Fiction Books

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The discussion of fiction books! Please tag spoilers and follow instance rules.

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I wanted to invite you to join us for book bingo: cross-posted from: https://literature.cafe/post/19468617

Want to read more, but need motivation or direction? Want to gamify or expand your reading? Try book bingo! Our hope with this challenge is to provide a fun way for you to keep up with your recreational reading goals throughout the next 12 months.

How Does It Work?

The goal is to read something that fits the theme for each bingo square in any single row, column, or corner diagonal of your choice (one work per square). You’re welcome to complete the entire card (or multiple cards) for an additional challenge goal, but you only need to check off a single line of 5 squares to complete the challenge.

So what can you read? Well, anything you enjoy, really. There's no requirement to consume any particular kind of work, so any length, format, subject, or genre is totally fine. Want to read graphic novels, audiobooks, poetry, 10-page memoirs, or works in other languages? No problem. There's no bingo police, either! If you think you can make a well-reasoned argument for why something fits the spirit of a square, go for it. There's even a process for substituting a square if it doesn't quite fit your preferences.

We hope you’ll participate in the community throughout the year by posting what you’re reading in the weekly "What are you reading?" thread, and by helping others with recommendations.

In mid-April, 2026, we'll put up a turn-in post to collect everyone's cards. After the thread closes at the end of April, we'll use the submissions to put together a summary of the results, and to determine eligibility for community flair (currently not possible, but maybe in the future!) or some other recognition. If you want to be included, please make sure to contribute to that post, even if you've made other bingo posts or comments during the year.

Rules

  • You must read a different work for every square you complete, even across multiple cards. There's no problem, however, with overlapping other reading challenges that aren't associated with c/Books.
  • Repeating authors on the same card isn’t forbidden, but we encourage you to read different authors for every square on a card.
  • Likewise, we encourage you to primarily read things you haven’t read before.
  • If you’re having trouble filling a certain square, you are welcome to substitute any non-duplicate square from last year's card. The center square (C3) is the one exception, and is not eligible for substitution. Please limit your substitutions to one per card.
  • The 2025 challenge runs May 1^st^, 2025 – April 30^th^, 2026. Anything you finish during that time period is eligible, as long as you were no more than halfway through on May 1^st^, 2025.

Upping the Difficulty

Want an additional challenge? Try one of these, or come up with a variation of your own (and share them!).

  • Hard Mode: This is just a stretch goal for those interested -- it does not convey any greater achievement. Most square descriptions include an optional extra restriction, which you can do or ignore on a square-by-square basis. It's up to you!
  • Genre Mode: Read only one genre.
  • Review Mode: Write a review (ratings alone don’t count) for the books you read for bingo, either here on c/Books, a personal blog, Bookwyrm, The Storygraph, Hardcover.app, or elsewhere.

The Card

2025 Bingo Card

Full Size Card

Squares in List Form

The Squares

Row 1

  • 1A Number in the Title: The work must have a number in the title that's not a just a volume/version number. Example: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. HARD MODE: Only numbers in the title.
  • 1B Author from a Different Continent: The author(s) resides on a different continent than you do. HARD MODE: The work required translation to be published in your native language.
  • 1C Featured Creature: A sentient non-humanoid is the primary PoV, or a non-humanoid creature holds such a prominent role that the work would be completely different without them. Examples: Call of the Wild by Jack London or Old Yeller by Fred Gipson. HARD MODE: Not a sci-fi/fantasy creature.
  • 1D Minority Author: The author is a member of a generally underrepresented or marginalized demographic where you live, such as LGBTQIA+ or BIPOC. HARD MODE: Belongs to more than one minority group.
  • 1E Now a Major Motion Picture: The work has been adapted into a show or single episode, movie, play, audio drama, or other format. HARD MODE: Watch or listen to the adaptation as well (rewatches are ok!).

Row 2

  • 2A Independent Author: Read a work self-published by the author. Any work later published though a conventional publishing house doesn't count unless you are reading it before the switch, and its rerelease date is after April 30^th^, 2026. HARD MODE: Not published via Amazon Kindle Direct.
  • 2B Set in War: The work takes place with an active war in the foreground or background. The characters do not need to be directly involved in combat, but the war's presence must be a primary driver of the narrative. HARD MODE: There are more than 2 factions in the war.
  • 2C Orange Crush: The title, a prominent element of the cover, or the narrative involves some form of orange (color, word, or fruit). HARD MODE: The work you chose uses multiple types of orange features.
  • 2D Short and Sweet: Read a individual piece of work under 170 pages or 40,000 words. HARD MODE: Read a collection of this type of short work.
  • 2E Banned Book: Read a work from the ALA's (American Library Association's) list of the top 100 banned books in the US 2010-2019. If you are a non-American and there is a similar list for your region, that is also a valid source for comparable information. Additionally, you can use the content from the Wikipedia post on banned books. HARD MODE: One of the top 50 (or equivalent).

Row 3

  • 3A Based on Folklore: The narrative must be based on a real world piece of folklore. Folklore encompasses fairy tales, fables, myths, and legends. HARD MODE: Non-European folklore.
  • 3B Title: [X] of [Y] - The title of the book must feature the format described, such as A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. HARD MODE: [X] of [Y] and [Z] (the conjunctions can be flexible).
  • 3C FREE SPACE - Off Your TBR Pile: A book that’s been on your TBR list for a long time. HARD MODE: Overlaps with at least one other bingo square theme.
  • 3D LGBTQIA+ Lead: A main character identifies as LGBTQIA+. HARD MODE: Includes a significant romantic relationship between characters that identify as LGBTQIA+.
  • 3E Saddle Up: The narrative revolves around someone whose identity is tied to being a rider of something, such as a horse, dragon, or motorcycle. HARD MODE: The ridden creature/object is treated as a character in its own right.

Row 4

  • 4A New Release: New for 2025/2026 (no reprints or new editions). First translations into your language of choice are allowed. HARD MODE: This is the first work you've read by this author.
  • 4B Alliterative Title: Many books boldly boast alliteration to attract audience attention. HARD MODE: More than 2 alliterative words in the title, excluding definite articles or conjunctions.
  • 4C Judge a Book by Its Cover: Chosen because you like its cover (or cover analogue). HARD MODE: Picked using only the information available on the front cover.
  • 4D Award Winner: Has won a notable and widely regarded literature award. HARD MODE: More than one award.
  • 4E Gamble, Game, or Contest: Features an organized gamble, game, or contest (life-and-death or otherwise). HARD MODE: Take a gamble on a style or genre of work you don't typically read, as well.

Row 5

  • 5A Steppin' Up!: Challenges can come at you quickly, especially for those least prepared. Whether it's a major leadership position or suddenly being gifted a baby dragon, life is about to get a whole lot harder and more complicated. HARD MODE: The primary PoV does not assume the throne of a monarchy/empire.
  • 5B Political: Political movements are a major driver of the work. HARD MODE: From the perspective of machinations in the background, outside the typical positions of power or major government.
  • 5C Late to the Party: Apparently this is a really popular work, you just haven't gotten around to it yet. Read a book that you have seen recommended over and over. HARD MODE: Not Harry Potter.
  • 5D Cozy Read: Cozies generally feature a smaller cast of characters in a smaller location, emphasize community, highlight successes and inspirational moments, and have a more optimistic and upbeat tone. Above all, they have to have a satisfyingly happy ending. They offer comfort to their readers and a safe escape from the realities of daily life. HARD MODE: There is no hard mode, hard mode defeats the purpose of the cozy task.
  • 5E Jerk with a Heart of Gold: A significant figure may be rude, gruff, or even insufferable; however, beneath all that, a surprising kindness shows in the right moments. Maybe they are bad at the whole feelings thing, are doing it to hide a deep pain or maintain a position of responsibility, or maybe it's just all a façade, but their actions ultimately reveal a core of genuine caring. HARD MODE: Not A Man Called Ove/Otto.

Resources

If you make or find any bingo-related resources, ping or DM me so I can add them here. Thanks!

Appreciation

  • This challenge is inspired by, but totally separate from, the one run by r/Fantasy on Reddit. We deeply appreciate the past organizers and the work they did that we are now benefitting from.
  • 2025 bingo card font credits: Parchment, by Photo-Lettering, Inc.; Noto Sans, by the Noto Project authors.

MarkDown Card (click to expand)

A B C D E
1 Number in the Title Author from a Different Continent Featured Creature Minority Author Now a Major Motion Picture
2 Independent Author Set in War Orange Crush Short and Sweet Banned Book
3 Based on Folklore Title: [X] of [Y] FREE SPACE - Off Your TBR Pile LGBTQIA+ Lead Saddle Up
4 New Release Alliterative Title Judge a Book by Its Cover Award Winner Gamble, Game, or Contest
5 Steppin' Up! Political Late to the Party Cozy Read Jerk with a Heart of Gold
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Hidden gems (self.fiction)
submitted 3 months ago by HamiltonianMechanic to c/fiction
 
 

What relatively unknown books have you read that you thought were really good and deserve to be better known?

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Despite the click-bait tite, I am thinking about a couple of factors. First, the context I'm considering is specifically about inviting well-known/published authors to an AMA. I'm posting this question here, because most authors write in one or maybe two genres, and the authors I'd like to see answer AMAs are fantasy and sci-fi authors. I haven't yet come across any "big name" AMAs in any community yet, but I'm impatient.

  1. Reach: the largest subscriber size I see is !books@lemmy.world. The issue there is that the topic is rather broad, but to make an AMA worthwhile for the author, I'd think the larger the audience the better.
  2. Moderation. Doing an AMA well is significant work. There's advertisement to reach people who may not be subscribed but who may be interested; there's reaching out to the author and coordinating the details; and then there's moderation to prevent it from being overrun by trolls.
  3. Interest. I haven't been on Reddit in a couple of years now, but something thing I miss is AMAs from authors I'm reading. Some, like Scalzi, had a Reddit account and both did AMAs and also responded directly to random posts aimed at him. I'm aware that it's possible I'm in a minority and the Lemmy community at large isn't interested in AMAs, and while I doubt that, it's still something that'd need to be cleared with whichever community hosted the AMA
  4. Adjacently, I wonder how many authors lurk on Lemmy, and how would one find out? Is there a channel where authors could express willingness?

I feel a hole here, and I'm not going to fill it with Reddit. It's an area where I think a federated platform like Lemmy may be at a disadvantage to a platform like Reddit: with Reddit, it's pretty clear who might host any given AMA, and Lemmy's decentralized -- and often redundant -- communities complicate matters.

I've been on a Miles Cameron binge lately, and have a couple of questions I'd like to ask him; I could write him through his publisher, but I find AMAs to be much more interesting.

Is Lemmy ready for AMAs?

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cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/52922540

I'm finishing the Stormlight Archive series right now and I think I need something with a bit less of the murder / war / violence aspect that many fantasy books have.

Does anyone know some (not necessarily fantasy) fiction books that are less 'depressing' and are easy to read?

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submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/fiction
 
 

When it comes to modern serial writers, there's not another name that comes to my mind more important than Wildbow. Author of Worm (Parahumans) and other lengthy serials, they are arguably the genesis of current interest in the medium.

I saw some really crappy books on Amazon purportedly teaching serial fiction, but then I went and found that Wildbow (John Charles McCrae) has a blog and chronicled his working experience.

Anyhoo, I just started reading it and I thought I'd share here.

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cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/45060454

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The Secret Garden (public-domain-audio-books.blogspot.com)
submitted 10 months ago by yaexo@kbin.melroy.org to c/fiction
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submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by WanderingVentra@lemm.ee to c/fiction
 
 

I've been seeing her name a lot lately in terms of good science fiction and fantasy. I feel like I've lost so much attention span in terms of my ability to read and stuff and I'd like to start getting back into it, perhaps starting with her (or Terry Pratchett lol).

If I start with her, what's a good place to start with her work?

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I understand that the newer version has a different ending and some new characters and scenes that weren't in the original. But the original is what got all the accolades and was considered his best book.

Which way should I go?

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submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by automaticdoor75@sopuli.xyz to c/fiction
 
 

I read The Count of Monte Cristo some years ago, and it remains one of my favorite novels. This year, I committed to read The Three Musketeers. I chose a Librivox audiobook narrated by Mark Smith, since I had enjoyed his recording of Tarzan of the Apes.

The audiobook used a public-domain translation which apparently toned down or removed the more risque parts of the story. If you want to read or listen to an audiobook (which I recommend), I guess try to find a more modern translation, even if you have to pay for it. The Librivox recording is of high quality, with excellent narration.

I very much enjoyed the story. The true pleasure of the novel is the bond between D'Artagnan and the musketeers, and discovering their personalities. Much like Little Women, this is a novel that you remember for the characters. On top of that, you get to know the "lackeys" of the four. I had assumed the lackeys would be irrelevant to the plot, instead, they all manage to play a role in the larger story.

#Milady

The most interesting character for me was the villain Milady. My opinion of her swung wildly across the story.

(SPOILERS)

About a third of the way through the book, D'Artagnan becomes smitten with Milady. He disguises himself as Milady's lover, the Comte de Ward, to have sex with her. This is glossed over in the translation I listened to, but I was alarmed when I read about it in a separate summary. What D'Artagnan does would now be considered rape, and it's no wonder Milady flies into a rage when she discovers the truth.

In another chapter, D'Artagnan's melancholy friend and father-figure Athos confides his own dark past: years before, he was a count, and married a young girl from his village. He later discovered this girl had been branded on her shoulder as a felon. Athos cut her clothes off and had her hanged. Ashamed to his core by the scandal, he renounced his title, took on the name Athos, and joined the Musketeers. Later, it's revealed that Athos' wife survived the hanging, and became Milady.

I can accept the explanation that Athos, as a nobleman, was bound by duty to carry out the execution. Still, in the moment of reading, what he did felt pretty damn brutal. I suppose I was thinking of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, or the people who were sent to penal colonies for breaking a plate in a burglary.

All of that's to say that I started the second half of the book feeling like maybe Milady had been wronged a little bit, and may have had some reasons for seeking revenge on D'Artagnan and friends. I was accustomed to modern storytelling convention, which has no patience for purely evil characters. If the story were written today, the branding would have been treated as a tragic misunderstanding.

I hate to say it, but when Milady is captured in England on her way to assassinate the Duke of Buckingham, part of me was hoping she'd escape and get away with it.

I was sobered up by the end, when Milady has mercilessly poisoned Madame Bonacieux, and when we hear the Executioner's story. At that point, I was disabused of my notion that Milady was some victim of circumstance. If Athos had not discovered Milady's brand, she would have ruined him, too, if not killed him.

All I can do is give my compliments to Dumas' writing talents: just like the character Felton in the later chapters, I had been thoroughly seduced by the character of Milady. Milady's latest victim...was me!

#Conclusion

I'm glad to have finally read The Three Musketeers. I am encouraged to try to find some of Dumas' less-popular stories, including The Last Cavalier at some point.

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CJ Sansom, the popular crime author who created the character Matthew Shardlake, has died aged 71.

The historical novelist, whose full name was Christopher John Sansom, died on Saturday, according to his publisher Pan Macmillan.

His Tudor murder-mystery novels have recently been adapted to the screen by Disney+, with the first season to be released on Wednesday.

­Sansom’s first novel, Dissolution, featuring the lawyer-turned-­detective Shardlake, dub­bed the “Tudor Morse”, was published 21 years ago.

He wrote six further novels featuring Shardlake and two standalone historical novels, Winter in Madrid, and Dominion.

Sansom recently won the Crime Writers’ Association Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for his outstanding contribution to the genre.

There are more than three million copies of his books in print, according to his publisher.

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submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by JaymesRS to c/fiction
 
 

We wanted to invite other Lemmy readers to join us in a reading challenge, we have tried to structure this so it’s very flexible with regards to genre, and we don’t require you to join or post on !books@lemmy.world. We had just put in the work to make it and thought we could share the fun. (Admins/Mods please feel free to delete if inappropriate or unwelcome) cross-posted from: https://literature.cafe/post/9497120

Want to read more, but need motivation or direction? Want to gamify or expand your reading? Try book bingo! Our hope with this challenge is to provide a fun way for you to keep up with your reading goals throughout the next 12 months.

How does it work?

The goal is to read something that fits the theme for each bingo square in any single row, column, or corner diagonal of your choice (one work per theme/square). If you would like to, you’re welcome to complete the entire card (or multiple cards). But to clarify, normal bingo rules apply, you only need 5 in a row for a bingo.

Since this is about helping you along in your reading journey, there’s no requirement to read any particular kind of work. Prefer a different format, like graphic novels or audio books? Go for it. Want to read in a different language? Cool. Only have time or energy for single short stories. That’s fine, too. You can read fiction of any genre, nonfiction of any topic, books of poetry, or whatever else interests you, as long as it works for the square. We wanted this to be as open and flexible as possible, to be welcoming to as many people as possible.

We hope you’ll participate in the community throughout the year by sharing how you’re doing with bingo, helping others with suggestions, and posting your feelings about what you’re reading in dedicated threads or the weekly "What are you reading?" thread.

In mid-April, 2025, we'll put up a turn-in post to collect what everyone's been reading; we'll be using that thread to put together a summary, once the bingo period ends. Additionally, if there's a way to provide community flair or some other recognition to participants, that's how we'll determine eligibility. So, if you want to be counted and/or recognized, please make sure to contribute to that post, even if you've made other bingo posts or comments during the year!

Rules

  • You must read a different work for every square you complete, even across multiple cards. There is no conflict, however, with overlapping other reading challenges that aren't associated with c/Books.
  • Repeating authors on the same card isn’t forbidden (especially for the “There Is Another…” and “Same Author, New Work” squares), but we encourage you to read as new to you or different authors for every square on a card.
  • Likewise, we encourage you to primarily read things you haven’t read before.
  • If you’re having trouble filling a certain square, we’ve provided a few alternates you can substitute in (see below). Please limit your substitutions to one per card.
  • The 2024 Bingo period lasts May 1st, 2024 – April 30th, 2025. Anything you finish during that time period is eligible, as long as you were no more than halfway through on May 1st.

Upping the Difficulty

Want an additional challenge? Try one of these, or come up with a variation of your own (and share them!).

  • Hard Mode: Each square description includes an optional extra restriction to the theme, which you can do or ignore on a square-by-square basis. It's up to you!
  • Genre Mode: Read only one genre.
  • Review Mode: Write a review (ratings alone don’t count) for the books you read for bingo, either here on c/Books, a personal blog, Bookwyrm, The Storygraph, Hardcover.app, or elsewhere.

The Card

2024 Bingo Card

Link to a bigger copy

The Squares

Row 1

  • 1A - Older Than You Are: Published before your birthdate. HARD MODE: Published before 1924.
  • 1B - Water, Water Everywhere: The title refers to some form or body of water. HARD MODE: Not liquid water.
  • 1C - What’s Yours Is Mine: Theft, piracy, fraud, or espionage is a major topic or plot point. HARD MODE: No MacGuffins.
  • 1D - Family Drama: Family is important, but sometimes it's also the cause of problems. Family dynamics are fundamental to the narrative. HARD MODE: Involves three or more generations of family members.
  • 1E - It Takes Two: Written by two or more authors. HARD MODE: Written by three or more authors.

Row 2

  • 2A - New Release: New for 2024/2025 (no reprints or new editions). First translations into your language of choice are allowed. HARD MODE: This is the first work you've read by this author.
  • 2B - Plays With Words: Written in a stylistically unconventional way. HARD MODE: Fits the definition of Experimental Literature.
  • 2C - Independent Author: Self-published by the author. Works later published though a conventional publishing house don't count unless you are reading it before the switch, and it's republished before April 30th, 2025. HARD MODE: Not published via Amazon Kindle Direct.
  • 2D - Bookception: Features a book-related aspect. HARD MODE: Something other than a book, like an author or library.
  • 2E - Disability Representation: A main character has or gains a disability to which they must adapt. This disability must be grounded in reality: if a 4,000 year old Prince of the Shokan lost an arm, that would count; if he became a werewolf, it would not. HARD MODE: The piece is at least partially from their perspective.

Row 3

  • 3A - Eazy, Breazy, Read-zie: A light, popcorn-worthy read that’s not real deep (see also “beach read” and “airport novel”). HARD MODE: You actually read it while on a vacation/staycation.
  • 3B - Stranger in a Strange Land: The primary PoV is dropped into a completely unfamiliar situation or location. HARD MODE: Not portal fiction or isekai.
  • 3C - One Less: A book that’s been on your TBR list for a long time. HARD MODE: Overlaps with at least one other bingo square theme.
  • 3D - There Is Another…: Not the first in a series. HARD MODE: Series has 5 or more entries.
  • 3E - LGBTQIA+ Lead: A main character identifies as LGBTQIA+. HARD MODE: Includes a significant romance between characters that identify as LGBTQIA+.

Row 4

  • 4A - Now a Major Motion Picture: The work has been adapted into a show or single episode, movie, play, audio drama, or other format. HARD MODE: The adaptation is regarded as better than the original work.
  • 4B - It’s About Time: The passage or manipulation of time is a major theme or plot driver. HARD MODE: Backward in time, not forward.
  • 4C - Award Winner: Has won a significant literature award. HARD MODE: More than one award.
  • 4D - Mashup: A combination of two or more genres or non-fiction topics. HARD MODE: Unusual combo, like fantasy thriller.
  • 4E - Local to You: The author lives in or writes about a location local to you (city, state, province, territory, etc.). HARD MODE: The author has spent a significant amount of time there, but wasn't born there.

Row 5

  • 5A - Debut Work: An author’s first work. HARD MODE: The author is widely regarded as having a profound impact on the genre/topic.
  • 5B - It's a Holiday: Takes place during a specific holiday, which is significant to the plot. HARD MODE: Not Christmas, a fictional variation of Christmas, or other winter festival.
  • 5C - Institutional: Set at a non-commercial institution or facility, like a school, science lab, or prison. HARD MODE: Not a school.
  • 5D - Minority Author: Minority or LGBTQIA+ author. A minority can be any member of a generally underrepresented population where you live. HARD MODE: Minority and LGBTQIA+.
  • 5E - Among the Stars: Features space, astronomy, or stardom. HARD MODE: The title references the theme, too.

Alternates

These are available as swaps if one of the categories is difficult for your chosen genre, or if it fits better with your reading preferences. There is no obligation to do these otherwise.

  • Same Author, New Work: An author you’ve read before, but a series (or standalone) you haven’t. HARD MODE: Give an author you didn’t like a second chance.
  • She Blinded Me With Science: The author has a background and degree in a hard science. HARD MODE: More than one post graduate degree.
  • Pseudonymous Work: Published under a pen name. HARD MODE: The author generally never writes under their own name.
  • Translated: Not originally in your native tongue. HARD MODE: Has been translated into at least ten other languages. This Wikipedia page is a good place to start for widely translated works.
  • A Change in Perspective: Written in third-person perspective. HARD MODE: Second-person perspective.

Resources

If you make or find any bingo-related resources, ping or DM me so I can add them here. Thanks!

Appreciation

  • This challenge is inspired by, but totally separate from, the one run by r/Fantasy on Reddit. We deeply appreciate the past organizers and the work they did that we are now benefitting from.
  • Thank you for so much to misericordiae for the design and production of the card.
  • 2024 bingo card font credits: Bungee Shade, by David Jonathan Ross; Roboto Condensed, by Christian Robertson.
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cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/16399125

I used to love the Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child books

Like Relic, and the Pendergast series etc. I feel like they got pretty schlocky, but it's been quite a while, and I don't really remember. Are any of their other stuff worth a read?

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I’m too lazy to remove the personal information from a pic of my card, so here is the cover of the first book I checked out.

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cross-posted from: https://mstdn.social/users/compoundchem/statuses/112053145362352366

Image description: Infographic on the aroma of books. The smell of old books is produced by the gradual breakdown of cellulose and lignin in paper. Type of paper and age of the book affect the compounds produced, which include furfural, vanillin and benzaldehyde. The aroma of new books is equally variable, the compounds causing it coming from adhesives, inks, and chemicals used for paper treatment. Many of these chemicals are odorless themselves, but can react and contribute to the release of aroma chemicals.


(Originally published earlier today on mstdn.social) - Click the Fedi-Link to visit.

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About the book: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/c08dd045-da79-4980-b2df-793ca92bd8dd

My review

Time to go back to good old crime novels, including a twist (lesbians. the twist is lesbians.).

I’ve already talked about how funnily enough, I consider most crime novels uplifting, as long as the grueling horrors aren’t too detailed. Their structure is very clear-cut and they’re not taking any risks, usually, following a very neat timeline of « oh no, someone died! », « oh no, things are getting worse! » (which may or may not include other people dying, or terrible family secrets being revealed, this novel being in the latter category), and « ah, justice has been brought! » (sometimes by murdering the murderer, because crime novels support the death penalty, i guess).

You’d think that with such a cookie-cutter scenario, thrillers wouldn’t be able to surprise me.

And yet!!

In Speak of the Devil, seven women find the body. They could all be the murderer. One of them is in a weird off and on again relationship with the local cop, Woman Number 8, who will investigate the case. And the seven women agree that, whoever committed that murder, they’ll all be in trouble if they don’t all cover for each other.

Except that the cop is smart, and the others make mistakes, and thinks will slowly unravel, and by the end of the novel, we won’t be sure what is even going on anymore.

~~The death penalty is extremely wrong! But also, whew, I’d also behead that guy.~~

Loads of content warnings because this is a feminist crime novel, including a beheading in the prologue, and horrific (and impressingly diverse) forms of abuse throughout the entire story.

On my website: https://alexsirac.com/speak-of-the-devil/

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submitted 1 year ago by JaymesRS to c/fiction
 
 

The first 10 of 50…

  1. Check this place out, it’s dope

  2. Technology solves problems 🤩 (future good)

  3. Technology creates problems 😕 (future bad)

  4. A world much like our own where some subtle differences highlight humanity/reality/society/perception

  5. What if your cock was a bomb?

  6. Rockets are not phallic, please stop saying that

  7. Here is why religion is bad

  8. Homestuck

  9. Four thousand pages on the adventures of Prentiss Plum, a space pirate, scientist, and award-winning Virgo

  10. Winking parody that doubles down on sexbots

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