Hi Jason, I read Thomas Bernhard's "Concrete" after your recommendation, and it was excellent. Thanks a lot. If you liked Pelevin, I highly recommend his short stories. Start with "Nika" but don't read what it's about first, just start reading it. It's in "The Blue Lantern" short story collection.
Great to have you aboard! I'd also encourage you to check out the Discord server because there is a lot of good discussion there from people who follow the channel and more obscure book talk from myself. discord.gg/tg95K346fZ
Thanks for subscribing and taking time to comment. Best of luck getting into the corner of UA-cam that is BookTube in 2024. I'm going to unveil my reading choices this weekend, hopefully something there will grab you.
Ooh I saw dark spring a few months ago and was interested but forgot all about it. Have you heard of Reinhardt's Garden? It's about a group lost in the amazon on the style of Bernhard, I thought it was alright, but you might have more fun with it, even if it's poking fun of, lol. But my favourite of this year was Bruno Schulz's Street of Crocodiles, it's like a dreamy, surreal Welch
Dark Spring is a free download, so you can check it out here: archive.org/details/dark-spring-by-unica-zurn-z-lib.org No, I haven't heard of Reinhardt's Garden (or Street of Crocodiles), so I'll take a look at them. On the theme of Bernhard in Latin America, there's a novel titled Bernhard in San Salvador that I've been meaning to get hold of for ages. Happy new year!
I became a huge fan of Patrick Hamilton last year and having recently read 'Of Human Bondage,' I feel certain he was influenced by it, specifically the relationship between Philip and Mildred. My other favourites were 'Auto-De'Fe' by Canetti, 'The Thief's Journal' by Genet, 'The Tenant' by Topor, 'Mysteries' by Hamsun, and 'Froth on the Daydream' by Vian. (Honourable mentions: 'Kokoro' by Soseki and 'Spider' by McGrath').
I read Of Human Bondage over twenty-five years ago, so I can't recall it in much detail, but of the generation preceding him I see similarities between Hamilton and George Gissing also. Vian I read back in the late 90s, but my translation was titled 'Foam of the Daze,' and I seem to remember a noir novel he wrote, perhaps published originally under another name, a rather mysterious figure all round. You've named three titles I was unfamiliar with, and The Tenant sounds particularly appealing. Happy new year!
I loved When You Reach Me. There’s some great MG out there, and I always feel like I need to read more. My husband has All the Light We Cannot See in his top 10 for the year!
Agreed regarding MG, young readers are sparing with the attention they will lavish on a book and that fact really forces writers catering for them to come up with the goods. And thanks for injecting some enthusiasm into the prospect of reading All the Light We Cannot See, given its bulk I need some reassurance. (I see we both uploaded a similar 'everything we read' video within hours of one another, I'll check it out after work.)
im definitely going to add some of these to my tbr list! i actually just bought secret rendezvous by kobo abe this week on my trip to the bookstore, and im looking forward to reading it! and of course, happy (almost) new year, jason!
Thanks for the new year wishes, hope 2024 is great for you, too. Likewise, I hope you enjoy Secret Rendezvous, I can't imagine you not, it's so quirky, fast-moving, and obeys its own peculiar logic (like many of Abe's novels).
It was a shame that the Thomas Bernhard project dried up but I think we all have too many other things to read! I am a big fan of Riddley Walker and Pedro Paramo so I’m glad you liked them, but surprised that Disgrace was a let down - it’s not pleasant and the characters are pretty awful but I think it’s excellent. Largely agree with you about Haruki Murakami too.
The Bernhard project has not dried up! I am filming the latest instalment this very day. There was some behavior I didn't foresee, so I pulled the plug on the schedule to tackle his books in the true Bernhard way: alone. That's plenty of consensus re the books you list. As someone who places particular value on style, Coetzee's writing is never going to hold great appeal for me. I have set up a Discord server now, the link is discord.gg/tg95K346fZ and you may wish to join, there's some great people already participating. Great to hear from you again and a belated Happy New Year!
Very interesting picks. I will be checking a few of these out! By the way, concerning the book about a journey to the river Ganges, have you read Temple of Dawn by mishima? It contains very intense spiritual reflections, and, well the whole tetrology must be taken as a whole and it does as a whole, but that particular book features reflections on the Ganges prominently.
Thanks you, I wasn't aware of the Mishima novels you mention, I've only read his Confessions of a Mask and a short story collection, Acts of Worship. I will take a look. By the by, there's plenty of interest in Japanese literature over at my Discord server; if you'd like to check it out, here's the invite: discord.gg/tg95K346fZ
This was just an excellent video, thank you. The sound is very quiet and uneven, would it be possible to sit closer to the mic and maybe turn up the volume? Thank you for the cc, I read the video.
Sorry re the audio. This video is made up of only three segments, so the issue is less the microphone/distance than my voice, which I was struggling with because of seasonal ailments. Hopefully, you'll notice the difference on my latest video. Once again, apologies.
Bonjour de France. Si vous souhaitez lire d'autres romans de Marguerite Yourcenar, je me permets de vous conseiller L'œuvre au noir. Merci pour ce partage et bonne année 2024 !
I would like to recommend the only novel of Canetti, which is "Auto-da-fe". Would be great if you haven't read it already :) I find it a modern masterpiece, myself. Would like to know of your oppinion about it, as well. When and if you'd have time for it :)
This is the first video I've watched of yours. Thank you for your distillations! I've loved DH Lawrence and am looking forward now to my Yourcenar entrypoint at Coup de Grace. I trust you because of your measured, dense passionate brevity. And your willingness to call a spade a spade. I don't get to read as much as you do, or as quickly. Do you have any recommendations for someone whose favorite authors are DH Lawrence, George Eliot, Proust, Nietzsche, Joyce, William Gaddis, that vein of writing?
Thank you for your generous comment, and I hope you enjoy Coup de Grace, which recalled for me the atmosphere of The Prussian Officer (The Olive Grove by Guy de Maupassant has a similar power.) I have not read lots of Lawrence, but I also greatly enjoyed The Fox and the two other novellas accompanying it. Other writers in the vein you mention might be Genet (I recommend Our Lady of the Flowers) and those of Marguerite Duras's novels which are most erotic, The Lover, and Black Hair, Blue Eyes. These are psychologically rich, though Genet's language has the richness of poetry while Duras is more distilled, and further away from the writers you list in terms of style but she is extremely penetrating like Lawrence. Lawrence Durrell also writes under the influence of Proust and Joyce, as does Anthony Burgess in some of his works. (Burgess wrote on Joyce throughout his life: www.anthonyburgess.org/blog-posts/burgess-on-james-joyce/). You get immense verbal energy in a novel like The Doctor is Sick, which is a slice of extremely black comedy. Hopefully these suggestions are of some use, even if I'm not myself a great reader of Joyce, Gaddis, etc., though I do love Proust.
@@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan Thank you very much for these!! I have The Lover on my shelf ready to go but these others are completely new, so thanks especially for those!
You're welcome. If you join the Discord server I set up, you might post there and get some more suggestions. discord.gg/tg95K346fZ (This link should work, I set is as infinite)
Your bookcase is delightfully chaotic! Marvellous!
Thank you! My shelves exist in a state of perpetual flux, punctuated by the occasional avalanche.
Hi Jason, I read Thomas Bernhard's "Concrete" after your recommendation, and it was excellent. Thanks a lot. If you liked Pelevin, I highly recommend his short stories. Start with "Nika" but don't read what it's about first, just start reading it. It's in "The Blue Lantern" short story collection.
That's great to hear, Oleg. Thanks for taking time to leave a comment, and for the Pelevin recommendation, which I will definitely act upon.
Really glad your channel was suggested for me - love to hear about books no-one else seems to talk about. Subscribed 😊
Great to have you aboard! I'd also encourage you to check out the Discord server because there is a lot of good discussion there from people who follow the channel and more obscure book talk from myself. discord.gg/tg95K346fZ
New subscriber. New to this books on UA-cam malarkey. Best wishes with your reading choices in 2024.
Thanks for subscribing and taking time to comment. Best of luck getting into the corner of UA-cam that is BookTube in 2024. I'm going to unveil my reading choices this weekend, hopefully something there will grab you.
Happy New Year, Jason! I am so happy you are still enjoying reading :) Kita
Thanks, Kita, hope you're well and that the coming year is a great one for you!
Ooh I saw dark spring a few months ago and was interested but forgot all about it. Have you heard of Reinhardt's Garden? It's about a group lost in the amazon on the style of Bernhard, I thought it was alright, but you might have more fun with it, even if it's poking fun of, lol. But my favourite of this year was Bruno Schulz's Street of Crocodiles, it's like a dreamy, surreal Welch
Dark Spring is a free download, so you can check it out here: archive.org/details/dark-spring-by-unica-zurn-z-lib.org
No, I haven't heard of Reinhardt's Garden (or Street of Crocodiles), so I'll take a look at them. On the theme of Bernhard in Latin America, there's a novel titled Bernhard in San Salvador that I've been meaning to get hold of for ages. Happy new year!
I became a huge fan of Patrick Hamilton last year and having recently read 'Of Human Bondage,' I feel certain he was influenced by it, specifically the relationship between Philip and Mildred. My other favourites were 'Auto-De'Fe' by Canetti, 'The Thief's Journal' by Genet, 'The Tenant' by Topor, 'Mysteries' by Hamsun, and 'Froth on the Daydream' by Vian. (Honourable mentions: 'Kokoro' by Soseki and 'Spider' by McGrath').
I read Of Human Bondage over twenty-five years ago, so I can't recall it in much detail, but of the generation preceding him I see similarities between Hamilton and George Gissing also. Vian I read back in the late 90s, but my translation was titled 'Foam of the Daze,' and I seem to remember a noir novel he wrote, perhaps published originally under another name, a rather mysterious figure all round. You've named three titles I was unfamiliar with, and The Tenant sounds particularly appealing. Happy new year!
I loved When You Reach Me. There’s some great MG out there, and I always feel like I need to read more. My husband has All the Light We Cannot See in his top 10 for the year!
Agreed regarding MG, young readers are sparing with the attention they will lavish on a book and that fact really forces writers catering for them to come up with the goods. And thanks for injecting some enthusiasm into the prospect of reading All the Light We Cannot See, given its bulk I need some reassurance.
(I see we both uploaded a similar 'everything we read' video within hours of one another, I'll check it out after work.)
im definitely going to add some of these to my tbr list! i actually just bought secret rendezvous by kobo abe this week on my trip to the bookstore, and im looking forward to reading it!
and of course, happy (almost) new year, jason!
Thanks for the new year wishes, hope 2024 is great for you, too. Likewise, I hope you enjoy Secret Rendezvous, I can't imagine you not, it's so quirky, fast-moving, and obeys its own peculiar logic (like many of Abe's novels).
@@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan thank you, and ill definitely get to finishing the book asap!
It was a shame that the Thomas Bernhard project dried up but I think we all have too many other things to read! I am a big fan of Riddley Walker and Pedro Paramo so I’m glad you liked them, but surprised that Disgrace was a let down - it’s not pleasant and the characters are pretty awful but I think it’s excellent. Largely agree with you about Haruki Murakami too.
The Bernhard project has not dried up! I am filming the latest instalment this very day. There was some behavior I didn't foresee, so I pulled the plug on the schedule to tackle his books in the true Bernhard way: alone.
That's plenty of consensus re the books you list. As someone who places particular value on style, Coetzee's writing is never going to hold great appeal for me.
I have set up a Discord server now, the link is discord.gg/tg95K346fZ and you may wish to join, there's some great people already participating.
Great to hear from you again and a belated Happy New Year!
Very interesting picks. I will be checking a few of these out!
By the way, concerning the book about a journey to the river Ganges, have you read Temple of Dawn by mishima? It contains very intense spiritual reflections, and, well the whole tetrology must be taken as a whole and it does as a whole, but that particular book features reflections on the Ganges prominently.
Thanks you, I wasn't aware of the Mishima novels you mention, I've only read his Confessions of a Mask and a short story collection, Acts of Worship. I will take a look.
By the by, there's plenty of interest in Japanese literature over at my Discord server; if you'd like to check it out, here's the invite: discord.gg/tg95K346fZ
I will check it out!
This was just an excellent video, thank you. The sound is very quiet and uneven, would it be possible to sit closer to the mic and maybe turn up the volume? Thank you for the cc, I read the video.
Sorry re the audio. This video is made up of only three segments, so the issue is less the microphone/distance than my voice, which I was struggling with because of seasonal ailments. Hopefully, you'll notice the difference on my latest video. Once again, apologies.
@@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan 💖
WOW 50 NOVELS 😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲
Bonjour de France.
Si vous souhaitez lire d'autres romans de Marguerite Yourcenar, je me permets de vous conseiller L'œuvre au noir.
Merci pour ce partage et bonne année 2024 !
Merci pour votre conseil. Je lirai ce livre prochain. Bonne année à toi aussi!
I would like to recommend the only novel of Canetti, which is "Auto-da-fe". Would be great if you haven't read it already :) I find it a modern masterpiece, myself. Would like to know of your oppinion about it, as well. When and if you'd have time for it :)
Thanks, I have it here and have read perhaps the first hundred pages a couple of times. You're right, I should try to finish it.
Oh, I hope it doesn't mean you wouldn't enjoy it! :)@@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan
It's just a deep read is all.
This is the first video I've watched of yours. Thank you for your distillations! I've loved DH Lawrence and am looking forward now to my Yourcenar entrypoint at Coup de Grace. I trust you because of your measured, dense passionate brevity. And your willingness to call a spade a spade.
I don't get to read as much as you do, or as quickly. Do you have any recommendations for someone whose favorite authors are DH Lawrence, George Eliot, Proust, Nietzsche, Joyce, William Gaddis, that vein of writing?
Thank you for your generous comment, and I hope you enjoy Coup de Grace, which recalled for me the atmosphere of The Prussian Officer (The Olive Grove by Guy de Maupassant has a similar power.) I have not read lots of Lawrence, but I also greatly enjoyed The Fox and the two other novellas accompanying it. Other writers in the vein you mention might be Genet (I recommend Our Lady of the Flowers) and those of Marguerite Duras's novels which are most erotic, The Lover, and Black Hair, Blue Eyes. These are psychologically rich, though Genet's language has the richness of poetry while Duras is more distilled, and further away from the writers you list in terms of style but she is extremely penetrating like Lawrence.
Lawrence Durrell also writes under the influence of Proust and Joyce, as does Anthony Burgess in some of his works. (Burgess wrote on Joyce throughout his life: www.anthonyburgess.org/blog-posts/burgess-on-james-joyce/). You get immense verbal energy in a novel like The Doctor is Sick, which is a slice of extremely black comedy.
Hopefully these suggestions are of some use, even if I'm not myself a great reader of Joyce, Gaddis, etc., though I do love Proust.
@@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan Thank you very much for these!! I have The Lover on my shelf ready to go but these others are completely new, so thanks especially for those!
You're welcome. If you join the Discord server I set up, you might post there and get some more suggestions. discord.gg/tg95K346fZ (This link should work, I set is as infinite)
Robertson Davies
Olivia Laing
Virginia Woolf
Robert Penn Warren
John Steinbeck
William Faulkner
Theodore Dreiser
Hullo what was the walter scot novel please.
There were five Scott novels mentioned: Waverley, Guy Mannering, The Heart of Midlothian, The Antiquary, The Black Dwarf.
you are good