reading

91d

"Sensei left his mark in places that didn’t appear in photographs or blueprints; in how surfaces felt to the touch, or the way a building was easy to use. Those were the things I’d wanted to see, feel, sketch, and record. With each survey I was coming closer to understanding his way of thinking, closer to finding the traces left by his hands." -- from 'The Summer House' by Masashi Matsuie, trans. Margaret Mitsutani

#WednesdayBookQuote #BookQuote #reading #books @bookstodon

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90d

📚 The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by: Gabrielle Zevin

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appea...

https://bookblabla.com/book/the-storied-life-of-a-j-fikry

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #familylife #generalfiction #literaryfiction #romance

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over—and see everything anew.

“This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love--love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory.” —Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child

“Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both.”—The Washington Post

“You won’t want it to end.” —Family Circle

“A natural for book groups.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch

“A reader’s paradise of the first order.” —The Buffalo News

“Captures the joy of connecting people and books . . . Irresistible.” —Booklist

“A wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time.” —Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

“Readers who delighted in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and Letters from Skye will be equally captivated by this novel.” —Library Journal, starred review

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER BY THE AUTHOR OF TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW

N

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89d

New on my #blog: "20 More Books That Influenced Me: a Second List."
https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2025/09/20-more-books-that-influenced-me-second.html

So here we are again with another list of 20 books that influenced me.

#20Books #20Books20Days #books #reading 💙📚 #list

@bookstodon@a.gup.pe
@bookstodon

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90d

Five stars:

Rosie and Michael by Judith Viorst and Lorna Tomei (Illustrations) (1974) is a picture book celebration of a solid, life-long relationship. Rosie and Michael take turns in this book explaining the hows and whys of their friendship. Each of their examples are then illustrated in intricate pen and ink drawings.

https://pussreboots.com/blog/2025/comments_09/rosie_and_michael.html

#reading #PictureBook #bookstodon
@bookstodon

Cover art

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90d

📚 The Life Impossible by: Matt Haig

When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.

Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for a...

https://bookblabla.com/book/the-life-impossible

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #womenfiction #sciencefiction #literary

When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.

Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life, and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.

Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.

The New York Times Bestseller

“An odyssey of action and awe.” —The New York Times

“A wry and tender love-letter to the best of being human.” —Benedict Cumberbatch

The remarkable next novel from Matt Haig, the author of #1 New York Times bestseller The Midnight Library, with more than nine million copies sold worldwide

“What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet…”

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88d

📚 Leviathan Wakes by: James S. A. Corey

Jim Holden is an officer on an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew discover a derelict ship called the Scopuli, they suddenly find themselves in possession of a deadly secret. A secret that someone is willing to kill for, and...

https://bookblabla.com/book/leviathan-wakes

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #sciencefiction #generalfiction #spaceopera

Jim Holden is an officer on an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew discover a derelict ship called the Scopuli, they suddenly find themselves in possession of a deadly secret. A secret that someone is willing to kill for, and on an unimaginable scale. War is coming to the system, unless Jim can find out who abandoned the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money - and money talks. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and Holden, they both realise this girl may hold the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries and secret corporations, and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.

The Expanse is the biggest science fiction series of the last decade and is now a major TV series.

Praise for the Expanse:

'The science fictional equivalent of A Song of Ice and Fire' NPR Books

'As close as you'll get to a Hollywood blockbuster in book form' io9.com

'Great characters, excellent dialogue, memorable fights' wired.com

'High adventure equalling the best space opera has to offer, cutting-edge technology and a group of unforgettable characters . . . Perhaps one of the best tales the genre has yet to produce' Library Journal

'This is the future the way it's

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88d

I can't say I've done this personally, but I understand the sentiment 😁

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

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

Drawn image of two old ladies in a cosy room, one climbing a ladder with a stack of books to put in a shelf, the other sitting in a chair built of books reading a book.

Caption: I won't buy any more books until I've read all the ones I've got. I said. Then I laughed and laughed.

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17d

📚 First-Time Caller by: B.K. Borison

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he’s fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, that’s a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the...

https://bookblabla.com/book/first-time-caller

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #romance #workplacefiction #contemporary

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he’s fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, that’s a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life—or lack thereof—she begins to question if she’s as happy as she believed. Maybe a little more romance wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending…even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final decision between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle–inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

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88d

Release Day!

As of today, my book A Goblin's Plight is available in all stores!

(Yes, even Apple finally moved.)

If you like classic quest tales with a full band of heroes (and a little tongue-in-cheek), this book is for you. And if you ever played D&D or similar, same.

You can still grab it directly from my store (and get a file):
https://shop.hannah-steenbock.de/b/agoblinsplight

Or pick your favorite store:
https://books2read.com/MCGoblinsPlight

At any rate, have fun!

#NewBook
#Reading
#EpicFantasy
@bookstodon

Promotional image for the release day of A Goblin's Plight.

On a background with a gradient from dark blue (left) to olive (right), there's the cover to the left and some promotional text to the right and the bottom.

The cover has a mottled background in green, with a stylized mountain drawing in the center. The title is spread over two lines just above the mountain’s peak. The author name sits below the mountain. Below that, the series name is The Mengarian Conspiracy, with a black crown in decoration at the very bottom of the cover.

The header reads: Release Day!
The promo text reads:
My cute little Goblin is now out in all stores!
Join our heroes on a fun romp through a fantasy world full of sentient species, surprising enemies, new allies and evil overlords.
Grab the tale and find all the fantasy tropes!

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85d

#Reading @bookstodon

Martha Wells sharing a list of her favorite science fiction books to read right now.

(gift link)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/books/sci-fi-fantasy-books-world-building.html?unlocked_article_code=1.p08.iH05.gUKRazUwcEj0&smid=url-share

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68d

📚 The Nightingale: A Novel by: Kristin Hannah

With courage, grace, and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War II and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking o...

https://bookblabla.com/book/the-nightingale-a-novel

#books #reading #libraries

With courage, grace, and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War II and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France―a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

Goodreads Best Historical Novel of the Year • People's Choice Favorite Fiction Winner • #1 Indie Next Selection • A Buzzfeed and The Week Best Book of the Year

A #1 New York Times bestseller, Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year, and soon to be a major motion picture, this unforgettable novel of love and strength in the face of war has enthralled a generation.

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87d

📚 Yellowface by: Rebecca F. Kuang

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena's a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena's death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she...

https://bookblabla.com/book/yellowface

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #literaryfiction #psychologicalfiction #thrillers #generalfiction

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena's a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena's death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena's just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena's novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song--complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn't this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That's what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.
But June can't get away from Athena's shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June's (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang's novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.

White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences... Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn't write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American--in this chilling and

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87d

#Reading @bookstodon

Great news! There *is* a second book in the Bell Begrudgingly Solves It series in our future! (per the author on Bluesky):

"We are later than planned with _A Singularity in Scarlet_, but I'm working on the last edit before proofreading. So look for news soon!"

ICYMI, here's my review of the first:

https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/08/19/murder-on-the-interstellar-express-by-gregory-d-little/

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1y

#humor #humour #funny #cartoon #tugboats #socialmedia #reading #toots

Cartoon:
Two vintage tugboats in a harbour. One is holding a phone and saying, "I always enjoy reading your toots."

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86d

> Books on the Move: Bookmobiles, Mobile Libraries and More https://blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/2025/09/books-on-the-move-bookmobiles-mobile-libraries-and-more/

Via #LibraryOfCongress. Locally our county public library does have a bookmobile.

#libraries #history #Bookmobile #books #reading

@bookstodon@a.gup.pe
@bookstodon

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68d

New on my YouTube Channel: "Love and Rage: an Under 5 Review."
https://youtu.be/Kpgb8-hZX0s?si=E3BvDUmm-sNazFys

#Under5Reviews where I tell you about a book and help you decide if you want to read it or not in under 5 minutes.

#books #reading #review #BookReview #Buddhism #ItinerantLibrarian #vlog #video 💙📚

@bookstodon
@bookstodon@a.gup.pe

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85d

📚 The Wilderness by: Angela Flournoy

Desiree, Danielle, January, Monique, and Nakia are in their early twenties and at the beginning. Of their careers, of marriage, of motherhood, and of big-city lives in New York and Los Angeles. Together, they are finding their way through the wilderness, that period of...

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

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #womenfiction #literaryfiction #friendshipfiction #psychologicalfiction

Desiree, Danielle, January, Monique, and Nakia are in their early twenties and at the beginning. Of their careers, of marriage, of motherhood, and of big-city lives in New York and Los Angeles. Together, they are finding their way through the wilderness, that period of life when the reality of contemporary adulthood—overwhelming, mysterious, and full of freedom and consequences—swoops in and stays.

Desiree and Danielle, sisters whose shared history has done little to prevent their estrangement, nurse bitter family wounds in different ways. January’s got a relationship with a “good” man she feels ambivalent about, even after her surprise pregnancy. Monique, a librarian and aspiring blogger, finds unexpected online fame after calling out the university where she works for its plans to whitewash fraught history. And Nakia is trying to get her restaurant off the ground, without relying on the largesse of her upper middle-class family who wonder aloud if she should be doing something better with her life.

As these friends move from the late 2000’s into the late 2020’s, from young adults to grown women, they must figure out what they mean to one another—amid political upheaval, economic and environmental instability, and the increasing volatility of modern American life.

The Wilderness is Angela Flournoy’s masterful and kaleidoscopic follow-up to her critically acclaimed debut The Turner House. A generational talent, she captures with disarming wit and el

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85d

#Reading #Writing @bookstodon

Tomorrow, September 30: International Black Writers Festival 2025 at Howard University

FREE

Learn more:

https://events.howard.edu/event/international-black-writers-festival-2025

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86d

New on my YouTube channel: 'Fulfillment: an Under 5 Review."
https://youtu.be/DpanUg3jcH0?si=UB3mLHLdlz8RUtDO

#Under5Reviews where I tell you about a book and help you decide if you want to read it or not in under 5 minutes.

#books #reading #ItinerantLibrarian #vlog #BookReview #review #BadEconomy #business #ThisIsAmerica #exploitation #corruption #video 💙📚

@bookstodon@a.gup.pe
@bookstodon

Edited 86d ago

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85d

📚 What We Can Know by: Ian McEwan

2014: At a dinner for close friends and colleagues, renowned poet Francis Blundy honors his wife’s birthday by reading aloud a new poem dedicated to her, ‘A Corona for Vivien’. Much wine is drunk as the guests listen, and a delicious meal consumed. Little does anyone gathered around the cand...

https://bookblabla.com/book/what-we-can-know

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #sciencefiction #dystopianfiction #literary

2014: At a dinner for close friends and colleagues, renowned poet Francis Blundy honors his wife’s birthday by reading aloud a new poem dedicated to her, ‘A Corona for Vivien’. Much wine is drunk as the guests listen, and a delicious meal consumed. Little does anyone gathered around the candlelit table know that for generations to come people will speculate about the message of this poem, a copy of which has never been found, and which remains an enduring mystery.

2119: Just over one hundred years in the future, much of the western world has been submerged by rising seas following a catastrophic nuclear accident. Those who survive are haunted by the richness of the world that has been lost. In the water-logged south of what used to be England, Thomas Metcalfe, a lonely scholar and researcher, longs for the early twenty-first century as he chases the ghost of one poem, ‘A Corona for Vivian’. How wild and full of risk their lives were, thinks Thomas, as he pores over the archives of that distant era, captivated by the freedoms and possibilities of human life at its zenith. When he stumbles across a clue that may lead to the elusive poem’s discovery, a story is revealed of entangled loves and a brutal crime that destroy his assumptions about people he thought he knew intimately well.

What We Can Know is a masterpiece, a fictional tour de force, a love story about both people and the words they leave behind, a literary detective story which reclaims the present

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85d

Online event hosted by #MEAction

Discussion and Q&A with Brian Buckbee, author of We Should All Be Birds.

Wednesday, October 1st
3 pm Eastern/noon Pacific

More details here:

https://www.meaction.net/event-details/q-a-with-author-brian-buckbee

You must register in advance in order to get the Zoom link for the event.

@mecfs
@bookstodon

#Reading #Books #Memoir #Bookstodon #MEcfs #ChronicIllness

Announcement for the event with this text: "Q & A with author Brian Buckbee, Wednesday, October 1st, at 12 pm PT / 3 pm ET."
It includes the cover for his book - We Should All Be Birds: A Memoir - which includes a close-up view of a pigeon.

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82d

https://reviews.pivic.com/cory-doctorow-enshittification

I've reviewed @pluralistic's coming book, 'Enshittification', the book about the term that Doctorow coined.

The book is sprightly written, funny, filled with facts, and it makes me angry with enshittifiers.

#book #BookReview @bookstodon@a.gup.pe @bookstodon #reading #CoryDoctorow #review

The book cover: black background, white text, the poop emoji in the middle with a black ribbon over its mouth. The ribbon has a few non-alphabetic characters on it, indicating the poop emoji is swearing, likely because of enshittification. I could be the poop emoji about this matter.

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84d

📚 A Court of Wings and Ruin by: Sarah J. Maas

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's actions and learn what she can about the invading king threatening to bring her land to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit. One slip could bring doom no...

https://bookblabla.com/book/a-court-of-wings-and-ruin

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #fantasy #epicfiction #paranormalfiction #romancefiction

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's actions and learn what she can about the invading king threatening to bring her land to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit. One slip could bring doom not only for Feyre, but for everything-and everyone-she holds dear.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre endeavors to take her place amongst the High Fae of the land, balancing her struggle to master her powers-both magical and political-and her love for her court and family. Amidst these struggles, Feyre and Rhysand must decide whom to trust amongst the cunning and lethal High Lords, and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the fate of Feyre's world is at stake as armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy it.

The epic third novel in the #1 bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses series by global phenomenon Sarah J. Maas.

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82d

Did you know that misunderstanding books is a fun and easy activity you can do at home 😜😂 But don't worry metaphors are hard for everyone 😊

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

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

Four panel meme of Ron from Parks and Rec in a hardware store talking about Moby Dick.

1: Metaphores? I hate metaphors!
2: That's why my favorite book is Moby Dick!
3: No froo-froo symbolism
4: just a good, simple tale about a man who hates an animal.

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84d

📚 An Immense World by: Ed Yong

The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every kind of animal, including humans, is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of our immense world.

In An Immense World, Ed Yong coaxes us...

https://bookblabla.com/book/an-immense-world

#books #reading #libraries #nature #animals #generalscience #lifesciences #zoology

The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every kind of animal, including humans, is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of our immense world.

In An Immense World, Ed Yong coaxes us beyond the confines of our own senses, allowing us to perceive the skeins of scent, waves of electromagnetism, and pulses of pressure that surround us. We encounter beetles that are drawn to fires, turtles that can track the Earth’s magnetic fields, fish that fill rivers with electrical messages, and even humans who wield sonar like bats. We discover that a crocodile’s scaly face is as sensitive as a lover’s fingertips, that the eyes of a giant squid evolved to see sparkling whales, that plants thrum with the inaudible songs of courting bugs, and that even simple scallops have complex vision. We learn what bees see in flowers, what songbirds hear in their tunes, and what dogs smell on the street. We listen to stories of pivotal discoveries in the field, while looking ahead at the many mysteries that remain unsolved.

Funny, rigorous, and suffused with the joy of discovery, An Immense World takes us on what Marcel Proust called “the only true voyage . . . not to visit strange lands, but to possess other eyes.”

FINALIST FOR THE KIRKUS PRIZE

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A “thrilling” (The New York Times), “dazzling” (The Wall Street Journal) tour of the ra

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