Eggplant.place

327d

Poem of the week: A Sonnet to the Noble Lady, the Lady Mary Wroth by Ben Jonson

"A strategically flattering tribute to a pioneering female writer is lifted by authentic warmth and admiration"

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/apr/07/poem-of-the-week-a-sonnet-to-the-noble-lady-the-lady-mary-wroth-by-ben-jonson

Ben Jonson at PG

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1269

#poetry #authors #books #literature

Erato, Muse of Lyrical Poetry by Charles Meynier (French, 1768–1832). "Erato is the muse of lyric poetry in Greek mythology. She is often depicted holding a small kithara or lyre, a stringed musical instrument, here seen resting against a tree in the lower left. She is writing with an arrow given to her by a winged Eros or Cupid, the god of love. This painting belongs to a cycle of five works commissioned by businessman François Boyer-Fonfréde for his home in Toulouse."

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307d

"Men with common minds seldom break through general rules. Prudence is ever the resort of weakness; and they rarely go as far as as they may in any undertaking, who are determined not to go beyond it on any account."

Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark (1796)

~Mary Wollstonecraft (27 April 1759 – 10 September 1797)

Mary Wollstonecraft at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/84

#books #literature

Wollstonecraft in 1790–1791, by John Opie

Wollstonecraft is depicted in a three-quarter view, her body turned slightly to the side while her face looks directly toward the viewer. Her expression is calm, serious, and contemplative, suggesting deep intelligence and moral conviction.

She wears a simple white garment, likely a muslin or linen dress with a soft, open collar.

Her dark hair is loosely gathered under a soft, dark cap or bonnet, with curls escaping naturally around her face.

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

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19d

📚 Dawn by: Octavia E. Butler

When Lilith lyapo wakes from a centuries-long sleep, she finds herself aboard the vast spaceship of the Oankali. She discovers that the Oankali a seemingly benevolent alien race intervened in the fate of the humanity hundreds of years ago, saving everyone who survived a nuclear war from a dying, ruined Earth and then...

https://bookblabla.com/book/dawn

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #sciencefiction #womenfiction #dystopian

When Lilith lyapo wakes from a centuries-long sleep, she finds herself aboard the vast spaceship of the Oankali. She discovers that the Oankali a seemingly benevolent alien race intervened in the fate of the humanity hundreds of years ago, saving everyone who survived a nuclear war from a dying, ruined Earth and then putting them into a deep sleep. After learning all they could about Earth and its beings, the Oankali healed the planet, cured cancer, increased human strength, and they now want Lilith to lead her people back to Earth--but salvation comes at a price.

Hopeful and thought-provoking, this post-apocalyptic narrative deftly explores gender and race through the eyes of characters struggling to adapt during a pivotal time of crisis and change.

One woman is called upon to rebuild the future of humankind after a nuclear war, in this revelatory post-apocalyptic tale from the award-winning author of Parable of the Sower.

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281d

finished reading The Grand Sophy 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
by Georgette Heyer.

A irrepressible cousin comes to stay and causes a great upheaval, but between cunning plans and good luck it all works out neatly. More wit than romance, but it does that well.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #PeriodDrama

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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18d

📚 I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 by: Robert Brockway

To bright and anxious eight-year-old Kay Washington, the worst thing in the world is being alone with the quiet. That's why Eddie Video makes the perfect imaginary friend: He's smart, he's loud, he loves pulling pranks, and he's always there...

https://bookblabla.com/book/i-will-kill-your-imaginary-friend-for-200

@bookstodon

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

To bright and anxious eight-year-old Kay Washington, the worst thing in the world is being alone with the quiet. That's why Eddie Video makes the perfect imaginary friend: He's smart, he's loud, he loves pulling pranks, and he's always there to chase away the silence.

To mid-forties, down-on-his-luck Ivan, the worst thing in the world happened when he lost his imaginary friend. Now cursed with the ability to see everyone else's, Ivan makes a living by killing the imaginary friends of adults who couldn't let go. But when one of Eddie Video's 'pranks' goes too far, Ivan agrees to make an exception and help Kay.

Only Ivan will soon learn that Eddie Video is nothing like the talking ostriches, star bears, and goblin princesses he's encountered in the past, and it’s going to take a lot more than clumsy haymakers and steak knives to bring him down. A balance of comedy and catharsis, this dual-narrative tackles both the fear of growing up and the scars our childhood leaves behind.

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306d

1876 | Laurel Springs, NJ

Looking Up

Walt Whitman has a happy hour.

https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/happiness/looking

Whitman at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/600

#books #literature

An 1862 photograph of Whitman taken by Mathew Brady.

Whitman is shown seated, with a relaxed, almost casual posture. His expression is thoughtful but unforced — a slight, knowing look in his eyes suggests both introspection and resilience.

He wears plain, slightly rumpled clothing: an open-collared shirt.

Whitman’s hair is tousled and his beard is full and flowing, giving him a weathered, natural look that breaks from the more polished, formal portraits typical of the era.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Whitman#/media/File:Walt_Whitman_-_Brady-Handy_restored.png

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326d

finished reading Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
by Ed Conway.

A high-octane tour through the materials that underlie our civilisation: sand, salt, steel, copper, oil & lithium. So many intriguing side notes that sent me off down rabbit holes (African ghost miners!). Really brings home the mammoth scale, complexity & interconnectedness of these critical industries that we take for granted. But also highlights their fragility, the environmental damage they cause, and the immense difficulty of reforming them to be sustainable.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #NonFiction #MaterialsScience

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

Edited 326d ago

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18d

Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë - Free ebook download

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326d

Leigh Hunt, the Unstoppable Critic

Convicted and imprisoned for libeling the Prince Regent, Hunt capitalized on his incarceration by turning his prison cell into a newsroom and grand salon.

By: Emily Zarevich

https://daily.jstor.org/leigh-hunt-the-unstoppable-critic/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Lit%20Hub%20Daily:%20April%207%2C%202025&utm_term=lithub_master_list

#books #literature #journalism

James Henry Leigh Hunt, by Benjamin Robert Haydon (died 1846).

Hunt is shown in a half-length view, typically with his head turned slightly to one side.

His expression is gentle, intelligent, and somewhat introspective.

His features are finely drawn—delicate mouth, straight nose, and bright, expressive eyes that suggest warmth and wit.

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18d

Foreigner Review – Cherryh on Top

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18d

📚 Women of a Promiscuous Nature by: Donna Everhart

On a brisk February morning while walking to the diner where she works, 24 year-old Ruth Foster is stopped by the local sheriff. He insists she accompany him to a health clinic, threatening to arrest her if she doesn't undergo testing in order to preserv...

https://bookblabla.com/book/women-of-a-promiscuous-nature

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #historical #20thcentury #generalfiction #southernfiction

On a brisk February morning while walking to the diner where she works, 24 year-old Ruth Foster is stopped by the local sheriff. He insists she accompany him to a health clinic, threatening to arrest her if she doesn't undergo testing in order to preserve decency and prevent the spread of sexual disease.

Though Ruth has never shared more than a chaste kiss with a man, by day's end she is one of dozens of women held at the State Industrial Farm Colony for Women. Some are there because they were reported for promiscuity by neighbors, husbands, strangers. Some were accused of prostitution. Others were just pretty and unmarried. Or poor and suspicious. One was eating dinner alone in a restaurant. Another spoke to a soldier.

Josephine's sin was running a business as a single woman. Maude's was trying to drown her sorrows. Frances had lost her mind. Opal married a man with a mean streak. Some, like 15-year-old Stella, are brought in because they're victims of assault. She's too naive and broken to understand how unjust this imprisonment is.

Superintendent Dorothy Baker, convinced that she's transforming degenerate souls into upstanding members of society, oversees the women's medical treatment and “training" until they're deemed ready for parole. Sooner or later, everyone at the Colony learns to abide by Mrs. Baker's rule book or face the consequences—solitary confinement, grueling work assignments, and worse.

But some refuse to be cowed. Some find ways to fight

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260d

‘The best way to discover hidden gems’: why you should try out a bookshop crawl

"Like bar-hopping, but for browsing books: this trend, popularised on TikTok, makes for a great day out – and can help you discover unique literary spots"

by Michaela Makusha

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/13/book-crawl-independent-bookshop-week

#books #bookstore

Illustration of a bookstore with many shelves of books.

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305d

"A scientist worthy of the name, above all a mathematician, experiences in his work the same impression as an artist; his pleasure is as great and of the same nature. "

~Henri Poincaré (29 April 1854 – 17 July 1912)

Poincaré at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/5958

#books #science #mathematics

Photographic portrait of H. Poincaré by Henri Manuel.

Poincaré is dressed in a dark, formal suit with a waistcoat, high-collared shirt, and neatly tied cravat or bowtie — standard attire for a man of his academic and social standing.

Poincaré’s neatly groomed beard, mustache, and receding hairline are clearly defined, lending an air of scholarly distinction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Poincar%C3%A9#/media/File:Henri_Poincar%C3%A9_by_H_Manuel.jpg

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260d

The hunt for Marie Curie's radioactive fingerprints in Paris

Marie Curie worked with radioactive material with her bare hands. More than 100 years after her groundbreaking work, Sophie Hardach travels to Paris to trace the lingering radioactive fingerprints she left behind.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250605-the-hunt-for-marie-curies-radioactive-fingerprints-in-paris?at_campaign_type=owned&at_medium=emails&at_objective=awareness&at_ptr_type=email&at_ptr_name=salesforce&at_campaign=essentiallist&at_email_send_date=20250613&at_send_id=4384678&at_link_title=https%3a%2f%2fwww.bbc.com%2ffuture%2farticle%2f20250605-the-hunt-for-marie-curies-radioactive-fingerprints-in-paris&at_bbc_team=crm

Marie Curie at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/39174

#books #womeninStem

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18d

Dorothy Parker: Sharp-Witted Writer, Bitter Professor

Dorothy Parker’s year as a visiting professor shows how a celebrated literary voice struggled to adapt to the realities of academic teaching.

By: Emily Zarevich

https://daily.jstor.org/dorothy-parker-sharp-witted-writer-bitter-professor/

#books #literature #education

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305d

The Author of ‘Anne of Green Gables’ Lived a Far Less Charmed Life Than Her Beloved Heroine

L.M. Montgomery created a classic of children’s literature, but what about her lesser-known works?

By V.M. Braganza (from the archive)

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/lm-montgomery-anne-green-gables-life-180981839/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&lctg=93133550

L. M. Montgomery at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/36

#books #literature

Lucy Maud Montgomery, 14. During this period, as she put it in her diary, she had begun to harbor “dreams of future fame.” Courtesy University of Guelph

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19d

The perfect job doesn't exi-

#books #reading

A four-panel comic strip set in a park, by Tom Gauld. Panel 1: "It's my perfect job, really! Their owners are busy people who love them but don't have time to give them the attention they need." There's a person walking a dog in the background. In subsequent panels, the view slowly pans to the right. Panel 2: "Nobody likes to think of them just lying around in the house alone." Panel 3: "So I pick them up bright and early and we spend the whole day in the park." Panel 4 reveals that the person saying all this is actually sitting on a bench reading a book, with a pile of more books next to her. She concludes: "I read a few chapters of each and drop them home with a short precis of what happened. Everyone's happy!"

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324d

Uncommon Sense: Edward B. Foote’s Plain Home Talk (1896 edition)

An encyclopedic tome of health advice that unpicks the biases of its time.

https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/plain-home-talk/?utm_source=newsletter

#books #humanhealth #publicdomain

Title page of Edward Bliss Foote, Plain Home Talk About the Human System—the Habits of Men and Women—the Cause and Prevention of Disease—Our Sexual Relations and Social Natures (New York: Murray Hill, 1896).

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305d

75 Years Ago, The Martian Chronicles Legitimized Science Fiction

By Sam Weller

https://lithub.com/75-years-ago-the-martian-chronicles-legitimized-science-fiction/

Ray Bradbury at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/41269

#books #literature #sciencefiction

Ray Bradbury.

Bradbury is captured in mid-speech or thought, leaning slightly forward toward what appears to be a microphone.

The strong side-light highlights his aquiline nose, high cheekbone, and neatly combed hair, while his trademark horn-rimmed glasses rest firmly on his face.

He wears a dark jacket and collared shirt; the lapel and collar peek out just enough to suggest formal, mid-century attire.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ray_Bradbury#/media/File:Ray_Douglas_Bradbury.jpg

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18d

Pets Are Family, Too: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-pets-are-family-too/

#TopTenTuesday #Quotes #Books #Bookstodon

@bookstodon

Two baby bunnies eating a row of daisies that have been picked and placed in front of them. Behind the rabbits you see a large expanse of short grass.

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16d

This translation will be published on March 10th, if anyone is interested :) Takahe has limited support for this type: See Original Page

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17d

An older but very nice review of my story The Last Philosopher 😊

Free eBook version of Part One:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tynp5wgkwr0dkvmf3dzp3/The-Last-Philosopher-Part-One.epub?rlkey=n61zknkz05eakr809gcs19kzd&dl=0

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

#WIPWednesday #Short #Excerpt #AmWriting #IndieAuthor
#SpecualtiveFiction #FantasyBooks #High #Fantasy #SciFi #Satire #Humor #Humour #Comedy
#Book #Books #Novel #Novels #Bookstodon #Bookwyrm #FantasyBooks
#Reading #Readers #ReadersOfMastodon #ReadingCommunity
#Review #Bookreview #BookRecommendation

Chapter 1:
The first thing I noticed here was how much this first chapter reminds
me of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. You have a really similar
style and I'm not complaining at all!
I also really appreciated how you used dashes instead of commas, most
people choose to be boring.
I loved the personification and the attention to detail, the way you write
things really makes me feel as if | am there myself.

Final Impression:
I was really hooked on reading this story and youdefinitely did not disappoint! I love your books so, so much and Ihonestly couldn't find much to nitpick at. I hoped this helped at least a tiny bit <3

Rating:
10 out of 10

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323d

Translators: unsung heroes of a multilingual web

Following the launch of the ‘World Wide Web’ (which became known as ‘the web’) – in 1990, users with a native language other than English reached 5 percent by 1994, 20 percent by 1998, 50 percent by 2000 and 75 percent by 2015.

By Marie Lebert

https://ausit.org/blog/translators-unsung-heroes-of-a-multilingual-web/

#translation #books

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17d

A White Historian Claimed That Black People ‘Had No History.’ This Trailblazing Scholar Dedicated His Life to Proving Otherwise

Carter G. Woodson, the “father of Black history,” founded the celebration now known as Black History Month in 1926. A prolific writer and activist, he viewed his efforts to educate the public as a “life-and-death struggle”

by Meilan Solly

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/a-white-historian-claimed-that-black-people-had-no-history-this-trailblazing-scholar-dedicated-his-life-to-proving-otherwise-180988144/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&lctg=93133550

Carter G. Woodson at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/3835

#books #literature #blackhistorymonth