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@diazona@techhub.social avatar

diazona

@[email protected]

Software engineer, former particle physicist, occasional blogger. I support the principle of cake.

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ninsiana0 , to bookstodon
@ninsiana0@mastodon.social avatar

Hey. It's ok if you're behind on your yearly reading goal. That number was arbitrarily chosen in a January fog of optimism & champagne anyway, and you don't need to turn something you love & brings you comfort into a stressor. Read good books. Enjoy them. Be gentle with yourself.

@bookstodon

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@ninsiana0 @bookstodon Wise words 😀 although I wouldn't discount the satisfaction that comes from achieving a goal over a long term. It's not the biggest deal but it is something.

I actually do have one goal I really care about, which is to finish the series this year... I'm definitely running a little behind on that (only 10.6 books in, out of 14) but it's close enough that I might just make it. 🤞

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@ronsboy67 @ninsiana0 @bookstodon Yeah, but then you have the satisfaction of meeting your goals to keep yourself happy... the rest of us have nothing.

(congrats though 😀)

pseudonymsupreme , to bookstodon
@pseudonymsupreme@pnw.zone avatar

Huh. It just occurred to me that not everyone reads all the time. Like, there’s a bunch of people without books they’re reading right now. That concept is so bizarre to me. I’ve always got several books going. Ebooks, audiobooks and physical copies of books. If you don’t read anymore, when and why did you stop? No judgement. I’m genuinely curious. @bookstodon

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@anomnomnomaly @BackFromTheDud @pseudonymsupreme @bookstodon I wonder if Waffle House wait staff get discounted waffles though... I would do a lot for an easy supply of cheap waffles

Likewise , to bookstodon
@Likewise@beige.party avatar

If someone, who isn’t an avid reader says, “This is one of the best books I’ve ever read…” (assuming they aren’t talking about something they read when they were 5)

Do you think:

Wow, this must be a phenomenal book, I must find it immediately.

OR

This is probably trash or close to it & if I see it, steer clear. @bookstodon

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@Likewise @bookstodon Both of those seem like overly strong reactions to me.

Personally, I probably wouldn't make much of it because I know that my taste in books doesn't align with a lot of other people's. But I would ask what they liked about it, consider how well their reading preferences align with my own, and probably look it up on , and based on all that info if it sounds interesting I'll add it to my to-read list.

I would never take someone's positive review of a book to mean that it's trash, unless I know that their preferences are diametrically opposed to mine, and in that case it's not too likely I'd be listening to that person in the first place.

Narayoni , to bookstodon
@Narayoni@mastodon.social avatar

Very Apt! "And, as is generally the case around the time a prophet is expected, the Church redoubled its efforts to be holy. This was very much like the bustle you get in any large concern when the auditors are expected, but tended towards taking people suspected of being less holy and putting them to death in a hundred ingenious ways. This is considered a reliable barometer of the state of one’s piety in most of the really popular religions" @bookstodon

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@Narayoni @bookstodon attn: Mythbusters

DarkMatterZine , to bookstodon
@DarkMatterZine@mastodon.social avatar

Bookish people: I’m making bookmarks as a kind of business card that hopefully people will keep.
What are your favourite dimensions for a bookmark?
Do you like ribbon or thread from a circle cut in the top or do you prefer bookmarks that are just a rectangle of eg paper?
Would you use a handmade one-of-a-kind bookmark? (Website details in a small space on one side, the rest would be pretty, have anything from pop culture icons to scenes or florals.)
@bookstodon

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@DarkMatterZine @bookstodon Love the idea 😀

Personally I like a tall bookmark, like 12-15 cm, otherwise it's too easy for it to just fall out of the book. And I like having something on the top to give that end a bit of weight. Ribbons and tassels are okay but they can easily get caught in the book; I think what I'd like best is some kind of a knob or handle, e.g. a little knot of thread.

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@DarkMatterZine @bookstodon Like, a way to bookmark a range of pages rather than just one position? Interesting thought... Off the top of my head I'm skeptical I would find it useful but it's hard to imagine without having tried it.

DocCarms , (edited ) to bookstodon
@DocCarms@mstdn.social avatar

There was a poll that stated—Rowling’s opening line in the HP series is one of best in the world. Someone posted about how there are a bunch of other opening statements that are better.

Here’s one of my personal favorites, from Gabriel Garcia Marquez (in English):
“It is inevitable — the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.”

What are some of your favorite opening lines in literature? 😊
@bookstodon

diazona , (edited )
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@arisu_m @DocCarms @bookstodon 😂👍 that might be even better

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@Dunstable @DocCarms @bookstodon We had a whole mini-thread about that somewhere else among the replies!

It figures, it's so good it gets suggested more than once 😀

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@Tweetfiction @DocCarms @bookstodon I involuntarily imagined that next-to-last one in Gonzo's voice 😂

Come to think of it... even though doesn't exactly have an opening line, the first few sentences of actual narration are a strong start:
(Gonzo) "Hello! Welcome to The Muppet Christmas Carol! I am here to tell the story."
(Rizzo) "And I am here for the food."

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@mikebaarda @DocCarms @bookstodon I think you have a point, but it's kind of context-dependent. Personally, when I read that line, sure my interest is piqued a little, but I'm also immediately primed to be looking for an explanation of the things you mentioned, and I'm not likely to have a good time reading the story until I start getting that explanation (or at least some justification for why I need to wait for it, like if the POV character is trying to find out). So it's kind of a high-risk high-reward maneuver: an opening line that introduces mysterious terms for story elements (such as, but not limited to, characters) can backfire badly if the rest of the story doesn't deliver details at the right pace.

It's also definitely possible to overdo it by throwing so many unfamiliar terms at the reader so fast that they get turned off. Not the case here, of course, but other books definitely do it.

</non-expert-opinion>

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@Tweetfiction @DocCarms @bookstodon 😂

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@mikebaarda @DocCarms @bookstodon Gotcha. Yeah I think that's the best way to do it, when that mystery drives the book (or series, in this case). It was just on my mind because of a recent discussion with a friend about a different book - I forget which one, some fantasy thing - that had used like nine made-up terms by the end of the first sentence 😂 and we were both thinking how that's almost enough to stop a person from reading right there.

I'll have to add The Gunslinger to my reading list 👍

diazona , (edited )
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@smitty @mikebaarda @DocCarms @bookstodon Yeah but I would say the difference is that one is much less mysterious. It doesn't grab your attention by alluding to a significant plot point that needs to be resolved. In fact it's kind of the opposite: yes it introduces one unknown term from the story, but aside from that it's actually very non-mysterious. It conveys stability and comfort and familiarity, at least to an audience used to reading European fairy tales.

I mean, I definitely agree that it works well! I just think it's important that it gives the reader so little to wonder about, just that one unknown term. That's how you properly pace a fantasy intro IMO.

ramblingreaders , to bookstodon
@ramblingreaders@toot.community avatar

Do you know there's a alternative to Amazon-owned ? is a social network for tracking your reading, writing reviews, and discovering what to read next. You can follow and interact with users on different instances and on . You can import from a Goodreads CSV export. You can create private shelves and curated lists. Join us at https://ramblingreaders.org or choose one of the other instances available @bookstodon

diazona , (edited )
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@ramblingreaders @danialbehzadi @bookstodon Yes, legally speaking "proprietary" is one possible type of licensing arrangement, and "open source" by the OSI's definition is another (or perhaps a set of related types that share some key features), but there are others besides those two.

follows an approach which is not proprietary, but it is not open source by the OSI's definition either.

Of course, some people define "open source" in a different way from the OSI, but that can get confusing....

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