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Search results for tag #books

[?]CNI_CNoticias Internacionales » 🌐
@CNI_CNoticiasInternacionales@mastodon.social

"La Vida (no tan) Normal de Juan - 009 - Suerte?!": Juan ganó vacaciones pagadas en la playa con Carla 🎉📷El narrador grita: ‘¡Esto huele a final feliz apresurado!’ Juan:..
fictograma.com/d/3461-la-vida-

    [?]CNI_CNoticias Internacionales » 🌐
    @CNI_CNoticiasInternacionales@mastodon.social

    "Vidas singulares: Crónicas de lo cotidiano": Siete historias cortas en forma de crónicas de vidas cotidianas, relatos intimos, desde toques de humor a misterio, distopias, y algo de horror body en algún fragmento.

    amzn.eu/d/003lV02r

      [?]This Grandpa Blogs » 🌐
      @ThisGrandpaBlogs@mastodon.social

      The British government took Spycatcher to court in Australia to kill it. They lost. The book sold millions worldwide.

      thisgrandpablogs.com/spy-catch

        [?]This Grandpa Blogs » 🌐
        @ThisGrandpaBlogs@mastodon.social

        Most books on the peace process offer hope. This one offers truth. Spencer does not soften his argument. Not one bit.

        thisgrandpablogs.com/palestini

          [?]M. Pax » 🌐
          @mpax@mastodon.social

          Escape into 4 other worlds for only 99c
          open.substack.com/pub/mpaxauth

            [?]This Grandpa Blogs » 🌐
            @ThisGrandpaBlogs@mastodon.social

            Apple pushed Jobs out in 1985. Twelve years later they called him back. Deutschman covers every year in between.

            thisgrandpablogs.com/steve-job

              [?]This Grandpa Blogs » 🌐
              @ThisGrandpaBlogs@mastodon.social

              These texts weren't buried because they were dangerous. They told a later story that didn't match what the apostles taught.

              thisgrandpablogs.com/missing-g

                [?]This Grandpa Blogs » 🌐
                @ThisGrandpaBlogs@mastodon.social

                Lamp Glow:

                Soft light on my hands,
                The world fades beyond the walls —
                Only words remain.

                  [?]This Grandpa Blogs » 🌐
                  @ThisGrandpaBlogs@mastodon.social

                  Soviet invasion. CIA weapons. Pakistani money. Afghan warlords. Coll shows how each piece fed the next crisis.

                  thisgrandpablogs.com/ghost-war

                    [?]This Grandpa Blogs » 🌐
                    @ThisGrandpaBlogs@mastodon.social

                    What does it feel like to jump into Normandy at night with everything on the line? Webster lived it and wrote it down.

                    thisgrandpablogs.com/american-

                      [?]This Grandpa Blogs » 🌐
                      @ThisGrandpaBlogs@mastodon.social

                      They didn't spy for money. They believed. Modin shows the fear, the doubt, and the weight each man carried.

                      grandpasbookreviews.blogspot.c

                        [?]This Grandpa Blogs » 🌐
                        @ThisGrandpaBlogs@mastodon.social

                        Rise and Kill First by Ronen Bergman. Gave it 5 stars. Sharp writing. Deep research. The most complete account of Israel's secret war ever written.

                        grandpasbookreviews.blogspot.c

                          [?]This Grandpa Blogs » 🌐
                          @ThisGrandpaBlogs@mastodon.social

                          1,500 miles by rail. Through a port full of Nazi agents. One wrong move and the bomb never gets built.

                          grandpasbookreviews.blogspot.c

                            [?]chris h - author » 🌐
                            @StitchedInkMedia@flipboard.social

                            If given a choice between one or another, a general rule of books: the thinner one is better.

                              [?]jaimedavid327 » 🌐
                              @jaimedavid327@jaimedavid.blog

                              My Books Featured on Dusty Smith’s livestream!!!

                              Title says it all. [SENSITIVE CONTENT]

                              Title says it all.

                              My Books Featured on Dusty Smith’s livestream!!!

                              Alt...My Books Featured on Dusty Smith’s livestream!!!

                              Alt...my-books-featured-on-dusty-smiths-livestream-mp4

                              [?]iokevins » 🌐
                              @iokevins@mastodon.social

                              Can't wait to visit libraries on Saturday 😆📖📗📘📙📚

                              Two-panel meme: 1) At top a Fox-News panel chryon reads "Libraries turning into drug-infested, sex dens"; and 2) At bottom, The Simpsons scene of Homer & Marge in bed and Marge saying "You know, libraries turned into drug-infested sex dens so gradually I didn't even notice."

                              Alt...Two-panel meme: 1) At top a Fox-News panel chryon reads "Libraries turning into drug-infested, sex dens"; and 2) At bottom, The Simpsons scene of Homer & Marge in bed and Marge saying "You know, libraries turned into drug-infested sex dens so gradually I didn't even notice."

                                [?]Book dedications bot » 🤖 🌐
                                @dedication_bot@stefanbohacek.online

                                None of the Above: Reflections on Life Beyond the Binary by Travis Alabanza

                                Like all my work, this book is firstly dedicated to my mum. Thank you for defying all the odds. I would also like to dedicate this book to any trans person who is confused, questioning, or in the middle of change. This book is to honor that state as a place that still deserves dedication. I love us.

                                Alt...Like all my work, this book is firstly dedicated to my mum. Thank you for defying all the odds. I would also like to dedicate this book to any trans person who is confused, questioning, or in the middle of change. This book is to honor that state as a place that still deserves dedication. I love us.

                                  [?]Rhiwiel aka TheSingDesigns » 🌐
                                  @TheSingDesigns@mastodon.social

                                  📚️ „Der Vorleser“ („The Reader“) by Bernhard Schlink a trying to come to terms with the darkest past of Germany, noticing that the murderers were human too, some illiterate, but still guilty as charged. !

                                  [?]aen » 🌐
                                  @aenthology@larkspur.one

                                  BOOK REVIEW - CITY OF LAST CHANCES
                                  👥 Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
                                  📚 Series: Tyrant Philosophers [1]
                                  📅 Started: 2026-07-08
                                  📅 Finished: 2026-07-10
                                  💎 Rating: 9/10

                                  Blurb: There has always been a darkness to Ilmar, but never more so than now. The city chafes under the heavy hand of the Palleseen occupation, the choke-hold of its criminal underworld, the boot of its factory owners, the weight of its wretched poor and the burden of its ancient curse. What will be the spark that lights the conflagration? Despite the city's refugees, wanderers, murderers, madmen, fanatics and thieves, the catalyst, as always, will be the Anchorwood - that dark grove of trees, that primeval remnant, that portal, when the moon is full, to strange and distant shores. Ilmar, some say, is the worst place in the world and the gateway to a thousand worse places. Ilmar, City of Long Shadows. City of Bad Decisions. City of Last Chances.

                                  Review: I'm very impressed that Adrian Tchaikovsky could pull off fantasy this well. I only know him from his science fiction, but this is way better than I thought it would be!

                                  This is a somewhat strangely written book where the point of view jumps between a dozen different characters, never really lingering on one, but we see more of them through the eyes of other characters as they meet each other. The story itself is set in a city under occupation in something similar to late 1800s or early 1900s "technology" or the magic equivalent. There's the colonialism of the Pallaseen, the unions in the factories, the standardisation of magical weaponry, the radicalised students of Gownhall, and various resistance groups resisting the occupation. As well as a dark and dead part of the city called the Reproach, and a forest that is a portal to other worlds.

                                  I think Tchaikovsky manages to balance all of these competing factions and places and interests using the POVs in a cool way, and I really loved it. The resistance itself being fractured, the politics of refugees, and the empire's ideology being a pale reflection of something else. All felt very realistic! This book also has a great and colourful cast of characters, and I don't think a single one felt like some kind of caricature. Each one was tied deep to the city or the people around them. My favourite by far was Ruslav though, what a journey he went on.

                                  I think, as a reading experience, it did take a while to get going. Each POV is really interesting, and the last third of the book is spectacular, but I found the setup to get there a little meandering. I think if I had read this another time, I might have even DNF'd it near the start. But pacing aside, this book is incredible. Very much looking forward to the next one!

                                  #Book #Books #BookReview #Bookstodon #SFF #Fantasy #AdrianTchaikovsky

                                    [?]LordWoolamaloo » 🌐
                                    @LordWoolamaloo@mastodon.scot

                                    Finishes one book, of course he has a spare in his satchel.

                                    Thoroughly enjoyed Emily St John Mandel's Exit Party (coming Sept from Picador Books), now starting Jitterbug by the fine @garethlpowell , the choice for our long-running SF Book Group in July.

                                    Paperback advance copy of Exit Party by Emily St John Mandel, vertical, redfish lines rising from the bottom of the cover to merge with blue ones and a glimpse of the LA cityscape above them

                                    Alt...Paperback advance copy of Exit Party by Emily St John Mandel, vertical, redfish lines rising from the bottom of the cover to merge with blue ones and a glimpse of the LA cityscape above them

                                    Paperback of Jitterbug by Gareth L Powell, red cover with black pyramid on lower half, the silhouette of a rocket atop it, and an astronaut tumbling below

                                    Alt...Paperback of Jitterbug by Gareth L Powell, red cover with black pyramid on lower half, the silhouette of a rocket atop it, and an astronaut tumbling below

                                      [?]Jendia Gammon » 🌐
                                      @jendiagammon@wandering.shop

                                      My books as travel destinations: patreon.com/jendiagammon/posts

                                        [?]fraseslidas » 🌐
                                        @fraseslidas@masto.pt

                                        «Quero agir de tal modo que o meu eu seja o único fim possível da minha acção e apareça como o único ser livre.»
                                        //
                                        Apologia do diabo
                                        J. B. Erhard

                                          [?]Librería PRAGA » 🌐
                                          @libreriapraga@masto.es

                                          Quizás en verano más que nunca notamos la presencia (y, sobre todo, la ausencia) de los árboles en nuestro entorno. Estas son unas memorias que nos invitan a reflexionar sobre nuestra relación con ellos y a maravillarnos por el camino, y es que tendemos a proteger y cuidar lo que conocemos. Conozcamos los árboles, pues.










                                          [?]Stadt-Land-Erleben » 🌐
                                          @stadt_land_erleben@mastodon.social

                                          Für weitere Entdeckerpfade (Lüneburger Heide)...
                                          Geologische Karten mit Schleifchen - schick oder? 😃
                                          Wir lagern die anderen Karten in transparenten Boxen. Ob sie sich auch zwischen all den Büchern wohl fühlen werden? Erstmal werden sie sich auf dem Schreibtisch etwas eingewöhnen, schließlich kommen sie ursprünglich dem Geologischen Institut in Zürich.

                                          Geologische Karten zwischen zwei Pappdeckeln mit breiten Textilschleifen zusammengebunden. Zwei Stück liegen auf einem Holztisch.

                                          Alt...Geologische Karten zwischen zwei Pappdeckeln mit breiten Textilschleifen zusammengebunden. Zwei Stück liegen auf einem Holztisch.

                                            [?]Locus Magazine » 🌐
                                            @Locusmag@mastodon.social

                                            Sometimes you like the feel of a physical book. Other times, you prefer the convenience of digital. Get both options at our and back the book! Available in hardcover, paperback, and epub.

                                            Visit kck.st/4wtYJ6X?utm_source=mast or link in bio

                                            a hardcover and e-reader version of the Locus anthology, on green background w/ floating rocks, that says "get the hardcover and epub for backing on kickstarter"

                                            Alt...a hardcover and e-reader version of the Locus anthology, on green background w/ floating rocks, that says "get the hardcover and epub for backing on kickstarter"

                                              [?]David Paul Nixon » 🌐
                                              @newghoststories@c.im

                                              sci-fi horror author John Wyndham. So-called “master of the middle-class catastrophe" his stories often centre around ideas of genetic manipulation and augmentation, but set within ordinary homes and small communities. Works include Chocky & The Day of the Triffids.

                                                [?]Noah Chinn » 🌐
                                                @NoahChinnBooks@mastodon.social

                                                I’m a member of SF Canada, and recently on our email discussions, Geoff Hart posted a link to an article about a publisher that accidentally published an AI-generated story. Seeing how it happened is both enlightening and depressing, but important to read. noahchinnbooks.com/2026/07/10/

                                                  [?]LaraK » 🌐
                                                  @Lara@metalhead.club

                                                  My reading wrap up of June according to Storygraph

                                                  Graphs and statistics: Lara read 23 books or 3758 pages in June

                                                  Alt...Graphs and statistics: Lara read 23 books or 3758 pages in June

                                                    [?]Vox [Unofficial] » 🌐
                                                    @vox.com@web.brid.gy

                                                    Is it time to finally read The Odyssey?

                                                    Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is about to surf the wine-dark sea into theaters everywhere, and between its star-studded cast and ecstatic early reviews, it’s likely to be a blockbuster. So if you’ve never read the 2800 year old poem on which it’s based — or you skimmed it in the 10th grade and haven’t thought […]

                                                    Is it time to finally read The Odyssey?

                                                    Alt...Is it time to finally read The Odyssey?

                                                    [?]EveryLibrary » 🌐
                                                    @everylibrary@mastodon.social

                                                    Like, follow, and share if you love libraries, literacy, and books!

                                                      [?]Celebrity » 🌐
                                                      @celebrity@mas.to

                                                      「それSnow Manにやらせて下さい」で山里亮太＆蒼井優が夫婦でバラエティ初共演 今夜3時間SP – 福井新聞社

                                                      「それSnow Manにやらせて下さい」で山里亮太＆蒼井優が夫婦でバラエティ初共演 今夜3時間SP  福井新聞社蒼井優、夫・山里亮太と『それスノ』でバラエティ初共演　照れ笑い「夫の職場訪問してるみたい [...]

                                                      magmoe.com/3089140/entertainme

                                                        [?]Fathom Publishing » 🌐
                                                        @FathomPublishing@mastodon.social

                                                        Life was different in the 1970s, particularly for one northern town with residents who treated each other like family and who only needed two things for survival: their wits and courage.

                                                        🔗 The Way It Used To Be: Stories from a Northern Town by Diane Solie Smith is on sale: dlvr.it/TTSFBr

                                                          [?]Culture | The Guardian US » 🤖 🌐
                                                          @theguardian_us_culture@halo.nu

                                                          The Guardian view on Homer: The Odyssey is more modern than we might like to think | Editorial theguardian.com/commentisfree/

                                                            [?]aen » 🌐
                                                            @aenthology@larkspur.one

                                                            BOOK REVIEW - ONE DAY ALL THIS WILL BE YOURS
                                                            👥 Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
                                                            📚 Series: Terrible Worlds: Destinations [2]
                                                            📅 Started: 2026-07-10
                                                            📅 Finished: 2026-07-10
                                                            💎 Rating: 2/10

                                                            Blurb: Welcome to the end of time. It's a perfect day. Nobody remembers how the Causality War started. Really, there's no-one to remember, and nothing for them to remember if there were; that's sort of the point. We were time warriors, and we broke time. I was the one who ended it. Ended the fighting, tidied up the damage as much as I could. Then I came here, to the end of it all, and gave myself a mission: to never let it happen again.

                                                            Review: The concept is kinda interesting, and I don't think I've read a time travel book before, but the main character is deeply unlikeable and the humour just doesn't land for me. Even the way he said the exposition was annoying. Actually, there isn't a single character I like. Rare L for this author, I guess.

                                                            #Book #Books #BookReview #Bookstodon #SFF #ScienceFiction #SciFi #AdrianTchaikovsky

                                                              [?]Kris Bock Romance/Mystery » 🌐
                                                              @KrisBock@mastodon.social

                                                              Mysteries on Main Street: Love that small town charm? + dogs, cats, guinea pigs!
                                                              This group includes my psychic and two of my novels, one set in the Four Corners area at an archaeological site and another in small-town New Mexico.
                                                              storyoriginapp.com/to/OS2NAgX

                                                              A smalltown main street with a water tower behind storefronts. Text says Mysteries on Main Street: An all genre book fair for small town mysteries

                                                              Alt...A smalltown main street with a water tower behind storefronts. Text says Mysteries on Main Street: An all genre book fair for small town mysteries

                                                                [?]Eye For Film » 🌐
                                                                @EyeForFilm@universeodon.com

                                                                "I'm disturbed by the fact that so many people in the world are not able to say what they want to say and are oppressed in such a brutal way" - Eran Riklis discusses Reading Lolita In Tehran eyeforfilm.co.uk/feature/2026-

                                                                A still from the film Reading Lolita In Tehran. An Iranian woman wearing smart casual 1970s clothing stands in front of a blackboard holding a book.

                                                                Alt...A still from the film Reading Lolita In Tehran. An Iranian woman wearing smart casual 1970s clothing stands in front of a blackboard holding a book.

                                                                  [?]Olivier Norion » 🌐
                                                                  @oliviernorion@mastodon.social

                                                                  A God attends Tirak’s father’s funeral and places a sacred gift in his hands. But comfort cannot erase what Tirak witnessed or the questions now growing inside him.
                                                                  Golden End is available now.

                                                                    [?]Hans Cummings (he/him) » 🌐
                                                                    @JediSoth@chirp.enworld.org

                                                                    July 10: Do you prefer writing characters more like you or vastly different?

                                                                    I don't really have a preference. I never stop to consider how like or not like me a character is while I'm writing. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental.

                                                                      [?]Book dedications bot » 🤖 🌐
                                                                      @dedication_bot@stefanbohacek.online

                                                                      The Bermuda Triangle by Charles Berlitz

                                                                      To the sea and its mysteries— whose solution may tell us more about ourselves...

                                                                      Alt...To the sea and its mysteries— whose solution may tell us more about ourselves...

                                                                        [?]Urban Camera » 🌐
                                                                        @uc@mastodon.scot

                                                                        Reading "Entscheidung in Spanien: Der große Kampf der Literatur, 1936-1939" by Paul Ingendaay.

                                                                        A day by day recollection during the first years of Franco's rule from a literary perspective.

                                                                          [?]A. Rivera » 🌐
                                                                          @bloodravenlib@mas.to

                                                                          If you wonder why the is circling the drain, wonder no further. . .

                                                                          > Americans more likely to place a bet than read, with less than half cracking open a book in a year: survey nypost.com/2026/07/09/us-news/

                                                                          🎲

                                                                            [?]A. Rivera » 🌐
                                                                            @bloodravenlib@boriken.social

                                                                            If you wonder why the is circling the drain, wonder no further. . .

                                                                            > Americans more likely to place a bet than read, with less than half cracking open a book in a year: survey nypost.com/2026/07/09/us-news/

                                                                            🎲

                                                                              [?]Nate Shivar » 🌐
                                                                              @nshivar@www.nateshivar.com

                                                                              Miracles & Wonder by Elaine Pagels

                                                                              Pagels is one of the original researchers of the Nag Hammadi manuscripts and a lot of the Coptic and Gnostic texts that scholars are still working through today. She's been doing serious, primary-source work in this space for decades. I did not know she was still actively publishing so it's genuinely impressive to see her add another strong book to an already massive bibliography. [SENSITIVE CONTENT]

                                                                              I was a Religion minor at UGA, grew up in the Bible Belt, and have never really stopped being fascinated by the history of Christianity and the ancient world. So when Elaine Pagels publishes something new, I pay attention.

                                                                              Pagels is one of the original researchers of the Nag Hammadi manuscripts and a lot of the Coptic and Gnostic texts that scholars are still working through today. She’s been doing serious, primary-source work in this space for decades. I did not know she was still actively publishing so it’s genuinely impressive to see her add another strong book to an already massive bibliography.

                                                                              The Territory She’s Working In

                                                                              Part of what makes ancient religious history so endlessly interesting is that we exist in this strange middle ground of knowing a lot and knowing exactly what we don’t know.

                                                                              Think about it on a spectrum. On one end, you have civilizations like the Mississippians — I’ve visited Ocmulgee in Georgia — who left no written record at all. Everything you imagine about their world is speculation built on objects. On the other end, you have medieval Europe or imperial China, where the documentary record is so deep you can practically reconstruct daily life for the elites.

                                                                              The Greek and Roman world sits in this maddening middle ground. We have so much that we know precisely what’s missing. And Jesus sits right in that gap. He didn’t write anything down. Most of his immediate followers were illiterate. What we have was passed down orally for decades before anyone committed it to papyrus.

                                                                              That’s the territory Miracles and Wonder is working in.

                                                                              What the Book Does Well

                                                                              Pagels frames the book around the classic mysteries of the faith — the incarnation, the miracles, the passion, the resurrection — and uses that structure to dig into the historical and textual questions underneath each one.

                                                                              The thing she does better than almost anyone else writing in this space is maintain academic rigor without losing the reader or losing respect for the subject. That’s a genuinely hard balance to strike when you’re writing about things that billions of people hold sacred. She strikes it.

                                                                              I’ve read a lot of books in this lane — Zealot by Reza Aslan, Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch, plenty of Bart Ehrman, and Catherine Nixey’s Heretic and The Darkening Age. They’re all fine, but Aslan and Nixey play a little fast and loose with the facts. Ehrman goes the other direction — so committed to academic rigor that the readability suffers. Pagels finds the middle.

                                                                              If someone asked me to recommend one book in this space, I’d point them here over any of those.

                                                                              What I (Re)Learned

                                                                              I’ll be honest: I didn’t learn a lot that was genuinely new to me. I’ve read enough of these books that the broad strokes are familiar. But Pagels has a gift for synthesis and framing, and a few things landed freshly.

                                                                              The Gospels were audience documents. Matthew was written for Jewish converts who needed proof that Jesus was in the lineage of the Hebrew prophets. Luke was directed at Gentiles. Mark is so old and unembellished that it reads completely differently from the others — very direct, no fluff, almost startling in how spare it is. Go back and read it if you haven’t recently.

                                                                              And then there’s John, which is almost out of left field compared to the other three. Pagels articulates the difference cleanly: the synoptic Gospels — Matthew, Mark, and Luke — are about the message. John’s Gospel is about the messenger — the nature of Jesus himself. That framing really clicked for me.

                                                                              The Thomas vs. John question. One of the more interesting arguments in the book involves the Gospel of Thomas, which was excluded from the canon, and John, which was included. If John takes the messenger and runs with it, the Gospel of Thomas takes the message and runs with it. Why one made the canon and the other didn’t is exactly the kind of “we know what we don’t know” problem that defines this whole field.

                                                                              The pigs story. One of the stranger Gospel moments is when Jesus sends demons into a herd of pigs, and the pigs go charging off a cliff. It’s always read as just a weird miracle story. Pagels points out that the Roman legion occupying Judea at that time had a boar as their symbol. Coincidence? Maybe. Probably. We genuinely don’t know. But it’s a perfect example of her methodology — she flags it, notes the correlation, and then holds the line academically instead of running with the convenient explanation. That restraint is rare and valuable.

                                                                              Her treatment of the Passion is similarly strong — she really digs into what we know about Pilate, how the Roman court system worked, how the Jewish court system worked, and all the messy interplay between them.

                                                                              Bottom Line

                                                                              If you’re at all interested in the historical Jesus, the early Christian world, or just ancient history in general — this is the book to read. Not because it will blow your mind with brand new revelations, but because Pagels is simply the best guide to this territory. She’ll help you understand what we know, what we don’t, and why the gap between them is still worth exploring.

                                                                              Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus

                                                                              $14.37

                                                                              Miracles and Wonder by Elaine Pagels is the best single book in the crowded "historical Jesus" genre — not because it breaks new ground, but because Pagels is the most trustworthy guide to territory where rigorous scholarship and genuine respect for the subject are both required. She covers the audience-driven nature of the Gospels, the Thomas vs. John question, and the murky details of the Passion with clarity and appropriate restraint. Recommended over Aslan, Ehrman, or Nixey.

                                                                              Pros:

                                                                              • Best balance of academic rigor and readability in the genre — a better starting point than Aslan, Ehrman, or Nixey
                                                                              • Concrete, well-framed examples (the Gospels as audience documents, Thomas vs. John) that make complex material genuinely click
                                                                              • Respectful and even-handed treatment of material that billions of people hold sacred

                                                                              Cons:

                                                                              • Readers already deep in this subject won't encounter much that's genuinely new
                                                                              • The framing around the "mysteries of faith" assumes some baseline familiarity with Christian tradition
                                                                              • Pagels' restraint — her refusal to run with convenient explanations — may frustrate readers looking for bolder conclusions

                                                                              Buy Now

                                                                              I earn a commission at no cost to you when bought via this link. Also, check your local library. Thank you!

                                                                              07/10/2026 03:07 pm GMT

                                                                              Miracles & Wonder by Elaine Pagels

                                                                              Alt...Miracles & Wonder by Elaine Pagels

                                                                              [?]Rebecca M. Senese (she/her) » 🌐
                                                                              @rebeccasenese@wandering.shop

                                                                              Expand your thoughts with books.

                                                                                [?]Kroc Camen » 🌐
                                                                                @Kroc@oldbytes.space

                                                                                Getting people to read my novel is a mighty high up-front barrier for all sorts of people who can't engage with that much material in one go or in that format. One thing I'm wondering about is providing audiobook versions.

                                                                                I could do the reading myself but I am so poor I can't afford a good mic at the moment and though I suspect my iPhone would be more than adequate, I don't have a sound booth or suitable environment. The book isn't complete yet either, so using TTS is perhaps an interim solution until the text is complete and maybe there's money to do a professional recording.

                                                                                I've just seen this, about Kokoro: ariya.io/2026/03/local-cpu-fri and it looks like it would do the job. It is "AI", however it'll run on my own CPU and I checked that the model was built from open-licenced audio.

                                                                                Yes, I am against AI, very much so -- the datacentres, the sociopath CEOs and billionaires, and people who put out slop. However, I'm not against the actual algorithm / methodology, assuming that you're running it on your own hardware, paying for the electricity you use, and you're not using stolen data. That does narrow the field and usage scenarios considerably, but like I said, I don't condemn people running software on their own PCs: What matters is what they do with it when it comes to impacting others.

                                                                                Is this something I should consider, or should I stay far, far away from it all?

                                                                                Is there anybody with a sound setup capable of podcast/audiobook recordings that would be willing to volunteer -- at least until I can find some kind of income / payback down the line?

                                                                                My novel, should you be curious can be found here and it is absolutely AI free: camendesign.com/nomad

                                                                                  [?]Gert :debian: :gnu: :linux: » 🌐
                                                                                  @G3rt@mastodon.uno

                                                                                  Cosa significherebbe creare un’economia che garantisca dignità per tutti?

                                                                                  Attingendo alla storia, all'economia politica e alla sua esperienza al centro dei recenti dibattiti sull'inflazione, l'economista Isabella Weber sostiene che l'ascesa dei movimenti autoritari di oggi non è un incidente. È radicato in un ordine economico che ha trattato i mezzi di sussistenza come sacrificabili mentre eleva i mercati al di sopra della scelta democratica

                                                                                  penguin.co.uk/books/476377/ant

                                                                                    [?]Walt » 🌐
                                                                                    @astralcomputing@bookstodon.com

                                                                                    Born this Day:
                                                                                    John Wyndham 7/10/1903 (d. 3/11/1969) was an English science fiction writer. Some of his works were set in post-apocalyptic landscapes. His best known work was The Day of the Triffids (1951), filmed in 1962.

                                                                                    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wyn



                                                                                    @books @scifi @Scifiart @sciencefiction

                                                                                    astralcomputing.com

                                                                                    Poster Artist: Joseph Smith

                                                                                    The Day of the Triffids (Movie Poster) Title: THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS. Author: John Wyndham (Author of "Village of the Damned"). Cover Artist: Joseph Smith. This dramatic, high-contrast poster is dominated by a menacing, dark, plant-like Triffid featuring thick, segmented, tentacle-like limbs twisting upward. At its summit, a textured bulb extends a long, thin, pinkish-red proboscis poised threateningly toward a man. The creature’s surface is rendered with a rough, leathery, organic texture. In the foreground, a pale, blonde woman in a sleeveless white dress is ensnared within the creature's constricting limbs. To the right, a man in tan clothing falls diagonally toward the bottom corner. The background is a striking, solid, bright yellow, populated by the silhouettes of spindly, skeletal Triffids standing in jagged, upright positions. The palette utilizes saturated yellow, stark black, and deep, earthy tones to evoke dread. The lighting is flat and graphic, characteristic of mid-century film posters, emphasizing bold silhouetted shapes and extreme contrast. Top text: "BEWARE THE TRIFFIDS... they grow...know...walk...talk...stalk...and KILL!" Bottom text: "From the greatest science-fiction novel of all time!", "CinemaSCOPE and EASTMANCOLOR", "STARRING HOWARD KEEL NICOLE MAUREY", "A SECURITY PICTURES LTD. PRODUCTION", "AN ALLIED ARTISTS RELEASE".

                                                                                    Alt...The Day of the Triffids (Movie Poster) Title: THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS. Author: John Wyndham (Author of "Village of the Damned"). Cover Artist: Joseph Smith. This dramatic, high-contrast poster is dominated by a menacing, dark, plant-like Triffid featuring thick, segmented, tentacle-like limbs twisting upward. At its summit, a textured bulb extends a long, thin, pinkish-red proboscis poised threateningly toward a man. The creature’s surface is rendered with a rough, leathery, organic texture. In the foreground, a pale, blonde woman in a sleeveless white dress is ensnared within the creature's constricting limbs. To the right, a man in tan clothing falls diagonally toward the bottom corner. The background is a striking, solid, bright yellow, populated by the silhouettes of spindly, skeletal Triffids standing in jagged, upright positions. The palette utilizes saturated yellow, stark black, and deep, earthy tones to evoke dread. The lighting is flat and graphic, characteristic of mid-century film posters, emphasizing bold silhouetted shapes and extreme contrast. Top text: "BEWARE THE TRIFFIDS... they grow...know...walk...talk...stalk...and KILL!" Bottom text: "From the greatest science-fiction novel of all time!", "CinemaSCOPE and EASTMANCOLOR", "STARRING HOWARD KEEL NICOLE MAUREY", "A SECURITY PICTURES LTD. PRODUCTION", "AN ALLIED ARTISTS RELEASE".

                                                                                      [?]pcarlson001 [she/her] » 🌐
                                                                                      @pcarlson001@sfba.social

                                                                                      Good morning. My is a re-read of The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan.

                                                                                        [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                                                        @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                                                        MANUFACTURE. Liquors prepared from materials of English growth.

                                                                                        A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                                                                        --
                                                                                        @histodons

                                                                                        Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): MANUFACTURE. Liquors prepared from materials of English growth. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                                                                        Alt...Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): MANUFACTURE. Liquors prepared from materials of English growth. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                                                                          [?]Curtis » 🌐
                                                                                          @curtis_himself@mastodon.social

                                                                                          Das Foto zeigt das Schaufenster eines Buchladens mit vielen Büchern hinter der Scheibe. Auf der Glasscheibe die Aufschrift "Betrüge dein Handy ab und zu mit einem Buch"

                                                                                          Alt...Das Foto zeigt das Schaufenster eines Buchladens mit vielen Büchern hinter der Scheibe. Auf der Glasscheibe die Aufschrift "Betrüge dein Handy ab und zu mit einem Buch"

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