Eggplant.place

350d

Who Was Marie Curie? Learn More About This Pioneering Nobel Prize Winner

By Madeleine Muzdakis

https://mymodernmet.com/marie-curie/

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

#books #womeninstem

At the first Solvay Conference (1911), Curie (seated second from right) confers with Henri Poincaré. Standing nearby are Rutherford (fourth from right), Einstein (second from right), and Paul Langevin (far right).

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1911_Solvay_conference.jpg

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311d

Is there a translation of the bible that is accurate?

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351d

Halloween Stories

Why are Victorians the default haunted house, what do ghosts have to do with the imagination, and why do we like to be scared?

By The Editors

https://daily.jstor.org/editors-picks-halloween/?utm_source=mcae&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=jstordaily_10302025

Halloween at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=halloween

#books #literature

A Thrilling Hallowe'en." (Three black cats flying through the air with Jack-o-lanterns.

It depicts three black cats are shown flying through the air, their fur bristling and tails arched as if caught mid-leap or magically soaring. Each cat is accompanied by or carrying a glowing Jack-o’-lantern, the carved pumpkins casting a warm, orange light that contrasts with the dark background.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%22A_Thrilling_Hallowe%27en.%22_(Three_black_cats_flying_through_the_air_with_Jack-o-lanterns).jpg

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351d

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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311d

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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351d

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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351d

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” Read by Christopher Walken, Christopher Lee & Vincent Price

https://www.openculture.com/2025/10/edgar-allan-poes-the-raven-read-by-christopher-walken-christopher-lee-vincent-price.html

The Raven at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17192

#books #literature

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284d

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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310d

📚 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

@bookstodon

#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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349d

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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2y

"Our deeds are like children that are born to us; they live and act apart from our own will."

In July 1862.

George Eliot's historical novel Romola begins serialization in Cornhill Magazine, the first time she has published a full-length book in this format. George Murray Smith of the publishers Smith, Elder & Co. has agreed a £7,000 advance for it. It was first published as a book, in three volumes, by Smith, Elder & Co. in 1863.

Romola at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/24020

#books #literature

First edition of Romola bye George Sand.

The novel first appeared in fourteen parts published in Cornhill Magazine from July 1862 (vol. 6, no. 31) to August 1863 (vol. 8, no. 44), and was first published as a book, in three volumes, by Smith, Elder & Co. in 1863.

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347d

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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348d

📚 1Q84 by: Haruki Murakami

The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.

A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84, Q is for question mark. A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an as...

https://bookblabla.com/book/1q84

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #literaryfiction #dystopian

The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.

A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84, Q is for question mark. A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.

As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.

A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s 1Q84 is Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.

Murakami is like a magician who explains what he’s doing as he performs the trick and still makes you believe he has supernatural powers... But while an

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348d

Today I finished reading "Turning to Birds: the Power and Beauty of Noticing" by Lili Taylor. This is a collection of essays, each mostly focused on one type of bird. It is a combination of her experiences in both birdwatching and bird conservation and how those activities have changed her. In particular, the essays on migrating and on the chimney swifts were interesting to me, and the bluebird/sparrow one somewhat heartbreaking.

#books #birding #birders #birds @bookstodon

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347d

Plato and the Poets

The centuries-old debate should be settled: an intellectual world bereft of poetry is a damaged one.

by Elaine Scarry

https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/plato-and-the-poets/

Plato at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/93

#books #literature #philosophy

Parts of P.Oxy. LII 3679, 3rd century, containing fragments of Plato's Republic.

The visible portion of the papyrus displays Greek text in several lines of uncial script, with some variation in the size of the letters and some spacing between columns or lines.

There are holes, tears, frayed edges and missing sections. Some of the text is missing or worn away, and there are irregular boundaries where pieces have broken off.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato#/media/File:P._Oxy._LII_3679.jpg

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348d

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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2y

"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.

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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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348d

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. 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”. Honestly, I was ready to ditch this, but now I’m fully invested. <details><summary>SPOILERS </summary>I did not 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 book 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. I mean… damn, Danielewski. I’m hooked. You got me. </details> None of my friends have read it, so I had to release some excitement somewhere. Thanks for reading. Without spoiling anything, have you read / enjoyed House of Leaves? What’s your favorite “experimental” book?

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348d

📚 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

@bookstodon

#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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146d

Step into 19th-century Ireland!

Forbidden love, family secrets, and a sweeping saga await in A Scarlet Woman.

Start reading The Fitzgeralds of Dublin series today in Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon - https://mybook.to/ascarletwoman

#TheFitzgeraldsOfDublinSeries #Books #BooksByLornaPeel #Ireland #BookSeries #HistoricalFiction #KindleUnlimited #Romance #HistoricalRomance @bookstodon

Promotional image for the Irish historical fiction novel A Scarlet Woman by Lorna Peel, book one in The Fitzgeralds of Dublin series, a 19th-century Irish family saga. The image shows a Kindle device displaying the book cover, which shows a late 19th-century woman with dark hair and a pink flower on her white dress, looking down pensively. Text on the ad reads: “Love that defies society. Secrets that shape a family.” and “Step into 19th-century Ireland and meet the Fitzgeralds of Dublin. Start the series today! Free to read with Kindle Unlimited.” The background is a faded image of Georgian townhouses on Merrion Square in Dublin, Ireland.

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350d

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

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352d

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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346d

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

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346d

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

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353d

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