Books

My daughter (19) works at a warehouse job and listens to a lot of audiobooks.

I'd like to gift her a subscription to a service, but I don't know much about the options. She had audible for a while. I just use Libby.

What audio book services do you recommend?

Could I get a few suggestions? I am looking for a sci-fi dystopian future from the perspective of a corpo.

I've just started reading The Wager. I'm a sucker for ship based media, and I'm hoping this'll be no exception.

It's my third book of the year after previously reading both A Clash of Kings and How to get rid of a president

I’ve read over 1,000 nonfiction books in my life, and these 33 are the most powerful of them all. I can honestly say they changed my life, who’s to say they won’t change yours too?

Don’t just take my word for it though. Read on for my summary of all 33 books and see for yourself how your next read might just change your life.

I've finally fallen in love with reading again over the last year. Problem is I've only been reading non-fiction. it makes my brain hurt. I'd like to have some stuff I can turn to when attempting to read gender trouble gives me another headache. I don't have any particular preference for genre. I used to read fantasy, historical fiction, dystopian stuff but I'm more than happy to explore other genres as well!

A short list of things I've read for reference:

• The saxon stories, Bernard Cornwell
• LOTR, the hobbit
• 1984
• The road, Cormac McCarthy
• The plague dogs, Richard Adams

I ask because I tend to jump off a book if It's not grabbing me, which at times limits me with regards to what I'm reading.

Does it matter? Is it something I should try to push past or am I overthinking this and should just enjoy what I enjoy?

I just found out that Humble Bundle has a book bundle for Terry Pratchett's Discworld. A 39 book bundle that is redeemed through Kobo.com.

Edit: Only available in the US.

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/terry-pratchetts-discworld-harpercollins-books

#books #humblebundle #discworld @books

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/1757367

Here's what I'm reading:

I'm going to stop reading A Dance with Dragons and the two Star Wars books for now and wrap up Empire, Incorporated and Determined while I continue on with Das Kapital.

Bonus question:

What do you PLAN to read later on?

Enjoy!

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/1752885

From the article:

1. There are a lot of stories already out there, but there can never be too many of YOUR stories out there.

2. Being unique isn’t about telling a story that has never been told, it is about telling a story from a perspective people can both relate to and learn from.

3. No one writes like you write. You may have a style inspired by other writers and stories you love, but there is only one you, and only one voice through which the stories you write are told.

4. If you are thinking about giving up because of something someone else did or said (or didn’t say or didn’t do), take some time to consider your choice. No one technically has the right to tell you which dream you can and cannot follow, and anyone who tries is just not nice.

5. One bad day is not enough of a reason to give up. Not two bad days or two bad weeks or two bad years, either. Life is rough, and it’s tough to handle. But that does not mean you have to stop writing — or that, if you do, your hiatus has to last forever.

6. Just because multiple people aren’t constantly praising you for your work does not mean you aren’t doing good work. Much of the work you will do as a writer will go unnoticed by the masses. This is the way of things. Keep doing good work.

---

(More of the article in the link up-top.)

My thoughts:

Tbh, I might give my writing a backseat.

I'm doing too many things as it is and I want to do less and just focus on what I want to do (and not what I feel I have to do).

Plus, what I excel at so far will pay dividends down the road; I don't know if I'm ready to write a novel or not.

Anyone have suggestions for a 10 year old who likes comic mischief? He's a huge fan of diary of a wimpy kid series but his reading level has moved beyond that. He's also really enjoyed the wild robot series, Matilda, and the skunk and fox books.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: thank you all for your great recommendations. I'm going to check them all out with him tonight!

It’s shaping up to be one massive year for horror already. Beyond a plethora of horror movies already on the horizon, the literary world is teeming with spine-tingling short story collections, novels, and more to keep you busy through 2024. So, here’s a starter guide for upcoming horror literature ready to deliver chills and thrills, from bloodthirsty slashers to body horror and beyond. Even cooler? Horror fans seem to dominate the horror protagonist space so far.

Here are just ten upcoming horror books we can’t wait to read.

( personally can't wait for Stephen Graham Jones' upcoming conclusion of the Indian Lake Trilogy: The Angel of Indian Lake on March 26th 0

I'm on Book 3 and Fitz has reached Jhaampe and they're all heading off to the Mountains to find Verity.

I don't get why Kettricken is so angry with Fitz. Hobb presents it as totally understandable with no real explanation and I have no idea why she's so pissed off with him. I've either missed something or not understood something - can anyone explain please?

The text is available here:https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/errico-malatesta-anarchy

I am an anarchist and I overall like this text, I think it's a good introduction to get some complete basics of what are the goals of anarchists and how they think about the world. I consider his opinion about human nature naive, but given that this is an introductory texts I don't have a problem with that and I like to recommend it to people that want to learn a bit about anarchist movement that has over 150 years history of fighting against every authoritarianism possible and is steadily growing in popularity around the world, inspiring new generations of freedom fighters.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/10484701

The best way I could describe Uruguayan Journalist Eduardo Galeano's book is that it's a poetical obituary of the art of soccer. As the author writes in the first lines, “the history of soccer is a sad voyage from beauty to duty. When the sport became an industry, the beauty that blossoms from the joy of play got torn out by its very roots. In this fin de siècle world, professional soccer condemns all that is useless, and useless means not profitable.”

Galeano recounts the development of the sport from its ancient roots, its bourgeois upbringings in the modern age, through its proletarisation and to its eventual commercialisation by the global market. The history of soccer is one of those few instances whose origins are less grim than their present actuality.

The fact is that professional players offer their labor power to the factories of spectacle in exchange for a wage. The price depends on performance, and the more they get paid the more they are expected to produce. Trained to win or to win, squeezed to the last calorie, they are treated worse than racehorses.

Soccer in the chaotic 20th century turned from an innocent sport into a profitable and equally shady industry milked to its last bit by bureaucrats, merchants and corporations. Players are owned and sold and disposed of like slaves in plantations. The profession being shaped by the entertainment industry, the common man fails to regard the soccer player (or of any other mainstream sport for that matter) as a worker with labour rights, and the international bureaucracy tries its best to maintain the status quo.

The machinery of spectacle grinds up everything in its path, nothing lasts very long, and the manager is as disposable as any other product of consumer society.

But, despite the chronological narration, this is no history book, far from it. The passion and vividness in which the author describes some of most iconic plays from around the world, old amd new, capture a beaty that no camera or TV screen can ever catch.

To Galeano, soccer is an art; the players are performers; and the stadium is a theatre. He denounces the mechanical vocabulary employed by the critics and commentators: the players of the Argentine club River Plate couldn't be a "Machine" when they had so much fun they'd forget to shoot at the goal; the 1974 world cup Dutch team nicknamed "Clockwork Orange" was more of a jazz band.

The reader throughout the book ceases to be simply a spectator. No, he is now bonding with the fatigued striker, the goalkeeper criminalised by the fans, the distressed referee, the suicidal star and so on.

Galeano remains very much aware that sport cannot be detached from the politics of our age. To some fans, especially in South America,

The club is the only identity card [they] believe in. And in many cases the shirt, the anthem, and the flag embody deeply felt traditions that may find expression on the playing field but spring from the depths of a community’s history.

”Soccer and fatherland are always connected, and politicians and dictators frequently exploit those links of identity.” The championship is a national pride, countries host the world cup to bleach the regime's record of oppression, wins are offrances to the monarch or the tyrant.

Being a Uruguayan, the author shifts the spectacle of soccer from the European pitches to the South American turf, breaking the mythological narrative of European dominance and superiority in a sport that had no meaning before the Brazilian Mulattoes Friedenrich and Pelé, the Argentine Di Stéfano, the grandsons of slaves Gradín and Delgado, all dabbled with the ball.

The game of soccer was and still is the source of happiness and glimmer of hope for the youth of the world. As for the professional sport, we must mourn its beautiful past and cry on the cold body that is shamelessly called “soccer.”

Reading stories regularly strengthens social-cognitive skills—such as empathy—in both children and adults. And this, in turn, ensures that we can empathize with characters more effectively and more quickly when we are reading. This is the subject of linguist Lynn Eekhof's Ph.D., which she will receive at Radboud University on 15 January. "I think we need to capitalize more on the wonder of what stories do, rather than merely seeing reading as a practical skill."

A remarkable quote from the book:
"Darwin wrote that it was arrogant for humans to think they were so special they could only have been created by a god. He said it was more humble and more accurate to believe humans were created from animals."

I've been diving headfirst into the world of short story magazines and found some absolute gems!!

Khoreo Magazine has been my absolute favourite so far! I 100% recommend it. Diaspora-focused speculative fiction, usually with very novel story telling techniques and beautiful artwork.

Clarkesworld I've found to be pretty hit and miss, though the hits make it worth it! Some really great new and established authors with vivid sci-fi stories.

CRAFT has been great for a more literary and CNF bent.

Do you subscribe to any creative magazines? If so, which ones? If not, why not?

Ukraine’s authors should have been able to dedicate their lives to honing their craft. Instead, many of them have stepped up to contribute to the war effort and fight back against Russian aggression. Like any other member of society, Ukrainian authors have lost loved ones and colleagues to Russia’

I've had this reoccurring thing every year or so where I remember this book I read in like 5th - 6th grade that was really fucking good every year or so. I need to find it, I try every time but no amount of Googling thin recollections of its plot has got me anywhere.

Mort is a funny, heartwarming introduction to Death, one of the major Discworld characters. It starts off with Death deciding to take on an apprentice, Mort. Turns out, Death loves curry, has an adopted daughter, Ysabell, and gets REALLY UPSET and VERY ANGRY indeed when people harm or kill cats and kittens. And he rides a horse who is most adorably named Binky.

After starting on his new job and getting acquainted with Death’s household consisting of Ysabell and his servant Albert, Mort starts to realise that one of the reasons for Death taking on an apprentice was so that Ysabell would have a companion to talk with. After showing him the ropes so to speak, Death starts to send Mort on solo missions. One of the souls he has to usher into the beyond is that of young Princess Keli who is about to be assassinated by an assassin sent by her uncle. Unfortunately, Mort falls for the princess and in order to save her kills the assassin instead, thus interfering with fate, precisely something he had been told not to do. Mort is too scared to confess to Death about what he has done, so he just stays silent. Unluckily for him, reality of the history that was to be starts to resist the reality of what Mort has done, leading to the possibility that Princess Keli, whom Mort had saved, might end up dying. So now Mort tries his best to somehow save the princess’ life.

Some of my favourite things about this book are the style of humour and getting to know Death. Death is a cat loving anthropomorphic personification making sometimes refreshing, sometimes very insightful takes about mortals and existence in general:

"TAKE THESE THINGS, NOW, said Death, fingering a passing canapé. I MEAN, MUSHROOMS YES, CHICKEN YES, CREAM YES, I’VE NOTHING AGAINST ANY OF THEM, BUT WHY IN THE NAME OF SANITY MINCE THEM ALL UP AND PUT THEM IN LITTLE PASTRY CASES? ‘Pardon?’ said Mort. THAT’S MORTALS FOR YOU, Death continued. THEY’VE ONLY GOT A FEW YEARS IN THIS WORLD AND THEY SPEND THEM ALL IN MAKING THINGS COMPLICATED FOR THEMSELVES. FASCINATING. HAVE A GHERKIN.”

“He gave it an experimental shake. AND DUE TO LIVE ANOTHER THIRTY, THIRTY-FIVE YEARS, he said, with a sigh. ‘And he goes around killing people?’ said Mort. He shook his head. ‘There’s no justice.’ Death sighed. NO, he said, handing his drink to a page who was surprised to find he was suddenly holding an empty glass, THERE’S JUST ME.”

Death also happens to be very keen on trying to understand more about humans and various human activities, such as how people have fun. This leads to some unintentionally hilarious circumstances: “WHAT IS THIS FUN? ‘This is!’ TO KICK VIGOROUSLY IS FUN? ‘Well, part of the fun. Kick!’ TO HEAR LOUD MUSIC IN HOT ROOMS IS FUN? ‘Possibly.’ HOW IS THIS FUN MANIFEST? ‘Well, it – look, either you’re having fun or you’re not, you don’t have to ask me, you just know, all right? How did you get in here, anyway?’ he added. ‘Are you a friend of the Patrician?’ LET US SAY, HE PUTS BUSINESS MY WAY. I FELT I OUGHT TO LEARN SOMETHING OF HUMAN PLEASURES. ‘Sounds like you’ve got a long way to go.’ I KNOW. PLEASE EXCUSE MY LAMENTABLE IGNORANCE. I WISH ONLY TO LEARN. ALL THESE PEOPLE, PLEASE – THEY ARE HAVING FUN? ‘Yes!’ THEN THIS IS FUN. ‘I’m glad we got that sorted out. Mind the chair,’ snapped Lord Rodley, who was now feeling very unfunny and unpleasantly sober. A voice behind him said quietly: THIS IS FUN. TO DRINK EXCESSIVELY IS FUN. WE ARE HAVING FUN. HE IS HAVING FUN. THIS IS SOME FUN. WHAT FUN.” As the story progresses, it starts getting clearer that the loneliness of his job was getting to him, providing some clue to Death’s actual intentions for hiring Mort: "‘Drowning your sorrows, are you? I HAVE NO SORROWS. ‘No, of course not. Forget I mentioned it.’ He gave the glass a few more wipes. ‘Just thought it helps to have someone to talk to,’ he said. The stranger was silent for a moment, thinking. Then he said: YOU WANT TO TALK TO ME? ‘Yes. Sure. I’m a good listener.’ NO ONE EVER WANTED TO TALK TO ME BEFORE. ‘That’s a shame.’ THEY NEVER INVITE ME TO PARTIES, YOU KNOW. ‘Tch.’ THEY ALL HATE ME. EVERYONE HATES ME. I DON’T HAVE A SINGLE FRIEND.” After all, his job was such that “Death must be the loneliest creature in the universe. In the great party of Creation, he was always in the kitchen.”

This is followed by an interesting and humorous phase of Death actually trying to find an alternate job for himself. He ultimately ends up getting the job of a cook at "Harga’s House of Ribs down by the docks” where he thoroughly enjoyed himself as he “spun and whirled, chopping, slicing and frying. His skillet flashed through the fetid steam. He’d opened the door to the cold night air, and a dozen neighbourhood cats had strolled in, attracted by the bowls of milk and meat – some of Harga’s best, if he’d known – that had been strategically placed around the floor. Occasionally Death would pause in his work and scratch one of them behind the ears. ‘Happiness,’ he said, and puzzled at the sound of his own voice.” This leads to a truly hilarious scene when as a result of being summoned during the Rite of AshkEnte, Death appears “wearing an apron and holding a small kitten.”

Death’s efforts with trying to find work that he would actually enjoy doing and Mort’s princess problem inevitably collide leading to a satisfying conclusion. This is the second time I am reading this book and I think I enjoyed and loved it even more than I did the first time around. I would love to share some more jokes here, but then I would probably end up copy-pasting the whole book! This book definitely does the job of making me laugh and feeling a little better than usual.

BEST NOVEL: We Need to Talk About Kevin

WORST NOVEL: The Chemical Detective

BEST NONFICTION: Homo Deus

MOST DEPRESSING NONFICTION: The Climate Book

BEST COMIC: The Photographer

THE LIST:

Leofranc Holford-Stevens - The History of Time: A Very Short Introduction

Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefevre and Freredic Lemercier - The Photographer

R F Kuang - The Dragon Republic

James S A Corey - Persepolis Rising

Bob Woodward - Bush at War

Bob Woodward - Plan of Attack

Sydney Padua - The Thrilling Adventures of Babbage and Lovelace

Michelle Alexander - The New Jim Crow

James S A Corey - Tiamat's Wrath

Neil Gaiman - The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Danny Dorling - So You Think You Know About Britain?

Alex Garland - The Beach

Desmond Morris - The Naked Ape

Lionel Shriver - We Need to Talk About Kevin

Dipo Faloyin - Africa is Not a Country

Jeff Guinn - Waco

Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt - How Democracies Die

Gary A Rendsburg - The Book of Genesis

China Mieville - October

Hannu Rajaniemi - The Causal Angel

James S A Corey - Leviathan Falls

Chris Atkins - A Bit of a Stretch

Fiona Erskine - The Chemical Detective

Yuval Noah Harari - Homo Deus

Mikiso Hane - Japan: A Short History

Greta Thunberg - The Climate Book

Natasha Brown - Assembly

John Lanchester - Capital

Lee Child - Killing Floor

David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

Leonard Susskind and George Hrabovsky - Classical Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum

Konrad Spindler - The Man in the Ice

Tim Marshall - The Future of Geography

Peter Frankopan - The Earth Transformed

Ian Dunt - How Westminster Works and Why it Doesn't

Naoki Urasawa - 20th Century Boys

Jill Cook - Ice Age Art: Arrival of the Modern Mind