The Golden Road is a fantastic exploration of Indian ideas and of how Indian thought, religion and learning spread throughout the world. Dalrymple is a fantastic writer and, even though I came to this book with no real knowledge of Indian history, I found the book accessible and thoroughly enjoyable
No messing with Harun ‘Samuel L. Jackson’ al-Rashid .
The book is The Golden Road by William Dalrymple and it is just great.
Sounds great! Where do I join?
From The Golden Road by William Dalrymple #booksky
My first Bluesky recommendations arrived in, both by @mariadahvana.bsky.social Very excited to start these! #booksky
This sounds great!
Currently reading The Black Company by Glen Cook. I usually have a few books on the go but this one is taking over my free time. It’s no surprise to see a recommendation from Steven Erikson on the back. This in-the-trenches fantasy is all the things I love about the Malazan series. #booksky
Amazing! Legend was my first David Gemmell book and I have since read almost everything he’s written, some multiple times. With his books you are always guaranteed at least one absolutely epic scene that you’ll want to relive again and again.
I can’t wait to see you what your novel becomes.
The Alexeandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell is wonderful.
Bonus poem, To go to Lvov by Adam Zagajewski, about the hold a city can have on those exiled from it.
I loved these two! All Down Darkness Wide by Seán Hewitt and A Ghost the The Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa. They both turned out to be autofiction novels by poets so maybe I just have a type.
Hi Matt, thanks for setting this up. I’d love to be added.
Wendell Berry is such a joy.
@anthonyryan.bsky.social has a new book out, A Tide of Black Steel. Great characters, fantastic story, grimdark and it was just published in September.
Yes, we can have the writers, journalists, artists, academics and librarians here. The other site can keep the rest 😬
The librarians are here at least! But official accounts take time. Again it’s the issue of wanting to engage but needing to be sure there are the resources available to consistently engage.
Just finished Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito. What a fantastic, twisted and hilarious read. The title evokes American Psycho but this isn’t a gothic transplant, where Bateman was narcissistic, Winifred Notty is just delights in evil. Well worth a read.
How are you sabotaging your reading goals this year?
Nice, I’ve got a copy of Intermezzo on hold but my tbr list is so long already. Reading The Sound and the Fury, and also Victoria Psycho by Virginia Feito. I’m loving both.
I’m currently building a My Little Pony Tribal deck for my daughter and a Rat Tribal deck for my son. They’re very different people but Christmas table magic should be lots of fun.
I saw this last night and considered asking you to be my life coach.
But instead I ended up reading about dirtbag medievalism. I’m not sure if I’m getting it but I think A Knight’s Tale with Heath Ledger is and Lauren Groff’s Matrix isn’t.
How are we tracking our reading? This year I upgraded from the back of a notebook to Notion.so but I do kind of miss having a physical list to check back on.
Feel free to share yours.
(And yes, this is so that I can creep on your lists for recommendations)
Let’s just all have a collective cringe for thinking the bookseller thought we were cool for buying Nietzsche and then move forward with reading anything we want.
I’m enjoying reading a lot more now that I read what interests me instead of ticking off top 100 lists.
Currently reading - The Sound and the Fury. First time reading Faulkner and I’ll be honest I’m not really sure what’s going on. I’m enjoying the writing and I’m just assuming it will all become clear eventually 🤷♂️
It’s so lovely. I can open the app and read something interesting or get a nice book recommendation and then log off without any sense of dread, anger or despair. Feels nice.
My feed is so friendly and full of books and nice things and I couldn't be happier.
When you wanted to study English but your parents forced you into Medicine. At least they seem to have made the best of it.
Biography - Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellmann /Don’t Let’s go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
History - Oathbreakers by Perry and Gabriele
Science/Nature- The Light Eaters by Schlanger
Essays - Anything by Joan Didion or Jenny Diski
Autofiction - Ghost in the Throat - All Down Darkness Wide
I’m really excited for this one. I’ve been a fan of his since picking up From the Holy Mountain a few years ago.
This looks amazing!
I was lucky enough to get an arc of this from NetGalley. I always love weird fiction (Mona Awad, Moshfegh, Melissa Broder -esque). This novel was smart, funny, strange, atmospheric and deeply moving. And it’s a debut so definitely worth supporting #betavulgaris
I love this stack. I was lucky enough to work in a bookstore when Shon Faye was in to sign. I remember her publisher was there and told us we couldn’t take a picture and put it on twitter (how we advertised when authors were in). I think about all the publicity she missed out on b/c of the toxicity
