to-read
(151)
currently-reading (8)
read (49)
modern-classics (18)
favorites (7)
short-stories (7)
anthologies (6)
currently-reading (8)
read (49)
modern-classics (18)
favorites (7)
short-stories (7)
anthologies (6)
surrealism-magic-r
(6)
the-dark (6)
popular-fiction (5)
shaver (5)
absurd-existential (4)
his-knees-popped-like-gunshots (4)
philosophy-psychology (4)
the-dark (6)
popular-fiction (5)
shaver (5)
absurd-existential (4)
his-knees-popped-like-gunshots (4)
philosophy-psychology (4)
Mr. James
is currently reading
progress:
(page 158 of 224)
"Virtually overnight, the tiny town of Plainfield -- formally so obscure that even most wisconsinites were unaware of its existence -- gained nationwide notoriety. Newspaper reporters, television and radio crews, and correspondence for national news magazines invaded the streets seeking out interviews with anyone who had information about the man the press had already dubbed the "Mad Butcher of Plainfield." -- HS" — Feb 20, 2026 06:49AM
"Virtually overnight, the tiny town of Plainfield -- formally so obscure that even most wisconsinites were unaware of its existence -- gained nationwide notoriety. Newspaper reporters, television and radio crews, and correspondence for national news magazines invaded the streets seeking out interviews with anyone who had information about the man the press had already dubbed the "Mad Butcher of Plainfield." -- HS" — Feb 20, 2026 06:49AM
Mr. James
is currently reading
progress:
(page 61 of 271)
" A Terrible Vengeance: After a soft kiss on the cheek, she'll slit her father's throat. Even the Devil deserves a daughter's love." — Jan 13, 2026 08:18AM
" A Terrible Vengeance: After a soft kiss on the cheek, she'll slit her father's throat. Even the Devil deserves a daughter's love." — Jan 13, 2026 08:18AM
Mr. James
is currently reading
progress:
(page 140 of 181)
"Art heals imperfection, like a cowboy who carries a rusty revolver and cries at the sight of a hungry horse." — Jan 06, 2026 02:23AM
"Art heals imperfection, like a cowboy who carries a rusty revolver and cries at the sight of a hungry horse." — Jan 06, 2026 02:23AM
“If I ever get reincarnated, it occurred to me, let me make certain I don't come back as a paperclip.”
― Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
― Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
“Poseidon sat at his desk, doing figures. The administration of all the waters gave him endless work. [...] It cannot be said that he enjoyed his work; he did it only because it had been assigned to him; in fact, he had already filed many petitions for--as he put it--more cheerful work, but every time the offer of something different was made to him it turned out that nothing suited him quite as well as his present position.”
― Parables and Paradoxes
― Parables and Paradoxes
“And perhaps he had made no mistake at all, his name really was called, it having been the teacher's intention to make the rewarding of the best student at the same time a punishment for the worst one.”
― Parables and Paradoxes
― Parables and Paradoxes
“There is a confusion between myself and the literary world about what should constitute a text. I believe (along with many other writers historically) that a text should be elusive, and that the act of reading a text should make the reader conscious of the life they are living. That is, the text should overflow its borders, demonstrating the complicity of our consciousness with the coloring of our surroundings and the supposed sequentiality of events. To write texts this way, one must stop prior to the point of total explanation.”
― Autoportrait
― Autoportrait
“You are right in demanding that an artist should take an intelligent attitude to his work, but you confuse two things: solving a problem and stating a problem correctly. It is only the second that is obligatory for the artist.”
― A Life in Letters
― A Life in Letters
*An Absurd Society: Subfloor
— 2 members
— last activity 8 hours, 38 min ago
[Always Under Construction] [For the few, or is that two?] Life is absurd. "We have Alaskan peanut butter and Australian shaving cream." Let the ferr ...more
Goodreads Librarians Group
— 314172 members
— last activity 1 minute ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
Weird Fiction
— 582 members
— last activity 13 minutes ago
This group is the place for lovers of the genre known as Weird Fiction to meet and discuss favorite works from the past as well as read together reall ...more
The Short Story Club
— 557 members
— last activity 5 hours, 29 min ago
The purpose of this group is to read and discuss one short story a week. For the the first couple of years, we read from specific anthologies, but fro ...more
Mr. James’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Mr. James’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Mr. James
Lists liked by Mr. James
























































