It took me a long time to finally read Remains of the Day. I had never read Ishiguro before and for some stupid reason, I thought I wouldn’t like it. Boy, was I wrong. Remains of the Day quickly became my favourite book of 2026 and one of my favourite books ever.

So, first of all, let me say I’m a big Downton Abbey fan, so I loved the old butler, maid, lords vibe of the book. But the reason why this book is so amazing is that it uses this old English house setting as a plot device to talk about the major events of the 20th century. And more than that, it does so in a way that’s very different from most books about the 20th century.

I think my favourite part is that there’s no good or bad characters in the book. Mr. Stevens, our protagonist, is a workaholic who misses out on the pleasures of life to prove he is worthy, that he has dignity like his father. He loses on a great love with Miss Kenton, he barely stops to see his father before his death. And he is blindly loyal, firing the Jewish housemaids just because Lord Darlington asked him, with no further questions.

And speaking about Lord Darlington, I believe he’s the most interesting character in the book. I love that he is a morally grey character, I think there are good points and bad points to be raised. I really appreciated how, after WWI, he decided to improve the terms of the Versailles agreement, I think we all can agree that was a good deed. What he did during WWII is what raises questions: do we think he was naive and thought improving the relationship between Germany and the UK could prevent WWII or was he a Hitler supporter and a antisemite? I think a bit of both, though I lean to the second more.

All and all, this book exceeded every expectation I had. I also love that the language of the book was easy and the story was very easy to follow. It’s a brilliant book but quite accessible, which isn’t so common. I’m now very eager to read other Ishiguro books, and can’t recommend Remains of the Day more.

I’m trying to get through as much of the booker prize 2026 longlist as possible, currently only 2.5 books in but I haven’t seen much discussion from anyone else who’s trying to attempt the longlist (or shortlist once it’s released!). Would love to hear other people’s thoughts and any shortlist predictions you have!

What I’ve read: - John of John - The Things We Never Say

Currently reading: - The Palm House

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At last I finally have acquainted myself with one of Vonnegut's novels. I thought about starting my journey of his books with his earlier stories, until I came across an old Dell paperback edition of his most famous novel "Slaughterhouse Five" and that ended up being the first I read first.

The entire story revolves around Billy Pilgrim, an American veteran soldier who survived the Dresden firebombings during WW2, and his odyssey through time travel. Really trippy book, with Pilgrim constantly going forwards and backwards in time among other weird stuff, and also pretty hilarious. And since it was published in the late sixties it's a no brainer favorite for fans of New Wave SF.

Vonnegut wanted to write it as a autobiographical book about his experiences as a soldier in the second world war, but couldn't. Instead the only way he could write about was as a novel with some elements of Science Fiction (as Vonnegut himself started as a SF writer). And it works.

It's both simple and complex at the same time strangely enough as Pilgrim is jumping from one timeline and then into another one. But I love it! This is one of the best time travel (while at the same time also an anti-war) novel. There are still more Kurt Vonnegut that I need to explore, especially some of his earlier stuff from the fifties and his short stories. Still quite bit to read from this author!

The Rent Collector by Camron Wright is a story of Sang Ly, a woman living in a garbage dump in Cambodia, and her journey in learning how to read.

The first problem is that it is about extreme poverty as experienced by a woman in Cambodia written by a white American Mormon man who has never been there. His characters were based on (and named after) real people featured in a documentary his son made. This was my first red flag, but I thought I'd give it a chance anyway because maybe he did give it the respect and research and effort a story like this deserved.

The second problem is that this story is THEEE prime example of what the internet calls "inspiration porn": a poor, illiterate woman living in a shanty house in a dump site learns how to read from her curmodgeonly rent collector then suddenly she is spreading the magic of literature to everyone she meets. There's a scene where she's on a bus going back to her province to seek the help of a healer for her son. She starts reading a fairy tale to her son in the bus. By the middle of it, the whole bus is listening to her speak and even talked the driver into waiting at her stop so she can finish reading them the story. Then they thank her for the privilege. Another scene at the end of the book starts with Sang Ly gathers her dump site neighbors and recites a fable to them mirroring the events of the story and they're all inspired and blah blah blah. In reality, most of these people would not give a shit what she's talking about.This book was trying so hard to be a Hallmark movie or a Chicken Soup for the Soul entry.

The third and biggest problem was that it did not feel Cambodian at all. Which, of course, is because it was NOT written by a Cambodian or someone who has spent any significant amount of time living there. It felt like an American feel-good movie ala Freedom Writer's Diary but set in Cambodia. Camron Wright could have written about any of the plentiful stories of poverty in his own backyard, but noooo, he wanted to have that "exotic" feel. He wanted to send his little "see how other people have it so much worse than you but they still keep going?" message.

The story itself focused so much on the importance of literacy and literature (which are, indeed, very important) that, at times, it seemed to put those two above other basic needs like food and shelter. In the story, yes, Sang Ly has learned to read and her now-dead rent collector teacher has given her a housebut it has not addressed literally anything else. She and her family are still poor. They still make their living picking scraps to sell. Nobody in their family or community is physically or financially better for it. But hey, she can now dissect symbolism in fairy tales, so problem solved, right?

I do appreciate the fairly lengthy exposition on Cambodia's bloody military history and its lasting effects on the nation. And yeah I would say the depiction of the dump site itself and some aspects of living there felt genuine. I live in a nearby country that had a similar famous dump site where families used to live. Reading those parts was like watching the local news. Honestly, the story wasn't all bad. I would have just stopped reading if it was. But the underlying "ick" (sorry) I felt while reading it never went away.

Now it has me thinking if I'm just overthinking it. Have I become so chronically online that I just find problematic aspects in everything even if they were made with good intentions? I don't think it's absolutely wrong for authors to write outside their culture, but I expect them to put more effort and research into it. Am I just reacting so strongly because I live in a country very similar to Cambodia?

I did notice when reading through reviews, a majority of the very positive ones were from white people (based solely on their profile pictures) so maybe that's the intended audience here. And maybe it will inspire some of them in a good way, and who am I to deny them that? But it also pains me when people don't seem to see the problems with it.

“Full Dark, No Stars” by Stephen King is a short story collection I regret not reading sooner. This is by far one of my favorite collections written by King, as every story shines. The title pretty much confirms this has a ton of horror, darkness, graphic scenes, and the kind of terror only King can deliver.

Before I dive into my book review, here are all the trigger warnings I found while reading…

- Misogyny
- Racial slurs
- Domestic abuse (physical and mental)
- Politics
- Violence against animals (dogs, rats, cows)
- Rape
- Suicide
- 9/11
- Stillborn

If any of these trigger you, please do not read this book. Moving along, I tend to list my favorite stories from each horror collection that I read, and all four were perfect. They are…

- 1922
- Big Driver
- Fair Extension
- A Good Marriage

King put on a writing clinic, as this entire collection was a genuine page-turner. I couldn’t put this down at all, and several nights during the week, I was up late reading because everything flowed perfectly. The pages turned themselves, and two of those nights, I devoured these stories, with the exception of “A Good Marriage,” as I read that as a Kindle Single back in 2022.

I made many weird faces while reading, especially during “1922.” This was an insane, wild way to kick off this collection, and I loved the overall story, characters, tension, and suspense. It completely and utterly blew me away, especially with all the gore and creepiness. Don’t worry, no spoilers here, but I can see why this was made into a movie, as it’s one of my all-time favorite horror short stories I’ve ever read.

“Big Driver” was so graphic and messed-up that I couldn’t believe what I was reading. This was a very surreal and weird read that blurred the lines of storytelling. It’s a story within a story within a story. I know that probably won’t make any sense, but if you ever read this, you’ll know exactly what I mean. When the protagonist, Tess, is a mystery writer and gets involved in some out-of-this-world situations, this will trip you out. I had to go back and re-read certain parts because it was that good. It was quite the piece of storytelling that only Uncle Stevie can make work without confusing a Constant Reader. This was such an intricate story with many layers of horror, weirdness, and insanity.

“Fair Extension” gave me a few King Easter eggs that made me smile, especially with where it takes place, for those of you who enjoy reading about a certain clown. This was another solid tale that left me wondering what happens when you deal with someone named Elvid. It was a unique way to write a story that’s been told thousands of times, but in a way that just leaves you with a morbid taste in your mouth. My goodness, all the dread here, especially towards the end, really hits you in the soul.

Finally, since I already read “A Good Marriage,” this was a quick re-read. This painted such an evil picture of horror in a marriage at home. This made me wonder what I would do if I were ever in such a situation. It hits you fast and hard once Darcy discovers something no wife should ever have to deal with involving her husband. It’s so hard to even imagine, especially when married to someone for so many years, with all the memories they've made together and children involved. This was such an intense read, with a few plot twists that were pure madness.

I give “Full Dark, No Stars” by Stephen King a 5/5 for being one of my favorite horror short story collections, and truly some of the most twisted writing I’ve ever read by him. “1922” and “Big Driver” will leave their scars on you. “Fair Extension” and “A Good Marriage” are addictive stories that will leave you questioning morality and marriage. I highly recommend this collection if you haven't read it yet. Once you close this book, you’re left in the dark, with no stars in sight, wishing you'd never turned that first page.

Maybe its because i started it on kindle and because this book is the epistolary format, it works better in the form of a physical book.

The way its been decribed as being emotional, deep, also funny at times, the kind of book that is hard to put down - i thought this would not only occupy me but also get back that creative spark that has gone missing from life . The fact that the proatogonist is a 70 year old woman is quite unique and i love books that are unique. Maybe its just my ADHD and i just need to focus a bit more.

Has everyone else been loving this book ?

Edit : Yesterday my attention span was a bit better and i gave it another try and now I like it because it transports you to this other person's rich world.

So getting back into some A.E. Van Vogt with one of his shortest novels that I've ever read, "Masters of Time". Well, it's actually a novella really, and was originally called "Recruiting Station" that was published in a march issue of Amazing Science Fiction in 1942. It would later be given one of two alternate title in later reprints, one in a two novella collection that also called "Masters of Time" and as a separate book in the sixties, only this time with the title "Earth's Last Fortress" (I've got the MacFadden Bartell edition with the title that it had in the novella collection).

This short and sweet story follows two people, Norma and Jack, who become victims to the masters of time. Both should have been destroyed, but somehow they seem to gain strength from each other and manage to maintain some free will. But is it enough to save themselves and the world?

This is all fast paced action here, and with such a short length (as novellas are going to be) it's a really super quick read. Never really a dull moment with Van Vogt, always so fun to read his stories whenever I get the chance! "Masters of Time" is not an overly complicated story, but the fast thrills will certainly brighten someone's day!

Got a couple more novels, with one, "The World of Null-A", coming up sometime in the future. But for tomorrow I've got my eyes on a novel by one Gerard Klein that I'll soon be starting on, "The Overlords of War", which could be another interesting read!

I can't remember when or why I got this book but I think it was one of those books that appeared in Amazon's periodical emails with recommendations for 0.99$ books and I got it because I really like the idea of time travel.

It was an ok read but, if I'm honest, it had some issues:

1. I know it's a sort of sequel to The Chronicles of St. Mary's book series but the amount of times that St. Mary was mentioned felt too much. The author might as well have written "had you read The Chronicles of St. Mary's you'd understand this". I found it annoying.

2. Time travel issue #1: At some point the whole of the Time Police officers are called in the middle of the night for a very urgent briefing about and then deployment to ancient Egypt in order to prevent the sacking of Tutankhamun's tomb. I know it wouldn't have been much of a story if it hadn't been written this way but considering that they are time travelers, why is it so important to wake everybody up so urgently in the middle of the night. They could just as easily woken up fresh in the morning and travel back in time to when they did when they were woken up at night. Traveling to a few hours earlier would have also saved them a lot of hassle.

3. Time travel issue #2: After Jane finds the body of Sarah Smith she disposes of the murder weapon and is then taken to interrogation but since they're all time travelers, wouldn't it have been so much easier to travel less then an hour back in time and see who killed Sarah?

4. Time travel issue #3: After finding Jane and her team with the people from St. Mary in Ancient Rome, Anders runs away to the present in order to get reinforcements. Jane and the rest discuss what they should do until one of them says that they should get going since "Anders could be back at any moment" but, again, since they're time travelers Anders could have gone back, get his reinforcements, train with them for months and then reappear in Ancient Rome 1 second after leaving.

Did you read this book? Is the rest of the series the same? Did you also feel this way when reading Doing Time?

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I was recently told by someone that prologues typically contain foreshadowing to information you'll find later in the book, which makes them a "waste of time to read". Similarly, they said epilogues typically wrap up the story with no additional important information, or if in a series will lead to things you find out in the next book. For these reasons, they say many people don't read these in most books they read.

I have definitely read books where this is the case but I'd be hard pressed to call reading them a "waste of time". I see people online asking clarifying questions about books I've read, which could have been answered by reading the prologue/epilogue of said books.

That being said, is this really that common of a practice? Not trying to come from a judgemental standpoint, as I sometimes do not read the preface or forward if one is included. I just always thought prologues and epilogues were part of standard book reading.

Edit

Thanks for all your responses. Was just curious as to how common this is, and the answer seems to be not very, at least not in this sub. The diversity of answers I got here was great but I feel the majority of readers are not actually doing this.

​“The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower” by Stephen King is the final novel in my 17-book journey to the place that started it all. I began my journey in 2024, and even though it took longer than expected, it has been such a rewarding reading experience. I’m still in shock at what has transpired in this novel, but now I see why many Constant Readers consider this King’s magnum opus.

In case anyone wants the ultimate reading experience for The Dark Tower series, here is the order I went in. I did a lot of research on this list, asking librarians, Constant Readers who have read every single book King wrote, and avid readers. This is for the ultimate reading experience, to fill in the gaps for recurring characters who appear later, and ​to make more sense in the grand scheme of things. Please keep in mind, you don’t have to go in this order to enjoy it, as you can simply read The Dark Tower I - The Dark Tower VII and be totally fine.

Here’s my list…

The Stand
The Eyes of the Dragon
Insomnia
Hearts in Atlantis
‘Salem’s Lot
The Talisman
Black House
Everything's Eventual (The Little Sisters of Eluria)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
Charlie the Choo-Choo
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower

Also, here are all the trigger warnings I found while reading…

- Suicide
- 9/11
- Rape
- Racial slurs
- Religion
- Cancer
- Domestic abuse (physical and mental)

If any of these trigger you, please do not read this novel. Moving along, I loved how amazing and surreal the opening chapter was. It set the tone for what would end up being one of my favorite entries in The Dark Tower series. I still enjoyed “The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger” more as it’s my favorite of them all, but this final one is right up there.

I enjoyed all the illustrations while reading, which added another layer of immersion. It brings back many fond memories from my teenage and young adult years, as I loved seeing graphics while reading paperback horror books. It’s a nice touch, and my goodness, some of the illustrations here were pretty wild.

The Jake flashbacks early on were fantastic and helped fill in gaps in his character. He’s grown on me as a character over all these novels. It’s incredible to see his growth from when he was first introduced to now, all of which made sense given what would ultimately transpire.

Even though it took me longer than I expected to finish this novel, it was a genuine page-turner, which is rare with a tome that’s over 800 pages. King pushed the envelope here with brilliant writing, especially during the jam-packed action scenes that popped up. I loved the chase to find Susannah and the ​ultimate showdown between Jake and the Crimson King’s vampires.

No spoilers here, but when I’m able to get action-packed scenes and situations while reading horror, it’s always a treat when it’s done right. Nobody does it better than King during this writing clinic. All the suspense and tension had me hooked, and even though there were some slow parts, it was well balanced overall.

I loved all the visceral gore in this one, especially involving the legendary Gunslinger, Roland. He’s by far my favorite character, and one I’ve connected the most with. Everything to do with his ka-tet just reminds me of the symbolism of another core group of King’s, The Losers’ Club. I know they’re different, but Roland’s ka-tet reminded me of the ultimate quote by Eddie Kaspbrak: “No good friends, no bad friends - only people you want, need to be with; people who build their houses in your heart.”

It gives me goosebumps every single time I remember reading that in “IT,” since it’s so very true. I’ve grown to love this ka-tet just as much as The Losers’ Club, thanks to everything they stand for.

Going back to all that gruesome gore, the build-up to the Battle of Algul Siento was nothing short of extraordinary. The bloodshed, fight scenes, and overall horror were all fantastic. Of course, when it comes to scenes like these, you already know how King tends to be very trigger-happy when it comes to death.

I always write spoiler-free reviews, so don’t worry, I won’t reveal anything. But my goodness, Uncle Stevie delivered some of the most gut-punching and emotional deaths I’ve ever read. It really hit me as they were quite shocking. I’m sure my fellow Constant Readers can relate when you go on these kinds of reading adventures with King, but yeah, I still can’t believe what happened. It’s all such a rollercoaster of emotions because now, with the final page turned, it’s all over, and I’m still completely blown away.

The ending was magnificent and truly makes you appreciate and wonder even more about The Dark Tower, enemies, beams, and all the horror within. All the world's connected. All the mysteries and questions that remain. All in all, it’s a ton to process in King’s multiverse, but that’s the beauty of it all. One never knows when we’ll return to Mid-World in the future. Especially with the big news, at the time of this horror book review, that King’s next novel will be the third and final entry of The Talisman series, pretty much ending that and The Dark Tower. It’s coming out in October 2026, and I can’t wait to dive into that novel when it publishes. I already have my preorder ready to go!

Having been a Constant Reader for over 25 years and read hundreds of horror books, I can honestly say that The Dark Tower series is ​now my all-time favorite horror series. It’s perfect. It has everything you can ask for from one of the greatest authors of all time. The tense moments, fights, horror, characters, laughs, tears, and everything else in between are exceptional. The stories within the story and the evolution of such iconic characters, villains, creatures, and locations are simply legendary.

The Dark Tower series is something I’ll never forget, and I’m so happy to have finally conquered this​ once and for all.​ I've been meaning to for years, but have always put it off since it's a lot to read, understand, and process. For anyone who is intimidated or worried that it’s too much to handle, I can assure you it’s totally worth it. Don’t rush these books, and just enjoy the ride for what it is. You’ll fall in love with these characters, hate the antagonists, and leave with a sense of accomplishment. You might also have anger, sadness, and more, but isn’t that a part of being a Constant Reader? We love it because, at the end of the day, we know these are ​the little moments in life that make reading so much fun, thanks to King and everything he brings to our lives.

I give “The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower” by Stephen King a 5/5 for being one hell of a ride, and a genius way to end this monumental book series. Everything ended in a way that made sense, and even though I’m still in shock and awe at what transpired, King put on a writing clinic to end his magnum opus the right way. I will cherish all the reading moments ​in The Dark Tower series, and I encourage my fellow Constant Readers who have yet to read this to do so at some point in the future. This has been nothing short of extraordinary, and I’d personally recommend following my full list ​mentioned above to fully enjoy it.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I​ finally finished my journey to The Dark Tower, and it’s time to enjoy some long days and pleasant nights.

I've always been interested in the more controversial books, with pov of the oppressors. For example reading about nazi Germany from the point of view of a German, or colonizers, or pedophiles, or extremists etc etc. I really enjoy understanding and reading their thoughts directly from the source rather than reading from a more "impartial" or third person explaining how the nazis thought or did what they did. I've noticed though that these books are usually harder to find, so I was wondering how people feel over such books?

For example pedophilia, it's a topic I've never really fully understood. What makes someone a pedophile? What is the difference between me and a pedophile and why are they like that not me? Could it happen to me? I started watching a lot of documentaries and articles and wanted to read books from the pedophiles pov - not their sexualization of a child but how was their upbringing, have they reflected on why they are the way they are, do they justify it or do they see an issue? Articles were probably the 'easiest' to find through interviews but books and documentaries were only from the victims pov, which made me wonder if I am being part of the problem. I do not wish to dismiss the people who have suffered, I firmly believe that victims/survivors have every right to tell their stories and that they are important so that others understand the damages caused, but at the same time I get curious about the other side. Would letting an abuser write their own experiences and potential justifications be harmful towards those who have been abused?

What are your thoughts and opinions on the topic? Should such controversial point of views be restricted, or are they a 'necessary evil'? I understand the risks of reading a book written by a nazi and someone agreeing with it, but I also wonder about where does the freedom of speech/opinion/press cross a line - because although these pov are controversial for good reasons, aren't they also important for the education of said topics?

It was definitely a book that had been on my list of things to read, but because of my reading slump, I kept putting it off. I did everything I could to avoid spoilers. I knew it was sad, depressing! But I imagined something more along the lines of a drama, or one of those books that makes you grow attached to the characters—some example of that kind of book isn’t coming to mind right now. I wasn't expecting this kind of content at all.

And not only because what’s depicted in the book is destructive and bleak, but also because I’m not exactly doing great myself right now. Fuck it, Reddit is anonymous, so I can give some context. I’m unemployed despite having sent out a thousand resumes, I feel like I have no purpose, and sex—which used to feel intimate to me—has become so banal that I even disgust myself with the way I’ve conditioned myself into seeing it.

That’s the context behind why I said the book fucked me up. So, if you’re not in a particularly stable place with yourself right now, put the book off for a while until you’re feeling better. I’m not joking. I know it sounds exaggerated, but if you look at user reviews or comments about the book, you’ll find plenty of people expressing something similar.

The content of this book is malevolent, but not in the sense of being unfair or dark like some fictional drama might be. This particular book grabs you like a predator. There will probably be at least one thing in it that reminds you of something you’ve gone through or experienced, and watching Yozo deteriorate through that lens can eat away at your mind for many nights.

Anyway, enough talking about myself. I just wanted to get some of that out, and I ended up going on for way too long lol.

No Longer Human portrays Yozo’s life in a devastating and, in my opinion, almost mundane way. Not because Dazai fails at what he’s trying to accomplish, but because he succeeds so well that you find yourself wanting to yell at the protagonist: Why the fuck don't you care about this? Why don't you say what you're feeling? Stop doing that. And so many other “Why?”s and “Stop!”s.

Yozo had already been abused as a child, even though he himself downplayed the significance of that abuse. That was the starting point of his downfall. From that moment on, I knew that reading this book was going to feel like swallowing hot water.

Complacent, hypocritical, selfish, misogynistic, and addicted, on top of being depressed—that describes both the protagonist and the story itself. The first part establishes the context for what’s going to happen later, but it’s hardly a moment of calm. You can already tell that everything is rotten. However, you might not realize just how rotten everything is until you reach the double suicide.

From there, and throughout the rest of the third part, it becomes a downward spiral where you stop being able to imagine how things could possibly get worse—and then they do.

I used to think that if I were in Yozo’s shoes, I would have stayed with the widow. But no. If I were actually Yozo, I probably would have fucked everything up too, just to avoid feeling even more pathetic. He wasted every opportunity he had to save himself because he felt like he didn't belong, but also because he had reached a point where nothing seemed to make sense anymore and he no longer felt in control.

The abuse of Yoshiko is the final blow—the thing you were already warned about, but you still aren't prepared for just how absurd and horrifying it is. His friend was a complete fucking asshole and an opportunist right until the very end, essentially an antagonist.

A lot of people theorize that what happened with his wife was actually an affair, but no, I don't think that's what it was. She began to fear him and distrust everything around her. That doesn't just come from an affair; it comes from trauma. And Yozo, who was already a corpse with no soul left in him, ended up losing himself completely.

The book gives you no break from the second part onward. Every line you read feels like you're reading something you're not supposed to be reading. The book's reputation is completely deserved, and it's an essential read—not because of the morbid curiosity, and not simply because you might identify with some aspect of it, although you probably will, but because it lets you see the point at which a person loses control of their life, their soul, and their heart. Maybe, by seeing that, you can reflect on the point at which you yourself can choose to feel human again.

Osamu Dazai did an incredible job with that.

And I wasn't exaggerating when I said what I did at the beginning. Depending on how much you can stomach, this can either be a relatively easy read or an incredibly heavy one. It also depends on your current emotional state.

But do yourself a favor—and I'll emphasize this again: if you're seriously depressed, don't read it. If you're doing great, or you're simply feeling a little lost and want to find your way back to yourself, then you can probably read it. There's a lot to reflect on here.

By the way, I find the final line of the book just as impactful and heartbreaking as everything else that happens:

«“The Yozo we knew was so easy-going and amusing, and if only he hadn't drunk—no, even though he did drink—he was a good boy, an angel.”»

Maybe we forget that, in our own eyes, we can seem like something completely disgusting, while to everyone else, we're something much more precious.

That's something worth keeping in mind.

When it comes to George Saunders, I've heard of his work before, mostly his shorter fiction that I have yet to read but was not really familiar with anything else. Only reason I knew of this book was online talks about it when it released and how opinions were a bit mixed. I thought the concept was interesting being part historical fiction and gothic ghost story, so I decided to finally give the book a try as my first Saunders read. And I would say I liked it overall, but it took a bit for me to warm up to it.

Lincoln in the Bardo is a bit of an odd book to describe as the way it's written is through the dialogue of spirits who are retelling their encounters with Lincoln and his deceased son, Willie, while alternating every few chapters with quotes or statements from real to made-up historical sources on Lincoln's life leading up to the death and aftermath of his son. And there is no traditional prose at all, except for characters or statements retelling the events. Which was the biggest hang up for me at first as I thought when I started the book it was kind of cool and different. But as I got further, about half-way, I was kind of wishing that the book would go a more traditional prose format as the disembodied dialogue felt a little repetitive and tacky in a way. Though as I got further towards the end, and the character growth and revelations started picking up, I got into it a bit more. Still would say I didn't love the structure as much I would've liked in the end. Even if, I believe, the book succeeded in the message it was trying to get across.

The aspect I liked the most was the ghost/spirits themselves. The way Saunders wrote them gave each ghost a Tim Burton Esque quality where they had some sort of odd and macabre visual flair whether it be animal like, stretching their bodies in odd ways, or just some absurd and humorous feature that makes each ghost stand out from the rest. Each of these oddities had some form of symbolism behind the way these ghosts look and how they died or what tormented them in the past continuing to haunt them in the afterlife. There were some visual descriptions I couldn't quite get the grasp of or what they fully symbolized and just thought they were weird for the sake of being weird.

Through the absurdities, Saunders was able to write grief and loss in a powerful way that got me chocked up a few times. Even if it's only in fictional form, the ways that the reader is able to see into the thoughts of Lincoln and those around him and the thoughts of his son longing for his father was heartbreaking to read. And thoughts and feelings of others who suffered or were wronged in life getting their say in the historical events that caused such causalities and unfairness in that time period. Which I'm not an expert on American history or the Civil War Era, but it seems to me Saunders did a pretty good job at keeping mostly everything close to historical accuracy, outside the absurdities here and there.

In the end I did feel like there was a bit of unanswered questions to the fates of some characters and some aspects of the spirit realm not getting as fleshed as out as I would've liked. But leaving those up to interpretation does make certain actions in the book a bit more powerful in a way. Even if I didn't fully love the book in the end, I still liked it and am curious and looking forward to trying out George Saunder's other work in the future.

I’m only 65 pages in so far, so there’s still plenty of book to go, but it talks about a lot of stuff that just gets no explanation so I have no idea what it is.

The most recent one that prompted me to write this post was:

“The counters that fronted the booths displayed hundreds of slivers of Microsoft, angular fragments of coloured silicon mounted under oblong transparent bubbles on squares of white cardboard.”

That means nothing to me. It feels like he had a clear picture in his head of the scene and tried to describe it but is just saying shapes.

Some others I just have no idea about are:
- simstim
- cyberspace matrix
- coffin (I know what an actual coffin is, but in this book I can’t tell if it’s a bedroom, a small office or what)
- arcade (again, I know a normal arcade, but that doesn’t seem to be what he means)

And I still don’t understand what Case can actually do that makes which makes Armitage want him.

EDIT: I didn’t expect my post to blow up the way it did. Based on the comments I’ve seen, the average responses I’ve seen have been:
- I must be uneducated and unable to understand context or perspective
- I don’t know anything about Greek classics because apparently “cyberspace matrix” and “simstim” are basic Greek terms?
- Gibson writes like the reader is a part of the world and knows the terms already, to create a more immersive feeling when reading
- Gibson’s writing is awful
- Gibson’s writing is excellent
- The book gets better
- The book doesn’t get better

The main point I’m taking away from the comments is to stick with the book and keep going, with the understanding that it’s intentionally written like that, which is all I need to know. I usually read only fantasy, this is my first ever sci-fi book and first experience with any form of cyberpunk media, so I apologise if my not knowing some of the terms and meanings has caused great offense to people like it seems to have done. I was reading with the modern connotations of some of the words in mind, unaware the book was written before those connotations began

Welcome readers,

Have you ever wanted to ask something but you didn't feel like it deserved its own post but it isn't covered by one of our other scheduled posts? Allow us to introduce you to our new Simple Questions thread! Twice a week, every Tuesday and Saturday, a new Simple Questions thread will be posted for you to ask anything you'd like. And please look for other questions in this thread that you could also answer! A reminder that this is not the thread to ask for book recommendations. All book recommendations should be asked in /r/suggestmeabook or our Weekly Recommendation Thread.

Thank you and enjoy!

Collection of short stories I randomly picked up in my library, shelved under "horror".

Never heard of the author nor the book. Opinions seem mixed online.

I'm about halfway through the book and really enjoy it so far. Especially the story "Wood Sorrel House", which is a kind of surreal/parallel-world story and an absolute page turner for me. It produces a creeping dread that is really well done, imo.

It reminds me of Marlen Haushofer's "The Wall" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wall_(Haushofer_novel)

Other stories are more hit and miss, but all have this creeping dread/uneasiness so far.

Interesting writing, imo. Check it out, if you like psychological horror.