I’m on the final book in Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series, having devoured that and the monk and robot books in the past couple of months. I’m not even halfway through yet and I’m already sad for when I will have no more.

I am absolutely in love with her writing style and find it so calming.
Suggestions are welcome, though it may take me a little while to accept anything else!

#Bookstodon #Reading

LAST DAY to get the first and second books in my #solarpunk Nothing is Promised series FREE!

The year is 2050, and amidst rolling pandemics and the climate crisis, our intrepid power engineer just wants a family… but finds a power grid mystery instead.

If you like Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future or Becky Chambers’ Monk & Robot, you’ll enjoy this 4-novel, tightly-connected hopepunk cli-fi series.
#Bookstodon
https://susankayequinn.com/series/nothing-is-promised

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covers for When You Had Power and You Knew the Price LGBTQ Found Family Solarpunk Near-Future

Secret armies : the new technique of Nazi warfare by John L. Spivak | written in the late 1930s

Project Gutenberg

Preface

The material in this small volume just barely scratches the surface of a problem which is becoming increasingly grave: the activities of Nazi agents in the United States, Mexico, and Central America. During the past five years I have observed some of them, watching the original, crudely organized and directed propaganda machine develop, grow and leave an influence far wider than most people seem to realize. What at first appeared to be merely a distasteful attempt by Nazi Government officials at direct interference in the affairs of the American people and their Government, has now assumed the more sinister aspect of also seeking American naval and military secrets.

Further studies in Central America, Mexico and the Panama Canal Zone disclosed an espionage network directed by the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo axis and operating against the peace and security of the United States. A scrutiny of the Nazi Fifth Column in a few European countries, especially in Czechoslovakia just before that Republic was turned over to Germany's mercy by the Munich "peace" and in France where Nazi and Italian agents built an amazing secret underground army, has made the fascist activities in the Western Hemisphere somewhat clearer to me.

#ebooks #books #free #bookstodon

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22682

Popular Books - Project Gutenberg

#free #ebooks #bookstodon #classics

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?sort_order=downloads

Books by Doyle, Arthur Conan - Project Gutenberg

#free #ebooks #bookstodon

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/69

Books by Sayers, Dorothy L. (Dorothy Leigh) - Project Gutenberg

#free #ebooks #bookstodon

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/45867

Books by Christie, Agatha - Project Gutenberg

#free #books #books #bookstodon

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/451

Book 15 was Patient Zero and the Making of the AIDS Epidemic by Richard A. McKay (narrated by Paul Woodson).

A must read for anyone interested in the history of the AIDS crisis.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/5d296e32-6df8-4ed6-ba3a-4ecae3fadfd2

#bookstodon #lgbtbooks

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Patient Zero and the Making of the AIDS Epidemic by Richard A. McKay (narrated by Paul Woodson) My listening supports The Portal Bookshop Libro.fm

Book 14 was The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith (narrated by Lisa Flanagan).

In the library of unwritten books, a hero escapes from his book. Librarian Claire has to track him down with the help of a former muse and an anxious demon.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/923c9d8b-eb96-4285-b686-dddb23d13c33

#bookstodon #lgbtbooks

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The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith (narrated by Lisa Flanagan). My listening supports The Portal Bookshop Libro.fm

Book 13 was Erebus Dawning by A.J. Super (narrated by Amy Landon).

Nyx just wants to prove herself to her father, the leader of the space pirates. After he’s murdered in a mutiny, she discovers she’s some sort of AI-god-star-hybrid.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/69dcb10c-a10b-4108-8c94-99474a1c096d

#bookstodon

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Erebus Dawning by AJ Super My listening supports The Portal Bookshop Libro.fm

Topical reading material: So You Want to Own Greenland: Lessons From the Vikings to Trump, by Elizabeth Buchan, out now from Hurst & Co.

#books #livres #bookstodon #bookshops #librairies #ElizabethBuchan #SoYouWantToOwnGreenland #Greenland #History #Histoire #Politics #Vikings #Tump

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Hardback copy of So You Want to Own Greenland, standing upright on the table in the Edinburgh Bookshop, the cover showing a red warship in icy waters off the shores of Greenland

It does my geek soul good when a reader asks if we can get them some Carl Sagan in our bookshop...

#books #livres #science #cosmos #CarlSagan #bookstodon

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Black cover with a few stars across it, for the paperback of Cosmos

😿Oh no! I was moving my shop stock around, and one of my Abandoned Pennsylvania books got crumpled (1 page is folded)

I would rather not throw it away.

If anyone was considering buying another book or calendar from my website, I can add this book to your order for free.

https://www.obsidianurbexphotography.com/shop/

Or, I can ship to anyone happy to pay the postage.

Comment or DM 💙🙏

Calling all #BookLovers and #Bookstodon people, and anyone who loves #Photography

#UrbanExploration #SupportSmallBusiness

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a book free to a good home, featuring photos of abandoned places

"...she’s the reason for the existence of the internet, which is, we’re assured, made of cats."

The Magical, Mystical, Fantastical Cat - Judith Tarr's SFF Beastiary column
https://reactormag.com/the-magical-mystical-fantastical-cat/

#SFF #Tor #Reactor #JudithTarr #Cats #CatsOfMastodon #catstodon #bookstodon

Just finished reading an advance review copy of 'On the Set of Forrest Gump', written by producer Steve Starkey and forwarded by Tom Hanks. The book explores the movie mostly from a filmmaking angle, going behind-the-scenes on the creative process, the practical and visual effects that made certain scenes possible, and discussing the intentional changes they made from Winston Groom's 1986 novel.

The book is coming out March 17, 2026. Full thoughts here:
🔗 https://www.fringemagnet.net/2026/01/arc-read-on-set-of-forrest-gump.html

#ForrestGump #Movies #books #bookstodon #book #BookReview #Review #CineMastodon #FilmMastodon #TomHanks

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Book cover featuring the classic poster of Tom Hanks as Forrest sitting on the bench with his back to the viewer, wearing a white suit and looking upwards towards the sky with a little suitcase on his side. Above him there is the title of the book: "On the set of Forrest Gump" and the credits: Steve Starkey, Forwarded by Tom Hanks.

Book 12 was The Halfling's Harvest
S.L. Rowland (narrated by Eric Jason Martin & Jessica Threet).

Marigold is happy with her life running the inn and vineyard her parents started. But one day a beautiful stranger comes to town.

Get it for a steal direct from the author: https://shop.slrowland.com/products/the-halflings-harvest-audiobook

#bookstodon

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The Halfling's Harvest S.L. Rowland (narrated by Eric Jason Martin & Jessica Threet)

Pandering to the hasbara was more important than the South Australian economy.

Full story:

https://www.indailysa.com.au/news/just-in/2026/01/12/adelaide-festival-music-program-hit-as-sa-faces-multimillion-dollar-black-hole

#FreePalestine #GlobaliseTheIntifada #Auspol #Bookstodon

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Adelaide Festival music program hit as SA faces multimillion-dollar black hole A day of Adelaide Festival's contemporary music program has been abandoned by artists in the wake of the board’s decision to remove a Palestinian author from the Writers’ Week lineup. SA faces millions of dollars of lost economic benefit if the festival collapses.

Former PM of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern has pulled out of the Adelaide Writer's Festival.

One of their major sponsors, Witch's Brew, dropped them yesterday.

One day, the establishment is going to realise that Zionism is the wrong side to pick.

Until that time, keep boycotting.

https://www.crikey.com.au/2026/01/12/jacinda-ardern-quits-adelaide-festical-writers-week-boycott-randa-abdel-fattah/

#Bookstodon #BoycottIsrael #BDS #SolidarityIsBeautiful #GlobaliseTheIntifada

At the beginning of the week, Schueler stamped his little zio foot and demanded a Palestinian-Australian author be removed from the programme at the Adelaide Writers Festival.

Since then, more than 100 other participants have cancelled their appearances, and three of the Festival's board have resigned in protest.

Norman still isn't happy.

Fuck Norman.

#SollidarityIsBeautiful #FreePalestine #Bookstodon #GlobaliseTheIntifada

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The Advertiser Adelaide Writers’ Week: Norman Schueler slams boycott as high-profile journalists Peter Greste, Laura Tingle join exodus A Jewish leader has branded the mass writer boycott of Adelaide Writers Week “pathetic” as more high profile authors and journalists cancel their appearances. On Thursday, The Adelaide Festival Board announced author Randa Abdel-Fattah had been removed from the festival and said the decision was deemed to be an “appropriate response’, citing concerns over “cultural sensitivity".

Book 11 was Nobody's Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre (narrated by Gabra Zackman).

This book was *harrowing*. I normally read about a book a day, but I had to take this one in small doses over about a week. But it’s vital for this story to be told.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/53bf740f-c9c6-48a0-91eb-52105509503e

#bookstodon

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Nobody's Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre (narrated by Gabra Zackman).

Book 10 was Still Life by Louise Penny (narrated by Ralph Cosham).

This series is incredibly popular. I don’t know, maybe I should try a later book; this one didn’t work for me.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/b5aad067-fb64-423a-bae8-2834fcec5751?redirect=true

#bookstodon

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Still Life by Louise Penny (narrated by Ralph Cosham).

In case you missed it, I posted a list of books to look forward to in 2026. Lots of great science fiction on here. https://xoxo.zone/@Ashedryden/115867197295839221 #bookstodon

Book 9 was Wholehearted Faith by Rachel Held Evans (with multiple narrators).

The opening and closing, written by the author’s husband and friends after her death, are heart-wrenching. But the rest of the book is so full of hope and affirmation. Definitely worth a read.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/c7a8a5c2-bf5f-4db4-b4f2-e9097971184e

#bookstodon

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Wholehearted Faith by Rachel Held Evans, Jeff Chu My listening supports The Portal Bookshop Libro.fm

A reader who gets it calls the Vigilauntie Justice series ‘darkly delightful’.

If you think you might get it too, why not give it a try? Right now, you’ll get 26% off with code 2026!

https://whitehartfiction.co.uk/products/complete-vigilauntie

#bookstodon #lgbtbooks #VigilanteJustice

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A bit of Murder Between Friends by Elliott Hay against a blue background. Text reads: ‘Darkly delightful’ signed a reader who gets it

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

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The front cover of Mages & Modems: A Childhood Well-Wasted in the Golden Age of Personal Computers, Games & Internet Piracy - a confessional by vga256. It shows a collage of computer and tech paraphernalia stacked on top of each other like a junk pile: a bright red telephone handset, a pile of 5.25 and 3.5-inch floppy disks, a mouse, a cocktail napkin from lefty's bar, two RAM simms.

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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

Book 8 was Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold (narrated by Grover Gardner).

Classic sci-fi often forgets that women exists; this takes that trope and cranks the dial to 11.

As well as being a fascinating look at gender constructs, this is just a really a fun story with fantastic characters.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/0ec19705-a348-41bb-9512-2cd72197bbfd?redirect=true

#bookstodon #lgbtbooks

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Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold (narrated by Grover Gardner).

Book 7 was Burial of Ghosts by Ann Cleeves (narrated by Colleen Prendergast).

This isn’t my first Cleeves novel, but it was a strange one. I’m not a fan of novels where the main character is stupid.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/d0cd9432-f908-47a4-afc9-e16ad7f44bbf

#bookstodon

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Burial of Ghosts by Ann Cleeves (narrated by Colleen Prendergast).

My goal of reading at least one book a week in 2026 is holding up pretty well so far ... I've read three books this year to date, all sci-fi.

- "The Captain's Oath" (Star Trek: TOS novel) by Christopher L. Bennett -- because, apparently, hundreds of hours of Star Trek shows and movies is still not quite enough to satisfy my craving for Trek.

- "Automatic Noodle" by Annalee Newitz (@annaleen) -- a cozy sci-fi tale that's a perfect read while the world is on fire.

- "Left Hand of Dog: An extremely silly tale of alien abduction" by Si Clarke (@clacksee) -- lead character and dog are abducted by aliens. Dog gets a communication device and can talk. Adventure ensues. Also a cozy sci-fi tale with many, many shout-outs to other franchises. Enjoyed immensely.

#books #bookstodon #scifi

Book 6 was Those Old Gods: Short Stories by N. J. Leaver.

Juno is the semi-human equivalent of a ginger cat: a double helping of chaos with zero brain cells.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/e392569c-7d0c-4e0d-a1a3-d9de9062bf59

#bookstodon

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Those Old Gods: Short Stories by N. J. Leaver.

Book 5 was A Drizzle of Magic by S. Usher Evans (narrated by Jess Moran).

Lillie finds her fresh start in Silverkeep. But someone doesn’t want her there. In fact, it seems like no one wants her there.

But it direct: https://susherevans.com/products/a-drizzle-of-magic-audiobook

#bookstodon

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A Drizzle of Magic by S. Usher Evans (narrated by Jess Moran).

A reader who gets it calls the Starship Teapot series 'delightfully silly'.

If you think you might get it too, why not give it a try? Right now, you'll get 26% off with code 2026!

https://whitehartfiction.co.uk/products/teapot-bundle-ebook

#BooksAndCoffee #bookstodon #lgbtbooks

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A pink teapot space ship floating in the sky above mountains at night. Quote from a reader says: 'delightfully silly'. The Left Hand of Dog by Si Clarke.

Book 4 was The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke (narrated by Greg Wagland).

This book is very much a product of its time. Women? Never heard of them. Smoking! In spaceships! Fax machines! In spaceships! Carbon paper. Typewriters.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/20de0701-610c-4998-a600-bb8b4b7826fb

#bookstodon

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The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke (narrated by Greg Wagland).

Book 3 was PJ Norris and the Town with the Butterfly Problem by S. Usher Evans (read by Caleb Summers).

Having dropped out of university, PJ and Grant roam the country in search of potential dragon-shifters. But what they find instead is a town plagued by butterfly attacks.

Get it direct: https://susherevans.com/pages/firewing

#bookstodon

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PJ Norris and the Town with the Butterfly Problem by S. Usher Evans (read by Caleb Summers).

Finished “Deacon King Kong” by James McBride.

In 1969, an elderly church deacon known as “sportcoat” in his community of the Causeway Housing project in south Brooklyn, approaches & unexpectedly shoots a drug dealer, wounding him.

What happens afterwards is a great character & community driven story of colliding tectonic plates: changing neighborhood demographics, police presence, the destruction of drugs. Stays mostly humorous & light.

5/5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51045613

#bookstodon

Book 2 was Lunar Logic by Adeena Mignogna (narrated by ST:SNW’s Bruce Horak).

Lighthearted sci-fi with humour but with a deep undercurrent, considering what it means to be a person.

Get it direct from the author: https://crazyrobot.myshopify.com/products/lunar-logic-ebook

#bookstodon

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Lunar Logic by Adeena Mignogna (narrated by ST:SNW’s Bruce Horak)

RE: https://tilde.zone/@mk30/115805031467603662

I finished "the seven moons of maali almeida", and wow...what a story.

BTW, I highly recommend the audiobook version. The reader is fantastic and you get to experience all the wonderful accents and ways of speaking, along with wonderful voices for various entities in the spirit realm.

#books #bookstodon

New month, new book thread! First up, The Intermediaries: A Weimar Story by Brandy Schillace (narrated Daniela Acitelli).

I knew about the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft. Or rather I was aware that it existed. And I knew the Nazis destroyed huge amounts of data and information. But this book provides so much more detail. I especially appreciated the intimate portrayal of Dora Richter.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ace85c20-9fab-4d16-ba01-dfb6fe26e236

#bookstodon #lgbtbooks

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The Intermediaries: A Weimar Story by Brandy Schillace (narrated Daniela Acitelli). My listening supports The Portal Bookshop Libro.fm

December reading roundup… I read 32 books, bringing me to a total of 402 books for the year.

#bookstodon

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Screenshot from Storygraph @clacksee's December 2025 Wrap-Up BOOKS: 32 PAGES: 10,005 AV. RATING: 4.59 Average book length: 325 pages Average time to finish: 2 days Some of my highest rated reads in the month included: Direct Descendant by Tanya Huff Little Red Death by A.K. BENEDICT How to Slay at Christmas by SARAH BONNER

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Screenshot from Storygraph showing the covers of books from further up this chain

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Screenshot from Storygraph showing the covers of books from further up this chain

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Screenshot from Storygraph showing the covers of books from further up this chain

Book 32 – my final for the year – was The Couple at No. 9 by Claire Douglas (narrated by Nathalie Buscombe & Kenton Thomas).

When Saffy and her partner renovate their cottage, they’re not expecting to dig up two bodies under the patio. The cottage’s previous owner is Saffy’s grandmother, who has dementia.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/3092bb62-ec58-4aea-9356-9b9b856c8e97

#bookstodon

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The Couple at No. 9 by Claire Douglas (narrated by Nathalie Buscombe & Kenton Thomas).

Book 31 was Un Lun Dun by China Miéville (narrated by Karen Cass).

I’m not going to make the obvious comparison, because screw Neil Gaiman. But if you enjoyed Stephen Hunt’s Court of the Air, you’ll probably enjoy this one (and vice versa).

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/5ac964cc-3525-4de7-ac73-1c2c1b01d6e7

#bookstodon

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Un Lun Dun by China Miéville My listening supports The Portal Bookshop Libro.fm

Mi último libro de 2025 fue “Las fuentes del silencio” por Ruta Sepetys. Es ficción histórica, tratándose la historia triste y poco hablado (al menos en los EE.UU.) de cómo los EE.UU. colaboraban con Franco y su dictadura horrorosa. También trata el fenómeno horrible que ocurrió durante del franquismo de robarles a los bebés y decirles a los padres que el bebé murió en el parto.
La autora es ucraniana-estadounidense y investigó durante de 7 años para escribirlo.
#libros #books #bookstodon

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Las fuentes del silencio por Ruta Sepetys