#hardcover or paperback

[smalltownfae]

JOMP Book Photo Challenge 📚

January 5th, 2023: Hardcover or Papeback?

Paperback all the way UNLESS the hardcover is an illustrated edition. I am weak when it comes to illustrated editions and those are usually hardcover. I own the entire Realm of the Elderlings series in UK paperback, but I still bought that Farseer illustrated editions. I also own the illustrated edition of A Game of Thrones.

[dspd]

Source: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8uVHQp2/

[raedas]

where in the locked tomb universe are we?

or: a tentative guide to the solar system in the locked tomb and which houses go where :)

[id: a diagram of the solar system, including pluto, with additional white text overlaid over each body. the sun is labeled dominicus, mercury is labeled the sixth, venus is the seventh, earth is the first, mars is the second, jupiter is the third, saturn is the fifth, uranus is the fourth, neptune is the eight, and pluto is the ninth. /end id]

note: i'm pretty sure people have put together similar analyses before, but i wanted to try my own hand at it! and please feel free to share if you disagree with me on anything & your own evidence and thoughts <3

evidence & analysis under the cut!

THE NINTH HOUSE:

okay, this one is pretty much just a freebie. if you didn't know that the ninth house was on pluto, then, uh... sorry! i'm not going to exhaustively go through all the evidence for this one, but some things that stick out are the cold, gideon's awe at how close the first house is to the sun, and the fact that it's the "ninth" to begin with—the house that wasn't really meant to exist, perfectly in line with the planet that isn't really a planet THE FIRST HOUSE:

this one is given to us just as much, if not moreso, than the ninth. with that in mind, i'm just going to do a quick run through of the evidence that the first house is earth: it's very blue and covered in water, there are ruins of civilization, it's "the first", so on and so forth. home, sweet home :)

THE SIXTH HOUSE:

Then he said, "The sun has stabilized. Hope the Sixth House didn't get cooked in the flare." (Harrow the Ninth, 490)

this line is pretty much the entire selling point for the sixth being on mercury, the closest planet to the sun! (until they run away to the other side of the universe, that is)

THE SEVENTH HOUSE:

There were other planets that made their homelands closer to the burning star of Dominicus--the Seventh and Sixth, for instance--but to Gideon they could not imaginably be anything else than 100 percent on fire. (Gideon the Ninth, 67)

the implication here is fairly obvious: the seventh and sixth are on venus and mercury, or vice versa. thankfully, since we have the sixth squared away as mercury, it's pretty obvious that the seventh is located on venus

BONUS MYTHOLOGY FACT: venus is the roman goddess of beauty! (also known by her greek name, aphrodite). "seven for beauty that blossoms and dies", huh?

THE EIGHTH HOUSE:

"I squeal so long and so loud that they hear me from the Eighth." (Gideon the Ninth, 26)

while this line is obvious hyperbole, to me it implies one of two things: either the eighth is the farthest planet from the ninth, or it's right next to them. and since we know that mercury already has its hands full with sixth house, i think it's safe to assume that the eighth is on neptune, the ninth's next door neighbor :)

THE SECOND HOUSE:

"We went through the same shitty questions of what to do. What about the Mars installation, what about the fusion batteries?" (Nona the Ninth, 74)

john helpfully offers this tidbit to us when he's recounting everything that happened leading up to the apocalypse to harrow. i think it says a lot that there was a mars installation even before the apocalypse properly hit, and it makes sense that said installation would eventually become a proper House, with a capital H

BONUS MYTHOLOGY FACT: mars is the roman god of warfare (known in greek as ares)! looks at the second house and how closely they're associated the cohort... yeah, i think that speaks for itself

THE THIRD & FIFTH HOUSES:

"I thought we'd end up on the Third or the Fifth, or a sweet space station, or something." (Gideon the Ninth, 56)

"We are not becoming an appendix of the Third or Fifth Houses," continued the necromancer opposite." (Gideon the Ninth, 58)

okay, here's this bit where things begin to get a bit hairy. repeatedly throughout the books, we're told about how the third and fifth are the two "big" houses. harrow's scared of them and worried they'll make the ninth one of their appendixes, gideon originally thinks the entire lyctoral meeting will be on one of their planets, so on and so forth. with that in mind, it really isn't that much of a stretch to think they'd be situated on the two giants in our solar system: jupiter and saturn. we'll come back in a moment to sort out which is which!

THE FOURTH HOUSE:

aaaand uranus is the only planet left! congrats, fourth!

THE THIRD & FIFTH HOUSES (again):

"Naturally [Isaac] is Pent's protégé. I hear the Fifth takes special pains with the Fourth... hegemonic pains, some may say." (Gideon the Ninth, 170)

from this quote, as well as the whole of jeannemary & isaac's relationship with magnus & abigail, we can surmise that the fourth house is very close to the fifth house (hegemonic though it may be). it's reasonable that that metaphorical proximity is reflecting (or caused by) something else: physical proximity. with that, i think it's fairly safe to assume that the fifth is on saturn, putting the third on jupiter

DOMINICUS:

aaand finally, the center of the solar system itself! i really, really don't think it needs sharing that dominicus is the sun, as long as you accept that the locked tomb takes place in our own solar system. however, i do think the meaning of dominicus is worth sharing. coming from latin, it translates roughly to "lordly", "belonging to god", or "of the master." very subtle, john, very subtle.

[random-fun-polls]

do you prefer hardcover or paperback books?

-paperback

-hardcover

-ambivalent

-i've never considered this before/see results

[godzilla-reads]

I am pretty meticulous about keeping my books in good condition, but there’s something about finding a beat up book with a cracked spine and maybe the dust cover is a little torn that makes me feel such love and care and appreciation. You were loved and I will continue to love you.

[smile-files]

an uncomfortable read...

(objectober day 19: books)

[fmk-polls]

Ask box is open and I am taking poll suggestions

[alynnl]

I reread Terry Pratchett's Nation this year and I always enjoy it every read.

It takes its themes seriously but also has the lighter moments needed to give a breather in its overall heavy narrative.

What I appreciate the most about it is how human all the characters read to me. And how their beliefs aren't dismissed even when the truth comes out. There is no wrong answer when it comes to faith vs. science, both are given equal credit since they're part of that human experience.

I also see a theme carried on in Nation that I've seen in other Prachett books such as Good Omens and Small Gods.

"Here and now, we are alive." and variations thereof.

In the case of Nation, instead of going to the perfect world, Mau decides he will remain in this one and try to do his part to make it a better one.

It will probably never be completely perfect, but in many small ways we can make life brighter and more worth living.

By connecting with others and finding common ground, we can become more than the sum of our parts.

That's the message I took away from this reread.

And also this is my informal recommendation to read Terry Pratchett's Nation if you haven't yet, or reread it if it's been a while.

I think it's one of his best standalone novels, and it has a message that speaks to all ages.

[nekoning]

important update of rosmei's cover design for the first volume of liu yao!!!!

the original cover art on lofter by 山魂

[ana-cantskywalker]

There are two wolves inside of you

One of them is broke and wants to save money

The other one wants to own hardcover versions of books

[bumblebeeappletree]

If you have a Little Free Library near you, donate some Solarpunk books! And don’t forget to suggest to your local library to add some Solarpunk books to their collection too! Share the joy!

[freakoutgirl]

hardcover with dust jacket // without dust jacket

mass market // trade paperback

[alliluyevas]

hater moment but there were two posts in this reading challenge group I'm in on facebook yesterday that I literally can't stop thinking about. Anyway, these two people both posted that they were trying to free up space on their bookshelves and you should message them if you wanted any of the books they had for sale and then put pics. But omg the selection of books. one person was selling off no less than EIGHT copies of Fourth Wing, a book released LAST YEAR, and the other person was selling FIVE different complete matched sets of Sarah Maas's romantasy books. Like I'm sorry how does this happen? Is this some sort of compulsive shopping addiction? How do you acquire eight copies of the same book within a year of it coming out and before deciding you need to offload them? At no point did you think to yourself, do I really need another copy of this book?

[digitalcityprinting-nyc]

In this comprehensive analysis of Hardcover vs Paperback Comparison, we will explore the unique qualities that set these two formats apart, shedding light on their individual strengths and weaknesses. From the sturdy elegance of hardcovers that exude sophistication on bookshelves to the lightweight portability of paperbacks ideal for travel companionship, each format offers

[causeimanartist]

What is your favorite Thursday Murder Club member? Im particularly attached to Ron and Elizabeth.

Oooooooooh tough question because I honestly love them all but if I had to pick - it's between Ibrahim and Joyce!

[obi-wan-catobi]

Guess who accidentally got the prisoner's throne in hardcover?