Eggplant.place

157d

Misunderstood Malthus

The English thinker whose name is synonymous with doom and gloom has lessons for today.

By: Roy Scranton
https://daily.jstor.org/misunderstood-malthus/

Malthus at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1411

#books #economy

Thomas Robert Malthus by John Linnell.

Malthus is shown seated, facing slightly toward the viewer. His hair is short and lightly curled, his face lined with age. He wears clerical robes. In his right hand he holds a closed book while his left rests gently on his lap.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Robert_Malthus_Wellcome_L0069037.jpg

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

171d

It's a double book launch!

Mandy Hager and I are launching our new books at 6pm on Wednesday 1 October at Unity Books, Wellington - my new poetry collection "Dracula in the Colonies" and her new novel "Revenge and Rabbit Holes"!

Check out the details here: https://www.timjonesbooks.co.nz/2025/09/04/youre-invited-to-a-double-book-launch-on-wednesday-1-october-dracula-in-the-colonies-by-tim-jones-and-revenge-and-rabbit-holes-by-mandy-hager/

I hope you can come along! Many thanks to The Cuba Press for publishing both books, and to Unity Books Wellington for hosting the launch.

Can't make the launch? You can pre-order Dracula in the Colonies here: https://thecubapress.nz/shop/dracula-in-the-colonies/

#books #bookstodon #nzbooks #Aotearoa #fiction #poetry

Invitation to the launch of "Dracula in the Colonies" by Tim Jones and "Revenge and Rabbit Holes" by Mandy Hager, showing the covers of both books. The launch is at Unity Books, 57 Willis St, Wellington, from 6-7.30pm on Wednesday 1 October 2025.

ALT

Edited 171d ago

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

168d

‘Deeply concerning’: reading for fun in the US has fallen by 40%, new study says

"Over the last 20 years, the number of Americans who read daily for pleasure has seen a considerable decline"

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/20/reading-for-pleasure-study

#books #reading

Boy reading in a sparsely decorated bedroom.

ALT

10 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

132d

finished reading The Mars House 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
by Natasha Pulley.

A sci-fi romance set on Mars, where recent refugees from climate-riven Earth are so strong in the low gravity that they are a mortal accidental risk to Martians. Excellent premise, and the contradictory reactions of the protagonist feel real & difficult. But some of the underlying science is dubious (MW ≠ MWh!!!), the romance had potential but felt a bit weak and the ending used up its momentum too soon. Mammoths!

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #SFF

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

156d

Strongheart the German Shepherd Catapulted to Fame for His Heroics in Silent Films. Later, Spiritualist Writings Immortalized Him in Death

"The beloved dog starred in six movies during the Roaring Twenties. After Strongheart died in 1929, author J. Allen Boone chronicled their enduring connection in a pair of nonfiction books"

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/strongheart-the-german-shepherd-catapulted-to-fame-for-his-heroics-in-silent-films-later-spiritualist-writings-immortalized-him-in-death-180987212/

Strongheart and his "love interest" Jule from the movie "The Love Master"

#books #animals

Caption: Strongheart & Jule in "The Love Master" Trimble-Murphin Picture.

The black & white photo shows two dogs in the snow. Strongheart on the left has darker markings than Jule on the right.

ALT

Edited 156d ago

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

156d

" ‘Silence must reign’, ordered the head of the colonial administration in #Cameroon in 1958. The demand was all the more pressing because #France was simultaneously fighting the war in Algeria, provoking outcry at home and international censure of the self-styled ‘homeland of human rights’."

NLR speaks w/ #ThomasDeltombe, author of #TheCameroonWar: A History of French #Neocolonialism in #Africa

https://newleftreview.org/sidecar/posts/the-secret-war

#Cameroun #Françafrique #violencesColoniales #livres #books @bookstodon

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

156d

The Inquisitive Biologist turns 8! Here's the latest review...

How would life have evolved had the dinosaurs survived? This facsimile reprint of Dougal Dixon's second classic work of speculative zoology imagines the answer and remains as captivating and entertaining as it was in 1988.

https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2025/09/19/book-review-the-new-dinosaurs-an-alternative-evolution/

#Scicomm #SpeculativeZoology #Dinosaurs #Palaeontology #Paleontology #Books #BookReview #Bookstodon @bookstodon

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

79d

📚 The Favorites by: Layne Fargo

She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—a...

https://bookblabla.com/book/the-favorites

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #womenfiction #sportsfiction

She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and roller-coaster relationship.

Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the “real story” through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary, but she can’t stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy. So, after a decade of silence, she’s telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.

To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • An epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating, starring a woman determi

ALT

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

156d

@books - Get your DISCOUNT COPY of SHOCKWAVE on Amazon TODAY & please give it a review. They're hitting us harder now! bit.ly/buyshockwave -- Pls Retweet, Share, Repost, & Write a REVIEW 😃#books #bookreview #goodreads

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

156d

📚 Billion-Dollar Ransom by: James Patterson, Duane Swierczynski

Five members of a billionaire’s family. In different locations. All kidnapped at the same moment.

Two children taken from a private-school bus. A film producer and a movie star grabbed at a hideaway resort. A beautiful wife whisked off the stre...

https://bookblabla.com/book/billion-dollar-ransom

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #thrillers #suspensefiction #crimefiction #psychological

Five members of a billionaire’s family. In different locations. All kidnapped at the same moment.

Two children taken from a private-school bus. A film producer and a movie star grabbed at a hideaway resort. A beautiful wife whisked off the streets of Beverly Hills.

A patriarch wants his family back. The cash, gold, jewels, and crypto are all ready.
There’s only one problem: a brilliant, very stubborn FBI agent. Special Agent Nicky Gordon doesn’t want to pay the kidnappers.
Not a dime.

Instant New York Times Bestseller!

From bestselling author James Patterson, six kidnappers pursue a whopping ten-figure payout in this thrilling novel featuring “breakneck pacing and loop-the-loop plotting” (Publishers Weekly).

ALT

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

165d

'We usually understand “divide and rule” as a tactic for dividing populations, preventing them from unifying to overthrow the colonial power. But “divide and rule” also divides people from their own pasts.'

Samuel Hayim Brody reviews #TheJewelersOfTheUmmah, #ThreeWorlds: Memoirs of an Arab Jew, and #WhenWeWereArabs: A Jewish Family’s Forgotten History

https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/in-search-of-arab-jews/

#ArabJews #JewishHistory #MENA #MiddleEast #MizrahiJews #SephardicJews #Palestine #books #memoirs @bookstodon

text (at right):

[rubrics ] ARTS IN SOCIETY, PHILOSOPHY

In Search of Arab Jews
Can a culture be resurrected?

Samuel Hayim Brody
[tags] Books & Ideas, Criticism, History, Middle East, Religion

image (at left): Ariella Aïsha Azoulay

ALT

Edited 165d ago

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

131d

"The steering committee elected to remove eight [of the 20] books from the list, not only narrowing the breadth of titles being discussed by teens across the state, but also narrowing the number of books they will be reading in anticipation of voting for the Georgia Peach Book Awards... All of these books are published for the young adult audience, meaning that the Bowl’s steering committee elected to remove books that are appropriate for the teens involved in this competition.

Seven of the eight banned books are written by female-identifying writers, while at least five are written by writers from demographically marginalized backgrounds."

#books #writing #writersofmastodon #WritingCommunity #bookstodon @bookstodon

https://bookriot.com/helen-ruffin-reading-bowl-book-ban-2025/

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

156d

New on my #blog: "My 20 Books that influenced me list."
https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2025/09/my-20-books-that-influenced-me-list.html

Instead of doing the #SocialMedia #20Books or #20BooksIn20Days one at a time, I just put them all on a list in one place. Feel free to check them out.

#books #reading #ItinerantLibrarian #bookstodon 💙📚

@bookstodon@a.gup.pe
@bookstodon

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

164d

Your fun-packed, not at all murder and political intrigue-packed voyage through the stars will depart shortly…

#books #SciFi #sciencefiction #LittleBluePlanetTours #XanaduAffair @bookstodon #teasertrailer #upcomingreleases #humoroussciencefiction #newbooks

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

164d

Inside the Rooms Where 20 Famous Books Were Written

From The House of Mirth to Go Tell It on the Mountain

By Emily Temple (from the archives)

https://lithub.com/inside-the-rooms-where-20-famous-books-were-written/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_id=01K4SYGVEQ7NXKDYCBYWQE28YS&_kx=3MZUehzXM-41qlWAMPUiuNZadX2p0SByuNf_t0eMLB0.U5D8ER

#books #literature

2 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

164d

A Review of The Last of What I Am: https://lydiaschoch.com/a-review-of-the-last-of-what-i-am/

#BookReview #Books #CivilWar #Paranormal

Book cover for The Last of What I Am: A Novel by Abigail Cutter. Image on cover shows a figure standing in the second story window of an old wooden farmhouse. There is a light on in that room that is illuminating everything and obscuring the figure’s features. It is dusk outside and you can see the last bit of light fading away as a few birds fly through the sky.

ALT

1 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

English novelist and poet Charlotte Brontë died #OTD in 1855.

She is best known for her novel Jane Eyre, which she published under the gender neutral pen name Currer Bell. Along with "Jane Eyre," her other notable works include "Shirley" (1849) and "Villette" (1853). Brontë's writing is celebrated for its exploration of social issues, particularly the role of women in Victorian society.

Books by Charlotte Brontë at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/408

#books #literature #poetry

Portrait by George Richmond (1850, chalk on paper)

ALT

Cover page of The Search After Hapiness [sic]: A Tale by Charlotte Brontë

ALT

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

131d

What book(s) are you currently reading or listening to? October 14

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

164d

Dan Brown Returns With a Hyperactive Testament to the Power of Books Takahe has limited support for this type: See Original Page

the-secret-of-secrets-dan-brown.html?unlocked_article_code=1.lE8.YEYo.5cs3GSxC116m

0 0 2 View Post & Replies See Original

79d

Ughhhh, et tu calibre?

New features
- Allow asking AI questions about any book in your calibre library. Right click the "View" button and choose "Discuss selected book(s) with AI"
- AI: Allow asking AI what book to read next by right clicking on a book and using the "Similar books" menu
- AI: Add a new backend for "LM Studio" which allows running various AI models locally

Release: 8.16.1 04 Dec, 2025; or here on their GitHub

Calibre is one of those pieces of software that I use from time to time but don't follow closely. I wasn't aware they'd been sipping from the poisoned chalice.

#calibre #FOSS #OpenSource #books #eBooks #eBookManager #AIPoisoning #InformationOilSpill

Edited 79d ago

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

155d

Breaking the chain

The role of the conscious observer has posed a stubborn problem for quantum measurement. Phenomenology offers a solution

By Steven French

https://aeon.co/essays/why-quantum-mechanics-needs-phenomenology?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=12e10a8cc1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_09_20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4ef8a26106-72664972

Quantum theory at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/20207

#books #philosophyofscience

The 1927 Solvay Conference in Brussels was the fifth world physics conference.

1927 Solvay Conference on Quantum Mechanics. Photograph by Benjamin Couprie, Institut International de Physique Solvay, Brussels, Belgium. From back to front and from left to right : Auguste Piccard, Émile Henriot, Paul Ehrenfest, Édouard Herzen, Théophile de Donder, Erwin Schrödinger, Jules-Émile Verschaffelt, Wolfgang Pauli, Werner Heisenberg, Ralph Howard Fowler, Léon Brillouin, Peter Debye, Martin Knudsen, William Lawrence Bragg, Hendrik Anthony Kramers, Paul Dirac, Arthur Compton, Louis de Broglie, Max Born, Niels Bohr, Irving Langmuir, Max Planck, Marie Skłodowska Curie, Hendrik Lorentz, Albert Einstein, Paul Langevin, Charles-Eugène Guye, Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Owen Willans Richardson.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_mechanics#/media/File:Solvay_conference_1927.jpg

ALT

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

130d

"Did she invent this fairy tale? She herself doesn’t know. She has heard so many told, by her mother and her two aunts and her grandmother, so many about thumblings and golden eggs and wolves and knights and witches and good as well as evil sisters, that she doesn’t have to think; once you have begun, it continues of its own accord, and the parts assemble themselves, sometimes one way and sometimes another, and you have a fairy tale." ~~ from 'Tyll' by Daniel Kehlmann, trans. Ross Benjamin

#WednesdayBookQuote #books #reading @bookstodon