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CatFoodHands

CatFoodHands@bookwyrm.social

Joined 1 year, 11 months ago

My books smell like cat food.

Reading #scifi #fantasy #Appendix-N #compassion-studies #science #psychology #neuroscience #tarot #occult #shortstories #history #feminism

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Brian W. Aldiss: Non-stop (1976, Pan Books)

Roy Complain lives in a culturally-primitive tribe in which curiosity is discouraged and life is …

The book is worth sticking with, despite the classic failures of gender representation in sci-fi of this era, and despite some of the early character interactions. By the time it gets rolling, it's got a fantastic pace, and is genuinely interesting. The twists and reveals were great, and will stick with me for a long while.

Kristin Neff: Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself (2011, William Morrow)

Review of 'Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself' on 'Goodreads'

Have you ever read a very promising book only to get halfway through and feel like you've been reading about what the book has to offer you, rather than having read the offerings themselves? This book is a reminder that relying on PhD in the author's name isn't a long term strategy.

This book left me with the (probably wrong) sense that it was written for people who don't need help with serious issues.

Example: "Finally, as her pain started to subside, she began to trust others, and that her past no longer had anything to do with her present. The last time I heard from her, Emily was engaged to a wonderful man who deeply loved and appreciated her, and whose love and appreciation she could finally allow herself to receive."

Now this is probably a fairly common story about the power of therapy, and someone who grew through …

reviewed Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell (Trader's Tales From The Golden Age Of The Solar Clipper, #1)

Nathan Lowell: Quarter Share (2013, Durandus)

THE GOLDEN AGE OF SAIL HAS RETURNED -- IN THE YEAR 2351

When his mother …

Review of "Quarter Share (Trader's Tales From The Golden Age Of The Solar Clipper) (Volume 1)" on 'Goodreads'

I enjoyed this a lot. I approached it after having it described to me as "cozy sci-fi", which was enough to set my expectations. Overall it is an interesting endeavor the characters set out on, and it is fun to follow their youthful passions and see how their enterprises develop. It's a nice snapshot of what life on a ship would be like for the crew.

Christopher Buehlman: The Blacktongue Thief (Hardcover, 2021, Tor Books)

Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a …

Review of 'The Blacktongue Thief' on 'Goodreads'

I really enjoyed this book. It was a dark fantasy but not at the expense of a magical escape. It will leave you wondering what decade it came out because it very much fits right in with the old "Apoendix-N" fantasy, but you will notice distinctly modern bents where you might expect to find well tread ideas.

Review of 'Colonyside' on 'Goodreads'

Michael Mammay is not cranking out a formula here, he seems to be trying to grow and hone his craft with each new novel. I didn't really know how he could rope me in after the first two books, since those were essentially two parts of one large arc, but he did!

This novel really hits the spot, and starts to highlight the parts of his writing I find really unique and interesting. These mysteries set against the military backdrop of human colonized space are surprisingly universal while seemingly being very niche. If this became a subgenre unto itself I would be very content.

reviewed Architects of Infinity by Kirsten Beyer (Star Trek: Voyager - Relaunch, #13)

Kirsten Beyer: Architects of Infinity (Paperback, 2018, Pocket Books)

An original novel set in the universe of Star Trek: Voyager, from the New York …

Review of 'Architects of Infinity' on 'Goodreads'

I am an avid Star Trek reader and have read everything to come out in the last 4 years.

This novel reads like a light-scifi storyline adapted to Star Trek, but one that does not fit with the universe building that has been going on since the 80s. You are going to be reading a lot about contemporary issues that plague our society today, which to me takes a lot of the joy out of Roddenberry's vision of the future.

This book is clearly written by a Star Trek outsider. From unwanted pregnancies, to stem cells, abortion, suicide and more... you are going to be spending a lot of time on issues that have been abated long before the 24th century, as you can read over and over again in many other "canon" Star Trek novels.

Then there are the technical failures... Characters and officers are petty and hollow, and …