So many good books this month, with Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Talents and Martha Wells’ Artificial Condition leading the pack for fiction.
@molly0xfff June reading wrap-up, reviewing the 14 books I read this month (no spoilers) #readingwrapup #junereadingwrapup #booktok #bookrecommendations #parableofthetalents #murderbot #spaceopera #litrpg #newtanddemon ♬ original sound - Molly White
NYC, 1919: Perched on a towering pile of donated books, a librarian calls from a megaphone to request more book donations for American troops stationed in France. The American Library Association’s campaign sent up to 55,000 books each month to military camp libraries.
(via Library of Congress)
Belated May reading wrap-up. Lots of comfort/escapist reading this month, heavy on the litRPGs and detective novels. Favorite out of the fifteen was probably Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi.
there is no feeling like finishing book two in a series you're enjoying and then discovering that book three is coming out only days later
You can’t crush ideas by suppressing them. You can only crush them by ignoring them. By refusing to think, refusing to change.
“Don’t hurt anyone. Never bully people weaker than yourself. Help out those in need. Some would say that these rules are obvious. But the truth is, the obvious is no longer obvious in today’s world. What’s worse is that some people even ask why. They don't understand why they shouldn't hurt other people. It's not a simple thing to explain. It’s not logical. But if they read books they will understand. It’s far more important than using logic to explain something. Human beings don’t live alone, and a book is a way to show them that.”
Rintaro did his best to explain to the invisible listener.
“I think the power of books is that—that they teach us to care about others. It’s a power that gives people courage and also supports them in turn.”
Rintaro broke off for a moment, biting his lip.
“Because you seem to have forgotten,” he resumed with all the strength he could muster, “I’m going to say it as loud as I can. Empathy—that's the power of books.”
few things i enjoy more than unwinding with a cozy fantasy novel, but as someone who is highly suggestible to vivid descriptions of cinnamon buns i’m beginning to worry they’re bad for my health
Every so often I read a book that's so good it makes me feel like I need to recalibrate my book ratings scale. How can it be a "five star" book when it's so much better than other "five star" books I've read?
But I've always found the ubiquitous star rating scales poorly suited to my mental model of cataloguing books, which vary so widely they could never be boiled down to a plain numeric scale. Do the stars represent how much I enjoyed a book? The depth of feelings it made me feel? The quality of the prose? The ease with which I find myself turning to the next page?
March reading. Quite an eclectic mix this month, with some really enjoyable reads.
