Death at Intervals | 
I reread a handful of stuff each year! I probably would if I read less but I always think after 100 new books I should be able to reread some favorites. I also have a terrible memory so often it feels like I am reading it for the first time 😹
Some I have reread the most -
Persuasion -Austen
Shadow of the Wind - Zafon
This year I plan to reread some Saramago books I am most looking forward to a third read of Death With Interruptions.
pickThis book is one of the most special gifts I ever received and I plan to read it annually not only for the pleasure of reading it, but also because the purple prose influenced the way I have written all my college papers the past few weeks, and even more importantly was that I fell in love with the friend who sent me this book who has reciprocated my feelings during the time it has taken me to read the book. I Love You, Meine Frau.
Who is your favorite Death?
I absolutely LOVE a book where #death is a character, not just an idea. Death with Interruptions is not only one of my favorite interpretations of Death but is also one of my favorite books. I loved how Saramago wrote - all of his books are a bit stream of consciousness, and a whole lot of lyrical prose.
#scarathlon #photochallenge #teamwhoyagonnacall
pickThis was a sort of dark comedy about the ways in which society is upended in unforeseen ways when everyone stops dying. And that‘s not to mean not aging or not being sick, just unable to die in a particular country after the grim reaper or death (with a little d) decides to finally give humans what they‘ve longed for: immortality. Later, death is reinstated, but is frustrated by a man to whom she cannot deliver. Overall, witty and philosophical.
#conflictedworlds #death
One of my favorites, haunting, beautiful, and thought provoking.
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
so-soIf you can grit your teeth and put your grammar-pedantry aside, Death At Intervals is a really interesting book. It‘s a modern satire dressed up as magical realism. It might force you to confront all kinds of heavy questions you weren‘t expecting – could humanity exist without mortality? what about religion or philosophy? – but Saramago manages to keep it fun. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/death-at-intervals-jose-saramago/
pickCompelling, paradoxical in its writing, in its communication, in its digressions, in the narrator's comments during the story, in the story itself.
If you read with the right eyes, with a look that goes beyond reality, you can understand the author's denunciation of the materiality of modern man, the church and politics. And he does it with biting sarcasm (which I personally love).
Definitely love it
#josesaramago #deathatintervals #saramago
#AlphabetTitles #LetterD
Some heavy hitters with Dear Martin and Difficult Women.
Cheeky books of Deadeye Dick and Denton Little.
Drive Your Plow is a wonderful sleeper book while The Dreamers drew me right in, I really enjoyed the writing of both.
My favorite though is Jose Saramago's story about what happens when Death takes a break. ❤️
pickIn an unnamed country, people suddenly stop dying. No one knows why, and aging and illness continue, leading to a comedy of errors of logistical problems. We then pivot to death personified, as she figures out how best to move forward. This is a cheeky, whimsical look at death written in the twilight of Saramago‘s life. I enjoyed it.
#ReadingEurope2020 #Portugal
7days, 7 books I love.
Day 1
I was nominated by a friend on Facebook and thought this would be good here too!
Saramago is 1 of my favorite authors. I love his writing style, how he writes like my brain things, with lots of beautiful rambling and not much punctuation. This book is especially beautiful, all about how we should appreciate death and how if death were a woman what would she be like.
Book Death With Interruptions 😍
Author Caitlin Doughty
TV Derry Girls
Singer Dolly Parton of course
#manicmonday #letterD with @JoScho
This "oldest of the pessimistic philosophers" sounds *nothing* like Baudrillard, Saramago you hack ?????
How appropriate that I started reading this book on September 11th… (which since this book was first published in 2005, I kind of assume the resemblance was intentional.)
(Also TIL that the flagpole outside my office building was literally erected after/for 9/11, so yeah.)
So first I learned that Spain Rodriguez was not actually Latino, because his dad was a Spaniard, but whatever, still Hispanic, that's fine. Now I'm finding out that José Saramago was not Brazilian, but just plain old Portuguese. And MY Portuguese-heritaged ass knows all too well that we are not considered either Hispanic OR Latinx (oh well, I'm still reading his book during #LatinxAuthors month 😝)
On the first day of the new year, no one dies. They have achieved the great goal of humanity: eternal life. Then reality hits home—families are left to care for the permanently dying and life-insurance policies become meaningless.
Death sits in her chilly apartment, where she lives alone with scythe and filing cabinets and contemplates her experiment: What if no one ever died again?
#death #newhogwartsadventure
so-soI enjoyed the 1st part of this a lot—a fictional country wakes up on Jan. 1 to find that nobody dies. Various different death-related entities are explored: impact on funeral & nursing homes, religion, & the government. We then shift to the POV of Death and a rather convoluted story about her wanting to be human. Saramago has a very strange writing style that I found hard to read. I would have liked it to be more of an actual novel vs. a treatise.
pickSaramago takes some getting used to with his run on sentences of several pages but this was another treat about a country where there are no deaths, and what happens if one person refuses to die. #read&buy2008 #MountTBRChallenge (does it still count for the MBTR challenge if you read it right after buying it? 😂😂😂)
pickIt has been a while since I read any of Saramago's works, so it was a pleasure to fall back into this one. His style can take some getting used to, but if you can give yourself over to the rhythm, it becomes quite beautiful. This is one of his more approachable novels, but it still holds many layers. Part satire, part literary exploration of philosophy, religion, life, love, and of course death
A little light #lunchandabook
A beautiful, simple, heartfelt dedication. Amazing how so few words can conjure such depth of feeling.
Because, sir, in case you don't know it, words move, they change from one day to the next, they are as unstable as shadows, are themselves shadows, which both are and have ceased to be, soap bubbles, shells in which one can barely hear a whisper, mere tree stumps. #death #dark #josesaramago
"The following day, no one died. This fact, being absolutely contrary to life's rules, provoked enormous and, in the circumstances, perfectly justifiable anxiety in people's minds..."
#Death #QuotsyNov17 @TK-421
Day 20: A Translation - Death with Interruptions, a Portuguese translation, is one of those rare books that I actually purchased because my library didn't have it. I bought it, and I still haven't read it. But it sounds really good! The Grim Reaper decides to quit her day job, and all of a sudden, people aren't dying on Earth anymore. But, of course, that comes with its own demons ... #septinbooks17 #translatedbooks #TBR
One cannot be too careful with words, they change their minds just as people do.
Whether we like it or not, the one justification for the existence of all religions is death, they need death as much as we need bread to eat.
What would happen if death stopped doing it's job?
AMAZING book so far!
This title came to my mind immediately upon seeing today's #death challenge for #junebookbugs. This was such an interesting read, highly recommend it.
What if #death decided to stop and experience life and love instead?
While it does explore the darker side of life with no death, this is probably one of Saramago's lighter and more accessible novels.
#junebookbugs
@RealLifeReading
I blame this on you Litsy! But pretty excited by my latest library haul and #januaryreads #tbr lots of 🎉NEW🎉 (or new to the library rather) books. Gaslight is looking a little top-heavy.
This is all Im stacking for January's TBR. The rest is serendipity! Can't clip these wings, man! I will not be bound by planning 😂 #thismonth'sTBR #readjanuary
pickNotes are there because it's required reading for my philosophy of death class - it's such a good book, I'm so glad my professors put this on the list for class! Beautifully written, provocative, funny, and all-around lovely
Midnight Book Girl's mini challenge. This book brings me the memory of when I knew I wanted to become friends with my best friend. I invited her to start a bookclub with me and this was our first book.💚🦄 @DeweysReadathon #readathon
pickThis is not the kind of book I would normally like. I'm not even sure how to classify it. It's kind of satirical, but also kind of sad. Death (or I should say, death) is personified as a woman in her 30's who can interact with humans. All in all, it's very weird, but in an interesting way! #NobelPrizewinner
pickI'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel. Darkly funny for a novel about death. The relationship between the cellist and his dog makes me smile even now. :)
pickI am drawn to books with Death as a character. This Death experiments with the rules, mails lilac-coloured letters to the nearly dead, and falls in love - all written in Saramago's signature strange, elegant, and graceful style. My favourite book from one of my favourite authors.
