So the kindle oasis 3 arrived this morning... and I've been absolutely obsessed with it. Such a premium feeling device. I can't believe I let my bad memory of the first kindle I used as a teen... stop me from buying one. IT'S MAGIC. I read Anna Karenina, the Yale Press edition on it... I was planning to read the Magarshack version, but I changed my mind in the end (still have the paperback and use it to compare sentences), since I wanted to experience a newer... translation.

1/5 of Anna Karenina... Chileeee the dramaaaaaaaa.

I'm in the middle of Anna Karenina. Pretty much... when I'm not working or doing chores... or with my husband... I'm on the Kindle with Anna, Levin, Oblonsky and the rest of the bunch. It's much better than I remember it, in my teenage years I did love it, but very superficially... Now I'm basically walking with the kindle to the store... and I'm tearing up reading... Have to hide my tears so people don't notice.

I love that even though the book is called Anna Karenina, that the book is about so much more than her. She is but a victim of 19th Century Russian society while the other story involving Kitty has a different outcome than what befalls Anna.

Edited Monday at 04:04 AM5 days by Soaplovers

17 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

I love that even though the book is called Anna Karenina, that the book is about so much more than her. She is but a victim of 19th Century Russian society while the other story involving Kitty has a different outcome than what befalls Anna.

Absolutely. Reading it now, I realize how much I missed during my first experience with the book years ago - I was simply too young to grasp the depth. Back then I clung to the sensational, dramatic parts, and... of course... Anna was my favorite. This time - Levin is my guy. At 13 I thought he was boring. Thank GOD I’m 30 now! I never want to return to that level of naivety.

I’m down to the last 100–150 pages and I genuinely don’t want it to end. I started this journey over a week ago and since then I’ve stopped watching anything, barely touched my phone, and let Tolstoy completely take over my free time. The Kindle Oasis plays a huge role too - I quickly realized I can read while moving around... so I've been going on these absurdly long 3–4 hour walks through the park and the pretty parts of town. The strangest side effect, aside from cardio and feeling refreshed after walking... is that I now remember which chapter I read in which part of town. For example... the other day I was reading Kitty and Levin’s wedding while circling a gorgeous German castle. It was almost too good of a synchronicity. ❤️

Just finished Anna Karenina. Ah! What a journey this has been. The last 150 pages I planned to read for three days, but ended up finishing it in one go. I just couldn't stop. The last 50 pages before Anna did the unthinkable... were so hardcore... It was like I was going crazy with her.

Now I'm on to Karl Ove's newest book - The School Of Night.

I still have to read books 3 to 6 of his autobiographical series, but I decided I was in the mood for fiction right now. It's already on my kindle and I just have to jump in bed and turn on the dark mode of the device.

"London. 1985. A city rife with possibility and desire. One young man who wants it all. Kristian Hadeland, newly arrived in the city, seethes with ambition and contempt. His family in Norway never understood him; his fellow photography students bore him. But he knows he and his art are destined for more. Then he meets Hans, an eccentric Dutch artist. With Hans, the future Kristian yearns for is tangible. All art is possible. Any line can be crossed. But success comes at a price. And when Kristian does the unthinkable, will he be prepared to pay it?"

The School of Night - 10/10!

ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE. THE best novel I've read in the last decade.

10/10

I just finished reading Book 3 of Karl Ove's "My Struggle" series called Boyhood Island. This book was all about his childhood. Honestly, it doesn't compare to Part 2, which is titled "A Man In Love". That book (Part 2) is probably going to stay in my top 5 forever. I loved it so much that I wanted to read it again right after I finished it. Now, Book 3 - Boyhood Island... was really hard to read because it's partly about domestic abuse coming from a violent, narcissistic father. It was tough to get through the parts where young Karl Ove was suffering. Since I too experienced domestic abuse at the hand of my mother at the same age he was in the book, it was super triggering, and I found myself tearing up multiple times while reading it today. So, even though it's not as amazing as Book 2, I realize I shouldn't compare them since they are so different. I'm still giving it a 10 out of 10 because it serves it's purpose - it helps you see and feel life through a child's perspective. And it's a great addition to his life story narrative so far. Book 1 dealt with his teenage years and then skipped to him... dealing with the loss of his abusive father. Book 2 was all about his relationship with his very toxic wife - it was a psychological horror slash love story in my opinion. Then Book 3 was just the early years - from a little kid to early teen.

This series has truly changed my life. I'm addicted. I plan to start Book 4 later tonight or maybe tomorrow morning. I don't read anything about these books in advance, because I don't want to spoil them for myself... but I already can sense that Book 4 will deal with his 20s probably. I'm expecting a hell of a ride.

P.S. It was also wonderful to read a fiction book from him - The School Of Night - I devoured that book in 3 days, while it was nearly 650 pages. Again - the best FICTION I've read in the last 10 years. While his autobiographical My Struggle Book 2... is probably the best auto-fiction I've read... maybe EVER. We'll see how this series evolved in books four, five and six - I have more than 2000 pages to go. Maybe I'll be sick of it in the end... or maybe I'll fall even more in love. We'll see.