Sign in with Facebook
57 books
—
275 voters
to-read
(9)
currently-reading (1)
read (1021)
re-read (387)
mysteries-thrillers (285)
series (250)
science-fiction-and-fantasy (206)
science-fiction-fantasy-mags (201)
not-reviewed (197)
noteworthy-cover (195)
books-i-entered (160)
non-fiction (152)
currently-reading (1)
read (1021)
re-read (387)
mysteries-thrillers (285)
series (250)
science-fiction-and-fantasy (206)
science-fiction-fantasy-mags (201)
not-reviewed (197)
noteworthy-cover (195)
books-i-entered (160)
non-fiction (152)
mystery-magazines
(134)
eqmm (130)
humor (94)
anthologies (89)
art (87)
f-and-sf-sf-mag (79)
read-in-past-only (69)
in-references-explained (66)
single-short-story (66)
one-author-short-story-collections (54)
criticism (53)
movies (50)
eqmm (130)
humor (94)
anthologies (89)
art (87)
f-and-sf-sf-mag (79)
read-in-past-only (69)
in-references-explained (66)
single-short-story (66)
one-author-short-story-collections (54)
criticism (53)
movies (50)
“There is only so much one can do for the dead without joining them.
The Caravan from Troon”
― Asimov's Science Fiction, August 2001
The Caravan from Troon”
― Asimov's Science Fiction, August 2001
“I read this book a few decades ago, on a trip to some of the territories of the old Byzantine Empire, during which an emotional relationship came to an emotionally draining end, so it may retain some of the hectic inanity of my personal life, but great works are fractal, reflecting both our grand ambitions and our petty failures.
------------From a review on Goodreads”
―
------------From a review on Goodreads”
―
“Darius was clearly of the opinion
that the air was also man's dominion.
And that with paddle or fin or pinion
we soon or late shall navigate
the azure, as now we sail the sea.
The thing looks simple enough to me.
And if you doubt it,
see how Darius reasoned about it.
"The birds can fly, an why can't I?
Must we give in?" says he with a grin,
"that the Blue bird and Feeby
Are smarter than we be?"
"Just fold our hands and see the Swalla,
and the Black bird and the Cat bird beat us holla?
Or tell me that chatterin' sassy little wren knows more 'en men?
Just show me that. Or prove that the bat
has got more brains than's in my hat,
an' I'll back down. An' not till then.”
From "Darius Green and His Flying Machine”
―
that the air was also man's dominion.
And that with paddle or fin or pinion
we soon or late shall navigate
the azure, as now we sail the sea.
The thing looks simple enough to me.
And if you doubt it,
see how Darius reasoned about it.
"The birds can fly, an why can't I?
Must we give in?" says he with a grin,
"that the Blue bird and Feeby
Are smarter than we be?"
"Just fold our hands and see the Swalla,
and the Black bird and the Cat bird beat us holla?
Or tell me that chatterin' sassy little wren knows more 'en men?
Just show me that. Or prove that the bat
has got more brains than's in my hat,
an' I'll back down. An' not till then.”
From "Darius Green and His Flying Machine”
―
“Examples abound: one final one. On the copyright page of his first book, The Works of Max Beerbohm, Max found the imprint
London: JOHN LANE, The Bodley Head
New York: CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
Beneath it, he wrote in pen:
This plain announcement, nicely read.
Iambically runs.
The effortless a-b-a-b rhyming, the balance of "plain" and "nicely," the need for nicety in pronouncing "Iambically" to scan - this is quintessential light verse, a twitting of the starkest prose into perfect form, a marriage of earth with light, and quite magical. Indeed, were I a high priest of literature, I would have this quatrain made into an amulet and wear it about my neck, for luck.
----John Updike, writing about the poetry of Max Beerbohm”
― Assorted Prose
London: JOHN LANE, The Bodley Head
New York: CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
Beneath it, he wrote in pen:
This plain announcement, nicely read.
Iambically runs.
The effortless a-b-a-b rhyming, the balance of "plain" and "nicely," the need for nicety in pronouncing "Iambically" to scan - this is quintessential light verse, a twitting of the starkest prose into perfect form, a marriage of earth with light, and quite magical. Indeed, were I a high priest of literature, I would have this quatrain made into an amulet and wear it about my neck, for luck.
----John Updike, writing about the poetry of Max Beerbohm”
― Assorted Prose
“It's hard to have empathy and remember that, as the saying goes, everyone you meet is fighting a great battle when your attention is all taken up by being on fire right now. It's hard to find the energy to be calm and kind and to consider the divergence of experience of others when you're exhausted and trying to keep your own head above the waves and you're swallowing salt water and you have no idea where you are going to find the energy to keep kicking.
Another thing about having your own shit going on is that until you get some perspective on it, that shit feels enormous. Like the center of the universe. And it kind of is, in that nobody who is excavating a pile of trauma like that has the energy for anything except shoveling. But it becomes so all-consuming that it's easy to forget that you - and your trauma - are not the only thing on anybody else's mind, or even the most important one, because they're all really busy thinking about their own shovels.
----------"Erase, Erase, Erase" / The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, September/October, 2019”
―
Another thing about having your own shit going on is that until you get some perspective on it, that shit feels enormous. Like the center of the universe. And it kind of is, in that nobody who is excavating a pile of trauma like that has the energy for anything except shoveling. But it becomes so all-consuming that it's easy to forget that you - and your trauma - are not the only thing on anybody else's mind, or even the most important one, because they're all really busy thinking about their own shovels.
----------"Erase, Erase, Erase" / The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, September/October, 2019”
―
Steve’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Steve’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
1,169 books
|
4,826 friends
2,505 books
|
2,860 friends
1,287 books
|
129 friends
767 books
|
21 friends
4,294 books
|
5,001 friends
1,025 books
|
201 friends
10,095 books
|
531 friends
751 books
|
78 friends
More friends…
Polls voted on by Steve
Lists liked by Steve
