Sally Strange replied to Tyrone Slothrop's status
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@slothrop@chaos.social lol. But did you understand it? is that possible?
Interests: climate, science, sci-fi, fantasy, LGBTQIA+, history, anarchism, anti-racism, labor politics
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@slothrop@chaos.social lol. But did you understand it? is that possible?
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@SallyStrange I´ve studied 20th century history.
1/5 stars, can´t recommend.
This is a difficult book to get through on account of the overwhelming amount of horrible deaths described in detail during the first third of the book. However, the payoff is worth it. Part one describes the settings and the suffering engendered by famine-driven starvation during the last 2 - 3 decades of the 19th century, in painful detail. It focuses primarily on Brazil, India, and China. It emphasizes the human suffering and the callousness of most of the official responses by British officials, who were in the position to the most (or, more typically, the least) to help those affected. In part two, the author takes us along on a ride through scientific history, explaining how climatologists came to understand, partially anyway, the mechanisms of ENSO (or El Nino/La Nina). Part three combines these and takes us back to the antecedent conditions in Brazil, India, and China, demonstrating how …
This is a difficult book to get through on account of the overwhelming amount of horrible deaths described in detail during the first third of the book. However, the payoff is worth it. Part one describes the settings and the suffering engendered by famine-driven starvation during the last 2 - 3 decades of the 19th century, in painful detail. It focuses primarily on Brazil, India, and China. It emphasizes the human suffering and the callousness of most of the official responses by British officials, who were in the position to the most (or, more typically, the least) to help those affected. In part two, the author takes us along on a ride through scientific history, explaining how climatologists came to understand, partially anyway, the mechanisms of ENSO (or El Nino/La Nina). Part three combines these and takes us back to the antecedent conditions in Brazil, India, and China, demonstrating how the capitalist need to force peasants around the world into participating in the global market economy made mass starvation likely, and how the British official response contrasted mostly negatively with those of the respective native rulers in similar events in the past. The conclusion: drought or flooding caused by El Nino or La Nina was the proximate cause, but without capitalism, the death toll, reckoned at around 100 million for the entire 3-decade era focused on in the book, would surely have been far lower. Famines are never purely ecologically caused, they always have a political dimension.
@sifuCJC You won't regret it! None of the books stay at court for long. I think The Siren Depths is my favorite, but all of the books are worth a read and a re-read. Possibly several.
The trouble with popular library books is that they have waiting lists and that means I can't renew them but must put them on hold for months at a time...
Also this is a test, I keep making comments on various books I'm reading but they aren't showing up in my timeline
The fast-paced intrigue and backstabbing continues grippingly. While the first book stood alone well enough, this is missing the arc and focus making its success hang much more on what may be to come.
A fascinating story about a city that is cursed (or blessed) by a demon that loves the city and the people who live in it, in a world where demons, angels (and other beings) can affect the lives of people and animals in subtle, and sometimes, devastating ways.
The demon drops hints and alters the destinies of people, keeping the city a lively place, which she then notes down in her book, which she keeps in her heart. But it comes to an abrupt end when angels appear and devastate the city. In her rage, the demon curses one of the angels.
The demon goes through the remains of her city, remembering the people that once lived there and the places they occupied, and starts to clean up. She occasionally meets the cursed angel, now bound to remain on earth as long as her curse remains in him. She rages …
A fascinating story about a city that is cursed (or blessed) by a demon that loves the city and the people who live in it, in a world where demons, angels (and other beings) can affect the lives of people and animals in subtle, and sometimes, devastating ways.
The demon drops hints and alters the destinies of people, keeping the city a lively place, which she then notes down in her book, which she keeps in her heart. But it comes to an abrupt end when angels appear and devastate the city. In her rage, the demon curses one of the angels.
The demon goes through the remains of her city, remembering the people that once lived there and the places they occupied, and starts to clean up. She occasionally meets the cursed angel, now bound to remain on earth as long as her curse remains in him. She rages at him for the destruction caused and for the lives lost. And yet, they still find a way to live in the remains of the city. As the years past and the destruction is gradually cleaned up, the angel leads survivors of another war to the city. Slowly, the city becomes alive again as the population grows and others arrive. Once again, the demon interacts with the inhabitants, altering their lives, but now in concert with the angel who has now lost some of the aloofness of angels (as well as other aspects) as the price for staying in the city.
Then, once again, devastation threatens the city. Only, this time, the city has a demon and an angel claiming it, and who knows what they will now do to the city.
After The Dispossessed, it was nice to read another "anarchist fiction", but with some queerness in it this time. Two completely different kind of stories of course, but both enjoyable. While TD focus is on a bigger scale, Killjoy narrates the story of a chosen family. It was fun to see the not-at-all-subtle voice of the publisher, especially when queer-related content ended up being "explained". This world is so boring.
I'm reading a different book titled "The Russian Revolution," that one's by Sean McMeekin. There are several. I didn't realize Walter Rodney had written one too, though. Even though he didn't have access to the fully declassified documents that came to light after the collapse of the USSR, I'm sure it would still be fascinating.
I really liked the first half of this book. The latter part sidelined many of my favorite plot elements in order to focus almost exclusively on the romance, which isn’t my thing; this book may be a better choice for readers more into pure romance. Lovely writing, though, and very sympathetic characters as well.
A fantasy romance between a repressed guard and the panic attack-prone prince who he's sworn to defend. If it weren't for Rowland's excellent character writing, it would be boring. But instead it's fascinating. The fantasy elements are nearly an afterthought - the prince can sense the purity of metals by touching them, which is a useful talent in a world with gold and silver money. More importantly, he's slowly learning to cope with his anxiety and accept help and care from the people who love him. Absolutely charming so far.
I paused reading because I started caring about the characters, and then there was a plot twist that makes me suspect things are going to turn out very poorly for them. I mean that has been heavily foreshadowed since the beginning but still. I don't have room in my life for getting upset about fictional characters right now.
@picklish@books.theunseen.city As a longtime fan of Bujold and this series, I'm enjoying your reviews. Curious if you have any thoughts on Bujold's apparent obsession with December/May romances. I've barely read a book of hers without a young woman falling in love with a much older man.