How Should I Lose My Book Virginity? FAN LETTER (Patron-Only Early Access)

Oh ya I forgot to add, I started off with Borges. Cliffs first video, Ficciones

I just sift through suggestions, typically Cliff’s suggestions and seek out what seems appealing to me. And if i like it I go to good reads and see what others have read who likes the book. And before you know it you are juggling multiple interest at once and the problem continues…what book do I read next. Endless cycle. Choices must be made. Choose wisely and don’t forget to sometimes say fuck it and go for a walk instead.

Dear Pablo, I would answer this question much in the same way that Cliff has: go to whatever INTERESTS you most and ABANDON what you feel like is sucking up your time. Borges is of course a great way to start. I usually answer this question by recommending either "Siddartha" or "Demian" by Herman Hesse. I think that those two books are a great starting point for readers becoming interested in new and challenging literature. Think about everything you could learn about history and theology from "Siddartha"! Same with "Demian"! - So many of the deep philosophical problems that Germany into World War II introduced in a very colorful, concise, and accessible way. I also commonly answer with Dostoevsky's "Notes from Underground." I think that this is an excellent place for you to start, getting into more serious work. You will find the influence of this work everywhere, but it still feels SO fresh and powerful and shocking. And it's crucial, I think, to understanding the "four big" novels of Dostoevsky as well. "2666" was the gateway book for me . . . Bolano is a great place to start as well; plenty of longer and shorter works from. Denis Johnson was key for me early on as well. "Jesus's Son" is a must-read. If you're looking to get into the English novel, starting off on classes, on the other hand, I'd recommend "Jude the Obscure" or anything by Thomas Hardy. "Jude the Obscure" is the bleakest novel of the nineteenth, or twentieth century, in my opinion. If you're interested in "historicizing" your reading, that novel really sets the context for what will follow with Modernism, in culture and in literature. (I'm especially fond of "Return of the Native" by Hardy). Take a look at any of these and see if they're of interest. Hope this was useful as well Pablo. Cheers from Hanoi, Vietnam! Brock Eldon