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id ▼ state review last_date title spine_color isbn10 isbn13 source series series_position publication_year cover_image_url pages goodreads_id rating did_not_finish
astrid-lindgren/pippi-in-the-south-seas reviews While I generally love everything Astrid Lindgren has written, the Pippi books rank lowest among her books for me. Pippi (Pippilotta Viktualia Rollgardina Pfefferminz Efraimstochter Langstrumpf) is strong and wild, has a horse and a monkey and two good friends and does whatever she wants. That's it in terms of plots. The movies are fun and entertaining – I enjoyed trying to spot the tricks they used when I was a child – for example, Pippi can lift her horse, which is very much a real horse! But as a book, it is a bit light on plot. I think, looking back, for a book that features a south sea island, it is surprisingly light on racism. And I enjoyed the ending, where Pippi and her friends take a pill against growing up, in a very matter-of-fact way. 1999-07-01 Pippi in the South Seas #3a96d0 0670557110 9780670557110   Pippi Langstrumpf 3 1948 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780670557110-L.jpg 126   2  
astrid-lindgren/pippi-langstrumpf reviews Joyful is what this book is. Thoroughly joyful, and I'd love to blame it for my anarchist tendencies (but that would probably be unfair). 2001-11-01 Pippi Longstocking #c87431 3789141615 9783789141614       1945 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9783789141614-L.jpg 140   4  
astrid-lindgren/ronia-the-robbers-daughter reviews Ronja has had more of an influence on me at the time than most other books. Its effect is lesser now, but that's because it was honestly perfect for me at the time. The strong Ronja, with her wildness and her tenderness and her strength, did her part in carrying me through the less fortunate moments of my childhood. I loved the book to pieces. It taught me about strength and loyalty and self-reliance when I needed them. It holds up well to a re-read, and the adult point of view is certainly interesting. I didn't catch that Ronja's father is an alcoholic, for example, which is clear when looking at the book now. As with all Lindgren books, it feels incredibly real, as if I could touch everything she's talking about. Everybody sounds like a real person, as if she had been there and just written up what she had heard. 2001-12-01 Ronia, the Robber's Daughter #a99269 0140317201 9780140317206       1981 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780140317206-L.jpg 176   5  
astrid-lindgren/the-brothers-lionheart reviews There's nothing I don't love about this book. It drew me in and swallowed me whole, back in the day. I re-read it so much that I can still tell you which page I used to skip because it was too scary for me. The illustrations are gorgeous, the story is rich and true and and wonderful like the best fairytales. It was only much later that I understood that the beginning was heart-breaking and sad. Funny how there are some books that are much sadder and more painful for adults than for kids – Coraline is similar. 2001-11-01 The Brothers Lionheart #93c2cb 1930900244 9781930900240       1973 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781930900240-L.jpg 231   5  
astrid-lindgren/tomte-tummetott reviews Pure wholesomeness: Tomte Tumtetott is a spirit(-ish) who lives on the farm, and only comes out at night. He talks to the animals (who understand him) and to the sleeping plants and people. He is kind to everybody and has a good word in every situation. He reminds the sleeping people and animals that spring will come, and is generally very laid back. A calm book for younger children. 2004-01-01 Tomte Tummetott #cff3d5 3789161306 9783789161308       1961 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9783789161308-L.jpg 32   4  
atul-gawande/the-checklist-manifesto reviews Checklists good – this message has been spread through all tech conferences for the last several years, so I didn't expect much from this book. It's the slightly more fleshed-out (but also just inflated) version of the original essay. If I hadn't heard all the good conference talks about pilot checklists (for example https://rixx.de/blog/andrew-godwin-you-have-control/), I'd have rated this book higher. While the anecdotes that extend the essay to book length are mildly repetetive, I still enjoyed reading them. While the upshot is well-known: people routinely mistakes despite knowing better, checklists are proven to work beyond people's wildest dreams. Examples are mostly from medical contexts, with some civil engineering, professional cooking and military applications in between. But apart from the core message, there were some details that stood out to me, including when and where checklists are applicable and how to write and introduce them. **Checklists improve baseline performance.** Lack of expertise is not the problem, rather the opposite: Complexity and volume of our knowledge are beyond our ability to live up to it reliably and safely. When the average ICU patient requires around 180 actions per day, even the mistake rate of 1% starts to look pretty bad. (The parts of the book that were about ICUs were an interesting read given the current pandemic: For example, people who spend 10 days on a ventillator have a 6% chance to develop an infection that will be deadly in 45% of cases.) So what do checklists add? A bunch of things, and remembering the actual steps to take is not even the most important one. For example, checklists give you a reason or an excuse to follow the steps, when self-pressure and peer pressure would have you skip them. They give you a legible reason to check other people's work, including people higher up in the hierarchy (for example, nurses double-checking a surgeon's preparation). Though, remember: not every problem is suited to checklists – checklists are for *simple* problems (… 2021-10-30 The Checklist Manifesto #b20404 0805091742 9780805091748       2009 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780805091748-L.jpg 208   3 0
audrey-schulman/theory-of-bastards to-read dark-ish but well-written scifi, or so people say 2019-02-04 Theory of Bastards #8483a1 1609454383 9781609454388       2018 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508752105l/36462021._SX98_.jpg 416      
austin-chant/peter-darling reviews Peter Pan returns to Neverland, coming to terms with being a trans boy in bad old England. He starts out as a cruel boy and experiences some character growth … through the magic of Hook's pretty eyes? I don't know, y'all. If you're charitable, this is an interesting take on toxic masculinity among transmasculine people, and then it is interesting as a concept – but doesn't do all that much with it. The character growth is by virtue of the plot demanding it and wishful thinking, and the previously mentioned pretty eyes. Could've been much better. 2021-06-12 Peter Darling #4d5759   9781087818191       2017 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1622075232l/58170822._SY475_.jpg 159   2  
austin-grossman/crooked to-read Nixon as president fighting in the shadows against magic, via the [Oddly Specific Fantasy Recommendation Summer](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/hazt57/oddly_specific_fantasy_recommendation_requests/fv7gq3g/#fv7gq3g) 2020-06-24 Crooked #a4bc48 031619851X 9780316198516       2015 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1416155731l/23507476._SX98_.jpg 355      
bailey-richardson/get-together reviews This is an alright book if you want to build a "community" for a corporate entity. It tries to provide more than that, but everything it suggests is just slightly icky and tainted with this corporate language. But it does provide actionable advice, and a solid focus on engagement and growth. It also presents an impressive collection of well-researched current examples for communities like Twitch. Sadly, no failures are examined, so the survivorship bias is strong here. For an advice collection geared towards corporate and marketing cultures, it completely skips over money, employment, and compensation. This is definitely a difficult and contentious topic when building a community around a product, so I'm surprised this was left out. Side note: there is no groundwork, no theory to stand on, which would have interested me a lot. 2020-03-05 Get Together: How to build a community with your people #fd620c 1732265194 9781732265196         http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781732265196-L.jpg 191   2  
barbara-demick/nothing-to-envy-ordinary-lives-in-north-korea to-read   2016-05-19 Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea #49494a 0385523904 9780385523905       2009 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780385523905-L.jpg 316      
barbara-hambly/dragonsbane to-read   2018-09-03 Dragonsbane #ad2f16 0345349393 9780345349392   Winterlands 1 1985 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780345349392-L.jpg 352      
barbara-kloss/the-gods-of-men to-read Sounds like tropes, but apparently transcends them. Fantasy 2018-12-10 The Gods of Men #5f7d93       Gods of Men 1 2018 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526343159l/25469356._SX98_.jpg        
barry-hughart/bridge-of-birds to-read   2018-08-28 Bridge of Birds #efecb1 0345321383 9780345321381   The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox 1 1984 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780345321381-L.jpg 279      
becky-chambers/a-closed-and-common-orbit reviews A Closed and Common Orbit by *Becky Chambers* is the second part of the **Wayfarers** series. It's a good match for the first part: expanding different parts of the world, and worldbuilding, and starring characters that were not quite central to the first book. It delves into the pan-alien world and implications of sentient AI with a sense of wonder, and it's well-written, certainly. It's also … fluff, to use a fanfiction term. It's very much giving us a slice-of-life view of the world, with few to none real confrontations. It can be very calming and healing to see a world where most people just try to live their lives and be good to each other, but I'm happy that I'm only reading books like this very occasionally, as I was missing any tension or overarching … thing. But as a once-in-a-while relaxation read, it performs very well. 2019-03-07 A Closed and Common Orbit #865c5a 1473621445 9781473621442   Wayfarers 2 2016 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781473621442-L.jpg 365   3  
becky-chambers/record-of-a-spaceborn-few reviews I'm never really sure what to make of the **Wayfarers** series by *Becky Chambers*. I usually enjoy reading the books, because I only start them when I'm in the right frame of mind, for instance after reading a couple of complicated or dark books. The slice-of-life space fluff is nice. Becky Chambers is good at describing small realistic scenes, be it angry teens, toddler tantrums, stubbornness, or romance. But at the same time, things always seemed so smoothed out and sanded down that I can't help but miss some substance, or plot, or … less obvious moralising, in the end. There's a bunch of poetic passages in there that touched me – but at the same time they felt like a cheap grab for my feelings. Just because the grab is successful, it's not good. I'm going to continue reading for the poetic prose and fluff, but I'm not quite convinced. 2019-12-04 Record of a Spaceborn Few #39779a 1473647606 9781473647602   Wayfarers 3 2018 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516965190l/32802595._SY475_.jpg 359   3  
becky-chambers/the-long-way-to-a-small-angry-planet reviews This was absolutely lovely scifi that reminded me a lot of Firefly in terms of down-to-earth real ship operations with a lovely, relatable crew and a gritty/real feeling universe. Seeing the crew of the Wayfarer coming together, in all their alien differences, and following them on their way to a difficult job, and seeing their hardship and friendship, was touching and a wonderful help against the autumn gloom. Slice of life, though, so nothing big happens, and conflict is mostly avoided – it's different, compared to most sci-fi, but in the right mood, it works. 2018-11-19 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet #7b4330 1500453307 9781500453305   Wayfarers 1 2014 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781500453305-L.jpg 518   4  
bee-wilson/consider-the-fork to-read Nonfiction, history 2018-09-30 Consider the Fork #a29c91 046502176X 9780465021765       2012 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780465021765-L.jpg 327      
bell-hooks/all-about-love reviews This book has good, true sentences. It also has weird stretches. It reads like a time capsule into late 70s/early 80s feminism, so I was surprised at the 1999 release date. I liked it for the respectful discussion of agency and how both men and women suffer from oppressive structures and structural terribleness. At the same time there were things that I didn't agree with, and I did some heavy skipping around the Jesus parts (I'm not a Jesus person). 2020-03-15 All About Love: New Visions #821c1d 0688168442 9780688168445       1999 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387754966l/17607.jpg 240   2  
ben-aaronovitch/broken-homes reviews Inner-city architecture meets black mages meets WW2 mages. I liked it, and it was entertaining, but also felt very episodic. Yet another London estate market mystery that turns out – shocker! – to have a supernatural component. The banter and commentary continues to be entertaining without punching down, though, which felt remarkably refershing. 2017-12-14 Broken Homes #ecd96a 0575132469 9780575132467   Rivers of London 4 2013 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780575132467-L.jpg 357   3  
ben-aaronovitch/foxglove-summer reviews Peter leaves London. We get more Beverley, more country, more unicorns, and a bit of Lesley. Still a fan. Sooo lovely. And still with the non-hetero-white-male characters everywhere. 2017-12-18 Foxglove Summer #9f1f1a 0575132507 9780575132504   Rivers of London 5 2014 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780575132504-L.jpg 384   4  
ben-aaronovitch/lies-sleeping to-read   2018-12-04 Lies Sleeping #8a2f5a 1473207819 9781473207813   Peter Grant 7 2018 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1517326409l/36534574._SX98_.jpg 406      
ben-aaronovitch/moon-over-soho reviews More of our favourite supernatural London policeman. Jazz vampires. Would be five stars (for wit, and tugging at heart strings, and great descriptions) if I wasn't so irritated by the stereotyping. It's not bad, it might even be accurate and non-invasive, but I can't say, 'cause I'm not from London, so I'm mildly uncomfortable. 2017-12-11 Moon Over Soho #ac2777 0575097604 9780575097605   Rivers of London 2 2011 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780575097605-L.jpg 375   4  
ben-aaronovitch/rivers-of-london reviews I thought I was done with Urban Fantasy after the slot of Jim Butcher's forced-funny, forced-dark supernatural detective, but Ben Aaronovitch won me over. This series is more measured, more funny, and – admittedly – I want to read about London much more than about Chicago. The protagonist/narrator is snarking nearly constantly, but he does so in a relatable way, not trying to be edgy, not punching down. The whole book smacked of real life, and was a lot of fun. I appreciated supernatural Newton very much. 2014-01-01 Rivers of London #a11f16       Rivers of London 1 2015 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414252892l/23387877.jpg 33   4  
ben-aaronovitch/the-furthest-station reviews Decent Peter Grant novella. 2018-02-15 The Furthest Station #8a2a47 1473222443 9781473222441   Rivers of London 5.5 2017 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1488204086l/31626329._SY475_.jpg 144   3  
ben-aaronovitch/the-hanging-tree reviews Still more Peter Grant, with character development and BOSS FIGHT and new practitioners and cool characters and snark and ♥ 2017-12-19 The Hanging Tree #b3394d 0575132558 9780575132559   Rivers of London 6 2016 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480443659l/21479290._SY475_.jpg 387   5  
ben-aaronovitch/the-home-crowd-advantage reviews Aw man, just diving back into Peter Grant stories is nice. 2018-01-29 The Home Crowd Advantage #e7d1ac       Rivers of London 1.5 2014 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1434543726l/23471484._SY475_.jpg 25   4  
ben-aaronovitch/whispers-under-ground reviews Magic develops further, and we get an entire new race below London. Still very witty, and I just cannot resist a "magic underground in London" story. At the same time, it's a whodunnit, and the banter continues the strong suit of the series, while the plot (especially the overarching series plot) does well to stay in the background. 2014-01-01 Whispers Under Ground #7596b1 0345524616 9780345524614   Rivers of London 3 2012 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780345524614-L.jpg 303   3  
ben-h-winters/the-last-policeman to-read   2018-08-27 The Last Policeman #865144 1594745765 9781594745768   The Last Policeman 1 2012 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781594745768-L.jpg 316      
benedict-jacka/fated to-read Alex Verus. Urban Fantasy, running a magic shop in London. Generic but not bad. 2018-10-07 Fated #bf5d28 1937007294 9781937007294   Alex Verus 1 2012 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781937007294-L.jpg 295      
benedict-patrick/they-mostly-come-out-at-night to-read Hyped on /r/fantasy 2018-09-21 They Mostly Come Out at Night #c8c293       Yarnsworld 1 2016 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1459364987l/29743933._SX98_.jpg 216      
bernard-cornwell/the-winter-king-a-novel-of-arthur to-read +1 from [Eva](https://literatur.social/@Columbia/104231503798477025) 2018-09-19 The Winter King: A Novel of Arthur #aeb4b6 0312156960 9780312156961   The Warlord Chronicles 1 1995 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780312156961-L.jpg 448      
bertolt-brecht/stories-of-mr-keuner reviews Brecht's short stories – which want to educate, of course – are much more bearable than his equally educational plays. Still very much on the nose, to the degree that I thought about linking the Narnia books here. 2011-11-01 Stories of Mr. Keuner #bcb182 0872863832 9780872863835       1958 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780872863835-L.jpg 120   3  
bertolt-brecht/the-good-woman-of-setzuan reviews Brecht telling you about circumstances forcing people into immoral deeds. It's peak communist Brecht, and thus unreadable and overall very annoying. 2011-02-01 The Good Woman of Setzuan #827976 0816635277 9780816635276       1953 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388460254l/64416.jpg 112   3  
bertolt-brecht/the-threepenny-opera reviews One of the last pieces from before Brecht abandoned fun and good poems, and turned to political education. 2011-04-01 The Threepenny Opera #3e555f 1559702524 9781559702522       1928 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1223648115l/64417.jpg 124   3  
bessel-a-van-der-kolk/the-body-keeps-the-score to-read Nonfiction: Trauma, embodiment. 2020-08-13 The Body Keeps the Score #dd5730 0670785938 9780670785933       2014 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780670785933-L.jpg 443      
bitterkarella/submitted-for-the-approval-of-the-midnight-pals reviews Midnight Society is a [Twitter](https://twitter.com/midnight_pals) account that I really and honestly enjoy reading, so when the recent Kickstarter came out, I backed it and got both the new and the old book – but I shouldn't have bothered. It's not that the production quality is bad (it's A4 print-on-demand, you get what you expect), it's that there was no care taken with the presentation at all. The account lives through its Twitter threads, and yet, each Tweet is just printed in a two-column layout, with generic separators, without making it clear where one narrative starts or ends. Disappointing. Reading the old threads on Twitter is better, and that's saying something. 2021-09-26 Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals #515b66             https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590672497l/53564205._SX318_.jpg 99   2  
bitterkarella/submitted-for-the-approval-of-the-midnight-pals-ii reviews More of the same: Good ideas, but go read them on Twitter, as the print version takes zero care with the layouting. Still glad I supported the account, but man, what a wasted chance. 2021-09-28 Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals II #e1ac66             https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624042385l/58369190._SX318_.jpg 108   2  
blake-crouch/dark-matter to-read   2018-08-20 Dark Matter #f53c3f 1101904224 9781101904220       2016 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781101904220-L.jpg 342      
blue-balliett/das-pentomino-orakel reviews Dan Brown, kids edition: Children have to solve weird puzzles where the correct solution is far from obvious unless you're the author. Better than Brown in that there's a better reason for the obscurity and also there are no illuminati. 2004-09-01 Das Pentomino-Orakel #b18b3f 3596806070 9783596806072       2004 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372154049l/6938404.jpg 256   3  
boris-akunin/the-winter-queen reviews Fandorin was fun – I read more than just the first, but was too lazy to add them. Mysteries in Tsarist Russia. The mystery and plot is lame, but the character is alright and the setting is gorgeous. 2008-04-01 The Winter Queen #e6c8a1 0753817594 9780753817599   Erast Fandorin Mysteries 1 1998 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780753817599-L.jpg 256   4  
bradley-p-beaulieu/the-winds-of-khalakovo to-read Russian novel in fantasy form. 2022-02-03 The Winds of Khalakovo #daac84       Lays of Anuskaya 1 2011 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361611024l/9601072.jpg 449      
bradley-p-beaulieu/twelve-kings-in-sharakhai to-read   2018-09-15 Twelve Kings in Sharakhai #86554c 0756409721 9780756409722   The Song of the Shattered Sands 1 2015 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1434513419l/24611565._SX98_.jpg 592      
bram-stoker/dracula reviews Dracula is over one hundred years old, by now (the book, not the vampire!). It has aged, but not to the point that it is unreadable. It's slow-going and stuffy at times, but I found that much more bearable in an epistolary work than in regular novels. The plot itself is so well-known that I don't think I can judge it very well. Some parts of it (the Texan, oh gods) are hilarious, some parts just annoying (Harker, mostly). 2009-04-01 Dracula #230204 0393970124 9780393970128       1897 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780393970128-L.jpg 492   4  
brandon-sanderson/alcatraz-versus-the-evil-librarians reviews Despite wanting to like the book, the humour wasn't for me. 2015-05-01 Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians #9d5736 0439925509 9780439925501   Alcatraz 1 2007 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780439925501-L.jpg 308   1  
brandon-sanderson/alcatraz-versus-the-scriveners-bones reviews People kept telling me how good the Alcatraz books are. I gave the second part a chance and I just don't see it. 2015-05-01 Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones #407097 0439925533 9780439925532   Alcatraz 2 2008 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780439925532-L.jpg 322   2  
brandon-sanderson/legion reviews Woop, amazing stuff! Haven't really read Sanderson apart from Alcatraz (which was annoying af), and this short story was *so* good! 2017-11-28 Legion #383d53 1596064854 9781596064850   Legion 1 2012 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1338512017l/13452375.jpg 88   4  
brandon-sanderson/oathbringer reviews Oathbringer shows how intensely *Brandon Sanderson* can deliver payoff to >1k pages long story archs. There are several moments where I was so invested in both the characters an the story, that the ongoing action made me emotional – we get to see our share of drug problems, depression, psychic breakdowns, all from characters that have a lot of history and have come a far way. Finally getting all the backstory on Dalinar, and seeing his development, were definitely worth the read – but I really wish that this Brandon could make this payoff possible in thinner books. The Stormlight Archives do tend to be … lengthy. And despite the length, somehow we never get to see how the main cast react to drastic events and revelations. It's weird – but it's still good (sometimes: great) fantasy. 2018-11-10 Oathbringer #97886c 076532637X 9780765326379   The Stormlight Archive 3 2017 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780765326379-L.jpg 1248   4  
brandon-sanderson/skin-deep reviews Not as great as the first one, but longer, and fleshes out the concept nicely. 2018-01-29 Skin Deep #5d4236       Legion 2 2014 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1404932663l/20886354.jpg 208   4  
brandon-sanderson/the-emperors-soul reviews Wow. It's not only the soulstamp concept that drew me in, it's the mechanics of plausibly altering the past, and the basic assumption that everything has a soul, an understanding of self, and a dream. Love it. At the same time, it's very much a one-gimmick story, so if you can't get into the gimmick, you won't like it – but at under 200 pages, you also won't have lost much time. I'd recommend giving it a shot. 2017-11-29 The Emperor's Soul #91725e 1616960922 9781616960926       2012 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343059311l/13578175.jpg 176   4  
brandon-sanderson/the-final-empire reviews The Final Empire is good Fantasy, no more, no less. In comparison with Sanderson's Stormlight Archives it's much more YA-y (not in a bad way, though). I enjoyed that I wasn't able to predict the plot too far ahead, aside of generalities. This book didn't shake my perception of the world – it's too generic for that, but it's genuinely touching in enough places to keep it from feeling boring/overly generic/as if I had read it already. Of course, Sanderson shows off how bloody much he loves magic systems here, and woe to you if you don't feel like remembering what ten different effects the Ten Metals have, and what "Protagonist surged copper" means. 2019-02-22 The Final Empire #4a365c 076531178X 9780765311788   Mistborn 1 2006 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780765311788-L.jpg 541   4  
brandon-sanderson/the-hero-of-ages to-read Mistborn is not nearly as good as his newer stuff, but a nice diversion 2019-07-15 The Hero of Ages #bcd7db 0765316897 9780765316899   Mistborn 3 2008 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780765316899-L.jpg 572      
brandon-sanderson/the-way-of-kings reviews The Stormlight Archive looks like it's going to be outstanding Fantasy – *Brandon Sanderson* starts out with a nearly flawless first volume with **The Way of Kings**. We get a fascinating, complex world, with slow, steady, and subtle worldbuilding (except for some on-the-nose "I'm explaining the rules here" in the first five pages). This world has a lot of distinct cultures, with histories, and mythologies (partly connected, partly separate), and we get to figure it out mostly for ourselves! The story is unpredictable (at least for more than a hundred pages at a time or so), the characters are distinct, mostly lovable or at least understandable, and not Mary Sue-ish at all. One of the protagonists has to deal with explicit depressive episodes, for example. It's a long book, but it's very much worth it, and while at times characters seem like Fantasy archetypes (is that Ned Stark? Is that Hermione?) – that never lasts long, and instead they evolve to be distinct characters that I can't wait to read more about. 2018-08-05 The Way of Kings #c57048 0765326353 9780765326355   The Stormlight Archive 1 2010 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780765326355-L.jpg 1007   4  
brandon-sanderson/the-well-of-ascension reviews I'm pampered by more recent *Brandon Sanderson* novels, and so I thought that the writing in **The Well of Ascension** (part two of **Mistborn**) was disappointing. Both the story arcs and character arcs were decent (and while patterns Sanderson likes are very noticeable, and he has gotten better at their execution, that wasn't so bad), but the writing made clear why people say they read Sanderson "for the plot, not for the writing". Had the plot been less plausible or the characters less likeable, I might have just stopped reading this book after the first couple of chapters. But I liked how Vin and her friends have agency and some development (even if it would've been great if it hadn't been slapped in my face repeatedly). Let's just see this book as a testament of how far Sanderson has come as a writer since then. 2019-07-15 The Well of Ascension #b2a791 0765316889 9780765316882   Mistborn 2 2007 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780765316882-L.jpg 590   2  
brandon-sanderson/words-of-radiance reviews I'm seriously impressed – **Words of Radiance** doesn't come with the usual drop or lull second volumes tend to bring. It advances the plot *and* the worldbuilding *and* the character development at a great pace. While we got the backstory of one major POV character, Kaladin, in the first volume, we get more backstory to the other major POV character, Shannan. The worldbuilding tells us more about the past of the various nations and their lore, but also on day-to-day life in different roles, and how gender roles play out and came to be. All of this is well-written (though the prose is more of a functional carrier of the content), and well-paced, and absolutely worth reading. Good thing there is another volume of **The Stormlight Archive** waiting for me. … Hopefully with less bulk or more development, though? Edit: Downgraded to three stars after reading the pornokitsch review (<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pornokitsch.com/2015/07/words-of-radiance-by-brandon-sanderson.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.pornokitsch.com/2015/07/w...</a>) and considering the racial subtext. 2018-09-17 Words of Radiance #ac8047 0765326361 9780765326362   The Stormlight Archive 2 2014 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780765326362-L.jpg 1087   3  
brenda-peynado/the-kite-maker reviews Do you like some heavy-handed xenophobia morals in your scifi? The Kite Maker is a short story playing on Earth, 15 years after a peaceful alien race arrived. The Dragonflies, as they were called, were greeted with violence, and now that they are somewhat integrated into society, the right mob moves against them. Heavy-handed metaphore is mixed with good characterization, leading to an intentionally painful, okay-but-not-quite-good short story. 2018-10-31 The Kite Maker #c4b664 1250312493 9781250312495 https://www.tor.com/2018/08/29/the-kite-maker-brenda-peynado/     2018 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1535559053l/40698166.jpg 28   3  
brene-brown/daring-greatly reviews Daring Greatly by *Brené Brown* is a book on vulnerability, and touches on many emotional and structural concepts that influence how we can or cannot be vulnerable in our current societes, such as hero worship, scarcity culture, disengagement, perfectionism, and above everything else, **guilt and shame**. The book includes a bunch of concepts that I think are valuable in building your model of yourself and human interactions. I found the passages on disengagement important, and I know others benefited from the discussion on guilt and shame. The passages on parenting towards the end were way more relevant to my interests than I would've thought, given that I have no interest in parenting in general. Her observations on how to deal with shame, and the consequences of the widespread feelings of shame and lack of vulnerability ring true to me, and I think in general reading this book would be beneficial to most people I know in some way – though different ways for everybody. It's not terribly long, either, so it's a good recommendation for people just dipping their toes in the ocean of books discussing emotions. There were some parts of the book that didn't work well for me personally: Brown's writing style was annoying to me, for one, for reasons that felt like personal incompatibility – she's very genuine, though, and I got used to it after some time. Her observations of society are of course centered on the US, which is interesting to observe from a European point of view. Her generalisations hold, of course – we don't have different emotions, after all. But seeing an inside look on the structures over there is still like reading about an alien culture. There is a section in the book discussing mechanisms and how to deal with them, and I found it way less useful than it sounds. The descriptions of patterns were fine, if not terribly useful, but the advice for each of the patterns felt very hollow to me. There were a bunch of things that I felt were missing in the book. Queer perspectives were not mentioned at a… 2019-10-01 Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead #3fb0cc 1592407331 9781592407330       2012 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781592407330-L.jpg 287   4  
brent-weeks/beyond-the-shadows reviews A generic trilogy end to a generic fantasy trilogy, including the Big Reveal and the Sacrifice and the Hero all coming together. Still enjoyable to read. 2016-03-01 Beyond the Shadows #829592 0316033669 9780316033664   Night Angel 3 2008 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780316033664-L.jpg 720   3  
brent-weeks/shadows-edge reviews Still a very cool generic fantasy book, although no good female characters came along. 2016-03-01 Shadow's Edge #c0685c 0316033650 9780316033657   Night Angel 2 2008 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327881435l/3754016.jpg 636   3  
brent-weeks/the-black-prism to-read   2021-10-31 The Black Prism #89a5c6 0316075558 9780316075558   Lightbringer 1 2010 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780316075558-L.jpg 640      
brent-weeks/the-way-of-shadows reviews I just really enjoyed this book. It is pure and classic fantasy. Not very sophisticated, but very very enjoyable, especially since I have a thing for training stories and an out-of-the-ashes arc. 2016-03-01 The Way of Shadows #8e787b 0316033677 9780316033671   Night Angel 1 2008 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327881551l/3227063.jpg 645   4  
brian-mcclellan/promise-of-blood to-read   2018-08-20 Promise of Blood #6b554b 0316219037 9780316219037   Powder Mage 1 2013 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1350337505l/15790883._SX98_.jpg 545      
brian-selznick/the-invention-of-hugo-cabret to-read   2016-05-19 The Invention of Hugo Cabret #127bb5 0439813786 9780439813785       2007 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780439813785-L.jpg 533      
brooke-bolander/the-only-harmless-great-thing to-read nebula, whimsical history patterning 2018-11-22 The Only Harmless Great Thing #f3eba8 1250169488 9781250169488       2018 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781250169488-L.jpg 96      
bruce-ecker-robin-ticic-laurel-hulley/unlocking-the-emotional-brain to-read   2021-10-31 Unlocking the Emotional Brain #e6b87c 128371096X 9781283710961       2012 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1357701652l/17054323.jpg 265      
bruce-holsinger/a-burnable-book to-read Via The Light Ages: For an atmospheric novelistic portrayal of the medieval city, authored by an academic historian, try Bruce Holsinger, A Burnable Book (London, 2014). 2021-11-02 A Burnable Book #ab7f68 0062240323 9780062240323   John Gower 1 2014 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780062240323-L.jpg 464      
bryan-caplan/open-borders reviews I can't really judge the content, not being an economist. But the presentation was very well done: The arguments were clear, with good rhethoric lines and arc, and the illustrations were good, too. There was a fair bit of stereotyping going on, but I think that's more than fair on this topic: People's fears and concerns are based on stereotypes, so they are part of the discussion already, and need to be addressed. 2019-12-12 Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration #a48b7f 1250316960 9781250316967       2019 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781250316967-L.jpg 256   4  
bryan-ward-perkins/the-fall-of-rome-and-the-end-of-civilization to-read   2021-10-31 The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization #aa7767 0192807285 9780192807281       2005 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780192807281-L.jpg 239      
byron-katie-stephen-mitchell/loving-what-is to-read Nonfiction, reflection, personal development 2020-08-13 Loving What Is #a07f5f 1400045371 9781400045372       2002 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781400045372-L.jpg 352      
c-j-cherryh/downbelow-station to-read   2018-08-28 Downbelow Station #d6d4be 0756400597 9780756400590   The Company Wars 1 1981 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780756400590-L.jpg 526      
c-j-cherryh/gate-of-ivrel reviews Gate of Ivrel hit a lot of sweet spots for me. I mean, Fantasy in a scifi/Stargate universe? Hell yeah. It relies on the reader to think along, and the characters are certainly far from perfect, while also being relatable. I went through it in a day or so, because wow. Imagine a Stargate-like universe (though Gate of Ivrel predates Stargate by several years). It is discovered that use of the gates leads to unmitigated catastrophe sooner rather than later, so missions are sent out to shut down the Gates. This is, by necessity, a one-way trip: You start by shutting down a connection, and then continue travelling down that road, shutting down Gates as you go. The story takes place on a standard Low Fantasy world, with medieval power structures, clans, "magic", all that jazz. The story is then told from the eyes of an inhabitant of that world, through pride, tradition, fear, and a lot of superstition. It's up to the reader to pick out the actual scifi story under the fantasy surface-level story. I enjoyed this process tremendously and I hope that the series continues like this. 2020-06-29 Gate of Ivrel #7cadcb 0886772575 9780886772574   Gate of Ivrel 1 1976 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1213925505l/57084.jpg 191   4  
c-m-spivey/from-under-the-mountain to-read   2018-09-28 From Under the Mountain #612f33 1942111398 9781942111399   Trident Chronicles 1 2016 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781942111399-L.jpg 488      
c-n-lesley/shadow-over-avalon to-read   2018-08-28 Shadow Over Avalon #2f448a           2013 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1404803177l/22677216.jpg        
c-robert-cargill/sea-of-rust to-read Second place in "Novel Featuring an AI Character" in 2019 /r/fantasy bingo. 2018-08-08 Sea of Rust #a64e3f 1473212782 9781473212787       2017 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476602158l/32617610._SY475_.jpg 365      
c-s-friedman/the-madness-season to-read Dystopian vampire sci-fi. 2016-05-11 The Madness Season #5f687d           1990 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328359739l/9498065.jpg        
c-s-friedman/this-alien-shore reviews Damn, this book could have been *so* good. But it falls into the trap of having extremely good worldbuilding and then being unable to back it up with an equally good plot. It's a shame, because the premise is so much fun: Basically, people developed interstellar travel, but it caused mutations, which is the reason for all "aliens" being humanoid. Earth cut off these aliens in an outburst of fear. One of these new humanoid species later found a better way of fast travel, usable only by them. They are a group of humans with strong psychological disorders that haven't been around on future-earth for centuries. The way they embrace their differences (signalling their peculiarities via face paint) is a representation of diversity the rest of the writing industry could stand to imitate, and it's lavish in its attention to detail: Rooms and colours are arranged to work for people with ADHD, blindness, OCD; presentations and interactions are structured to respect the strongest needs present. Empaths and people with zero empathy split society's tasks according to their strengths and preferences, and so on. Other worldbuilding is similarly great in detail: for example, people who don't live on planets have different sets of clothing for high-g and low-g environments, and the way you wear your clothing, especially towards humanoid species with strong bodily mutations, signals a lot about politeness. Hackers work just as they do now, because human psyche doesn't change, and her understanding is both great and hilarious. All this is *so good*. The plot … isn't, really. I liked the plot to the exact extent that it showed off the world, and I couldn't care about the protagonist at all. Hence the rating, and I won't read the second part of the series, I think. 2022-01-08 This Alien Shore #85644d 0886777992 9780886777999       1998 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780886777999-L.jpg 564   3 0
c-s-lewis/prince-caspian reviews After the first Narnia book, I thought that things might get better, or that this was a series that just had an unfortunate first book. It didn't. 2002-10-01 Prince Caspian #b2a97d 000720230X 9780007202300   Chronicles of Narnia 2 1951 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780007202300-L.jpg 292   1  
c-s-lewis/the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe reviews Confession: I hated the Narnia books when I first read them, and I don't care enough to update my opinion. I hated the transparent religion shilling going on, I hated everything about the dour moralising, and I felt personally offended at Lion Jesus. Man. 2002-06-01 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe #ab9567       Chronicles of Narnia 1 1950 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353029077l/100915.jpg 206   1  
c-s-pacat/captive-prince to-read m/m fantasy romance, apparently? 2019-02-04 Captive Prince #91544f       Captive Prince 1 2013 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356028113l/9305362._SX98_.jpg 240      
cailin-oconnor/the-origins-of-unfairness-social-categories-and-cultural-evolution to-read Nonfiction. Recommended by [David](https://twitter.com/DRMacIver/status/1228233781317734401): "I've previously not-really-joked that you can't understand gender until you've read Thomas Schelling's book about the game theory of nuclear war, "The Strategy of Conflict". That joke is now deprecated in favour of a recommendation to read this book." 2020-02-18 The Origins of Unfairness: Social Categories and Cultural Evolution #d1826d 0198789971 9780198789970       2019 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558553038l/45993863._SY475_.jpg 256      
carl-sagan-ann-druyan/the-demon-haunted-world to-read   2021-10-31 The Demon-Haunted World #c76e48 0345409469 9780345409461       1996 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780345409461-L.jpg 459      
carl-sagan/pale-blue-dot-a-vision-of-the-human-future-in-space to-read   2017-02-01 Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space #73321a 0345376595 9780345376596       1994 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780345376596-L.jpg 384      
carl-zimmer/soul-made-flesh-the-discovery-of-the-brain-and-how-it-changed-the-world to-read Mentioned in [Intelligence](/reviews/2020/intelligence-a-very-short-introduction). Nonfiction. 2020-03-08 Soul Made Flesh: The Discovery of the Brain--and How it Changed the World #b59a6d 0743272056 9780743272056       2003 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780743272056-L.jpg 384      
carlo-collodi/pinocchio reviews Just like I knew who Darth Vader was for a decade before I watched Star Wars, I knew the story of Pinocchio by ambient cultural knowledge: The puppet that wanted to be a real boy, and couldn't lie without getting a longer nose. Two impressions come to mind when I remember reading it: The book has a lot of moralising, which I hated in books as a child. Every bad deed is punished, every good decision rewarded. Pinocchio is unreliable, a liar, lazy, selling his school books for money for a theatre ticket – I didn't know what hedonism was when I read the book, but I knew when "Attention, kids: this is bad" was slapped in my face. The lingering atmospheric impression of the book is musty, dark, dangerous, a bit uncanny: I don't remember it as a happy place. Pinocchio meets two bandits, who deceive him, rob him blind, hang him in a tree, and finally leave because he takes too long to suffocate. When he is revived and reports the crime to the court, he is imprisoned for being stupid enough to let himself be deceived like that. But see the positive side, at least the book does not inspire kids to trust in jurisdiction. 2001-04-01 Pinocchio #e98d0d 0140382623 9780140382624       1883 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327938097l/180617.jpg 262   3  
carlo-ginzburg/the-cheese-and-the-worms to-read Microhistory, by way of the bibliography of The Light Ages 2021-11-02 The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller #9b530d 0801843871 9780801843877       1976 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780801843877-L.jpg 208      
carlos-ruiz-zafon/the-shadow-of-the-wind to-read +1 from [Eva](https://literatur.social/@Columbia/104231503798477025) 2018-07-24 The Shadow of the Wind #d4c2a2       The Cemetery of Forgotten Books 1 2001 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1587514298l/1232._SX98_.jpg 487      
carol-emshwiller/report-to-the-mens-club-and-other-stories reviews Eh, I found one or two of them okay, but most didn't do anything for me. 2017-11-29 Report to the Men's Club and Other Stories #e88e55 193152002X 9781931520027       2002 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781931520027-L.jpg 282   2  
carolyn-elliott/existential-kink reviews First off, a caveat: I do not recommend this book, and I can't say that it was a particularly good book. The five-star rating is due to the fact that it was tremendously helpful to me personally, and was the right book at the right time. Here's the premise of **Existential Kink**: Have you considered that you're into it? That's the book's answer to everything, particularly about things you dislike. If you're in a situation that you dislike: Are you sure that some part of you isn't enjoying the complaining, the struggle, the position you put yourself in? It exists in an interesting intersection. It accepts the premises on [shame and vulnerability by Brene Brown](https://books.rixx.de/reviews/2019/daring-greatly-how-the-courage-to-be-vulnerable-transforms-the-way-we-live-love-parent-and-lead), and possibly explains the self-determination parts of [Courage to be Disliked](https://books.rixx.de/reviews/2020/the-courage-to-be-disliked) better than that book did, and then, gleefully, suggests that you should lean the fuck in. This is what is good about the book: It makes its point very clearly, repeatedly, and in a way that will allow you to apply it confidently. It includes a variety of strategies and methods of applying it. And, most notably, it includes a chapter detailing when **not** to apply this method, eg when you're depressed, when your issues are not structural, or when the problem is still very raw. I want every self-help author to be forced to include explicit notes on when their wondrously perfect new healing method does not work. This is what is less good: The writing – wow, this book could've used an editor. It gets progressively better, but the beginning is a struggle of empty phrases. Then: the assumptions. To read this book, you either have to be into new wiccan woo (which I am not), or be willing to deal with the occasional occult content, either by skipping it, or by being amused, or by figuring out what the author is pointing at. All of these work, but only if you're willing to take the good p… 2020-07-17 Existential Kink #9a4949 1578636477 9781578636471         https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569069343l/50915816._SX318_SY475_.jpg 220   5  
casey-mcquiston/red-white-royal-blue reviews Red, White &amp; Royal Blue by *Casey McQuiston* is a rom-com, pure and simple. It's light-hearted, it's witty, it doesn't feel like "Hello, fellow kids" – what more do you want? Teenage drama, heartbreak, obtuse protagonists, this book has everything. The son of the (female) President of the US hates his nemesis, a highly placed Prince of UK royalty. Only, since this is a rom-com – you know what happens with a nemesis pairing, it's inevitable. We get good political commentary in there, though, discussing consequences of what would happen with a President with a gay son, and the different ways of navigating these problems – breaking up, hiding, out'n'proud, etc. Coming from Senlin Ascends, this was exactly the book I needed. An enjoyable read if this genre is an option for you! 2019-07-07 Red, White & Royal Blue #d33930           2019 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566742512l/41150487._SY475_.jpg 421   4  
cass-morris/from-unseen-fire to-read   2018-09-28 From Unseen Fire #b7986f 0756412242 9780756412241   Aven Cycle 1 2018 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1503975809l/33517480._SX98_.jpg 400      
cassandra-clare/city-of-ashes reviews Works as a second volume. Clary is still as enjoyable as a teenager can be and gains powers. Nobody really dies, but that's ok. The evil father Valentine is a bit generic in his evilness. 2016-11-20 City of Ashes #bccccd 1416914293 9781416914297   The Mortal Instruments 2 2008 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781416914297-L.jpg 453   2  
cassandra-clare/city-of-bones reviews Okay YA fantasy. Clary loses her mother, finds her father Valentine and meets her brother Jace. Vampires, werewolves, fay, the works. Short, and enjoyable just like fast food is occasionally enjoyable. 2016-11-20 City of Bones #d3ca6f 1416914285 9781416914280   The Mortal Instruments 1 2007 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432730315l/256683._SY475_.jpg 496   2  
cassandra-clare/city-of-glass reviews Very generic, predictable YA at this point. 2016-11-22 City of Glass #b8a280 1416914307 9781416914303   The Mortal Instruments 3 2009 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781416914303-L.jpg 541   2  
catherynne-m-valente/deathless to-read Russian fantasy. Stalinist house elves, magical quests, secrecy and bureaucracy, and games of lust and power. 2018-07-23 Deathless #ab6a59 0765326302 9780765326300   Leningrad Diptych 1 2011 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1316635864l/8694389._SX98_.jpg 352      
catherynne-m-valente/the-girl-who-circumnavigated-fairyland-in-a-ship-of-her-own-making reviews This is a very nice little book, filled with Faerie and language that is exceedingly ornate but never quite pretentious. And it's a modern fairy tale at that - September, the protagonist, didn't grow too close to my heart, but the narrator did, and that is good enough. 2016-10-20 The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making #a34e2a 0312649614 9780312649616   Fairyland 1 2011 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780312649616-L.jpg 256   4  
catsarecool/a-marauders-plan reviews Good fanfic, in which Sirius is not an idiot. 2019-02-17 A Marauder's Plan #d0d0d0     https://archiveofourown.org/works/1085412/chapters/2182999 A Marauder's Plan 1 2016 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1478120030l/30814595.jpg 3576   4  
chana-porter/the-seep reviews Solid ehhhh: The Seep is a short scifi novel(la?) about an alien race that gives humanity nearly unlimited powers, including self-transformation, and also influences their mind towards being mellow hippies. The protagonist is not really on board, but instead of exploring the world or herself, we get touches of everything and nothing more. The protagonist is trans, but never really thinks about what bodily transformation powers mean for that (jealousy? excitement? nah), for example. Her Jewish ancestry is touched on a bit, her native American one not at all, and her relationship to the Seep as a doctor and artist is pretty much brushed aside after one lukewarm take. Or: the Seep (the aliens) has an original voice, but it doesn't come enough to really explore it. Instead, we get mostly indulgent whining because her wife leaves her. Which is certainly grounds for whining, but can't exactly carry an entire story. I'm usually not a friend of short stories, but in this case a short story might have been better – the awkward length of just 200 pages doesn't leave room for real exploration (at this meandering pace, anyway), but also doesn't force the focus and tight pacing of shorter works. 2021-06-15 The Seep #c6bea4 1641290862 9781641290869       2020 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781641290869-L.jpg 216   2  
charles-dickens/david-copperfield reviews It's long and slow and often tiresome, but still manages to be fun in places! 2017-01-27 David Copperfield #e2ddd7           1850 https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461452762l/58696._SY475_.jpg 882   3  
charles-stross/a-tall-tail reviews A nice Stross short story. Interesting how different cultures show off about different things, but in completely similar ways. Umberto Eco will throw down with medieval/literature facts, and Charlie just needs you to know how much he knows about chemistry off the top of his head. 2020-04-22 A Tall Tail #070e19 1466828927 9781466828926       2012 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9781466828926-L.jpg 32   3  
charles-stross/accelerando to-read   2018-10-16 Accelerando #b96556 0441014151 9780441014156       2005 http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780441014156-L.jpg 415      

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