At Swim-two-birds | 
pickA disorientating novel within a novel within a novel. As witty as it is confusing; flitting from ancient legend to modern myth as the narrator and characters soar across Dublin and Ireland. I expect there‘s much more depth to be revealed on second reading. 6/10
so-soI‘m not at all sure what I listened to the last few days! I alternated this with stories from Dubliners while also reading Ulysses, so I‘m having a very Irish reading week. I thought some aspects seemed similar to Joyce‘s style. This book is a somewhat insane mashup of the life of an often drunk student and his writing which includes an author whose characters take on a life of their own. I didn‘t fully get it but I was somewhat entertained. ⬇️
so-soThis is a book for people who love language (the author's motto seems to be why use 1 word when you could use 100) and particularly language as rendered by the Irish. Doing it on audio meant I got to experience it in its full array of Irish accents and cadences, which was lovely, but I'm afraid my mind did wander quite a bit, especially during the Irish legend part. Clever, stylish and sometimes funny but overall a bit too blokey for my taste.
Just starting this little novel I picked up from the Little Free Book Box down the Road.
pickA tale of absurdities! We have an intelligent, lazy boy who just seems to float through life. He‘s writing a story about a man who writes stories whose characters come to life and have had just about enough of said imaginary author and plot their vengeance. What an absolute TRIP this book is! You can‘t really explain this book, you just have to experience it... 185/1,001 #1001Books
pickWTF did I just read? This wild ride of a book reminds me of Confederacy of Dunces in tone. It‘s a book within a book within a book, with characters who rebel against their authors, Pookas who carry fairies in their pockets, and cattle rustlers in urban Ireland. Funny, absurd, as full of cool vocabulary words a A Series Of Unfortunate Events, and a unique novel I‘m glad I read. #100essentialnovels
This is one of the #100essentialnovels I was having trouble finding a copy of. Then it showed up as an eBook sale last week. I started reading it on the plane this morning on the way to my conference. Because I don‘t have enough books in progress right now. 🤷🏻♀️
so-soA novel deconstructing the idea of the novel, a story of a young man living a bohemian life without ending up in the gutter, writings both using and making fun of Irish mythology - there are so many layers in this book. It was funny and not that hard to read - but it tried to do so much that I wasn‘t blown away by any of it.
I‘m certain Flann would aprove...
From “The Workman‘s Friend”
"When things go wrong and will not go right
Though you do the best you can,
When life looks black as the hour of night -
A pint of plain is your only man."
?: http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/Poetry/FlannOBrien.html
#QuotsyMar19 | 17: #Luck
?: Made with Typorama
And I‘m off to Ireland with the tagged book. #backpackEurope
panThis was our book club pick this month and it was just not for me. It had so much going on. A story within a story, stream of consciousness style, real characters and fake characters, the plot of he book mixing with he plot of the main character‘s book. I just was not a fan of this one at all.
bailedI gave it 50 pages and then I bailed. The protagonist disgusted me and I didn't like the sub-plots. Kept waiting to see if it would get better, or just interesting, but now I'm moving on...
I've never cared for the cover of my copy, but the story itself is fantastic! "an Irish college student who -- half to amuse himself and half to avoid work -- writes an irreverent novel about the figures of Irish myth and legend in which characters come to life and riot against their author." #LaughOutLoud #AwesomeAutumnBooks
panQuite experimental. Could have been interesting but it wasn't, for me. I did like the book, but not the book within it. #1001books Picture: Bikini Hotel, Berlin
"The three of us were occupied in putting glasses of stout into the interior of our bodies and expressing by fine disputation the resulting sense of physical and mental well-being."
