books

197d

<p>From Dylan Thomas’ shopping list to a note from Sylvia Plath’s doctor: newly uncovered case files reveal the hidden lives of famous writers</p><p>Exclusive: Hardship grant applications to the Royal Literary Fund, including unseen letters by Doris Lessing and a note from James Joyce saying that he ‘gets nothing in the way of royalties’, show authors at their most vulnerable</p><p>By Ella Creamer</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/nov/28/from-dylan-thomas-shopping-list-to-a-note-from-sylvia-plaths-doctor-newly-uncovered-case-files-reveal-the-hidden-lives-of-famous-writers" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.theguardian.com/books/2025/nov/28/from-dylan-thomas-shopping-list-to-a-note-from-sylvia-plaths-doctor-newly-uncovered-case-files-reveal-the-hidden-lives-of-famous-writers"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.theguardian.com/books/2025</span><span class="invisible">/nov/28/from-dylan-thomas-shopping-list-to-a-note-from-sylvia-plaths-doctor-newly-uncovered-case-files-reveal-the-hidden-lives-of-famous-writers</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Nora Summer's iconic portrait of Dylan Thomas. Taken in Blashford in 1937, it was soon to gain an international circulation.

Dylanis is wearing a distinctive thick, cable-knit cardigan with a textured pattern, and what appears to be a scarf around his neck.

He was photographed from the side, looking downward with his eyes cast down, holding a cigarette to his lips. His hair is characteristically curly and somewhat disheveled.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylan_Thomas#/media/File:Dylan_Thomas_icon_Blashford_1937.jpg

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199d

<p>📚 You Like It Darker by: Stephen King</p><p>“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, abou...</p><p><a href="https://bookblabla.com/book/you-like-it-darker" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="bookblabla.com/book/you-like-it-darker"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">bookblabla.com/book/you-like-i</span><span class="invisible">t-darker</span></a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/libraries/" rel="tag">#libraries</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/horror/" rel="tag">#horror</a> <a href="/tags/generalfiction/" rel="tag">#generalfiction</a> <a href="/tags/thrillers/" rel="tag">#thrillers</a> <a href="/tags/suspensefiction/" rel="tag">#suspensefiction</a></p>

“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

“King’s skills as a storyteller remain undimmed” (The Minnesota Star Tribune) and his ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace is unsurpassed. “T

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181d

<p>How Robert Frost summoned a classic from life’s timeless moments</p><p>Perhaps the most famous work by the US poet Robert Frost, ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ (1923) exemplifies his style with its vivid scenery and accessibility.</p><p><a href="https://aeon.co/videos/how-robert-frost-summoned-a-classic-from-lifes-timeless-moments?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a5fbf00b6b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_12_08&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4ef8a26106-72664972" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="aeon.co/videos/how-robert-frost-summoned-a-classic-from-lifes-timeless-moments?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a5fbf00b6b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_12_08&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4ef8a26106-72664972"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">aeon.co/videos/how-robert-fros</span><span class="invisible">t-summoned-a-classic-from-lifes-timeless-moments?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a5fbf00b6b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_12_08&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4ef8a26106-72664972</span></a></p><p>Frost at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1091" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1091"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/1091</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a></p>

Robert Frost, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing forward.

From the Library of Congress collection, the image captures the young Frost during the period when he wrote some of his most celebrated poems.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stopping_by_Woods_on_a_Snowy_Evening#/media/File:Robert_Frost,_1910s.jpg

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1y

<p>In October 1819.</p><p>In Britain, Richard Carlile is convicted of blasphemy and sent to prison for publishing Common Sense, The Rights of Man and the Age of Reason by Thomas Paine (which criticised the Church of England).</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Carlile" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Carlile"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_</span><span class="invisible">Carlile</span></a></p><p>Books by Richard Carlile at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/39431" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/39431"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/39431</span></a></p><p>Books by Thomas Paine at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/91" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/91"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/91</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

A George Cruikshank cartoon attacking Paine; The caption reads: "The Age of Reason; or, the World turned Topsy-turvy exemplified in Tom Paine's Works!"

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199d

<p>📚 Earthlings by: Sayaka Murata</p><p>As a child, Natsuki doesn't fit in with her family. Her parents favor her sister, and her best friend is a plush toy hedgehog named Piyyut, who talks to her. He tells her that he has come from the planet Popinpobopia on a special quest to help her save the Earth. One summer, on vacation with her family and her cousin...</p><p><a href="https://bookblabla.com/book/earthlings" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>bookblabla.com/book/earthlings</a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/libraries/" rel="tag">#libraries</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/literaryfiction/" rel="tag">#literaryfiction</a> <a href="/tags/magicalrealism/" rel="tag">#magicalrealism</a></p>

As a child, Natsuki doesn't fit in with her family. Her parents favor her sister, and her best friend is a plush toy hedgehog named Piyyut, who talks to her. He tells her that he has come from the planet Popinpobopia on a special quest to help her save the Earth. One summer, on vacation with her family and her cousin Yuu in her grandparents' ramshackle wooden house in the mountains of Nagano, Natsuki decides that she must be an alien, which would explain why she can't seem to fit in like everyone else. Later, as a grown woman, living a quiet life with her asexual husband, Natsuki is still pursued by dark shadows from her childhood, and decides to flee the "baby factory" of society for good, searching for answers about the vast and frightening mysteries of the universe--answers only Natsuki has the power to uncover.

Dreamlike, sometimes shocking, and always strange and wonderful, Earthlings asks what it means to be happy in a stifling world, and cements Sayaka Murata's status as a master chronicler of the outsider experience and our own uncanny universe.

From the beloved author of cult sensation Convenience Store Woman, which has now sold more than one million copies worldwide and has been translated into thirty-three languages, comes a spellbinding and otherworldly novel about a woman who believes she is an alien

Sayaka Murata's Convenience Store Woman was one of the most unusual and refreshing bestsellers of recent years, depicting the life of a thirty-six-year-old

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181d

<p>Book <a href="/tags/review/" rel="tag">#Review</a>: Wrath by Shäron Moalem and Daniel Kraus<br>Imagine Pinky and the Brain, minus the comedy, plus lots and lots of gore</p><p>@carturo222.bsky.social has our review at the NOAF blog for your Monday<br><a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2025/12/book-review-wrath-by-sharon-moalem-and.html" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.nerds-feather.com/2025/12/book-review-wrath-by-sharon-moalem-and.html"><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.nerds-feather.com/2025/12/</span><span class="invisible">book-review-wrath-by-sharon-moalem-and.html</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#bookstodon</a> @bookstodon</p>

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30d

<p>Guide to the classics: ‘all for one, and one for all’ – the enduring appeal of The Three Musketeers</p><p>by Darius von Guttner Sporzynski</p><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/guide-to-the-classics-all-for-one-and-one-for-all-the-enduring-appeal-of-the-three-musketeers-279455" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="theconversation.com/guide-to-the-classics-all-for-one-and-one-for-all-the-enduring-appeal-of-the-three-musketeers-279455"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">theconversation.com/guide-to-t</span><span class="invisible">he-classics-all-for-one-and-one-for-all-the-enduring-appeal-of-the-three-musketeers-279455</span></a></p><p>All available editions (in several languages) of The Three Musketers are available at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1257" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1257</a><br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13951" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13951</a><br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56054" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56054</a><br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58211" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58211</a><br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/40169" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/40169</a><br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37885" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37885</a><br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60641" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60641</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#Books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#Literature</a></p>

Aramis, Athos, d'Artagnan, and Porthos, arm in arm, after crossing swords with the Cardinal's Guards at the Convent of the Discalced Carmelites.
Colored engraving by Jules Huyot after a drawing by Maurice Leloir (Paris: Calmann-Lévy, 1894).

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dartagnan-musketeers_-_Maurice_Leloir.jpg

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202d

<p>🏳️‍🌈 📖 Queer Romance Club December vote 📖 🏳️‍🌈 </p><p>Theme is winter/holiday vibes.</p><p>Christmas for Commitmentphobes by Rhoda Baxter - f/f contemporary set in a cosy Yokshire village. (part of a series but stand-alone)</p><p>The Holly Groweth Green by Amy Rae Durreson - m/m historical set in a cosy Yorkshire-- no wait! A cosy Hampshire cottage :)</p><p>The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky - contemporary m/m (with fantasy elements) </p><p>Within My Reach by Amy Blythe - f/f contemporary re-telling of Persuasion, because the end-of-year holiday season is not necessarily in winter...</p><p>More about the club here - TL; DR: open to all, read and comment.<br><a href="https://mastodon.au/@wendypalmer/113144943004145104" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="mastodon.au/@wendypalmer/113144943004145104"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">mastodon.au/@wendypalmer/11314</span><span class="invisible">4943004145104</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/queerromanceclub/" rel="tag">#QueerRomanceClub</a> <span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@queerromanceclub" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>queerromanceclub</span></a></span> <br><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/bookclub/" rel="tag">#bookClub</a> <a href="/tags/lgbtqbooks/" rel="tag">#LGBTQBooks</a></p> <div class="poll"> <h3 style="display: none;">Options: </h3> <ul> <li> <label class="poll-option"> <input style="display:none" name="vote-options" type="checkbox" value="0"> <span class="poll-number" title="0 votes">0%</span> <span class="poll-option-text">Christmas for Commitmentphobes</span> </label> </li> <li> <label class="poll-option"> <input style="display:none" name="vote-options" type="checkbox" value="0"> <span class="poll-number" title="0 votes">0%</span> <span class="poll-option-text">The Holly Groweth Green</span> </label> </li> <li> <label class="poll-option"> <input style="display:none" name="vote-options" type="checkbox" value="0"> <span class="poll-number" title="0 votes">0%</span> <span class="poll-option-text">The Merriest Misters</span> </label> </li> <li> <label class="poll-option"> <input style="display:none" name="vote-options" type="checkbox" value="0"> <span class="poll-number" title="0 votes">0%</span> <span class="poll-option-text">Within My Reach</span> </label> </li> </ul> <div class="poll-footer"> <span class="vote-total">0 votes</span> — <span class="vote-end">Ended 199d ago</span> <span class="todo">Polls are currently display only</span> </div> </div>

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15d

<p>I’ve been looking for this book FOR MONTHS!!!!! Finally!<br><br><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a><br><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span> </p>

ONE DAY, EVERYONE WILL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AGAINST THIS by Omar El Akkad
Author of American War

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198d

<p>52 Years Later, Agatha Christie’s Forgotten Final Book Remains Untouched</p><p>By Florencia Aberastury</p><p><a href="https://www.cbr.com/agatha-christie-postern-of-fate-deserves-adaptation/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.cbr.com/agatha-christie-postern-of-fate-deserves-adaptation/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.cbr.com/agatha-christie-po</span><span class="invisible">stern-of-fate-deserves-adaptation/</span></a></p><p>Agatha Christie at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/451" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/451"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/451</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Illustration by Arthur Ferrier of Tommy and Tuppence from the December 1923 issue of The Grand Magazine and the first-known image of the characters.

The drawing shows a stylish young couple in early-1920s fashion. Tommy stands on the left, dressed in a neat suit with a bow tie, his posture upright and confident. Tuppence stands beside him, slightly angled toward him, wearing a fashionable cloche hat and a long, elegant coat. Her expression is lively and self-assured.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_and_Tuppence#/media/File:T&T1923.jpg

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1y

<p>In October 1843.</p><p>Anna Atkins begins publishing Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, a collection of contact printed cyanotype photograms of algae, "by placing the unmounted dried-algae original directly on the cyanotype paper" to form the first book illustrated with photographs.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Atkins" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Atkins"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Atk</span><span class="invisible">ins</span></a></p><p>New York Public Library provides scans of 285 pages of its copy online:<br><a href="https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/photographs-of-british-algae-cyanotype-impressions#/?tab=navigation&scroll=3" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/photographs-of-british-algae-cyanotype-impressions#/?tab=navigation&scroll=3"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">digitalcollections.nypl.org/co</span><span class="invisible">llections/photographs-of-british-algae-cyanotype-impressions#/?tab=navigation&scroll=3</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/botany/" rel="tag">#botany</a> <a href="/tags/photography/" rel="tag">#photography</a> <a href="/tags/womeninstem/" rel="tag">#womeninSTEM</a></p>

A cyanotype photogram made by Atkins which was part of her 1843 book, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions

A photogram of Algae, made by Anna Atkins as part of her 1843 book, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, the first book composed entirely of photographic images. At http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/id?419608

Cyanotype photogram of Wood Horsetail from the 1853 book Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns by Atkins and Dixon

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198d

<p>“You must sometime fight it out or perish”</p><p>Dr. Luella Axtell, a Marinette physician and civic advocate, promoted public health, the environment, and women’s rights. Her book Grow Thin on Good Food offered sensible diet-and-exercise advice ahead of its time.<br> <br>By John Mark Ockerbloom </p><p><a href="https://everybodyslibraries.com/2025/11/27/you-must-sometime-fight-it-out-or-perish/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="everybodyslibraries.com/2025/11/27/you-must-sometime-fight-it-out-or-perish/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">everybodyslibraries.com/2025/1</span><span class="invisible">1/27/you-must-sometime-fight-it-out-or-perish/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/publicdomaindaycountdown/" rel="tag">#PublicDomainDayCountdown</a></p>

Cover image of the book Grow Thin on Good Food by Luella E. Axtell, M.D.

he book cover shown is a plain, deep red hardback with a textured surface. Centered near the top, the title “GROW THIN ON GOOD FOOD” is printed in bold, gold uppercase lettering. Beneath it, also in gold, is the author’s name: “LUELLA E. AXTELL, M.D.”

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199d

<p>🏳️‍🌈 📖 Queer Romance Club DECEMBER selection — The Holly Groweth Green 📖 🏳️‍🌈</p><p>***<br>It’s Christmas 1946. Lost in the Hampshire countryside on a snowy Christmas Eve, ex-military doctor Laurence stumbles across lonely Mistle Cottage and its owner: Avery.</p><p>***</p><p>Another tie-breaker needed. I've picked the m/m one as we've had quite a few f/f through the year. (Feel free to read one of the others on the list instead or as well, or recommend your own favourite holiday reads!)</p><p>This one looks like a short, sweet read to end the year :)</p><p>It's on <a href="/tags/koboplus/" rel="tag">#KoboPlus</a> for those with subscriptions but will be also available wide.</p><p>QRC is open to all, read at your own pace over the month and post about it under the <a href="/tags/queerromanceclub/" rel="tag">#QueerRomanceClub</a> and <span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@queerromanceclub" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>queerromanceclub</span></a></span> tags (that's a fedi.groups group, not the dead gup.pe group).</p><p>No rules: let’s hear reactions, theories, reviews, favourite quotes etc, any time throughout the month or whenever you read it. CW for spoilers appreciated.</p><p>More about QRC here:<br><a href="https://mastodon.au/@wendypalmer/113144943004145104" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="mastodon.au/@wendypalmer/113144943004145104"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">mastodon.au/@wendypalmer/11314</span><span class="invisible">4943004145104</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/christmasreads/" rel="tag">#ChristmasReads</a> <span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span><br><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/bookclub/" rel="tag">#bookClub</a> <a href="/tags/gayromance/" rel="tag">#GayRomance</a> <a href="/tags/lgbtq/" rel="tag">#lgbtq</a></p>

The title in swirly writing in the centre of a snowy scene of a man in a old-time suit walking across a snow-covered field, snowflakes falling around him. Holly with lots of red berries provides a frame on top and bottom.

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1y

<p>"...beneath the rule of men entirely great, the pen is mightier than the sword..."</p><p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1856.</p><p>English actor Henry Irving makes his stage début at Sunderland as Gaston, Duke of Orleans, in Bulwer Lytton's play Richelieu.</p><p>The play has become best known for its line "The pen is mightier than the sword", spoken by the Cardinal in Act II, Scene II.</p><p>Books by Edward Bulwer Lytton at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/761" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/761"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/761</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/theatre/" rel="tag">#theatre</a></p>

Published by Saunders and Otley - https://archive.org/details/richelieuorconsp00lyttiala

Richelieu by Lytton, 1st edition title page

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158d

<p>📚 The Bad Weather Friend by: Dean Koontz</p><p>Benny Catspaw's perpetually sunny disposition is tested when he loses his job, his reputation, his fiancée, and his favorite chair. He's not paranoid. Someone is out to get him. He just doesn't know who or why. Then Benny receives an inheritance from an uncle he's never heard of: a gia...</p><p><a href="https://bookblabla.com/book/the-bad-weather-friend" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="bookblabla.com/book/the-bad-weather-friend"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">bookblabla.com/book/the-bad-we</span><span class="invisible">ather-friend</span></a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/libraries/" rel="tag">#libraries</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/thrillers/" rel="tag">#thrillers</a> <a href="/tags/suspensefiction/" rel="tag">#suspensefiction</a> <a href="/tags/supernatural/" rel="tag">#supernatural</a></p>

Benny Catspaw's perpetually sunny disposition is tested when he loses his job, his reputation, his fiancée, and his favorite chair. He's not paranoid. Someone is out to get him. He just doesn't know who or why. Then Benny receives an inheritance from an uncle he's never heard of: a giant crate and a video message. All will be well in time.

How strange though it's a blessing, his uncle promises. Stranger yet is what's inside the crate. He's a seven-foot-tall self-described "bad weather friend" named Spike whose mission is to help people who are just too good for this world. Spike will take care of it. He'll find Benny's enemies. He'll deal with them. This might be satisfying if Spike wasn't such a menacing presence with terrifying techniques of intimidation.

In the company of Spike and a fascinated young waitress-cum-PI-in-training named Harper, Benny plunges into a perilous high-speed adventure, the likes of which never would have crossed the mind of a decent guy like him.

Benny is so nice they feel compelled to destroy him, but he has a friend who should scare the hell out of them in this breathtaking new kind of thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense Dean Koontz.

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182d

<p>What <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> have you read recently? And which would you HIGHLY recommend for a <a href="/tags/nonfiction/" rel="tag">#nonfiction</a> fan?</p>

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199d

<p><a href="https://www.booksns.com/175586/" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.booksns.com/175586/</a> Starship Troopers and Operant Conditioning- Would You Like to Know More? <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein is a seminal scifi novel that takes place in the distant future. It's about a young man, Juan (Johnnie) Rico who joins the Army and becomes a proud member of the Mobile Infantry (MI) which is the future version of paratroopers. It is mostly known for four things: Being turned</p>

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198d

<p>Paperback now available: <a href="https://books2read.com/TheNextHorizon" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>books2read.com/TheNextHorizon</a></p><p>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…</p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span><br><a href="/tags/author/" rel="tag">#author</a> <a href="/tags/indieauthor/" rel="tag">#indieauthor</a> <a href="/tags/writing/" rel="tag">#writing</a> <a href="/tags/fantasy/" rel="tag">#fantasy</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#sciencefiction</a> <a href="/tags/sff/" rel="tag">#sff</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefantasy/" rel="tag">#sciencefantasy</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> <a href="/tags/actionadventure/" rel="tag">#actionadventure</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a></p>

(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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181d

<p>A cat called Good Fortune</p><p>The Cat Who Went to Heaven is among the early Newbery medalists that have aged the best over nearly a century<br> <br>By John Mark Ockerbloom</p><p><a href="https://everybodyslibraries.com/2025/12/14/a-cat-called-good-fortune/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="everybodyslibraries.com/2025/12/14/a-cat-called-good-fortune/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">everybodyslibraries.com/2025/1</span><span class="invisible">2/14/a-cat-called-good-fortune/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/publicdomaindaycountdown/" rel="tag">#publicDomainDayCountdown</a></p>

Elizabeth Coatsworth & Lynd Ward (illustrator), “The Cat Who Went to Heaven

The 1930 Newbery Medal winner features distinctive artwork depicting a Japanese-inspired scene, characteristic of Ward's celebrated illustration style for this touching tale about a poor artist, his cat, and Buddha.

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

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199d

<p>Arthur Conan Doyle explored men’s mental health through his Sherlock Holmes stories</p><p>Many of Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories examine male characters facing emotional catastrophe, betrayal and moral dilemmas.</p><p>by Emma Linford</p><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/arthur-conan-doyle-explored-mens-mental-health-through-his-sherlock-holmes-stories-246728?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20November%2026%202025%20-%203594036692&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20November%2026%202025%20-%203594036692+CID_fa1700c951d65f231bfdf9e15bf4362e&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=Arthur%20Conan%20Doyle%20explored%20mens%20mental%20health%20through%20his%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20stories" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="theconversation.com/arthur-conan-doyle-explored-mens-mental-health-through-his-sherlock-holmes-stories-246728?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20November%2026%202025%20-%203594036692&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20November%2026%202025%20-%203594036692+CID_fa1700c951d65f231bfdf9e15bf4362e&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=Arthur%20Conan%20Doyle%20explored%20mens%20mental%20health%20through%20his%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20stories"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">theconversation.com/arthur-con</span><span class="invisible">an-doyle-explored-mens-mental-health-through-his-sherlock-holmes-stories-246728?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20November%2026%202025%20-%203594036692&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20November%2026%202025%20-%203594036692+CID_fa1700c951d65f231bfdf9e15bf4362e&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=Arthur%20Conan%20Doyle%20explored%20mens%20mental%20health%20through%20his%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20stories</span></a></p><p>Conan Doyle at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/69" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/69"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/69</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Arthur Conan Doyle in 1914

by Walter Benington

Conan Doyle is seen from the chest up, seated and angled slightly to his left while looking directly at the camera.

He wears a dark suit with a high-collared shirt and tie, and his neatly groomed mustache is prominent. His hair is combed back, and the lighting highlights the contours of his face.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle#/media/File:Arthur_Conan_Doyle_by_Walter_Benington,_1914.png

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199d

<p>“No-one in the room but the corpse”</p><p>Charles Williams, a lesser-known Inkling who influenced Lewis, Tolkien, and Eliot, debuted with War in Heaven, a supernatural thriller mixing mystery, Christian themes, and a mystical quest for a powerful artifact.<br> <br>By John Mark Ockerbloom </p><p><a href="https://everybodyslibraries.com/2025/11/26/no-one-in-the-room-but-the-corpse/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="everybodyslibraries.com/2025/11/26/no-one-in-the-room-but-the-corpse/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">everybodyslibraries.com/2025/1</span><span class="invisible">1/26/no-one-in-the-room-but-the-corpse/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/publicdomaindaycountdown/" rel="tag">#publicDomainDayCountdown</a></p>

Charles Walter Stansby Williams

Williams is shown from the chest up, seated and facing slightly to his right while looking toward the camera with a thoughtful expression. He wears round spectacles, a dark suit, and a neatly knotted tie. His hair is combed back, slightly tousled on top.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Williams_(British_writer)#/media/File:Charles_Walter_Stansby_Williams.jpg

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1914.</p><p>Arthur Machen's short story "The Bowmen" is published in The Evening News (London).</p><p>In this story, written and published during World War I, the ghosts of archers from the battle of Agincourt, led by Saint George, come to the aid of British troops. This is cited as the origin of the Angels of Mons legend.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Machen" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Machen"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_M</span><span class="invisible">achen</span></a></p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_of_Mons" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_of_Mons"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_o</span><span class="invisible">f_Mons</span></a></p><p>The Angels of Mons: The Bowmen and Other Legends of the War at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14044" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14044</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

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181d

<p>Jenny Nyström - the woman who created the image for a Swedish Christmas</p><p>The tomte is a gnome-like character in Swedish folklore which has been used on many Christmas cards and designs. </p><p>by Beth Daley</p><p><a href="https://www.europeana.eu/en/stories/jenny-nystroem-the-woman-who-created-the-image-for-a-swedish-christmas?mtm_campaign=europeanathemed-christmas-dec2025" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.europeana.eu/en/stories/jenny-nystroem-the-woman-who-created-the-image-for-a-swedish-christmas?mtm_campaign=europeanathemed-christmas-dec2025"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.europeana.eu/en/stories/je</span><span class="invisible">nny-nystroem-the-woman-who-created-the-image-for-a-swedish-christmas?mtm_campaign=europeanathemed-christmas-dec2025</span></a></p><p>About Jenny Nyström:<br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Nystr%C3%B6m" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Nystr%C3%B6m"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Ny</span><span class="invisible">str%C3%B6m</span></a></p><p>Christmas card at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=christmas+card" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=christmas+card"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje</span><span class="invisible">cts/search/?query=christmas+card</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/illustration/" rel="tag">#illustration</a></p>

Jenny Nystrom. God Jul.

A vintage Swedish Christmas card illustrated by Jenny Nyström, showing a jolly gnome or tomte (traditional Scandinavian Christmas figure) with a flowing white beard, red pointed hat, green coat, and bright orange mittens, gleefully announcing "God Jul!" (Merry Christmas) with outstretched arms.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nystrom_God-Jul_01.jpg

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1909.</p><p>Franz Kafka's short story "The Aeroplanes at Brescia (Die Aeroplane in Brescia)", based on a real event, is published in the Prague newspaper Bohemia, as the first description of airplanes in German literature.</p><p>It describes an airshow near the Italian city of Brescia, which Kafka saw with two of his friends (Max and his brother Otto Brod) during their journey to Italy.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aeroplanes_at_Brescia" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aeroplanes_at_Brescia"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aero</span><span class="invisible">planes_at_Brescia</span></a></p><p>Full transcription here:<br><a href="https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Die_Aeroplane_in_Brescia" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="de.wikisource.org/wiki/Die_Aeroplane_in_Brescia"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">de.wikisource.org/wiki/Die_Aer</span><span class="invisible">oplane_in_Brescia</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Part of its publication in Bohemia, 29 September 1909.

Franz Kafka - Bohemia, 29. September 1909, Morgen-Ausgabe. 82. Jahrgang, 269. Ausgabe

Edited 1y ago

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64d

<p>Happy weekend, everyone! I have a nice stack of library books to work my way through. </p><p>How about all of you? Any good reads? </p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#Books</a> <a href="/tags/amreading/" rel="tag">#AmReading</a> </p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p>

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