Eggplant.place

1y

Moby-Dick doesn’t deserve the ‘difficult’ label – this sea romance was once loved by office workers, sailors and children

Early readers knew Moby-Dick for what it was: an extreme and ambitious form of popular genre fiction.

By Edward Sugden

https://theconversation.com/moby-dick-doesnt-deserve-the-difficult-label-this-sea-romance-was-once-loved-by-office-workers-sailors-and-children-252764?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20June%203%202025%20-%203399134654&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20June%203%202025%20-%203399134654+CID_883bf765c02875a3531f2b057c9fd507&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=Moby-Dick%20doesnt%20deserve%20the%20difficult%20label%20%20this%20sea%20romance%20was%20once%20loved%20by%20office%20workers%20sailors%20and%20children

Moby Dick at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2701

#books #literature #literarycriticism

Illustration of the final chase of Moby-Dick in a 1902 edition.

The scene is dramatic and chaotic, set against a stormy sea. At the center is Captain Ahab, standing defiantly on the deck of the whaleboat or leaning forward with harpoon raised, his face twisted with obsession and fury.

The great white whale, Moby-Dick, dominates the composition—immense, ghostly pale, and terrifying, thrashing violently as it breaches the ocean surface.

Ahab’s ship, the Pequod, is shown in the distance or beginning to sink, impaled or struck by the whale’s massive bulk.

I. W. Taber - Moby Dick - edition: Charles Scribner's Sons, New York

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby-Dick#/media/File:Moby_Dick_final_chase.jpg

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1y

We NEED more sci-fi like Firefly in the shelves... 😁 If you have recommendations I'm looking 😊

@bookstodon
@scifi @speculativefictioncomedy @bookbubble
@humour

#SciFiMemes #SciFi #Memes #Humor #Humour
#Inspirational #Comedy #Western
#Book #Books #Novel #Novels
#Mastobooks #BooksofMastodon #Bookstodon #Bookworm #Bookwyrm #Bookstodon #BookLove #BoostingIsSharing

Post by SciFi RoundTable
Caption: I was excited until I realized these are three separate categories.
A Picture of a library sign:
INSPIRATIONAL
SCIENCE FICTION
WESTERNS
->

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248d

📚 This Book Is Full of Spiders by: Jason Pargin, David Wong

Warning: You may have a huge, invisible spider living in your skull. THIS IS NOT A METAPHOR.

You will dismiss this as ridiculous fear-mongering. Dismissing things as ridiculous fear-mongering is, in fact, the first symptom of parasitic spider infection, the ...

https://bookblabla.com/book/this-book-is-full-of-spiders

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #horror #generalfiction #humorous #thrillers

Warning: You may have a huge, invisible spider living in your skull. THIS IS NOT A METAPHOR.

You will dismiss this as ridiculous fear-mongering. Dismissing things as ridiculous fear-mongering is, in fact, the first symptom of parasitic spider infection, the creature stimulates skepticism, in order to prevent you from seeking a cure. That's just as well, since the "cure" involves learning what a chainsaw tastes like. You can't feel the spider, because it controls your nerve endings. You won't even feel it when it breeds. And it will breed.

Just stay calm, and remember that telling you about the spider situation is not the same as having caused it. I'm just the messenger. Even if I did sort of cause it. Either way, I won't hold it against you if you're upset. I know that's just the spider talking.

"Like an episode of AMC's The Walking Dead written by Douglas Adams of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...Imagine a mentally ill narrator describing the zombie apocalypse while drunk, and the end result is unlike any other book of the genre. Seriously, dude, touch it and read it." –Washington Post

Kevin Smith's Clerks meets H.P. Lovecraft in this exceptional thriller... [Jason Pargin] is a fantastic author with a supernatural talent for humor. If you want a poignant, laugh-out-loud funny, disturbing, ridiculous, self-aware, socially relevant horror novel than This Book is Full of Spiders: Seriously Dude, Don't Touch It is the one and only book for you. SF Signal

F

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249d

The Cross-Dressing Marquess Who Made Arthur Conan Doyle Turn Detective

"Henry Paget, the fifth Marquess of Anglesey, who loved expensive costumes and jewelry, turned to Arthur Conan Doyle when his jewels mysteriously disappeared"

https://www.thecollector.com/henry-paget-arthur-conan-doyle/

Books by Doyle at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/69

#history #books #literature #lgbtqia

"Photo portrait of Henry Paget, 5th Marquess of Anglesey by John Wickens" - picryl.com

He is dressed in a theatrical costume. It is a long stripped robe with an elaborate headdress. He is holding a stick with ribbons tied around it.

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1y

Salt Lake City Public Library, public library in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_City_Public_Library

#libraries #books #map

A photo of or from a library from the linked website, overlaid on a cropped world map where it's located.

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1y

My review of the 2025 Free Comic Book Day issue of Conan the Barbarian just went up! My 60th review at Grimdark Magazine.

The prelude to this fall’s Scourge of the Serpent event will weave together three Robert E. Howard classics.

(As always, boosts are appreciated!)

https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/review-conan-the-barbarian-free-comic-book-day-2025-scourge-of-the-serpent/

#BookReview #Books @bookstodon #Comics @comics #Conan #SwordAndSorcery @fantasy #Fantasy

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1y

Ham-fisted construction is my favourite 😂

@bookstodon @fantasybookstodon @speculativefictioncomedy @bookbubble @humour

#FantasyMemes #Fantasy #Memes #Humor #Humour
#Low #High #Epic #Science #Comedic #Whatever #GiveMeAllYouveGot
#Book #Books #Novel #Novels
#Mastobooks #BooksofMastodon #Bookstodon #Bookworm #Bookwyrm #Bookstodon #BookLove #BoostingIsSharing

abridged fairy tales by John Atkinson, Wrong Hands
Goldilocks: Home invader has ceral, breaks stuff, then falls asleep.
Hansel and Gretel: Some kids eat an old lady's house. Also cannibalism.
Beauty and the beast: Stockholm syndrome girl falls for ugly guy. Except he isn't.
Princess and the pea: Mattresses piled on a vegetable determine fitness to govern.
Cinderella: Wardrobe malfunction prompts strange footwear mating ritual.
Three little pigs: Ham-fisted construction keeps wolf at the door.

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1y

Out of the fog

It’s a ‘failed painting’ that obscures the profound power of German Romanticism. Why do we love the ‘Wanderer’ so much?

By Gianluca Didino

https://aeon.co/essays/why-caspar-david-friedrichs-wanderer-is-a-failed-painting?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=138e1ff597-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_05_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4ef8a26106-72664972

German Romanticism at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=German+Romanticism

#books #art #literature

Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog (c1817) by Caspar David Friedrich.

The hiker stands as a back figure in the center of the composition. He looks down on an almost impenetrable sea of fog in the midst of a rocky landscape - a metaphor for life as an ominous journey into the unknown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderer_above_the_Sea_of_Fog#/media/File:Caspar_David_Friedrich_-_Wanderer_above_the_Sea_of_Fog.jpeg

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1y

Your Brain on Books: Scientists Reveal What Happens in Our Heads When We Read

By Livia Pereira

https://mymodernmet.com/research-brain-reading/

Original paper:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763425001666?via%3Dihub

#books #neuroscience

From the 1543 book in the collection in National Institute of Medicine. Andreas Vesalius' Fabrica, showing the Base Of The Brain, including the cerebellum, olfactory bulbs, optic nerve.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_brain#/media/File:1543,_Andreas_Vesalius'_Fabrica,_Base_Of_The_Brain.jpg

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1y

If a book hasn't been banned somewhere is it even worth reading? 🤔😁

@bookstodon @fantasybookstodon @bookbubble @humour @reading

#IReadBannedBooks
#BannedBook #Book #Books #BookMemes #Memes #Humor #Humour
#Novel #Novels #Bookshelf
#Mastobooks #BooksofMastodon #Bookstodon #Bookworm #Bookwyrm #Bookstodon #BookLove #BoostingIsSharing

Picutre of a bookshelf with a sign saying,
Banned Books: Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.
-Isaac Asimov
The shelf features books and has signs explaining what each one was banned for.

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1y

“The Tale of Genji:” 1,000 Years of Romance

Posted by: Neely Tucker

This Japanese work is considered the world's first novel.

https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2025/05/the-tale-of-genji-1000-years-of-romance/

Books by Murasaki Shikibu at PG

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Murasaki+Shikibu

#books #literature

"Scenes from the Tale of Genji, late 1700s. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868). Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, and gold on gilded paper; image: 154.4 x 351.2 cm (60 13/16 x 138 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of William G. Mather 1948.124

Folding screens served as temporary dividers in traditional Japanese open-plan architectural spaces. This pair was inspired by Japan’s most celebrated work of literature, the Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu, an attendant to the empress in the early 11th-century imperial court. The novel follows the love life of the “Shining Prince” Genji and delves into the psychological states of his many companions. Distinct episodes are nestled within a matrix of golden clouds and landscape elements. Each screen includes six episodes presented in a nonlinear fashion, capturing scattered highlights of the story." - from the Internet Archive

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1y

The Secret Link Between Raymond Chandler and P.G. Wodehouse

Arvind Ethan David on the Surprising Connection Between Two Legendary Authors

https://lithub.com/the-secret-link-between-raymond-chandler-and-p-g-wodehouse/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_id=01JVWWXN4FM4JT4W1X4BY8VY6F&_kx=3MZUehzXM-41qlWAMPUiuNZadX2p0SByuNf_t0eMLB0.U5D8ER

#books #literature #literarycriticism

American author Raymond Chandler circa 1943.

Back cover of the dust jacket of The Lady in the Lake (1943), published by Alfred A. Knopf.

This black-and-white portrait of American author Raymond Chandler, taken circa 1943, features him in a formal pose, wearing a suit and tie. His expression is composed and introspective, reflecting the cool, cerebral demeanor often attributed to his famed detective fiction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Chandler#/media/File:Raymond_Chandler_(Lady_in_the_Lake_portrait,_1943).jpg

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Image of the writer PG Wodehouse from 1930.

This 1930 photograph by P.G. Wodehouse shows the British author in a non-formal pose, dressed in a suit and a fitted tie. Underneath his jacket, he is wearing a V-neck sweater. His expression is calm and slightly smiling.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._G._Wodehouse#/media/File:P.G._Wodehouse,_1930.jpg

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1y

New #Introduction post!

Hello I'm Noelle! I'm a blogger and reader who also plays musical instruments (guitar, keyboard) and takes photos. I believe that Meta and Google are not only killing the planet through their data centers but also democracy through the division their products have created. They are also taking over our lives by how much time we spend a day with their products (email, social media, YouTube).

#Mastodon #fediverse #Google #Meta #blogger #reader #books #photographer

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1y

The Father of Existentialism: Who Was Søren Kierkegaard?

Søren Kierkegaard is among the most distinguished philosophers in history.

by Maysara Kamal

https://www.thecollector.com/who-was-soren-kierkegaard/

Kierkegaard at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/46682

#books #philosophy

Unfinished sketch of Kierkegaard by his cousin Niels Christian Kierkegaard, Royal Library, Copenhagen, c. 1840.

The sketch captures Kierkegaard in a three-quarter view, looking slightly to the viewer’s left. His high forehead, deep-set eyes, and sharp cheekbones—features often described in accounts of him. His hair, characteristically voluminous and swept upward, is lightly sketched.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard#/media/File:S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard_(1813-1855)_-_(cropped).jpg

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1y

How Ancient Greece Shaped Ovid, Rome’s Master Poet

By Nick Kampouris

https://greekreporter.com/2025/05/23/ancient-greece-shape-ovid-rome-poet/

Ovid at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/2868

#books #literature

Delacroix, Ovid among the Scythians, 1859. National Gallery (London).

This painting by Eugène Delacroix depicts the Roman poet Ovid in exile among the Scythians, a nomadic people.

Ovid, draped in classical robes and seated at the center, appears fragile and contemplative, contrasting with the rugged, curious Scythians surrounding him.

The barren landscape, accented by horses and distant hills, enhances the sense of isolation and the meeting of two vastly different worlds—civilized Rome and untamed steppes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovid#/media/File:Eug%C3%A8ne_Delacroix_-_Ovide_chez_les_Scythes_(1859).jpg

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1y

Lesya Ukrainka: Ukraine’s Beloved Writer and Activist

“Lesya Ukrainka” was a carefully considered pseudonym for a writer who left behind a legacy of poems, plays, essays and activism for the Ukrainian language.

By: Emily Zarevich from the archives

https://daily.jstor.org/lesya-ukrainka-ukraines-beloved-writer-and-activist/

Ukraine at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=ukraine

#books #literature

Lesya Ukrainka, 1896.

Photo taken at the studio of photographer Heinrich Lazowski in Kyiv.

Taken in the Kyiv studio of photographer Heinrich Lazowski, this portrait shows Ukrainian poet and playwright Lesya Ukrainka at age 25. She sits in a composed and dignified posture, wearing a high-collared, embroidered blouse and a dark shawl. Her gaze is direct and introspective.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%9B%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%8F_%D0%A3%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%97%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%B0.2.jpg

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156d

finished reading Wifedom 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
by Anna Funder.

Biography of George Orwell's impressive wife, Eileen, and how he and his biographers erased her contribution from history. Masterfully shows how the infrastructure provided by women is kept invisible. The fictionalised sections made me uncomfortable, being based on so little source material - how much of herself has the author put into this? But that is the very point she is making about biography. Also: Orwell was a mysogynistic lecher.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #Biography

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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1y

Circe in The Odyssey: The Enchantress Who Defied a Hero

A goddess, a witch, a sorceress—Circe in The Odyssey has been called many things.

By Mandy Nachampassack-Maloney

https://www.thecollector.com/circe-the-odyssey-enchantress/

The Odyssey at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1727

#books #literature #mythology

Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus by John William Waterhouse.

The painting depicts the enchantress Circe, seated regally on a golden throne, clad in a flowing, deep-blue gown. She holds a golden cup aloft in her right hand, offering it to Odysseus, whom she has attempted to seduce and enchant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circe#/media/File:Circe_Offering_the_Cup_to_Odysseus.jpg

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1y

New sapphic audiobook review: Reverence by Milena McKay, narrated by Abby Craden

https://judeinthestars.com/2025/05/27/reverence-by-milena-mckay-narrated-by-abby-craden/

Video review: https://www.instagram.com/p/DKKK5GkxyoX/

#book #books #LGBTBooks #lgbt #sapphic #BookLover #BookAddict #BookRecommendations #wlw #SapphicReads #BookReview #lesfic #BookReviewer #SapphicBookReview #QueerLit #BookToot #Bookstodon #SapphFic

@sapphicbooks @bookstodon

On a muted multicolored background, an iPhone with the cover of Reverence by Milena McKay, narrated by Abby Craden. Next to it are dark hydrangea flowers.

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1y

Friends!

Today, I present to you the cover of Convergence of Connection!

Isn’t it stunning? 🤩 🥰

Check out my latest blog post for an in-depth look at what’s on the cover, and to read the blurb. (NOTE: The blurb talks about what happens in book three; naturally, that means there are spoilers for books one and two.)

Blog post: https://sarahjhoodlet.com/blog/cover-reveal-convergence-of-connection/

#CoverReveal #Books #ComingSoon #Fantasy #RomanticFantasy #Readers #WritingCommunity #SelfPublishing #IndieAuthor #Author

The cover of Convergence of Connection, the third book in The Way of the Wielder series.

Featured is a young woman standing in an active pose, her arms out before her, with four elemental spheres floating in the air at her side (green, gray, red, and blue). Behind her is a green and golden misty background, with leaves around the edges.

Between the title and the author’s name is a vignette of an angelic figure hovering above a glass-like surface, staring out into a starlit sky. The vignette is in golden tones, which blends into the background above.

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1y

The Wrong Side and The Right Side (of History) - Albert Camus On Being 'Human and Simple'

By Paul Sorene

https://flashbak.com/albert-camus-the-wrong-side-and-the-right-side-475865/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=albert-camus-the-wrong-side-and-the-right-side

More information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Camus

#books #literature #history

Albert Camus, Nobel prize winner, half-length portrait, seated at desk, facing left, smoking cigarette.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Camus#/media/File:Albert_Camus,_gagnant_de_prix_Nobel,_portrait_en_buste,_pos%C3%A9_au_bureau,_faisant_face_%C3%A0_gauche,_cigarette_de_tabagisme.jpg

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1y

We are all Mrs Dalloway now

For Virginia Woolf, stream of consciousness was a method. Now, it’s a way of life.

By George Monaghan

https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2025/06/we-are-all-mrs-dalloway-now

Mrs. Dalloway at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/71865

#books #literature

First edition dust jacket of Mrs. Dalloway, 1925; cover art by Vanessa Bell.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs_Dalloway#/media/File:Mrs._Dalloway_cover.jpg

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15d

"Tyler McBrien sits down with #AkbarShahidAhmed, the diplomatic correspondent at The Washington Sun, to discuss Ahmed’s new book ' #CrossingTheRedLine: #Biden, His Advisors, and #Israel's War in #Gaza.' They talk about the top officials in the administration who drove Biden’s Gaza policy, how the war quickly became a moral and strategic disaster, and what the heavy civilian death toll might augur for the future."

https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawfare-daily---crossing-the-red-line--in-gaza-with-akbar-shahid-ahmed

#Palestine #USpol #niOubliNiPardon #books @bookstodon

lawfare-daily---crossing-the-red-line--in-gaza-with-akbar-shahid-ahmed

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1y

I’m looking for a sensitivy/authenticity reader. And it’s been super hard to find someone that fits the requirements:

1) Spanish-fluency
2) Mexican heritage
3) Female
4) Familiarity with gothic literature (a fan is even better)
5) Open to reading potentially traumatic (but not graphic) situations

I’m looking for someone who does this for a living (so does invoices, contracts, and has experience with this kind of reading).

If you have leads, let me know!

#AmWriting #books

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