A VIRTUOSO RIFF ON AN AMERICAN classic: the inimitable Percival Everett retells the story of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s perspective, transforming it from a familiar picaresque to a more complex adventure and a meditation on code-switching. A MINUS
Just finished #readingThe Tyrant Baru Cormoran. So some thoughts, no spoilers:
It is as good as I was hoping. The structure involves a lot of jumping back and forth, but though it may not seem so at first, it is done for good reasons and not just to confuse the reader.
The book is a part of a series, and satisfying in that regard, solving a lot of loose threads, but leaving the ending open.
There is a lot of violence done to bodies, some of it disturbingly described. This is not a book for squeamish people.
Overall, while Traitor and Monster saw Baru confident and then lost, I'd argue Tyrant is about her finding herself again.
Very strongly recommend it.
Herwegh's poetry is characterized by its passionate advocacy for freedom and democracy. He became famous with his collection "Gedichte eines Lebendigen", published in 1841. This work was widely acclaimed for its revolutionary zeal and critique of the existing social and political order.
"The anxious night is now over,
We ride silently, we ride silently,
And ride to our doom.
How sharply the morning wind blows!
Mrs. Innkeeper, one more glass quickly
Before dying, before dying."
French mathematician Évariste Galois died #OTD in 1832.
Galois developed a deep understanding of the relationship between polynomial equations and group theory. He showed how the solutions to polynomial equations are related to the structure of certain groups, now called Galois groups. This connection helps determine whether a polynomial can be solved by radicals (i.e., using a finite number of root extractions).
«Je rêve d'un jour où l'égoïsme ne régnera plus dans les sciences, où on s'associera pour étudier, au lieu d'envoyer aux académiciens des plis cachetés, on s'empressera de publier ses moindres observations pour peu qu'elles soient nouvelles, et on ajoutera " je ne sais pas le reste".».
When did lithium became the woke element, and hydrogen the conservative element? ;-)
Question: I'm looking for a proper history on how electrification (more so than decarbonization) of our buildings and road transport became a power / money / culture war / ideological/ political issue. Did any journalist or writer tackle this topic?
Looking for either a long-form article or a book. Any pointers appreciated.
#PennedPossibilities 330 — How does your MC go about expressing or not expressing their sexuality?
Suetonius, like many gladiators, is pimped out by his lanista -- and he's very popular with the clients. When he falls hard for Drusilla, his experience is translated into tenderness.
That Geoff White guy is absolutely rocking the promotion of his new book "Rinsed", all about money laundering. I thought I could hide in this launderette to escape from it, but no such luck!
Seriously, delighted to get my hands on a copy of "Rinsed" - and I'm confident it will be just as gripping a read as @geoffwhite247's "Crime dot com" and "The Lazarus Heist."
I feel a bit stuck in my reading. The cosy mysteries and fantasies are becoming a bit boring. (Just read a few to many one after another) But my brain is unwilling to process harder SFF or litfic. Nothing on my tbr really appeals. Anyone have ideas for genres I could try? @bookstodonmy@boeken#bookstodon#books#reading
@Knien@bookstodonmy@boeken What about historical fiction? The historical novels from Ken Follett are a nice and easy read, the whalebone theatre from Joanna Quinn is a beautiful book in this genre.
Austin served as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1896 until his death in 1913. Despite holding this prestigious position, his poetry received mixed reviews, and he is often remembered more for the controversies surrounding his appointment than for his literary accomplishments.
"So, timely you came, and well you chose,
You came when most needed, my winter rose.
From the snow I pluck you, and fondly press
Your leaves 'twixt the leaves of my leaflessness."
@bookstodon Another really good graphic nonfiction book I've read recently, and recommend, is WE HEREBY REFUSE, regarding the Japanese-Americans forced into internment camps in WWII.
The story addresses a common victim-blaming response to the plight of others: "Why didn't they fight back?" It's almost always the wrong question, even though indeed, they did fight back. Victim-blaming is a pernicious permission structure, allowing us not to care about terrible events that happen to other people.
@kimlockhartga@bookstodon Most Japanese Americans & Asians (in US & outside of it) called them concentration camps - not internment camps. Colonial, racist governments called them internment camps in US & Canada but that's a dishonest word for them. Internment camps are for military personnel. Japanese & Asians(anyone who looked Japanese) were rounded up & imprisoned in colonial concentration camps. Many died in them.
Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder by Richard Dawkins, 2020
With the wit, insight, and spellbinding prose that have made him a bestselling author, Dawkins takes up the most important and compelling topics in modern science, from astronomy and genetics to language and virtual reality, combining them in a landmark statement of the human appetite for wonder.
American writer Randolph Silliman Bourne was born #OTD in 1886.
Bourne's career was marked by his prolific writing and his engagement with contemporary social and political issues. His essays and articles were published in influential magazines like The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, and The Dial. His incisive critique of World War I and his vision of a pluralistic America have left a lasting impact on American thought and cultural studies.
"The secret of life is then that this fine youthful spirit should never be lost. Out of the turbulence of youth should come this fine precipitate—a sane, strong, aggressive spirit of daring and doing. It must be a flexible, growing spirit, with a hospitality to new ideas, and a keen insight into experience. To keep one's reactions warm and true, is to have found the secret of perpetual youth, and perpetual youth is salvation."
#BOTD Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes, award-winning author of ghost & horror stories. The ‘King of Chill’ authored 10 novels & over 35 collections. He was known for finding fresh takes on established tropes. His work appeared on screen in the films The Monster Club & From Beyond the Grave. #books#horror#ghosts