Angury

I don't normally create a thread for a book I've just read, but I just had to find out if anyone else had read this phenomenal book. For those who haven't heard of it, it is a diary written by a young man from 1913-1917 and follows his dreams of becoming a naturalist and a journalist, as well as his battles with his constant ill-health which eventually take over more and more of his writing as he finds out he suffers from MS. He died when he was 30, and the book is filled with his thoughts about life, death and everything in between. I'm not one for autobiographies, but this is an exception. My copy is full of sentences underlined and words encircled - the way he describes day-to-day life is refreshing. Some of the paragraphs are so beautifully written, I've just had to make a note of them. There are some examples on the Goodreads website here: https://www.goodreads.com/work/quote...sappointed-man Has anyone else been lucky enough to read this book? If so, what were your thoughts? And if not, you must run out and buy a copy immediately! (I almost feel like ending this post with a small note to state there are no conflicts of interest ).

This looks brilliant, I cannot wait to see this. Bathsheba is exactly how I imagined her - very headstrong. I hope the film does Hardy's book justice - it's one of my favourite books.

My to-read list is now reaching four-hundred books which is getting a bit ridiculous I think. It only started reaching extortionate levels when I started using Goodreads - it's just so easy to add books to your 'to-read shelf!' Plus I tend to expose myself to new books all the time; I read through a lot of book forums and always check out books on prize lists etc. I want to experience all the different writing styles there are and enter every persons mind to learn how they see the world - quite a big ask. I've now divided my to-read list into smaller categories to make it more manageable i.e. mental health books, medical books, fantasy books etc. Another thing I've recently started doing is making a small list of five books I plan to read through within the next few weeks. This way I don't get distracted by the next new book on the bestseller lists. I have this awful habit of stopping a book half-way through, and I'm hoping that by breaking down my list into digestible chunks I can enjoy a book in its entirety instead of having my to-read lists looming behind me! Also, I just want to say this is incredible.

I just finished reading Cloud Atlas today. I'm still not too sure what to think about it. On the one hand I have to admire David Mitchell's talent for being so diverse in his writing style. I felt like I was beginning a new book every time I came across another narrator. But on the other hand.. I feel like I'm missing the point of the book. I liked the message in the final paragraph about being a droplet in the ocean - it avoided the danger of sounding too cliched, again thanks to Mitchell's exquisite hand at writing. But.. what was the point of the novel? Can anyone help me here?

Has anyone read The Myth of Sisyphus? I really enjoyed reading The Stranger so thought I'd give The Myth of Sisyphus a go. I thought the idea behind it was very interesting, but I just couldn't get into it. I found the writing style so vague (a bit like Foucault) and I felt like most of the points he was making were going over my head. Perhaps it's a book I need to read when I'm a bit older. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on it.

I agree that we need to take more responsibility for our actions, especially as we seem to be in a "blame culture" (I do this myself). Although I'm not sure how we can encourage people to become more responsible. What do you mean by this?

Do you think such an emotion exists? Aren't all emotions self-indulgent in some way? I personally do not believe in things like unconditional love - as human beings, we are not perfect. Does real love exist? We all experience life differently. What is 'real love' to one person may not be 'real' to the next. Our idea of what is love is developed through our childhood and the way our parents interacted with us. Therefore, some people may see this type of behaviour as real love, as this is the only type of love they have ever known. Yet those adults may truly believe that what they are doing is out of the goodness of their heart. They may believe they are showing their love through their behaviour. They may not be acting out of spite or hatred, but love in their minds.

How would you measure the 'trueness' of love? Who are we to judge whether someone else's love is true or not? For example, I personally believe in arranged marriage, something I know isn't very popular in the Western culture. I believe that people in such relationships still love each other - other people would argue with me and say that isn't true love.

I couldn't find a topic on this fantastic novel, so I thought I'd create one. This book was recommended to me by a friend after I told him I enjoyed "dark books, a bit like Wuthering Heights." And he certainly seemed to know me well; this novel has entered my favourites-list. I think it's the mixture of the writing style and storyline that got me. The idea of the protagonist being an insecure young girl looking up to this perfection named Rebecca really touched me. The twists were done well, and the mystery really did take me by surprise. I have also finished reading The Breaking Point by du Maurier, and again it was a collection that had me hooked. It is a collection of short stories that du Maurier wrote while she was on the brink of a "nervous breakdown" (I hate those words), and her writing illustrates beautifully the line between reality and illusion. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on Rebecca, and if they have read any books that are similar.

That is a very good way of looking at it (although my TBR list is pretty long already!).

I finally finished reading this yesterday and I'm very glad I stuck with it. My thoughts mirror a lot of others; the book is very hard to get into at the start, but it picks up - both because of the increase in pace and getting used to the writing style. I am so used to simple writing styles, that I didn't know what to think when I first started this book. It can become a bit dense, and I was only able to read a chapter a day - but I have also created a vocabulary list thanks to this book. This is what took me by surprise - most of the books I read leave a lot to the imagination, which is something I enjoy. This novel was filled with so much detail, I felt like I was reading a textbook at the start. Once the pace picked up though, I began to enjoy the story and was able to admire Hardy's style. If there is one writing style I wish I could write in, it's Hardy's poetic grasp of the English language, and the way he dissects everything using imagery and metaphor. Other than that, I can't say there was much of a plotline. It was mainly the writing style that stood out - although personally, I think that sort of style is better left for poetry. Or perhaps his writing style just doesn't fit in with today's day and age where everything is a bit more fast-paced.

Looking through the list of past Nobel laureates, I recognise very few names - which is a pity.

But then you wouldn't feel any joy or happiness either. You wouldn't have any ambition or drive. You wouldn't have any interests, any goals or desires. You'd just be an empty shell. I don't think there's anything wrong with not feeling anything for some relatives - I'm the same. It also depends on your history and your relationship with them. It becomes a problem when you don't feel anything for anyone and it begins to affect the way you see people I.e. manipulating others for your own goals without any care about their emotions or feelings.

Please elaborate - I would be interested in hearing your thoughts!

I came across this info graphic which I thought was brilliantly done: http://www.laura-e-kelly.com/creative-work/infographics/reader-species/ I would say I am a book-buster and a promiscuous reader. Most of my books have some sort of mark on them to indicate they have been used. Either creased pages, stains or bent spines. Any new books that I buy don't look new for long. I have also started this awful habit of stopping a book half way through to begin another book. I need to stop this as it means I don't get anything finished. I might start a log or something just to motivate me to go through one book at a time. Oh, and I'm definitely a 'Travelling Reader.' I find it more enjoyable to read when I'm out in a coffee shop or restaurant somewhere. It's nice to watch the world go past you while you're absorbed in another world. Sitting in a cosy bed with a hot cup of tea in winter has its own charm as well though. I'm an easily-influenced reader as well. Every time I hear a good review, I go and check out that book. I enjoy so many different genres and I'm always trying to keep an open mind. I want to absorb as much knowledge as possible, which leads to ridiculously long to-read lists. I have also noticed that I'm becoming more of a 'Professional Reader' - that is, I've started reading books mainly for studying or coursework etc. I really hope I still continue to read for pleasure though. People always tell me that as they get older they have less time to read, but I hope I can still find time for a good novel even a few years from now. And I guess being a member of forums like this helps me to remember why I enjoy reading so much. So what kind of reader are you?

I've just bought The Fall by Camus which I intend to devour with just as much energy as I did The Outsider. I generally prefer books with a lot of details and metaphors woven throughout, along with in depth characters and well dug out plotlines. Something about Camus's stories really stick out to me though - they make you look at the world around you and question the way you think. I want to grab the person next to me and ask them about the meaning of life and humanity in general! Plus I think it's great that Camus is able to do that to his reader using such a simple writing style.

I only did English Literature to GCSE level (two years of study). In that time we read Macbeth by Shakespeare, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Romeo and Juliet. We also looked at some poems by Sylvia Plath and Seamus Heaney. I couldn't stand any of those pieces of work when we studied them though; we analysed them to such a degree that it felt like a chore to me to read them. I've reread those works now though, and definitely enjoy them a lot more as I can read them at a leisurely pace without dissecting every sentence.

I had to read his lines out loud to understand the words (although it probably depends on your accent as well). I feel sorry for the non-British who have tried to read his parts.

I finished reading The Hogfather yesterday - easily the best out of the books I've read so far in the series. I loved the little puns throughout the story, and the idea of the Verruca Gnome and Cheerful Fairy were well done. I want to read all the books in the Death series now, although I'm going to give Going Postal a go first after all the praise I've heard about it.

In the UK, the education secretary Michael Gove has dropped some American classics such as Of Mice and Men from the English literature syllabus and stated there should be greater emphasis on British authors. That seemed to annoy quite a few people.

A clip-on bookmark sounds best me thinks. I have also converted to ebooks as I travel a lot. It's only recently I've started buying books again - I generally buy books which are collections of an authors work, poetry (I don't like reading poetry on my kindle) or non fiction. Also the cover has to look nice! I also find there's something sophisticated about using a bookmark. I also use a piece of paper to follow each line: glad I'm not the only one. I find that my eyes are automatically drawn towards the sentences below when I'm reading, especially if the story is action-paced and there's a lot going on. Using some paper to follow each line helps me to take my time and weigh each sentence carefully - another reason for me to buy a bookmark.

I've read up to A Dance With Dragons. I hope it's out by next year.. or at least before I graduate!

Ah, I've turned into a bit of a book collector now - I guess that's why I've started buying hardbacks. I don't usually reread books but I love seeing them sitting on the shelves. It gives the room a lovely atmosphere I find.. unless you're living in student accommodation the size of a cardboard box. It's also why I've started buying collections of works by certain authors. It's convenient to have all of their works in one big book, but it's also nice to see such collections sitting on a shelf to be admired.

That's a nice idea, having different bookmarks for different types of books. I've started buying hardback books recently and I feel a bit guilty folding their pages because they appear more durable and I feel like I'm ruining them. I've ordered that zipper bookmark, I really need to get into a habit of using bookmarks. I do hope it doesn't keep falling out though - maybe I'll have to resort to old train tickets as well (of which I have plenty).

Do you guys use a bookmark when you are reading or fold the corner of the page? What bookmark do you use if you do use one? I have always folded the corners of my pages when I'm reading - I used to hate using bookmarks because the one I used always kept falling out. I know a lot of people who can't stand the sight of pages being dog-eared; they claim it ruins the book. I like to think it means the book is loved. I have so many books from my childhood with pages creased from all the folding, and I love it. It shows how much they've been used and read. I've started borrowing more and more books from the library now though, and I would never ruin someone elses book. So I've started searching for bookmarks. I've had a lot of fun looking at some very creative bookmarks, but I've set my sights on this: A zipper bookmark! Anyway, I'm curious how everyone here marks their pages. Are you obsessed with keeping everything pristine and new? Or do you always spill tea and coffee over your pages like I do?