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Brian C. Lund's avatar

Read Essentialism a few years back. Didn't land. Hated it. And Kafka broke my brain.

Alexis Mera Damen's avatar

Haha. Yeah I feel the brain broken thing too. Any other Kafta you recommend? About Essentialism, fair enough!

Brian C. Lund's avatar

The Judgement is pretty good.

Nan Bauer's avatar

I just finished Blindness by Saramago (wrote about it on my stack) and it kind of whipped me around. Also London Falling, excellent true crime, and currently in The Merge by Grace Walker, an ingenious dystopia where people without money in the UK are basically bullied into "merging," i.e., two consciousnesses in one healthy body. Prepping for a trip to the Balitics, I have Tove Jansson's The Summer Book and Arto Paasilinna's The Year of the Hare on the nightstand. Thanks for your post, Alexis!!

Alexis Mera Damen's avatar

You’re welcome! And thanks for all your recs! I’m intrigued by The Merge… enjoy your trip to the Baltics!

Daniel Puzzo's avatar

Have you read any other Kafka? Some of his other works are good too.

For some reason, pure curiosity I guess, I read Yesteryear and didn't like it at all. I am almost certainly not the target audience but I can barely see what the fuss was. I'll watch the film, out of curiosity (ha!).

I read The Sellout by Paul Beatty last month and loved it, it's easily now one of my top 5 favourite books. So funny, I was laughing hysterically throughout.

I'm halfway through The Bee Sting, which seems to be universally adored, but I've put it aside to take a break. I can't say I'm enjoying it much, but I've been told it all comes together and makes sense at the end, so I'll return to it at some point.

I took that break also so I could read a Woman in Translation, it's the month and all - Transit, Anna Seghers. I'm nearing the end and it's terrific, and it has to be feature one of the most unreliable narrators I've ever come across (which adds to the intrigue).

Alexis Mera Damen's avatar

I haven’t! Which other Kafka books do you suggest? Thanks for the book recs. I’m gonna add them to my list. Specifically, The Sellout. I’m down for a good laugh!

Daniel Puzzo's avatar

I’ve only read The Trial and The Castle, both of which were good. I might need to revisit them after suffering through a day of dreadful Austrian bureaucracy to remind myself that life could be worse 😆

Brian C. Lund's avatar

I'm a big fan of Kafka's short stories.