Liesvanrompaey

@Liesvanrompaey@mastodon.green

Living in Spain with husband https://drupal.community/@jpoesen, 3 dogs and 3 cats.

I help people get a (Flemish) high school degree when the regular channels don't work for them.

I love animals (dogs in particular), nature, photography, and science. I'm crazy about books.

I'm a big fan of #iNaturalist.

I spend most of my time reading, doing stuff in the garden, watching tv, and looking at plants and bugs.

"Preach at all times. When necessary use words." (The Way of Shadows - Brent Weeks)

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Liesvanrompaey, to bookstodon

@bookstodon

Just finished Walk the Vanished Earth by Erin Swan.

It was well written and I found the character development interesting, but the story didn't really go anywhere.

#WalktheVanishedEarth #ErinSwan

Konenpanien, to macrophotography
@Konenpanien@pixelfed.social avatar

This tiny insect measured less than 1 millimeter, I think it is a type of cicada, I was very surprised by the comet-like tail it had.
#macrophotography #nature #bugs #insects

Liesvanrompaey,

@Konenpanien Planthopper (Fulgoromorpha)

Liesvanrompaey, to bookstodon

@bookstodon

Just finished The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman.

It's a wonderful exploration of the power of books and reading. The language is beautiful and full of quotes and allusions.

It's also a story about different kinds of strength, maternal love, healing, and being a woman now and in the past.

Highly recommend it.

Just a tiny warning: The book will probably be less rewarding if you haven't read The Scarlet Letter or don't know anything about Hawthorne.

#AliceHoffman

Liesvanrompaey, to ask

@bookstodon

Good morning!

I'll be flying to Belgium on Wednesday to spend some time with family and relatives. I won't have time to really read but it would be nice to have something relaxing for the 3 hour flight and to escape for a bit from time to time 😀 .

Any suggestions for recent thrillers or anything else entertaining but not too demanding to take with me?

Liesvanrompaey, to bookstodon

@bookstodon

Not all books are great reads, but that's ok.

Book 19
Between Two Strangers by Kate White.

Didn't like it at all. Found the main character very annoying and the style cloying.

I finished it because I wanted to know who did what to whom and how it all worked out, but the characters were too flat to relate to.

On to something better!
Looking forward to Fourteen Days (written by Margareth Atwood amongst others) :).

Liesvanrompaey,

@kimlockhartga @bookstodon

Will do.

No, I don't have a thread. It's just the nth book this year.

Usually I only say something about books I liked because I like to spread the joy.

Hope you have a bookish weekend!

Liesvanrompaey, to nature

A pretty red beetle (Lilioceris lilii).

#InsectSaturday #InsektenSamstag #entomology #coleoptera #Lilioceris #nature

Liesvanrompaey, to 13thFloor

@bookstodon

Book 16 The Body in Question by Jill Ciment.

An abundance of psychological tension and a plethora of ethical questions.

Unsettling but also so very comforting in its humanity.

Recommend.

#JillCiment #fiction

Liesvanrompaey, to Dogs

Anyone else who loves listening to their dogs sleep?

I find the sighs, grunts, snores and dreaming sounds deeply relaxing. They tell me all is well with our bit of the world.

#dogs #dogsofmastodon

KitMuse, to sciencefiction
@KitMuse@eponaauthor.social avatar

I need your help . One of the classes I'm taking at the graduate level this semester is Religion & Science Fiction. I read more fantasy, and would like to do my research paper on something that's not obvious (like ST/BS5/Matrix/etc.) & I'd love to use more modern sf rather than the golden age classics.

Anyone have any interesting ideas for my research paper on regarding the intersection of religion and science fiction?

@bookstodon

Liesvanrompaey,

@KitMuse @bookstodon
James Blish - A Case of Conscience

Mary Doria Russell - The Sparrow

""At the heart of religion, and at the heart of anthropology, and at the heart of science fiction, there are similar concerns, though there are differences in the kinds of stories we tell and the conclusions that we reach." (Russell on The Sparrow)

Liesvanrompaey, to bookstodon

@bookstodon

Just finished A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine.

What a fantastic read!

Too bad this seems to conclude the Teixcalaan series. The Teixcalaan universe is so rich and interesting, I'd love to read more about it. I feel slightly upset about having to say goodbye so soon.

On the plus side: I'm sure whatever Arkady Martine comes up with next, will be fascinating too.

#Teixcalaan #ArdkadyMartine

Liesvanrompaey, to bookstodon

@bookstodon

Reading The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese.
Love it. Find myself looking for excuses to go read a bit more and happy when I notice I haven't made that much progress yet.

Just as captivating as Cutting for Stone, if not more.

I want it to last!

Great book to start the year with.

#AbrahamVerghese

Liesvanrompaey, to SF

The human predicament in a nutshell.

“So, the paradox is that the ecosystem as a whole needs its participants to act with restraint in order to avoid collapse, but the participants themselves have no inbuilt mechanism to encourage such behavior.” A Psalm for the Wild-Built - Becky Chambers

#quote #SF #BeckyChambers #dailyQuote

@bookstodon

Liesvanrompaey, to Horror

Started Lone Women by Victor LaValle without paying a lot of attention. The first few sentences of the summary sold me.

Enjoyed it a lot, but surprised to find out the book was nominated for Goodread's book of the year in the Horror category.

I really wouldn't call this book horror as there is no sense of dread or fear, which to me are crucial aspects of horror.

Apparently for some the appearance of a "monster" is enough to classify a book as horror.

#VictorLavalle #horror

@bookstodon

kimlockhartga, to bookstodon
@kimlockhartga@beige.party avatar

@bookstodon Is anyone hiding out and reading today? I've started the graphic novel version of The Stand, 'cause nothing says Baby Jesus like an out of control world. 😁 What are you reading, if anything, and did anyone give you books? Did they give you the kind of books you wanted?

My librarian told me that the best week to troll donations is the week after Christmas, when everyone donates gifted books they didn't want.

Liesvanrompaey,

@kimlockhartga @bookstodon

I finished Translation State by Ann Leckie. Deeply satisfying!

Liesvanrompaey, to bookstodon

@bookstodon

Hi all
Trying to remember the title and author of a book I had as a kid (about 40 years ago).

This is what I remember: A girl who has been in a bad accident moves to her aunt and uncle's place. They have a horse farm and all the kids ride. This girl doesn't want to ride anymore because she accidentally (?) killed her horse (?). She discovers two stolen pedigreed horses during a snow storm and saves them.

It was definitely not "literature" but I loved that book.

Any ideas?

Liesvanrompaey,

@farbel @bookstodon
Thanks for the suggestion.
I don't think that was it. Can't remember anything about preparing for a meet.

Liesvanrompaey, to bookstodon

@bookstodon

Spending my days under a duvet battling a cold and an annoying cough.

On the plus side: this gives me lots of time to listen to books.

Today I've been listening to An Honest Man by Michael Koryta. I'm really enjoying this one. The characters are complex and the plot has intelligent twists and turns. The story is good enough to lose myself in it, which is exactly what I need right now :).

Excellent "time out book".

#MichaelKoryta

MagentaRocks, to bookstodon
@MagentaRocks@mastodon.coffee avatar

Is anyone listening to the audio #book version of Making It So by Sir Patrick Stewart?

Besides the fact he could read me the phonebook, his narration is glorious storytelling. I can imagine sitting next to him, anywhere on the planet, listening to him share these stories.

He shares tales during his time working on Dune, which are, well, David Lynch worthy. And! You will gain a strong appreciation of all the times Shakespeare figured into Star Trek TNG plots.

#read #listening @bookstodon

Liesvanrompaey,

@MagentaRocks @bookstodon Thanks for your post. Had no idea this book existed. Will be listening to this soon.

Liesvanrompaey, to Lichen

Moss and lichen.
#SilentSunsday #Mosstodon #lichen #moss

Liesvanrompaey, to bookstodon

@bookstodon
Book 87 The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

Enjoyable and intriguing. Complex and diverse.
I found the ending a bit underwhelming but overall it was a very good read.

Best not to read too much about it to avoid spoilers, though, because it's a story that really takes you to unexpected places.

#JustinCronin #TheFerryman

Private
Liesvanrompaey,

@Likewise @bookstodon

If I don't know the book I'll ask them what it is about and look into it if it interests me.

When people talk about a book I see that as an opportunity to learn about a book I might not have heard about.

The fact that they don't read much, doesn't say anything about the potential value of the book. Plenty of avid readers recommend books that don't appeal.

AndyPaciorekArt, to books
@AndyPaciorekArt@mastodon.social avatar

Got that feeling you get when you don't like a book that you'd been looking forward to reading 🫤

#books @bookstodon

Liesvanrompaey,

@AndyPaciorekArt @bookstodon Just put it away and try again later. You might like it then. Sometimes books need the right place and the right time.

donni, to random
@donni@mastodon.social avatar

What's a good age to just start screaming incoherently

Liesvanrompaey,

@donni Round the age you are told it is not an appropriate way to behave.

Private
Liesvanrompaey,

@agt @bookstodon I hardly notice it is amazon, but I keep the wifi off.

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