computer scientist, mathematician, photographer, human. Debian Developer, Notmuch Maintainer, Scuba Diver, #nobot
This link opens in a pop-up window
David Bremner
boosted
The Renaissance is one of the most studied and celebrated eras of history. Spanning the end of the Middle Ages …
@bremner@book.dansmonorage.blue Confession: I don't actually want to read this, but I do want many people to buy it.
David Bremner
boosted
I want to read this after hearing several episodes of 500songs.com using it for source material.
David Bremner
boosted
It would be unfair to call it derivative but it seems clear the author is an Ian M Banks / Culture novels fan. What makes the book interesting for me is the exploration of the question of "what if effective and precise self-regulation of brain chemistry was possible". This has interesting ripple effects on politics and the definition of personal autonomy.
@pikapika Not sure if this will reach you, but book.dansmonorage.blue is not responding to https.
David Bremner
boosted
I’m embarrassed, still, by how long it took me to notice. Everything was right there …
This is really good, I would say genre transcending. While reading it, I had the (probably trite) thought that good books make you think about the system, great books make you think about your self.
David Bremner
boosted
For once I think the cover comparisons to other space-opera luminaries like Alistair Reynolds or Iain M Banks are fair. I have yet to decide if there is anything deeper there, but am enjoying it so far. It also upended my ideas of Elizabeth Bear as a writer, so that's a feature.
David Bremner
boosted
David Bremner
boosted
[This book] represents the first time that all of Le Guin novellas have been collected …
The novella "Hernes" is enough to make this collection worthwhile. Also the voice acting by Alyssa Bresnahan is excellent in this audiobook version.
David Bremner
boosted
Seven students find unusual common ground in this warm, puzzle-like Japanese bestseller laced with gentle …
There is a lot of the setting which is specific to Japan. The epilogue mentions some disturbing statistics about the mental health of Japanese middle school children, but there is also the tourist's pleasure of glimpsing bits of Japanese culture and geography half remembered from a previous visit.
The characters on the other hand are somehow universal underneath an exotic (to an outsider) interest in forms of address. The author does a great job of capturing the anxieties and traumas of not just the extreme cases, but the everyday challenges of growing up as the anxious and unpopular kid.
The plot is immanently spoilable, so I won't say much, except that there is a definite puzzle book here as well.
The book should probably come with a full suite of content warnings for (sensitive treatment of) child sexual assault, child death, and family member death. So although I can believe …
There is a lot of the setting which is specific to Japan. The epilogue mentions some disturbing statistics about the mental health of Japanese middle school children, but there is also the tourist's pleasure of glimpsing bits of Japanese culture and geography half remembered from a previous visit.
The characters on the other hand are somehow universal underneath an exotic (to an outsider) interest in forms of address. The author does a great job of capturing the anxieties and traumas of not just the extreme cases, but the everyday challenges of growing up as the anxious and unpopular kid.
The plot is immanently spoilable, so I won't say much, except that there is a definite puzzle book here as well.
The book should probably come with a full suite of content warnings for (sensitive treatment of) child sexual assault, child death, and family member death. So although I can believe the claim that people find the book healing (it is ultimately very hopeful), the reader should know they are in for things and stuff before that healing arrives.
David Bremner
boosted
Seven students find unusual common ground in this warm, puzzle-like Japanese bestseller laced with gentle fantasy and compassionate insight.
Bullied …
David Bremner
boosted
Whispers from the Cotton Tree Root: Caribbean Fabulist Fiction is an anthology of speculative fiction …
recommended by @nadinestorying@zirk.us
David Bremner
boosted
After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra—the …
That's it, that's the whole review.
If you like T. Kingfisher, you will like this book. It starts off a bit grim, but by the end it felt like a cozy tale of cold blooded vengeance.
David Bremner
boosted
Elke Veraart is in prison. She used to be an eco-terrorist, hunting down poachers to …
All of Masha du Toit's books are free to download (like legit, you scurvy pirate) until July 31
David Bremner
boosted
Imagine an America very similar to our own. It's got homework, best friends, and pistachio …
This is at one level a YA supernatural mystery novel, and successful as such. Unlike many YA novels where the bulk of dramatic tension is provided by stupid and uncaring adults, here the love and support Elatsoe receives from her family and elders is a constant happy surprise. Unlike the relentlessly negative (and probably accurate!) media stories I usually read, this made being an indigenous child/teen seem like a wonderful experience I was missing out on.
