Well! I haven't posted here in a while, so here are the books I've read in the past three weeks:

• I finished Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace;
• I reread Coraline, by Neil Gaiman;
• I read The Crying of Lot 49, by Thomas Pynchon;
• I read What If? by Randall Munroe;
• I read Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut;
• and I just now finished Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy.

Whew. Hot damn. Now I'm onto Against the Day, by Thomas Pynchon and I'm not sure what else. I'm thinking about digging into 100 Years of Solitude or Ulysses (which I've been meaning to get to) or The Bell Jar, but I'm not committing to anything yet.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

I forgot how difficult-ish his work is, but, while some of it thus far is plodding and barren (perhaps intentional), I am enjoying it overall.

Finished: The Secret History by Donna Tartt and Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

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Started: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

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I am pleased with my ability to pick up reading again rather effortlessly after an almost 7 year "mom break". I really missed it.

Was on holiday this past week so finally was able to read some books on the beach for the sake of reading them as opposed to suffering through critics for my dissertation:

The Hours, by Michael Cunningham. I'd been intending to read this for ages, because I've always heard that it's a very gay book and I am a very gay person. I'm also a massive fan of Woolf, so I quite enjoyed examining how Cunningham re-reads and re-writes Mrs Dalloway across the three narratives in different ways.

The Unconsoled, by Kazuo Ishiguro. I absolutely adored this book. I haven't read any Ishiguro before, and it's always fun to begin plugging the gaps in my knowledge, even though I'm of the understanding that this is probably a bit of a black sheep among his works. I loved its weirdness and how it functions as an incredibly accurate depiction of dream-logic. The surreal nature of the events that transpired made me think of arthouse films more than anything, especially the dialogue.

Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy. I found this really difficult to get into at first. Once I started to let the flow of sentences carry me forward rather than being overly concerned with the meaning of every individual word, I really started to enjoy myself. The judge really is one of the most striking characters in a book I've read for a long time.

Finished Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy

Now starting Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Herzog, by Saul Bellow

After finishing Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy it's nice to have a book that requires less mental effort to read, but is still well-written. Moses Herzog (the narrator) seems well-developed and fleshed out, and I'm interested in seeing where the stories goes.

I just finished Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy

All I gotta say about that is wow.

But now I started The Sympathizer, by Viet Than Nguyen

Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy One chapter in so far.

Blood Meridian, by Cormac Macarthy

Fantastic prose and really evocative. Difficult to follow at times. He uses little punctuation and no speech marks. You can usually figure out what's happening just from how damn talented he is at stringing together a tale. My first Cormac book, I'm only on chapter 2 but I have high hopes it will be brilliant.

Currently reading The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury (which I actually read in Portuguese a few years ago, but really wanted to read in its original language, as I find that Bradbury loses quite a bit of his charm translated), Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy (which is going slowly, but I'm quite enjoying the ride) and Prisoners of Geography, by Tim Marshall.

Finished Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy - not really my thing - I get what he was trying to convey and it was beautifully written. It isn't the author as I liked both The Road and No Country for Old Men.

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Reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - about 75% done.

Finished Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy recently and am about halfway through Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I'm enjoying it, but part of the reason why I'm not as into the dystopian genre as a whole are the constant references to how different this world is in comparison to ours. It feels like they constantly need to make reference to it, and the opening in which all of the changes are spelled out to us through the medium of a lecture to students feels somewhat convienient. However it does feel more nuanced in this regard to 1984 and I am genuinely intrigued to see where the plot will go from where I'm at currently.

Just started Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy I've read most of his other works and somehow never read this.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Finding it to be little bit of a hard read but enjoying it enough to continue through to the end.

I finished Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy. What a great book, I don't think I've ever read something with such vivid metaphors to describe landscapes. Also, Judge Holden was one of the most memorable characters I've come accross in quite some time.

I picked up The Undiscovered Self: The Dilemma of the Individual in Modern Society, by Carl Jung. I'm only one chapter in but it's eerie how relevant of a commentary it is to the modern political landscape (groupthink, identity politics) considering it was written in 1957.

Stopped reading Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy. I really like The Road and No Country For Old Men but this just bored me. I kept thinking "is something gonna happen other than page long descriptions of the sunset?"

Started The Color of Law, by Richard Rothstein. It's a history of housing discrimination pre and post WW2 and how government policy created de jure segregation

Finished:

Bleak House, by Charles Dickens This was...fine. I love Great Expectations, it's one of my favorite novels ever, but this was not Great Expectations. The pacing was a little strange in that it felt like nothing happened for long stretches of time and then some crazy developments were all squashed together very quickly; rinse, repeat. I also struggled with Esther's characterization. She was too full of saccharine goodness; it got a bit nauseating after a while. Also, man, do people in Dickens novels just drop dead from...worrying? Literally. "Oh no, my life's struggles and concerns are too much. I will die now."

I'm debating on starting Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy, but I've never read any of his books before and I'm honestly a bit nervous. I've heard this is disturbing and depressing and I'm not sure that I'm in the mindset to read something like that right now.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Was definitely a difficult read but in the end very enjoyable and worth the difficulty. I was attached to this book even though it seemed daunting it is. Pretty heavy in the way of violence and most of the time that doesn’t bother me, but off the top of my head there were a couple parts that just felt gratuitous. Otherwise most of it was fitting to the whole theme of the book.

Authority by Jeff VanderMeer

I knew going in that it was a different type of book compared to Annihilation, so I was prepared for that. Though I think some parts were a bit too long and I kind of wanted a little more of the mystery resolved than what was, but I was still pleased with it. Still well written and expanding the world of this series, adding more mystery to keep it interesting and intriguing. I do want to read the last book in the Trilogy, so it has me hooked.

Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy

God this is dragging. I'm about 180 pages in just keep getting lost in what's going on. Not enjoying it but feel too far in just give up

Finished: Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy. It was my second stab at reading this, and I'm really glad I did. Haven't ever read a book quite like it before.

Continuing: Coin Locker Babies, by Ryu Murakami. It's just sort of okay. It's a nice palate cleanser after finishing Blood Meridian, I suppose, but I'm 2/3 of the way through after a few months away from it, and it really hasn't been that exciting to come back to. It isn't bad or boring, just not mind blowing so far.

I'm considering starting Metamorphoses by Ovid, but I think I might need to whittle down some other things that I have started but not finished (like Coin Locker Babies).

Finished Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy and Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad.

I really enjoyed Blood Meridian, if only for the fantastical descriptions of the environment, that though arguably repetitive never became mundane. The Judge truly became what I had heard about his character; the ending was very impactful. The Judge's monologues are the best part of the book and if you pay attention to only one thing it should be them. I was surprised that the violence, though gratuitous was not as bad as I had been led to expect (besides a few scenes).

I was rather disappointed by Heart of Darkness. I read Lord Jim about a year ago and was suggested this book by a friend, but found that it paled in comparison to my previous experience of Conrad. Perhaps I thought this because HoD's writing was slightly more stark and bare than LJ's, which I really enjoyed for it's prose.

Starting Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon. I read Crying of Lot 49 a year ago, and though I enjoyed it, it wasn't one of my favorite books. Thus far I am enjoying Gravity's Rainbow much more; though I am confused at times the writing is phenomenal and it is able to keep my interest for longer than any other book I've read. Can't wait to continue reading.

Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy

I really enjoyed it overall. It was a difficult read because of how it was written, but also the extreme violence made it tough for me to read for long periods of time. The last couple days I find myself thinking about it quite often. I'm looking forward to watching the free Yale lecture on YouTube analyzing the book.

Next up I'm reading Clockwork Orange.

I just finished The Lost City of Z by David Grann it was just okay, I liked the subject material, but the book kind of just ended.

I just started Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. I am literally 20 pages in and the book is already pretty violent.

Finished Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy

Started Catch-22, by Joseph Heller

I just finished Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S Thompson. This just became one of my personal favorites - I enjoyed it from cover to cover and I'd love to read it again some time.

I also just finished Pandemic, by A. G. Riddle. I read a review about it that described it as being "as tightly wound as a Swiss watch" and I'm inclined to agree, though the author definitely pushes it with how much he gets away with hiding stuff from the reader.

Also a book that I forgot to add a while ago but felt like adding to the data count: All Systems Red, by Martha Wells. It's short but sweet - it's designed to give you a glimpse of what it's like to adjust to human life as an outsider and goes about it in a pretty clever way. If you like sci-fi, you'll like this.

Started Blood Meridian, by Cormac Mccarthy. I've never been big on Westerns but I've heard such good things about this book that I couldn't resist. I hope it lives up to the hype.

I was on vacation so my list is slightly larger than usual for myself. I finished It, by Stephen King. I understand the hype machine behind this one now, excellent book, I will never attempt to re-read it though. I also read Calypso, by David Sedaris, possibly his funniest book yet, and then read We are Legion, by Dennis Taylor. Didn't care much for it, maybe it was to snarky and to heavy with pop-culture refs, was hoping it would be more high-concept.

Started to read Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy. I read half of this years ago, but lost the book on the train. Now I am diving back into it and remembering the true brutality of the story.

Just finished Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy and holy shit the ending was amazing. I am absolutely going to have this in my list of favorites and will reread it someday.

I'm going to follow it up with something relatively light, probably Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky or The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. Le Guin.

I started reading Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy, got 2 chapters in and kinda gave up. I know it's supposed to be amazing but i just didnt like the writing style. Wierdly first person with a disjointed flow to it all, unsure if that's deliberate or just McCarthy's writing style.

Instead, started reading Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. Good so far, but it seems like it's more skewed for a young audience, which i didn't expect from all the recommendations

EDIT: OH, and finally finished OathBringer, by Brandon Sanderson. Seriously good read, the last 12% of the book was so gripping

Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy

I'm about 200 pages in and, for me, it's just starting to get good. While I felt that the prose were all very beautiful, I just had trouble getting into the story, as there seems to be no apparent story arc, or protagonist, or even characters with names... Or quotation marks for that matter.

Actually, now that I've typed it out... Fuck you, Cormac McCarthy.

Please use quotation marks and give me a single protagonist with a nice story arc. I get it, there's a lot of dust in the desert on the Mexican/American border and the sunsets are often red. Oh, and the characters see campfires in the distance. So there's that too. Also, yes, there's a lot of gratuitous violence when cowboys kill Apaches and Mexicans and trade their scalps for gold. But is it too much to ask for some decent punctuation and a story that feels like it's going somewhere??

I finished reading Borne, by Jeff VanderMeer this week for bookclub. I really liked the book and the characters in it.

I also finished Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy I'm not really sure how I feel about this book, but I'm leaning towards underwhelmed.

The last book I finished last week was The Rules do not Apply, by Ariel Levy I picked this up from a local LFL and didn't know anything about Levy, but it is a great book about love, marriage and loss.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy finished yesterday. The ending confused me at first but the more it sinks in and the more I’m forming my interpretation and the more I realize that image at the end is stuck in my head... wow. What a great book.

Finished The Story of a New Name, by Elena Ferrante, still working on Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy.

Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy was felt like I was reading old memories. My body is ready for Ulysses, by James Joyce

Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy - I have about 50 pages left. I should finish it today.

After that, it’s onto Unclay, by TF Powys

Forgot to post last week, so two weeks of reading for me.

Finally finished Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy.

Also finished We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson and Head Full of Ghosts, by Paul Tremblay.

Currently reading The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. Le Guin.

I started Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy. Never disappointed by McCarthy's prose. So visceral, it feels like you are in the story with dust all over you and a hunger in your belly. Loving it so far.

Finished Countdown City, by Ben H. Winters. The second book in the The Last Policeman trilogy. I liked it, but not as much as The Last Policeman. Got darker, lacking humor of the first book, with the asteroid getting closer.

Finished:

Vampires in the Lemon Grove, by Karen Russell - Found the stories hit or miss. Loved "Proving Up." Didn't love the one about the seagulls.

White Teeth, by Zadie Smith - Been meaning to read for a long time. Glad I did. Love Smith's writing, and the focus on immigrants and their children in the west seems apt for the day. Not sure if I'd put this above or below On Beauty.

Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch - Not particularly deep, but definitely a page turner. Follows the path of a sci-fi thriller screenplay - fun read.

Started:

Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy

The Years, Months, Days, by Yan Lianke

Finished:

Truman, by David McCullough: Honestly amazed at how great a read this was. I got pretty emotional at the end when he described the last years of President Truman's life. It was my first presidential biography and certainly won't be my last. One of my all-time favorites.

Starting:

Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy: I like to switch on-and-off between Non-Fiction and Fiction. I've heard so many good things about McCarthy and want to give it a shot. Very excited to start this today during my lunch break.

Recently finished Inherent Vice, by Thomas Pynchon. Way easier read to than Gravity's Rainbow and now I need to rewatch the movie for comparison.

Also finish Dune: The Battle of Corrin, by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson and I was unbelievably frustrated with it. If you are a fan of the original series, I would recommend staying far, far away from these books.

Finally, I started Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West, by Cormac McCarthy.

Blood Meridian, Or the Evening Redness in the West, by Cormac McCarthy

I finished Blood Meridian, by the Cormack McCarthy and I thought it was one of the most beautiful and brutal novels I've ever experienced. I didn't understand all of it but I'm looking into some supplemental summaries on the themes and whatnot.

I just started Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky and I'm loving it so far.

Still reading Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy

Really good book, I just get distracted easily

Currently about halfway through Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy

I love this book. The symbolism, the prose, McCarthy is a genius.

After I’m done I want to get into William Faulkner’s works.

Just started Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy. Loving it so far though I think it could end up as bleak as The Road.

Finished: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Finished it last night but it became the best book I ever read not even 100 pages in. I could talk about it for days but simply put, it is a beautiful book and on hell of a ride. I plan on re-reading it very often and taking notes/highlighting each time.

Started: How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Actually started reading this while still reading Blood Meridian. Initially it was reserved for only my commutes to and from my internship but now that I'm done with Meridian, I plan on devoting all my attention to it. So far, so good. I'm about 60 pages in and am noticing that a lot of the topics being touched upon are those that I have thought about extensively in the past/present. Really interested in seeing where it goes from here. This book has already convinced me to buy a book on Abraham Lincoln next off a few excerpts alone.

Finished Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy. Overall a very good book, as much as I had some gripes with the writing style and pacing at times. Now I can actually say I've read it, which is a good feeling.

Started Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds, actually on a recommendation from a friend from six months ago, but in that time Reynolds has spiked in popularity after a couple of his short stories were in Love, Death + Robots.

i started and then finished and now am rereading less, by andrew sean greer. a wonderful, funny, poignant, and ridiculous book about how to be a person.

other than that i started blood meridian, by cormac mccarthy for the first time and started my annual reread of housekeeping, by marilynne robinson. the shift in tone is unreal.

Finished Hondo, by Louis L'Amore and just started Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy. Not sure if I'll keep up on the westerns or read some more of McCarthy.

Finishing Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy tonight, and I'm not sure if I even remotely get the point or enjoy the book.

Started: Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy

Passages from Antiquity to Feudalism, by Perry Anderson

Finished The Gone World, by Tom Sweterlitsch. The premise was amazing. It took a little while to get into the world he created, but got really interesting and hit its stride between pgs. 100-200, then got convoluted and stuck in the mud. The last 80-100 pages were a slow crawl and by the end I was ready to throw it across the room. Great idea, mediocre execution.

Started The Last Town, by Blake Crouch. (The third installment of the Wayward Pines trilogy.) Have to know how this one ends. Very quick read so far.

Still reading Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy a slow burn but fascinating storytelling from the master.

After a little break I finally finished a few books that I've been reading.

The Hero of Ages, by Sanderson great ending to the Mistborn trilogy, Sazed is the man.

The Blade Itself, by Abercrombie wonderful action and good characters. Ordered the second book and can't wait.

Blood Meridian by McCarthy I don't know how I feel about it, I adored the road, no country for old men and the border trilogy, but this one was odd for maybe it was the Spanish , but I couldn't get into it.

I started to read The Hobbit and will follow that with something from Discworld to cleanse the palate of those violent novels.