Eggplant.place

285d

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

305d

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

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

175d

#Reading #Books
I've been regularly reading fiction type books for more than 50 years. And in that time, I never knew the definition of the genre called Literary Fiction.

Today that changed. And yes, I have read some books that would be in the literary fiction category.

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

Edited 175d ago

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

155d

📚 Seveneves by: Neal Stephenson

A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in a hastily built space ark.

But the complexities a...

https://bookblabla.com/book/seveneves

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #sciencefiction #thrillers #technologicalfiction #suspensefiction

A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in a hastily built space ark.

But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges threaten the intrepid pioneers, turning their mission into a desperate survival story until only a handful of survivors remain...

Five thousand years later, their progeny—seven distinct races now three billion strong—embark on yet another audacious post-apocalyptic journey into the unknown... to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.

A writer of dazzling genius and imaginative vision, Neal Stephenson combines science, philosophy, technology, psychology, and literature in a magnificent work of speculative fiction that offers a portrait of a future that is both extraordinary and eerily recognizable. As he did in Anathem, Cryptonomicon, the Baroque Cycle, and Reamde, Stephenson explores some of our biggest ideas and perplexing challenges in a breathtaking saga that is daring, engrossing, and altogether brilliant.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anathem, Reamde, and Cryptonomicon comes an exciting and thought-provoking hard science fiction epic—a grand story of annihilation and survival spanning five thousand years.

What would happen if the world were ending?

ALT

1 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

186d

OH MY GOD 🤣

A novel just came out in which a tradwife influencer wakes up in 1805 and suddenly has to live the real life she's been selling online, raw milk and all!

All hail YESTERYEAR by Caro Claire Burke.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/238226942-yesteryear

@bookstodon #books

6 0 2 View Post & Replies See Original

284d

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

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

2y

#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.

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

2y

#OTD in 1771.

Premiere in Milan of the opera Ascanio in Alba, composed by Mozart at age 15.

This is a pastoral opera in two parts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Parini. It was commissioned by the Empress Maria Theresa for the wedding of her son, Archduke Ferdinand Karl, to Maria Beatrice d'Este on 15 October 1771.

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

https://imslp.org/wiki/Ascanio_in_Alba,_K.111_(Mozart,_Wolfgang_Amadeus)

Books about Mozart at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=mozart&submit_search=Go%21&start_index=26

#books #music #opera

School of Verona, attributed to Giambettino Cignaroli (Salo, Verona 1706-1770), Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of 13 in Verona, 1770. Offered for auction at Christie's Paris on 27 November 2019, from the collection of the descendants of pianist Alfred Cortot.

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

284d

I do like both, and I've never understood why this is an issue, is it not the content of the book that matters? Not how that content is delivered? 🤔😁

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

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

Tom and Jerry meme, Tom is having a sword fight with the dog, and Jerry is watching.
Captions:
Dog: ebook readers
Tom: Physical readers
Jerry: Me liking both

ALT

5 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

207d

The Elusive Poet of Desire

Why biographers can’t pin Cavafy down

by Langdon Hammer

https://yalereview.org/article/langdon-hammer-the-elusive-poet-of-desire

Cavafy at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/51261

#books #literature

Constantine Cavafy in 1929

Unknown photographer (signed: Pacino) - C.P. Cavafy Archives - Onassis Foundation

A formal black and white studio portrait photograph, signed "Pacino" in the lower left corner. Cavafy looks directly at the camera with a calm, slightly guarded expression. He wears large, round wire-rimmed spectacles, a dark pinstripe suit, a striped tie, and a white pocket square. His dark hair is swept back from a broad forehead. The background appears to be a decorative tapestry or painted backdrop with floral or figural motifs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_P._Cavafy#/media/File:Konstantinos_Kavafis.jpg

ALT

2 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

"The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself."

#OTD in 1847.

Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is published (as "an autobiography, edited by Currer Bell") in London by Smith, Elder & Co. in 3 volumes.

The first American edition was published the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York.

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

Jane Eyre at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/1260

#books #literature

The title page to the original publication of Jane Eyre, including Brontë's pseudonym "Currer Bell".

ALT

St John Rivers admits Jane to Moor House, illustration by F. H. Townsend

F. H. Townsend, 1868-1920 - http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1260/1260-h/images/

"Hush, Hannah! I have a word to say to the woman.

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

304d

New review fresh in for #FossilFriday: Bringing to life two palaeontological expeditions and excelling at explaining scientific concepts, The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt goes deeper into the tragic history behind Spinosaurus and resurrects the forgotten Ernst Stromer.

https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2025/12/19/book-review-the-lost-dinosaurs-of-egypt/

#Books #BookReview #Bookstodon #Dinosaurs #Theropods #Spinosaurs #Spinosaurus #Fossils #Paleontology #Palaeontology #Scicomm @bookstodon

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

#OTD in 1917.

The 51-year-old poet W. B. Yeats marries 25-year-old Georgie Hyde-Lees at Harrow Road register office in London, with Ezra Pound as best man, a couple of months after Yeats' proposal of marriage to his ex-mistress's daughter, Iseult Gonne, is rejected.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._B._Yeats#Marriage_to_Georgie_Hyde-Lees

Books by W. B. Yeats at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1719

#books #literature #poetry

Walter de la Mare, Bertha Georgie Yeats (née Hyde-Lees), William Butler Yeats, unknown woman, summer 1930; photo by Lady Ottoline Morrell.

In the image, the group is outdoors, likely in a garden or rural setting, characteristic of Lady Ottoline's gatherings at her homes. The lighting is soft, typical of an English summer, lending a relaxed and somewhat nostalgic quality to the photograph.

Walter de la Mare, the English poet and author, stands or sits calmly, perhaps slightly to one side.

Bertha Georgie Yeats (née Hyde-Lees), the wife of William Butler Yeats, appears in the photograph with a sense of quiet elegance.

William Butler Yeats, the famed Irish poet, stands or sits prominently in the image, his distinctive features easily recognizable.

The unknown woman is present alongside the others, her identity and role a mystery, adding an air of intrigue to the photograph.

ALT

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

2y

Polish composer and virtuoso pianist Frédéric Chopin died #OTD in 1849.

To this day, Chopin's music remains one of the most widely performed, and an indispensable part of the universal piano repertoire. Along with Franz Liszt, he is the father of modern piano technique and influenced a whole line of modern composers, including Claude Debussy, Alexandre Scriabine, Maurice Ravel and Sergei Rachmaninov.

Books by or about Frédéric Chopin at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric+Chopin&submit_search=Go%21

#books #music #art

ALT

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

"Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own."

Irish writer Jonathan Swift died #OTD in 1745.

Swift is remembered for works such as A Tale of a Tub, An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity, Gulliver's Travels, & A Modest Proposal. He originally published all of his works under pseudonyms—including Lemuel Gulliver, Isaac Bickerstaff, M. B. Drapier—or anonymously.

Books by Jonathan Swift at PG
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/326

#books #literature

Charles Jervas portrait of Jonathan Swift.

In the portrait, Swift is shown as a middle-aged man, with his characteristic rounded face and full, expressive features. His hair, worn in long, flowing curls, is typical of the wigs of the early 18th century, a fashion among men of high status. His gaze is direct, with piercing, intelligent eyes that convey both a sharp wit and deep contemplation, traits often associated with his satirical writing.

Swift is dressed in clerical attire, signifying his role as a clergyman within the Church of Ireland. He wears a dark robe with a white clerical collar, which contrasts against the rich, dark tones of his clothing.

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

284d

finished reading A Room of One’s Own 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
by Virginia Woolf.

A classic that is actually good! An essay on women & fiction (thus, feminism) that rambles along in a relaxed fashion without losing any of its coherency or piercing insight. And damn she can write. Sadly still relevant, nearly 100 years on. (For reference her £500/yr is A$55k/yr today.)

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #NonFiction #Feminism

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

304d

Things from the Flood. By Simon Stalenhag. Translated by Martin Dunelind.

You are a young Swedish teen, growing up in the aftermath of a failed industrial project that may have opened a portal to another world, but the poisoned and destroyed landscape is your playground, and the agonies of adolescence find a comfortable home there.

4 of 5 library cats 🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈.

@bookstodon #bookstodon #books #reading #sweden #scifi #adolescence #graphicnovel #tech #art

Book cover featuring a beat up android alone in the wilderness

ALT

1 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

302d

Physicists and philosophers have long struggled to understand the nature of time: Here’s why

The nature of time has plagued thinkers for as long as we’ve tried to understand the world we live in. Intuitively, we know what time is, but try to explain it, and we end up tying our minds in knots.

By Daryl Janzen

https://theconversation.com/physicists-and-philosophers-have-long-struggled-to-understand-the-nature-of-time-heres-why-269762

Time measurements at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/27824

#books #philosophy #physics

A Time Piece of the Middle Ages

The huge and elaborate Clock of Strasbourg Cathedral, in Lorraine, was built in 1352 and is an example of the first clocks.

At the center stands the towering clock structure, richly decorated and rising several stories high. Its façade is highly ornate, with carved panels, niches, and sculptural figures arranged vertically. Multiple circular dials dominate the middle sections, including a large central clock face with radiating spokes, surrounded by smaller astronomical and calendrical displays. These elements reflect the clock’s dual purpose: telling time and illustrating celestial movements, religious symbolism, and the passage of days and seasons.

Above and around the dials are intricate reliefs and statues, likely representing biblical figures, apostles, or allegorical personifications common in medieval sacred art. The craftsmanship emphasizes symmetry, complexity, and theological meaning rather than simplicity or readability by modern standards.

The clock is set within the vast interior of the cathedral, whose tall stone columns and soaring arches frame the scene.

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/47928/pg47928-images.html

ALT

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

284d

Among the Sleuths: Looking for Answers at the Nancy Drew Convention

Jadie Stillwell and Nicole Blackwood on the Mystery of the Missing Discernible Character Traits

https://lithub.com/among-the-sleuths-looking-for-answers-at-the-nancy-drew-convention/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_id=01KE5W7XNRXXS2MZDKNH70YJS5&_kx=3MZUehzXM-41qlWAMPUiuNZadX2p0SByuNf_t0eMLB0.U5D8ER

Carolyn Keene at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/58985

#books #literature

Cover page of The hidden staircase by Carolyn Keene, illustratated by Russell H. Tandy.

At the top of the cover, "Nancy Drew Mystery Stories" appears in a stylized script font in yellow/gold lettering. Below this, the title "THE HIDDEN STAIRCASE" is displayed prominently in bold, uppercase blue letters.

The cover features an illustration showing Nancy Drew descending a mysterious hidden staircase.

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/77602/pg77602-images.html

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

304d

📚 Oona Out of Order by: Margarita Montimore

It’s New Year’s Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics, or remain at home in Brooklyn to pursue her passion for music and be with her ...

https://bookblabla.com/book/oona-out-of-order

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #womenfiction #timetravel

It’s New Year’s Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics, or remain at home in Brooklyn to pursue her passion for music and be with her boyfriend? As the countdown to the New Year begins, Oona faints and awakens thirty-two years in the future in her fifty-one-year-old body. Greeted by a friendly stranger in a beautiful house she’s told is her own, Oona learns that with each passing year she will leap to another age at random. And so begins Oona Out of Order...

Hopping through decades, pop culture fads, and much-needed stock tips, Oona is still a young woman on the inside but ever changing on the outside. Who will she be next year? Philanthropist? Club Kid? World traveler? Wife to a man she’s never met? Surprising, magical, and heart-wrenching, Margarita Montimore has crafted an unforgettable story about the burdens of time, the endurance of love, and the power of family.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

AMAZON EDITORS' 20 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR PICK

With its countless epiphanies and surprises, Oona proves difficult to put down.USA Today

By turns tragic and triumphant, heartbreakingly poignant and joyful, this is ultimately an uplifting and redemptive read.The Guardian

A remarkably inventive novel that explores what it means to live a life fully in the moment, e

ALT

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

Argentinian poet and author Alfonsina Storni died #OTD in 1938.

Her first book, La inquietud del rosal, brought her recognition from the literary circles in Buenos Aires; but it was her volume El dulce daño that won her popular success.

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

#books

Alfonsina Storni walking along the promenade of Mar del Plata. Unknown author - Archivo General de la Nación Argentina Inventory 7770

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

284d

Why doesn't my year-in-review look like others' do? It's certainly little fun.

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

303d

5 Dazzling Medieval Manuscripts That Have Outlasted Empires

These manuscripts stand out for their artistry, craftsmanship, and historical significance.

by Tim Brinkhof

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/illuminated-medieval-manuscripts-to-know-2710634

Old manuscripts at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=old+manuscripts

#archeology #history #books #old_manuscripts

Book of Kells (an illuminated manuscript), Folio 32v, Christ Enthroned.

Folio 32v from the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript created circa 800 CE, depicting Christ Enthroned. This masterpiece of Insular art showcases the elaborate Celtic ornamentation, vibrant colors, and intricate geometric patterns characteristic of medieval Irish monastic manuscripts. The page exemplifies the extraordinary artistic achievement of early medieval Ireland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Kells#/media/File:KellsFol032vChristEnthroned.jpg

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

303d

‘From her pen sprang unforgettable females’: 16th-century Spanish author’s knight’s tale given reboot

Beatriz Bernal’s pioneering novel features brave, chivalrous women who ride dragons and her adapter wants his illustrated version to reach young readers

By Sam Jones

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/20/16th-century-spanish-author-beatriz-bernal-knights-tale-given-reboot

Spanish literature at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=spanish+literature

#books #literature