What are you reading right now?

rostasi · 07-03-2021, 07:29 PM

Lisnaholic · 07-04-2021, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Kind of like getting a fat sack of weed that looks, smells, and feels beautiful to the touch but when you tear it up and smoke it, it's just some mids that wear off too quickly. You've had much better stuff before in smaller quantities that you preferred for their intensity and while you don't mind the fat sack, it's a bit of a slog to finish it off and you can't wait until your next one. I feel sorry for the women in Gabriel's life since most of the romance in the book is sparked by molestation. On the upside, it's still ambitious, entertaining, and pretty funny.

That sounds like an analogy that you have really lived through!
I read that book way back when "magic realism" was a new term, and I also didn't really get the reason for the book's reputation. I think I was affronted because there was too much magic and almost no realism.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rostasi

That's a book I'd enjoy reading myself! In fact, I have a Beefheart biog by the same author

jadis · 07-04-2021, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisnaholic

I read that book way back when "magic realism" was a new term

In the mid-20th century then?

**Frownland** · 07-04-2021, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisnaholic

That sounds like an analogy that you have really lived through!

Unfortunately lol

Quote:

I read that book way back when "magic realism" was a new term, and I also didn't really get the reason for the book's reputation. I think I was affronted because there was too much magic and almost no realism.

It's definitely enjoyable and is easy to read when you enter it without expectation, which is probably the reason for its popularity. The structure being somewhat recursive was very well done, so I think if he fleshed out the details of the events in the book more, it'd be the masterpiece I expected. There's a lot of opportunity for powerful imagery that he largely leaves to the reader to imagine. The famous Remedios ascension only being about two paragraphs long is a good example of it, that easily could have been a few pages long. I guess that's a factor in the realism aspect, since it's addressed as dryly as someone entering a room. I much prefer his influences that I've mentioned in this thread already: Borges, Rulfo, Cortazar, and Casares.

Trollheart · 07-05-2021, 08:34 PM

I concur. Histories of prog rock that aren't just either wankoffs to particular artists or lists of albums are damned hard to come by.

Edit: And now I have it. Thanks Rostasi!

http://libgen.gs/ads.php?md5=4a90e69...596790b9509e98

Reading at the moment for research:
Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, the Man who Wrote Dracula by David J. Skal. Though I think the description of who he was is a little superfluous in the title. I mean, if you somehow don't know who Stoker was, why are you reading a biography of him? Good so far though.

rostasi · 07-05-2021, 09:21 PM

Yes, you’re welcome. It’s a good 600+ pages with smallish type
and, yes, with something as detailed as this there are going to
be some mistakes, but overall, it’s a great read!

BloodFoxTK · 07-04-2021, 04:48 PM

just started reading the biography of a fellow countryman.

rostasi · 07-04-2021, 04:59 PM

**Marie Monday** · 07-04-2021, 11:50 AM

I read it long ago so my recollections are vague, but I actually kind of liked that aspect of the book. Mainly from an absurd humorous point of view though, in that it's a way of baffling expectations. But I get your point, and I just realised East of Eden (which I love a lot too) has the same shortcoming to a lesser extent: it's a bit tell, don't show sometimes.

**Frownland** · 07-04-2021, 12:20 PM

Marquez could've shown a bit less of Jose Arcadio's massive dong imo. At the very least he could have gone into more detail on what the other dicks in the village were like.

07-05-2021, 08:34 PM	#5 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	I concur. Histories of prog rock that aren't just either wankoffs to particular artists or lists of albums are damned hard to come by. Edit: And now I have it. Thanks Rostasi! http://libgen.gs/ads.php?md5=4a90e69...596790b9509e98 Reading at the moment for research: Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, the Man who Wrote Dracula by David J. Skal. Though I think the description of who he was is a little superfluous in the title. I mean, if you somehow don't know who Stoker was, why are you reading a biography of him? Good so far though. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

07-04-2021, 04:48 PM	#7 (permalink)
BloodFoxTK the only fox you need! Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: South Island, Mobius Posts: 250	just started reading the biography of a fellow countryman. __________________ https://card.psnprofiles.com/2/BloodFoxTK.png

07-04-2021, 12:20 PM	#10 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Marquez could've shown a bit less of Jose Arcadio's massive dong imo. At the very least he could have gone into more detail on what the other dicks in the village were like. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

07-03-2021, 07:29 PM	#1 (permalink)
rostasi . Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 4,035

07-05-2021, 09:21 PM	#6 (permalink)
rostasi . Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 4,035	Yes, you’re welcome. It’s a good 600+ pages with smallish type and, yes, with something as detailed as this there are going to be some mistakes, but overall, it’s a great read!

07-04-2021, 04:59 PM	#8 (permalink)
rostasi . Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 4,035