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patl

@[email protected]

Engineering manager; Affiliate Instructor in #spirituality, #creativity, #pilgrimage, #DigitalPersonhood. Perhaps more importantly: #powerlifting, #mountainbiking, Gonzaga basketball fan #GoZags, lifelong learner .

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patl , to bookstodon
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

A GORGEOUS retelling of the historical events of Spanish conquistadors under Hernán Cortés entering Tenochtitlan and the court of emperor Moctezuma.

This novella reimagines a complex world that many of us have some passing familiarity with. It's trippy hallucinogenic; it thrives in court politics and religious variety, color, aroma.

Think multicultural Game of Throes meets Hunter S. Thompson packed into a tight 220 pages. TIP: Don't skip the author's notes to the translator. @bookstodon

patl OP ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@farbel @bookstodon

Yeah, it wasn't meant to be an easy read :-). Shifting POVs, including the author's; trippy stuff everywhere. Both fast paced and dense as I had to keep the character names at hand to remember who was who.

I kinda loved the disorientation, actually

patl OP ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@farbel @bookstodon I did back up and reread those, smiling at the cheekiness.

I'm gonna let this one settle in my brain a bit, and re-read it in a few months.

GREAT standalone, but I'd love to read 8 more in the series

patl OP ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@farbel @bookstodon Not yet; this is my first by the author. How did you like it?

patl , to bookstodon
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

I swear I planned to only drop off books to the , but I decided if I brought this one home with me, that would free up space for one more book to go into the library :) @bookstodon

patl OP ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@TheDarcBird @bookstodon I saw most of the first two(?) seasons I think, and liked it, but ended up not finishing it. It's good though!

patl OP ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@bookstodon HAHA!!! I'm in a training class today, and they recommended one of the books I'd just dropped off at the . Now I remember why I had that book in the first place.. so I have to go back and get the book unless it's already gone.

picklejr , to books
@picklejr@mstdn.social avatar

anybody know of some novels or series with themes including the good side of humanity? I really like for that, where the human heart is challenged yet prevails.

Not necessarily looking for Sci-Fi but not excluding it either. Maybe something historical or steampunky would be cool. 😅

@books @books @bookstodon

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@picklejr @books @books @bookstodon Becky Chambers

bibliolater , to bookstodon
@bibliolater@qoto.org avatar

Is there anything more beautiful than a well annotated with extensive ?

@bookstodon

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@bibliolater @bookstodon a dear, elderly friend of mine downsized his bookshelves, and I received many of his books.

One of my favorites was a book that I also had loved and had marked heavily, and I was able to compare to his copy, heavily noted and highlighted. It’s a precious thing to see.

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@bibliolater @bookstodon

Yeah, and looks to me like a dialogue between the reader and the text and the author.. and in this case, multiple readers as well.

SallyStrange , to bookstodon
@SallyStrange@eldritch.cafe avatar

10 authors, of whose books I've read at least five:

Ursula Le Guin
Kim Stanley Robinson
Octavia Butler
N. K. Jemisin
Becky Chambers
Iain M. Banks
Martha Wells
M. R. Carey
Lois McMaster Bujold
Vonda McIntyre


@bookstodon

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@SallyStrange @bookstodon

Ooh, this is fun! I've been looking at the authors for whom I want to read a whole catalog, but that's hard.

My 10:

Ursula Le Guin
N. K. Jemisin
Martha Wells
Louise Erdrich
Tana French
Flannery O'Connor
Marilynne Robinson
Roddy Doyle
Haruki Murakami

It occurs to me there are some more nonfiction authors in ther too..
Austin Kleon

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@SallyStrange @bookstodon Yep, I get it!

Oh! Shoot, here's the way to do this. Here's what @thestorygraph tells me for most-read authors of all time.

  1. James S.A. Corey
  2. Eugene H. Peterson
  3. N.T. Wright
  4. Tana French
  5. Richard Rohr
  6. Haruki Murakami
  7. Henri J.M. Nouwen
  8. Austin Kleon
  9. Richard J. Foster
  10. Charles Reed

I'll have to rerun this for the last few years; the list will be really different and much more fiction-oriented.

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@SallyStrange @bookstodon @thestorygraph

Here's what Storygraph tells me for the last 5 years:

  1. James S.A. Corey
  2. Tana French
  3. Martha Wells
  4. Hazel Soan
  5. Brian K. Vaughan
  6. Louise Erdrich
  7. Ursula K. LeGuin
    (and the next 3 are at 4 books, so they miss the cutoff, but..)
  8. Esther de Waal
  9. Rebecca Roanhorse
  10. Pierce Brosnan

Anyway, super fun memory-jogger prompt.

mostaurelius , to bookstodon
@mostaurelius@mas.to avatar

A pack horse librarian delivering books in rural Kentucky in 1938. During the Great Depression, the Pack Horse Library Project was a Works Progress Administration (WPA) program in which the librarians, who were often called "book women" or "book ladies," delivered books to remote parts of Appalachia.

source: https://www.facebook.com/GoodwillLibrarian

@bookstodon

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@mostaurelius @bookstodon Love this!! The original bookmobile ❤️

patl , to bookstodon
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

Hey @bookstodon .. has anybody done the Big Think Piece for why there are so many speculative fiction / scifi things in the last three years about mammoths being cloned or reanimated, etc?

Is this a response to global warming concerns, or something else?

I read The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel and Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler; Stephen Baxter has a mammoth trilogy, Nghi Vo has something, etc.

Is this a smaller version of Zombies as the fictional response to post-2008 economic crisis?

Schnuckster , to bookstodon
@Schnuckster@beige.party avatar

The Emmett Till book has got me needing to explore Black history from an American perspective, beyond my usual X and King hinterland. Remember, Black history is for every month. 📖📚 @bookstodon

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@Schnuckster @bookstodon Not SPECIFICALLY Black history, but very much in this space, I highly recommend Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates and The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander.

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@Schnuckster @bookstodon Well, it's hard for ANYONE to be on Baldwin's level, but Coates' work is really really good.

Ooooh, also check out John Lewis (RIP)'s Walking With the Wind, which is his memoir/history of the Civil Rights Movement. There's an excellent graphic novel adaptation of John Lewis' work too, a trilogy titled March, which is fantastic in that format.

patl , to bookstodon
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

4.5*. Profound, slow moving but a thought provoker. As usual, Le Guin's character work is deft and careful; the world shines through. A good exposition of anarchism (and archism); idealism and realism; hope and practice. This novel may be a bit talk-y or preach-y for some, and it's slow in places with long speeches for exposition - but that content is fantastic.

Would be better reading this in print than audiobook; the reader could repeat some sections that were particularly deft. @bookstodon

patl , to bookstodon
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

A lovely, straightforward workbook to help people think about, and transition to, fulfilling lives (and work lives). If you've seen Sir Ken Robinson's TED talks or read his previous books, you'll be familiar with his ideas. The strength of this book is the prompts, questions and challenges at the end of each chapter that do a wonderful job of leading the reader into a deep reflection.

Pairs well with Dan Cumberland's book The Calling Process.

@bookstodon

patl , to bookstodon
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

A @bookstodon question for mood readers especially.. Do you find that your book format goes through moods as well?

I almost always have an in-progress, but I also go through stretches of either reading print books or ebooks, and my TBR piles of both keep growing :).

Rarely do I have audio, print and ebook in active progress at any time, as print and ebook essentially need the same kind of attention from me.

patl OP ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@arratoon @bookstodon Totally understandable :)

There's a separate issue here for those of us who have to buy a print copy of a book we've read in ebook or audio, just to display on our shelves like trophy.

But I'm al for keeping local bookshops happy. They keep me happy :)

patl , to bookstodon
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

First sentences of the three books in The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin:

1 - The Broken Earth - "Let's start with the end of the world, why don't we? Get it order with and move on to more important things."

2 - The Obelisk Gate - "Hmm. No. I'm telling this wrong."

3 - The Stone Sky - "Time grows short, my love. Let's end with the beginning of the world, shall we? Yes. We shall."

@bookstodon

patl , to bookstodon
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

Perks/danger of a getaway to Portland IR and staying a few blocks away from one of the great bookshops on the world (Powells City of Books). You get to hear an author reading and get a signed cooy (Rowing to Baikal) and also get to stick up on lots of other goodies, used and new. @bookstodon

A tall stack of books

kimlockhartga , to bookstodon
@kimlockhartga@beige.party avatar

@bookstodon Do you own any autographed books? If so, did you personally meet the author at a signing?

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@kimlockhartga @bookstodon Yes, and sometimes. (Same for vinyl records, though the signed albums are mostly face to face. )

In fact I’m going to a reading tonight at a bookshop near my getaway hotel and will pick up@ a signed book just for the fun of it.

patl , to bookstodon
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

In the near future, prison inmates are given the option to fight to the death, gladiator-style, for the slim chance of winning their freedom, while their lives are streamed to fans.

Powerful story, damn close to the reality of the American prison system now, and the dehumanization of convicts and of "action sports" athletes.

Littered with footnotes to support the narrative as well as the education of the reader.

Pairs well with The New Jim Crow with a broader target audience.

@bookstodon

CindySue , to bookstodon
@CindySue@bookstodon.com avatar

When you're on the last few pages of your book and you waffle between wanting to finish and wanting it to last forever.

@bookstodon

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@CindySue @bookstodon

Corollary: When you've finished the first FANTASTIC book in a series, but you take plenty of time before picking up the next one just in case it's not as good.

CindySue , to bookstodon
@CindySue@bookstodon.com avatar

Reading River Kings: A New History of the Vikings from Scandinavia to the Silk Roads by Cat Jarman. When I saw that this was written by a bioarchaeologist I worried that it was going to be more science than I really cared for. Honestly, this is the easiest nonfiction I have read in a long time. I am enjoying my time with it and I am glad I can just read it without hurting my brain with too much science that I will never understand.

@bookstodon

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@CindySue @bookstodon I loved this book! My particular interest is in Irish/Scottish/Welsh history, and even from that perspective ("the targets" :-)), this was fantastic.

Have you heard the podcast episodes that Dr. Jarman did on Gone Medieval? They're all really good. https://www.historyhit.com/podcast/gone-medieval/

patl , to bookstodon
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

Hey @bookstodon, is there a term for the particular feeling you have when you finish the audiobook and the print book you've been reading in parallel, on the same day?

It's a mix of satisfaction, empty, and pondering whether to dive straight into the next stuff or just listen to music for a day... :)

Seems like some culture out there has a word for this.

patl OP ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@bookstodon @Subumbral That’s the perfect analogy

KitMuse , to bookstodon
@KitMuse@eponaauthor.social avatar

I need your help . One of the classes I'm taking at the graduate level this semester is Religion & Science Fiction. I read more fantasy, and would like to do my research paper on something that's not obvious (like ST/BS5/Matrix/etc.) & I'd love to use more modern sf rather than the golden age classics.

Anyone have any interesting ideas for my research paper on regarding the intersection of religion and science fiction?

@bookstodon

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@KitMuse @bookstodon The religion system in Psalm for the Wild Built is well described and could work well; there’s a distinct Hindu influence in The Surviving Sky; the dystopia in Louise Erdrich’s Future Home of the Living God would be a fun project too.

patl , to bookstodon
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

Hey all - looking for reading / movie recommendations with / vibes (as previously mentioned, Becky Chambers’ Monk and Robot books have me falling down to a fun rabbit hole) cc @bookstodon

patl OP ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@bookstodon @AEMarling sweet, just what I was looking for. Thanks for the recommendations

patl OP ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@bookstodon @chris excellent thanks! Added to my list.

patl OP ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@bookstodon @OtterB sounds fantastic, even if I don’t usually read long books. This one is at my local library now, I’m gonna go check it out. Thank you

patl OP ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@Diplodocus @bookstodon thanks. I have not read Robinson. Will also add walkaway to my list too.

golgaloth , to bookstodon
@golgaloth@writing.exchange avatar

What books did we all get for ?

@bookstodon

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@golgaloth @MsDK12 @bookstodon I got the surviving sky in my family gift exchange too :-)

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@golgaloth @bookstodon

I received these:

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy - Odell
All Things New - Eldredge
Craft Coffee - Easto
The Colour of Ireland County by County 1860-1969 - Cross
On Time and Water - Magnason
The Surviving Sky - Rao

ynwalfc , to bookstodon
@ynwalfc@mastodon.social avatar

Does anyone have any suggestions for good places to buy used books online? I love my library but sometimes I want to keep a book and I hate paying full price for new books. Plus there are some older books I’d like to find to purchase @bookstodon

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@jda @MagentaRocks @bookstodon @ynwalfc FYI and for what it’s worth, Amazon owns Abebooks. If you want an independent used book source, I believe both Alibris and Thriftbooks are both indie.

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@bookstodon @whatzaname @ynwalfc @aburtch @MagentaRocks @jda yeah, Amazon has been on a buying spree for a while. Like they did with GoodReads, for which there’s an excellent alternative in @thestorygraph. I also order used from big independent bookstores. Powells books in Portland for example.

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@jda @aburtch @bookstodon @MagentaRocks @whatzaname @ynwalfc @thestorygraph yes, my closest bookstore in an urban area like Seattle is still 20 miles away. But I’m going to them as often as I can :-)

kimlockhartga , to bookstodon
@kimlockhartga@beige.party avatar

@bookstodon As we approach the end of 2023, I would love to know about the very best books you read this year. (They don't have to have been published in 2023 for your "best of" list.)

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@kimlockhartga @bookstodon
Some of my favorite reads in 2023:

Four Thousand Weeks - Burkeman
A Psalm for the Wild-Built - Becky Chambers
Babel - RF Kuang
The Fifth Season - NK Jemisin
Listen to the Land Speak - Manchán Magan

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@kimlockhartga @bookstodon totally agree! I found some really good stuff, especially after not reading much fiction for many years. That was silly, so I’m correcting my mistake :-)

patl , to bookstodon
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

How to Build a Boat -Elaine Feeney 5-star
Like a river - At first slow, meandering, settling into its paths. Then powerful, strong. These characters are deep and wide, real, complex. The vehicle of building a currach in order to bring focus to a community was haunting.

Halfway through the book I liked it; after the epilogue I’m searching for a signed copy to put on my shelf of most favorite books.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ac6d6ea3-f39d-4fac-ae49-860ea7b9ad63
@bookstodon

TarkabarkaHolgy , to bookstodon
@TarkabarkaHolgy@ohai.social avatar

So here is a question to the @bookstodon community: what is the best book you have read this year?

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@TarkabarkaHolgy @bookstodon Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman was the perfect antidote to productivity addiction and hustle culture.

patl , to bookstodon
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

A major disadvantage to reading several print books in a row from your TBR shelf is that when it’s time to read your next ebook, the is nowhere to be found and impossible to locate 😳🙄🤬 @bookstodon

patl OP ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@bookstodon UPDATE CRISIS AVERTED

It was in my gym bag(???!??).

Helen50 , to bookstodon
@Helen50@mastodonapp.uk avatar

when do you abandon a book?
I'm not very good at it, but I might be about to do it again.
@bookstodon

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@slipstream @Helen50 @bookstodon YES!! This is also why I have read way more 5-star books than 2-star books

18+ ottsatwork , to bookstodon
@ottsatwork@artsio.com avatar

Book 2: “Cat Burglar Black” by .

I saw some of his art online and thought it looked like “Invisible Hands” from Liquid Television, which I LOVED. Same artist! This didn’t have quite the same level of twisted, creepiness as that animated series, but I was so happy to find his work in comic form. There’s more too.

Someone stitched together all the “”. The voice acting is 🤌🏽 https://youtu.be/n5sP4yRb8Mw

@bookstodon

Panel 1, someone in bed, their head covered in bandages, eyes staring and teeth bared. A weak whisper: "Come closer, Katherine. Let me see you..." Panel 2 a severe looking older woman with her hands around the shoulders of a tentative, white-haired teen: "Don't be shy. Say hello to your aunt."

patl ,
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

@bookstodon @Grizzlysgrowls @ottsatwork did you also pick up the Monk and Robot series novellas? The first one is one of my very favorite reads this year and I’m rereading it before finally tackling the second. I didn’t read it sooner, because the first was so magical. ..I didn’t want any risk of it being ruined :-)

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