I don't mind when people are talking. That's more of a problem if I'm trying to listen to something while people are talking as I am very bad at filtering out sounds. However, I use a different sense for reading than listening, so reading is no problem.

Also, it helps if I read in German while people around me are chatting in English. It's kind of like an extra cognitive barrier.

I dunno. Certainly the prose is clean and elegant, but it was hard for me to care about any of the characters, as Stoner seemed so passive. No “captain of my soul, master of my fate” stuff here. He came across to me more like a man seeking refuge and solace in his own dreamworld and the ideas of others, to the detriment of his own life. I did not walk away from that book with any deep insights or feelings beyond an inchoate sadness.

Well-written and beautifully crafted, yes. A place on my own personal top-ten list, no.

>In addition, some zombie stories feature unrealistic character behavior. For example, characters may split up and wander off alone, even though it's clear that this is dangerous and could lead to their death

And this right here shows you've never dealt with a group of humans under incredibly stressful situations.

> As if it is sinful to stop reading books

There's nothing wrong with no finishing a book you're not into. Nothing at all.

Bout routinely just skipping chunks of books because you can't be bothered to put in the effort of experiencing the book the way it was written? Also fine I guess, no one will stop you, but it doesn't seem like you actually value these books as being worth your time or worth paying attention to. It's a failure of curiosity.

I think the important distinction with Girl, which was an absolutely fantastic book, is that the people there were still alive when they became hungries. They were zombie-like, but not specifically zombies. It twisted it in a truly beautiful way. The fungus angle was brilliant.

>Particularly if you're reading for pleasure, do what pleases you!

If all I cared about was pleasure, I'd spend all my free time jerking off.

Obviously, do what you want, no one is going to kick down your door to stop you. But someone who regularly skips whole chapters or skims on the reg doesn't actually strike me as someone who genuinely cares about books or writing. They're just using a book as a dopamine button, useful only in is function to indulge themselves. It's not rooted in any sort of interest or valuing of literature as a thing to be savored and appreciated on its own terms.

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> the juggler of notre dame

thank you but in all versions of that story a statue of Mary comes to life and does weird shit. Nothing like that happens in this story. I think its more grounded and more about human interactions. That story is very very catholic, the one I am thinking about really isn't.

But I appreciate the effort!

This thread is for asking for suggestions on which books to read. Your question is more appropriate for r/WhatsThatBook or r/TipOfMyTongue.

This thread is for asking for suggestions on which books to read. Your question is more appropriate for our Simple Questions thread, which posts every Tuesday and Saturday. A link to the most recent one can be found in the sidebar.

I poked chatGPT for a bit and learned that your description sounds like its based of an old french myth called 'the juggler of notre dame'. It has been turned into many adaptations so maybe searching with that will help out. (The clown of god is based off it too so that might explain the similarities).

oh and btw once he was living in America he publicly urged the continuation of US bombing in Vietnam

> in decrying the “cruel mistake” of opposition to the Vietnam War, he warned: “If a full-fledged America suffered a real defeat from a small communist half-country, how can the West hope to stand firm in the future?”

Wow...thank you so much!

I also have an issue with noise distraction. The tv, radio, music get in the way of me taking in what I am reading. Strangely the quietest place I have found is our local church. The only thing is that the pews are not very comfortable….🙄

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Keep this same energy when your groceries go up by 60%

Publishing, as an industry, has never been more lucrative than it is currently, and writers have never been paid less.

Amazon having total market dominance, and taking 80% of royalties (despite contributing nothing to the production process) is obscene.

Amazon famously use books as 'loss leaders' to support their other products/advertising. They can afford to undersell every other retailer, and lose money on books, because they have a trillion-dollar company backing them. They do not care if the author makes no money. They are the only option, and they are a terrible option.

Your arguments in favour of Audible are only demonstrating ignorance on your part. You do not understand what is happening to the publishing industry at wide.

Authors deserve a living wage.

When I'm trying to add something into my life that I "want" to do, but I have so many things that I "need" to do, I have to set time aside on my calendar. If I'm really busy, I'll set timers to start the activity and a timer to end the activity so I don't feel guilty for not getting back to the things I need to get done.

I recommend starting with small chunks of time, 15-30 minutes 1-2 times a day. There are programs that you can put on your phone or laptop that will limit your access to certain apps or websites. I have a friend who has on that has a pop up when she tries to go onto social media that asks if this is how she wants to spend her time. It also has a timer that has a snarky comment that will pop up every 15 minutes.

Thanks I'll try it. I'll let you know if I remember too

Sure! And I’m glad you like them. But I don’t read fictional mysteries to make me feel like I’m in the real world. I’ve got enough of the real world as it is.

Hi! Your post is more appropriate for a writing sub. Check out /r/writing, please check their rules before posting. Good luck!

> Since you are focusing on dictionaries, Webster defines a sub-genre as one that belongs to a larger genre.

It's funny you didn't post Webster's full definition. We both know why that is.

Their definition of sub-genre is, "a genre that is part of a larger genre".

Hi there. This subject has been very popular in the past. Please use reddit search and/or check the /r/books/wiki/faq.

I've only read The girl with all the gifts by Carey and it didn't have these problems. I really like it. I think it's fine if they aren't consistent to each other, other creatures, like vampires and elves, tend to be different too

Hi there. Per rule 3.3, please post book recommendation requests in /r/SuggestMeABook or in our Weekly Recommendation Thread. Thank you!

Ha! We who grew up in the 80s learned this on the show Airwolf! I have no idea why anyone reads Jane Eyre without watching Airwolf first …