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@diazona@techhub.social avatar

diazona

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

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DocCarms , (edited ) to bookstodon
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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 ,
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@seav @DocCarms @bookstodon That might be my favorite as well. Or at least I'd put it above the HP opening line, not so much because of how intrinsically good it is, but because of how it gets reused in every book (with the location swapped out). It really sets the right tone for epic fantasy.

diazona ,
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@DocCarms @bookstodon 😂

diazona ,
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@arisu_m @DocCarms @bookstodon I love that the Restaurant line evokes the intro to the Book of Genesis but without mentioning God.

A side thought: it would be totally on-brand for the Douglas Adams universe to have God be a cranky old immortal who lives on an isolated planet and had nothing to do with creating the universe, but took credit for it one time like 3 billion years ago and now can't shake the reputation

hawksquill , to bookstodon
@hawksquill@writing.exchange avatar

Just started Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin. Apparently the later books of the cycle are disliked by fans. I am bewildered by that assessment. I can already tell this is an all-time favorite.

Everything from the prose to the characters feels more mature and meditative. Gender is also examined in a much more holistic and painful way. Several passages have already spoken to my soul in such a deep way that I know will remain with me for a long time

@bookstodon

diazona ,
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@mori @derpoltergeist @Grizzlysgrowls @ukaunz @bookstodon @philip_cardella @wordstitcher @hawksquill Same here as well - as a lifelong-ish US resident I've never* heard mother-in-law to mean anything other than a person.

*actually after having read this discussion it sounds vaguely familiar, so I've probably heard about the usage of mother-in-law to mean a dwelling, but it's so rare to me as to be practically unknown

likewise , to bookstodon

I completely judge a book by its cover.

It’s not fair to books that may not have that attractive of a cover, but it is what it is-most especially when it’s an author or title I am unfamiliar with. The book below is evidence of this. This cover completely grabbed ahold of my attention. Not only did I read the synopsis, but I also knew I wanted to paint the other half. This is an older picture, but I’ve finally started reading it. While the synopsis is not one I’d gravitate towards, I’m giving it a chance, & all b/c of the initial attraction to the cover. @bookstodon

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@DarkMatterZine @mlanger @EpiphanicSynchronicity @likewise @bookstodon I'm not a lawyer either, but as someone familiar enough with US copyright law to have read it (lol), yes, copyright lasts until 70 years after the death of the author now (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/302), but in all likelihood it will keep getting extended over and over again to keep Mickey Mouse from entering the public domain.

And I suspect the old common wisdom was largely based on the fact that copyright owners rarely find it worthwhile to prosecute making a copy of something for personal use, especially when the book is out of print. So even though it may technically be a copyright violation, it would have been an easy one to get away with in practice.

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@DarkMatterZine @mlanger @EpiphanicSynchronicity @likewise @bookstodon Oh interesting.

There is a fair use exception in US copyright law which excuses certain actions that would otherwise be illegal, but personal use is not enough to justify it. Australia must have some kind of broader exemption along those lines, or something like that.

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