The Currently Reading Super Topic

This looks AWESOME. I am definitely adding this to my TBR. Don’t know what it says about me that I can’t get enough of serial killers but here we are :woman_shrugging:

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My grandmother and I literally bond over our favourite serial killers. No judgment here!

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I love House of Night, I’ve been meaning to re-read them too, but they’re at my mum’s place T-T

I’m currently reading a few books;

Shinsekai Yori gekan - Kishi Yuusuke
This is the third and final book in a dystopian/fantasy series which is really interesting, though all three of these books had amazing 5 star parts and really slow boring 1 star parts, which make them kind of hard to get through… Whenever I’m stuck in a 1 star part it just takes me forever to get through it, especially because these are quite difficult, and my Japanese reading skills need improvement. I do recommend the anime series a lot, it’s one of my favourites.

Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook: A Grimoire of Philtres, Elixirs, Oils, Incense, and Formulas for Ritual Use - Karen Harrison
I’ve been trying to read more about herbs and their healing properties, and so far I’m enjoying this book.

Brother’s Conflict 3 - Takashi Mizuno
A light novel, very simple read. Wouldn’t really recommend. I bought these novels years again when I was really into this series, but couldn’t read them because I couldn’t read Japanese. Now I can read them but I don’t enjoy the series as much as I once did.

Vilette - Charlotte Bronte
I really enjoy this novel so far. I love reading classics from that time period, like the Brontes and Austen, so this is right up my alley. It’s my first book by Charlotte Bronte, so I’m looking forward to finding out if I enjoy her books as much as I enjoy her sisters books.

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Vilette is my favorite thing ever written by a Bronte, and I took a seminar course in college on Jane Austen and the Brontes, so I’ve read a lot. People seem to really love Jane Eyre for some reason, but I much prefer Vilette. Then again, I enjoy Wuthering Heights precisely because every character is horrible, so take all of this opining with a healthy pinch of salt.

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I’ve been wanting to read Vilette! I didn’t love Jane Eyre but I also enjoyed everybody’s equal terribleness in Wuthering Heights, so Vilette is next on my Bronte list!

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I think Jane Eyre is my only Bronte to far. I also haven’t read it since I was 12. I bet I’ll have different perspectives on it now. I really should reread that.

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I would have loved to take a course on Austen and the Brontes!
I really loved Wuthering Heights as well, like you, because everyone was horrible (and because it shows the effects of child abuse, I don’t really see it as a romance novel at all). So then there’s a large chance I’ll keep loving Vilette. I’ve only just started it, but I’m excited to read more! What’s your favourite Jane Austen book?

Vilette looked more interesting to me than Jane Eyre, which is why I ended up picking that one first. Other than that I’ve read Wuthering Heigts and the The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which I both really enjoyed.

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(I realize this question wasn’t directed toward me but as I’m drinking tea out of my Jane Austen mug right now I can’t help myself :deirdretea:)

My favorite books of Austen’s are Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, and Persuasion!! Persuasion I love because it’s not as popular as the first two and because the love story doesn’t quite follow the same format (it basically takes place after the love story for the two main characters) but still manages to be surprising and charming and heartwarming and everything I love about Austen.

Sense & Sensibility, I’ll be honest, I love so much because I grew up watching the movie with my mom on like every lazy Sunday and I just absolutely adore everything about it. I think it’s so clever and lovely.

Pride & Prejudice is Pride & Prejudice, there’s a reason everybody loves it and that reason is because it is simply wonderful, end of story.

Now I want to re-read all of Austen again…ugh so many books, so little time

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I may have a weakness for Pride and prejudice. I know it’s the one everyone likes, but the character development!
Darcy is kind of awful at the beginning, but he realizes he’s wrong, works to change his point of view, and then helps the Bennetts with no expectation of getting a reward or “points” toward making women like him. Only after that does Lizzy start to return his feelings, because for once the girl is attracted to good people, and not just whatever hot but awful man happens to be in front of her. Idk I have a lot of feelings about that one.

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AGREED. And I love that Lizzy is completely not afraid to call him out on being absolutely awful. Still one of the hands-down best literary heroines of all time.

That’s what I love most about Austen, is how complex all of her female characters are, which is refreshing even today considering how many terrible ones still exist. I love all the various sisterly dynamics, love to hate on Mrs. Bennet’s ridiculousness because it makes me love Mr. Bennet more, and Lady Catherine? Deliciously awful. The nice men like Bingley and (eventually) Darcy are almost overshadowed by the prominence of all the wonderful craziness that is the life of Austen’s women, which is as :clap:t3: it :clap:t3: should :clap:t3: be :clap:t3:

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Yes. Just yes. To all of that.

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This is my new favorite place on the forum.

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@Catherine we are clearly on the same page here. Persuasion is my favorite Austen novel, for sure. It has a lot of the same charm and comedy of manners elements, but you can feel in the story a sort of tame maturity that makes the romance feel simultaneously deeper and more feasible. If you jump from something like Emma right into Persuasion, you can sort of sense how Austen herself has grown in the intervening time.

My runner-up for joy of reading in the Austen corpus is Northanger Abbey. It’s a delightful, pseudo-Gothic bit where the reader gets to enjoy young Jane’s frustrations with girls who think Gothic novels are real. Mansfield Park was the most interesting to analyze, but I don’t think I’d read it again just for fun.

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Northanger Abbey is probably my favourite Jane Austen, because it was just so much fun to read.

Like most of you I also love Pride and Prejudice, it’s what got me into Austen/ classics in general in the first place. My mum loved the book as well as the tv series, and I have watched the series with her a bunch of times.

I liked Persuasion a lot as well. I have to admit that I didn’t get into it as much right away, but about halfway through I started really loving it. I really want to re-read this one, because I feel like I will love it more on a second read.

I recently read Lady Susan, which had an interesting format as well, in that the whole story is told through letters. I enjoyed that one as well.

I totally agree on Austen’s female characters. They are all so different and complex and I LOVE it.

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Gulliver’s Travels is what got me into classics. We own two copies so Mum and I read it at the same time. I don’t know where Mum’s copy went but this is mine. I wish I could find out how old this edition is. It smells quite old and the pages are more brown than yellow.It’s a little fragile now so I’m afraid to read it again.

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Thanks @annabloem! I love Austen’s books, so I’m going to have to look at Colette.And the Herbal Grimore sounds awesome!

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Wow what a gorgeous copy :heart_eyes:

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I just want to say y’all are super impressive in how prolific you are as readers. The only thing I’m reading at the moment is An Italian Straw Hat. Having a hard time finding a good fiction novel to sink my teeth into… I’ve really been craving queer horror and there’s not a lot. :laurencry:

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Oh thanks for reminding me, I meant to mention earlier: all types of readers are welcome here!!! Whether you read a book a day or a book a year, in any kind of genre, your input is encouraged and valuable! :eaveshug:

@Revenir have you read Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado? I’ve only skimmed a couple pages in the bookstore, but it’s a collection of stories that is supposed to be super freaky (in a good way) by a really great queer author. Might be worth checking out!

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Oops this was meant to be a current reads thread but I used it as a “look how pretty this book is” :bashfacepalm:

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