Spoilers should always be hidden using spoiler blur. Remember to mark clearly what the spoiler is referring to, so people know when itās safe to open (eg what part of the book itās referring to, whether itās speculation, etc)
Feel free to read ahead if itās exciting, but please refrain from spoiling ahead of the appropriate week.
Similarly, if you fall behind youāre still very welcome to post in this thread whenever you get to this weekās reading. Many members will have the thread on watching and will be happy to see your posts and reply, even a long time after the club has ended.
Questions on vocab, grammar, nuance, and the like are both welcome and encouraged. Weāre all here to learn, and questions very often lead to interesting insights. No question is silly or too basic.
Participate: post about anything that comes to mind: how you like the book, how easy or hard youāre finding it, speculations about future developments, thoughts on specific plot points or characters, questions on comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, culture, anything! Lively book clubs are more fun, and every question, every opinion is valid and welcome, as long as itās phrased nicely and respectfully towards others.
Polls
Are you reading along with us?
Yes!
Iām reading at my own pace
Iām just here for the discussion
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(I thought Iād experiment with a 2-poll idea I read on WK. The above poll is for measuring club participation. The poll below is so that you can mark your personal progress regarding this weekās section if you want. You can update whenever and as often as you like:)
Went to bed and thought I should maybe read the first chapter of this weekās portion, but I didnāt manage to stop before I reached this weekās end
The story sticks with its light-hearted and funny tone even when our lawyer kills his idiotic client And just as before, it stops on a cliffhanger I gotta love our scheduleā¦
Oh by the way while showering this morning I reflected on the book and I realized that I have a hard time taking the writing seriouslyā¦ like, it feels quite self-ironic and/or self-mocking to me. A bit like 赤å·ę¬”é maybe? Thatās probably why I donāt take any issue in his spiteful descriptions of everybody except his daughter? I was wondering whether this is just me (maybe Iām not used to German books any more? ) or whether other Natives or even other language learners feel the same?
Finished this weekās section. That was an ā¦ interesting development
And next week we get to cut up a body! Yay! Mindfully, of course. Because when youāre cutting up a body, youāre cutting up a body.
Why would you take it seriously? Itās written tongue in cheek from beginning to end. I mean, even the title canāt be taken seriously. 赤å·ę¬”é is a good comparison I think. I read one of his where the bodies piled up so high you wouldnāt believe, and of course there was nothing to take seriously there either. Looking forward to the bodies increasing here too.
Nah, what got me really thinking was the serious discussion about our protag depicting women in an arrogant way. That discussion felt very serious to me, and so I somehow questioned my sense of lightheartedness and over-the-top-ness and irony in the authorās style / the protagās thoughts. Thatās all
But if you also perceive it as non-serious, then Iām assured again
The book is in first person, so weāre reading the main characterās thoughts, and main characters get to be as flawed as they like. Being dismissive and judgemental is probably the least problematic aspect of his character and behaviour
I kind of regret bringing that up last thread because I feel I couldnāt get my point across right. Iām not ignorant that this isnāt a serious book, and that the pov character influences the writing. I felt the depiction of women was off despite this. But since I am alone in thinking the way or do, I will keep it to myself going forward. For this weeks portion the matter wasnāt relevant anyhow.
It never bothered me because I never noticed before you mentioned it. I would definitely have noticed if the book was third person and seriously written, which is why i mentioned these two points. I guess that for me, Iād need to read a completely different book by this author to form an opinion on whether this reflects his own views or only, and deliberately, the main characterās.
But I want to say again that all views are welcome and there does not need to be a consensus on anything, weāre just having a friendly discussion here. Please donāt hesitate (and definitely donāt regret) bringing up any thoughts because you feel others may not agree. This would make for a poorer book club experience for everyone.
Oh no, please donāt! I really liked your point and it made me reflect about what you said. I know that Iām pretty ignorant regarding the issue you brought up, and so I am grateful whenever I get the opportunity about othersā opinions that are different from mine.
Also I just wanted to ask if there were any words that people couldnāt find? I remember that the word āLaschenā was used which I consider a dialect word and not proper German. Did yāall find out its meaning? It means Ohrfeige i.e. slap in the face.
Just searched for it but could not find it even - probably because it also has a very different meaning in German. But I found the somewhat more elaborate word Ohrlasche | Synonyme ā korrekturen.de in various synonyms lists.
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And just as before, it stops on a cliffhanger 
I gotta love our scheduleā¦
) or whether other Natives or even other language learners feel the same?
(but being native, context tells me all I need to know)