So in Confederation America (1780s) there was the Anarchiad, a satiric epic poem that for the most part is tedious because I’m not into that kind of literature.
However, there are chunks of it motivated by extremely Confederation problems, like fighting over whether or not paper money should be accepted and/or states should be able to issue their own.
I borrow a lot of books from the library after placing a hold, so even though I pick them up at my home library, they’re originally from other branch libraries in the @sfpl system.
so going forward, I’m going to start returning them to their branch libraries of origin until I’ve visited all the different locations.
today: returning Hernán Díaz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Trust to the Excelsior branch. It’s the best thing I’ve read this year.
@eniatitova@bookstodon I really enjoyed Time’s Mouth. I stalled out of her previous novel, California, and am thinking of revisiting it. Have you read that one?
Another really popular author whom I have never read anything by. I have a few of his & have been thinking about starting with this one. Fantasy is my least (tied with YA and self-help) favorite genre. That being said, I’m willing to give it a try.
@Abibliophobia@likewise@bookstodon It is my conviction that there is probably a book for each of us in every single genre. It's just finding that match.
@likewise@bookstodon I think romance is the genre I read the least amount of. I can get sucked into a Jane Austen retelling or a Casey McQuiston book though.
@owlislost@bookstodon I’m going spy/assassin thriller this weekend by reading Damascus Station by David McCloskey (which is not great but I think I’ll stick with it) and listening to Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (fun so far).
Sitting weird on a book that I enjoyed and it was fine. But also not sure how I feel about finding the author has used exclusively AI art to promote it. I'm not trying to be a Luddite here. Sincerely. My daytime career is in tech. AI is a tool, but used in this way? Feels weird? Curious what @smutstodon and @bookstodon thinks
Ok, if you're in a book club and the book really doesn't speak to you...do you force yourself to finish it?
Maybe a result of being in the middle of a lengthy and serious writing project, but I've bounced out of a lot of books this year, and a lot of them have been from book club. Maybe I should be pushing myself more, but this isn't grad school, so...I don't know.
@pretensesoup@bookstodon
I do my best. I don’t always succeed. My attitude is that my friends make the effort to read what I choose. The least I can do is return the favor.
in the book clubs i participated in, there were always people who didn't read the book, they still showed up & helped out with the ritual drinking of the wine
i think if they're NEVER interested in reading, they'd eventually drift away but some members are always going to have more time to read than others
I’m still plugging along with David Copperfield( I haven’t made a lot of progress this week, but am sticking with it) & also reading Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, this was on my summer list, but I didn’t get to it then. #books#photography#fediverse@bookstodon
@Likewise@bookstodon read Standing by the Wall by Mick Herron. It's a collection of short stories connected to his Slow Horses series. I always enjoy his stuff, short, funny and easy reads. Started Tender is the Flesh, it's very disturbing so far. After a terrible plague cannibalism is legal and main character is a butcher.. It's pretty unsettling so far...
I'm definitely late to the party on this - and I haven't seen the TV show - but I have just sat and devoured this in pretty much one session after it being recommended by a student. "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus really is incredible. Amazing characters and such clever, clever writing about the roles and experiences of women in society. I loved every moment and I'm sad it's over. #Books#bookstodon#AmReading@bookstodon
@gabh@hlseward@bookstodon I’ve consumed both, and I thought the TV show did a decent job. They obviously had to winnow the plot to make the story fit the medium, but it was fine. If you read the book first, I suspect you might be a bit disappointed as you are coming in with high expectations. I watched, then read.
One thing I’d be interested in hearing from women about - The book, and the show, had a strong feminist viewpoint, and revelled in Zott’s triumph over the jerks and general mores of the day. But I wonder if the message is hurt by the fact that she had it all - genius, looks, and determination (plus one more that I’ll omit as it’s a spoiler) - and just managed to succeed. What does that tell the less-than-perfect among us?
Season of the Witch: The Book of Goth - Cathi Unsworth
SPOOKY RECOMMENDATION
This new book traces the history of goth (primarily in the UK, with some detours into Australia and the US) against the backdrop of the social history of the Thatcher years, intertwining the history of Marc Almond and Soft Cell with that of the HIV epidemic and Section 28, recalling the roots of the Sisters of Mercy in the more politically-committed scene that gave the world Gang of Four and the Mekons, or the story of the miners' union running through the whole narrative
One of the things I liked about this book was also that it incorporates a lot of bands that aren't really considered goth per se, from The Mob to the Cardiacs. I don't really see it with the Cardiacs, but I love the idea of thinking of The Mob as a goth band - I had always seen them as "depressive anarchopunk" - they're one of my favorite bands, and there is definitely a certain something there that's kind of gothy
One weakness I'd say is that, in its zeal to present goth as a sort of resistance to Thatcherism, it avoids exploring neofolk, because that would trouble the narrative. And while not all neofolk is fascist (Legendary Pink Dots are lefties), a lot of the founding bands either are (Di6, Sol Invictus) or flirted with certain fascist ideas at one point, even if they later abandoned them (C93). A lot of bands that are very very close to this scene but just outside of it, such as the Lemon Kittens, Nurse With Wound, or Theatre of Hate, are profiled here, so the avoidance feels intentional. And sure, I can understand why someone would not want to profile Death in June out of personal distate or to not give them oxygen, but it is still part of the story of goth, the subculture has its dark side and it's worth acknowledging
At the end of the day, a music book is worth reading if it gets you to revisit records you haven't listened to in a while and hear them with new ears, or turn you on to new music. And I had never really gotten into New Model Army before, and now I love them
I really enjoyed the book. An android with human-like features is nothing new in sci-fi, but I really liked this version. The main character android is very likeable.
@timgatewood@bookstodon@peachfront@EvaLie@Omom4075
Oh, I love this series. Book 2 may be my favorite (ART is the best). Or maybe the more recent full length novel. Or the murder mystery Sam Spade-esque stand alone novella (set just before the longer novel). So hard to pick!
@DarkMatterZine@kimlockhartga@bookstodon I rarely get print ARCs unless to pass along for library book club consideration, because I have no idea what I would do with them all! I just get dARCs on my Kindle.
@jillrhudy@kimlockhartga@bookstodon I get both. I never even try with Edelweiss because in my experience it doesn’t work. I hate Netgalley because it’s too much effort then they remove the books at arbitrary deadlines while demanding reviews before I’ve finished. For ebooks, I want them emailed to me. I can read paper but not how you think. So it’s complicated.
Book folks, what’s your most anticipated fall read?
There’s so much that’s either freshly out or coming soon that I’m excited for, I don’t know how I’m gonna keep up! I already hit the Lauren Groff and Zadie Smith, and now I’m starting on Penance by Eliza Clark, which is intense right out of the gate…
I've just finished "all the light we cannot see". It follows two kids, german orphan, and a blind french girl, in parallel, while their lives get derrailed by the war. Somehow they manage to be true to themselves among the mayhem. Starts slow, but picks up speed. I loved It.
@DarkMatterZine@gabriel@bookstodon
This is the most interesting opinion I've heard on this book. It's sitting on my coffee table and I've bypassed it for other books multiple times because before even opening it I feel like I'm supposed to love it because former president Obama read it and put it on a list and so everyone around me (US) considers it beyond reproach. Thank you for sharing that.
@jiujensu@gabriel@bookstodon You’re welcome. I loathe that book SO MUCH. Speaking as a person with albinism that was not as “severe” as the nazi had, but which fked my life due to the vision impairment that is part of it. And O.M.G. that poor blind girl, how her father abused her, and no one taught her how to cook or fend for herself. Somehow she magically knew - saw it while being blind? - how to cook etc when she was abandoned. So much hatred for a bigoted ableist story reenforcing bigotry.
A decade after graduating highschool and I'm finally giving Wuthering Heights another chance. So far not regretting my decision as I'm able to catch a lot more of the social nuances in the story and appreciate Heathcliff's decent into the man we meet at the start of the story.
That's wonderful! Do you have any specific accounts that you would recommend? Or perhaps where I could find them online? I'd love to expand my knowledge of that time period