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16 votes
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Echoes of the City by Lars Saabye Christensen review – sacrifice and strength in postwar Oslo
5 votes -
Which books had a major influence in your formative years?
Following on from this post
14 votes -
Secret Alliances: Special Operations and Intelligence in Norway, 1940–1945 – Tony Insall
4 votes -
A history of buying books onto the bestseller list
8 votes -
Nipsey Hussle was a bookworm. Now Black men are finding inspiration in what he read
10 votes -
Scifi trends over the decades
I've just finished The Sirens of Titan from 1959 (after seeing it recommended here, actually) and something struck me compared to more recent books. A lot of the more technical stuff is kind of...
I've just finished The Sirens of Titan from 1959 (after seeing it recommended here, actually) and something struck me compared to more recent books. A lot of the more technical stuff is kind of hand-waved away. It's not a criticism, just something that stuck out as I was reading. Is this a trend? Do readers demand more details these days? I've read a bunch of sci fi from the 60s until the present day, but I've only really gotten back into it more recently with Sirens.
Perhaps I've read too much Neal Stephenson, who has likely never hand-waved anything away! The Martian also springs to mind, but that's very deliberately focused on the details and keeping it realistic, IIRC.
Spoilers
I'm mostly thinking about the radio-controlling of the Martian army beyond "there is a little box in their pocket" and most of the atmospheric questions beyond how they breathe.
13 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. Previous topics Previous topics are listed in the wiki.
11 votes -
New year, new policy: Seattle Public Library no longer charging late fees
12 votes -
My 2020 Book Challenge: "Reading the Alphabet"
Here's a little setup I'm going to try out with my reading habits this year. I figured I'd share the idea, in case anyone else is interested in running it (or something similar) for themselves....
Here's a little setup I'm going to try out with my reading habits this year. I figured I'd share the idea, in case anyone else is interested in running it (or something similar) for themselves.
Rules
- I must complete one book for each letter of the English alphabet (26 total).
- A book fulfills a letter by having the title or any part of the author's name start with that letter.
- I do not have to go in alphabetical order.
- I CAN rearrange entries at will.
Example
I realize that's hard to visualize, so here's how the first few letters might look once completed (these books are placeholders):
A: Jeff VanderMeer - Annihilation
B: Tina Fey - Bossypants
C: Arthur C. Clarke - Rendezvous with Rama
D: Dava Sobel - LongitudeExplanations/Clarifications
Let's say the first book I read is Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. I could have that count for K (Kurt), V (Vonnegut), or S (Slaughterhouse).
I'm choosing to ignore articles in titles. The Martian would thus count for M (Martian) rather than T (The).
If an author has a single name (e.g. Voltaire), I can only use that one letter (V). If an author commonly uses more than first and last names (e.g. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Hunter S. Thompson), I can use any parts (C N or A, and H S or T, respectively).
If the book title is/begins with a number or symbol, I can count it under the letter that corresponds to the name/pronunciation of the number or symbol (e.g. 1984 would be N (Nineteen) while 1Q84 would be O (One)).
As the process goes on and more letters get filled, my choices will get narrower. I am allowed to swap around books in order to accommodate new choices, but only within the parameters of the rules above. So if I initially had Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five down for S but then I decide to read Stanley Schmidt's The Sins of the Fathers, I can move Slaughterhouse-Five to V for Vonnegut since Sins can only work for S.
Purpose
I came up with this for a couple of reasons:
- It's a semi-fun way to jazz up my regular reading habits.
- It gives me a goal to work towards.
- It will help me narrow down choices from my immense backlog and interest list, especially when I have only a few spots left to fill.
- It's free-form enough that I don't feel boxed-in, but it's restrictive enough that it'll likely force me to read some stuff I wouldn't usually choose.
- 26 books for 26 letters is coincidentally perfect for an average of one book every two weeks, which feels like the right pace for me.
Process Note
I'm only going to count books I read with my eyes rather than books I listen to. This isn't because I have anything against audiobooks (I love them!) but because I've actually gotten TOO dependent on them and am not sitting down to read books like I used to. I'm hoping this can restart my reading habit. I put this here rather than in the rules because I don't want to restrict anyone else should they choose to do this exercise.
I plan to post updates on my "alphabet progress" in the scheduled "What are you reading these days?" threads.
Anyway, feel free to share your thoughts on this process. This is entirely theory-based at the moment, as I've never actually attempted it, so if there's anything I've failed to account for or any potential hiccups you see, let me know.
Also, if you're wanting to steal the idea, whether wholesale or in part, go for it! It is ripe for modding or tweaking. I'm considering doing a second, separate alphabet for myself that's limited only to graphic novels, for example. I also think it would be neat for people to do it in other alphabets, in languages other than English.
Furthermore, it's a generic enough setup that you could do it for more than just reading too. You could use the ruleset as written with music (using artist and album names) or movies (using titles and directors). Games are a bit tougher since you really only have the title to work with (since there's often not an identifiable "author"), but with some tweaks I think it could still happen.
10 votes -
Olga Tokarczuk – Nobel Lecture
4 votes -
I'm starting a friends' book club and looking for pointers
For any of you who have been in a book club before. Any lessons learned? Nice to haves? Things to avoid? This is going to be limited to a fairly small group (4-6 people), so I feel like I don't...
For any of you who have been in a book club before. Any lessons learned? Nice to haves? Things to avoid? This is going to be limited to a fairly small group (4-6 people), so I feel like I don't need to get too formal with anything. But at the same time, I know that a good structure goes a long way to a successful regular reading club.
We have pretty a varied reading pace between us. One of us can read a book a day. I'm more at the book (300~ pages) every week or two pace myself. I'm sure that others may read faster or slower than that still. So I figure a book a month is decent for keeping to a casual-but-intentional reading pace for most of us.
Part of this is intended to be a way to keep in touch with friends I don't get to talk to as often anymore, and part of it is just reading new books I wouldn't even think to read.
16 votes -
Tight breeches and loose gowns: Going deep on the fashion of Jane Austen
4 votes -
Author and Norway princess's ex-husband Ari Behn dies aged 47
5 votes -
Out of all the books you read this year, which ones were your favorites?
What are your favorite books that you read this year? What made them so noteworthy? Who would you recommend them to? Note: the books do NOT have to be from this year (i.e. published in 2019). Any...
- What are your favorite books that you read this year?
- What made them so noteworthy?
- Who would you recommend them to?
Note: the books do NOT have to be from this year (i.e. published in 2019). Any book you read this year regardless of publication date counts.
22 votes -
Book nooks: Take a look behind the 'small doors to imaginary spaces' within bookshelves
6 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. Previous topics Previous topics are listed in the wiki.
14 votes -
Jeff VanderMeer, the author of “Annihilation,” brings us fresh horrors with each new book. So why does he remain an optimist?
5 votes -
The decade in young adult fiction
6 votes -
Kalamazoo school district decides not to have LGBTQ books in reading program
4 votes -
The Paris Review's contributors' favorite books of 2019
6 votes -
ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus has gifted books to high school students across Sweden to try to stem the flow of fake news
8 votes -
How to get a book deal in ten years or less
18 votes -
Decidedly Bad - War Of The Spark: The Forsaken - A Magic: The Gathering Novel by Greg Weisman
4 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. Previous topics Previous topics are listed in the wiki.
8 votes -
Protests grow as Peter Handke receives Nobel medal in Sweden – Turkey joined Albania and Kosovo in boycotting Tuesday's Nobel prize ceremony
5 votes -
GQ has selected their favorite books of 2019, and asked each book's author to make their own recommendation
5 votes -
How Chinese sci-fi conquered America: The translator Ken Liu has done more than anyone to bridge the gap between Chinese science fiction and American readers
18 votes -
Stellaris Recommends: Sci-fi book recommendations from the team behind Paradox's grand-strategy-in-space game, including notes on prominent tropes and what each book does well.
9 votes -
Faith and Reasons: Two authors explore the persistence of religious feeling
3 votes -
Nobel prize for literature hit by fresh round of resignations – two members of the external committee set up to oversee reforms quit on Monday
6 votes -
E-books at libraries are a huge hit, leading to long waits, reader hacks and worried publishers
25 votes -
China threatened Sweden with unspecified counter measures if its culture minister attends a literary award ceremony for Gui Minhai
17 votes -
Book review: Turn the Ship Around
4 votes -
Book-focused Discord server
Howdy, I think this might appeal to some of you, sorry if it comes off a bit spammy. I've started a Discord server mostly for discussion of books (Other things too...our rule is if it's text-based...
Howdy, I think this might appeal to some of you, sorry if it comes off a bit spammy. I've started a Discord server mostly for discussion of books (Other things too...our rule is if it's text-based or if it's printed on a page, it's allowed. We welcome interactive fiction, comics, poetry, theory, visual novels, etc.) that is aiming to keep discussion at least somewhat serious and a respectful atmosphere similar to what Tildes aims for. Eventually we'll do wider recruitment (posters in universities, probably), but for now we're trying to get a decent server culture going with people we can trust to not shit all over everything. If this sounds appealing, we'd love to have you :)
Paste with rules, should look familiar.
Permanent link for those who would like to join: https://discord.gg/yr4pA96
8 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. Previous topics Previous topics are listed in the wiki.
14 votes -
Like This Or Die - The fate of the book review in the age of the algorithm
4 votes -
Helsinki Library has robots to help reshelve books – they get a lot of press attention but they're not the important part of the library
5 votes -
Upon This Rock (from Pulphead: Essays)
3 votes -
The life of the audiobook star: As the business booms, narrators talk tricky accents, lonely shifts and tackling 100 pages a day
13 votes -
The smell of old books could actually help experts preserve them
5 votes -
Ten must-read crime books set in the American West
4 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. Previous topics Previous topics are listed in the wiki.
14 votes -
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library now mails more than one million books per month across the US, Australia, Britain, Canada and Ireland
12 votes -
Better World Books and the Internet Archive unite to preserve millions of books
8 votes -
“Affordances” - A new science-fiction short story by Cory Doctorow about algorithmic bias
7 votes -
Marvel Unlimited offering two month free trial through Target
5 votes -
How to live like Jane Austen
4 votes -
Book Review: French Tanks of the Great War
3 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. Previous topics Previous topics are listed in the wiki.
26 votes