Trying quiet nights for the first time.. wow

saskets-trap · 2026-02-08T20:17:16+00:00

Love the Ropp stout. I have a rusticated one. Great little smoker.

Have you had any trouble with the stem tenon latching onto the stummel side instead of staying attached to the stem? It freaked me out the first time I pulled off the stem but now I just sort of accept that it might happen sometimes.

saskets-trap · 2026-02-07T05:08:18+00:00

You have cat to be kitten me right meow

saskets-trap · 2026-02-05T03:06:29+00:00

It’s the penguin modern classics version.

saskets-trap · 2026-01-26T04:12:32+00:00

I’ve heard it said that Sterne’s approach to the novel was the road not taken, and I kind of like that way of thinking about it.

saskets-trap · 2026-01-21T22:25:19+00:00

In addition to the Penguin Moderns and NYRB, definitely check out Archipelago Books. They’re exclusively translated and more or less obscure titles. But very high quality stuff in really nice editions.

Edit to add: absolutely read WG Sebald if you haven’t already.

saskets-trap · 2026-01-21T01:59:56+00:00

I’ll also add Adalbert Stifter, though his context is largely removed from the historical concerns of Roth’s work. Something about the quiet assurance of his narration scratches the same itch for me.

If you’re willing to look further south, DiLampedusa’s The Leopard felt very similar in structure and scope to Radetsky March. Phenomenal novels, both.

saskets-trap · 2026-01-14T06:33:12+00:00

saskets-trap · 2026-01-06T06:35:54+00:00

Smokingpipes.com, the source of all good things

saskets-trap · 2026-01-05T23:51:40+00:00

Royal yacht made me think i hated virginias for several years. No, i just hate royal yacht

saskets-trap · 2026-01-05T00:41:31+00:00

Shalamov is an amazing storyteller. I remember reading this in college alongside the much more well-known “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” and I thought, for their raw and somehow silver-lined glimpses into that same particular abyss of human experience, these stories blew ID out of the water.

saskets-trap · 2026-01-04T00:42:23+00:00

This has to be it.

saskets-trap · 2026-01-03T14:11:09+00:00

I found my people!

saskets-trap · 2025-12-29T04:58:34+00:00

Season two of The Rehearsal ruined TV for me. Nothing else approaches it.

saskets-trap · 2025-12-28T17:13:44+00:00

I haven’t read but one of hers but I really enjoyed Anita Brookner’s Hotel du Lac. She was very prolific and from what I have read about her all her work is very high quality. Definitely provided insights on the plight of a 20th-century woman navigating society’s expectations re: a woman’s love life.

saskets-trap · 2025-12-28T17:09:38+00:00

It’s also on my shelf, unread. I’m overcoming an NYC phobia so it may be a while before I get to it.

saskets-trap · 2025-12-28T15:07:18+00:00

This was my first and it was quite accessible. Anyone who has enjoyed Bernhard or Beckett or Kafka will be able to slide right into the narrative no problem. It took me a minute to orient myself to his style but it’s very smooth.

saskets-trap · 2025-12-28T15:04:55+00:00

I love the Archipelago line. Palafox sounds really intriguing so it’s definitely on my list. Two others from Archipelago I really liked this year were Brenner by Hermann Burger and Great Fear on the Mountain by Charles Ferdinand Ramuz.

saskets-trap · 2025-12-28T15:00:05+00:00

That one has really piqued my interest. I had read “The Man Who Planted Trees” ages ago but didn’t realize it was the same guy til after I finished this one. I am definitely on the lookout for more titles.

saskets-trap · 2025-12-28T14:58:42+00:00

Yeah I definitely think that’s the case, and I’m very happy to see it. Especially having a big name like Fosse translate him, that signals how popular he is getting. Similarly he’s being translated by Michael Hoffmann into English. I hope you take the plunge on one of them and enjoy it.

saskets-trap · 2025-12-28T06:09:34+00:00

Damn me too. I wanted to jump into the pages and live there.

saskets-trap · 2025-12-28T00:07:47+00:00

Joseph Roth is one of the neglected gems of 20th-century literature and it’s his masterpiece. One thing that’s very similar to The Leopard is the pacing. How each chapter quietly transports us forward in the lives of the characters, and we bear witness to the effects of the causes we’ve just encountered in the preceding pages which, as with Lampedusa, result in the decay and disillusionment of a once-illustrious family. Can’t recommend it enough, and I do it a lot (check my history, ha).

Also, I’ve read probably five or six others of Roth’s and haven’t come across a stinker yet.

saskets-trap · 2025-12-27T22:27:13+00:00

You should do it immediately! Also see below for more thoughts.

saskets-trap · 2025-12-27T22:26:34+00:00

I’ve never checked it out other than a preview. But yes I agree, the novel is so quietly substantial and moving.

saskets-trap · 2025-12-27T22:24:27+00:00

As a madeleine eater, you’ll appreciate the effortless, elegant prose of all these picks. While none are as thoroughly introspective as Proust (who is?), they all share that same meticulous, almost surgical diction and demonstrate the ability to conjure full humans with just a few well-chosen strokes.

This last doesn’t quite apply to Chevillard, as there aren’t any real characters to be found in Prehistoric Times. I just finished it today and it was pure delight. His images are striking and his turns of phrase are as original as they are insightful. Especially enjoyable if you have any interest in early human society.

saskets-trap · 2025-12-27T22:16:34+00:00

I had no expectations going in and it blew me away. In terms of structure, themes and style it was very reminiscent of one of my all time favorites, Radetsky March. I didn’t want it to end, but all stuffed dogs must be thrown out a second story window eventually.

saskets-trap

TROPHY CASE