#TBR this week

[the---hermit]

here's a link to the free pfd of Ur-Fascism by Umberto Eco. It's a 10 pages long essay in which the author talks about his own experience with fascism and then tries to list the 14 elements that make up fascism in all its historical forms.

[bookaddict24-7]

"Collect books, even if you don't plan on reading them right away. Nothing is more important than an unread library."

--John Waters

(I will say, that in this economy, feel free to just treat this as a pretty quote.)

[j-ayne]

☕

[aroaessidhe]

tagged by @remnantglow - books I want to read in 2025!

man I really haven't been keeping track of upcoming books much and I just pick backlist reads based on vibes/library availability so this is truly first-thing-that-comes-to-mind lol

tagging @thereadingchallengechallenge @profiterole-reads @wearethekat @libraryleopard @lexreadsdiversely / anyone who wants etc etc!

[bubbles-on-the-tide-of-empire]

Oh man the If Books Could Kill bonus episode about Luigi Mangione's Goodreads profile is going to be fucking LIT.

[watermotif]

HI FRIENDS i am once again asking for book recommendations 📚 fiction, nonfiction, poetry, manga, graphic novels, whatever....please let me know what you read and loved recently i am sooo curious!!

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fantasy Books Bracket: Round 3

Book summaries below:

The Machineries of Empire series (Ninefox Gambit, Raven Stratagem, Revenant Gun, and other stories) by Yoon Ha Lee

To win an impossible war Captain Kel Cheris must awaken an ancient weapon and a despised traitor general. Captain Kel Cheris of the hexarchate is disgraced for using unconventional methods in a battle against heretics. Kel Command gives her the opportunity to redeem herself by retaking the Fortress of Scattered Needles, a star fortress that has recently been captured by heretics. Cheris’s career isn’t the only thing at stake. If the fortress falls, the hexarchate itself might be next. Cheris’s best hope is to ally with the undead tactician Shuos Jedao. The good news is that Jedao has never lost a battle, and he may be the only one who can figure out how to successfully besiege the fortress. The bad news is that Jedao went mad in his first life and massacred two armies, one of them his own. As the siege wears on, Cheris must decide how far she can trust Jedao–because she might be his next victim. Science fiction, fantasy, science fantasy, space opera, military science fiction, series, adult

The Hands of the Emperor (The Hands of the Emperor, At the Feet of the Sun, and other stories) by Victoria Goddard

An impulsive word can start a war. A timely word can stop one. A simple act of friendship can change the course of history. Cliopher Mdang is the personal secretary of the Last Emperor of Astandalas, the Lord of Rising Stars, the Lord Magus of Zunidh, the Sun-on-Earth, the god. He has spent more time with the Emperor of Astandalas than any other person. He has never once touched his lord. He has never called him by name. He has never initiated a conversation. One day Cliopher invites the Sun-on-Earth home to the proverbially remote Vangavaye-ve for a holiday. The mere invitation could have seen Cliopher executed for blasphemy. The acceptance upends the world. Fantasy, secondary world, politics, romance, adult, series

[caffeinatedcatlover]

The books I’ve read so far and my summer TBR! Already read a few of these since taking this picture (Bride, My Roommate Is A Vampire). What’s on your TBR?

[msbarrows]

Just finished reading Running Close To The Wind by Alexandra Rowland, which I picked up because I'd enjoyed several of her previous books, and I am absolutely recommending this one. It's pirates and espionage and snark and silliness and I love the three main characters very, very much. Avra is adorable, with his anxiety and purposeful empty-headedness (except when he needs thoughts in his head), his little rucksack (that seems more like a bag of holding), his cards, his Luck...

[foxgloveinspace]

I think the thing I love the most about the way the fandom has reacted to tsc is that Kevin is loved the way I have loved him from the very beginning. Like yeah, I meme on him (the way I do Neil and Andrew) but there’s so much more love for Kevin now, and he’s my guy ya know?? I love him so much.

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2023: IMPERIAL RADCH by Ann Leckie.

Up next! This came highly recommended by many friends (and also the internet at large when I asked for SFF revenge recs, so thanks!), and I have Tracked Down The Original Covers, so I'm ready to go.

[cultivating-wildflowers]

You’re on the third book already?? Omg!! Do you mind if I ask your thoughts?

I just started it! My library has the audiobooks 😅 And ABSOLUTELY I will share my thoughts!

First, on the audiobooks themselves, I LOVE the narrator. She does a fantastic job with the dialogue and pacing. My only complaint is that she mispronounces Sidheag's name. She says "sid-hey" instead of "she-ah" (or "she-ak"??).

The books themselves are so so much fun. The cast is obviously the best part, and I love how every character, even the minor ones, stands out. I keep getting a couple of the teachers mixed up, but otherwise they're all very distinct characters who serve the story well. Sophronia's friend group is delightful. And Sophronia herself was a pleasant surprise. Based on her introduction, I was worried we'd get the usual fare of a girl going "Oh, but I don't want to go to finishing school and be made into a lady! I want to wear trousers and climb trees and read books and be independent!" and then sulk for the whole story. Sophronia took it as an intriguing challenge and leaned into the quirkiness, and doesn't complain about corsets and dresses all the time, which I loved. (As the overarching story progresses, she's turning more toward the very special, very cool young person poised to stun the world with her prowess, which I'm iffy about, but I still love her character.)

And I ADORE a good steampunk Victorian setting, and Carriger writes hers so well. Some reviews point out that this is a YA spin-off of an existing adult series, so she spends less time explaining the world of the story, but it doesn't feel like the world-building is lacking; for me it's a perfect balance of explaining some details and letting the reader extrapolate the rest. The characters have relatively historically appropriate sensibilities and tastes and approaches to life (insofar as they can when vampires and werewolves exist), which I really appreciate.

The writing itself? Splendid. There's fun and hijinks balanced by moments of gravity, like when Sophronia realizes this isn't all a game and her actions can have devastating consequences. The pacing flows so well without feeling rushed. I would have liked to see more of the classes, especially in the first story, but it makes sense why those were summarized in favor of developing character arcs.

The only thing that confuses me is character ages. Sophronia starts out at 14, and I assumed it was a young-ish 14, but then about a year later she's already 16 and I don't think there was any mention of her birthday. I do like her being a little older given the developing romance plot line, but I'm still a bit lost there. (Also, this is just personal taste, but it's weird to me that the werewolves are functionally immortal and [I think??] women don't turn into werewolves. Weird choices to me.)

Oh, and I'm not a fan of the grumbling about how restrictive corsets and skirts are but, again, that's mostly personal taste lol.

Anyway, it's all very fun and light-hearted and a good change from the volume of horror I read in October. I would love to hear more of your thoughts on them! But keep in mind that I'm only like four chapters into the third book.

[doux-amer]

And look, I know I'm focusing on fun fun fun fun fun, but it helped because uh, the things that have come out about Yoon Suk-yeol's coup attempt are frightening and frankly more insane than you can even imagine.

(Just to keep the record straight, the bit about the DPRK uniforms is complicated because it hasn't been confirmed but hasn't been debunked yet either: x. We'll know for sure once the investigation starts.)

[teddybeartoji]

and for asks too – please know that i have a buuunch of them and it takes me a while to get to them no matter how long the ask is and no matter who it's from like i have moots stuck in there i have anons stuck in there me not answering is NEVERRR anything personal i just can't keep up with anything

[tele-mesmerism]

just decided i wanna read some horror this october ^_^ i dont think ill try to do them in order but roughly weekly

we have always lived in the castle

haunting of hill house

penpal

through the woods

[aquareegia]

Will this sketch ever be more than a sketch? Will this idea ever be turned into a proper drawing? Only Sleep knows.