nacholas > Recent Status Updates

reading the interaction so far, kinda inviting into the 19th century world even tho it's a little hard to grasp. hope this will make the trip fun during the downtime as the book is relatively short (220 pages). quite hype to read something like this

shit sucks because i have to leave this at home from tomorrow till wednesday 😭 i am having such a wonderful time reading it so far and while it still is laying a lot of ground for characters to have an eventual twist, im so here for it. the characters are so alive in this.

technically 37, when including the intro, but i digress. it's really immersive so far, with how it feels like a brush stroke, but be warned that the notes, while of vital importance, are at lengths. do prepare your mental fortitude. as always, will only update once a week as im doing them mostly on the reading journal these days :)

extremely in-depth, well-written introduction. i'll be back when i finish it or have some other stuff of note... kinda just sad on the vincent van gogh thing :/

sad to say, i have to dnf this. gave this a 2 week, daily chapter run and it was so dull and wordy. maybe in the future? sorry melville.

midway through; interesting to read of how his mind works, what's he's been put through, the back and forth of the family dynamics, the dangers of being so isolated and filled with all kinds of thought that it kinda distracts you.

i'll report back in a week :p

i still do not understand why, other than the one chapter about the type of whales exists, do people consider this a good read. like it's a slog to read, even on a chapter a day basis. whatever, we keep on pushing.

reading it a chapter a day really helps to slow the shit down, making it better than feeling sluggish. i'll probably update when i get to the halfway point

for the one person who cares, i've decided to just write the reviews when i'm done with book as i've also decided to start a reading journal.

but for the record, this book... such a new low for penguin, particularly for Julia being so lazy and gen z-ifying the work. imagine a penguin with zero notes? zero appendixes? esp for a well-known chinese lit. you can tell what i'll be giving this.

interesting start; but i hope this cannibal is just some cannibal and not a derogatory way of calling some native american

technically 0, but technically, 50 pages of introduction; really really insightful esp about Melville's thought-process during his writing. i am already really excited!

Politics & the English Language - bro literally calls out the letterboxd people for using big words in their review (i loved it, while also felt attacked)

Some Thoughts on the Common Toad - the range Orwell has amazes me; he is known for his political commentary but here? he admires spring and talks about his love of nature.

Shooting an Elephant / A Hanging - morbid stuff about his time serving in Burma.

✅ The Lion and the Unicorn - in short, fascism bad. but in broader context, this should be read as um, a certain country's leader is actively carrying out acts of a fascist country.
✅ The Ruin of Germany - about the fallout after the Nazi's fall; how they have to start from scratch.

✅ my country right or left
✅ the lion and the unicorn (1/2)

goddamn i just easily fall in love with how orwell writes; not unnecessarily inaccessible with big words but rather of simplistic words that are amplified with the occasional terms. although he commentates of UK, being in 2026, when he wrote what he did in 1940/41, he would be rolling in his grave if he saw the modern world.

for an early 14th century work, thanks to translator, it's relatively easy to understand as the prose, if you're at all familiar with the christian faith; it is however unique to read of julian and her hyper fixation on wanting to witness the crucifixion; but colour me intrigued as it also has great ways of personalising such things.

technically page 30, but intro/translator's note don't count so :/ but man, such a thoroughly insightful way to usher us into the text. giving context of the 14the century landscape and how women were perceived back then.

again, i do feel bad for dropping gaskell suddenly but i had to. i will come back to it at a later time; but we continue.

i am so sorry gaskell; but ig i don't connect bc im reading this, right after crime and punishment 💀 maybe another time a couple months later :/ it isn't even bad one, on the contrary, its simple to read but im just not connecting with the characters :/

pretty chill start, will give it more room to breath tomorrow as i'm exhausted mentally so i can't push past a chapter (which this book has 60 of them????)

svidrigailov holy fuck you pedo i hope raskolnikov my consensual king, kicks you

HELLO THAT ENDING FOR PART 5???? but honestly, the way he tried to 'justify' his actions is so absurd to me. even significantly more absurd was the way the lady passed... but i still love it.

reached part 5 out of 6... but wow, talk about subverting expectations??? i definitely wasn't expecting that, however much i'll still be skeptical.

i am so sorry for ever doubting you, fyodor... this turn was the least expected and it proves one thing, pyotr's a birch and im glad dunya did what she rightfully did, as well as her mama and bro and friend supporting her.

also, nice enough, im reading (as apposed to gaming) before snoozing... ovid really is right when he wrote about the constant of change being the only reliable thing

even after a century and a half, the discussion regarding ordinary and extraordinary and how the divide allows the extraordinary to commit crime but isn't convicted... is so sadly relevant.

lmao pyotr is such a pompous asshole for not wanting to see dunya's bro because "he offended me"

entered Part 3 of 5; the last chapter of Part 2, when he forked out his cash and it also mentions how he felt a relief rushing over him, reminds me of how in tlou2, abby's part, abby saved lev and yara and says that she did that to get her mind of things... nice how similar the connotations are, under pretty similar situations too.

maddening (complimentary) how i actually felt the delusions that my man was going through. i also admired the narrative structure, a lot more reliant on hearsay and pov's than the conventional type, particularly on how they're trying to discuss what tf happened

when it happened, bet your ass i was as shocked!!! all i can say, 100 pages in, ts is a breeze to read and i love it.

also, so glad to finally order the silmarillion by tolkien (now only needing to get part 2. the 2 towers) and the ancient sorceries & other stories book, whom the writer, argenon, was the biggest inspo for lovecraft!

forgor to log, but yesterday was so busy bc i was at a christmas event... only got to read this an hour before i slept; only reason why i even wanted to is bc of the chillness presented, loved it

✅ Why I Write
✅ Decline of the English Murder
✅ Books vs. Cigarettes (valid)

needed to pick something that's easily carried outside because as captivating as Crime & Punishment is, the size is much bigger than the usual Penguin black Classics; Collins Classics are the perfect one. as for the 3 essays? it's very chill so far, i love it. also, b vs c is our current argument but against games of screen times lmao