Pale Fire: A Poem in Four Cantos by John Shade | 
pickFirst time reading anything by Charles Kinbote (or John Shade for that matter). It‘s a shame the rapacious Nabokov took advantage of the poor biographer and poet, respectively, to pass this off as his own work. But alas! not all of us can be as benevolent as the king of Zembla.
November bookclub choice by my friend Leigh. Starts with forward by an unreliable narrator Charles Kinbote, then a 999 line poem by fictional poet John Shade, who has died, in which he reveals his life, followed by commentary & annotations of Shades poem by Kinbote that offer more proof of his unreliable narration. This is known as Nabokov's most popular book, I am enjoying it immensely.
**Half way through changed my mind, finding it tedious.
This is one of the most playful and intriguing postmodern novels of the twentieth century. I've read it so many times and enjoy it every time.
#literature
pickI had heard such great things about this novel but had no idea how difficult it was to read. Read a thousand line poem, then several hundred pages of commentary that don‘t actually talk about the poem, but the life of the commentator. So reader has to constantly cross check and put pieces together and should read it over several times. I left it mostly unresolved in my head. I‘m a little amused that the title comes from Shakespeare‘s Timon.
One way to describe icicles.
stillicide: (law) a right or duty relating to the drainage of water from the eaves of a roof onto adjacent land
Spending my Christmas evening with this book. I got it in my work‘s present exchange. I asked whoever got me to send me a copy of their favorite book! It‘s my go-ask and I love it because it gives me a chance to get to know them better. I always reach out afterwards and schedule a coffee chat so we can discuss the book.
pickWas rummaging through a drawer and found my old copy of Pale Fire. My TBR list keeps growing, but I still might need to put it on hold and give this a reread. This book almost singlehandedly ruined experimental prose for me, as it set the bar so exceedingly high for everything that came after. Nabokov is so good he makes other writers look silly.
Pale Fire is in my bedside TBR. I received it as part of a really fun book exchange (outside Litsy). The way this was set up, I ended up receiving my book from a friend of a friend who I don‘t know. The purpose was to send someone YOUR favorite book. I thought I‘d gauge if there were any interest in this sort of exchange. It‘s such a great way to expand your horizons. Let me know what you think, I‘d be happy to organize. (More below)
#7days7books
Day 4
Seven books that made a deep impression and changed me.
Want to play along @BeaG ?
This is one book I #cherish both because it's a favorite and remembering how I picked it up. I was browsing in a Borders (gives you an idea how long ago this was) and started flipping through it. Never read any Nabokov, never read anything that played games with form (wasn't a huge reader at the time in general). I started thinking 'what IS this?' I took it to the reading area, read it until the place closed, and took it home.
#MOvember @Cinfhen
#QuotsyFeb19 Day 24: A difficult #darling but a #darling nonetheless. I have to read this next year! Not sure whether I own a copy but Nabokov writes in a disturbing but compelling fashion - so definitely worth hunting down.
This book hits three of my favorite categories: 1. Novels that make you think, “WTF,” 2. Campus comedies, and 3. Literary classics.
pickI really feel like I‘m not smart enough to fully grasp all the nuances of this book, but it was still wildly entertaining, and so darkly funny (which is my favorite part of Nabokov.) Just a good, if long and sometimes dense, read.
bailedHonestly, kind of sad to be bailing on this one… I know Nabokov is a genius and an amazing writer, but this book is just not for me. I read the first hundred pages.
And she returned in tears, with new defeats,
New miseries. On days when all the streets
Of College Town led to the game, she'd sit
On the library steps, and read or knit;
Mostly alone she'd be, [...]
She hardly ever smiled, and when she did,
It was a sign of pain.
pickWhat to say about this? It took me a while to become interested in the story, but towards the end I really enjoyed it. But what makes me recommend it is the structure or style of the story - Nabokov plays with genres here and the result is a novel presenting itself as something other than a novel. And that was most interesting, I think.
Those who have seen Blade Runner 2049 will know what I'm talking about:
Cells interlinked within cells interlinked
Within one stem. And, dreadfully distinct
Against the dark, a tall white fountain played.
I have got to stop checking my thrift store. Another great haul!
pickDone!! And now I'm just tired, like #SullivanCat here. 😴 This really made me feel like I was back in school, which was sorta fun, but also tedious given all the cross-referencing and close reading required. Nabokov's genius is undeniable though, so this is a pick.
I was the shadow of the waxwing slain
By the false azure in the windowpane;
I was the smudge of ashen fluff—and I
Lived on, flew on, in the reflected sky.
Alliteration station. (Coincidentally my cat is named Percy) #percycat
Something tells me I'm going to need a lot of coffee for this one. Serves me right for feeling like I needed to read a "serious" book after lots of light vacation reading. ?
pickEven though at some point this book made me want to gouge my eyes out I'll admit it's pretty good and quite a literary feat worthy of all the great praise I've heard from this author. A wonderful work of metafiction, the reader is unwillingly dragged along the ramblings of a deranged and incredibly irritating narrator, to analyze a 999 verse poem, but which part is a lie, which is fact? The reader will have to do some investigative work.
Finally done putting up the tree, gifts still need to be wrapped... Trying to finish up this book!
Happy #socksunday 😁
Having breakfast with Nabokov and still struggling with his novel, the narrator is so annoying! 😤
No, Mr. Nabokov I did not enjoy reading pages and pages of nonsensical rambling and you knew that, didn't you? You knew that you would be dragging your readers through all these absurdities and probably were rubbing your hands with a mischievous laugh and evil gleam in your eyes when you wrote this to mock us. Well done 😂 I need another beer to get through this...
Freedom!!!! Finally home to relax and start enjoying the holiday weekend! 😊 🦃 I've started by enjoying a cold one and try to make sense of this bizarre book.
Cheers! 🍻
Happy thanksgiving!!💜💜💜
I don't really red in bed, mostly on the couch with my reading buddy sometimes using my book as a pillow.
He may look cute but he actually drooled on my book! That naughty kitty 😼
#readinginbed
#photoadaynov16
#catsoflitsy #kittenlitten
"We are most artistically caged"
Good morning Littens!
I love it when a book makes you pull out another book to verify something. And this is a funny "approximation" to the actual text ? Earlier the fictional commentator said he had no means to find a Sherlock Holmes story which was alluded to in the poem so he didn't bother, shouldn't that be part of his research? I'm starting to realize that there are different readings to this book, loving it so far.
Sick at home but not alone 😸
So far this book is great!
#catsoflitsy
#kittenlitten
#petsoflitsy
My #bookstorelove goes out to Russell Books in Victoria, BC
Always a little sad to see a book lovingly dedicated in the used section. Although it was nice to browse at Brookline Booksmith tonight #getindie
Apparently I own a lot of #whitespines since this is only about half... #augustofpages #bookphotochallenge
so-soUltimately the format of this book ended up making it feel a bit hollow. There's definitely brilliance in it, though, and I'm still looking forward to reading more Nabokov.
