Okay!!! Second official thread and fourth canon one I guesserino. Let's see how long this one lasts, yo.Anyways, what did you bots think of Notes from the Underground by Dostoevsky????Did you enjoy the process of reading/listening to it? Did you relate to the underground man? Cringe at him? Hate him? All of them?Did you find the book funny? Or sad?Did you understand the schizobabble in part I? Did you understand part II? Did you give up on it?Any unrelated reflections you want to share?...>POLL TIME!!!VOTE HERE: https://strawpoll.com/XmZRQPdkvgdPick 3!Only *1* book will be read.A tie? The shorter book wins! So we know that more people are able to finish it. It's one way to break up the tie, if you have any other idea just say so!For the synopsises of the books, check here : https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=&qid=If you don't know how long a book will really be even when looking at the audiobook time then consider the fact that an anime episode is around 20 minutes long and do the math from here!If the thread ends before the end of the poll (or if I messed up the timer on the poll). Just refer back to the poll to know which one won, you can get the link to this thread in the archive by typing "sbr".>REMINDEREvery book rec gets snapped out of existence like in your favorite Marvel movie every thread, so recommend the same one you recommended before if you want to be able to vote for it next time! Or some new ones! (If I forgot to put your last rec in today's poll I'm following in the footsteps of famous japanese author Yukio Mishima, author of The Golden Pavilion (tm), in shame. I'm sorry)
--PRESENTATION-->What is SBR?SBR stands for Some Bots Read (previously known as Project: Stop Being Retarded)>What is a Bot?Someone from the Brotherhood Of Tardation (B.O.T), a member of SBR (you, maybe!)>What is the point of this thread?Book club. By retards, for retards. We vote on a book, read it, discuss it once a month (always on weekends). All so you end up maybe slightly less stupid and illiterate>Do I HAVE to read the same books?Yes! But also no. Everybody who reads is welcomed to shill what they want, but you won't be a part of the broader discussion and you'll get the book we're reading spoiled for yourself. IF you're talking about an unrelated book's plot points please use the spoiler function. You're also free to ask more personal literature questions to other Bots, but if you seek responses from people who *actually* read then feel free to go on /lit/ instead, or make a new thread on /r9k/>Do I HAVE to finish them?You don't need to finish it if you don't like it, but if you want to discuss it and tell us why exactly it wasn't your thing, be prepared to get spoiled the rest of the story you did not finish (obviouslyy)>Where do I get my books and audiobooks?Has everything, including non-English : https://fmhy.net/Most popular place to get EPUBs and PDFs : https://annas-archive.org/Most popular place to get (English) Audiobooks : https://audiobookbay.lu/
>Reading on your phone?Install ReadEra or any other e-Reader. You might also need to install a dictionary app (and link it up to the e-reader application for ease of use)>I-I can't finish it!! I can't concentrate!!It's normal. Try disconnecting from your computer (I know, I know) and try reading either in the morning, or at night if you're relaxed and not sleepy. If you use your computer before reading you probably won't be able to concentrate much. Also whispering the words can help you stay concentrated. As well as putting some non-intrusive music (check "dark academia" or the Helder channel on youtube). Audiobooks also help a lot, you can read them while walking or even while playing some mindless game you played a thousand times like minecraft. Now add some music in the background and you can safely consooom it and miss like a fourth of it, but hey, you could say you read it!>Discord?No>THREAD THEME (changes every thread, gib recs if you want)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyknBTm_YyM(No it doesn't really work at background music, but I needed some Halloween music and it's the first one that came to mind, okay?? I forgot to properly look for one, okay?? Some people are busy, okay??? If you don't like it refer back to other threads or put your own music in the background! Humpf! Idk)>Original thread :https://desuarchive.org/r9k/thread/82289868/#82289868>Thread number 0:https://desuarchive.org/r9k/thread/82304249/#82304249>Thread number 1:https://desuarchive.org/r9k/thread/82633702/>NEXT MEETING : Saturday, the 22nd of November 2025. Mark you calendars!Begun, the SBR thread has.
>>82910447>audiobooksprobably not even a hot take but letting an audiobook play and "listening" to it is not the same as reading and actually digesting the content. it's like the zoomer version of cliff notes.
>>82910464Yes but have you considered the fact that we're all mentally challenged here?
>>82910439I FAILED
>>82910993It's okay nonnon, the book was a great filter and a third of it went over my head.Why do we fall Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up
I just wanna start my reply sayin' that I really appreciate these threads and I'll come here in every single one of them because I really see the value in it.That being said, I shall give my thoughts on the book; coincidentaly, I finished it a bit before the beginning of the voting pool.>Anyways, what did you bots think of Notes from the Underground by Dostoevsky????>Did you enjoy the process of reading/listening to it? It was great, it's a simple and great short novel that really gives more desire to read more and look for moar Dosto stuff. It didn't make me feel bored or anything.>Did you relate to the underground man? Cringe at him? Hate him? All of them?Pretty much all of them. I was similar to him during my teen years (that description of the vulgarity of the school boys was just great), I now realize it was dumb and a waste of time and energy, that I was just coping by looking at the bad things of others and the world instead of focusing on being better myself. I was not cringing on the man, but who I was. I'm still kinda like him, but slowly improving.>Did you find the book funny? Or sad?Sad.>Did you understand the schizobabble in part I? Did you understand part II? Did you give up on it?I won't say I understood neither of it, but it was good and made me think.>Any unrelated reflections you want to share?...The MC was just not a religious man, not one blinded by the dumb anthropocentrism of the secular world, this idea that the clothed monkey is somehow a god that will solve everything with his "reason"; the underground man knew humans are not like that, we're moved by lust, animal desires, by the unconscious; we claim our independence from gods while worshipping idols such as "reason", "historical materialism", "the market", "progress" and many others. The hybris of the fools shall be punished by a man-made hell.There are some other things I might have to say, maybe I'll share them later.
>>82910439Probably due to my tiktok doomscroll brainrot I only read a third of it, could not bother finishing it and without a clear/structured plotline i didn't find it entertaining enough. How do you find it? Also this time I recommend Kafka's The Trial, mainstream, i know, but if someone here likes absurdist surreal books they would likely enjoy it.
>>82911102>I just wanna start my reply sayin' that I really appreciate these threads and I'll come here in every single one of them because I really see the value in it.That's nice! Thank you anony!>It was great, it's a simple and great short novel that really gives more desire to read more and look for moar Dosto stuff. It didn't make me feel bored or anything.That's good to hear! I also enjoyed it>Pretty much all of them.... I'm still kinda like him, but slowly improvingYeah same, I think from what I've seen online the book is supposed to criticize young Russian nihilists of the time and it's pretty much the same thing today>Sad.Yeah, but I also found it funny too! I like how honest he's being about his thought process. How he knows perfectly when he's just acting, and stopping in his act would be even more cringe, so he keeps digging that hole. He's literally me>I won't say I understood neither of it, but it was good and made me think.Yeah I forgot most of part 1 personally lol>The MC was just not a religious man..... The hybris of the fools shall be punished by a man-made hellYeah you're right, it critiques the hubris of utopian rationalism, and this idea of freedom, and all these impulses are all sources of suffering, isolation and internal torment.Sorry I can't bounce on more of what you say because I just agree lol.>>82911160Yeah it's got a clearer narrative in part II, I also had trouble starting part I, I had to get my brain going to get used to the rambliness.My thoughts incoming, field too long
>>82910464Somewhat agree. I only use audiobooks when I don't have great expectations but still want to give a book a chance, or it is a really simple one and there is no need to stop and think about what I just read.>>82911040I fail because I am disorganised with my free time. I did like the Dosto I've read in the past and surely would like that one too. I will read it later, it is waiting on my self anyway.
>>82911160I thought the book was funny and sad at the same time. It's like a mirror into the worst tendencies of doomers, who end up pushing people away (a lot of time on purpose in a self-destructive manner) because of their view of the world, others, and themselves. You can't help but laugh at the underground man when he keeps saying that he'll do something, but for real this time, for sure this time, and then he just ends up not doing. And when he's in a hole, he keeps digging, even when he knows he should stop, but he can't.He's also a man of constant contradictions, and a man of many moods that are ever-so changing.He's saying something, gets into fights with the reader inside his head, then concedes and say he didn't really believe about any of what he just said.His views on people is completely skewed by imaginary scenarios he makes up of them. Of internal debates he has. Like whenever you're debating somebody inside your head. He does this sometimes for people who don't even know he exists.He envies men of action, but he thinks they're intellectually inferior to him. He does nothing with his life, he actively sabotages it, but justifies it by his intellect.Overall the Patrick Bateman of autismo NEETs.And sure I'll add it to the list! Also welcome back Storm of Steel anon! No more Storm of Steel this time if it doesn't win or should I add it to the next poll?>>82911228Yeah sure, that's understandable! This one is written differently than the other one I read. It's much more disjointed (on purpose)
Also sorry if I take a while to respond in general and from now on. I'm slow brained and I'm actually doing something right now (bad timing for the thread but I didn't know it at the time lol)But I'll respond to every comment that talks directly to me so fret not
I would like to suggest Nausea by Sartre for next poll. I got the book recommended to me recently and am very curious about it. I guess it is a little similar to Notes in theme, maybe?If there is no limit to suggestions per anon, I would like to add Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. I read it many years ago. Remember it being easy and fun at times but also kinda weird.>>82911282>I'm slow brainedaren't we all?
>>82911404>I would like to suggest Nausea by Sartre for next poll. I got the book recommended to me recently and am very curious about it. I guess it is a little similar to Notes in theme, maybe?Sure I'll add it! Yeah I heard it was also a le relatable book. "Hell is other people" as he said, apparently.>If there is no limit to suggestions per anon, I would like to add Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. I read it many years ago. Remember it being easy and fun at times but also kinda weird.Okay sure! I know nothing about it personally! >aren't we all?Well I don't know, maybe there are some fast-brained retards among us. Bordering on schizophrenia maybe
>>82910439Bumping threaderino to potentially get more voterinos for the pollerino
>>82911974Ooooh ho ho ho thank you Mr. Storm. That is very sweet of you to go out of your way to help an old man down on his luck.Anyways, you didn't respond to me you scoundrel! Should I add Storm of Steel to the next poll if it doesn't win this one? (It's winning rn but you never know)
>>82912094(In case Mr. Storm passes away in the meantime and doesn't respond, I will add it to the next poll as if he recommended it again, unless he tells me otherwise)
>>82912094>Ooooh ho ho ho thank you Mr. Storm. That is very sweet of you to go out of your way to help an old man down on his luck.No worries buddy>Anyways, you didn't respond to me you scoundrel! Should I add Storm of Steel to the next poll if it doesn't win this one? (It's winning rn but you never know)Oh shit I forgot sorry. Eh, I will leave it to you, it could get annoying to see it in every poll, i think if it fails now we can move on. I recommended it with the idea that it could appeal to and benefit bots who are into history/military stuff, but others looking for deeper themes and topics might find it boring. For a stream of consciousness book it is amazing.This is why I want to also recommend The Master and Margarita (to have more poll options as well), i think it's both very easy to read and fun, yet features biblical themes and interesting characters. The fun is trying to find out what the fuck is happening as you read it. For some reason I have seen it lumped with the "performative male literature", but eh who gives a shit it's a nice book.
>>82910464there was some old guy that had her wife read books to him while he did stuff so it's basically that
>>82912397>Oh shit I forgot sorry. Eh, I will leave it to you, it could get annoying to see it in every poll, i think if it fails now we can move on. I recommended it with the idea that it could appeal to and benefit bots who are into history/military stuff, but others looking for deeper themes and topics might find it boring. For a stream of consciousness book it is amazing.Well in this poll it seems pretty popular. Only one bot didn't vote for it. And I wanna read it too so I'll keep it if it loses, at least for the next one! >This is why I want to also recommend The Master and Margarita (to have more poll options as well), i think it's both very easy to read and fun, yet features biblical themes and interesting characters. The fun is trying to find out what the fuck is happening as you read it. For some reason I have seen it lumped with the "performative male literature", but eh who gives a shit it's a nice book.Sure I'll add it! I'll also probably add my own rec in there to fill it up, if I don't forget. I know very little about this book
>>82912570>45 participants>13 participants>6 participantsThis makes me sad.
>>82912685Yeah I was telling myself that there'll be three of us at the end lol. But I'll shill the next poll in-between this time (if I remember). I'll open it for a few weeks I guess, so I can invest in people joining for the december thread.... Which I now remember that FUCK I forgot to ask people for Christmas specific books! I was like oh it's november so it's fine no you RETARD it's for the december thread!!! So yeah I'll add a bunch of Christmas books alongside the other recs.Anyways.It's just that this time I didn't remind people it was happening as much as last time. I think people who don't know about this think they can't join in-between weeks. So I'll try that to see if it can pick up steam instead of just losing people, instead of getting new participants.Otherwise well I tried lolMaybe I'll try to make it seem like this is a heckin special Christmas event.
>>82912861>So I'll try that to see if it can pick up steam instead of just losing people, instead of getting new participantsI'm re-reading what I wrote now and I meant "but instead get new participants"*I'm ESLing hard. Gomen
>>82912861>It's just that this time I didn't remind people it was happening as much as last time. I think people who don't know about this think they can't join in-between weeks. So I'll try that to see if it can pick up steam instead of just losing people, instead of getting new participants.Yeah it appears some think this is about Jojo when they see SBR. Many of the initial 45 voters probably just forgot or did not have enough free time, on the other hand we are on r9k of all places, full of autistic neets, but who knows.The Christmas special is a nice idea and could attract new bots.
>>82912995>Yeah it appears some think this is about Jojo when they see SBRNow that I think about it maybe I should add the JoJo Purple Haze light novel to the poll lol. But hey if them thinking it's about JoJo gets them to click on my thread then that's a win.>Many of the initial 45 voters probably just forgot or did not have enough free time, on the other hand we are on r9k of all places, full of autistic neets, but who knows.Yeah I think it's a combination of 1. they forgot, 2. they didn't finish the book, 3. they're too lazy to even try lol.1 month is a long time so it's easy to forget but weekly would've ensured that nobody would have read the thingy.>The Christmas special is a nice idea and could attract new bots.Yup yup, betting on that
>>82911102>There are some other things I might have to say, maybe I'll share them later.The work was, as >>82911226 pointed out, the work was a response to many "enlightened" ideas of the time; the main target was Chernyshevsky and his "What Is to Be Done?", very influential among revolutionaries at the to the point of Lenin himself writing a book with the same name. Due to it being the most famous and relevant of all of those 19th century giga-autismus, it's the best one to look at and see what this so called "positive", the "progress" is all about.The dialectic is a not a god, but an idol; not a science but a myth. Karl Popper himself saw it and pointed out the unfalsifiability of it, anything goes and can be seen as evidence of it being "right"; Georges Sorel also realized it and wrote about its potential not as a way to explain the world, but to mobilize and control the masses towards a revolution. It's a priest wearing a lab coat instead of a cassock, an inversion, religious fanaticism. And there is also this so called "class consciousness", they describe it as some kind of gnosis to free the elected from the tyranny of the Demiurge, because our "theory" is so awesome you will inevitably agree with us if you understand it, people who disagree with us are just ugly, dumb and retarded, right?Utopians are arrogant and don't hesitate in calling others "backwards", "counter-revolutionary" and "reactionary"; if trying to "emancipate" fish from water is the new deal, call me "backwards"; if a childish revolt against reality itself is the revolution, call me "counter-revolutionary"; if a guy invades my house and starts breaking everything, my desire will be not to praise, but to REACT and shoot him.These individuals are, above all, products of a bourgeois and decadent society; they are not a true antithesis to the current rule of the merchants, but a similar kind of materialistic garbage, economism and cringe autismus.
>>82913250Wow damn I better step my game up and come up with something half as interesting to say for the next book. We got a big-brained one among us (!). Very interesting. Yeah utopian revolutionaries are blind fanatics whom you must either follow or be declared an enemy. Either you're with them or against them. They don't want anything standing in the way of their perfect utopia and are ready to destroy everything to rebuild society from scratch, instead of using what their ancestors spent millenia to build as a base to change things in a more gradual matter, they want to completely turn the world upside down as if history didn't exist (probably because most of them don't know it well, or have a very skewed vision of it and all of its variations that made the world they live in what it is). They don't take any old society as example, they want something that's never been done and they are ready to burn everything in their path.
>>82913250>The work was, as >>82911226 # pointed out, the workDamn, I need to reread more the stuff I write.Btw, I'd like to suggest Milton's Paradise Lost for the next pool.>>82913438>We got a big-brained one among us (!)Thanks! I'm not really smart as you say, but my goal is to read a lot and become.>they are ready to burn everything in their pathYes, and having peaceful conversations and debates is usually a dumb decision. The liberal "marketplace of ideas" is nonsense.
>>82913756Yeah I noticed the typo but I thought you were scared of me losing track of where the sentence was going after you introduced what was in-between the two commas (like with em dashes if you get my drift). But authors usually repeat themselves after introducing things in the middle of their sentence when they make a long digression lol. And sure I'll add it to the poll. That's a heckin classic and a half.>Thanks! I'm not really smart as you say, but my goal is to read a lot and become.Yeah me too. I don't necessarily look for "knowledge" but moreso eloquence and deeper knowledge of my language since I always say sentences that make absolutely zero sense. And I noticed that I'm better at it after reading a book. I do look for knowledge too though, just hurts my brain a lil. Some books give my brain some ugly wrinkles if you get what I shmean. Also higher creativity. I got a bigger pool of inspiration.>Yes, and having peaceful conversations and debates is usually a dumb decision. The liberal "marketplace of ideas" is nonsense.Yeah, I feel like it's like this with most people in general too. They're all making us retarded so most people are just parroting without having any suffecient knowledge to back anything up. We all know what happened to the last guy who tried to debate kek.
Bumperino o algo.
>>82914530Oooh merci gozaimasu senorita. Reminder that the shorter book wins if there's a tie(-rino)
>~~~~~~~~~RESULTS ARE IN!>WE HAVE A WINNERWE HAVE A WINNER>WE HAVE A WINNERWE HAVE A WINNERSince the tie-breaker depends on the length of the book as stated...Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger wins the third poll on the /SBR/ general!!OMEDETOU ERUNESTO-KUN!!!!>*pachi pachi pachi pachi*This shall surely please Mr. Storm.>*laughter*See you everybody on the 22nd to discuss it!!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04854XqcfCY
>>82915742Let's fucking go!That will be an interesting one.
>>82916146So it seems Mr. Stormain't, so it seems.We're going to war.
(I, the OP, will leave soon to go to sleep but if there are some new posts I might respond if I'm not able to sleep or I'll read them when I wake up)
>>82915742>check amazon>dozens of editions>AI slop for covers everywhere>some costing 50 euros or more>the safest choice is a fucking Penguin modern classicsGuess I'm gonna have to read a pdf like a poorfag.
