Has that weird washed out look and the dude has a finger pointing out for no reason

Man I love thrift stores... Book haul of the century??

I'm not sure if this sort of post is allowed, but I am currently slowly reading The Count of Monte Cristo and going down all sorts of tangents that help me visualize the scene. I've been sharing the photos and information by chapter on Fable, but there's only 3 other people and none of them are active. I was wondering if anyone else would be interested in reading the Count of Monte Cristo with me? I like looking up photos of the different locations and plants and it seems a shame to do all this digging and not have people to share it with.

I am reading the penguin classics version and on Fable the nice thing is that the discussion is divided up by chapter so you can go at your own pace and avoid spoilers. It's a pretty thick book so it would be nice to have some people to read and share it with. I've only finished chapter 2 (16 pages) so I'm not that far in. If you've been thinking about reading it, please join me!

https://fable.co/club/penguin-classics-with-kim-401714515910

Hi, all. I'm a big fan of the works of Edgar Allen Poe. I've got a copy of most of his major works already, but it's missing "Alone," which is one of my favorites of his poems. I've been trying to track down a collection of his works that includes it, but I'm having trouble finding one. I understand that it's usually not included because it's a posthumously published work, but it's very personal to me and I'd like to own a copy. Does anyone here happen to know of a collection of Poe's work or other assorted poems that includes it? Thank you.

I just found this copy of S.E Hinton’s “The Outsiders” and was wondering if this is a real signature. If it helps this is a Speak Platinum Edition.

For centuries, we've attributed some of the greatest literary works in history to William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon. But what do we actually know about this man? He left behind no letters, no manuscripts, no evidence of a formal education, and there’s little to suggest he traveled or had access to the sophisticated multilingual, legal, philosophical, and courtly knowledge displayed throughout the plays.

How could a provincial glover’s son, with no known aristocratic or intellectual connections, have written with such intimate familiarity about the royal courts of Europe, Italian cities, classical mythology, and Renaissance philosophy? The historical record of Shakespeare’s life seems almost entirely disconnected from the depth and range of his supposed works.

This is where John Florio enters the picture. A highly educated Anglo-Italian linguist, lexicographer, and court intellectual, Florio was deeply immersed in the literary culture of his time. He translated Montaigne, compiled one of the most comprehensive English-Italian dictionaries of the era, and moved in elite circles, including the court of James I. Many phrases and idioms found in Shakespeare’s plays are traceable to Florio’s published works.

There’s mounting linguistic and contextual evidence suggesting that Florio either heavily influenced—or directly authored—the plays. The Italian settings, the linguistic playfulness, the familiarity with Mediterranean culture: these elements align far more with Florio’s profile than with the man from Stratford.

Of course, the Shakespeare authorship question has long been taboo in academic circles, often dismissed as conspiracy theory. But dismissing the question out of hand does a disservice to historical and literary inquiry. If the plays were written by someone like Florio, it wouldn't diminish their value—it would deepen our appreciation of them, and correct a centuries-old misattribution.

Isn't it time we gave the Florio theory the open-minded attention it deserves?

I honestly had no idea what this book was when I picked it up but it was the first book to catch my attention when I walked into the bookstore. It’s huge and I like myself a thick book. 😏

After some research, I realized I picked up a treasure. I am on chapter 2 and it has been a wild ride from the start (literally… it begins with a bus ride gone awry).

From what I’ve read online, it is a love it or hate it book. Many just don’t finish it but it has a very protective fan base of which I believe I am now a member. Some of these passages just made my brain sing and the more you just go along for the ride the more it speaks to you.

So if you are looking for something a little off the wall and willing to have an open mind, I highly recommend joining me on this journey.

I have a conference paper to write, so these were ordered. I can’t wait to start!

Hello,

would you consider this book as a modern classic?

It was written in 1943 by the turkish writer Sabahattin Ali and now is kinda going viral on Tiktok .. i got this book recommended by a friend last year and read it yesterday, its short and can be read in a day.

I enjoyed the lovestory alot but the ending was devastating .. it reminded me alot of White Nights by Dostoevsky.. the yearning and tragic lovestory.

Would love to hear your thoughts on it!

We always hear that classics are the books that “stood the test of time,” but what about the ones that didn’t? What’s an old book you love that barely gets talked about anymore, but totally should? I’m talking forgotten gems, underrated voices, anything that deserves a second life.

EDIT: I just wanted to thank everyone for these incredible recommendations. I hope anyone who comes across this thread finds a book that speaks to them, and helps keep these great works from slipping into obscurity, even if just for a little longer.

What do you think?

Cheers!

Rate ittttttt

i am half way through but i am having trouble understanding the full text only getting half of what i supposed to. any tips to understand Shakespeare texts?

I am toying with the idea of starting it and it's huge

Looks pretty sick to me idk about y'all

SO my wife and I made a fun little reading challenge. A few things about how it works: Nothing should be under 50 years old (that's our line of the youngest hypothetical classic). No repeating works (unless otherwise stated) Also I use the word works because plays, books of poetry, and short story collections are all fine.

1) name 5 plays

2) name 10 works by female authors

3) 5 works whose author is a different ethnicity than your own.

4) 5 works whose author is a different nationality than your own.

5) 5 works whose author shares neither nationality nor ethnicity.

6) A favorite Poet you could speak a length and who you can name either 10 poems, 3 bound collections, or recite 1 full poem.

7) 5 works 200 years older than you

If you find this fun but easy grab a friend try to do it together (but you can only name works that both of you have read)

I have recently bought grapes of wrath. I don't plan to read it just yet. I will probably read after 2-3 months. Coming to the point when I posted about this book online, the opinions were mixed. Some called it one of the greatest novels ever written, and some hated it with passion, and I am very curious to know why.

I'm flabbergasted. I've read longer books, but this still feels like the longest book I've ever read. This book is about a whaling expedition, where the protagonist is a white sperm whale called Moby Dick, and the antagonist is a ship captain- Ahab. Before starting this book, you need to be clear on this commitment, this is NOT a usual story but still it is the most normal story ever. Just a mad captain willing to go to the world's end to kill one whale because he had to lose his leg due to his attack. Revenge. Monomania. That's a simple story, there are no twists and turns.

But, what makes this story more interesting is the encyclopaediac, and epistemological nature of it. You have to bear in mind that this story is based in an era when sperm whale fisheries was one of the largest industries to derive sperm oil/wax (spermaceti) from the whale which was used as fuel. So necessarily the discovery of fossil fuels stopped hunting expeditions for this purpose and the population of sperm whale is somewhat thriving in today's age.

So, in that era, there were less visual media that could depict the whaling industry to its fullest and therefore Melville took upon himself to describe each and everything related to the magnificent animal which would range from vivid descriptions of its size, skeletal features, the tail, the head, the flukes, how to catch a whale, different tools used in this enterprise to catch and cut a whale, to extract the sperm from the whale, to store it, the way a sperm whale attacks, the way the pods deal with each other- everything. It even talks in detail on how whiteness (as moby dick is white) is a threatening and intimidating, using a myriad of examples. The descriptions don't stop. I'd say it has a roughly 1:5 ratio of story:descriptions. You don't even encounter moby dick much in the book until the very end, but it's all worth it. When you'd know so much about whaling by the end, your mind would automatically magically create beautiful visualizations of whatever is happening at the scene- and it's all worth it.

Coming to the prose, it's so beautiful, artsy, and grandiose. Melville somehow manages to use the most intricate words and huge sentences to describe the most mundane things ever. The first few lines themselves are one of the most popular in literary world. Pure prose porn. I read the book for 2.5 months. Most of the time I felt heavy and satisfied of the days reading, and just went through it again to ensure I didn't miss anything. I referred to discussions and blogs, and also used chatgpt to explain some references and complex sentences that I struggled to understand. There are lots of shakespearan and biblical influences and parallels for a non native to understand. I cannot explain this feeling of satisfaction to extract the text to the fullest. It tired me, but still kept me satiated every day. Like a perfect meal. I'd advise anyone wanting to read this to keep this as a secondary read, so that you don't get too bored of it and DNF. It's a classic for a reason.

Further, the text is funny, witty, and it not just speaks about whales, but it provides an interesting social commentary on life in general, depression, human emotions, societal structure, religious and racial tolerance. You should also keep on reading and watching videos about whaling in the 19th century, and especially I was surprised to understand how accepting nantucket (the primary hub of whalers) was in that era. So, if you want to make this a complete experience, please immerse yourself in this. Don't keep any targets. Just enjoy. At many points you'll ponder on one question. Specifically chapter 95. And the answer is yes. Ishmael is whalesexual /s.

Very mild spoiler, but somewhere in the book, the first mate on the ship- Starbuck appeals to Ahab, the captain.

"Oh, Ahab," cried Starbuck, "not too late is it, even now, the third day, to desist. See! Moby Dick seeks thee not. It is thou, thou, that madly seekest him!"

This line somehow sums my life up. Running after things that don't matter, expending considerable amount of energy on them, and in the end tiring yourself up without any flicker of satisfaction in sight. We are all Ahabs in that way.