Discover new books on Goodreads
Meet your next favorite book
to-read
(1699)
currently-reading (1)
read (246)
did-not-finish (6)
graphic-novels (52)
favourites (27)
queer (27)
classics (26)
currently-reading (1)
read (246)
did-not-finish (6)
graphic-novels (52)
favourites (27)
queer (27)
classics (26)
fantasy
(22)
as-soon-as-possible (17)
school-reads (14)
i-guess-ya-books (12)
modern-prose (12)
česká-literatura (12)
greek-stuff (9)
translated-literature (7)
as-soon-as-possible (17)
school-reads (14)
i-guess-ya-books (12)
modern-prose (12)
česká-literatura (12)
greek-stuff (9)
translated-literature (7)
“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”
― Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid
― Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid
“I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.”
― The Bell Jar
― The Bell Jar
“If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you're mis-informed.”
―
―
“After the first glass of vodka
you can accept just about anything
of life even your own mysteriousness
you think it is nice that a box
of matches is purple and brown and is called La Petite and comes from Sweden
for they are words that you know and that is all you know words not their feelings or what they mean and you write because you know them not because you understand them because you don't you are stupid and lazy and will never be great but you do what you know because what else is there?”
― The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara
you can accept just about anything
of life even your own mysteriousness
you think it is nice that a box
of matches is purple and brown and is called La Petite and comes from Sweden
for they are words that you know and that is all you know words not their feelings or what they mean and you write because you know them not because you understand them because you don't you are stupid and lazy and will never be great but you do what you know because what else is there?”
― The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara
Reading the 20th Century
— 1703 members
— last activity 1 hour, 26 min ago
Welcome to 'Reading the 20th Century', a friendly and inclusive group that explores and discusses the literature, history, culture and music of the ye ...more
Johanka’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Johanka’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Johanka
Lists liked by Johanka





















































