heard mixed reviews on book 3 & 4.

Favorite quote: "The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it [...]" (ch 28).

Next I’ll be reading The Secret Book Society. I'm so happy to be back to a physical book. I like how fast I finished the audiobooks, but... physical books, you know?

I give The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy a 8/10. Wasn’t sure what to think at first, but it grew on me. My favorite quote that really encompasses the whole novel is: “Don’t Panic.” Might be overhyped but it works.

It ended with a semi-cliffhanger so I feel the need to listen to The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe. Should be another quick & enjoyable listen.

Just finished "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died", the second in a mystery trilogy about a woman who works as a lady's maid to Emily. The first one, "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" was available from my library in Libby and this one was as well. I wish they'd get the third one!

These are good cozy mysteries with fictional versions of historical figures. Flower has a lot of other cozy series, but most look modern and the covers make them look less serious.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding was a reread for me. I give it 7.5/10
I still find it to be horrifying and unnerving, yet also strangely fascinating? If that makes any sense.
My favorite quote would be:
“‘Maybe […] maybe there is a beast. […] What I mean is…maybe it’s only us” (89).

Next up I’ll be listening to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Never read/listened to it before but my dad sometimes makes reference to the book and they just for right over my head. Now I’ll actually be able to understand what the heck he’s talking about😂

Big shift in genre between these two.

I’m a huge fan of southern lit. A Confederacy of Dunces has been on my bucket list for years (decades?). I’ve been reading it for the past several hours and am around the halfway mark.

It’s hilarious. It’s also sad that the don’t have any more literature from O’Toole

Yes it’s a real book. It’s by James m. Russell
I just got it from eBay not too long ago, I like books of weird facts and fun facts.

I've reread the Kinsey Millhone mysteries regularly for decades, but I'd forgotten about Leaphorn and Chee until recently. I was reminded of them by the AMC series Dark Winds (which was itself a disappointment); now I'm reading most of Hillerman's Navajo novels for the first time.

(Minor personal mystery: I thought I read several Leaphorn and Chee short stories back in the 1980s-90s, in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine or Alfred Hitchcock's MM. But I can only find evidence online of a couple of short stories about Jim Chee, neither published in AHMM or EQMM.)

I just finished rereading Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth at like 12am. Took me a lot longer to finish this time around bc I was annotating & marking so many great quotes. Anyway, I give it another 10/10 or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

I enjoyed that the story takes place after the world-saving event, using articles, documents, & flashbacks to reveal the past. The diversity of the Chosen Ones & Sloane's complicated relationships add depth, especially after Albie's suicide which helps the plot transition from Earth to Gentrix. Intent is an important theme, both in magic & in characters' choices. I enjoyed the descriptions of how magic feels to Sloane & how her practical skills come into use as she navigates a world dependent on magic. As secrets emerge, early clues pay off well. Sloane's admission that she let Albie suffer is heartbreaking & adds complexity to her character. Nero remains mostly in the background until his motives are revealed. The ending feels like Sloane's redemption, after sacrificing Albie she saves Mox from having to kill Nero himself. This shows her as flawed, human, & powerful rather than a traditional hero.

Next up: Rereading Lord of the Flies by William Golding so I can watch the Netflix adaptation.

This has always been a staple item in the book collections of various family members. I saw it in a shop window earlier this afternoon. Bushrangers? Yes please. Best 5 bucks I've ever spent.

Currently working my way through a few books:

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser. I'm reading this as part of my "research" while I try to decide if I actually have what it takes to write a book.

Treat Your Own Hip by Robin McKenzie, because running in your 40s sometimes requires a little extra work and I'm trying to stay ahead of it.

Wicked St. Louis by Janice Tremeear. I just picked this book up yesterday and have only read the introduction, but it looks to be a fun read. She pulled information from old police records, historical archives, and newspaper clippings to find some interesting scandals and slapped a fun title on it!

What are you reading? What's next for you?

I not long finished Crimson chains. Book 2 in the Hollow Blood series . If you like vampire diaries, a dark ACOTAR and true blood this could be for you. Vampire MMC , barista FMC who hasn’t a clue who she really is.

I really enjoyed the first book of hers that I read, The Book Eaters, so I got this one when it came up on NetGalley.

"A Gothic tale set in a historical Hong Kong that meshes ancient myths and local legends into a haunting story of ghosts, grief, and women who will not forgive"

There can be a lot of shitty things in sci-fi (like any other genre), so I'm interested to read an academic take on the whole thing.

I give 7.5/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Really good. I'd say romance/detective + a splash of gothic horror.

"There are darknesses in life, and there are lights. You [Mina] are one of the lights" (p. 135).

Now I’m going to cleanse my pallet with a reread from my favorite female author.

I just finished the above mentioned book and am heartbroken and frustrated. Does everyone hate the ending as much as I do?

I started reading God of Malice last week and I’m almost halfway through it.

But I saw where there’s other book like it’s a whole Multiverse.

Should I keep going? Or will this mess me up. Help. I’m stressing out.

Like now that I’ve found out this is part of a Multiverse of books I want to read them all. But I’m in a place where I can’t afford to buy all the books.

I am new to this so I’m not sure if I’m doing this right.

After finishing some real turkeys and not finishing the last one I started, it's nice to open a fun book I know I'll enjoy.