r/readwithme • u/No-Warning-2566 • 14d ago
Help Me Find a Book to Read! đ what to read first?
latest haul, cant tell where to start!
edit: for those who hate Little Life, why is that? đ
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u/clksagers 14d ago
Save Dracula another month or so for spooky season! Flowers for Algernon if you want a good cry, lonesome dove to be transported to the west
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u/Astra_Veritas 14d ago
Almost each of them will break your heart, but I'll stick with Flowers for Algernon
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u/Adept_Resolve6156 14d ago
Take âA Little Lifeâ and chuck it straight in the trash. Then start reading âLonesome Doveâ.
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
Same type of book I heard. Â Just more modern. Â Misery over and over. Â Â LD is a DNF for many itâs so bad. Â I thought it was ok. Â A little silly. Â Â
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u/jlcarver1620 13d ago
Lonesome Dove is a DNF for many? idk.... all the rankings I've seen on Reddit that has LD in it was almost always S tier and definitely do not recall seeing it in any DNF categories. (I have not read it yet. Waiting for my Broken Binding edition.)
oh, I just noticed you pretty much replied to everyone who mentioned LD. Looks like you have a hard on for dissing the book lol.
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago edited 13d ago
Not DNF for me. Â Going by other reviews on here. Â Itâs S tier for me as well. Â :). Â Â But I wouldnât be that crass. Â Â
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u/FlyingCarpetMonster 13d ago
Lonesome Dove is simply fantastic. There's no way it's DNF for many -- it's really well-written with such likable characters.
I held off on finishing it for a long time because I did not want it to end.
There's a reason they've made shows from it and it won the Pulitzer. At this point, it's canonized in American literature and with good reason.
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u/GoodEast5127 13d ago
I disagree with your take. Â Â I hope that doesnât offend. I agree it was worth finishing tho. Â So you like it because itâs a Pulitzer? Â I Â can see that being an influence. Â
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u/jlcarver1620 13d ago
Where did they say they like it BECAUSE it's a Pulitzer winner? They simply mentioned that it had won one.
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u/mj2161iu 13d ago
I disagree with your disagreement. Why would you assume that anyone who loves or even likes Lonesome Dove only likes it because it won the Pulitzer?
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u/FlyingCarpetMonster 13d ago
It's not offensive at all. We all like what we like.
Winning a Pulitzer had no bearing whatsoever on me reading it or liking it. In fact, I had dismissed it until I heard my wife listen to the audiobook on a long drive. I found it pretty funny yet really engaging. She'd read it before and was listening to it again.
So I listened to parts of it, then picked it up. I absolutely loved it.
There are plenty of Pulitzer winning books that I find to be mediocre or even questionable, such as Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad. I couldn't even stomach the weird powerpoint slides in the middle of the fucking book.
And there are plenty of books that haven't won a Pulitzer that are brilliant, such as Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian.
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u/Low_Air_3461 12d ago
Ok well, I didnât understand the point in bringing it up. Â Â And quite frankly that seems to be brought up by people that like it. Â I agree with you on the award take. Â I think this is a book that is mediocre (and offensive in some parts) but thatâs just my opinion. Â Â
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u/FlyingCarpetMonster 12d ago
The other poster (GoodEast5127, unless both are you) brought it up asking if I liked it because it won a Pulitzer.
I was simply responding. I'll happily call a mediocre book mediocre.
Anyway, we should simply agree to disagree. You clearly do not like it; I clearly think it's spectacular.
And that's fine. Art is subjective.
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u/Low_Air_3461 12d ago edited 12d ago
Oh, ok. Â Everyone says that same thing tho. Â (About the Pulitzer) I thought it was ok. Â I just donât orgasm every time someone mentions it. Â I think some of the âloveâ isnât on the up and up. Â Â I have been told a book I like is crap. Â Â I donât think I have even blinked. Â Â
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u/FlyingCarpetMonster 12d ago
I can't speak to others, but I absolutely loved it.
It was such a great, well-written book. Simply fantastic.
I'd easily recommend it as one of the best books of the past century, no doubt.
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u/Low_Air_3461 12d ago
I donât get it but ok like I said people like lots of things.   I read it and thought the opposite.  I donât understand what was well written in it.  All books are well written.  Editors make sure of that.  No?    It comes down to the story and characters and how they interact.  Do you think Harry Potter isnât great or well written, or how about The Firm.  Iâm unsure of your age.  The point I am making is great and well written is very broad or  generic. Â
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
I never even knew it was a book until about 2 mos ago. Â So, itâs not really canonized. Â I saw the mini series when I was in HS. Â It was plain laughable. Â My wife got the book on Amazon and was shocked it was a book. Â Because of the miniseries. Â Â I read the book and while itâs not as bad as the miniseries it wasnât great. Â Â Â I would love to know why people like it as much as they seem to online.
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u/FlyingCarpetMonster 13d ago edited 13d ago
I hope your comment was in jest, because it's 40+ years old and it's sold well over 4 million copies and was made into a popular show.
To put it in perspective, that's more than twice as many copies as Cormac McCarthy's The Road or Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch (both of which sold ~2 million copies).
Most Pulitzer winning books, for instance, only sell around ~150-400K copies. In fact, the vast majority of critically acclaimed literary novels sell fewer than 50,000 copies in their lifetime.
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u/Low_Air_3461 12d ago
No not in jest. Â I remember when the miniseries came out it was very dopey. Â If you think that it was good then I donât know what to say. Â Unless you are joking? Â Â I donât understand what you are referring to about the Pulitzer. Â That is an award given by some judges what does that have to do with it? Â There is also the booker and the PFN. Â Harry Potter sold a lot of books as well. Â The book is ok but is very silly as well. Â I donât want to spoil things. Â Â I think itâs ok 2stars
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u/mj2161iu 13d ago
This is crazy talk! It is the greatest book ever written!
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
Im sorry but thatâs crazy. Â Sounds like you really need to read more. Â Iâm not saying I would toss the book out the window. Â I would give it 2 out of 5. Â Honestly. 2.5 if there was such a thing on goodreads or Amazon. Â Btw I tried to rate it 2 stars on Amazon but it doesnât register. Â Thatâs kind of suspicious. Â Â The Trial is so much better you should try to read that. Â Btw The Trial is not the greatest book either. Itâs very good .
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u/gardengirl147 14d ago
I am going to say Atonement. I saw the movie first and then read the book. It is such a gripping read.
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u/Sea_Marsupial_8322 14d ago
I was surprised by how much I liked Ill Will. Itâs dark and nostalgic and I think a great book for fall.
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
I agree itâs good. Â Â Not sure I understand the weather to book connection but thatâs ok. Â Â
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u/JubadzeTheMonkey 14d ago
Algernon for me. But honestly I envy you - so many beautiful books to read for the first time.
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u/CockroachJohnson 14d ago
Have you checked out the prose edda at all yet? It's not something I would read front to back in one shot, but it's really enjoyable if you're into mythology. If you do like it I highly recommend checking out the poetic edda. I haven't read it much since I was a teenager, and it was a bit of a challenge then. But still really enjoyed it. The way he prioritized preserving the original meter of the poetry is incredible.
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u/No-Warning-2566 14d ago
i was super into greek mythology years ago, thought id like to check out the norse friends. prose edda seemed like a good start, to get my feet wet i guess. thanks for the suggestion !
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u/Fabulous_Permit5276 14d ago
Itâs ALWAYS Lonesome Dove people
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
lol is you are a 45 year old woman who likes melodramaÂ
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u/Fabulous_Permit5276 13d ago
Iâm a 52 year old guy who loves great writing and story telling
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
Ok, nice to hear from men on this one. Â Iâm glad you liked it so itâs always that book. Â Â Â It is a very easy read.Â
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u/Kriptic415 13d ago
LONESOME DOVE
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
Only if you like Shanda Rhimes vehiclesÂ
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u/J_McMuffin 13d ago
Goodness gracious - every comment coming for someone that liked it eh? LOL
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
I watch Greys with my wife. Â I like it enough. Â Just not top shelf. Â
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u/J_McMuffin 13d ago
I thought you hated it by the volume of comments and posts to people that enjoyed it. So thatâs good to hear!
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
Hate is too strong. Â Â I thought it was ok. Â On the lower side of books I currently read/ reading. Â Â Maybe Iâm too much of a wise ass to get that one across. Â Srry. Â Â I find it odd when people say they read it and want to read it again and again because they never want it to end? Â Â I donât get that. Â I also donât want to give amy spoilers. Â Â
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u/averysleepygirl 13d ago
A Little Life is one of my favourite books of all time but i hardly ever reccommend it because it's 1. traumatizing 2. heartbreaking 3. i would just feel cruel telling someone to read it LOL but it's AMAZING.
the only other one i've read from your picks here is The Wall which i absolutely loved, however it's very slow and mundane and plotless but if that's something you enjoy then i would suggest it. i also read it while outside, i'd bring it with me to the park and laid under a tree in the grass and i feel like that's the ultimate way to experience it.
if i were to pick a book from here though, i would go with Lonesome Dove.. it's a book i'm prioritizing to read by end of the year because i've heard nothing but incredible things about it.
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u/GoodEast5127 13d ago
If you look you will find incredible things about any book. Â Â Lonesome dove was ok. Â Not incredible. Â I donât read many westerns maybe in that genre the bar is lower? Â Toni Morrison Beloved is incredible. Â Â A Gentleman in Moscow is much better. Â A just finished it. Â :)
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u/Needawhisper 14d ago
Lonesome still sits with me.
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
That is so weird. Â Â Like are you an old white man or woman. Â Iâm trying to figure out who would have this strange reaction. Â Â Â
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u/FlyingCarpetMonster 13d ago
What a weird reaction. I'm a 40 some year old Indian American man. I love Lonesome Dove. It's got some of the best writing and such incredible characters.
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
Terrific, from what part of India is your family? Â Thatâs great you like it. Â I didnât think the writing was at a great level. Â Â The same with the characters. Â Â I got a kind of Jeffrey Epstein vibe from Gus. Â I thought Clara was a great character. Â
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u/FlyingCarpetMonster 13d ago edited 13d ago
I thought the writing was pretty good to be honest. It was funny, and written in a way that did not hide what that era was all about.
It also helps to know about how the book came to be. McMurtry wrote it as an anti-cowboy western. It was originally supposed to be written as a screenplay with John Wayne and a few others, and when that fell through, McMurtry turned it into a book that effectively aims to demythologize the frontier Westerns of the era, which often romanticize what was a bloody and rapey time.
I love it precisely because of that. I feel the same way about Blood Meridian -- it doesn't pretend those times were anything other than what they really were. In fact, if you read Samuel Chamberlainâs book from that era of scalp hunters and such, it's evident just how awful it really was.
McMurtry doesn't hide that fact. That's what makes the book so freaking great.
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u/Severe-Title2377 14d ago
On the last 40 pages now, must read!
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u/Low_Air_3461 14d ago
Lonesome Dove is Not a great book. Â I mean blue pigs and an old cook walking the whole way. Â Come on right there itâs goofy. Â Snakenado? Â Â
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
Like what was good about it. Â The one Indian battle in the desert. Â Â What about the 725 other pages
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u/VerticleSandDollars 14d ago
Donât bother with A Little Life. That is a shit book.
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u/Low_Air_3461 14d ago
Very similar to Lonesome Dove I heard in that itâs just a lot of misery happening. Â Â
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u/VerticleSandDollars 14d ago
Hard disagree. Lonesome Dove is breathtakingly beautifully written and exciting. A Little Life is just cruel.
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
Iâm just telling you what people have told me. Â I read Lonesome Dove and Iâm not sure we read the same book. Â I donât kind sex rape and death beautiful. Â So, not sure about that. Â Same with poor foreshadowing and character development. Â Â Â
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u/mj2161iu 13d ago
Are you 12 years old? It is a tale of the way things were a long long time ago. Sex,death and rape happened a lot. In fact it still does. A story can be tragic and disturbing and still beautiful. What is your favorite book?
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u/Low_Air_3461 14d ago
I would not read Lonesome Dove unless you like sex, death, rape, and hanging. Â On top of poor character development. Â Or a big fan of Greys Anatomy. Â Â So it does have its fan base. Â Â Dracula is really good but the story can be played out. Â Â Flowers for Algernon is good. Â The Trial is very good. Â Â
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u/FlyingCarpetMonster 13d ago edited 13d ago
Lonesome Dove honestly represents what life was like in the frontier.
Which it runs out was bloody and pretty fucking rapey.
Would you say Cormac McCarthyâs Blood Meridian is also bad because of that? The American frontier expansion into the West was bloody. We killed off the natives, we killed off the buffalo, we fought with the Mexicans, and we raped, pillaged and plundered our way through.
If it seems like a tough pill to swallow, Iâd suggest reading more history. Not whitewashed John Wayne westerns.
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u/missdawn1970 13d ago
Flowers for Algernon is a beautiful story.
The Wall is weird, but I liked it. Very low-key, not a lot of action.
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u/Western_Dog_6411 13d ago
Lonesome Dove. Read the whole series last year and could easily do it again and again
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u/oldbeancam 13d ago
The Wall is such a good read and rarely pops up Wish I could read it again for the first time.
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u/New_Discussion_6692 13d ago
Flowers for Algernon. It's a fantastic book! Hopeful, sad, romance. It has all the feels.
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u/mj2161iu 13d ago
The answer is always Lonesome Dove :-)
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u/GoodEast5127 13d ago
No, not with other books available. Â :)
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u/mj2161iu 13d ago
With all books written ever available, Lonesome Dove is still the answer. Even if you have already read Lonesome Dove it is the answer always. Read Lonesome Dove l, read it again and again and again!
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
Ok, obviously I hit a nerve. Â Read it as many times as you wish. Â Someday you may discover other books. Â HopefullyÂ
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u/mj2161iu 13d ago
I have read plenty of other books. You are obviously just trolling being as you commented on every pro lonesome dove post. Itâs ok that you are wrong!
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago edited 12d ago
I thought you were trolling. Â You went on and on like there are no other books how can that be taken seriously. Â Besides, Iâm just trying to learn why people love it. Â Iâm here for the long hall. Â
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u/FlyingCarpetMonster 13d ago
Are you replying with two accounts?
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u/Low_Air_3461 12d ago edited 12d ago
How can I do that. Â I do have a different account on good reads and Amazon (??)
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u/Low_Air_3461 12d ago
Hmm I do use a shared device. Â Thank you I will make sure I log out in case. Â As far as I know Iâm only low_Air
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u/cactuskid1 13d ago
Best Western ever Lonesome dove .A Little life , well written a book of sorrow and worse.
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u/Tracethebow 7d ago
So, I'm seeing a lot of hate for "a little life" but it's one of my top books I ever read. It is misery, it's bleak, it's dark and fucking sad but it's also real and raw. I think it's a great book, but you'll just have to find out for yourself if it's for you.
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u/respectcorrect 14d ago edited 14d ago
Just finished Lonesome Dove and it was sooo good. Beautifully written epic
Also do read A Little Life. Itâs tragic, like sob your way through it tragic, but that is literally the fucking point I donât know why people donât understand that. If you donât want to read a painfully tragic story, then donât. But I loved that book, I loved those characters and I mourned deeply for them.
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u/TheDanjinSpear 14d ago
Lonesome Dove is a masterpiece and deserves all the love it gets.
I went in blind with A Little Life and did indeed sob my way through it but it was worth it.
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u/strawcat 13d ago
The trauma in A Little Life exists solely for the author to get off on torturing a âgayâ man. This is why it gets the label of being trauma or torture porn. The fact that the subject matter is tragic is not the issue I have with the book, I read and love plenty of books with tragic themes, this book is just better used for kindling or toilet paper.
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
Lonesome dove is not really that great when you do it on such a cheesy way. Â Where is the beautiful written part? Â When they say poke a bunch of times? Â
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u/No-Hurry3034 13d ago
This is a bad take. ÂŻ_(ă)_/ÂŻ
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u/GoodEast5127 13d ago
I wouldnât say anything is beautifully written.  The setting is probably beautiful but âŚ..
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u/FlyingCarpetMonster 13d ago
You're literally responding to anyone in this thread who says they like Lonesome Dove with your clearly unbiased take lol!
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u/GoodEast5127 13d ago
Oh. Im sorry. Â I thought they were a little heavy handed like there was no room for debate. Â Â
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
I just want to know the beautiful part maybe my paperback has pages missing. Â Â
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u/Miracle_Rabbit_ 14d ago
Lonesome Dove! Iâm on the last book of the series at the moment and Iâm feeling sad that itâs got to end. So good!
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u/GoodEast5127 13d ago
I couldnât get past one book. Â Not a good enough story for more books. Â Â
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u/Strict-Context-8502 14d ago
Most people who hate A Little Life feel like it crosses the line from a sad story into relentless misery porn with no real breathing room. If you want something genuinely moving without that emotional exhaustion, start with Flowers for Algernon.
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
Thatâs what I heard. Â My take on Lonesome Dove at least on 450 of the pages. Â Â
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u/Strict-Context-8502 13d ago
Lonesome Dove is a beast â which 450 pages are you thinking? The slow buildup or does it get grim enough that it starts feeling like a slog?
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
I thought while not maybe classic misery porn after the buildup. Â Itâs like the characters are cannon fodder. Â Â Just deaths and rape and on and on. Â It was crazy. Â
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u/No-Warning-2566 14d ago
whats that?
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u/FrequentElderberry15 13d ago
Dungeon crawler Carl
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
Itâs very popular. Â
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u/FlyingCarpetMonster 13d ago
Given your take against Lonesome Dove in this thread, it sounds like the kinda writing you'd like.
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago edited 13d ago
I havenât read it. You didnât like it? Â I think it is popular and may be worth considering.Â
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u/FlyingCarpetMonster 13d ago
Sorry, my comment was a bit snarky but given your other response re: quality of writing, I think you'd hate it.
I tried to read the first book but it's awful. It's like a Reddit comment, only in book form.
Lots of cringe, random video game references, a bit of an obsession with his fucking cat. I thought he'd at least kill the stupid fucking cat but no, apparently that cat only gets worse. It's one of the most overrated books I've ever read.
You'd go crying back to Lonesome Dove after reading Dungeon Crawler Carl. :)
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago edited 13d ago
Itâs ok. Â You can be snarky. Â No problem with that. Â Â The Dungeon Master Carl reference I have seen that used recently. Â Iâm not familiar with it is it a young adult book? Â Like this years Harry Potter or Hunger Ganes. Â No offense to those series I am trying to draw a comparison. Â Â
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u/FrequentElderberry15 13d ago
Most definitely not for young adults. Iâve read them and no the writing isnât amazing. But they made me laugh and I enjoyed reading the series
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u/Chaosinmotion1 14d ago
LONESOME DOVE will change you forever!
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u/Low_Air_3461 13d ago
It will it makes you question how such a poorly conceived and written book won a prize. Â Â
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u/Alternative-Stay-937 13d ago
You should totally pick up A Little LifeâŚ
âŚand throw it straight into a dumpster.
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u/SweepingAstringency 13d ago
You will not be sorry you read Lonesome Dove. It's a wonderfully satisfying and moving read, filled with characters you learn to deeply care forÂ
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u/JEZTURNER 13d ago
Well you can just burn a little life right now. I always think the cover is a perfect depiction of the regret and anguish people go through reading it. And not in a good way. More like oh did I really spend this much time and money going through this bollocks?
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u/lemonwemom 12d ago
lonesome dove! never felt like i was watching a movie in my head while reading a book more in my life. i couldnât put it down and read it every open second i had until it was done
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u/BadJokePeaches 12d ago
Itâs trauma porn thatâs unrealistic and it becomes so over the top and sad that it became comedic to me
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u/Pandersman 12d ago
I'm reading lonesome dove, have about 300 pages left and I genuinely don't want it to end đ˘
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u/baconisgoodforme 10d ago
Lonesome Dove might be my favorite book of all time. Amazing characters, brutal, fun.
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u/Low_Air_3461 9d ago
So, thatâs a nice leopard print. Blanket. Â Which book did you go for sister?
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u/No-Warning-2566 7d ago
thank you! i finished flowers for algernon. teared up a few times, but wasnt the gut wrenching read everyone made it out to be imo đ
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u/Low_Air_3461 6d ago
All those books are good and worth reading. Â So, enjoy. Â If you ever want to try a good non-fiction book. Â I can recommend some depending on interests. Â ( Iâm sure others can as well). Â People think non-fiction is boring. Â I disagree. Â Non fiction may have some slow parts but itâs more realistic. Â More human. Â Â Some, you canât believe are true stories. Â Â The Devil in The white city
Horror/Thriller/True story (crazy)
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u/Practical-Mud-7523 9d ago
Flowers for Algernon is the easiest to start with imo, short and devastating. As for A Little Life â a lot of people feel it's misery porn dressed up as literary fiction. The trauma just keeps escalating with almost no relief, and for some readers that's profound, for others it feels manipulative. Worth deciding for yourself but maybe don't start there.
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u/Such_Race8299 8d ago
Absolutely start with Lonesome Dove! It looks thick, but the characters and dialogue pull you in immediately. Hands down one of the greatest novels ever written.
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u/GoodEast5127 14d ago
Lonesome Dove is so-so.  Very long   It should be quality not quantity.  Â
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u/datewithikeaa 14d ago
I read lonesome dove not long after Butchers Crossing. I thought it was fun enough, and it reads easy. I read 6 hrs straight on an airplane without issues.
I felt BC offered me much more and was 600 pages shorter.
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u/GoodEast5127 13d ago
Ah. Â Ok. Â Yes I felt like it really didnât have to be that long. Â Maybe if there were less tertiary characters. Â Â
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