I have read four out of five book on this TBR. There are all great. Infinite Jest is surprisingly easy to read despite the length and the tennis stuff. That was like a foreign language. The Maltese Falcon is an excellent example of the the early detective novel. I really like Three Musketeers too. A History of Western Philosophy is on my shelf I swear I’ll get to it someday.
Don't be too intimidated by Gravity's Rainbow; it's not too terribly difficult. The plot is sprawling, but it's more or less easy to get what's happening, it's just the significance of it that's so elusive. There are so many ideas and elements at play that I think Pynchon even said that he doesn't remember what the point was. 😂 And I hope you enjoy Infinite Jest as much as I did! That was, hands down, the most fun I've ever had reading, even though it's not one of my favorite books. It's quite penetrable for a postmodern work of that ilk; once you get about 300 pages in it really takes off, or it did for me at least. 😊
Thank you for your thoughts here. Good to know, although it’s hilarious to think that a book really gets going after the first 300pages. 😂 Bah hahahahaa! I mean it’s fitting for the length, but hilarious regardless.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Haha it is!! Maybe I would say 100 pages instead of 300, but I’ve noticed that everyone’s experience with IJ is really different.
History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell is the most enjoyable history of Western philosophy out there. However, if you want one that is more accurate and complete I’d go for Anthony Kenny’s History of Western Philosophy. He divides the book in half between history of philosophies and history of philosophers, which I found really helpful when going back to it searching for something in particular.
My first Pynchon was Vineland, then The Crying of Lot 49, and most recently Gravity"s Rainbow (took 2 tries, and It was my follow-up to a re-read of Catch 22). Inherent Vice will be the next Pynchon. Dash Hammet and Raymond Chandler are the god fathers of hardboiled detectives... I was introduced to the adventure writers at about 10 yrs old. I couldn't get enough RLS, Verne, Dumas. I think it was different for boys fifty to sixty years ago. I made a similar pledge about book buying. My work around is used books.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Vineland is a "classic" '70's book, communes and FBI. Very accessible and humorous,- the first Pynchon I read. Vineland came into my world about the same time as The Monkey Wrench Gang and The Milagro Beanfield War, both of which I highly recommend if you haven't read them (yes, I'm that old). The Crying Of Lot 49, is short and digestible and linear. V is in the same vein as Vineland. Pynchon is of a "certain age" and the 60's and 70's hippie counter culture clearly is an influence. Gravity's Rainbow, the most recent for me, took two tries to get through separated by years, maybe not ready first try, like Ulysses. GR is a war story and a search for technology (all those Nazi rocket scientists with their secrets just laying around like sea shells on the beach), along with sex, loss, and character. I think it is a bit overwritten at times, but that could be me... Still, I think that it's worth the effort. I include it in my triumvirate: Ulysses, Mrs Dalloway, and GR as "great" modern lit. Many consider GR his best, nominated for multiple awards, in spite of or because of the darker aspects. In my mind Catch 22 and GR make an interesting companion read. Next on the Pynchon TBR is Mason & Dixon, but if I get bogged down I will bail out and try Inherent Vice. Pynchon studied Physics at Cornell, and his intellect leads the way. I found a fairly complete Pynchon set at the local library book sale fund raiser which I might make it through, or not. I think I would recommend Vineland or V first. Chronologically, V was published first. BTW have you read Arkady Martine? I enjoyed both A Memory Called Empire, and A Desolation Called Peace. Space Opera deluxe but very human keep up the goodwork
All great titles! But if I may, I think you should be more intimidated by Infinite Jest than by Gravity’s Rainbow. Despite the over-indulgence of his style, DFW was a deeper author.
I have it waiting on my shelf but it is intimidating. I want to read it though. Do you know @tomlabooks3263 ? He has done a read through of the Divine Comedy on his channel. He makes it seem less overwhelming to me. What were your thoughts and impressions of part 1?
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize to be quick and honest, I didn't like the translation. It had a specific rhythm and rhyme scheme in Italian, which did not survive well into English. My particular version, it felt like they tried to make up for losing the rhyme scheme, by sounding way overly "poetic" ... to me it read is Yoda was trying to recite Shakespeare. I found the wording difficult to follow. It was distracting and I feel like I missed the point, and the overall allegorical theme was lost on me because of it, unfortunately.
Hello! I'm aware of some of the history of the Barbary Pirates, but I had never heard of this story. Thank you for mentioning it. I assume you have read it? What did you think?
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Yah Thomas Pellow (11 years old/English) was abducted off his uncles merchant ship in 1716 AD by Muslim Pirates. He was taken back to Morocco and held captive for over 20 years until he escaped. When he got back to England he wrote a memoir about what he experienced in Morocco and it is nuts. He died right after his memoir was published and I think it was from a broken heart because not many people believed him and he felt extremely isolated. So Giles Milton started studying the Barbary Slave trade in the late 90s after he read Pellow's memoir, and he discovered so much corroborating evidence of Pellow's account, he proved that what he wrote was true and accurate. Anyway by the late 1500's the Ottoman Empire had conquered the Mediterranean coast line from the West side of Greece all the way around to Morocco (like a horse shoe), and they were dominating the Mediterranean sea, hijacking European merchant ships and raiding European coast lines, taking the people back to the Barbary Coast to be auctioned off in the various slave markets. Almost 2 million Europeans were enslaved during this time which came to an end with the Bombardment of Algiers in 1816 AD.
@@Virgo_Moon_77 my gosh, what a tragic story for Pellow. I am aware of Barbary pirates and their attacks on the Azores (where my family is from) and especially the southern coast of Portugal, in the Algarve. I’ll have to pick up that book sometime.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Do you know about the book "The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise" by Dario Fernandez-Morera♒? In my opinion that book should be mandatory reading for the Portuguese and Spanish. Your ancestors were brutally subjugated by Arab Muslims for almost 800 years before they became perpatrators of colonialism and slavery. I'm not saying this justifies the atrocities committed but it's only fair to point this out.
@@Virgo_Moon_77 I have honesty never heard of it referred to as a “paradise”. That seems quite the naive statement of colonialism in general, doesn’t it? Human history is littered with tragedy and no one country or culture are entirely innocent or guilty. The flaws of humanity are to blame. All are guilty and all are innocent. History is to be learned from not to point fingers at.
In that case, leave Gravity’s Rainbow for later. Instead read his “Vineland” There are parts of GR that provoked a tear, but Vineland gave me full on crying.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize I liked it. Pynchon is a very thorough researcher, so there’s lots of juicy history along with his usual character high-jinx Since you asked, you can’t count this against my recommendations quota.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Haha. Well, you still have hockey, eh? Are you a fan of the Edmonton Oilers? The Oilers were my go to team back when I was young and would keep up with hockey. I basically rooted for them because their name was the same as my favorite American football team that I used to root for in the '90s, before they moved to Tennessee. The Oilers also have cool uniforms.
Maltese Falcon is a winner. Dashiel Hammet is very readable. He doesn't know how to write boring detective novels or short stories. I just recently read all of his short stories that I could find. I think I have read all his novels. Good luck on reading your unread books.
Infinte Jest is riciculous and not in a good way...I read like 300 pages before I was like this is enough. Most critics also say it's to long by the way. Don't bother is what I say.
I felt that “I’m an introvert so I have a small network…” comment
Lol!! Facts! 😂
I have read four out of five book on this TBR. There are all great. Infinite Jest is surprisingly easy to read despite the length and the tennis stuff. That was like a foreign language. The Maltese Falcon is an excellent example of the the early detective novel. I really like Three Musketeers too. A History of Western Philosophy is on my shelf I swear I’ll get to it someday.
Hahaha!! That’s impressive! I’m excited to read on.
Don't be too intimidated by Gravity's Rainbow; it's not too terribly difficult. The plot is sprawling, but it's more or less easy to get what's happening, it's just the significance of it that's so elusive. There are so many ideas and elements at play that I think Pynchon even said that he doesn't remember what the point was. 😂 And I hope you enjoy Infinite Jest as much as I did! That was, hands down, the most fun I've ever had reading, even though it's not one of my favorite books. It's quite penetrable for a postmodern work of that ilk; once you get about 300 pages in it really takes off, or it did for me at least. 😊
Agree with this 💯
Thank you for your thoughts here. Good to know, although it’s hilarious to think that a book really gets going after the first 300pages. 😂 Bah hahahahaa! I mean it’s fitting for the length, but hilarious regardless.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Haha it is!! Maybe I would say 100 pages instead of 300, but I’ve noticed that everyone’s experience with IJ is really different.
@@tomlabooks3263 I’m hoping I’m in the 100 page camp. 😊
History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell is the most enjoyable history of Western philosophy out there. However, if you want one that is more accurate and complete I’d go for Anthony Kenny’s History of Western Philosophy. He divides the book in half between history of philosophies and history of philosophers, which I found really helpful when going back to it searching for something in particular.
Thank you for the recommendation.
GR is absolutely ridiculously hard to follow. Defeated me many a times
This is the fear. The “what the heck am I reading here” fear. I have similar feelings toward War and Peace as you also and that’s on the TBR too. 🤣
You’re welcome! 😊 Daunting classics. I have several. Love your edition of The Maltese Falcon. Thanks for doing this tag. 💙
Thank you for tagging me!
My first Pynchon was Vineland, then The Crying of Lot 49, and most recently Gravity"s Rainbow (took 2 tries, and It was my follow-up to a re-read of Catch 22). Inherent Vice will be the next Pynchon. Dash Hammet and Raymond Chandler are the god fathers of hardboiled detectives... I was introduced to the adventure writers at about 10 yrs old. I couldn't get enough RLS, Verne, Dumas. I think it was different for boys fifty to sixty years ago. I made a similar pledge about book buying. My work around is used books.
Where would you recommend stating with Pynchon?
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Vineland is a "classic" '70's book, communes and FBI. Very accessible and humorous,- the first Pynchon I read. Vineland came into my world about the same time as The Monkey Wrench Gang and The Milagro Beanfield War, both of which I highly recommend if you haven't read them (yes, I'm that old). The Crying Of Lot 49, is short and digestible and linear. V is in the same vein as Vineland. Pynchon is of a "certain age" and the 60's and 70's hippie counter culture clearly is an influence. Gravity's Rainbow, the most recent for me, took two tries to get through separated by years, maybe not ready first try, like Ulysses. GR is a war story and a search for technology (all those Nazi rocket scientists with their secrets just laying around like sea shells on the beach), along with sex, loss, and character. I think it is a bit overwritten at times, but that could be me... Still, I think that it's worth the effort. I include it in my triumvirate: Ulysses, Mrs Dalloway, and GR as "great" modern lit. Many consider GR his best, nominated for multiple awards, in spite of or because of the darker aspects. In my mind Catch 22 and GR make an interesting companion read. Next on the Pynchon TBR is Mason & Dixon, but if I get bogged down I will bail out and try Inherent Vice. Pynchon studied Physics at Cornell, and his intellect leads the way. I found a fairly complete Pynchon set at the local library book sale fund raiser which I might make it through, or not. I think I would recommend Vineland or V first. Chronologically, V was published first.
BTW have you read Arkady Martine? I enjoyed both A Memory Called Empire, and A Desolation Called Peace. Space Opera deluxe but very human keep up the goodwork
I like Bertrand Russell, I have a book of his essays I'm slowly working through. Lots of good ones on your TBR. Cheers!
Thank you! I hope I like Russel too. 😊
All great titles! But if I may, I think you should be more intimidated by Infinite Jest than by Gravity’s Rainbow. Despite the over-indulgence of his style, DFW was a deeper author.
“Be afraid. Be very more afraid.” 🤣😂🤣😂
Have you read Dante's Divine Comedy?
I recently finished Part 1: Inferno. Would love to hear your thoughts on it.
I have it waiting on my shelf but it is intimidating. I want to read it though. Do you know @tomlabooks3263 ? He has done a read through of the Divine Comedy on his channel. He makes it seem less overwhelming to me. What were your thoughts and impressions of part 1?
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize to be quick and honest, I didn't like the translation. It had a specific rhythm and rhyme scheme in Italian, which did not survive well into English.
My particular version, it felt like they tried to make up for losing the rhyme scheme, by sounding way overly "poetic" ... to me it read is Yoda was trying to recite Shakespeare. I found the wording difficult to follow.
It was distracting and I feel like I missed the point, and the overall allegorical theme was lost on me because of it, unfortunately.
What do you think of judging books by the cover?
I have some books on my shelf mostly because of how nice the cover is.
A book cover does a lot in the way of attracting one to it. I try to not be swayed by nice covers, but I am only a mere mortal. LOL!
"Sitting on my bookshelf for over twenty years"...LOL well, if it wasn't a Classic then, it is now! hahahhahaa
Definitely! LOL!
Greetings Stell Lah Tell Air Rea
Do you know about White Gold by Giles Milton?
Nice Channel
Hello! I'm aware of some of the history of the Barbary Pirates, but I had never heard of this story. Thank you for mentioning it. I assume you have read it? What did you think?
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Yah Thomas Pellow (11 years old/English) was abducted off his uncles merchant ship in 1716 AD by Muslim Pirates. He was taken back to Morocco and held captive for over 20 years until he escaped. When he got back to England he wrote a memoir about what he experienced in Morocco and it is nuts. He died right after his memoir was published and I think it was from a broken heart because not many people believed him and he felt extremely isolated. So Giles Milton started studying the Barbary Slave trade in the late 90s after he read Pellow's memoir, and he discovered so much corroborating evidence of Pellow's account, he proved that what he wrote was true and accurate.
Anyway by the late 1500's the Ottoman Empire had conquered the Mediterranean coast line from the West side of Greece all the way around to Morocco (like a horse shoe), and they were dominating the Mediterranean sea, hijacking European merchant ships and raiding European coast lines, taking the people back to the Barbary Coast to be auctioned off in the various slave markets.
Almost 2 million Europeans were enslaved during this time which came to an end with the Bombardment of Algiers in 1816 AD.
@@Virgo_Moon_77 my gosh, what a tragic story for Pellow. I am aware of Barbary pirates and their attacks on the Azores (where my family is from) and especially the southern coast of Portugal, in the Algarve. I’ll have to pick up that book sometime.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Do you know about the book "The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise" by Dario Fernandez-Morera♒?
In my opinion that book should be mandatory reading for the Portuguese and Spanish.
Your ancestors were brutally subjugated by Arab Muslims for almost 800 years before they became perpatrators of colonialism and slavery.
I'm not saying this justifies the atrocities committed but it's only fair to point this out.
@@Virgo_Moon_77 I have honesty never heard of it referred to as a “paradise”. That seems quite the naive statement of colonialism in general, doesn’t it? Human history is littered with tragedy and no one country or culture are entirely innocent or guilty. The flaws of humanity are to blame. All are guilty and all are innocent. History is to be learned from not to point fingers at.
Infinite jest was such a nightmare 😂 I still haven’t gotten through it yet.
This is what I hear often. 🫣 scary
I’m already over my quota on book suggestions. So I will wait until you’ve finished all these 😂
Lol!!! I doubt you will be able to restrain yourself. But I won’t be mad about it. 😂
In that case, leave Gravity’s Rainbow for later. Instead read his “Vineland” There are parts of GR that provoked a tear, but Vineland gave me full on crying.
@@brianbuch1 someone recommended to begin Pynchon with Mason & Dixon. Have you read that one?
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize I liked it. Pynchon is a very thorough researcher, so there’s lots of juicy history along with his usual character high-jinx
Since you asked, you can’t count this against my recommendations quota.
@@brianbuch1 where do you recommend that one starts with Pynchon? With Vineland?
YAY, so now it's safe to go to the bookstores, we won't get into a brawl with you over a rare edition!
Please care for those rare editions in my absence! 😭🤣
Heard through the grapevine that you're a Niners fan. How ya feelin'?
It’s not good, but such is life. Lol! 😉 booooooo!
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Haha. Well, you still have hockey, eh? Are you a fan of the Edmonton Oilers? The Oilers were my go to team back when I was young and would keep up with hockey. I basically rooted for them because their name was the same as my favorite American football team that I used to root for in the '90s, before they moved to Tennessee. The Oilers also have cool uniforms.
@@MonkTlön The Oilers are my team.
I’ll just go ahead and buy the 50 books on my wishlist and then I’ll start the challenge. 😂
You get those books!
Maltese Falcon is a winner. Dashiel Hammet is very readable. He doesn't know how to write boring detective novels or short stories. I just recently read all of his short stories that I could find. I think I have read all his novels. Good luck on reading your unread books.
I’m excited to read that one. I think it will be the soonest tackled.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Hope you enjoy reading it.
Ever read Ulysses? :)
Not yet. I read The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man last year in preparation for it.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Ulysses is fantastic. It’s actually funny (which no one has ever accused Portrait of being)
Infinte Jest is riciculous and not in a good way...I read like 300 pages before I was like this is enough. Most critics also say it's to long by the way. Don't bother is what I say.
Uh oh!
I suppose you could just give away some of the 250 books you haven’t read yet…
But they are my precious! LOL! ;)