r/books • u/AutoModerator • 22d ago

WeeklyThread Simple Questions: September 22, 2026

Welcome readers,

Have you ever wanted to ask something but you didn't feel like it deserved its own post but it isn't covered by one of our other scheduled posts? Allow us to introduce you to our new Simple Questions thread! Twice a week, every Tuesday and Saturday, a new Simple Questions thread will be posted for you to ask anything you'd like. And please look for other questions in this thread that you could also answer! A reminder that this is not the thread to ask for book recommendations. All book recommendations should be asked in /r/suggestmeabook or our Weekly Recommendation Thread.

Thank you and enjoy!

14 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

5

u/[deleted] 22d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

12

u/spinazie25 22d ago

Depends on the person I think, but I thought it was worth it reading Dorian Grey. The plot and the language are not all there is to a book. And I thought I knew the plot - I knew only the bare bones, the summary. And the most interesting part - I didn't know about and it's value is in walking through it, not in knowing the bottom line.

2

u/[deleted] 22d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/myshellly 22d ago

I have to say that with Dorian Gray, the way the plot is represented in popular culture isn’t the same as the plot of the book. Reading it made me realize how widely misunderstood the book is. Frankenstein is fairly short.

1

u/YakSlothLemon 22d ago

Get the uncensored version! It was discovered in 2013 and it is so much better than the “traditional” book.

1

u/fraochmuir 21d ago

Holy I didn’t know this. I read DG in the ‘80’s so I need to reread it.

1

u/YakSlothLemon 21d ago

It’s so different, and the nice thing is that the uncensored version comes with an essay on the censorship and what was changed. Weirdly, part of the censorship was adding material to dilute the punch, the original is 13 chapters and the censored version is 20 – I know, weird, but he was also expanding it to a book at the same time that he was taking out more and more material that shocked people when it first came out.

Anyway, it’s a leaner, meaner read than you remember from the 80s. I also read it back then and I was thrilled with the uncensored version!

1

u/fraochmuir 21d ago

Anything by Oscar Wilde is SO good.
I highly recommend reading Dorian Grey.

7

u/Impressive-Peace2115 22d ago

I read Frankenstein and thought it was definitely worth it - even though I knew pieces of the story, the way that the author told it was very rich and she was clearly touching on a variety of social issues, which made for interesting discussion in the book club I was reading it for.

Maybe it would help to look at some of the background of the author and the time period? Personally, I would be interested in The Picture of Dorian Gray because of Oscar Wilde and his famous trial and imprisonment for homosexuality (I recently read De Profundis and some of his short stories) - I know one of his novels was quoted in the trial, I can't remember if it was Dorian Gray or another.

5

u/YakSlothLemon 22d ago

First off, get the Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray which was discovered in 2013 and published by Harvard University press, it is so much better than the traditional censored version.

And it’s not a big reveal in the story at the end, what the portrait can do. Gray figures it out very quickly. That’s what the book is about- whether what he then chooses to do is because of the portrait, or is the fault in him?

Frankenstein – you probably don’t actually know the plot, you just think you do, unless you’ve seen a really faithful movie adaptation.

Dracula – epistolary novel, it is so much fun to read! Who doesn’t like reading someone else’s diary?

As someone else said, it’s the journey, not the destination. But then I’m someone who’s read The Shining half a dozen times and had the crap scared out of me every single time. 😏😱

2

u/[deleted] 21d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/YakSlothLemon 21d ago

You’re welcome, enjoy!

And definitely check out the classic film version of Dorian after you read the book, they did a great job of it, especially the reveal of the portrait.

5

u/Cute-Solution-723 22d ago

You can always just not finish the book. I would say it's often really worth it though. These books are classics for a reason. 

5

u/MarmadukeTheGreat 22d ago

Books are more than just the plot. Its about the writing, the prose. The way that reading it makes you feel. If plot is the beginning and end of it why read them at all. Just look it up on wikipedia.

3

u/ButchInTheHeather 22d ago

I read Frankenstein at the beginning of this year, and it became one of my all time favourites. I thought I knew a lot of the premise due to our popular culture, but turned out that most things in the story was completely news to me. I truly recommend it

1

u/fraochmuir 21d ago

Dracula isn’t that long of a book if I remember correctly. I read it in the ‘80’s so I could be wrong. But it is scary. 😱 (I’m also a horror wimp so…..)

1

u/Gwaur 21d ago

People reread books they're already read many times anyway.

1

u/mockdogmoon 21d ago

Basically echoing what others have said, but I really do think it depends what you want out of them. I'm interested in the structures and conventions of gothic novels, so both Dracula and Frankenstein fit my interests there. I also used Frankenstein as a jumping-off point for reading about the science and culture of the time (the Penguin edition has some nice notes, and Making the Monster, by Kathryn Harkup is interesting if you like the idea of the background science of the time.)

Dracula also has a cowboy. Which is an interesting commentary but also just, like, really funny.

1

u/Contrary45 17d ago

I wiuld argue that neither Dracula or Frankenstein's plots are extremely well known, both books are extremly different than what most people think of them as. Either way both books are literary masterpieces and should be read anyway

4

u/RandomnewUser_22 22d ago

This is the first time I've been keeping up with the booker prize and although I haven't read anything from the longlist, I would love to hear from those who have

1

u/Impressive-Peace2115 21d ago

I recommend searching the sub for 'Booker Prize', since there have been some posts about it. This one might be a good start, since it's specifically about the progress people have made in reading the longlist.

1

u/cheatherhad 21d ago

Can someone tell me if Hollywood, Ending by John Green is depressing? Can black it out if you need, yes or no, or scale of 1-10?

0

u/7chill_hj 21d ago

https://youtube.com/shorts/frEL9_NBaEY?si=wTXdMxHSKRHv6tyf.  I just saw this video and the recommendation looks good but I'm not sure where to start any help please 

1

u/Impressive-Peace2115 21d ago

I would start by looking up the books on a site like Storygraph or Goodreads to get a sense of the genres and which looks the most interesting to you. Then I would check availability for the books I'm interested in, because I tend to get my books from my local library, though I know that isn't a universal option.

0

u/7chill_hj 21d ago

Have u read any of these books the creator recommended.. I'm usually into Thriller and romantasy and a bit into non spicy contemporary romance 

1

u/duameegee 19d ago

I’m not a romance or romantasy reader and generally don’t read spice. But if you like contemporary non spicy romance, look into Katherine Center. The Bodyguard is really good and funny, kind of like watching a romcom.
Emily Henry is another popular author that I can recommend, low spice but not too much