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The Argonauts
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
An intrepid voyage out to the frontiers of the latest thinking about love, language, and family Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts is a genre-bending memoir, a work of "autotheory" offering fresh, fierce, and timely thinking about desire, identity, and the limitations and possibilities of love and language. At its center is a romance: the story of the author's relationship with the artist Harry Dodge. This story, which includes Nelson's account of falling in love with Dodge, who is fluidly gendered, as well as her journey to and through a pregnancy, offers a firsthand account of the complexities and joys of (queer) family-making. Writing in the spirit of public intellectuals such as Susan Sontag and Roland Barthes, Nelson binds her personal experience to a rigorous exploration of what iconic theorists have said about sexuality, gender, and the vexed institutions of marriage and child-rearing. Nelson's insistence on radical individual freedom and the value of caretaking becomes the rallying cry of this thoughtful, unabashed, uncompromising book.
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AnneCecilie
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Some of these I absolutely loved, some I didn‘t like and two I DNFed (Fun Home and Pachinko)

There‘s also 14 that I want to read, mostly previously read authors

And as I saw somewhere say, with a no 1 like that, how can you take this list seriously? I read no 1 years ago and gave it a so-so rating, and anyone who has followed me for awhile have probably noticed that I hardly ever gives a book a so-so rating

Ruthiella I loved the number one book!😂 I think the one I liked least was the Pulitzer winner 4mo
TheKidUpstairs @Ruthiella And Kavalier and Clay is one of my all time favourites! That's the impossibility of a list like this, books - like any art - are subjective, no book will be the best for everyone :) But the lists do make for fun discussions!

I've read 21, lots more on my TBR. I don't think there were many that I hadn't heard of. I did really like some of the “If you liked this, try these ones“ suggestions
4mo
AnneCecilie @Ruthiella @TheKidUpstairs That‘s interesting, since The Amazing Adventures is one of the books on my tbr. That‘s one of the things I love about reading, just because you didn‘t like you last, the next one can be a winner. Several of the books in the middle of the list I had never heard, but it‘s like that sometimes (edited) 4mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Pachinko was sooooo long!! I read that years ago when I thought I HAD to finish every book I started! 4mo
AnneCecilie @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I bailed early on if I remember I correct. I borrowed it from the library and I find that it‘s easier to bail on a library book, than a book I‘ve spent money on 4mo
53 likes5 comments
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Liz_M
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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The best part of these type of lists is getting excited all over again for the books you have but haven't read yet.

Ruthiella True! 👍 4mo
staci.reads Agreed! 4mo
Suet624 So true 4mo
BkClubCare I made a list of these and it inspired me to do BookSpinBingo! I need to find them still, though 4mo
30 likes4 comments
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Cortg
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Pickpick

This is a raw memoir about love, family and gender. I really like what Nelson had to say and the experiences she shared. Parts of it were like being in her head. She would be sharing one story, and another would pop up and she‘d veer course and come back around with the original thought. Overall it was pretty good. #Pop23 ~a book with just text on the cover #ReadHarder23 ~a nonfiction book about queer history #Booked23 ~about reproductive rights

Larkken I loved this book. Glad it resonated with you too. 13mo
squirrelbrain Sounds fascinating! 13mo
35 likes3 comments
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Sydneypaige
Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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It‘s a weird thing to review a memoir, as I obviously have no comment on Nelson‘s experiences, it‘s always a gift to the world to have someone share their lives, emotions, and thoughts. I did however struggle through the pacing and writing style. I much enjoyed her collection Bluets which was another memoir style but poetic and shorter - which is what sold me to read more from Nelson. This does have important critiques on heterosexuality & women!

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Larkken
Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Pickpick

New month, new list! Looking forward to many of this month‘s #bookspin #aam #roll100 and #camplitsy picks 🥰

I found the tagged book on a list of books about fertility struggles, and found it extremely moving. So much so that I was surprised to read mixed reviews about it on goodreads, honestly! Haha 🫣 If anyone has any book recommendations on the topic for me to add to my list, I‘d love to hear them 📚

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Julsmarshall
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
Bailedbailed

Just not feeling this. Have tried reading it twice now and, while it may have been groundbreaking in 2015, now it seems dated and tedious. I may not have given it enough time but for now, I‘m not interested in finishing. #BookspinBingo #DNF

cariashley I didn‘t love this one either when I read/listened to it. Felt like a very unpopular opinion. 3y
50 likes1 comment
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fredthemoose
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Panpan

I don‘t know, man… This came highly recommended by women in a writing workshop, but was not for me. Went back and forth between being overly academic (she must have used “teleological” 20 times) and oversharing details of her sex life in a way that was jarring (maybe because the rest of the tone was stuffy academic?). I don‘t know who the audience was supposed to be. It felt like she wrote it for herself.

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lauraisntwilder
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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I was late to the party on this one, but I never liked parties anyway. 😉

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keepingupwiththepenguins
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Mehso-so

We can‘t expect every writer to write for every audience, but this isn‘t marketed as an academic text. If it had been, I would have gone in with a different set of expectations and perhaps not been disappointed or confused. Still, assuming you are part of Nelson‘s (perhaps subconsciously) intended audience, you‘ll find The Argonauts a poignant and resonant read. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-argonauts-maggie-nelson/

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Woozy-Shooz
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
Pickpick

Perfectly realized, like most of Nelson‘s work. This is a heartfelt and deeply affecting “memoir” about an unconventional family and the power of love.

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Hooked_on_books
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Pickpick

After reading The Red Parts, I knew I wanted to read more from Nelson, and indeed, I loved this. I‘m not sure how to describe this. It‘s somewhere between musings and philosophy written in stream of consciousness and weaving together thoughts and experiences on gender, sexuality, birth, death, motherhood, and more. I just love how this woman‘s brain works.

Librariana I always appreciate you including/tagging me in your reviews whenever I express curiosity about a title. Thank you for that, Holly! 😊 I went back to read the book's synopsis to remind myself why I had been intrigued and also read an article from 2016 about Nelson's family and I can see why I had wondered about this title. Did the stream of thought format/style of it make it difficult to follow along? 3y
Hooked_on_books @Librariana You‘re so welcome! I found the book very easy to follow. She‘s so clear in how she writes and she circles back to things in short order. I‘ve read other books that are stream of consciousness before and been driven crazy by them, but this one really worked for me. 3y
52 likes2 comments
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nanuska_153
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Pickpick

Sometimes it's difficult to follow, it's written without continuity,as a collection of thoughts, each less than a page long and I think it could benefit of some footnotes explaining who certain people are;but I was hooked to this train of thoughts on gender identity, sexuality, love, family, death, motherhood and that bit of insight on her partner's experiences when transitioning. A lot condensed in such a small book.

#20in4 Readathon @Andrew65

Andrew65 Good start 👏👏👏 3y
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nanuska_153
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson

I told you I was sick of stories in the mainstream media told by comfortably cisgendered folks-presumably "us"-expressing grief over the transition of others,presumably "them".Where does it fit into the taxonomy of life crises when one person's liberation is another's loss? [...] How does one get accross the fact that the best way to find out how people feel about their gender or their sexuality -or anything else,really-??

nanuska_153 is to listen to what they tell you, and to try to treat them accordingly, without shellacking over their version of reality with yours? 4y
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brandierickson
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Not sure how I‘m feeling about this one....

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Pickpick

It‘s rare that I finish a book and am left speechless about how to summarize it in a review, for a short read this one is intense and captivating, it demands your full attention. It‘s a memoir about love and life, relationships and children, childbirth, and loving the generation that came before and letting them go too...it‘s also about sex, gender, transformation, and learning to embrace who you are, unabashedly sharing yourself world.

Freespirit Oooh....great review! 4y
BarbaraTheBibliophage You captured it! 4y
56 likes2 comments
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suvata
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Mehso-so

The Librarian Is In Podcast pick for June 2020

I read for entertainment, but also to help me understand my fellow human beings and to be more loving and compassionate. This is one of those books that helped me to do just that.

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Chelsea.Poole
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Pickpick

I read this because it made several "best books of the decade" lists. My eyes were opened as I encountered passages of experiences very different from my own. In the same token, I was reminded of aspects of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood from my own experiences. This is what I find wonderful about memoirs: we connect with different experiences from our own while also seeing our own lives reflected in the words of another.
?#memoir #audiobook

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Chelsea.Poole
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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#currentlyreading #nonfiction #readbytheauthor #Libby
High level listening required here... not what I would consider an easy listen, but I'm fascinated so far!

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helenharb
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Pickpick

First book of the new year - this was quite an intense read, deep observation about identity and pregnancy. I've not read anything like it before.

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BarbaraTheBibliophage
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Pickpick

Parts of this were captivating, and other parts just didn‘t connect for me. That‘s the nature of memoir—reading something about a life other than your own. The parts I didn‘t love were the critical theory aspects, but perhaps I just don‘t have the background to appreciate them. Or maybe I just found them pretentious. I‘d give it not quite a full Pick but more than just So-so.

Full review http://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2020

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Cweeeevs
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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This is a bit late, but I'm finally home after various Christmas visits so have only just put together my book haul presents! I'm really happy with these - they're all very thoughtful and I can't wait to get through them. Maggie Nelson is currently blowing me away with The Argonauts. Has anyone read any of the others? 😊

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BarbaraTheBibliophage
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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I‘m nearly at the end of a busy holiday entertaining schedule. I feel like I‘ve barely been here, Littens. But ... soon life will slow down and return to “normal.” These are “baked eggs with feta and spinach.” I spend about an hour creating them, and my family polishes them off in about ten minutes! I picked a short book to accompany my day. #audiocooking #theargonauts #thoughtprovoking #essays #memoir

Cathythoughts They look good !! I hear you ... all the time cooking & then demolished in a few minutes. 😳😆means it was delicious though 5y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cathythoughts Thanks! I am stunned—there are a few pieces left for me to enjoy. 👏🏻 🥚 5y
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ephemeralwaltz
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Pickpick

I had a feeling I was going to devour this. Maggie Nelson journeys into the depths of self-awareness, and more importantly, self-examination to explore the limits of language and desire, the unconscious, deep-spread binaries we abide by, and the joys and fears about motherhood, family-making and queer identities. From Sedgwick and Winnicott to Preciado and Lacan, she uses the work of philosophers and artists to complete her personal reflections.

ephemeralwaltz Impressive! ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5y
Bibliogeekery I love this cover! Mine is different (and not as nice). #queerbooks 5y
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ephemeralwaltz
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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This text is giving me so much.

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scripturient-ink
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Next up in the world of master's theses: The Argonauts/ Die Argonauten.
[Currently listening to: Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana]

ephemeralwaltz I like that you share music with your books! Happy to stumble upon your profile. I just started reading this one! 5y
scripturient-ink @ephemeralwaltz Thank you!! I'm just constantly listening to music, so I thought I might as well add it to my reads 😉 How do you like the Argonauts so far? 5y
20 likes2 comments
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AVChrista
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
Bailedbailed

I rarely stop reading a book, but had to with this one. I found the writing to be a jumble of thoughts that jumped around, which made it annoying to read. Perhaps if this had been organized in a timeline I would have been able to continue.

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ephemeralwaltz
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Woo-hoo! Treated myself again. I'm really looking forward to immersing myself in this...

Weaponxgirl I really want to read this! 5y
ephemeralwaltz @Weaponxgirl seems exactly like our kind of read! 5y
65 likes2 comments
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Caterina
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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#Pippin #BostonTerriersofLitsy #DogsofLitsy
I started the audiobook of this from my library (read by the author) but switched to the library ebook and I'm enjoying it more. I think it works better in print.

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MargaretPinardAuthor
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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So true, and connecting so many lines of truth from different circles in my life right now.
Do what you love.
Fight the power.
Change the system.
ENJOY your life. That‘s what the f@$&kers hate the most.

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GondorGirl
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Lauren_reading
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Mehso-so

I really loved parts of this book. It was beautifully written, but so many references were made to writers, poets and artists that I had never heard of that I felt like many parts went right over my head. #audiobook #nonfiction

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OrangeMooseReads
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Mehso-so

Identity. Even though we change and morph we are still us. We have to go through the changes to become us.
This is an interesting book. It comes across as a letter to her son about how he came to be through the changes and challenges his parents went through to become who they are and have him. It is read by the author.
It was at times hard to follow, but still not all bad.

readordierachel I love how she writes 6y
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notreallyelaine
Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
Pickpick

I didn‘t wanna like this book bc of the hype but I cried in Jewel during the hospital scene anyway. Beautiful, honest, intimate. I‘m a sucker for that nerdy Gen-X queer academic type. For whatever reason this book felt refreshing, almost old-fashioned, in its style and courage. Maybe I wouldn‘t like it as much on second read, but it packed an emotional first punch.

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Aimeesue
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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RebeccaH
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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1. Maggie Nelson (for intellectual writing that‘s also personal and beautiful)
2. Jane Austen (for her power as a observer and her way of making everyday life fascinating)
3. Tressie McMillan Cottom (esp. THICK, which is intellectual, brilliant and personal, like Maggie Nelson)
4. Nicholson Baker (esp. THE MEZZANINE, which taught me what strange things novels can do).
5. Sayaka Murata (esp. THE CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN: novels in translation!)

CouronneDhiver # 5 - brilliant book! 6y
18 likes1 comment
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britt_brooke
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Panpan

⭐️ This has been touted as “genre-bending” NF, but honestly, it just felt like a lengthy college essay that had no idea what it wanted to be. I found it incredibly inaccessible. The first paragraph was so pretentious that I almost bailed 10 second in. I didn‘t like the writing nor style, which tremendously hindered my ability to reap any connection with Nelson. Though, I doubt she cares as she peers down from her esoteric high horse.

britt_brooke @kgriffith I disliked the writing and style too much to even care what she had to say, which is unfortunate. 😩 6y
megnews I love your review. 6y
britt_brooke @megnews Thank you! 💚 6y
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Reviewsbylola I bailed on this two pages in. 😂 6y
Reviewsbylola Although I really liked her book 6y
britt_brooke @Reviewsbylola I should have, but I have a hard time bailing. It‘s a major character flaw. 😆 6y
britt_brooke @Reviewsbylola I may try that one some day. She talks about it a little in this one. 6y
ReadingRover Yeah I tried this on audiobook and bailed pretty quickly. 6y
britt_brooke @ReadingRover The narration is terrible. It might be better in print, but I‘ll never find out. 🙅🏼‍♀️ 6y
120 likes2 stack adds9 comments
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britt_brooke
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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▶️🎧

@kgriffith I borrowed this after seeing your recent posts. I know you weren‘t keen on it being nonfiction, so I‘m curious how you ended up liking it?

kgriffith I‘ll be interested to hear what you think of the audio; one of the people in book club listened to it as well, and they said they think they were able to feel less of the negative feelings some of us had during the beginning of the book in particular because they couldn‘t dwell on anything, they just let the book play on. I had very extreme feelings, both negative and positive, throughout. It certainly made me think, and want to discuss it, but 6y
kgriffith I‘m not sure that I liked it, per se. I don‘t feel like it was time wasted by any means, though, and I‘m glad I read it. (edited) 6y
britt_brooke @kgriffith Thank you - I‘m already not sure how I feel and I think it‘ll be a hard one to review. I‘ll tag you when I do, though. 6y
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kgriffith @britt_brooke fwiw, it definitely becomes a bit more fluid/memoir-like after 50 or so pages (about 1/3 of the way through) 6y
britt_brooke @kgriffith That is helpful - thanks! 6y
A_woman_on_a_bike Hi both! @britt_brooke @kgriffith I saw your posts yesterday. By complete coincidence I had just been listening to “A Good Read” on BBC radio 4, which included this book. I thought you might find it interesting so here is the link https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00027n8 6y
115 likes1 stack add7 comments
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brandybear22
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Dinner and a movie? Nah... queer book club and game store! Loved the book, look forward to playing the game!

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kgriffith
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Trying to get through the last ~30p before book club. #24in48 #readathon #queerbooks #readinginbed

julesG You can do this! 6y
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kgriffith
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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With one exception re: her stepfather, every passage I‘ve been able to relate to has been in her observation of Harry, or very specific aspects of their relationship. #queerbooks #bookclub #24in48 #readathon

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kgriffith
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Content note: discussion of sexual violence in the full paragraph.
“I don‘t even want to talk about ‘female sexuality‘ until there is a control group. And there never will be.” #24in48 #readathon #queerbooks

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Stephkesey
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Pickpick

It took me a bit to get into this as it veers into some inaccesible philosophical writing that can sometimes seem to put up an emotional barrier to the meat of it. But in the end I felt deeply connected and actually appreciative of the intellectual context the references provide. It weaves together several strands of Nelson‘s relationship, pregnancy, early motherhood, death of her partner‘s mother, identity and thought processes.

britt_brooke Nice review! 6y
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kgriffith
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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The passage from When the Moon Was Ours reminded me of this part of The Argonauts I read earlier today and while I‘m not saying I like the book yet I can‘t deny that it‘s had moments that resonate so very deeply.

brandybear22 I do still want to discuss this book with you, and yes, even this passage 6y
kgriffith @brandybear22 Yes please. 6y
35 likes2 comments
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kgriffith
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Further remnants of my games gathering. tagged book is the one I‘m really struggling to tell anyone, anything about how it feels to read it, because feeling stupid isn‘t my jam.

TrishB There are a couple of authors that do that to me! I haven‘t read this one though. 6y
ReadingVampire That unicorn pillow!!! 🦄 Can I ask where you got it??? 6y
kgriffith @Puredragonstar Yogibo! We have a store in our mall, but you can order online too 😊 🦄 6y
ReadingVampire Thank you!!! 🦄🤩 6y
47 likes4 comments
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brandybear22
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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I think I‘ll be an n of one, at my book group, or elsewhere, in saying that I actually enjoyed this book. It may be that my intersectionality and life experience, that I am the niche she writes to. I enjoyed the experience, even in my disagreements with critique or generalized commentary, or shifting context.

The headlamp, I use one to read in bed. Yes, I‘ll get a lamp, I said three years ago.

kgriffith While I wish I could have met you here, probably others in the book group will have enjoyed it, so I‘m sure there will be conversation. 💜 6y
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kgriffith
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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I also have a complicated relationship with my stepfather, and came to terms with my parents‘ ages relative to my own not having much meaning some time ago. It helped me find compassion where before there had been primarily resentment, anger, shame.

sixgun Such a meaningful quote, and so, so true! 6y
brandybear22 Interestingly, as I have gained perspective, I‘ve more or less lost some of my compassion for my parents, and I expect they will have disappointed me greatly by the time I am 40 6y
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kgriffith
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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This book is making me :angry:
She has these really lovely and stark and profound sentences here and there but they‘re surrounded by inaccessible doublespeak and shit like this, where I can‘t tell if she‘s being facetious or not, but in context, I think probably not.
More than one very intelligent person I know has rage-quit reading this, which I find myself feeling the need to say because I don‘t want to look stupid, and THAT makes me angry.

tournevis Yeah, I would have rage quitted right there too. 6y
Soubhiville Nothing on this page makes me want to read this. It seems kind of awful. 6y
kgriffith @tournevis @Soubhiville I‘m going to balance it out with some of the good stuff too, just don‘t want to flood anyone‘s feed 😉 And there IS good stuff, but you have to be willing and able to wade through the rest. 6y
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LauraBeth I‘ll just be over here waiting for your book to be written... 😀 6y
kgriffith @LauraBeth I know, I know, armchair critic over here... 😋 6y
LauraBeth No - I meant it seriously! Write a book! 6y
kgriffith @LauraBeth lol, well thank you! That actually is the eventual plan, and how I ended up going back to school: the scholarship board of the local LGBT business alliance is waiting for my book, too! 🤓 6y
LauraBeth 💃💃 6y
tournevis @kgriffith @LauraBeth It's a curse for a lot of us. 6y
Broke_Girl_Reads I put this one down, too, thought I‘m not sure if it‘s a DNF or a “try again later” for me. I was getting frustrated with that kind of snobby, more-intellectual-than-thou attitude she applied to activism. I‘m not sure if that‘s how she meant it, but it‘s definitely how I was receiving it 6y
kgriffith @Broke_Girl_Reads I think that‘s a more than fair assessment. 6y
39 likes11 comments
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kgriffith
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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“What if where I am is what I need? . . . I never imagined it might apply to joy, too.”

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brandybear22
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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Yeah I‘d say I never really been a baby/ animal/ houseplant/ garden... self care person either 🤷‍♂️ my kid and cats and garden and plants seem to do fairly well besides, though I‘m still working on the self care department. I expect I should keep finding time for more books 📚!

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kgriffith
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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“That my mother made me the mug, in part to indicate that she recognizes and accepts my tribe as family?”