New York Public Library, public library system in New York City.
books
I'm pinning the list of specifically sapphic (not just queer) fantasy (not sci-fi or urban fantasy) novels I've read and recommend, also because I'm starting to get trouble keeping track of this list myselves so I want it somewhere I can edit. Yes I will resurrect my bookworm account at some point ok, in the meantime I'm making a pinned.
S tier, top picks
Locked Tomb (series)
Landlocked in Foreign Skin
This Gilded Abyss
The Serpent Gates (series)
The Tensorate (series)
A tier, recommended
(no particular order)
When Women Were Warriors (series)
Spear (Nicola Griffith)
Their Bright Ascendency (series)
The Unbroken
Girls Made of Snow and Glass
Legends and Lattes
The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry
B tier, still OK
(no particular order)
The Priory of the Orange Tree (series)
Of Fire and Stars (series)
The Witch's Heart
To-read list
The Sapling Cage
Ash / Huntress
The Burning Kingdoms (series)
Literally cannot remember whether or not I've already read these
The Radiant Emperor duology
Girl, Serpent, Thorn
FAQ
"Gideon / Landlocked are sci-fi": not according to my definition
Edited 28d ago
The big reveal…
So I wrote up a lot of these little stories a few years ago but I’ve added some new ones, cleaned it all up and now I’m the happiest with it that I’ve ever been. You can definitely get a copy in time for Christmas, if you’re so inclined…
#bookreveal #newreleases #books #bookstodon #selfpublishing #author #shortstories
Just a quick reminder...
If you’ve read my book, 'Drystone - A Life Rebuilt' I’d be grateful if you left a review wherever you prefer.
This isn’t a plea for 5 star ratings; it’s a request for honesty. Books are personal: I dislike plenty, feel neutral about many, and love a few. Whatever your response, reviews really help. A wall of 5-stars is wonderful, but it can also feel suspicious to readers. A mix of perspectives shows the book is being read seriously.
Edited 134d ago
We’re so sorry to hear that Guppe Groups have shut down.
@FediTips/115164286964463451
Guppe was a really big influence on us when we first joined the Fediverse and served communities across the Fediverse.
Fortunately, conversations and communities can continue! Here are 3 ways how:
1/3 Keep the conversation going by hopping over to Newsmast Channels:
Bookstodon 👉 Follow @books & use #books
Histodons 👉 Follow @history & use #history
Academic Chatter 👉 Follow @academia & use #academia
Photography 👉 Follow @photography & use #photography
Long and Short Reviews is looking for guest bloggers for their Winter Blogfest: https://www.longandshortreviews.com/miscellaneous-musings/calling-all-authors-free-author-promo/
They would like a 250-500 word guest post about winter or any winter holiday you celebrate.
The submission deadline is December 19. Click on the link above for more information.
#WritingCommunity #Blogging #Writing #Books #GuestPost #Holidays #Christmas #Hanukkah #WinterSolstice #NewYearsEve #NewYearsDay
Well, my book on TDDA has become slightly more real:
It’s not expected to be available until April, but you can see it on the publisher’s website at
https://www.routledge.com/Test-Driven-Data-Analysis/Radcliffe/p/book/9781032897158
Although the publisher won’t let you pre-order till the end of March, the paper copy is listed on Blackwells and Waterstones:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/test-driven-data-analysis/nicholas-j-radcliffe/9781032897158
and Amazon will let you pre-order paper or Kindle copies.
#TDDA #books #data #analysis #testing #datascience #quality #AI #ML
Edited 26d ago
Are there any book clubs on Mastodon? The in-person ones around me keep petering out or are hard to get to, and the ones I’ve seen online are toooo big for my tastes. I have a slight preference for fantasy/sci-fi, but any genre is good. I just want to talk about books! #bookstodon #books #reading
When is a book finished? When you are done writing. After 50 revisions over 6 editions things feel right here. It is the story I want to tell. https://www.amazon.com/Some-Books-Are-Not-Sale/dp/B0B6XQB9BF #writing #books #florida
Edited 123d ago
Change Calibre's Default Theme to a Light or Dark Mode
Learn how to change Calibre’s default colour palette, theme or mode when the system default theme doesn’t cause it to change automatically.
https://www.adamsdesk.com/posts/calibre-theme-light-dark-mode/
#blog #books #bookstodon #ebook #technology #100DaysToOffload
#AynRand is quoted, misquoted, praised, and vilified — often by people who haven’t read her.
_The Ayn Rand Reader_ offers excerpts from her #fiction and #nonfiction: her ideas, her voice, her terms.
If you’re serious about understanding her — whether to agree or disagree — start here: https://aynrand.org/novels/the-ayn-rand-reader/
#philosophy #books #bookstodon #literature #AynRand #Objectivism
"The Gift & The Legacy: African American Philanthropy as Power, Purpose and Promise, Taroue W. Brooks reframes the conversation, reminding us that philanthropy is not confined to financial contributions but encompasses time, talent, ties, testimony, treasure, and trust." By Staff Heart &Soul Magazine 9.16.25
https://www.heartandsoul.com/culture/the-heart-of-philanthropy/
#bookstodon #books #Blackmastodon #BlackFedi
Edited 18d ago
Reading Rainbow is returning after twenty years, with the incomparable Mychal the Librarian leading the way.
This show is exactly what we need right now.
Books are being banned. Education is under attack. The fascists want to control the narrative.
This is an opportunity for kids to learn to love books, literature & libraries while also fostering a sense of compassion, diversity, inclusion and tolerance.
#readingrainbow #books #literature #writing #mychal #tolerance #compassion #libraries
Book number 3 on my #StephenKing re-read journey.
This was a lot of fun to revisit. Another one I read decades ago. This has so many of my favorite short SK stories in it. Many many classics.
This book turned out a remarkable ELEVEN movie + tv adaptations. Absolutely insane. Talk about legendary.
Really hard to pick a favorite but Battleground is so much fun.
Edited 103d ago
They were grown men or at least had lived for several decades, which in some societies is considered the same thing.
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather
Edited 18d ago
🚨VOY A CERRAR LA CUENTA DE MASTODON Y VUELVO A TWITTER🚨
Bien, ahora que tengo vuestra atención (😆), os cuento: he reunido varios relatos que he escrito a lo largo de los últimos años en un libro, que he tenido a bien llamar Trece. Y vosotres diréis, «oh, Carlos, ¿por qué has escogido ese título tan curioso?». Me alegra que me hagáis esa pregunta. Pues, además de por las connotaciones que tiene ese número, porque son trece relatos (me he quedado calvo, lo sé). Alguno de ellos es de terror, tanto sobrenatural como psicológico. Otros son sencillamente inquietantes, y otros son apenas microrrelatos que se me ocurrían sobre la marcha. Pero todos llevan un poquito de mí. En el siguiente toot os dejo la portada y la sinopsis para que tengáis más info.
Como siempre, este libro es completamente gratuito, y lo podéis descargar en epub a través del enlace a mi nube de Disroot. Junto a él encontraréis otras historias. Si alguna de ellas os llama la atención, dadle caña sin miedo. O con él.
Y si compartís esta publicación para ayudar a que mi trabajo llegue a más personas me haréis el hombre más feliz del fediverso 😊
https://cloud.disroot.org/s/YdbStYSNMHAjkWd
#booktodon #bookstodon #LibrosGratis #libros #books #literatura #literaverso
My favorite books published in 2025:
Gliff - Ali Smith
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This - Omar El Akkad
Audition - Pip Adam
Dusk - Robbie Arnott
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng - Kylie Lee Baker
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter - Stephen Graham Jones
Sour Cherry - Natalia Theodoridou
The Hymn to Dionysus - Natasha Pulley
Eternal Summer - Franziska Gansler (tr. Imogen Taylor)
The Silver Book - Olivia Laing
We Pretty Pieces of Flesh - Colwill Brown
Woodworking - Emily St. James
Edited 13d ago
2025 in #books, a thread, inspired by (but not limited to) https://shereads.com/traci-thomas-best-books-of-2025/ :
Two books I loved, part 1:
Gliff - Ali Smith
A fable about survival in a totalitarian surveillance state. A reflection on childhood, siblinghood, and the cost and worth of kindness. A dance with language and memory. I was torn between the impulse to read it all in one sitting and the urge to savor every single sentence.
Before Book One.
Between Harmony and Fire is now available.
A collection of mythic fragments from the world of Akidir.
https://books2read.com/u/bzlOXZ
#fantasy #books #readers #news #bookstodon #indieauthor
When Alice Gooblar-Perovic, Aahana Gupta, and Lydia Cruce were freshmen at Iowa City West High School, they learned that thousands of books, including "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Nineteen Minutes," were going to be pulled from classrooms across their state. This was in order to comply with Senate File 496, which said books and school materials must be "age appropriate." So they started a Banned Book Club. Two years later, the club is still going and growing, and the law is in trouble — the part of it that affected school libraries was temporarily blocked by a federal judge, while enforcement of book restrictions remains frozen under a second temporary injunction. @npr's Iowa Public Radio spoke with the three girls, who are now juniors, about how their goals have changed, and the community they've built.
#Books @bookstodon #BookBans #Iowa #TheKidsAreAlright #HighSchool #Children
Edited 84d ago
wants to read Graça Infinita
Conversando com amigo sobre este livro e, ao ler a sinopse novamente, se mostra bem atual:
"Os Estados Unidos e o Canadá já não existem: eles foram substituídos pela poderosa Onan, a Organização de Nações Norte-Americanas. Uma enorme porção do continente se tornou um depósito de lixo tóxico. Separatistas quebequenses praticam atos terroristas e a contagem dos anos foi vendida às grandes corporações. Graça infinita foi o último grande romance do século XX e teve um impacto duradouro e ainda difícil de ser aferido. Ora cômico, ora doloroso, ele encapsulou uma geração ligada à ironia e ao entretenimento, mas desconectada da imaginação, da solidariedade e da empatia. No romance, seguimos os passos dos irmãos Incandenza - membros da família mais disfuncional da literatura contemporânea -, conforme tentam dar conta do legado do patriarca James Incandenza, um cientista de óptica que se tornou cineasta e cometeu suicídio depois de produzir um misterioso filme que, pela alta voltagem de entretenimento, levava seus espectadores à morte. Enquanto organizações governamentais e terroristas querem usar o filme como arma de guerra, os Incandenza vão se embrenhar numa cômica e filosófica busca pelo sentido da vida. Graça infinita dobra todas as regras da ficção sem jamais sacrificar seu próprio valor de entretenimento. É uma exuberante e original investigação do que nos torna humanos - e um desses raros livros que renovam a ideia do que um romance pode ser."
---
Há anos, quero ler este, mas é uma obra de fôlego (1.144 páginas) e bem caro. E não sei se é viável na edição em e-book, pois já ouvi reclamações sobre erros nas Notas (existem notas gigantescas e até notas dentro de notas...).
Antes, devo ler um texto indicado aqui no Fediverso e disponível gratuitamente na Revista Piauí (a não ser que tenham metido um paywall), "Pense na Lagosta":
https://piaui.folha.uol.com.br/materia/pense-na-lagosta/
#DavidFosterWallace #InfiniteJest #GracaInfinita #PenseNaLagosta #ConsiderTheLobster #Livros #Books #Ensaios #Essays
a few years ago i mentioned that i wrote a book about the exciting, awkward and embarrassing experiences of growing up with computers and video games in the 80s and 90s.
i wanted to remember what it felt like being the only dorky computer kid at school. or what it was like to hear my first modem handshake sound. or starting the first flamewar on the school's national FirstClass BBS in the macintosh lab over the lunch-hour
it was originally something i wrote only for my family and friends who were there at the time.
and then i met all of you folks when i started my first masto instance 4 years ago. i had no idea there were so many hardcore retrocomputing and gaming nerds out there; unix and mac and ms-dos folks alike.
so i mentioned it casually. i was surprised by the interest in the book.
so i spent the better part of the past 3 years rewriting the book for *you* fellow mastodon dorkus malorkuses. the book is a celebration of all of the best (and worst) parts of a kid growing up in the digital age.
we're all busy old tired stressed folks now. so every memory and cringetacular story is short enough to read on a 5 minute bus/metro/toilet ride. they're weaved together into an arc that starts at my family's first Tandy TRS-80 and ends at my school's Mac LC II and building my first Pentium 133.
it's finally published, and i'm super proud of what it became thanks to everyone here nerding out for years.
enjoy the book. i wrote it just for you. ❤️
paperback edition: https://mybook.to/EDuUf
DRM-free ebook (EPUB format) and chapter samples here:
https://tomotama.itch.io/mages-modems
#books #indiePublisher #bookstodon #author #macintosh #vintageApple #vintageComputing #msdos #dosGaming #yeg #canada #alberta #bbs #smolWeb #indieWeb
![The rear cover of the book, showing a Carmen Sandiego-style letter from the ACME Detective agency. The letter has a picture of a spazzing out kid wearing a Just Do It sweater.
The letter reads:
ACME Detective Agency
Dear Detective #0294,
As discussed, I have enclosed a hardcopy of VGA256's journals discussed at the departmental briefing. The journal entries are chronological, and document the suspect's computing and gaming activities from the early 1980s to late 1990s - his childhood and adolescent years.
Each vignette is an introspection into the suspect's self-described obsessions, including but not limited to:
* IBM PC, Amiga, Apple ][, Macintosh, Tandy
* MS-DOS, MacOS, Windows 3.1 & 95, UNIX
* NES, GameBoy, Sega Genesis, TI-85
* Modems, BBSes, CompuServe, Prodigy, ISPs
* Warez, FTP, Usenet, IRC, Shell Accounts
* Origin Systems, LucasArts, and Sierra On-Line
... and so on. The stories are a treasure trove of immoral and illicit activities that made him the dysfunctional adult he is now. I hope these will be of value in building your dossier on this delinquent.
I expect a report on my desk by Friday.
Deputy Chief Conover
Brat & Punk Division](/proxy/post_attachment/201680/4c3f9d6273.png "The rear cover of the book, showing a Carmen Sandiego-style letter from the ACME Detective agency. The letter has a picture of a spazzing out kid wearing a Just Do It sweater.
The letter reads:
ACME Detective Agency
Dear Detective #0294,
As discussed, I have enclosed a hardcopy of VGA256's journals discussed at the departmental briefing. The journal entries are chronological, and document the suspect's computing and gaming activities from the early 1980s to late 1990s - his childhood and adolescent years.
Each vignette is an introspection into the suspect's self-described obsessions, including but not limited to:
* IBM PC, Amiga, Apple ][, Macintosh, Tandy
* MS-DOS, MacOS, Windows 3.1 & 95, UNIX
* NES, GameBoy, Sega Genesis, TI-85
* Modems, BBSes, CompuServe, Prodigy, ISPs
* Warez, FTP, Usenet, IRC, Shell Accounts
* Origin Systems, LucasArts, and Sierra On-Line
... and so on. The stories are a treasure trove of immoral and illicit activities that made him the dysfunctional adult he is now. I hope these will be of value in building your dossier on this delinquent.
I expect a report on my desk by Friday.
Deputy Chief Conover
Brat & Punk Division")
Edited 4d ago