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2025-03-02 16:37

Getting dark: Ellen Datlow's "When Things Get Dark".

Wrapped up today on another themed anthology edited by Ellen Datlow, "When Things Get Dark". And the theme for this one? Well, Shirley Jackson of course! These stories in this anthology are inspired by the works of Shirley Jackson. Now these stories aren't pastiches of Jackson's, they're original enough to be their own thing, but the influence is pretty much there to be sure. I've loved reading Jackson's work, from her short stories to her novels. The stories are a mix of mystery, psychological horror and supernatural horror, with settings that look mundane but hide something sinister and, potentially, dangerous. Very reminiscent of "The Haunting Of Hill House", "We Have Always Lived in a Castle" and some of her short stories, particularly "The Lottery". The sometimes the stories can have some humor in it, it is all horror and mystery through and through. And a lot of times they can tread through some weird territory as well, but not in the cosmic horror sense. But these stories are th

2025-03-02 16:37

Do NOT Sleep on Dungeon Crawler Carl

A few months ago I watched a Booktok about a book I had never heard of previously and the premise was something I would not normally read. But the review was intriguing and so I started reading “Dungeon Crawler Carl”. I have basically done nothing since but read the series. I’m on the fourth book now. This book is crazy weird but delightful and imaginative. The author Matt Dinniman writes without rules which provides a refreshing and surprising story line. I haven’t heard many people talking about it, and like I mentioned before, the premise is wacky so I just had to come on here and sing its praises! Read it if you haven’t!

2025-03-02 16:36

When Does Liking Classics Become Pretentious?

I love reading classic novels and plays. Literary fiction is my absolute jam most of the time. This definitely started as with a younger, less wise version of me who just wanted to seem smart, but after reading more and more, I honestly think that there is a lot of value in reading older books as well as newer fiction. A good is book is a good book regardless of genre. The way I see it, it is important that we read books with diversity in mind. That means both diversity in place, race, and gender, but it also means diversity of time period. There certainly are people who read classics and make it really annoying and pretentious. However, I do think that most people would do well to read books that predate the current, commercial fiction landscape every once in a while. To me, it becomes pretentious when people act like classic authors are seen as infallible. This is not only annoying, but it prevents readers from honestly engaging with the ideas and dialogues that books can offer.

2025-03-02 16:35

Getting dark: Ellen Datlow's "When Things Get Dark".

Wrapped up today on another themed anthology edited by Ellen Datlow, "When Things Get Dark". And the theme for this one? Well, Shirley Jackson of course! These stories in this anthology are inspired by the works of Shirley Jackson. Now these stories aren't pastiches of Jackson's, they're original enough to be their own thing, but the influence is pretty much there to be sure. I've loved reading Jackson's work, from her short stories to her novels. The stories are a mix of mystery, psychological horror and supernatural horror, with settings that look mundane but hide something sinister and, potentially, dangerous. Very reminiscent of "The Haunting Of Hill House", "We Have Always Lived in a Castle" and some of her short stories, particularly "The Lottery". The sometimes the stories can have some humor in it, it is all horror and mystery through and through. And a lot of times they can tread through some weird territory as well, but not in the cosmic horror sense. But these stories are th

2025-03-02 16:35

Do NOT Sleep on Dungeon Crawler Carl

A few months ago I watched a Booktok about a book I had never heard of previously and the premise was something I would not normally read. But the review was intriguing and so I started reading “Dungeon Crawler Carl”. I have basically done nothing since but read the series. I’m on the fourth book now. This book is crazy weird but delightful and imaginative. The author Matt Dinniman writes without rules which provides a refreshing and surprising story line. I haven’t heard many people talking about it, and like I mentioned before, the premise is wacky so I just had to come on here and sing its praises! Read it if you haven’t!

2025-03-02 16:34

Smilla's Sense of Snow for Danes & Greenlanders?

I loved this book. The conspiracy was flimsy, but the narration and pacing was good enough to excuse that. Even when we get to mutant meteorite worms Høeg keeps it grounded through great descriptions of ice and brutality, which start page one. Smilla has a sense for both things-- she spends a lot of the book comparing the violence of life in the harsh environment of the Arctic with the violence of Danish society (structural, colonial). I know it was a pretty popular book when it came out, and looking around I can see it's cited in some papers on postcolonial literature, but I'd be interested to know about its reception in Greenland and Denmark. The language barrier doesn't help, and the fact that it's a thriller (as opposed to a 'serious' book) probably doesn't either. Does anyone know where I can look for more information?

2025-03-02 16:33

Picked up ‘Reading Lolita in Teheran’ and it’s terrifying

Nafisi’s descriptions of those early days after the Iranian revolution just hit a little bit too close to home. The sense of dread mixed with a fool’s hope that some reaction will come. The incredibly human, but blindingly stubborn intrusion of daily life. The shocking mundaneness of the antagonists. The sense of loss and helplessness in the face of such blind devotion. Every time I put the book down I’m left with a sense of foreboding. We cannot fathom what is yet to come, we cannot believe people will go to such depths. They will.

2025-03-02 16:33

“Once An Eagle” by Anton Myrer

I finally got around to reading this despite its age, and I will say that it’s worth the amount of time it takes, even if you aren’t a fan of military-related reading. It’s as much an anti-war novel through Myrer’s visceral depictions (he served as a Marine in WWII), as it is a lesson in leadership, interpersonal relationships, and personal morality. Highly recommended for anyone.

2025-03-02 16:32

Picked up ‘Reading Lolita in Teheran’ and it’s terrifying

Nafisi’s descriptions of those early days after the Iranian revolution just hit a little bit too close to home. The sense of dread mixed with a fool’s hope that some reaction will come. The incredibly human, but blindingly stubborn intrusion of daily life. The shocking mundaneness of the antagonists. The sense of loss and helplessness in the face of such blind devotion. Every time I put the book down I’m left with a sense of foreboding. We cannot fathom what is yet to come, we cannot believe people will go to such depths. They will.

2025-03-02 16:31

I've tried reading Neuromancer twice and couldn't get into it. It's incomprehensible.

I can't remember the last time I read the first few chapters of a book and never finished it. I don't think I ever have. But I've tried reading Neuromancer twice, the first time getting a third of the way into it, and simply couldn't get into it. The writing style is just incomprehensible. It feels like a jumbled mess...it's an interesting premise with great ideas, but it's just incomprehensible. Like it has plenty of lines of dialogue where it's not specified who said what, for example. Maybe I'm just stupid but I've seen a TON of posts complaining about the same thing regarding Neuromancer. Was it just a common writing style in the '80s? Because I've read books from the 1940s-2020s and never noticed such a style. Maybe William Gibson's style just isn't for me. But I figured it wouldn't take me long to finish since it's only 271 pages, way shorter than the books I typically read, and I still can't finish it! I guess I'll stick to authors I'm used to. I know it's not just me but how'd