Eggplant.place

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

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

Book Review #1 for 2016 is Edmund Morris' Colonel Roosevelt. This is the third volume in a 3 volume set on President Theodore Roosevelt. I read the first two several years ago and listened to this volume. It covers his life after his Presidency. I think Morris provides an honest look at what TR accomplished in the final 6 years of his life. ☕☕☕☕☕ review. #bookstodon #POTUS @bookstodon #books #bookreview #biography @histodons

Edited 284d ago

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

304d

I finally read "I, Robot" by Asimov. I think it is good, and especially with #Ai and #LLMs here now, so many tech-bros citing stuff like the three laws, think it is worthwhile to go read the actual book. It is not about robot crimes, at all. It feels astonishingly up to date for something written during and shortly after WW2. I guess because people now aren't that different from people who lived 100 years ago. #bookstodon @bookstodon #books #reading

bookcover of I, Robot by Asimov. the cover is a dark blue with the outline of a human head in light blue dots and lines representing circuits.

ALT

1 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

2y

Available from 1 November: another thriller I translated, by the same author as the last one, Catherine Cooper.

This time we're going skiing in the French Alps, but there's another storm, which means nobody can leave the chalet... 🏠 🇫🇷 🏔️ ⛷️ 🍷 🍄 🌨️ 😱

#books #thriller #hetchalet #BookTranslation #translation #xl8 #boeken #BoekVertaling #VertaaldDoorEenMens #TranslatedByAHuman

Book cover: four glasses of champagne on a table outside against a snowy landscape, one glas has blood spatters on it and there are shards of glass on the table.

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

303d

📚 The Librarians by: Sherry Thomas

In the leafy suburbs of Austin, Texas, a small branch library welcomes the public every day of the week. But the patrons who love the helpful, unobtrusive staff and leave rave reviews on Yelp don't always realize that their librarians are human, too.

Hazel flees halfway across the...

https://bookblabla.com/book/the-librarians

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #thrillers #domesticfiction #mysterydetective #amateursleuth

In the leafy suburbs of Austin, Texas, a small branch library welcomes the public every day of the week. But the patrons who love the helpful, unobtrusive staff and leave rave reviews on Yelp don't always realize that their librarians are human, too.

Hazel flees halfway across the world for what she hopes will be a new beginning. Jonathan, a six-foot-four former college football player, has never fit in anywhere else. Astrid tries to forget her heartbreak by immersing herself in work, but the man who ghosted her six months ago is back, promising trouble. And Sophie, who has the most to lose, maintains a careful and respectful distance from her coworkers, but soon that won't be enough anymore.

When two patrons turn up dead after the library s inaugural murder mystery themed game night, the librarians’ quiet routines come crashing down. Something sinister has stirred, something that threatens every single one of them. And the only way the librarians can save the library and themselves is to let go of their secrets, trust one another, and band together...

All in a day's work.

This delicious murder mystery is a must-read for any library lover! New York Times bestselling author Shelby Van Pelt

Murder disrupts four quirky librarians' lives when they try to hide among books to keep their secrets.

A LIBRARY READS PICK! l An NPR Books We Love

Sometimes a workplace isn’t just a workplace but a place of safety, understanding, and acceptance. And sometimes murder

ALT

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

On the left, cover of the first edition of Don Cristalián (Valladolid, 1545). On the right, its second edition (Alcalá de Henares, 1586).

ALT

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

Math Is Still Catching Up to the Mysterious Genius of Srinivasa Ramanujan

Born poor in colonial India and dead at 32, Ramanujan had fantastical, out-of-nowhere visions that continue to shape the field today.

By Jordana Cepelewicz via @QuantaMagazine

https://www.quantamagazine.org/srinivasa-ramanujan-was-a-genius-math-is-still-catching-up-20241021/

#books #mathematics

ALT

5 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

2y

#OTD in 360.

Pappus of Alexandria, Greek philosopher, observes an eclipse of the Sun and writes a commentary on The Great Astronomer (Almagest).

In his commentary on the Almagest he calculates "the place and time of conjunction which gave rise to the eclipse in Tybi in 1068 after Nabonassar". This works out as 18 October 320, and so Pappus must have been active around 320.

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

#books #astronomy

Title page of Pappus's Mathematicae Collectiones, translated into Latin by Federico Commandino (1588).

Pappus Alexandrinus - https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6069499

Pappi Alexandrini. Mathematicae collectiones. A Federico Commandino Vrbinatae in latinum conuersae, & commentarijs illustratae. Pesaro: Girolamo Concordia, 1588

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

German novelist and translator Dorothea von Schlegel was born #OTD in 1764.

She met the poet & critic Friedrich von Schlegel in the salon of her friend Henriette Herz in 1797, after which Dorothea divorced Simon Veit in 1799.

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

#books #literature

Dorothea von Schlegel; portrait by Anton Graff (c.1790) Anton Graff - Own work, anagoria

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

302d

📚 Upgrade by: Blake Crouch

At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little... sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.

But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To hi...

https://bookblabla.com/book/upgrade

@bookstodon

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

At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little... sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.

But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him even those he loves most in whole new ways.

The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.

Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large at a terrifying cost.

Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.

And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?

Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, Upgrade is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity and our boundless potential.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. If Michael Crichton had written a superhero novel, it

ALT

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

301d

A controversial bestseller

Michael Gold's bestselling novel Jews Without Money depicts the plight of poor East European immigrants in New York. It resonated with readers in 1930 facing not-yet-fully-acknowledged impacts of the Depression.

By John Mark Ockerbloom

https://everybodyslibraries.com/2025/12/21/a-controversial-bestseller/

More information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews_without_Money

#books #literature #publicDomainDayCountdown

Cover of the 1930 novel Jews without Money by Michael Gold

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews_without_Money#/media/File:Cover_of_the_1930_novel_Jews_without_Money_by_Michael_Gold.jpg

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

301d

I been re-watching ‘Stranger Things’, to prepare to for the show shutting down. Like the show, but it seems almost like a ‘Steven King’ knock off, more so with every sense begun. I also love the original ‘Twilight Zone’ best SciFi stories ever made, better than any TV & Movies ever made. I cannot tell you how many timesI have watched them, but give me $100 each episode I have watched & I would become the richest person in the world. I really liked the original ‘Amazing Stories’ as well. I liked all the remakes of both series that followed. So, here is my idea- Create a TV series that takes ‘Steven King’s stories, mostly the books, & makes at least one-entire season out of each of his stories. Maybe, need to increase seasons’ at least 1+-Hr. episodes to at least 20. Maybe, even do more than 1-‘Steven King’ stories at a time, already doing that for other famous authors.

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

302d

Did Charles Dickens see A Christmas Carol as an anti-slavery story?

A Christmas Carol is usually read as a Victorian morality tale about capitalism and compassion. Yet an autographed script written by Charles Dickens during the American Civil War raises the possibility he may also have understood the story as speaking to the cause of ending slavery in the US.

By Lucy Whitehead

https://theconversation.com/did-charles-dickens-see-a-christmas-carol-as-an-anti-slavery-story-272292

Christmas Carol at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46

#books #literature

"The Ghost of Christmas Present" from the original edition, 1843

Scrooge's third visitor, from Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. With Illustrations by John Leech. London: Chapman & Hall, 1843. First edition. This image is one of four hand-coloured etchings included in the first edition.

The illustration depicts the Ghost of Christmas Present as a jolly giant robed in green, surrounded by festive abundance including food and drink.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol#/media/File:Scrooges_third_visitor-John_Leech,1843.jpg

ALT

2 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

301d

If you're looking for a polyam romance, I've narrated a good one.

Edited 301d ago

1 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

302d

At Marcel Proust's table

To immerse oneself in In Search of Lost Time is a bit like becoming a guest of the narrator. The table plays a significant role in the novel, perpetuating a distinctly French literary tradition, evident at least since Rabelais.

By Junko Meguro

https://essentiels.bnf.fr/fr/article/bf46724d-829b-4391-85e1-2efbce656fd6-table-marcel-proust?fbclid=IwVERFWAO0ipZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeuo9WZsk_SJ-_hI_7LiBjP3WDozkF_DuWHzmybBHIoHBBGBObdz9YFDA0FKM_aem_-N3e4IEhNZb99CCDERQs_g

In Search of Lost Time at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=+In+Search+of+Lost+Time
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=a+la+recherche+du+temps+perdu

#books #literature #cooking

Marcel Proust in 1895.

A formal black and white portrait photograph of Marcel Proust taken in 1895, showing the young French novelist at age 24 with his characteristic mustache, slicked hair, and contemplative pose with hand near his chin.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%80_la_recherche_du_temps_perdu#/media/Fichier:Marcel_Proust_1895.jpg

ALT

2 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

301d

5 Christmas Poems That Have Been Treasured Since the 1800s

https://www.thecollector.com/19th-century-christmas-poems/

"A Visit From St. Nicholas (Twas the Night Before Christmas)" at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=A+Visit+From+St.+Nicholas

Alfred Tennyson at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/2987

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/16

Christina Rossetti at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7041

#books #poetry #literature

Illustration from "Twas the Night before Christmas: A Visit from St. Nicholas" at PG. It shows a mantel with Christmas stockings hanging from it. On top of the mantel is a clock and two vases on each side.

ALT

Edited 301d ago

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

301d

50% off @ #Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1667520

The Hunter seeks peace and quiet to mourn the loss of her best friend in a world that seems bound and determined to make that task impossible. Enemies attack when she’d rather be alone, allies can’t take a hint and the arch-demon Wrath seeks the Hunter’s hand in marriage, even though she’d sooner kill him.

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #actionadventure #fiction #books #EOYSale25 #ebook #sale #books2read #indiebooks

(Left) The cover of She Seeks Peace, by Owen Tyme.

The background is a snow-capped, craggy mountain with green, grassy hills at its base, which feature yellow and blue flowers.

The foreground is dominated by the round symbol for peace, in gold. Along the bottom of it are two olive branches. At the top is a dove in flight. Arranged on the lower three spokes of it are three figures based on the AIGA symbol for a woman. The figure on the right is blue. The one in the middle is a very dark gray, bordering on black, which includes a top hat. The figure on the left is red and has horns, like a demon.

(Right) The background is a view from the interior of a gun's barrel, with the rifling very apparent and the following quote over the top:

Reggie looked down the barrel of one of his own pistols, which the girl held in both hands, because the M1911 was a little large for someone so small.

There was a long, silent moment as the girl giggled and met his gaze. The murderous look was gone, replaced by something more playful, like a cat toying with a mouse.

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

ALT

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

Dracula author's lost story unearthed after 134 years.

An amateur historian has discovered a long-lost short story by Bram Stoker, published just seven years before his legendary gothic novel Dracula.

By Maia Davies @BBCNews

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g9119l64qo

"Gibbet Hill" published in Supplement to the Daily Express in 17th December 1890 is available here:
https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000924296

Books by Bram Stoker at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/190

#books #literature

Gibbet Hill by Bram Stoker (early short story) published in
Supplement to the Daily Express.
17th December 1890

Source: https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000924296

ALT

2 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

299d

"Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin."
Opening lines.

#OTD in 1925.

Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by name in a children's story in the London Evening News for Christmas Eve.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnie-the-Pooh

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

#books #literature

Illustration to page 3 of Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) by artist E. H. Shepard.

The scene shows Winnie-the-Pooh sitting on a log at the base of a large tree. He’s leaning back slightly, head tilted upward, with a thoughtful, mildly puzzled expression.

To Pooh’s left is a wooden signpost attached to the tree, with a bell on a cord hanging from it. The sign bears the name “MR SANDERS”, hinting at Pooh’s misunderstanding that this must be the name of whoever lives there. Below it, another small sign is partially visible. At the base of the tree are a few round objects, reinforcing the cozy, woodland setting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnie-the-Pooh#/media/File:Pooh_Shepard1928.jpg

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

302d

Too many novels is definitely how I want to go, but I'm probably more likely to suffer from a stong bout of drawing-room anguish 😜😂

#NotAllBooksAreCreatedEqual

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

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

Historic painting of a woman lying in bed.
Caption: Things Women In Literature Have Died From

The list:
Cold hands
Pony exhaustion
Beautiful face
Strolling congestion
Missing slippers
Sherry served too cold
Wrist fevers
Ship infidelity
Night brain
Going outside at night In Italy
Shawl Insufficiency
Clergyman's dropsy
Too many pillows
Flirting headaches
Garden troubles
River unhappiness
Someone said "No" very loudly
General bummers
Letter-reading fits
Mmmf
Drawing-room anguish
Beautiful chestnut hair
Not enough pillows
Spinal degeneration as a result of pride
Haven't seen the sea In a long time
Parents too happy
Too many novels
The Unpleasantness

ALT

Edited 302d ago

6 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

301d

The Big Sleep. By Raymond Chandler.

You are a bitter LA private detective, some 100 years ago, trying to solve a case you don’t care much about, since everyone- everyone - is crooked, even the police and all the dames throwing themselves at you, and you just gotta wonder what the point of trying to be a decent human being is.

3 of 5 library cats 🐈 🐈 🐈.
CW: hate speech, homophobia, misogyny

@bookstodon #bookstodon #books #reading #crime #losangeles #detective

ALT

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

301d

📚 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by: Philip K. Dick

By 2021, the World War has killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remain covet any living creature, and for people who can't afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacra: horses, bir...

https://bookblabla.com/book/do-androids-dream-of-electric-sheep

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #sciencefiction #apocalypticpostapocalyptic

By 2021, the World War has killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remain covet any living creature, and for people who can't afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacra: horses, birds, cats, sheep. They’ve even built humans. Immigrants to Mars receive androids so sophisticated they are indistinguishable from true men or women. Fearful of the havoc these artificial humans can wreak, the government bans them from Earth. Driven into hiding, unauthorized androids live among human beings, undetected. Rick Deckard, an officially sanctioned bounty hunter, is commissioned to find rogue androids and 'retire' them. But when cornered, androids fight back—with lethal force.

A masterpiece ahead of its time, a prescient rendering of a dark future, and the inspiration for the blockbuster film Blade Runner

Praise for Philip K. Dick

The most consistently brilliant science fiction writer in the world. John Brunner

A kind of pulp-fiction Kafka, a prophet. The New York Times

Philip K. Dick sees all the sparkling—and terrifying—possibilities that other authors shy away from. Rolling Stone

ALT

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

"Sleep does make us all equal, it seems to me, like his big brother--Death."
Plays and Stories

Austrian author and dramatist Arthur Schnitzler died #OTD in 1931.

He is considered one of the most significant representatives of Viennese Modernism. Schnitzler’s works, which include psychological dramas and narratives, making him a sharp and stylistically conscious chronicler of Viennese society around 1900.

Books by Arthur Schnitzler at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/3010

#books #literature

Arthur Schnitzler (1862–1931) in 1926, Austrian author and dramatist.

In this portrait, Schnitzler appears as a mature man in his mid-sixties. His face is strong and defined, showing the signs of age through wrinkles and a slightly weathered complexion, yet his expression remains sharp and contemplative, reflecting his lifelong engagement with complex human emotions and social issues. His eyes, a prominent feature, are penetrating and thoughtful, suggesting the deep introspection and psychological depth that permeate his writings. There is a subtle intensity in his gaze, as though he is pondering profound ideas or reflecting on the human condition.

Schnitzler’s hair, now graying, is neatly combed, while his full mustache and short beard add to his distinguished appearance. His facial hair is well-groomed, giving him a sophisticated and somewhat aristocratic look, in keeping with his prominent position within Viennese society.

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original