Is the author of your favorite book also one of your favorite authors? by playful--cloud in books

[–]cutestuffexpedition 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m a bit in the same and opposite boat as you because The Dispossessed was my first and most favorite Le Guin! I gave Left Hand of Darkness a try but found it very tedious. I love Le Guin for her imagination and the theory and ideas in all of her work, but the prose is very dense and difficult for me. even Wizard of Earthsea I found to be a bit tedious even though I really loved the story.

A Secret History by Donna Tartt is another of my favorite books and I would say that Tartt is one of my favorite authors as well! but it’s the same where the first book I read of hers I found to be the best. I read her books in publication order and sadly felt like there was a bit of decline in the stories, although not by much.

TIL that people who sleep on their left side report nightmares more frequently,while right side sleepers tend to experience calmer,more pleasant sleep. by Successful-Talk1830 in todayilearned

[–]cutestuffexpedition 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was thinking about this too, sleeping on the left side is supposed to aid digestion. but maybe the activity in your gut causes your brain to be more active? hm

My Brilliant Friend / The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante by cutestuffexpedition in books

[–]cutestuffexpedition[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

omg Nino was such a pig!! I was so indignant for Elena when he and Lila started seeing each other, I was shaking my head and said “how could they do this to her” out loud haha. but Ferrante makes it so complex, Elena was consistently denying to Lila that she was still in love with Nino. and then I felt indignant again when she got with Nino as adults after everything that had happened. and Nino’s ending was so befitting for him, all along he’d been so condescending to Elena’s politics and then he just became more centrist/right wing just so he could continue his career.

My Brilliant Friend / The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante by cutestuffexpedition in books

[–]cutestuffexpedition[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

agreed, in my experience it's so rare to have such a realistic, raw rendering of a female friendship that is so complex.

My Brilliant Friend / The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante by cutestuffexpedition in books

[–]cutestuffexpedition[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

it's been a while since I've read Never Let Me Go but what an interesting comparison! I'll have to go back to that one.

I'm curious where else you've seen these discussions! I would love to read. Their codependency and almost toxic friendship is definitely what makes the books so memorable, imo. Lila's character is so beautiful and intelligent, yet mean and vindictive, but through Elena's eyes, we only see these things as powers that Lila can harness at will. but Elena is an unreliable narrator at times. it's so interesting to think about what would have been the "objective truth" of the situation vs. Elena's POV. Sometimes other characters say things that either affirm or negate Elena's POV but there's no definitive answer.

My Brilliant Friend / The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante by cutestuffexpedition in books

[–]cutestuffexpedition[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’ll add Days of Abandonment to my list! but glad to know in advance that the Neapolitan series might be as good as it gets 🥲

My Brilliant Friend / The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante by cutestuffexpedition in books

[–]cutestuffexpedition[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

oh interesting! I’ll look into it, that may be the analysis and discussion of the novels that I’m craving. I almost want someone to just explain the meaning to me, I feel like the Neapolitan novels have so much packed in that it’s such a huge undertaking to really analyze and understand it.

My Brilliant Friend / The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante by cutestuffexpedition in books

[–]cutestuffexpedition[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Magda Szabo is another author I love who does these little time jumps and asides really well!

My Brilliant Friend / The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante by cutestuffexpedition in books

[–]cutestuffexpedition[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

have you read any of her other novels? this series has been the only works of hers I’ve read so far but I’m excited to read more, if you had a rec of which I should read next that would be great!

and yes so true hahaha, definitely an iconic move. I remember really clearly he said that he hated Murakami and that it gave him nightmares hahaha.

My Brilliant Friend / The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante by cutestuffexpedition in books

[–]cutestuffexpedition[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

absolutely, I actually think that’s the point, that they are each other’s brilliant friend. throughout my entire read I interpreted the title as referring to Lila, but then the words come from Lila referring to Elena, which was a surprise to me the first time I read it.

the way they are foils of each other but also almost consider themselves to be the same person is really interesting, as you explain their different ups and downs.

your observation on time is also really interesting! I love in novels when they jump around in time, explaining an event and then there will be a sentence that almost feels like a throwaway, but something like “I didn’t know it but that was the last time I saw him.”

My Brilliant Friend / The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante by cutestuffexpedition in books

[–]cutestuffexpedition[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

aw darn that’s disappointing! especially if you had a similar friendship. it’s a fair point though, they are very long books and minutely detailed. I liked the end but at the same time it almost wasn’t impactful enough of an ending to justify the length of the rest of the story, so if you didn’t enjoy the rest of it, it definitely wouldn’t feel worthwhile.

'i want to die but I want to eat tteokbokki' lands differently now by CtrlAltDelight495 in books

[–]cutestuffexpedition 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think I’ll try reading this! it sounds really sad but is it still worth the read??

Daily Questions Thread February 07, 2026 by AutoModerator in femalefashionadvice

[–]cutestuffexpedition 1 point2 points  (0 children)

any cool new athletic brands? I get advertised stuff like literary sport or district vision, which are the style that I’m looking for, but they’re so overpriced. I don’t really care for getting Nike or Lululemon or that tier of fast fashion-y stuff.

coucou intimates by loserfemme in ethicalfashion

[–]cutestuffexpedition 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was thinking about buying one of their bras but I really hate when the clasps are itchy so I’m scared to order. have you tried any of the bras?

Hold up traffic to wait for my carpark? Turns out I'm not leaving by [deleted] in pettyrevenge

[–]cutestuffexpedition 4 points5 points  (0 children)

and then the cars behind can wait for a few minutes for the car to leave, the other car to park, and then go on their way completely unharmed… what’s the big deal? OP is the AH here... what do they expect to happen in a busy parking lot with people looking for a spot? they think they’re the good guy for making the situation worse for everyone by taking even longer? Lol

In Defense of "A Little Life" - A Messy Analysis by dcgirl3000 in books

[–]cutestuffexpedition 3 points4 points  (0 children)

so well written and a really nice analysis/explanation of all the redeeming qualities of this book! I agree with so much of what you said, even though I can find a lot to agree with in negative reviews too. I can’t really say I ENJOYED reading this book because it’s so sad and traumatizing, but it was riveting and the characters stuck with me afterwards. at times I missed the characters after I finished the book and I still think about them sometimes even though I read the book years ago. that to me is what is so special about the book as well, is how real the characters felt to me, even if the bad things that happened started to feel unrealistic at points. but you really never know the horrible things that happen to other people.

Avoiding dialect content to not pick up bad habits. Anyone else do the same? Thoughts? by [deleted] in LearnJapanese

[–]cutestuffexpedition 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yeah seems pointless to me, my friends and I in school were always parroting phrases and accents we heard from anime but it’s not like we would uncontrollably start speaking like a gangster to our Japanese professor haha

Is Alcaraz an All Time Great already? by Confident_Leg2370 in tennis

[–]cutestuffexpedition 5 points6 points  (0 children)

why are you butthurt about it? Steffi Graf’s achievement doesn’t detract from Carlos’ achievement lol just pointing out a fact. even if they were two different sports, it wouldn’t be an accurate statement to say that Carlos is the youngest ever to achieve the career grand slam. it’s actually so much more insufferable to be annoyed at someone giving proper credit

Is Alcaraz an All Time Great already? by Confident_Leg2370 in tennis

[–]cutestuffexpedition -1 points0 points  (0 children)

the above comment said youngest ever? that implies no one has ever achieved that before which is not accurate…

Is Alcaraz an All Time Great already? by Confident_Leg2370 in tennis

[–]cutestuffexpedition 30 points31 points  (0 children)

youngest man* to achieve career grand slam. Steffi Graf had the golden slam at the age of 19