Book 26 was The Shepherd by Robert M. Kerns (narrated by Tia Rider).

If you read The Left Hand of Dog and thought, ‘You know what this needs? Gender roles and guns!’ … Then, you’re going to love this one.

Seriously, though… Big fun with plenty of heart.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/acfe3df7-ccbf-4cd1-8cad-23c56bae5ae0?redirect=true

#bookstodon

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The Shepherd by Robert M. Kerns (narrated by Tia Rider).

Did y'all know that libro.fm is giving away free audio copies of Mutual Aid by Dean Spade through 2/2: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781666149562-mutual-aid #bookstodon #MutualAid

Full story:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/01/27/anthropic-ai-scan-destroy-books/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzY5NDkwMDAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzcwODcyMzk5LCJpYXQiOjE3Njk0OTAwMDAsImp0aSI6ImM0OGM3NzA0LWVkM2YtNDg4OS04NTYwLWI3ZTY4Y2Y3ZGMwOCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS90ZWNobm9sb2d5LzIwMjYvMDEvMjcvYW50aHJvcGljLWFpLXNjYW4tZGVzdHJveS1ib29rcy8ifQ.ahCrH8aBSQCgV0Y58Z35IbDrlB7SNGUavbrEfJUEtnw

#FuckAI #Bookstodon

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How Silicon Valley built Al: Buying, scanning and destroying millions of books Court filings reveal how Al companies raced to obtain more books to feed chatbots, including by buying, scanning and disposing of millions of titles.

21st century problems I know, but I couldn’t read at lunchtime because my book needs charging.
#bookstodon

New blog post:

Book review: Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins
http://82mhz.net/posts/2026/01/book-review-carrying-the-fire-by-michael-collins/

#blogging #blog #books #bookstodon

Book 25 was The Trading Game written and read by Gary Stevenson.

Stevenson is known as an economist focused on inequality. But from 2007 to 2014, he was a trader at Citi. I expected this book to be about how the author got from there to here. But it’s entirely about the very dark ‘there’.

A fascinating glimpse into the world of high finance – sometimes bitingly funny, always ugly.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/081cdb66-18b4-45fe-8b0a-c617a2d75f5c?redirect=true

#bookstodon

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The Trading Game written and read by Gary Stevenson.

Book 24 was Raven Black by Ann Cleeves (narrated by Kenny Blyth).

On a dark winter night in rural Scotland, a teenage girl is killed. The community decides it must be the local developmentally disabled man because they all blamed him when another teenaged girl disappeared a decade ago.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/f67278fd-2ebf-49e9-86c5-789fb7fe4965

#bookstodon

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Raven Black by Ann Cleeves (narrated by Kenny Blyth).

Just finished reading my first Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice. And it was ... OK.

I'm sure I'm missing something here. I've read my share of romance novels, and I'm comfortable with the formula: girl meets boy, girl hates boy, girl loves boy, and they live happily ever after. I'm comforted by the predictability.

But I didn't feel much with this book. I didn't warm to Mr Darcy so I wasn't invested in the relationship.

What am I missing? Why is this book great?

#Books #bookstodon

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A white Amazon Kindle showing the cover of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Book 23 was Shift Happens written and read by T.M. Baumgartner.

Angela’s the most competent and efficient officer in the magical probation department. And yet, when her boss drops dead, it’s the men who take over.

Readers of urban fantasy with older main characters will love this one.

I’d share my full review, but StoryGraph is down. Again.

#bookstodon

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Shift Happens with and read by T.M. Baumgartner.

First of three wrap-ups of 2025 (I know, I'm slow); my 2025 reading list. Considerably more than I expected:

https://leroux.ca/2025-the-year-in-books/

#Books #Bookstodon #Reading

Finished Translation State by Ann Leckie yesterday, and still haven’t decided what to read next 😂. Good book (though I struggled with it at times), preferred the original Imperial Radch trilogy.

Recommend me something (#SciFi or #fantasy preferably) I probably haven’t heard of!
#bookstodon

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Cover for Translation State by Ann Leckie

In December we had gift tags with suggestions for books for kids around the bookshop. This was for Craigmillar Literacy Trust in #Edinburgh - readers could choose a book that would go to a kid who likely rarely gets their own book.

It was a nice idea - rather than just donating money, people got to pick out books for a kid. Just heard it resulted in over 200 books donated.

I just thought we all needed to hear some good news about people helping others today.

#books #livres #bookstodon

RIP Michael Parenti.

from Fascism in a Pinstriped Suit

#Politics #Bookstodon #NoWarButClassWar #GlobaliseTheIntifada

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“The concentration camp was never the normal condition for the average gentile German. Unless one were Jewish, or poor and unemployed, or of active leftist persuasion or otherwise openly anti-Nazi, Germany from 1933 until well into the war was not a nightmarish place. All the "good Germans" had to do was obey the law, pay their taxes, give their sons to the army, avoid any sign of political heterodoxy, and look the other way when unions were busted and troublesome people disappeared. Since many “middle Americans" already obey the law, pay their taxes, give their sons to the army, are themselves distrustful of political heterodoxy, and applaud when unions are broken and troublesome people are disposed of, they probably could live without too much personal torment in a fascist state - some of them certainly seem eager to do so." Michael Parenti

On uk kobo Equal Rights and The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett are only 99p each
#kobo #books #bookstodon #discworld #GNUTerryPratchett

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Screen shot as evidence. Shopping Cart Items (2) TERRY PRATCHETT THE LIGHT FANTASIIC The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett eBook £0.99 TERRY PRATCHETT EQUAL RITES Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett eBook £0.99

Hey UK-based lovers of #books, any suggestions for places to buy secondhand books online? I'm trying to avoid Amazon & similar for probably obvious reasons.

I use my library for ebooks but have been enjoying paper books for bedtime reading, to get away from screens.

Thanks in advance!

#bookstodon

@louisa_ Kennys.ie. The oldest online actual bookshop in the world, I think. Family-owned, taxpaying, independent bookshop in Galway. New and used books, worldwide shipping. I can't recommend them highly enough. First time I ordered from them, the book arrived with a handwritten note. The opposite of Amazon!

#Books #Bookstodon

https://www.kennys.ie/

Book 22 was No Free Parking: The Curious History of London's Monopoly Streets by Nicholas Boys Smith (narrated by Charles Armstrong).

This is a book about the game Monopoly – except it’s not about that at all. It takes each of the places on the UK Monopoly board and digs into the very real history.

A fascinating read for all lovers of London and history.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/f526a4ce-a73f-4496-a03a-3da51a4b557d

#bookstodon

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No Free Parking: The Curious History of London's Monopoly Streets by Nicholas Boys Smith (narrated by Charles Armstrong).

Book 21 was Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini (narrated by Jennifer Hale).

In the depths of grief over the loss of his wife, Alex joins the crew of ship going to investigate a mysterious hole on a mysterious planet.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/199a4dc3-6acf-4773-8d10-ca6c114c4eb3?redirect=true

#bookstodon

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Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini (narrated by Jennifer Hale).

Book 20 was Starship Titanic by Terry Jones & Douglas Adams (narrated by Bill Nighy).

This one had funny moments. But the misogyny and playing to stereotypes is just gross. Skeevy. Ick.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/3ef418c2-34b4-40b3-bda1-faefb6bcb188

#bookstodon

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Starship Titanic by Terry Jones & Douglas Adams (narrated by Bill Nighy)

Book 19 was The Life Impossible by Matt Haig (narrated by Joanna Lumley).

Grace is 72 years old and recently widowed. When an old friend leaves her an unexpected bequest, she has nothing left to lose.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/f119ed23-5288-4b89-8b0f-4c19ab48dcef

#bookstodon

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The Life Impossible by Matt Haig (narrated by Joanna Lumley)

Who was it that recommended 'The Sound of Being Human' by Jude Rogers to me? I think it was @Nickiquote.

Well, whoever it was: Thank you.

edit: It was @pdcawley, I've just looked. Thank you, Piers. Nick, if you haven't read it, look it up.

I'm half way through it and it's beautiful. As I type this I'm listening to Kraftwerk. I've never really dug into Kraftwerk before, because I've never really had anyone explain them to me beyond the big singles. Turns out they're alright.

#Bookstodon #NowPlaying

Storygraph is down, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what book 19 was.

#bookstodon

Joe loved Isabel Greenberg's One Hundred Nights of Hero, a very female-centric reworking of Scheherazade.

With a #film adaptation imminent, Vintage Books has a new edition of this compelling graphic novel. Highly recommended.

#books #livres #GraphicNovels #BandeDessinee #OneHundredNightsOfHero #IsabelGreenberg #bookstodon #bookshops #librairies #comics #Scheherezade #film

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Cover to the graphic novel One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg, showing a map of the constellations, with a white, three masted sailing ship in the centre, and two women holding hands in the foreground

I'm not sure who's suddenly buying the hardback of my book, but

a) thank you,

b) I hope you enjoy it, and

c) I was dying when I wrote it so I'm not sure how unhinged it is and I'm scared to go back and look 😬

#books #bookstodon

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Screen grab from my Amazon Author page showing the hardcover of my book which came out in 2020 went from ranking not quite 11 millionth on Amazon to #3651. The paperback is the same. No idea WTF is going on but I'm glad to see it. I almost died a bunch of times over that damn book.

Book 18 was Death On Ice by R. O. Thorp (narrated by Olivia Dowd).

I picked this one up without knowing it would be queer, so I was delighted to find not only positive gay rep, but also a sensitively portrayed trans character. Highly recommended.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/5d06504e-83e1-4b37-8aca-98933c21a1ef

#bookstodon

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Death On Ice by R. O. Thorp (narrated by Olivia Dowd)

Our #jigsaw table is back!!!

We're doing the Poirot puzzle, feel free to drop by, have a seat & try to fit some pieces.

#Edinburgh #Edimbourg #Bruntsfield #books #Livres #Poirot #bookshops #librairies #bookstodon

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angled puzzle table with jigsaw pieces spread across it, with a poster of the completed artwork above it, in the window of the Edinburgh Bookshop

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a close up of the poster artwork showing what the completed jigsaw puzzle should look like - Poirot, standing in an elegeant study, surrounded by possible suspects

Book 17 was The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei (by Katharine Chin).

Reformed thief Maya is working on her PhD, when she comes across an opportunity she can’t refuse, leading to a galaxy-spanning adventure.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ab386130-f695-44f0-acee-618f53237f6e?redirect=true

#bookstodon

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The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei (by Katharine Chin).

New blog post:

Some internet history reading
http://82mhz.net/posts/2026/01/some-internet-history-reading/

#blogging #blog #books #bookstodon

Anyway, I'm going to bed.

As today is A A Milne's birthday - I'm reliably informed - here's Bernard Cribbins reading a chapter from The House At Pooh Corner, to lull you to your rest when it's your turn to cwtch up and dream 🥰

Chapter 6: "In which Pooh invents a new game and Eeyore joins in"

#Bookstodon #Audio #StoryTime

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Audio file of Chapter 6 of The House At Pooh Corner

thanks to the dedicated bookworms here, Audrey's Books sold out of Mages & Modems after only 1 day on the shelves 😬 i honestly thought it would take weeks or months.

I've started a new print run and I'll make sure the store gets new copies by the end of the week. thanks for being patient if your order has been put on a waitlist!

https://tomotama.com/books

#books #bookstodon

Gift link, by Masha Gessen, whose book, Surviving Autocracy, we discussed last night at Democrats Abroad Barcelona book club. “One Year of Trump. The Time to Act is Now, While We Still Can.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/opinion/trump-one-year-later.html

#autocracy #books #bookstodon #uspol

Book 16 was Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch (narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith).

When an angel of death starts hunting down former members of a cult, the Folly is on the case.

Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/18bb40ba-92a0-46e2-9b78-bbb42565a1e0?redirect=true

#bookstodon

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Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch (narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith).