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11 votes
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2023 Hugo Awards
31 votes -
What are you reading these days?
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction or poetry, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk about it a bit.
87 votes -
Scholastic to separate books on race, gender and sexuality for US book fairs
26 votes -
Scholastic Book Fair will discontinue separate collection of race and gender books
23 votes -
Serj Tankian announces memoir 'Down With the System'
17 votes -
Ohio embraced the ‘science of reading.’ Now a popular reading program is suing.
36 votes -
Forgotten to return your library book? Don’t worry about it [library fines are falling out of fashion].
23 votes -
Book bans in Texas spread as new state law takes effect
14 votes -
If Books Could Kill [a podcast reviewing nonfiction books which posit ludicrous theories]
26 votes -
What are you reading these days?
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction or poetry, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk about it a bit.
20 votes -
Looking for recommendations of Bronze Age historical fiction
Basically what it says in the thread title- any recommendations are welcome.
12 votes -
Independent bookstores are thriving in Texas, and not just in big cities—in suburbs and in small towns, new shops are serving up classics, cocktails, and community
18 votes -
Audiobooks and radio dramas in movie-length (45min~3 hours long)
Yesterday, I really enjoyed listening to the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Umberto Eco's The Name Of The Rose (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkpLbVtTAuk). And today I'm wondering if anyone has any...
Yesterday, I really enjoyed listening to the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Umberto Eco's The Name Of The Rose (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkpLbVtTAuk).
And today I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations for similar audio-books which have multiple voice actors.
All genre is okay but preferably singular works that focus on story over recurring characters (anthology series are okay). Preferably works that are available on YouTube, or otherwise freely downloadable--but this is not a strict requirement.
7 votes -
Palestinian voices ‘shut down’ at Frankfurt Book Fair, say authors
15 votes -
The most wanted man in history, Waldo has gone into hiding again
15 votes -
Looking for help in purchasing an eReader
I want to start reading more, and I'd also like to start avoiding screens before I sleep, so I'd like to get an e-ink device that I can use for reading. I've never owned or looked into ereaders...
I want to start reading more, and I'd also like to start avoiding screens before I sleep, so I'd like to get an e-ink device that I can use for reading.
I've never owned or looked into ereaders before so I'm not entirely sure what the general capabilities are in this space, but heres a list of things that I consider important:
- Absolutely essential:
- I need to be able to put my own files (epubs, pdfs, etc) on the device to read without being forced to go through some marketplace installed on the device (if anything I'd prefer there to not be a marketplace on the device at all, or a removable one, as I would never use it). Files don't need to be added remotely, as long as I can connect it to my (Linux) computer with a USB and mount the storage or pop out the SD/microSD to do that then that's sufficient.
- I need to actually own the device, none of the techno-feudalist bullshit like what plagues the smartphone landscape. I want to be able to remove non-essential components (e.g. marketplace) and it'd be nice if I could also tinker and install third party software freely. If possible I'd prefer a device that's mostly or completely open and FOSS by design, but I'm aware that might be asking too much. As an alternative I would also be willing to hack the device to get it in an open, FOSS state if the process isn't too complicated and it's well documented, it'd be preferable if it was that way by design but as long as I can get there one way or another I'll be content.
- Would very much like to have:
- In addition to regular books, it'd be nice if I could also read manga. These tend to be zip/rar files containing a series of images, so I'd assume support for reading things formatted in that way is probably less widespread if it exists at all on dedicated ereader devices.
- Some kind of lighting so the device is usable in the dark. I don't know how this would compare to the blue light from screens (if anyone knows, please share) but I'll certainly want to use it for more than just before I sleep.
- Some kind of system to add notes as I read might be nice, I was never good at studying and note taking in school so I don't know how much mileage I'd get out of it but in theory it'd definitely be a boon to organize information as I read or add notes to myself to look into things later or whatever.
- Would be nice to have, can live without:
- The ability to load music onto the device and plug in headphones to listen to music while I read. Bluetooth for audio devices isn't really something I care about, but might be desireable in case I get bluetooth headphones in the future (unlikely). Unimportant if it has built in speakers or not, as long as I can plug in headphones.
24 votes - Absolutely essential:
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Patrick Rothfuss on the wait for book two of The Kingkiller Chronicle (2009)
27 votes -
Book review: Crossings by Ben Goldfarb - how our roads have become an invasive species
6 votes -
Salman Rushdie announces memoir, Knife, about being stabbed in 2022 - describes it as 'an attempt to answer violence with art’
17 votes -
Video interview - science fiction author - Lois McMaster Bujold who wrote the award winning Vorkosigan series, the Curse of Challion and sequels and more
7 votes -
The US library system, once the best in the world, faces death by a thousand cuts
39 votes -
Robots are people, too: On the ways writers use non-human characters to tell human stories
11 votes -
Naomi Klein's Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World
8 votes -
Swedish crime novelist Camilla Läckberg has been forced to deny claims that she tricked readers into buying books she didn't write herself
12 votes -
In his novels and plays, the Norwegian author Jon Fosse has continually probed the limits of the perceptible world
7 votes -
Olympics vs booksellers
13 votes -
The Wolves of Eternity by Karl Ove Knausgård, review – long-lost siblings are linked across time and space in this expansive novel
7 votes -
IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation
32 votes -
A second, silent language: A conversation with Jon Fosse
5 votes -
What Tech Calls Thinking
5 votes -
As the Halloween season begins, what are your favorite spooky reads?
I like to try and read seasonally-appropriate books during October and I'm curious what your favorites are. To qualify as "seasonally-appropriate", the book should have at least one of: ghost /...
I like to try and read seasonally-appropriate books during October and I'm curious what your favorites are. To qualify as "seasonally-appropriate", the book should have at least one of:
- ghost / vampire / werewolf / zombie / witch / haunting / etc
- Take place in the autumn / around Halloween itself
- be overall creepy or unsettling
- mysteries are generally acceptable, but it should be different from an any-time-of-year mystery
25 votes -
In defense of the beleaguered academic book review
3 votes -
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania children's author writes a book titled 'Banned Book', discusses censorship
12 votes -
Interview with Martha Wells about Murderbot and more
8 votes -
Just finished reading The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings, and wondering what to read next
For context I did not grow up reading books, came to it in my early twenties and found I preferred historical, academic or social books. Therefore reading really felt like a chore and I struggled....
For context I did not grow up reading books, came to it in my early twenties and found I preferred historical, academic or social books. Therefore reading really felt like a chore and I struggled.
Read what I would consider my first novel/story book last year which was The Iliad and found that I quite enjoyed it, decided I was going to try something else. The Lord of the rings came to mind as I have rewatched the movies countless times, I researched recommendations on editions and how to read, therefore I started with the Hobbit back in June.
I just finished reading the last book of the trilogy today, which compared to my previous reading habits is lightening fast. And I am a little sad, I will read the appendices but am uncertain what to do next. I'm thinking unfinished tales and then the silmarillion.
Wondering if anyone has any suggestions, also about any other series or universe to read about after these, preferably with movies that I can watch before hand as it helps me with imagining what I'm reading.
Edit:
First of all I wanted to thank everyone for sharing your ideas, it has been immensely insightful and I feel like there are a lot of possibilities for me to pursue even if not immediately but in the near future.I've decided I'm not quite ready to leave middle earth yet and so I will be persuing the silmarillion, and then unfinished tales. Any thoughts on tom bombadil?
After this the following quite interested me:
- prince of nothing
- the resurrection OST
- dune
I feel like I might actually start with dune as it will be a foot in the door into sci-fi but let's see
38 votes -
Octavia Butler’s advice on writing, found in recently published Octavia E. Butler: The Last Interview and Other Conversations
12 votes -
What are you reading these days?
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction or poetry, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk about it a bit.
18 votes -
E-reader purchasing advice
So for various reasons I can't use paper books very well. I've been reading almost exclusively on epaper for... 15 years or so now? My current reader is a Kobo Aura One which has done very well...
So for various reasons I can't use paper books very well. I've been reading almost exclusively on epaper for... 15 years or so now?
My current reader is a Kobo Aura One which has done very well but is starting to get a bit tired - the screen is a bit scratched up and the battery life is measured in days rather than weeks (at around 1hr/day reading with the frontlight on low). Plus the usb socket has done that annoying thing where the cable needs to be at the exact right angle in order to charge.
So I'm in the market for a new one. I'd like it to be >7 inches, 300ppi (same spec as the Aura One or better). Overdrive support is nice but not essential. EPub support is a must, as is orange/red frontlighting. Linux slightly preferred over Android. Battery life in weeks. Waterproof doesn't matter. Cloud sync, bluetooth, audiobook support, apps (other than a decent reader), note-taking - I don't care about. It's for reading books, nothing else. Budget is not a huge issue but I don't want to spend more than I have to.
I have had zero time for the last few weeks to look into what the market is doing now and it's been many since I paid much attention to the world of ereaders, so anyone who is more up to date than me who can offer some suggestions would be much appreciated.
27 votes -
Every country’s highest-rated book by a local author - based on GoodReads data May 2023
12 votes -
Why 'The Hobbit' is still underappreciated, eighty-six years later: A Culture Re-View
16 votes -
Strike and Robin return – but JK Rowling really needs an editor
6 votes -
A publisher published a book on educational technology generated by AI. Authors of a cited source found plagiarism
10 votes -
Review, commentary, analysis based on four books featuring the history and misuse of statistical data
7 votes -
What are you reading these days?
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction or poetry, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk about it a bit.
33 votes -
Dawnshard - By Brandon Sanderson - Discussion
Spoiler warning for Dawnshard and previous Stormlight Archive books (Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, Edgedancer, & Oathbringer). I'd seen mentions of the sleepless and Dawnshards when browsing...
Spoiler warning for Dawnshard and previous Stormlight Archive books (Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, Edgedancer, & Oathbringer).
I'd seen mentions of the sleepless and Dawnshards when browsing the Arcanum and so was primarily hoping to learn more about these in this book. But in a short period of time I was surprised with how attached I grew to Rysn! In particular at the end of the book when the captain appreciates Rysn's role as Rebsk and allow here to steer the ship (showing their trust) for a few minutes, I let out an audible cheer. (Also when I noticed that she gained perfect pitch and perfect color recognition) Rysn and Vstim's interludes in the previous stormlight books were some of my favourite interludes and I'm so glad that we got to see more of them here.
The other thing I was surprised by was the set up for the two Winderunners swearing their third ideal here. Lopen says quite clearly that the third ideal is saying that you will protect even those you hate. And then a few chapters later we see Huio swear the third ideal in order to protect Lopen. I honestly thought this was just going to be played off as a joke since they have a fair bit of banter early in the book. But I was heart warmed to see that realisation that Lopen has that his jokes and teasing hurt people, and him swearing his own version of the ideal to protect other people from himself. It reminded me of some of the similar (but not same) character development moments we get with Wayne in Mistborn.
I'd love to hear what other people who read this book thought about it as well. Once I can get my hands on Yumi and the Nightmare Painter in paperback form, I hope to discuss that too with all you Cosmerenauts!
22 votes -
Book review: The Educated Mind
17 votes -
Debut novel by Millie Bobby Brown reignites debate over ghostwritten celebrity books
16 votes -
American Library Association report: Texas led the nation in book ban attempts in 2022
14 votes -
How to pick up reading again?
I have been a reader in my teens and my early youth. This all changed when I started to develop a depression back in the days. I had no will, interest or strength to pick up a book. During my...
I have been a reader in my teens and my early youth. This all changed when I started to develop a depression back in the days. I had no will, interest or strength to pick up a book. During my university years I read a lot of textbooks but no prose. Picking up a book today feels like a chore for me. I find a lot of them bland and have to force myself to read/finish the story. So basically, my text boils down to: What helped you to rekindle your love for books/reading again? I am curious about all the answers.
EDIT:
Thanks to the comments so far, I have seen that I did not answer the important question why I stopped reading and why it now feels like a chore. So I'll try and give a bit more answers.
Besides "having no strength" during my phase of depression, I kind of started to hate the worlds the books offered. I wished to be part of these worlds, where my depression would not mess with me, where I could be happy or at least experience cool adventures. But after every reading session came the hard realization that I was still in this world with my depression and all my problems. That was when I decided to stop reading.As to why reading feels like a chore today: I don't know. I started to read books again that I loved as a teenager/ young adult, but the magic was gone. Meanwhile, I also started to pick up more books from up-to-date bestseller lists, but I found a lot of them pretty boring, or I did not like the style of the author.
33 votes