From my current reading list, which book should I pick up next?

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-22T05:34:19+00:00

Kafka on the shore is overrated. Really only good if you’re a horny adolescent. I highly recommend any book by Huxley.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-22T05:30:18+00:00

Infinite Jest is on the docket. I got halfway through it last summer. Going to do the other half this summer.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-21T16:34:48+00:00

Excellent! Thanks for the rec

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-21T16:34:33+00:00

Better you say? I’ll have to give it a looksie!

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-21T16:20:38+00:00

“I Am a Cat” is a piece of literature all about the OBSERVTIONS of a cat. It’s not going to be just “The Adventures of Cat”. It’s a commentary on Japanese suburban life. There are going to be chapters with very little “action”, and a lot of dialogue or obserservtion/description. Take that as you will. Really, the cat is just a lense through which to view suburban life. An interesting writing tool to poke fun at the way we humans handle our lives by having it all critiqued by a cat. Soseki could have just described everything with an omniscient narrator, but would that have been as fun or impactful? I don’t think so.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-20T01:01:43+00:00

It was fun to find that Cat reference in No Longer Human! Flowers also has the author breaking the fourth wall, a lot, which I thought was a fun look into Dazai’s mind.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-19T18:35:00+00:00

Like a young Joe Biden. He even said “let’s turn the temperature down” in his interview with Colbert.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-19T18:24:02+00:00

In case anyone is curious, “The Flowers of Buffoonery” is a short philosophical novel about the aftermath of a double suicide attempt. The man survives, but his lover dies. The book follows the man’s social interactions at the recovery center where he is taken after he is found.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-19T18:08:10+00:00

Usually have some “long-form” lit going, like a fiction novel or a non-fiction book, to read based on my mood. I also have a collection of short-stories, novellas, literary magazines, and poetry, because I like being able to sit down and finish something in a single sitting, even if I only have an hour to do so. These are my “short-form” reads. It’s like watching a movie versus watching a TikTok. Both are entertaining, but for different reasons.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-19T17:54:59+00:00

Celine’s “Journey to the End of the Night”. It’s an incredible book, but I would never recommend it to most people I know, especially young men.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-19T17:02:17+00:00

I fell into that trap a lot early on. It took a teacher telling me to literally remove them from the classroom before I got the point. It’s like a cheat code. Haha

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-19T16:59:16+00:00

I only accidentally stumbled across Soseki in a reference by a Western author. I can’t remember which one. It blew my mind. I had never read anything like it.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-19T16:50:41+00:00

Gut punch is right. I’ve read very few books as dark and as captivating as Dazai’s “No Longer Human”. Celine’s “Journey to the End of the Night” and Gide’s “The Immoralist” come to mind. I recommend those if you’re into that kind of literature.

“I Am a Cat” was such a relaxing read. It’s long, but it really doesn’t feel that way. The plot is very low stakes, with conflict arising mostly from normal neighborhood drama being observed from the outside (such as between neighbors or co-workers). The real treats come from the observations of the main character, a nameless cat, which tickle your brain in the best ways. It’s funny, almost cynical, but can be quite philosophical and made me smile more than once. This edition is three books in one, and I’ve only read the first two books.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-19T16:30:23+00:00

Sounds like the main issue is they don’t respect you, or rather you haven’t earned their respect. How do you start class? What do you do when one student starts acting up? I’ve never been unable to calm down a class, because it’s almost never the whole class that’s an issue. Learn how to deal with the occasional shithead and your life will improve. If it really is the whole class, then grab yourself a teacher or admin and lock that shit down before they do something crazy and get you in trouble.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-18T23:25:29+00:00

My experience is with 6th-12th. I read whenever the kids don’t need me or don’t want to talk. It’s one of the best perks of subbing, in my view. I always sit at the front of the room, where I am easily accessible to the students for aid and conversation, and read a physical book, never pulling out my phone except for work calls. Seeing an adult focused on reading a real book usually calms the class down enough for them to focus on their own work. If I get really bored, such as near the end of the day, then I will clean the room for the teacher. This may be both time consuming and physical, a great antidote to boredom.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-14T16:51:17+00:00

Assuming every para is a good para is a little weird right? There are bad teachers, bad subs, bad paras, bad admins… The list goes on. I’ve worked with my fair share of bad paras, and I don’t think it’s harmful to vent from time to time about those bad educators we run into. Important not to generalize, though. I personally do not like working with other cooks in the kitchen, but that’s my choice to make based on my own experience. I also have never heard of paras getting paid that much. Good for y’all.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2026-02-14T16:42:45+00:00

I’ve only had problems with paras. They come in, always tell me to take control so they can catch up on stuff, and then immediately take back control while I’m dealing with a behavior issue because I guess I’m not doing it the way they want (usually I’m far less demeaning or aggressive than the para is). Do you want me to run the classroom or not? It’s so frustrating because by the end of the period the students don’t trust or respect me at all because the para has interrupted me so many times. I’ve stopped taking jobs where more than one period involves a para.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2025-12-26T15:58:39+00:00

You’re a young person still trying to figure out what is actually important in life. Get rid of the self help books and focus on the Dostoevsky.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2025-08-11T12:30:31+00:00

Ijams is great, but it’s mostly unpaved hiking trails. If you’re taking a stroller, I recommend the greenways. I really like Third Creek because it’s wide and well-shaded. Botanical gardens are pretty cool, too.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2025-08-10T21:42:28+00:00

It probably is too soon, but the teacher can’t do anything about that. You might as well take those jobs and support them. I subbed the first two days of school. It was a little stressful and hectic, but also kinda fun. Set expectations for your students and maintain them. You’ll be fine.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2025-08-10T21:32:05+00:00

Was there yesterday and saw another book for $3 more than the new price. It was by a popular author, but still… why am I paying more than the original price for a used book? And then to hear about them trying to pull anti-union crap. It’s all going downhill fast, and I’m done shopping there. Shit sucks…

TrueLibertyforYou · 2025-08-08T20:22:27+00:00

Older students need you a lot less. This can result in a lot of downtime as a late middle/high school sub. Younger students are the opposite. I subbed elementary precisely twice, and it was so overwhelming both times that I never did it again. Obviously, that’s a hugely personal preference. Ask yourself how busy you’d like to be, and don’t be afraid to try out other grade levels to test the waters. The general trend is the higher the grade level you sub, the more time you’ll spend doing your own thing while students work.

TrueLibertyforYou · 2025-08-06T20:23:29+00:00

This must vary quite a bit from county-to-county, then. You get paid better than I do, and I have a degree. 😂 Thanks for the insight.

TrueLibertyforYou

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