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What 📔book are you reading right now?

I tried to reading a book called Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh. It was recommended by a friend.

Just saying, this is a 16+ book.


Okay, so the back of the book says:
"HE WANTS TO SAVE HER.
SHE WANTS TO HIDE.
SHE'S DAMAGED. HE'S DETERMINED.
FATE BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.
LOVE BINDS THEM."
Already sounding cliche. It seems like a traditional love story where the man is handsome, charming, and climbing in status and he falls in love with a pretty girl who is below his rank. But I thought, "How bad could it be?"

So, a basic summary of the plot is a somewhat rich and charming man struggles with past trauma. He meets an underdeveloped girl that's small and stuff. They figure stuff out and fall in love, blah blah.

If I were to list the things I liked about this book..

I guess I kinda liked the first chapter and describing public school n stuff.

THE THINGS THAT I DIDN'T LIKE!
(These were the things that made me stop reading after a couple chapters.)


1. The excessive swearing + The lack of moral compass.
Hear me out. I never swear very often. Like at all. I find it morally not right. Like maybe once or twice I've slipped up, but the most I've said like not the worst word I could've said. But it felt so... meaningless. Like, it gave me the impression that either the author was lazy, or the book was written by someone with a lack of moral compass. It was draining and felt morally wrong reading it. And, hey, I'm fine with understandable swearing, but this was lowkey every page, and im not overexaggerating. ANd it wasn't mild. And the topics they discuss, and i get it it's 16+, but it's just way too much. legit half the book is this theme that's not only lacking morals, but also not shined in a evil light.

2. The author shoves her opinions in your face within the first few chapters.
Okay, so, it felt very feminist and woke. You have people with opinions against this showed in a very bad lighting, which didn't resonate well with my personal beliefs. It just felt over the top. If it was entirely for adults, I wouldn't have minded much. But this felt so forced and disrespectful ngl.

3. The writing.
You can already tell by the excessive swearing that this didn't have proper writing. It was very lazily written, and, not to be arrogant, but I believe I could've written better than this. Also, it was 600 pages, and that was too much to suffer through. The style of writing also did not seem 16+ to me.

4. The plot and theme.
Okay. This was also bad. It was not a good plot. It felt as if the writer decided that if she wrote something spicy that teenagers would like it, and that's kind of true. The plot was basically a modern version of a traditional love story. Wth bad writing. It lacked depth or anything that made it worth reading 600 pages.

5. Alexander Hamilton.
I'm reading Alexander Hamilton, and I jsut lacked the time to waste hours of my life dedicated to a book that teaches me nothing.


I mostly just read it cuz my friend suggested it. And im nice like that. :)


IN ALL, I HIGHLY SUGGEST AGAINST EVER READING THIS BOOK. ANYONE WHO WAS A MORAL COMPASS WOULD FIND IT DISTURBING. DESPITE IT BEING 16+ AND A WARNING BEING HELD AT THE BEGINNING, IT LACKS DEPTH AND I WOULDN'T WASTE MY HOURS OF LIFE READING THIS BOOK THAT LACKED ANY MORAL DEPTH. I'M LIKE REPEATING MYSELF BUT IT JUST FELT SO MORALLY WRONG READING IT AND MAYBE SOME DONT' FEEL THAT WAY. BUT EITHER WAY, IT WAS LOW QUALITY WRITING AND CRINGY ROMANCE.
I SUGGEST NEVER TO READ! DON'T THROW PRECIOUS HOURS OF YOUR LIFE AWAY!
 
I recently read:
2001
Black Like Me
The Handmaid's Tale (well, kind of)

2001: A Space Odyssey was really interesting, I would definitely recommend it. I like that the aliens in it weren't just green gobs who came to earth, but were actually - well, I don't want to spoil it. The writing was good and poetic. This is one of those books where you can kind of see the author's thought process, and how he arrives at different conclusions. Even if you don't necessarily agree with all the conclusions, it's still really interesting. I also watched the movie, which I enjoyed, despite several parts of it feeling like a screensaver. I would recommend watching the movie, not because I think you'll like it, but because it's kind of like Shakespeare but with movies. It will help you understand other movies better.

Black Like Me
This book is really interesting. My knowledge of US history is a little scanty, because I tend to zone out in virtually any history lesson, but since this was showing what people's life was actually like, it was a lot more interesting for me. There are a few dull-ish parts, but I would still definitely recommend it.

The Handmaid's Tale
I read this full well knowing that I would probably disagree with most things that the author believed in, but I thought that this would be a good way to see things from the perspective of people whom I don't agree with. I knew that it was rated 16+, but hey, I was reading 1984 when I was 10 and that's 18+, so I thought it'd be fine. While the writing in the book is very good, it was a little too, ah, explicit for me. I only got halfway through, not because the book was boring or anything like that, but because I just don't enjoy detailed descriptions of grownups doing grownup stuff (also, for context, I read Brave New World when I was 13, so it's not that I can't handle adult topics, I just don't like reading about adult stuff being described in detail ). I might try finishing it when I'm older, but I'm not sure if I'll enjoy it any more then. I'm not saying it's a bad book, the writing is good, and I think it's good to show what could happen if people's beliefs were taken to an extreme. It was just a bit much for me. Also, it's weird that it's rated 16+ when 1984 is rated 18+. I would rate Handmaid's Tale 18+ and 1984 13+ 🤷🏻‍♀️

Anyway, I'm reading the sequel to 2001 now, but after that I don't really have anything else to read, so I'm open to recommendations! I would like to get back into fantasy, I've kind of been focused on sci fi and dystopia for the past month.

Also, @Alexander Scamilton , it seems like most young adult books nowadays are like that. If you're looking for something good to read, I'd recommend the Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis, specifically That Hideous Strength (although the rest are good too).
 
I recently read:
2001
Black Like Me
The Handmaid's Tale (well, kind of)

2001: A Space Odyssey was really interesting, I would definitely recommend it. I like that the aliens in it weren't just green gobs who came to earth, but were actually - well, I don't want to spoil it. The writing was good and poetic. This is one of those books where you can kind of see the author's thought process, and how he arrives at different conclusions. Even if you don't necessarily agree with all the conclusions, it's still really interesting. I also watched the movie, which I enjoyed, despite several parts of it feeling like a screensaver. I would recommend watching the movie, not because I think you'll like it, but because it's kind of like Shakespeare but with movies. It will help you understand other movies better.

Black Like Me
This book is really interesting. My knowledge of US history is a little scanty, because I tend to zone out in virtually any history lesson, but since this was showing what people's life was actually like, it was a lot more interesting for me. There are a few dull-ish parts, but I would still definitely recommend it.

The Handmaid's Tale
I read this full well knowing that I would probably disagree with most things that the author believed in, but I thought that this would be a good way to see things from the perspective of people whom I don't agree with. I knew that it was rated 16+, but hey, I was reading 1984 when I was 10 and that's 18+, so I thought it'd be fine. While the writing in the book is very good, it was a little too, ah, explicit for me. I only got halfway through, not because the book was boring or anything like that, but because I just don't enjoy detailed descriptions of grownups doing grownup stuff (also, for context, I read Brave New World when I was 13, so it's not that I can't handle adult topics, I just don't like reading about adult stuff being described in detail ). I might try finishing it when I'm older, but I'm not sure if I'll enjoy it any more then. I'm not saying it's a bad book, the writing is good, and I think it's good to show what could happen if people's beliefs were taken to an extreme. It was just a bit much for me. Also, it's weird that it's rated 16+ when 1984 is rated 18+. I would rate Handmaid's Tale 18+ and 1984 13+ 🤷🏻‍♀️

Anyway, I'm reading the sequel to 2001 now, but after that I don't really have anything else to read, so I'm open to recommendations! I would like to get back into fantasy, I've kind of been focused on sci fi and dystopia for the past month.

Also, @Alexander Scamilton , it seems like most young adult books nowadays are like that. If you're looking for something good to read, I'd recommend the Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis, specifically That Hideous Strength (although the rest are good too).
Thanks for the recommendations! I’m genuinely interested in them, and I’ll look into each one more thoroughly. I’m currently making my way through Alexander Hamilton, though, and it’s… substantial. Like, it’s fascinating, but also I feel like I’m hauling a small historical boulder around with me everywhere. So I probably won’t start anything new immediately, but I’ve added your suggestions to my list for when I eventually resurface from the 700+ page Revolutionary Era abyss.
 
I recently read:
2001
Black Like Me
The Handmaid's Tale
(well, kind of)

....
Now THAT is an eclectic list.

I read both 2001 and Black Like Me in 8th Grade (Sep 1968-May 1969)
I remember quite a bit of BLM, but have never re-read it. Note that in 1968 in the US the Civil Rights movement was in full swing.
2001 (the movie) was released on 3 April 1968.... MLK was assassinated 4 April 1968.
2001 has a permanent home on my bookshelves. I re-read it about every 3 years.
(But I also pull it down for reference when I want to quote HAL for memes😁)
 
Now THAT is an eclectic list.

I read both 2001 and Black Like Me in 8th Grade (Sep 1968-May 1969)
I remember quite a bit of BLM, but have never re-read it. Note that in 1968 in the US the Civil Rights movement was in full swing.
2001 (the movie) was released on 3 April 1968.... MLK was assassinated 4 April 1968.
2001 has a permanent home on my bookshelves. I re-read it about every 3 years.
(But I also pull it down for reference when I want to quote HAL for memes😁)
1762578597930.png
 
I've just finished The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle. I enjoyed it but not as much as The Little Grey Men (q.v. above). TLU has a fascinating and inventive plot but the whimsy feels contrived as if the publisher sent the first draft back and told Beagle to inject some humour into the story. The style is a bit like The Once and Future King about which I feel similarly.

Both TLU and TLGM are quest narratives as per Joseph Campbell (The Hero with a Thousand Faces). I think Campbell is onto something but I'm not so convinced about the quasi Jungian explanation via accounts of dreams and various mythologies. Was he being selective?
 
I'm currently reading LotR (again :D) and The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. What about you guys?
I just finished re-reading The Hobbit (am reading it with my grandkids this year, and I finished it way ahead of them! Lol.....), and am now turning once again to the LotR. I also am reading my new set of Vinyar Tengwar Collected Tolkien Journals. I bought all 5 collections so I have them all. Very interesting stuff in them! I am sort of an etymology/scholar geek kind of guy, though not all that smart, but I love trying!
 
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After seeing the show 'Jeeves' over and over again, I finally started to read the actual books by P.G Wodehouse. So far, I am very much enjoying them! The show is very entertaining, and I recommend watching it. I watch it on Youtube, and it's one of my favorite shows. Whenever I have time to watch something during the week, most of the time Jeeves is my go-to pick,
 
There was a BBC Radio adaptation in the 70s with Michael Hordern (Gandalf in their LOTR adaptation) as Jeeves. It's on Spotify:

Looks like some episodes are also on YouTube.
 

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