books

77d

Is there a translation of the bible that is accurate?

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115d

📚 Shadow Ticket by: Thomas Pynchon

Milwaukee 1932, the Great Depression going full blast, repeal of Prohibition just around the corner, Al Capone in the federal pen, the private investigation business shifting from labor-management relations to the more domestic kind. Hicks McTaggart, a onetime strikebreaker turned private eye, thinks h...

https://bookblabla.com/book/shadow-ticket

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #literaryfiction #mysterydetective #noir

Milwaukee 1932, the Great Depression going full blast, repeal of Prohibition just around the corner, Al Capone in the federal pen, the private investigation business shifting from labor-management relations to the more domestic kind. Hicks McTaggart, a onetime strikebreaker turned private eye, thinks he’s found job security until he gets sent out on what should be a routine case, locating and bringing back the heiress of a Wisconsin cheese fortune who’s taken a mind to go wandering. Before he knows it, he’s been shanghaied onto a transoceanic liner, ending up eventually in Hungary where there’s no shoreline, a language from some other planet, and enough pastry to see any cop well into retirement—and of course no sign of the runaway heiress he’s supposed to be chasing. By the time Hicks catches up with her he will find himself also entangled with Nazis, Soviet agents, British counterspies, swing musicians, practitioners of the paranormal, outlaw motorcyclists, and the troubles that come with each of them, none of which Hicks is qualified, forget about being paid, to deal with. Surrounded by history he has no grasp on and can’t see his way around in or out of, the only bright side for Hicks is it’s the dawn of the Big Band Era and as it happens he’s a pretty good dancer. Whether this will be enough to allow him somehow to Lindy-hop his way back again to Milwaukee and the normal world, which may no longer exist, is another question.

The new novel from Thomas

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116d

Bite or Flight: Ranking Classic Vampire Strengths and Weaknesses

Different vampires have different rules — how do your favorites measure up?

By Rachel Ayers

https://reactormag.com/bite-or-flight-ranking-classic-vampire-strengths-and-weaknesses/?utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-99fqCNMVtcqKqAkA1ONHzCKSXZ5VFE-zyuzhkXiiLOrSszvIwpWINCTJ8BBH22k4EUayigArmR-mY2uet0UDTIvpoLYw&_hsmi=387512835&utm_content=387512835&utm_source=hs_email

The Vampyre by Polidori at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6087

#books #literature

The Vampyre by John William Polidori - Il vampiro sorte dal nulla.

The engraving depicts a dramatic nocturnal scene set in a graveyard:

On the left, a vampire figure rises from a tomb, holding a torch. His expression is intense and predatory, suggesting he has emerged from the grave to prey upon the living.

To the right, a bearded man in flowing robes gestures toward him, possibly representing a holy or moral authority attempting to repel or banish the creature.

In the foreground, a young woman lies unconscious or asleep, her pale face and limp posture indicating vulnerability—she is likely the vampire’s intended victim.

Surrounding them are tombs and weeping willows, contributing to the eerie, gothic atmosphere.

The Italian caption below translates roughly to:
“The vampire, driven by the fever of the grave, rises above the sleeping Miss Aubrey... but he does not reach her; a celestial power drives away the shadow of this infernal being, compelling him to abandon his prey.”

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:The_Vampyre_(Polidori)#/media/File:The_Vampyre_by_John_William_Polidori_-_Il_vampiro_sorte_dal_nulla.jpg

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76d

Joking is serious business... 😁

@reading @bookstodon @books @humor @humor@lemmy.world @aiop

#Interpretation #Author
#ReadingMemes #Memes #ReadAllTheBooks #Humor #Humour #Comedy
#Reading #Readers #ReadersOfMastodon #ReadingCommunity
#Book #Books #Novel #Novels #Fiction
#Bookwyrm #Bookworm #Bookstodon #BookLove

Post by prokopetz

Death of the author: Treating the author's stated
interpretation of their own work as merely one opinion
among many, rather than the authoritative Word of God.
Disappearance of the author: Treating the context and
circumstances of the work's authorship as entirely
irrelevant with respect to its interpretation, as though
the work had popped into existence fully formed just
moments ago.

Taxidermy of the author: Working backwards from a
particular interpretation of the work to draw
conclusions about what the context and circumstances
of its authorship must have been.

Undeath of the author: Holding the author personally
responsible for every possible reading of their work,
even ones they could not reasonably have anticipated
at the time of its authorship.

Frankenstein's Monster of the author: Drawing
conclusions about authorial intent based on elements
that are present only in subsequent adaptations by
other authors.

Weekend at Bernie's of the author: Insisting that the
author would personally endorse your interpretation of
the work if they happened to be present.

Reply by bugbastard

| thought this was going to be a joke, but these are all
very real things you see people do.

Reply by prokopetz

I'm never more serious than when I'm joking.

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116d

Look who has come knocking for Halloween...

Fascinating and most informative, this detailed and deeply researched biography draws on previously unavailable correspondence to present a fuller picture of the life of Edgar Allan Poe.

https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2025/10/31/book-review-edgar-allan-poe-a-life/

#Books #BookReview #Bookstodon #EdgarAllanPoe #EAPoe #Biography #Literature #Goth #Gothic #Horror #Halloween @bookstodon

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116d

“Everyone’s afraid of being caught in the sorting machine of history, ending up in the wrong pile. It’s hard to blame them. The way it’s going, it won’t matter what you believe, what you do. It will be a question of what someone in charge decides you did. Witch trials in this century…I didn’t imagine we’d go backward so fast.” ~~ from '33 Place Brugmann' by Alice Austen

#BookQuote #books #reading @bookstodon

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50d

Ebook and paperback: https://books2read.com/TheNextHorizon

Amelia and The Book of Newts are in conflict. She wants to explore her feelings. It wants to explore space, taking back the gift for mathematics and piloting it gave her. She’s left unable to plot a direct course home. She’s desperate to see the man she loves, lest she lose him forever and The Book is in her way…

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #sciencefantasy #scifi #actionadventure #fiction #books

(Left) The cover of The Next Horizon, by Owen Tyme.

The black silhouette of a man and woman hugging and kissing. The woman has lifted one leg, while the man leans toward her. They stand atop the dark side of a planet or moon in space, which has a slim crescent along the right side. The background in the stars of space, but some have been highlighted with a heat shape that surrounds the kissing couple. Everything is in shades of blue.

(Right) Deep space, displaying the edge of an orange and blue gaseous cloud from a nebula, while most of the stars appear golden in color. Floating in space is a square, red leather book with the image of a newt stamped on the cover. Over the top of everything is the following text:

“You can back down and cooperate, right now, or Marta will hit you so hard, you should reach a tenth the speed of light…”

“No one will ever find you again, but even if someone does, there’s no way they’ll have the capacity to safely slow you down, before you’re gone to them!”

(Bottom) https://books2read.com/TheNextHorizon

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76d

📚 Service by: John Tottenham

What's this book about? Is there a restroom? Do you have gluten-free bagels? Do you work here? Do you have a restroom? Do I buy books or rent books or what?

Still a bookseller in his late forties, Sean knows that the worst thing about a bookshop is the customers. Then there's the gift-wrapping, the invoicing, the Yelp reviews. The overwhelming ...

https://bookblabla.com/book/service

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #general

What's this book about? Is there a restroom? Do you have gluten-free bagels? Do you work here? Do you have a restroom? Do I buy books or rent books or what?

Still a bookseller in his late forties, Sean knows that the worst thing about a bookshop is the customers. Then there's the gift-wrapping, the invoicing, the Yelp reviews. The overwhelming sense of self-loathing after another day of not writing a novel yourself.

While Sean's book remains unfinished, his city has changed around him. As have friends and acquaintances, at least the ones who keep in touch. The service industry is different, too. But what, or whom, is he serving anyway? Biting, hilarious and self-aware, John Tottenham's debut novel is a razor-sharp dissection of gentrification, friendship, jealousy and the role of literature in a digital age.

'Highly accomplished, deeply satisfying ... I marked up almost every page' TLS

'Laugh-out-loud funny' DAILY MAIL

'My favourite nihilistic romantic' RACHEL KUSHNER

'A brutally honest, insightful, intelligent and absolutely hilarious novel' MICHAEL IMPERIOLI

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114d

Famous Medieval Words and Their Surprising Origins

Words like castles, Vikings, and even medieval itself instantly evoke the Middle Ages. Some of these terms were used by people of the time, while others were coined centuries later to describe their world. Each carries traces of history, revealing how language has preserved — and reimagined — the medieval past.

https://www.medievalists.net/2025/10/medieval-words-origins/

Medieval words at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=medieval+words

#books #literature

The Squire in the Ellesmere manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

The image shows a finely dressed young man riding a prancing horse. The rider, The Squire, is adorned in elegant, elaborately patterned garments wears a blue hat with white decorations, a dark, elaborately embroidered tunic, and white hose. His short blond hair curls outward under his hat, reflecting the fashionable style of the late 14th century. A richly patterned cloak drapes over his shoulders, flowing behind him as the horse rears gracefully.

The horse is light brown with a well-groomed mane and tail, decorated with red and white harness straps in an ornamental pattern.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Squire_-_Ellesmere_Chaucer.jpg

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1y

In July 1866.

Anthony Trollope's novel Nina Balatka: The Story of a Maiden of Prague is initially published anonymously (serialisation in Blackwood's Magazine July 1866–January 1867). Trollope is interested in discovering whether his books sell on their own merits or as a consequence of the author's name and reputation.

Nina Balakta at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8897

#books #literature

First edition title page of Nina Balatka by Anthony Trollope.

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112d

This week I've been mainly reading, no. 264.

Claire Baglin's novella, On the Clock (2022/25) is a mediation on being working-class in France, told through the narrators childhood experiences of her father's working life, and her subsequent work at a fast-food restaurant. Its a melancholy but telling read of the relentlessness of working class labour & the explorative manner of work for the low paid. While short it packs quite a (subtle) punch.

#books @bookstodon #workers #France

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1y

Portuguese poet Tomás António Gonzaga was born #OTD in 1744.

He is best known for his work Marília de Dirceu, a collection of pastoral love poems that became a classic of Portuguese literature. His life took a dramatic turn when he was implicated in the Inconfidência Mineira, a failed conspiracy against Portuguese rule in Brazil. He was arrested and exiled to Mozambique, where he spent the remainder of his life.

Books by Tomás António Gonzaga at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7794

#books #literature

A drawing of Gonzaga

Unknown author - Pantheon Escolar Brazileiro. p. Cartão 09 (THOMAZ Antonio Gonzaga: Inconfidente, Desmbargador Poeta de "Marilia e Dirceu". Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Livraria de J. G. de Azevedo, [18--]. 1 cartão, zincogravura, p&b, 13,4 x 9cm.

Disponível em: http://objdigital.bn.br/objdigital2/acervo_digital/div_iconografia/icon95726_1396400/icon1396386.jpg. Acesso em: 5 ago. 2019.).

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114d

Some #PeerTube video accounts you might want to follow about #Books #Writing & #Authors :

➡️ @kerry_ferrand - In-depth book reviews and book hauls

➡️ @faereviews - Brief reviews & shorts about romantic fantasy books

➡️ @weirdwriter - Blind author posting videos on writing, accessibility, gaming etc

➡️ @mcoorlim - Steampunk novelist, retro game fan

➡️ @athenaproductions - Irreverent sweary videos about history, philosophy, literature

➡️ @audiobooks - Well-performed public domain audiobooks

Edited 114d ago

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112d

In Praise of Librarians in Dangerous Times

Sarah Weinman on the Awesome Responsibility of the Seekers and Keepers of Truth

https://lithub.com/in-praise-of-librarians-in-dangerous-times/

Librarians at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=librarians

#books #literature

Librarians classifying books at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LOC)

The Library of Congress from Washington, DC, United States

The image shows a number of librarians actively engaged in processing library material in a space within the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The room appears to be a large, well-lit working area. Long tables, shelving units and stacks of books and bound volumes are visible.

The librarians seem to be engaged in classification, cataloguing and shelving tasks — handling books, perhaps checking index cards or labels, and placing the volumes in their correct place.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Librarians#/media/File:(Librarians_classifying_books_at_the_Library_of_Congress,_Washington,_D.C.)_(LOC)_-_Flickr_-_The_Library_of_Congress.jpg

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1y

In December 1894.

An abridgement of Stephen Crane's American Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage is first published as a serial in The Philadelphia Press. This version of the story, which was culled to 18,000 words by an editor specifically for the serialization, was reprinted in newspapers across America, establishing Crane's fame.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Badge_of_Courage#

The Red Badge of Courage at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/73

#books #literature

Stephen Crane in 1894; print of a portrait by artist and friend Corwin K. Linson.

This portrait captures Crane at a pivotal moment in his life, just as his literary career was beginning to take shape with works like Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and The Red Badge of Courage on the horizon.

The artist has rendered Crane in formal attire, likely a dark suit and tie, fitting for the era, but the overall effect is understated, focusing more on his character than his clothing. Linson's technique—subtle shading and fine lines—gives the portrait a contemplative mood, drawing attention to Crane's intellect and introspection.

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114d

This week's #NewBooks at the library:
- I adopted a damaged copy of David Farrier's Nature's Genius: Evolution's Lessons for a Changing Planet, published by @canongatebooks.

The other two are cases of the more I read, the more I go down rabbit holes.
- After reviewing Mysteries of the Deep, I bought an ex-library copy of the classic 1995 Paleoclimate and Evolution, with Emphasis on Human Origins, published by Yale University Press, to read more on the work of Elisabeth Vrba and colleagues (this one came from the holdings of the University Library of Durham)

- After reviewing Every Living Thing, I wanted to know more about Cuvier and tracked down an ex-library copy of the classic 1987 The Cuvier-Geoffroy Debate: French Biology in the Decades Before Darwin, published by Oxford University Press (this one came from the holdings of the University of Saint Katherine Library)

#ClimateChange #Evolution #Palaeoclimate #HumanEvolution #HistoryOfScience #ScienceHistory #HistSci #Books #Scicomm #Bookstodon @bookstodon

A top-down photo of three books lying on a small, brown, wooden table. The background shows part of the beech-coloured laminate floor.

On the left, Nature's Genius, showing a photo of a tree against a blue sky. The tree is impossibly clinging on with its root system to the very tip of a rocky outcrop, seemingly growing sideways out of the rock.

In the middle, decidedly bigger than the books on either side, is Paleoclimate and Evolution, with Emphasis on Human Origins, showing a collage of two photos that are diagonally stacked against each other. On the left is a black-and-white aerial photo of a glacial landscape, printed in blue tones (specifically showing the confluence of Beardmore and Mill Glaciers in Antarctica, credited to George H. Denton). On the right is a black-and-white photo of an open grassland savannah with some trees, printed in yellow tones (specifically showing savannah in the Serengeti in Tanzania, credited to Elisabeth S. Vrba). Overlain on the right photo is a drawing of the head and shoulders of a bearded and hairy hominin (specifically Homo habilis).

On the right, The Cuvier-Geoffroy Debate, showing a plain hardcover bound in dark blue cloth with gilded lettering debossed in the cover.

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126d

The weather (in the Northern Hemisphere) is getting chilly, so it's a great time to warm up with a Mountain Man!

My best-selling romance audiobook of 2024 was Taken by the Mountain Man by Kelsie Calloway, which I narrated as Eden Cavell.

Lily is a divorced single mom starting over in a small mountain town… hoping for a second chance at romance with her brother's hot best friend Beckett! She can't forget their kiss under the mistletoe last Christmas. Maybe this is the year she can make her dreams come true.

Kelsie Calloway writes big-hearted, high heat romances with determined female leads, sweetheart male love interests, and sizzling sex scenes. Lily is a protagonist you can cheer for and Beckett is the kind of guy you'd hook up with your sister (if you weren't single yourself).

If you like second chance romance, brother's best friend romance, mountain man romance, or just plain spicy romance, this is a bestseller for a reason.

At 42 minutes, you can listen to this in one go and it makes a good bedtime story.

Available in audiobook on Apple Books, Amazon and Audible, plus in ebook on Amazon.

https://geni.us/TBTMM

@audiofiction @bookstodon

#Audiobook #Audiobooks #Audiofiction #Books #Bookstodon #Romance #RomanceBooks #Romancelandia

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1y

"Unless one is a genius, it is best to aim at being intelligible."
The Dolly Dialogues

British novelist and playwright Anthony Hope died #OTD in 1933.

Hope wrote numerous other novels and plays, though none achieved the same level of acclaim as "The Prisoner of Zenda." Notable works include "The Dolly Dialogues", a collection of witty sketches, and "The Chronicles of Count Antonio", an adventure novel set in Renaissance Italy.

Anthony Hope at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/63

#books #literature

Anthony Hope Hawkins by Zaida Ben-Yusuf, 1897

Zaida Ben-Yusuf - Philadelphia Museum of Art

Platinum print of Anthony Hope Hawkins.

An individual wearing a suit and sitting on a chair.

Second edition cover of The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope.

The cover might feature decorative borders or frames around the illustration and text, adding to the visual appeal and giving a classic, timeless look. These borders could include intricate patterns or motifs that align with the novel's setting.

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114d

<p>Just hit pg 179 of the “remastered, full-color edition” of Mark Z. Danielewski’s “House of Leaves” and I need to gush about it somewhere. Obviously some (mild) spoilers on my end, but I’d appreciate no spoilers in the discussion below. </p> <p>I went into this mostly blind. I knew it was a horror novel, experimental; that it had inspired several cool “non-Euclidean” video games, and I knew it was about a house that’s “bigger on the inside”. I was also prepped for weirdness, as it’s often included in weird/horror fiction lists alongside the likes of Lovecraft & “The King in Yellow”. </p> <p>Honestly, I was ready to ditch this, but now I’m fully invested. </p> <p><details><summary>SPOILERS<br/></summary><p>I did <em>not</em> know about the footnotes. Or the formatting. Or the fonts. Or the meandering. Folks, last night I was ready to put this book down. Expedition #3 was underway, and I found myself having to hunt for each footnote. Back and forth, back and forth. Sometimes they’d go on for pages, and often they’d wander far away from the ongoing story. I’m pretty sure some didn’t exist. Then came Footnote #142. Completely blank. “What the hell? Just a dead en–” and that’s when it hit me - it’s a labyrinth. The book mimics the house. The <em>book</em> is a labyrinth. I’m bouncing between footnotes & story, between fonts/voices & tone. Sometimes it’s a dead end and I have to backtrack. Sometimes I feel a little progress. It’s a maze, and I’m suddenly excited & apprehensive to explore more of it. </p> <p>I mean… <em>damn</em>, Danielewski. I’m hooked. You got me.<br/></p></details> </p> <p>None of my friends have read it, so I had to release some excitement somewhere. Thanks for reading. </p> <p>Without spoiling anything, have you read / enjoyed House of Leaves? What’s your favorite “experimental” book?</p>

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114d

📚 Yours Truly by: Abby Jimenez

Dr. Briana Ortiz's life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother's running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that's probably going to the new man-doctor who's already registering eighty-friggin'-seven on Briana's "pain in my ...

https://bookblabla.com/book/yours-truly

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #humorous #generalfiction #romance #contemporaryfiction

Dr. Briana Ortiz's life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother's running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that's probably going to the new man-doctor who's already registering eighty-friggin'-seven on Briana's "pain in my ass" scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game... by sending Briana a letter.

And it's a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn't actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who's terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her "sob closet," and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginabl, a kidney for her brother--she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor... especially when he calls in a favor she can't refuse.

Abby Jimenez's words sprinkle humor and warmth all over my life. Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match from "a true talent" (Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author).

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116d

A hidden lab on Triton. An AI ruling Earth. One girl racing against time. Echoes of Haller Canyon is full of suspense, strategy, and secrets. https://buff.ly/oTn7cnX
#books #sciencefiction #WritingCommunity #readers

(no description)

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118d

So here's #Autumn2025 with box fresh #ShortStories from Helon Habila, Ephameron, Caroline Clark, Kōtuku Titihuia Nuttall and Kasimma – plus Chadwick Allen on the classics of #Indigenous #literature

Catch them all at https://fictionable.world

#books #reading #writing #fiction #comics #translation #blog #bookstodon @bookstodon

The contributors to Fictionable's Autumn 2025 issue. From top left Helon Habila, Kasimma, Ephameron, Kōtuku Titihuia Nuttall, Caroline Clark and Chadwick Allen

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112d

What book(s) are you currently reading or listening to? November 4

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112d

Nobody's Girl A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice PDF Ebook

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118d

How quickly this moment would pass, how deeply it impressed itself on both their hearts.

The love of a mother for a child is profound; the trust of that child in the mother is unyielding.

Isn't this what matters, what really, really matters? Our love for one another, our determination to be there, our relationships that hold and hug us tight?

Seaside Story canvas print -- https://stevehendersonart.com/featured/seaside-story-steve-henderson.html?product=canvas-print

#art #artwork #mastoart #fediart #buyintoart #ayearforart #family #love #reading #books

Canvas print of an original oil painting depicting a mother and child reading at the beach.

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