3,636 books
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25,744 voters


“And so we became who we are: gentle and bookish and ever so slightly confused. It is not a bad way to be, when all is said and done.”
― Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast
― Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast

“The Cool Stuff Theory of Literature is as follows: All literature consists of whatever the writer thinks is cool. The reader will like the book to the degree that he agrees with the writer about what's cool. And that works all the way from the external trappings to the level of metaphor, subtext, and the way one uses words. In other words, I happen not to think that full-plate armor and great big honking greatswords are cool. I don't like 'em. I like cloaks and rapiers. So I write stories with a lot of cloaks and rapiers in 'em, 'cause that's cool. Guys who like military hardware, who think advanced military hardware is cool, are not gonna jump all over my books, because they have other ideas about what's cool.
The novel should be understood as a structure built to accommodate the greatest possible amount of cool stuff.”
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The novel should be understood as a structure built to accommodate the greatest possible amount of cool stuff.”
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“[D]on't ever apologise to an author for buying something in paperback, or taking it out from a library (that's what they're there for. Use your library). Don't apologise to this author for buying books second hand, or getting them from bookcrossing or borrowing a friend's copy. What's important to me is that people read the books and enjoy them, and that, at some point in there, the book was bought by someone. And that people who like things, tell other people. The most important thing is that people read...”
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“The most unfortunate thing about being an atheist wasn’t the loss of God and all the comfort and reassurance of God â€� no small things â€� but the loss of a vital human vocabulary. Grace, charity, transcendence: I felt them as surely as any believer, even if we differed on the ultimate cause, and yet I had no right words for them.”
― To Rise Again at a Decent Hour
― To Rise Again at a Decent Hour

Extension of the Facebook group, If it's Leftist, Speculative, and Fiction, we read it. ...more

Designed to help locate resources for new AND experienced vegetarians. Share books that have helped you as a vegetarian. Please feel free to add books ...more

A place for people who love to read about and/or are compelled to write out the natural world. Share and discuss books that move you, anger you, chang ...more

"Bleak as the scene was, though, there was growing joy in Inman's heart. He was nearing home; he could feel it in the touch of thin air on skin, in hi ...more

Read and discuss the classics of American environmental literature.
Shawn’s 2024 Year in Books
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