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Post by Alatariel on Mar 7, 2024 12:38:41 GMT -6
Oh wow. PUtting this one on my wish list. Short story collections are so under-appreciated these days that it's kinda hard to find them. And this is a theme I've been pondering for a while now, so it'll be interesting to see how someone competently expresses it. Yes, it's a shame short story collections aren't more popular. A good short story's hard to find, and hard to beat. Fantastic suggestion. I've been wanting to read more short stories. I was thinking of subscribing to Uncanny and Apex magazines since they are the top of the market right now.
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Post by Alatariel on Mar 7, 2024 12:43:42 GMT -6
Title: What Moves the Dead Author: T. Kingfisher Genre: Light Horror?
What do you think?
This is a novella and a quick read, it's based on The Fall of the House of Usher but features a non-binary character and gives us more of an explanation as to why these things are happening. I definitely recommend it, the main character has this dry wit that just makes the story really engaging. Plus- mycology.
Recommend it?
Totally! Especially since it's short and not scary, just a bit creepy like Poe's work.
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Post by Alatariel on Mar 7, 2024 12:55:19 GMT -6
Title: Chain-Gang All-Stars Author: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Genre: Uh...dystopian? Literary sci-fi dystopia?
What do you think?
I AM SPEECHLESS.
This book will be living in my thoughts for the rest of my life.
It's brutal, visceral, painful, beautiful, heart-breaking, stunning...an absolute masterpiece.
It's written in 3rd person omniscient and hops between characters on every single page and yet I wasn't confused or mad about it. It helped give me the feeling of observer, spectator, like someone watching at all times. And since this is about a deadly reality show/sporting event thats broadcasted 24/7, that choice of POV is perfect.
This book brings up a lot of complex questions about our society, media consumption, the brutality of the penal system and how we speak about Black bodies/athletes. This book offers no answers, lets it all just hang there for us to decide. There are footnotes about the characters, actual laws from our current legal system, and facts/statistics about corporal punishment.
What if prisoners were gladiators who fought to the death in televised events? What if they could be freed if they survived for three years in this environment? What if there were corporate sponsors and the prisoners became celebrities? What if people justified it because these were "bad people" who "deserved it"? Would that make the brutality okay? More palatable? Enjoyable, even?
The story centers around Loretta Thurwar who is a Grand Colossal and two weeks away from becoming High Freed and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker who is her lover and competition. Both have complex histories, they aren't perfect people, they are in this system for a reason (both have murdered someone and been sentenced to 25+ years before being offered a contract in Chain-Gang). Their stories and perspectives brought me to tears. There are many POVs but theirs were my favorite. I also loved Hendrix "The Scorpion Singer" Young and Randy Mac and so many others.
Recommend it?
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES.
Read content/trigger warnings first.
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Post by HDSimplicityy on Apr 1, 2024 9:01:09 GMT -6
Title: Project Hail Mary Author: Andy Weir Genre: Science Fiction
What do I think? So far its really enjoyable. One quarter of the way in and its pivoting between two timelines, making things connect in a neat manner. The MC has a great laid back personality. He kinda has to laugh at minor things to keep himself from going nuts and dying in space.
Do I recommend? I do. I've never read Weir before. I loved Ridley Scott's adaptation of The Martian, and I wanted a new sci fi book to try out.
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Dalski
Smoke
Posts: 4
Preferred Pronouns: he/him
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Post by Dalski on Apr 9, 2024 0:18:25 GMT -6
Title: Beartown (#1) / Us Against You (#2) / The Winners (#3) Author: Fredrik Backman Genre: Contemporary Fiction
What do you think of it?
Beartown by Fredrik Backman is at its heart about the inhabitants of a small town in Sweden and how they interact with each other. The story can get very oppressive and depressing and dark at times (I'm sure it checks off several trigger warning boxes, so please beware before reading), but there are just as many amazing characters and beautiful moments to balance it out. I'm from a small town and sometimes this book feels almost TOO realistic in some senses. Beartown is a hockey town, but the book itself isn't really about hockey. It's about the players, their families, and how each of them react when the status quo of their town topples down.
From Goodreads:
Recommend it?
100%. If you like character driven stories, or if you've read anything else by Backman (A Man Called Ove, Anxious People, etc), you will definitely like this one!
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Post by RAVENEYE on Apr 9, 2024 12:03:42 GMT -6
Title: Beartown (#1) / Us Against You (#2) / The Winners (#3) Author: Fredrik Backman Genre: Contemporary Fiction What do you think of it?Beartown by Fredrik Backman is at its heart about the inhabitants of a small town in Sweden and how they interact with each other. The story can get very oppressive and depressing and dark at times (I'm sure it checks off several trigger warning boxes, so please beware before reading), but there are just as many amazing characters and beautiful moments to balance it out. I'm from a small town and sometimes this book feels almost TOO realistic in some senses. Beartown is a hockey town, but the book itself isn't really about hockey. It's about the players, their families, and how each of them react when the status quo of their town topples down. From Goodreads: Recommend it?100%. If you like character driven stories, or if you've read anything else by Backman (A Man Called Ove, Anxious People, etc), you will definitely like this one! Hi, Dalski! Great to see you! I read Backman's My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry some years ago, and his complex interplay of complex characters was just unforgettable. Simple story, complex people who made the plot way deeper than it otherwise might've been. Really brilliant. I'll add Beartown to my to-read list.
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