Reader discussion: Chéri

Public reader discussion about Chéri in the WeRead Catalog by Colette.

Why do we have a lot of self-help books on the best-selling bookshelves? In your experience, do self-help books really help? How do they help you?

By fish-wandering1980

A lot of people seem really hungry for help and real advice on how to deal with life and grow. But whenever I pick up self-help books, it feels like it’s the same story over and over. They could honestly fit the main points in like a couple pages, but they’re always 200+ pages. And half the time the “advice” is stuff I already know—common sense. So I’m honestly wondering why these books get pushed so hard. Have you actually found that self-help books help in a real way? If yes, what’s been useful to you personally?

I find myself reading words wrong, realising what I just read didn't make sense, and having to go back and re-read the sentence.

By clover-pepper1990

Sorry if this is a weird place to ask, but I didn’t know where else to start. I’ve gotten back into reading lately, and I keep running into this thing where I’ll read a word one way, and then the sentence just doesn’t click. I end up going back and re-reading and then I spot the word I messed up. Like the other day I read: “Market Forces… claims the bank still has not proved…” but I somehow read “proved” as “provided,” so the whole sentence felt off. Does anyone else have this happen? Is it pretty normal, or am I just overthinking it / is something weird going on with me?

I’ve never liked reading but I want to. Should I keep trying?

By BeaverAnnotation1980

I’m mostly trying to read more because I want to get better at writing. I’ve given a bunch of different genres a shot, but I don’t think I’ve ever finished a book and actually loved it. I’ve read stuff like Crime and Punishment and The Metamorphosis, but Kafka’s style really wasn’t for me and Crime and Punishment felt way too long. I’ve tried YA and fantasy too. Vicious by V.E. Schwab is probably the best fantasy book I’ve read, but even then I don’t think I’d ever reread it. It usually takes me weeks, maybe even months, to get through one book. The one weird exception was Misery by Stephen King, which I read straight through in one night back in 7th grade. I’ve tried other books by him, but he gets into so much detail about the setting and tiny things that I just don’t care about. I started trying to get into reading in 9th grade, and now I’m in 12th. I still basically have to make myself pick up a book. Maybe reading just isn’t really for me? I don’t know. Let me know, please. Thanks :) Edit: kind of confused why this is getting so many downvotes. I’m honestly just wondering if reading is something I’m actually into or not.

English Literature Degree

By BraveRabbit

Hey everyone! I’m a student and I’m really into books. I keep thinking I might major in English Literature because it feels like something I’d actually be good at. I do enjoy science too, but nothing grabs me the way literature does. I’m currently taking AP Lit and I love it. The only thing is where I’m from, English lit jobs don’t seem very common, so I’m kind of leaning toward law school after undergrad—especially if I end up majoring in English. I’m just worried that studying it more seriously might take away the fun of it, like it’ll turn into “work” and I’ll start resenting it. I don’t want to lose the way I love reading right now. For anyone who’s majored in English: how was it for you? Did it mess with how you see literature, and did it make reading feel more like a chore? Or was it still enjoyable? Thank you! I’d really love to hear how it went for you :)

Looking for book recommendations for my book club that won't leave me feeling angry and depressed!

By tiny_mirror6

My group tends to pick really heavy memoir-type stuff, but I’m honestly not in the mood for that lately. Life already feels like a lot, so I want something that’s a little more of an escape, but I’m picky about it. I’m not into romance or fantasy, though I’ll read sci-fi if it’s actually good. And the writing matters a ton to me—I feel like a lot of books lately just aren’t very well done. The stuff I’ve liked before includes Cloud Atlas, Recursion (even if it’s kind of “fluffy,” it was still super addictive), pretty much anything by David Foster Wallace aside from Infinite Jest—I couldn’t get through that one, but I really love his essays and short stories. Also An Instance of the Fingerpost and Everything Is Illuminated. Any recommendations for what I should bring to the group? Thanks!

What are the book awards that you trust?

By midnightPath1995

On the A Canticle for Leibowitz thread I’ve seen a bunch of people (me included) point out that it won a Hugo, and that somehow makes it feel like it’s probably a pretty good book. But when I was just browsing Hugo winners, it looked like there are quite a few “gone and forgotten” types, plus some books that sound like total stinkers. And yeah, someone even basically wrote off the whole 2023 list. I’ve also heard good things about the Arthur C. Clarke Award as a signal. And for the Booker Prize, my take is it almost never lines up with stuff I actually want to read, though I’ll admit there are exceptions—like Iain Banks and Roddy Doyle. So, fellow readers, which awards do you actually trust? And do you think they’re mostly hit-or-miss?

I am Andrew Sean Greer, author of LESS and THE CONFESSIONS OF MAX TIVOLI, among other novels. AMA!

By hawkWandering8606

I’m the person behind six fiction books, like *Less* (Pulitzer winner), *Confessions of Max Tivoli* (bestselling), plus *The Path of Minor Planets*, *How It Was For Me*, *The Story of a Marriage*, and *The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells*. I’ve also taught writing at a bunch of schools, including the Iowa Writers Workshop. I grew up as an identical twin in the suburbs of DC—my dad and mom were scientists—and I’m in San Francisco now. If you want to find me, I’m on Twitter and Instagram (u/agreer and u/asgreer). Proof is here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CB6H7W\_Bc8K/?utm\_source=ig\_web\_copy\_link

C.J. Cherryh

By snow-story5

I’ve heard so many people sing C.J. Cherryh’s praises for years, and I finally started. I went with Port Eternity and Voyager in the Night. Port Eternity was just okay—kinda slow at times, but I actually liked how it wrapped up. Voyager in the Night, though… I really didn’t like it at all. I’ve got Cuckoo’s Egg sitting on my shelf, but I’m gonna pause on her for a bit. Now I’m wondering if I just randomly picked two duds, or if her whole vibe just isn’t for me. What I usually go for is neat alien culture stuff, first-contact with different alien societies, and I’m always a sucker for friends hanging out on a spaceship. For reference, I’ve enjoyed Haldemann, Scalzi, Becky Chambers, the Bobiverse, the Culture books, and the Expanse. Does anyone have a Cherryh recommendation that might click with that kind of taste, or should I just accept she’s not my thing? Also, side note: Port Eternity had way better prose and description than I expected for sci-fi from that era.

Suggest me “lesser known” classics under 400 pages

By Lazy_Velvet39362

Are there any good translated novels/foreign fiction written by women you’d recommend? I’m usually down for romance or more introspective stuff, but I’m not super into reading about cowboys or military themes. Also when you say “lesser known,” I’m thinking stuff that isn’t talked about as much in everyday reading circles. I’m looking for something engaging that I can get through in one sitting, if possible—thanks!

Colette: The most beloved French writer of all time

By amberfrog40

I read her stuff a long time ago, basically all the Claudine books. I was going down a rabbit hole about women whose writing got taken by men—often their husbands—and women who published under male pen names. And from what I remember, her first husband ended up taking credit for her early books, like the Claudine ones.

I'm Cheri Radke, author of AN ACCIDENT OF DRAGONS, out this week from Erewhon. AMA!

By WildHeron1980

Hey, fantasy folks! AN ACCIDENT OF DRAGONS is my first novel, and it came out this Tuesday. Seeing it on shelves for the first time this week has honestly been kind of unreal, and I’m still a little blown away by all of it. I’m in northern California with my husband and cat, and when I’m not reading or writing, I’m usually out hiking or just being outside. Book info: In theory, the Summer dragoness can pick any person on her island to be ruler if the old Lord Summer dies without an heir. But nobody really thought she’d choose Teddy, the late lord’s middle-aged fancy man. Teddy has sharp humor, lots of charm, and great taste in clothes, but politics, family background, and proper manners are definitely not his thing. Still, he did his part for the island, and his five-year-old daughter, Zinnia, is supposed to grow up into a great Lady Summer someday. Then a ship full of desperate mainland thieves shows up, Zinnia gets swept into the chaos and taken hostage, and Teddy heads straight into a rescue attempt, even though his mainland adventure days are long over with his lover. His sailors have never even been to their destination, and the stern admiral in charge thinks Teddy is basically useless. Between a sneaky robber baron, a sorceress who’s already mastered her own dragon, and regular people with everything on the line, the odds are awful. But with everyone he loves in danger, Teddy has to show there’s more to him than he ever meant to reveal. My instagram is here: https://www.instagram.com/cheriradke/ Book landing page here: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/cheriradke/ Picture of me and a cat tax: https://preview.redd.it/je4drroq7cyg1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=faa02f7a8ca46363c5853b71f298e1cd68ffe65c https://preview.redd.it/zwtfmtoq7cyg1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=58970015239ec0013c12e37a66d280ba3ba76ea4 EDIT: If you find this later, or think of a question after reading the book and want to come back, go ahead and ask anytime. I’m a real redditor and I plan to keep this account around, so I should see questions when they come up.

[deleted by user]

By folioSpark1991

Looks like /r/Books might be a better place for this. /r/SuggestMeABook is mostly for asking for book recs from other people. There are also some handy posts linked there already, like beginner/veteran/expert suggestions, what to read after Harry Potter, books like Game of Thrones, best books of 2019, and stuff like that. They also list some related book subreddits if you want more places to look, plus the posting rules about spoilers, what kinds of submissions aren’t allowed, and comments that get removed. If you think something got filtered by mistake, you can message the mods.