I LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. Archipelago. I've been an ARC reviewer of theirs for years (although that does mean I miss out on the aesthetics of the hardbound books).
They are beautifully made books. We have the Knausgaard Struggle volumes (my partner's read them all - I have not - not sure when I'll get to them, but I do want to read the first two at the very least.)
I got caught up in the Knausgaard phenomenon at the start--I can see my copies of the Archipelago MY STRUGGLE volumes from where I'm sitting . . . but somehow I also got a copy of A TIME FOR EVERYTHING, which he wrote before all the post-Struggle stuff. It's an odd book, in the best way, a swirl of mythic/Biblical stories morphed into a different context [obviously hard to describe]. Read a blurb for it and see what you think. I've gotten so many of the Archipelago books it's hard to keep up--have a big stack I haven't gotten to. Try WHALE--it's an odd story [there's that word again] but gets under your skin. Thanks for sticking with this stack!
Thanks for this recommendation, David! Adam has read several other Knausgaard books too but I don't think he's read WHALE (nor have I, which probably goes without saying)! Have been reading Benjamin Labatut and Cusk's newest.
I see that the former has a new one out (praised @ LitHub)--I've read a lot of physics stuff over the years so I'll look out for this one. Cusk I read once years ago and found incredibly . . . I don't know, bland? Empty of content? Something rubbed me the wrong way; but then she got real popular and I figured I should go back, but haven't yet. I haven't read Ferrante yet, either; she's next. Right after Victober!
I loved OUTLINE and TRANSIT, KUDOS a little less so. I've read each of her books and the earlier ones are a lot different from these more recent books. I think you might like her novel The Country Life - it's very funny and I think it's her take/a spoof on Victorian novels. And yes, The MANIAC! I have it here but haven't gotten to it yet. I did like When We Cease To Understand the World quite a bit.
It's rare for non-sci-fi books to use science/math prominently--I know nothing about THE MANIAC but his last one did. I'll check it out, also Cusk's other stuff. But what a pile I have beside me already. Yikes. I just finished THE PRIME MINISTER and it took several weeks--I seem to be able to read Trollope on the treadmill at the Y. Makes the time go by. Also, I thought I'd read Egan's GOON SQUAD and didn't remember it, but I didn't and it's currently my under the covers at night read. Then a couple from & Other Stories--the English edition of Morgan Talty's FIRE EXIT and one by Hanne Orstavik, whom I've gotten to really admire--Archipelago will publish it next spring, STAY WITH ME.
I really liked Goon Squad - I have The Candy House but still have not gotten to it. :\ And the TBR pile - mine is...daunting. But of course this is a good problem to have!
A General Theory of Oblivion (which I admired more than I loved) features a brief poem which any writer should be able to relate to:
EXORCISM
I carve out verses
short
as prayers
words are
legions
of demons
expelled
I cut adverbs
pronouns
I spare my
wrists
I LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. Archipelago. I've been an ARC reviewer of theirs for years (although that does mean I miss out on the aesthetics of the hardbound books).
They are beautifully made books. We have the Knausgaard Struggle volumes (my partner's read them all - I have not - not sure when I'll get to them, but I do want to read the first two at the very least.)
I got caught up in the Knausgaard phenomenon at the start--I can see my copies of the Archipelago MY STRUGGLE volumes from where I'm sitting . . . but somehow I also got a copy of A TIME FOR EVERYTHING, which he wrote before all the post-Struggle stuff. It's an odd book, in the best way, a swirl of mythic/Biblical stories morphed into a different context [obviously hard to describe]. Read a blurb for it and see what you think. I've gotten so many of the Archipelago books it's hard to keep up--have a big stack I haven't gotten to. Try WHALE--it's an odd story [there's that word again] but gets under your skin. Thanks for sticking with this stack!
Thanks for this recommendation, David! Adam has read several other Knausgaard books too but I don't think he's read WHALE (nor have I, which probably goes without saying)! Have been reading Benjamin Labatut and Cusk's newest.
I see that the former has a new one out (praised @ LitHub)--I've read a lot of physics stuff over the years so I'll look out for this one. Cusk I read once years ago and found incredibly . . . I don't know, bland? Empty of content? Something rubbed me the wrong way; but then she got real popular and I figured I should go back, but haven't yet. I haven't read Ferrante yet, either; she's next. Right after Victober!
I loved OUTLINE and TRANSIT, KUDOS a little less so. I've read each of her books and the earlier ones are a lot different from these more recent books. I think you might like her novel The Country Life - it's very funny and I think it's her take/a spoof on Victorian novels. And yes, The MANIAC! I have it here but haven't gotten to it yet. I did like When We Cease To Understand the World quite a bit.
It's rare for non-sci-fi books to use science/math prominently--I know nothing about THE MANIAC but his last one did. I'll check it out, also Cusk's other stuff. But what a pile I have beside me already. Yikes. I just finished THE PRIME MINISTER and it took several weeks--I seem to be able to read Trollope on the treadmill at the Y. Makes the time go by. Also, I thought I'd read Egan's GOON SQUAD and didn't remember it, but I didn't and it's currently my under the covers at night read. Then a couple from & Other Stories--the English edition of Morgan Talty's FIRE EXIT and one by Hanne Orstavik, whom I've gotten to really admire--Archipelago will publish it next spring, STAY WITH ME.
I really liked Goon Squad - I have The Candy House but still have not gotten to it. :\ And the TBR pile - mine is...daunting. But of course this is a good problem to have!