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dadthatreads

@dadthatreads

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Just a Dad trying to find time to read while raising 3 boys.

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A disquieting discovery of the self and an attempt to settle grief which is met by an insurmountable barrier of transferring reality into a written life.

This book was intended to navigate the loss of his mother and his former wife, but became much more. It’s a non-linear coming of age tale which draws heavily on the author’s personal experiences of becoming a writer, a father and enduring a troubling ancestry of hidden motivations.

“Against Art” is a bit convoluted, but I can appreciate why. Tomas kept coming back to pivotal points in his grief, but could not break through. The lack of resolution brings more truth than any other conclusion or meaning. Grief is inevitable, it remains with us and by the end of the novel, Tomas comes to terms with this.

#norway #literature #bookreview #booksbooksbooks

Once again, I’m charmed by contemporary Norwegian literature. It appears I'm working through the work of Knausgaard's instructors - first Fosse and now Espedal. by @dadthatreads

66

3

2 days ago

Fosse does it again by trapping his characters in a mysterious state of rumination and loss of autonomy. Best to read this in one sitting and for me to spare the details. The first book felt more eerie while this was more like an Edgar Wright movie, which is not a bad thing.

#bookrecs #bookreview #jonfosse #booksandcoffee
#booksta by @dadthatreads

119

13

6 days ago

Currently reading 📚

Vaim Hotel - new Fosse & most anticipated book mail.

Frail by my friend @fastertojuneau_ stoked to read this follow up to Coyote Brush.

Nobody Broke Your Heart by @jamiefisherwriter - this Elliott Smith bio is damn good. I'm nearing the end of his college years and loved learning of his literary obsession.

Hope everyone is reading some good books!

#currentlyreadi̇ng #tbr #booksbooksbooks #readingcommunity #literature by @dadthatreads

92

6

8 days ago

Parts of our lives fold into each other as time moves on. Generations can pass within a single lifetime. Elkins says this is a story of the natural eraser of the past by the process of living.

One of the most creative and frustrating books I have read. You might feel impatience well up inside of you, but eventually you’ll catch your reflection in the mirror that Elkins holds up to our lives. I’m not sure if this was his intention, but it has me questioning the realities we conjure up for comfort, avoidance, legacy, you name it.

This is a story of “the pleasant empty life of a ghost”. Not much is pleasant but I find it accurate when referring to the previous selves of the narrator.

And why did I pair this book with coffee? Because it was the only subject lacking in this dense bat sh!t novel.

#bookreview #jameselkins #weakincomparisontodreams
#booksbooksbooks #bookaesthetic by @dadthatreads

75

0

9 days ago

My son challenges me to a daily chess match. He's mastered the basics, but I think this book can help his game...

I admire his determination - he never pouts or gets discouraged and his little brothers notice. It's been months and he's only caught me sleeping once.

I'm looking forward to my garbage tactics being overcome by his proper strategy.

And who knows, maybe one of my boys is a grandmaster in the making.

#chess #booksbooksbooks #readingcommunity by @dadthatreads

90

20

15 days ago

A couple chapters in and our guy is really bumming me out but it's all good! I'm intrigued. He's sad about his broken family while trying to embrace the distraction of being assigned a position on the Zoo Feasibility Committee, which he has no experience for? And of course, he's experiencing these dreams which are bleeding into reality.

I flipped through the pages and noticed a lot of pictures and diagrams. I'm anxious to see how the integration of music theory, art, and math relates to the story. Seems wildly ambitious and I'm here for it.

#newbook #currentlyreadi̇ng #booksbooksbooks
#jameselkins by @dadthatreads

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22

18 days ago

By not submitting to a time of contradiction and confusion, where his motherland appeared to be racing backwards, Paustovsky was able to achieve total expression by conveying the world in all its depths. He was a remarkable writer of the human soul.

“Perhaps the future would sift from my life, from all that I had experienced, everything touched by genuine human warmth and poetry and help me to stitch these untidy fragments into a meaningful, coherent story.”

This might be the greatest novelistic memoir I will ever read. Konstantin’s vivid depiction of an extraordinary life is unmatched.

#russianliterature #bookreview #reading #literature by @dadthatreads

325

13

19 days ago

A collection of 36 stories written from 1953 to 2015 - each with a peculiar character challenging morality, religion, justice, and romantic relationships.

I was so close to enjoying these, but the recurring unlikable protagonists and bitter irony did not land for me. This might be my first let down in Norwegian literature. Some say Kjell Askildsen resembles Beckett without the digressive prose. I do appreciate minimalist writing, so perhaps I'll return to these one day and feel differently.

#booksbooksbooks #shortstories #bookreview by @dadthatreads

101

7

20 days ago

These vignettes are delicate but also heavy. Fosse maintains a sincere tone in this collection which was written from 1987 to 2013. It might appear that some stories meander through nothingness, but they eventually prove their worth. The main reason I keep coming back to Fosse is because of this steady build up which helps the flow of his writing resonate so well.

Immediately after finishing the book, I think "Tall Grass" from Little Sister and "Always Be My Friend" are my favorites and the one about the dog really had me spinning.

#jonfosse #bookreview #booksbooksbooks #bookaesthetic by @dadthatreads

101

3

22 days ago

The immense introspection separates this book from others in the series and ultimately draws similarities to Knausgaard's auto fiction. Overall, these characters appear to have a minor role, but their substance from within turned them into giants.

Syvert, the protagonist, longs to be enveloped in empathy but senses how undeserving he is. Much of the novel is him managing his feelings towards a love affair which was discovered many years later by his son (also named Syvert) in the second book, "The Wolves of Eternity."

While reading this I kept thinking of Jostein, another self-serving character from the other books who also likes to have too much of a good time. They would've made great pals.

The Morning Star series is expected to end with seven books and this fifth installment was a perfect digression before (hopefully) entering into an outrageous finale. I cannot wait.

Thank you @penguinpress for the copy. It was a joy to read before the January release.

#karloveknausgaard #newbook #bookrecs #bookreview by @dadthatreads

311

17

a month ago

I'm looking forward to reading this new bio by @jamiefisherwriter

And I'm not debating if GWH qualifies as modern cinema or a masterpiece, because it will always be one of my favorite films.

#elliottsmith #goodwillhunting #newbooks
#booksbooksbooks #tbr by @dadthatreads

291

9

a month ago

This stack is speaking to me this weekend and it’s mostly for research purposes.

I’ll think up any excuse to pull KOK into the conversation, but I just finished Arendal (review coming soon) and it features the candid and engrossing auto fiction Knausgaard fans love, while providing backstory to "The Wolves of Eternity." It's outstanding.

And the other books? Well, I’ve been doing a bit of writing lately. I’m inspired by the heaviness of gritty realism and the simplicity of authors like Carver, Johnson, & Strickland. I recently picked up Le Guin’s "Steering the Craft" which is best described as a handbook for storytellers. It could take me a lifetime to put her deceptively simple advice into practice.

I'm committed to writing a few short stories under 3,000 words and sharing them one day, whether they're good, bad, or ugly.

#bookstack #bookshelf #literature #literaryfiction
#booksbooksbooks by @dadthatreads

212

5

a month ago