books

71d

Can Bibliotherapy Heal the Pain of the World? Takahe has limited support for this type: See Original Page

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84d

How Ramanujan's formulae for pi connect to modern high energy physics

Most of us first hear about the irrational number π (pi)—rounded off as 3.14, with an infinite number of decimal digits—in school, where we learn about its use in the context of a circle. More recently, scientists have developed supercomputers that can estimate up to trillions of its digits.

by Rohini Subrahmanyam

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-ramanujan-formulae-pi-modern-high.html

#books #mathematics #physics

A pi pie.

A creative pie decorated with the pi symbol (π) in the center and the digits of pi (3.14159265358979323846...) written around the edges, creating a visual pun celebrating the mathematical constant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi#/media/File:Pi_pie2.jpg

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71d

When you're reading and someone assumes that means you're doing nothing and they can interrupt you.

#books #reading #writing

At Vespers by Halle. A young woman looks up from reading a book. It's probably some religious thing, but I've cropped out the cross and I just like the intensity on her face.

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84d

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

Spies, aliens, trolls, wizards and a disowned prince use a time machine, to improve their place in history, but Levi Jacobs stands in their way, despite having just lost his parents in war. Will he stop them or will the time travelers kill his father at a pivotal moment, on which the fate of the galaxy hangs?

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

(Left) The cover of The Third Wish, by Owen Tyme, illustrated by Ryan Johnson.

A wizard in a black robe that glitters with hints of gold stands on a mountain and looks down at a city of sky scrapers covered in greenery. In his shadow lurks a creature with glowing red eyes.

In the background, the sun is setting and stars are becoming visible.

(Right Background) Four images separated by black lines, with the silhouette of a woman wielding two swords laid over them. She's outlined in black and her interior is yellow clock-based imagery that spirals outward from the center.

The upper left quarter is a queen in a red, furred robe, wearing a gold and diamond crown. She has dark eyebrows and blond hair.

Upper right is a planet seen from orbit.

Lower left is a symbolic wire frame representation of the view inside a wormhole, in green and yellow.

Lower right is dandelions among grass.

The angle of the planet, one of the woman's swords, the yellow highlights of the wormhole and some of the dandelions form a line that draws the eye along a sweeping curve.

(Right Foreground) The following quote:

He admired the flawless beauty of the insane swordswoman’s fluid movements as Ida took desperate step after step, backwards!

He felt waves of mental energy pour off the panic-stricken troll, but the energy bounced right off of Nicole’s mind, as though she’d shut herself inside a solid, red-hot, steel box of rage!

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

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1y

Was once again reminded of Ursula K. Le Guin's daily schedule, and why this woman was an icon on every single level.

#UrsulaKLeguin #Books #Bookstodon #book #Writing #WritingCommunity

Ursula Le Guin‘s daily schedule

5:30 a.m. - wake up and lie there and think.
6:15 a.m. - get up and eat breakfast (lots).
7.15 a.m. - get to work writing, writing, writing.
Noon - lunch.
1:00-3:00 p.m. - reading, music.
3:00-5:00 p.m. correspondence, maybe house cleaning.
5:00-8:00 p.m. make dinner and eat it.
After 8:00 p.m. - I tend to be very stupid and we won't talk about this.

This was Le Guin's daily schedule first appeared in an interview she gave in 1988 (and more recently reappeared in Ursula Le Guin: The Last Interview and Other Conversations).

Edited 1y ago

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50d

My 2025 Reading

Clearly I read a lot, I haven’t posted this stuff here but I thought I’d give it a go. I’ve been intentionally reading more and keeping track since 2002, so longer than some of my children have been alive.

My top 10 takeaways in 2025:

We don’t rise to the level of our ambition but fall to the level of our systems. From Great by Choice
If you get a result from the majority of people the majority of the time it’s not the people it’s the system. From Learning Systems Thinking
Leaders who share in the risks they create don’t just earn trust, they sharpen their judgment. From Skin in the Game
If you don’t prioritize your life someone else will. From Essentialism
How we frame the problem determines what we see and what we don’t. From Clear Thinking
If you’re still making every decision, checking every detail, and solving every problem, you haven’t built a team. You’ve built a bottleneck with your name on it. From Product Driven
Instead of trying to get customers to say you exceeded my expectations, you are trying to get them to say you made that easy. From The Effortless Experience
It doesn’t feel like something to being wrong, it feels like being right. From Being Wrong
You are a story you tell yourself. From You Are Not So Smart
Effective leadership is more akin to gardening than chess. From Team of Teams

I also read a lot of fiction, stand outs are finishing the Hyperion series and starting the Expanse series. I also decided to read the rest of the Cosmere books from Brandon Sanderson which was a delight. Lots of ups, some downs. The surprising book that has lived rent free in my head is Tender is the Flesh. Disturbing to the core, and not for everyone.

I’m sharing because I keep thinking I need to participate in this community more, so nothing like starting the year off by contributing what I loved last year.

Takahe has limited support for this type: See Original Page

(no description)

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50d

Killing Stella. By Marlen Haushofer. 1958. (Translated by Shaun Whiteside)

In 1950s Austria, you are a housewife with kids, when an acquaintance dumps her 19 year old daughter with you for a year; the daughter is innocuous but your household is so fragile, and you are managing your own internal storm of mundane familial relationships, that the friends’ daughter is caught in the invisible crossfire.

4 of 5 library cats 🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈

@bookstodon #reading #books #women #austria

Yellow book cover with two “x”s on it

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71d

📚 Norwegian Wood by: Haruki Murakami

Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of their best friend years before. Toru begins to adapt to campus life and the loneliness and isolation he faces ther...

https://bookblabla.com/book/norwegian-wood

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #literaryfiction #mediatiein

Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of their best friend years before. Toru begins to adapt to campus life and the loneliness and isolation he faces there, but Naoko finds the pressures and responsibilities of life unbearable. As she retreats further into her own world, Toru finds himself reaching out to others and drawn to a fiercely independent and sexually liberated young woman.

Stunning and elegiac, Norwegian Wood first propelled Haruki Murakami into the forefront of the literary scene.

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1y

English poet and novelist Letitia Elizabeth Landon died #OTD in 1838.

Her first major breakthrough came with The Improvisatrice and thence she developed the metrical romance towards the Victorian ideal of the Victorian monologue, influencing fellow English writers such as Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning, Alfred Tennyson and Christina Rossetti.

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

Books about Letitia Elizabeth Landon at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56166

#books #literature #poetry

Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1802–1838); variation of the original painting by Daniel Maclise.

Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L.E.L.) was a renowned English poet and novelist of the early 19th century, known for her Romantic works. In the portrait by Daniel Maclise, she is depicted with a delicate and refined appearance, typical of Romantic portraiture of the time. The original shows her seated gracefully, with soft curls framing her face, gazing thoughtfully into the distance. Her attire consists of elegant 19th-century clothing, with rich textures and details.

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70d

From PEN America:

Top 52 Banned Books: The Most Banned Books in U.S. Schools

"The 52 most banned books of the last four school years include National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winners, bestsellers, and beloved books by authors including Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, and Judy Blume."

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

https://pen.org/top-52-banned-books-since-2021/

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70d

finished reading We Are the Stars 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
by Gina Chick.

That wild woman who captivated us on Alone Australia is the product of genes, a generous upbringing, and intense tempering in the crucible of life. A remarkable range of life experience, and an impressive capacity to learn & evolve from life's challenges. Heavy on nebulous metaphor, but fitting. I envy her capacity to inhabit her emotions & body so fully.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #Biography #AloneAustralia #AloneTV

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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50d

New Books I’m Looking Forward to This Year: https://lydiaschoch.com/wednesday-weekly-blogging-challenge-new-books-im-looking-forward-to-this-year/

#Books #TBR #Nonfiction #ScienceFiction #Fantasy #WednesdayWeeklyBloggingChallenge

Book cover for Phases: a Memoir by Brandy Norwood. Image on cover is a close-up photo of her face as she wears a blue silk garment and gazes thoughtfully off into the distance.

Book cover for Onward: Climate Fiction to Inspire Hope by Erin Entrada. Image on cover is a drawing of two birds sitting at the mouth of a cave whose entrance is shaped like an hourglass. Beyond the birds there are numerous tree branches and a calm body of water, perhaps a sea.

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1y

#OTD in 1892.

The first collection of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories from The Strand Magazine (June 1891–June 1892), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, is published by George Newnes in London; it includes Doyle's favourite, "The Adventure of the Speckled Band", which was originally published in February.

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

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/1661

#books #literature

Illustration of the Sherlock Holmes short story The Speckled Band, which appeared in The Strand Magazine in February, 1892. Original caption was "WHICH OF YOU IS HOLMES?"

Sidney Paget (1860 - 1908)

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1y

#OTD in 1926.

The children's book Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne first appears, published by Methuen in London.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnie-the-Pooh_(book)#

Winnie-the-Pooh's entrance into the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2022 was noted by several news publications, generally in the context of a greater Public Domain Day article.

https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2022/#fn6text

Winnie-the-Pooh at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/67098

#books #literature

First edition cover

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50d

Looking for a book to fall asleep to (selection inside)

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70d

The ecstatic swoon

As Stendhal knew, the reason for art is to make you feel. Do not try to grasp the artwork: allow it to grasp you instead

by Robert D Zaretsky

https://aeon.co/essays/what-stendhal-says-about-the-purpose-and-promise-of-art?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=048e2ed722-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_12_16&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4ef8a26106-72664972

#books #art #literature

Portrait de Stendhal par Ducis, 1835, Bibliothèque Sormani, Milan. Portrait mélancolique.

An 1835 oil portrait of French writer Stendhal by Johan-Nepomuk Ender (attributed to Ducis), housed at the Bibliothèque Sormani in Milan. The melancholic portrait shows the author of "The Red and the Black" in dark formal attire against a muted green background, holding an elegant walking stick, capturing his contemplative demeanor during his mature years.

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

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1y

"Call me Ishmael."

#OTD in 1851.

Herman Melville's Moby-Dick is first published as The Whale by Richard Bentley of London.

In the October 1851 issue of Harper's New Monthly Magazine "The Town Ho's Story" was published, with a footnote reading: "From 'The Whale'. The title of a new work by Mr. Melville, in the press of Harper and Brothers, and now publishing in London by Mr. Bentley."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby-Dick

Moby-Dick at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/15

#books #literature

The whale or Moby Dick (half-title page), Herman Melville, 1851

Herman Melville and one more author - State Library of New South Wales, [https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/74VK2oZrBwKZ/l3gXqDvw8yl0N DSM/813.3/M531/2A1

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49d

Book Review: Will This Be a Problem? The Anthology: Issue V (edited by Somto Ihezue and Olivia Kidula)
A unique collection of hauntingly engaging and imaginative stories

Ann Michelle Harris has our review at the NOAF blog:
http://www.nerds-feather.com/2026/01/book-review-will-this-be-problem.html

#books #bookreview #review #bookstodon @bookstodon

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69d

Are there any book clubs on Mastodon? The in-person ones around me keep petering out or are hard to get to, and the ones I’ve seen online are toooo big for my tastes. I have a slight preference for fantasy/sci-fi, but any genre is good. I just want to talk about books! #bookstodon #books #reading

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69d

Someone should make a virtual tickler for e-books, otherwise it's discrimination 😜😂
@bookstodon @books @humor @humor@lemmy.world @aiop

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

Photo of a standing blackboard outside a shop with a hand drawn image of a sad looking book sitting on a shelf.
Caption: The books are bored. Come inside and give them a tickle.

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49d

📚 We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse) by: Dennis E. Taylor

There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state.

He has been uploaded into computer ...

https://bookblabla.com/book/we-are-legion-we-are-bob-bobiverse

#books #reading #libraries

There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state.

He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.

The stakes are high: no less than the first claim to entire worlds. If he declines the honor, he'll be switched off, and they'll try again with someone else. If he accepts, he becomes a prime target. There are at least three other countries trying to get their own probes launched first, and they play dirty. The safest place for Bob is in space, heading away from Earth at top speed. Or so he thinks. Because the universe is full of nasties, and trespassers make them mad — very mad.

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69d

Virginia Woolf Thought Katharine Mansfield Stank Like a “Civet Cat Taken to Streetwalking”

Gerri Kimber on the Literary Legacy of an Early Master of the Short Form

https://lithub.com/virginia-woolf-thought-katharine-mansfield-stank-like-a-civet-cat-taken-to-streetwalking/

Mansfield & Woolf at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/631
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/89

##books #literature

Katherine Mansfield, a New Zealand-writer of short stories. Picture taken 1912.

A 1912 photograph of Katherine Mansfield, the acclaimed New Zealand short story writer. The formal portrait shows Mansfield during her early literary career, before she became one of the modernist movement's most influential voices in short fiction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Mansfield#/media/File:Mansfield1.jpg

Portrait of Virginia Woolf (January 25, 1882 – March 28, 1941), a British author and feminist, with her chignon. By George Charles Beresford.

The 1902 portrait by George Charles Beresford captures Virginia striking image, with her famous chignon, reflecting her distinctive style and the aesthetics of the time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf#/media/File:George_Charles_Beresford_-_Virginia_Woolf_in_1902_-_Restoration.jpg

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69d

Rare public display for Mary Queen of Scots' final letter

The public are to be given a rare chance to see the last letter by Mary Queen of Scots, which was written just hours before she was beheaded.

by Cara Berkley

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg4nzy3r5zyo

Mary Queen of Scots at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=Mary+Queen+of+Scots

#books #literature

La mort de Marie Stuart, 19th-century painting by Abel de Pujol

The painting is centered around Mary, who is portrayed with an expression of a mix of resignation and strength.

The painting reflects the tragic fate of Mary, who was executed in 1587 after being imprisoned for years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots#/media/File:Execution-of-Mary-Queen-of-Scots.jpg

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49d

Medieval Self-Portraits: Ten Artists Who Put Themselves in the Picture

Medieval artists did not just paint saints and kings—they sometimes slipped themselves into the scene, leaving behind portraits that can be devotional, witty, and surprisingly personal.

https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/medieval-self-portraits-ten-artists-who-put-themselves-in-the-picture/

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

#books #literature #painting

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1y

#OTD in 1911.

German novelist Hans Fallada, kills his best friend in a suicide pact staged as a duel.

Fallada made a pact with a friend, Hanns Dietrich von Necker, to stage a duel to mask their suicides, feeling that the duel would be seen as more honorable. However, because of both boys' inexperience with weapons, it was a bungled affair. Dietrich missed Fallada, but Fallada did not miss Dietrich, killing him.

Hans Fallada at Projekt Gutenberg-DE
https://www.projekt-gutenberg.org/autoren/namen/fallada.html

#books #literature

German writer Hans Fallada (1893–1947), depicted in Bonniers litterära magasin Nr.6, 1936.

In the image, Fallada appears as a middle-aged man with a solid, slightly rounded face. His expression is calm yet intense, reflecting a contemplative nature and the inner turmoil often associated with his life and writing. His eyes, framed by slightly heavy eyelids, have a distant, introspective gaze, as if lost in thought. His short, dark hair is combed neatly, and his face bears a mustache, common to his appearance in the 1930s.

Fallada's attire is formal but modest, in keeping with the style of the time. He is dressed in a suit with a high-collared shirt and a simple tie, perhaps signaling his role as a respected writer while also hinting at his working-class sensibilities. The black-and-white portrait from Bonniers litterära magasin emphasizes sharp contrasts, with Fallada's face and suit emerging starkly from the background, highlighting his features with a sense of gravity and weight.

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