@diazona@techhub.social avatar

diazona

@[email protected]

Software engineer, former particle physicist, occasional blogger. I support the principle of cake.

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diazona, to bookstodon
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

Very excited to have paper copies of my new favorite books, the Dragon Blood series! It's been a while since I bought any physical books but these were worth it. Even though I already had all the ebooks 😁

https://app.thestorygraph.com/series/126035

@bookstodon

ninsiana0, to bookstodon
@ninsiana0@mastodon.social avatar

Hey. It's ok if you're behind on your yearly reading goal. That number was arbitrarily chosen in a January fog of optimism & champagne anyway, and you don't need to turn something you love & brings you comfort into a stressor. Read good books. Enjoy them. Be gentle with yourself.

@bookstodon

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@ninsiana0 @bookstodon Wise words 😀 although I wouldn't discount the satisfaction that comes from achieving a goal over a long term. It's not the biggest deal but it is something.

I actually do have one goal I really care about, which is to finish the #WheelOfTime series this year... I'm definitely running a little behind on that (only 10.6 books in, out of 14) but it's close enough that I might just make it. 🤞

#2023ReadingGoals #books #bookstodon

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@ronsboy67 @ninsiana0 @bookstodon Yeah, but then you have the satisfaction of meeting your goals to keep yourself happy... the rest of us have nothing.

(congrats though 😀)

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@ronsboy67 @ninsiana0 @bookstodon Well... again, way to go on achieving goals, but I gotta admit I don't understand the appeal of that one 🤷

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@ronsboy67 @ninsiana0 @bookstodon That makes sense, but personally I would think the thing to brag about is all the other stuff you got to do in the time you saved, rather than than how much less reading you did.

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@hybridhavoc @ninsiana0 @bookstodon 😁 thanks for the encouragement!

pseudonymsupreme, to bookstodon
@pseudonymsupreme@pnw.zone avatar

Huh. It just occurred to me that not everyone reads all the time. Like, there’s a bunch of people without books they’re reading right now. That concept is so bizarre to me. I’ve always got several books going. Ebooks, audiobooks and physical copies of books. If you don’t read anymore, when and why did you stop? No judgement. I’m genuinely curious. @bookstodon #bookstodon #books #reading #amreading

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@anomnomnomaly @BackFromTheDud @pseudonymsupreme @bookstodon I wonder if Waffle House wait staff get discounted waffles though... I would do a lot for an easy supply of cheap waffles

appassionato, to bookstodon
@appassionato@mastodon.social avatar

Pegasus

Pegasus: How a Spy in Our Pocket Threatens the End of Privacy, Dignity, and Democracy is the behind-the-scenes story of one of the most sophisticated and invasive surveillance weapons ever created, used by governments around the world.

@bookstodon



diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@appassionato @bookstodon Hmm... I could see this either being a fascinating technical analysis (which I would love) or practically a horror story (which I would hate), depending on how it's presented

markw, to bookstodon
@markw@mstdn.social avatar

awww yiss 😎
@bookstodon

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@markw @bookstodon I really have got to start reading that series

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@markw @bookstodon The only thing holding me back is that I'm currently making a big push to finish and I'm kind of hesitant to be reading multiple sci-fi/fantasy novels at once, it can get confusing

glyph, to random
@glyph@mastodon.social avatar

Until there is a definitive adjudication of the copyright status of LLM training data, it is deeply irresponsible to use Github Copilot for open source. I will refuse contributions created with it on any project I'm involved with, as well as permanently ban any user caught sneaking in Copilot-generated code in defiance of this rule. I would strongly encourage all maintainers to take this stand as well. License headaches are already bad enough without secret poison pills being injected.

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@glyph Generally I look suspiciously at strongly-worded hot takes like this, but I do agree with the underlying point.

frankejames, to bookstodon
@frankejames@mastodon.online avatar

Do you judge a book by its cover? I'm thinking of changing the cover of our already-published book!!! 😮
Tell me which cover you would click on: the new one in sunny yellow or the existing cover in sandy beige?
The yellow reflects @TeresaHeartchild's love of life -- and the urgency of getting her freed. It should attract the eye for Amazon clicks.
But the beige may be some book-lover's sophisticated fave. 🤔 What do you think? @bookstodon @bookgaga

Franke James' book cover in sandy beige for "Freeing Teresa: A True Story about Fighting Ableism." The book is sitting on a striped, multi-hued couch.

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@frankejames @TeresaHeartchild @bookstodon @bookgaga Hmm, well... I'm not sure how helpful this will be, but to me the yellow cover comes off as a bit less trustworthy, like the paper version of an infomercial or whatever it is that gets people into Scientology. I couldn't tell you exactly why that is though... it's not just the yellow color, but something about the combination of various visual elements. I guess it must be reminding me of a book from my past, or something.

Likewise, to bookstodon
@Likewise@beige.party avatar

If someone, who isn’t an avid reader says, “This is one of the best books I’ve ever read…” (assuming they aren’t talking about something they read when they were 5)

Do you think:

Wow, this must be a phenomenal book, I must find it immediately.

OR

This is probably trash or close to it & if I see it, steer clear. @bookstodon

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@Likewise @bookstodon Both of those seem like overly strong reactions to me.

Personally, I probably wouldn't make much of it because I know that my taste in books doesn't align with a lot of other people's. But I would ask what they liked about it, consider how well their reading preferences align with my own, and probably look it up on , and based on all that info if it sounds interesting I'll add it to my to-read list.

I would never take someone's positive review of a book to mean that it's trash, unless I know that their preferences are diametrically opposed to mine, and in that case it's not too likely I'd be listening to that person in the first place.

GelatDeTramussos, to bookstodon Catalan
@GelatDeTramussos@mastodont.cat avatar

Currently reading an inspector Harry Hole novel, by #jonesbo. It's the third I read in a row.
Speaking of this... Do you binge read books till you finish the entire series or you'd rather read other things in between?
#bookstodon @bookstodon

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@GelatDeTramussos @bookstodon If it's a series I like, yes, I will absolutely keep reading the books of the series one after another in order. For me, moving on to something else usually means I need a break or have lost interest. (With occasional exceptions for when I find a different book that I really want to read right away.)

My current series read has been going since January though so I'm not sure if that counts as "binging" though 😛

DarkMatterZine, to bookstodon
@DarkMatterZine@mastodon.social avatar

Bookish people: I’m making bookmarks as a kind of business card that hopefully people will keep.
What are your favourite dimensions for a bookmark?
Do you like ribbon or thread from a circle cut in the top or do you prefer bookmarks that are just a rectangle of eg paper?
Would you use a handmade one-of-a-kind bookmark? (Website details in a small space on one side, the rest would be pretty, have anything from pop culture icons to scenes or florals.)
@bookstodon

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@DarkMatterZine @bookstodon Love the idea 😀

Personally I like a tall bookmark, like 12-15 cm, otherwise it's too easy for it to just fall out of the book. And I like having something on the top to give that end a bit of weight. Ribbons and tassels are okay but they can easily get caught in the book; I think what I'd like best is some kind of a knob or handle, e.g. a little knot of thread.

ramblingreaders, to bookstodon
@ramblingreaders@toot.community avatar

Do you know there's a alternative to Amazon-owned ? is a social network for tracking your reading, writing reviews, and discovering what to read next. You can follow and interact with users on different instances and on . You can import from a Goodreads CSV export. You can create private shelves and curated lists. Join us at https://ramblingreaders.org or choose one of the other instances available @bookstodon

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@ramblingreaders @danialbehzadi @bookstodon Yes, legally speaking "proprietary" is one possible type of licensing arrangement, and "open source" by the OSI's definition is another (or perhaps a set of related types that share some key features), but there are others besides those two.

#BookWyrm follows an approach which is not proprietary, but it is not open source by the OSI's definition either.

DocCarms, to bookstodon
@DocCarms@mstdn.social avatar

There was a poll that stated—Rowling’s opening line in the HP series is one of best in the world. Someone posted about how there are a bunch of other opening statements that are better.

Here’s one of my personal favorites, from Gabriel Garcia Marquez (English translated):
“It is inevitable. The scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.”

What are some of your favorite opening lines in literature? 😊
@bookstodon

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@seav @DocCarms @bookstodon That might be my favorite as well. Or at least I'd put it above the HP opening line, not so much because of how intrinsically good it is, but because of how it gets reused in every book (with the location swapped out). It really sets the right tone for epic fantasy.

#WheelOfTime

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@DocCarms @bookstodon 😂

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@arisu_m @DocCarms @bookstodon I love that the Restaurant line evokes the intro to the Book of Genesis but without mentioning God.

A side thought: it would be totally on-brand for the Douglas Adams universe to have God be a cranky old immortal who lives on an isolated planet and had nothing to do with creating the universe, but took credit for it one time like 3 billion years ago and now can't shake the reputation

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@DocCarms @arisu_m @bookstodon Not just you 😅 which is part of why people like it so much, I bet

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@arisu_m @DocCarms @bookstodon 😂👍

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@Dunstable @DocCarms @bookstodon We had a whole mini-thread about that somewhere else among the replies!

It figures, it's so good it gets suggested more than once 😀

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@Tweetfiction @DocCarms @bookstodon I involuntarily imagined that next-to-last one in Gonzo's voice 😂

Come to think of it... even though doesn't exactly have an opening line, the first few sentences of actual narration are a strong start:
(Gonzo) "Hello! Welcome to The Muppet Christmas Carol! I am here to tell the story."
(Rizzo) "And I am here for the food."

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@mikebaarda @DocCarms @bookstodon I think you have a point, but it's kind of context-dependent. Personally, when I read that line, sure my interest is piqued a little, but I'm also immediately primed to be looking for an explanation of the things you mentioned, and I'm not likely to have a good time reading the story until I start getting that explanation (or at least some justification for why I need to wait for it, like if the POV character is trying to find out). So it's kind of a high-risk high-reward maneuver: an opening line that introduces mysterious terms for story elements (such as, but not limited to, characters) can backfire badly if the rest of the story doesn't deliver details at the right pace.

It's also definitely possible to overdo it by throwing so many unfamiliar terms at the reader so fast that they get turned off. Not the case here, of course, but other books definitely do it.

</non-expert-opinion>

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@Tweetfiction @DocCarms @bookstodon 😂

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@mikebaarda @DocCarms @bookstodon Gotcha. Yeah I think that's the best way to do it, when that mystery drives the book (or series, in this case). It was just on my mind because of a recent discussion with a friend about a different book - I forget which one, some fantasy thing - that had used like nine made-up terms by the end of the first sentence 😂 and we were both thinking how that's almost enough to stop a person from reading right there.

I'll have to add The Gunslinger to my reading list 👍

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@smitty @mikebaarda @DocCarms @bookstodon Yeah but I would say the difference is that one is much less mysterious. It doesn't grab your attention by alluding to a significant plot point that needs to be resolved. In fact it's kind of the opposite: yes it introduces one unknown term from the story, but aside from that it's actually very non-mysterious. It conveys stability and comfort and familiarity, at least to an audience used to reading European fairy tales.

mori, to bookstodon
@mori@mastodon.au avatar

@derpoltergeist @Grizzlysgrowls @ukaunz @bookstodon @philip_cardella @wordstitcher @hawksquill Yep, same here. Being an Aussie, I’ve only ever heard the phrase mother-in-law, as the mother of your significant other. Never as dwelling. But it’s always great learning a new phrase, and sometimes the potential mischief inherent in its usage.😉

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@mori @derpoltergeist @Grizzlysgrowls @ukaunz @bookstodon @philip_cardella @wordstitcher @hawksquill Same here as well - as a lifelong-ish US resident I've never* heard mother-in-law to mean anything other than a person.

*actually after having read this discussion it sounds vaguely familiar, so I've probably heard about the usage of mother-in-law to mean a dwelling, but it's so rare to me as to be practically unknown

Lullaby, to bookstodon
@Lullaby@greenmushroomnetwork.masto.host avatar

How can I get some out of @thestorygraph ?

Am I missing something? I feel like I am all alone in there. My profile linked below ⬇️

https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/reading_lullaby

@bookstodon

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@iamgaarden @Lullaby @thestorygraph @bookstodon Perhaps is more the kind of thing you're looking for? It's part of the Fediverse so you might be able to reply to reviews from Mastodon, although TBH I never really managed to get the Fediverse integration to work so I'm not sure.

My impression of is that it seems to focus more on reviews, reading history, and goals, and less on social features.

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@Lullaby @iamgaarden @thestorygraph @bookstodon Yeah, a big part of the reason I settled on for my book tracking is the mobile app. Unfortunately it's a tradeoff at this point, there doesn't seem to be any one site that provides everything. I hope one of the gets there eventually.

ablueboxfullofbooks, to bookstodon
@ablueboxfullofbooks@bookstodon.thestorygraph.com avatar

I never had the opportunity to read The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series, so I was quite excited to discover this graphic novel adaptation of the first novel. The story was so intriguing and interesting, I really enjoyed it ! I was really impressed by the depth of the storyline, as well as the use of worldwide mythologies.

@bookstodon @yalit

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@ablueboxfullofbooks @bookstodon @yalit Wow, this is a more popular series than I realized, if it's been turned into a graphic novel!

I read the first book but personally I didn't like it all that much, so I didn't continue to the rest.

CindySue, to bookstodon
@CindySue@bookstodon.com avatar

I am determined to finish a book this weekend. I have a couple going from before we came back from the cabin at the beginning of last month.
What are you this weekend?

@bookstodon

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@CindySue @bookstodon Personally I will be continuing my quest through book 8 of #WheelOfTime. I've been slacking off in my progress through the series over the last couple months and I have some catching up to do!

betaquarii, to bookstodon
@betaquarii@mastodon.social avatar

@bookstodon Any one have one of the new Nook Glowlight 4, 4e? Have a kindle voyage but lately thinking supporting B&N. I also have one not too far away, so that’s a plus. Do you like your nook Glowlight?

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@betaquarii @bookstodon I'm curious to see what kinds of responses you may get. I have an older Nook Glowlight that has served me fairly well although the display is sometimes a bit sluggish to update, and I'm curious whether the newer models do any better.

Valerie_Lillis, to bookstodon
@Valerie_Lillis@indieauthors.social avatar

@bookstodon

Serious question bc I'm still learning the ropes on Mastodon. Are ya'll okay with authors tooting about new releases on the group page?

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@Valerie_Lillis @bookstodon Totally fine!

The one personal opinion I would offer that other people haven't mentioned is that the amount of such tooting should be somewhat limited. Occasionally I see a book being advertised (whether by its author or someone else) over and over again for weeks at a time, and after the third or fourth repetition of the same pitch it starts turning into something I don't want to see. (I've even muted a couple people because of this)

jarulf, to bookstodon
@jarulf@mstdn.social avatar

@bookstodon

I have very faint memories of a book I read in the 80's. It's not that it was terribly good, but I think I was amused by it and it's been nagging me that I can't remember what book it was.

All I remember is that there were Orcs running around in Berkeley and the protagonist was a young man.

It was your typical 80's paperback, possibly Del Rey.

It's obviously an extremely long shot, but does this ring any bells?

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@jarulf @bookstodon FWIW if you don't find it here, you could try posting at scifi.stackexchange.com. I've seen a bunch of very impressive story identifications done by the community there.

DrEvanGowan, to random
@DrEvanGowan@fediscience.org avatar

Since I am planning to delete my Twitter account soon, I am slowly deleting every post I made manually, so I can see what I posted (I also do not trust that they will delete the posts if I delete the account). A large portion of my replies are congratulating people on things like their newly published paper, graduating, getting a grant, etc. These kind of posts are what I miss about Twitter, and I hope more people come and post their successes on Mastodon. #AcademicChatter

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@DrEvanGowan @gpollara @yetiinabox @academicchatter True, although I think the effect of one's server choice is pretty limited because it's so easy to interact with others on different servers.

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@DrEvanGowan @gpollara @yetiinabox @academicchatter Ah true, that's a good point. I don't use my server's local feed at all so I don't really know, but I guess it makes sense that on a more topic-specific server it would be more valuable.

likewise, to bookstodon

I completely judge a book by its cover.

It’s not fair to books that may not have that attractive of a cover, but it is what it is-most especially when it’s an author or title I am unfamiliar with. The book below is evidence of this. This cover completely grabbed ahold of my attention. Not only did I read the synopsis, but I also knew I wanted to paint the other half. This is an older picture, but I’ve finally started reading it. While the synopsis is not one I’d gravitate towards, I’m giving it a chance, & all b/c of the initial attraction to the cover. @bookstodon

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@DarkMatterZine @mlanger @EpiphanicSynchronicity @likewise @bookstodon I'm not a lawyer either, but as someone familiar enough with US copyright law to have read it (lol), yes, copyright lasts until 70 years after the death of the author now (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/302), but in all likelihood it will keep getting extended over and over again to keep Mickey Mouse from entering the public domain.

And I suspect the old common wisdom was largely based on the fact that copyright owners rarely find it worthwhile to prosecute making a copy of something for personal use, especially when the book is out of print. So even though it may technically be a copyright violation, it would have been an easy one to get away with in practice.

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@DarkMatterZine @mlanger @EpiphanicSynchronicity @likewise @bookstodon Oh interesting.

There is a fair use exception in US copyright law which excuses certain actions that would otherwise be illegal, but personal use is not enough to justify it. Australia must have some kind of broader exemption along those lines, or something like that.

Behindthepages, to bookstodon
@Behindthepages@nerdculture.de avatar

Well I had another DNF. That makes two this year. And my second one is Three Body Problem. I'm 30% in and so confused I have no idea what's going on or who any of the characters are. 😞 @bookstodon

diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@Behindthepages @bookstodon Interestingly enough, more than one of my friends have highly recommended Three Body Problem to me in the past few months. It does seem to be creating quite some Opinions. I'm getting more and more curious to see for myself what it's like

Private
diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@weebdeluxe @bookstodon oooh this seems to be right up my alley. It's going on my list!

Private
diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@owlislost @bookstodon Returning to my push to get through the whole #WheelOfTime series this year! I'm 7.28 books in, so I've got some catching up to do

Private
diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@Jennifer @KaraLG84 @bookstodon OK that is definitely going on my reading list based on the title alone 😂

Private
diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@m0rpk @RuthFlaherty @edutooters @cstross To me it seems to be a common fantasy trope that a vampire will trick the occupant into inviting them in for some perfectly innocuous reason and then proceed to eat them or whatever. So I wouldn't expect that conditions can be placed on the invitation; it's a simple matter of whether the vampire is physically able to cross the threshold of the home, yes or no, and once they can then they can do anything they like inside.

Private
diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@ronsboy67 @allanwolfe @bookstodon Now you have my interest 😂

(good luck)

Private
diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@eivind @tannat @peachfront @agt @bookstodon Me too. If you value versatility above all else then yeah a tablet makes sense, but otherwise there are many ways in which an e-reader is advantageous.

Private
diazona,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@Lullaby @bookstodon This may be entirely unsuitable for you if your tastes in reading differ from mine, but last year I read the Dragon Blood series by Lindsay Buroker and it really captured my interest. It might be my favorite book series ever. It's mostly fantasy with some elements of steampunk, romance, and science fiction thrown in.

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