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I'm ngl I've forgotten many parts of the story, I dozed off in others, and it was difficult to understand but I still really enjoyed the experience of reading Swann's Way. Now that we're in the middle of summer I'm remembering this book because that's the season where it takes place. I long for my summers to be as languid as I felt it was in the book, where I can just lounge around outside, take strolls, and be curious about strangers. Speaking of taking strolls, that part of the book where Marcel takes evening walks with his family felt startingly personal because I do the same every single dayyy. When I graduate I'm going to miss all these mundane routines with family and current life in general. Reading Swann's Way is comforting for me and I wish transported into that world. I'm definitely going to re-read it and I also have the other books to slowly get through. If anyone has any similar books to recommend please lmk!!
Aug 1, 2024
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if you enjoy heartfelt, life-changing, engrossing, and beautiful novels, Proust is for you.
Mar 25, 2025
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By Zweig I read The World of Yesterday, which was a good way to get into the head of late 1800s/early 1900s Europe, though felt very skimmable at times (not into personal memoirs much). I just started Proust's third volume, The Guermantes Way, which I am really enjoying.
Mar 11, 2024
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okay before you say anything- ik its terribly excruciating and arduous to read a gazillion pages about how a certain fella cant go to sleep properly, but STICK WITH IT TRUST ME. Reading Proust is like having an extremely sugary tart. Yes too much of it can be sickening and nauseating, but yet youโll still crave for it for some reason (just realised im only speaking on behalf of my fellow sweet toothed people, but hopefully u get my point lol). Yes, you wonโt remember the start of every sentence and you will be baffled by what the guyโs trying to say at times, but heโll still lure u in, cuz heโll remind u why u fell in love with literature in the first place.
May 17, 2025
Top Recs from @toastietoes
I just tried it for the first time and it was amazing, it's pretty much a milkshake. I didn't know what to expect because the packaging made it look slightly unappetizing and I was expecting it to taste like watery peanut juice, but it was surprisingly thick and creamy!? I later learned this drink is popular in the Caribbean and easily homemade so I want to try making it myself instead of drinking it from a package next time.
Aug 2, 2024
You know that meme where it goes "Inside of me there are two wolves"? Well, that is essentially one of the main themes of the novel Steppenwolf, a book that I hold dear to myself and which I view as a window into my soul. The book taught me how to be at peace with the complexities of my identity and that of others. Our souls are not a singular entity, nor are our souls made up of two pieces (or wolves according to the meme), but rather our souls are like a shattered mirror with numerous or even infinite fragments that make up who we are. We are made up of so many different pieces that we often feel like we are contradicting and betraying ourselves when we make certain decisions or behave in certain ways. So how do we deal with this struggle? For me, Steppenwolf through its magical journey gave me a simple answer: let loose and be free. Just as the main character Harry Haller hates jazz but learns how to dance to it and enjoy the atmosphere the music creates. Learn to not see things in black and white; learn to not see yourself in black and white. You can enjoy many different things, you can value many different things, and they might contradict each other, but don't struggle in trying to logically sort yourself out. The same goes for how you perceive others โ you might not fully understand them or agree with them, but you can still enjoy someone with a different perspective.
Our existence, body and soul, is inherently contradictory, as the novel states: "As a body everyone is single, as a soul never." It's something we simply must accept.
Jul 29, 2024
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This month I fell in love with Mojave 3, especially their album Excuses for Travellers. The songs are slow and serene but also have some sort of country folk twist with their acoustic guitars and vocals. This album especially makes me want to move to the countryside and take a drive out on the open road, but instead, I'm studying for exams UGHHH. My fav songs on the album are My Life is Art and Trying to Reach You.
Aug 19, 2024