Hi guys! Let's see.

• I finished The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath, which I loved. It's so painfully relatable, as someone who's been through/is going through a lot of what Plath writes about. Her prose style reminded me a lot of J.D. Salinger at first, but I ended up liking this a lot more than Catcher in the Rye.
• I also read and finished House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski, which I read in two and a half days this week. That book consumed me. I'm not even sure how I feel about it in retrospect, but holy shit, what an experience to read it.
• I'm still reading Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov. I'm enjoying it a little more but it's not exactly gripping me. I'm going to try to finish it this week.
• Started reading Ulysses, by James Joyce. I'm through the first five episodes and I'm enjoying it for what I'm getting out of it. The writing is poetry, and the stream-of-consciousness is incredible. He's actually captured thoughts. But it's hard to follow (very hard at times -- looking at you, Proteus) and I'm definitely missing many of the allusions.

Next up is more Ulysses, finishing Pale Fire, and then I think East of Eden or Underworld. Nothing's really screaming out to me to be read, the way some of the books I've read recently have been (e.g. Ulysses, Blood Meridian, The Bell Jar, and Pale Fire, which is the only one that hasn't lived up to the hype, so far).

Hi guys! So Blood Meridian burned me out for a while this past week, but I've been getting back into it with

• The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath, which is great but depressing and very personal, and
• Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov, which I'm struggling to get into and am not enjoying anywhere near as much as I enjoyed Lolita. I'm 90 pages in and hoping it gets much better.
• I'm also still technically reading Against the Day, by Thomas Pynchon, but after Blood Meridian and Infinite Jest I'm having a hard time committing to anything that big. I needed something light and cheerful, and hence Plath and Nabokov.

About half way through The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and also working on The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Finished: The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath, this book was one of my favorites of the year so far. I studied Plath's poetry a lot in college and was never a huge fan, but wow this novel was incredible. You still get vintage Plath, with so many metaphors and similes, and a subtle tragedy that creeps under the writing, but it translates so well to novel form. There are some quotes that will stick with me for my entire life; she was clearly a brilliant writer.

Started: We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen and wow am I excited! I picked it up after a recommendation here on Reddit and even after the first few pages I can tell I'm going to love this one. The writing is funny and clever and adventurous, but it also has a really raw truth to it that can hit home pretty hard. Really excited to keep going.

I finished reading The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath last week. I enjoyed it, but I can't say that it had a major impact on me.

I also finished If on a winter's night a traveler, by Italo Calvino which I loved. I liked the way the story was constructed and I also enjoyed the commentary on the relationship between readers, reading, books and authors. I definitly recommend it if you enjoy weird books.

I finish The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath

Listened to the audiobook narrated by Maggie Gylenhall and her acting really brought character to Esther. Great (but depressing) book.

Finished: Unfinished Tales, by J.R.R. Tolkien and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It really is insane how detailed and elaborate Tolkien's world is. And it's amazing that Christopher has brought it all together. For those of you who loved The Silmarillion but want more information about the second and third ages, this is the book for you.

Starting: The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath and I have to say I'm very excited. It's great not only to get back into a narrative structure but I've heard great things from Reddit and I'm ready to leave the UK (for now) and get back to an American author.

Shelfed: The Three Body Problem, by Lui Cixin, just couldn't get past the writing. Hopefully I can give it another shot down the road.

The Bell Jar by Slyvia Plath My 1st re-read of the year.

Finished: The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath

I was really impressed with her ability to paint the picture of her mental state. She gave the best description and portrayals of what anxiety/depression/etc. feel like, and 'advice' or attempts to help are interpreted when you are in that state. It was a really powerful book, especially knowing her history.

Started: The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway

I figured it was time to give this one a go as I have been craving some Hemingway. Only a few pages in so far!

Just finished The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Thought the first 100 pages were hilarious. Was expecting something dark and depressing, which it eventually turned out to be, but I was impressed with her wicked sense of humor.

The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath

My friend recommended this book to me and I thought I'd give it a read! I found the book to be quite sad, but also cathartic; it is definitely a good read. Sylvia Plath went through her own depression, much like the main character, Esther, which I think Plath must have modeled after herself. The mental health issues brought up in the book were quite interesting. Esther could not decide on what she wanted to do with her life, she had no plans for her time after college, but knows she does not want to become like her mother or other women typical of the time within the book. based on anecdotal experience, many people around me, myself included, don't really know what they want to do after they graduate college. Being a part of the school system for a decade and a half to only get released into the 'real world' is frightening.

My friend pointed out a passage from the book that we both found quite compelling:

“I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.”

Still working on Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace. My dream is to have it done in the next two weeks, but... we'll see. Up next on my simultaneous reading list (the stuff I read when I can't read any more DFW) is The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath, and I'm also digging into Dubliners, by James Joyce. I've got a very long-term goal of one day getting into Finnegans Wake, but that's way off and is going to have at least three Joyce books (Dubliners, Portrait, and Ulysses) and a bunch of other stuff in between. Someday.

Finished The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and currently reading one of her poetry collections, Ariel. Somehow I missed reading this novel as a teenage girl, but I really appreciated the simple and beautiful prose. The narrator has a wry sense of humor and many times, the word choices elevate the described image or character portrayal. I did feel the story arc in the second half wasn’t as polished as the first half, but the manuscript was published posthumously and I wonder what editors might have worked with Plath to change in those sections

Erasure by Percival Everett

I really enjoyed it. Witty and funny, but also touching and heart-felt. I liked the experimental writing style.

And I just started The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath today.

Finished True Grit, by Charles Portis and My Best Friend's Exorcism, by Grady Hendrix

Currently reading The Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon and The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plathe

Almost done with A Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. It's good - I'm not sure yet if it's as great as it everyone claims it to be.

Half way with The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath. Brutally honest and intriguing.

I finished The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath last night. It was not what I was expecting, and I found myself drawn into Esther’s mind.

Today I started The Botanist’s Daughter, by Kayne Nunn. It’s a relatively new release and I’ve already gotten through 120 pages. It’s very easy to read and the short chapters and the ‘something is about I happen’ chapter endings have kept me on the edge of my seat. I think I will finish it quite quickly.

I’m also halfway through A World of Three Zeroes, by Muhammad Yunus. This is a non-fiction book that focuses heavily on anti-capitalist economics. It’s not a bad read but it’s slow going for me as the concepts are heavy and I’m more used to reading fiction.

I have never been currently reading so many books! I am reading the same things my high school daughter's are reading so I can help them to retain information and do practice quizzes together, etc. Plus I am listening to an audiobook and have my own book I'd like to be able to enjoy as well. So here goes:

The Blind Side, by Michael Lewis Only 3 chapters in, it's a bit of a slow start

The Hobbit, by Tolkien This one is more interesting straight away. Also at 3 chapters in this one, too

The Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon It isn't holding my interest enough to keep reading so I'm slowly making my way through this one

The Lying Game, by Ruth Ware I just started this one. I'm skeptical because I find Ware's novels to be more promising than they actually deliver

Recently Finished:

The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath This one I thoroughly enjoyed

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I started Hide by Mathew Griffin yesterday

I started My Lady's Choosing by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris (the book club book!) today

I finished The Bell Jar by Sylvia Path

The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath