Another month of reading. Some fiction, some memoir, some writing advice from a psychotherapist and self-help from a neuroscientist, and even a return to some philosophy. All good.
bookstodon
TFW you remember Interloan & find out you can borrow a book for 20-40% the price of buying it. Yay libraries!
I'm planning to read !<16 nonfiction books this year, but none will have a cooler title than
City of Sin and Splendour- Writings on Lahore
Looking forward to learning more about my grandfather's birthplace
started listening - The Secret Garden (Complete audiobook with rain) - Down To Sleep
by Frances Hodgson Burnett. 2 stars.
[re-read] Illness is all in your head which can be overcome through fresh air & mental fortitude. Fuck that shit ... Surprised it didn't trigger me on my first read (4 stars)!
#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #SleepStory
@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de
A Review of Gods Don’t Sleep: https://lydiaschoch.com/a-review-of-gods-dont-sleep/
Bittersweet Valentine’s Day - A Review of Forget February: https://lydiaschoch.com/bittersweet-valentines-day-a-review-of-forget-february/
#Books #Bookstodon #ValentinesDay #Fantasy #BookReview #Romance
@bookstodon
@romancelandia
Hey, mystery fans! Want a murder-vacation in your imagination? My book The Case of the Missing Finger is free on all retailers through February 16th. Also from my web store, DRM-free.
https://cheribaker.com/products/the-case-of-the-missing-finger
Currently #Reading "Indo-European Language and Culture" and it's just awesome. A fantastic introduction to (P)IE linguistics, written as textbook but with non-students in mind too, and occasional flashes of dry humour, as below
#Bookstodon #linguistics
@bookstodon
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Alternatively, connection with an Etruscan god with the unfortunate name Crap has also been suggested, but we know nothing about this deity – which might be a good thing.
Mundo loco: Políticas de la salud mental
Micha Frazer-Carroll
Para acabar con la Salud Mental de una vez por todas.
I'm currently #Reading Folsom's "Indo-European and Culture" A discussion elsewhere about P. I. E reconstruction prompted A question for #linguistics experts, especially those who know their P.I.E
How would "I come in peace" be reconstructed in P.I.E ?
#bookstodon
@bookstodon
Careless People is a complicated book: the author is complicit in the activities she describes, which no amount of ironic detachment or claims of trying to change the system from the inside can hide. #bookstodon
https://bookshop.org/a/7949/9781250391230
Picked up a new author from the library on a whim and the strength of a Le Guin cover blurb, only to later work out that I've read and enjoyed several of her short stories before! I liked this quite a lot for its strong characters, particularly the lovable supporting character Moth, and its blend of hard science and mysticism, even if the story loses a bit of momentum here and there. @bookstodon #Bookstodon #CarolynIvesGilman
finished reading Home Fire 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
A British-Pakistani family gets caught (& distraught) on the three horns of identity, politics & jihad. Deeply immersive for a range of perspectives.
#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon
@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de
Edited 361d ago
The Jungle. By Upton Sinclair.
It’s Chicago, almost to the start of the 20th century, and you’re a brand new Lithuanian immigrant trying to support a new wife, child, and relatives by working in the stockyards, but the system is structured to wear you down, trap you in poverty, and when things are worst, replace you with new immigrants.
4 of 5 library cats 🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈
CW: anti-semitism
@bookstodon #bookstodon #books #reading #immigration #chicago #labor #capitalism
Damning with faint praise? "Indo-European Language and Culture's author once again showing he can make a textbook interesting. See also the attached screenshot
"A linguistically valuable piece of didactic religious verse, albeit devoid of literary interest, is the Ormulum by a canon named Orm"
![text, as follows:
Finally, the consonant cluster *sk became the sibilant [∫] in Old English (i.e. sh) and was spelled sc: fisc ‘fish’, scip ‘ship’, wæscan ‘wash’. Words in English with the sound sk are borrowings, often from other Germanic languages. Thus shirt is native English (OE scyrte) but skirt is a borrowing of its Old Norse cognate skyrta. Similarly, the word blatherskite turns out to be a bit more colorful than its modern meaning (‘foolish person’) might suggest: its second element is a borrowing of the Old Norse cognate of English shit.](/proxy/post_attachment/985436/03f4669c90.jpg "text, as follows:
Finally, the consonant cluster *sk became the sibilant [∫] in Old English (i.e. sh) and was spelled sc: fisc ‘fish’, scip ‘ship’, wæscan ‘wash’. Words in English with the sound sk are borrowings, often from other Germanic languages. Thus shirt is native English (OE scyrte) but skirt is a borrowing of its Old Norse cognate skyrta. Similarly, the word blatherskite turns out to be a bit more colorful than its modern meaning (‘foolish person’) might suggest: its second element is a borrowing of the Old Norse cognate of English shit.")
I'm seriously considering pulling my books from Amoebazon. Still, it's a difficult decision given that my sales on other platforms combined are a tiny fraction of those on A-zon. Which of course speaks to the bigger picture of the state of the (self-publishing) industry.
#Bookstodon
#Amazon
Four stars:
A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon (1998) is about a girl who suffers the consequences of trying to fit in. Like Pinkalicious the solution to the problem is vegetables; in Camilla's case it's specifically lima beans.
https://pussreboots.com/blog/2026/comments_02/bad_case_of_stripes.html
Happy book birthday to me! To celebrate, here’s 75% off at Barnes and Noble (US only, sorry!). Use code BNPBIRTHDAY at checkout.
Edited 40d ago
Family second hand haul from the Lifeline Bookfair. #Canberra #Bookstodon @bookstodon
Out now!!
Buy direct from Evernight and save $1.25!
Finn - The Silk Rope Masters, 6
https://www.evernightpublishing.com/finn-by-suzy-shearer/
Claire Reynolds, 55, never believed in soul mates, or love at first sight, until she literally ran into Finn O’Malley, 55. Something happened—something primeval, something like destiny calling, as they stared at each other.
A ‘happy ever after’ was theirs for the taking—and they grabbed it joyfully with both hands.
Mysterious floral gifts. A hidden agenda. A faux saviour. A watcher who finally acts. An act that intends death to Finn. An act that neither Finn or Claire may survive.
Be Warned: BDSM, anal sex, sex toys, public exhibition
#romance #maturecouple #newrelease #read #readromance #romance #romanceAuthor #romanceNovel #romanceNovels #bookstadon #writersofMastodon #WritersCoffeeClub #ScribesAndMakers #writingCommunity #wordweaver #creativity @bookstadon #romanceBooks #bookstodon #BDSM #oldercouple #maturecouple #contemporary
Concursos literário e de fotografia abrem inscrições na região de Americana
O Concurso Literário é aberto a pessoas com mais de 18 anos, residentes nas cidades de Americana, Santa Bárbara d’Oeste, Nova Odessa, Limeira, Piracicaba, Sumaré, Hortolândia, Paulínia e Rio Claro. O vencedor do concurso terá seu livro publicado. As categorias de inscrição variam conforme a idade, com textos limitados a diferentes números de caracteres, de acordo com a faixa etária e o nível de leitura do participante.
Veja mais em https://tododia.com.br/cultura/concurso-literario-e-de-fotografia-abrem-inscricoes-na-regiao/
#AynRand’s original introduction to _The Virtue of Selfishness_ is now online—and it *directly contradicts* most of the claims people make about her #ethics.
If your picture of Rand comes from social media threads, YouTube rants, or second-hand “hot takes,” this is the text that breaks the spell: https://courses.aynrand.org/works/introduction-to-virtue-of-selfishness/
Let’s clear out the biggest straw men right away:
❌ “Rand said selfishness means hurting people.”
No. She argues that rational self‑interest forbids coercion, exploitation, and parasitism. Predators aren’t “selfish”—they’re short‑range, self‑destructive, and irrational.
❌ “It’s just an excuse to do whatever you want.”
She draws a hard boundary between whim and #reason. Her ethics demands long‑range thinking, integrity, and principled action — the opposite of impulse.
❌ “#Objectivism celebrates cruelty.”
The introduction explicitly rejects cruelty as irrational. Benevolence is not only compatible with #egoism—it’s a natural expression of a rational, confident person.
❌ “Rand denies moral principles.”
She denies sacrifice as a moral ideal. She does not deny #morality. She argues for a code rooted in reality, reason, and the requirements of human life.
If you want to understand the argument instead of the mythology, read the primary source—it’s short, sharp, and surprisingly accessible.
For context on the full book, editions, and themes: https://aynrand.org/novels/the-virtue-of-selfishness/
#philosophy #individualism #reading #nonfiction #ideas #bookstodon
Edited 41d ago
Do you love listening to Dave Robison, Veronica Giguerre, and Dan Sawyer? If you’re a regular podcast listener, you probably do!
They’re narrating my audiobook, which is also being released serially here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2590051
#bookstodon #podcast #audiobook #immortalgifts @books @Books@mstdn.social @bookstodon
I'm 38% through my #Storygraph book goal (78) for the year & 51% through my pages goal (20K) but STILL haven't got into my growing PTW of #kDrama #cDrama and #jDrama because I'm finding stuff like this just FAR too riveting to put down. #Reading #bookstodon #linguistics
Reading all about PIE and having mince cheese pie for dinner, synchronicity😂
@bookstodon
Edited 46d ago
finished reading Record of a Spaceborn Few 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
Centuries after sending colonies into space as insurance against Earth's collapse, humans have integrated into alien civilisation. But now what purpose do those colonies serve, and what happens to their distinctive communal culture? Good premise & great world-building but not much plot, with a few too many characters.
#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #SciFi #SFF
@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de
Edited 354d ago