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Golden State
Golden State | Ben H. Winters
142 posts | 96 read | 1 reading | 112 to read
Golden State by Ben Winters is an ambitious and frighteningly timely novel set in a world where everything is recorded and no one can be trusted. For anyone who loved The Handmaid's Tale, The Power and Station Eleven. Welcome to Golden State, where the worst crime you can commit is to lie. Laz Ratesic is a veteran of the States special police. As one of the few individuals allowed to speculate on what might have happened when a crime is committed, its his job to find the full and final truth. But when a man falls from a roof in suspicious circumstances, it sets in motion a terrifying series of events which will shatter Lazs world for ever. Because when those in control of the truth decide to twist it, only those with the power to ask questions can fight back.
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review
rwmg
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Pickpick

Speculator Lazlo Ratesic is assigned a new partner as he begins investigating the death of a fallen roofer.

I enjoyed this exploration through a police procedural of a society where lying is the ultimate crime. Both the world building and the mystery were well done, though I must admit to being a bit baffled at the end as to what the significance of the pumpkins might be.

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rwmg
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Soubhiville What a great quote! 1y
Reggie YES, I love that moment when you‘re breathing the same air as your book. 1y
BarbaraBB Great quote. I liked this book too. 1y
25 likes3 comments
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rwmg
Golden State | Ben Winters
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rwmg
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Somebody's telling lies in here, and it's making it hard to eat.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

bthegood omg - love that line - 1y
Reggie Lolol that‘s an awesome first line. 1y
21 likes2 comments
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vivastory
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Golden State features an odd couple team sent to investigate what starts as a routine accidental death & soon becomes much more. As the Washington Post review noted of Laszlo's detecting skills, “The novel‘s narrator Laszlo Ratesic, is a member of the state‘s Speculative Service, the law-enforcement body charged with ferreting out lies and liars and with sorting “accidental infelicities” from “purposeful misrepresentations.” Like other members👇

vivastory of the service, Laszlo has a sixth sense for mendacity. It produces a physical reaction in him, like an allergy.“ For some reason I recall Laszlo having a fondness for pie, I don't recall if this included #pumpkin pie. This is the 6th Winters book that I have read & although not my favorite of his it was well worth reading. #GratefulHarvest @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs (edited) 2y
Suet624 I read this for the TOB. I remember really liking it until the end. It kind of went off the rails. 2y
BkClubCare Yes!! #PieinLit. My notes mention Blueberry Pie at the House of Pie 😄 2y
See All 8 Comments
vivastory @Suet624 I agree about the end 2y
vivastory @BkClubCare Thanks for the reminder! I knew there was something distinct about the scene where he eats pie, just couldn't remember what 2y
BarbaraBB I really really likes this one. 2y
Megabooks I almost ordered this from BOTM half a dozen times. Perhaps I should have. 🤔 2y
vivastory @Megabooks I would start with his Last Policeman trilogy first, if you haven't read them. 2y
68 likes8 comments
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Blueberry
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Something to think about.

KVanRead Oh that‘s lovely. Going to try to remember that. 3y
Reggie Lol 3y
Reggie I laugh but the two authors I‘ve actually wrote e-mails to responded with very nice emails of their own. 3y
umbrellagirl I remember doing this in high school. I still have the response. 3y
Kenyazero I've been trying to do this recently by making myself reach out to authors when I finish one of their books. 3y
73 likes5 comments
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H_SQUARED
Golden State | Ben Winters
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16 likes1 stack add
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H_SQUARED
Golden State | Ben Winters
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My first ever BOTM!!

BarbaraBB I enjoyed Golden State! 3y
13 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
IselaKay
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Mehso-so

I liked this book enough. It‘s got mystery, detectives, and sci-fi. And overall it has a thought-provoking theme regarding the concept of truth and how becoming obsessed with it or only willing to accept it rigidly can welcome a dystopian future with constant surveillance—as the truth is sometimes ungraspable, elusive, subjective, etc.

The ending wasn‘t great, but I think it was meant to end inconclusively.

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EatSleepRead
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Mehso-so

I loved about 90% of this novel, but the end was disappointing to me. The concepts in this book were mind bending to consider. I love books that make me rethink everything around me and the world I exist in.

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EJsmama0729
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Next read

Nute How are you, Chantel? You‘ve been gone a long time. You were missed!🙂 3y
5 likes1 stack add1 comment
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nitalibrarian
Golden State | Ben Winters
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"These are the custodians of the Record. They are Librarians, and they do not fuck around."

AllieLovesBooks Yes! Great quote. 💙 4y
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nitalibrarian
Golden State | Ben Winters
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"A question is a cup you hold out to be filled, and there are those that will always fill it to the brim, pour in all the truth they can think of, until it overflows and spills and spreads across the table. That's not me. Me, I'll give you what's precisely true and no more; I'll answer your question and shut up."

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nitalibrarian
Golden State | Ben Winters
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I'm starting another #botm book today. If I'm remembering correctly, this was the first Book of the Month I ever received. 😁

swishandflick I still haven't read this one yet either! Looking forward to hearing what you think 😄 4y
Lesanne Now I don‘t feel so bad that I‘ve yet to read my first BOTM book! 😁 4y
Sace This post makes me feel so much better about my BOTM delinquency. 4y
BarbaraBB I really liked this one. I read it earlier this year. 4y
22 likes4 comments
review
Balibee146
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Pickpick

Another dystopian read with a slightly rushed ending that I also enjoyed recently 📖👍

Suet624 The first 2/3rd‘s was quite good. The ending, I agree, was too rushed. 4y
53 likes1 comment
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AlexGeorge
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Pickpick

This was so good - incredibly smart, thought-provoking, and apparently just what I needed to read right now. I mean, a place where truth is the most valued commodity imaginable? Genius - and so well executed. Highly recommended.

22 likes1 stack add
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Balibee146
Golden State | Ben Winters
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I need to find a book that will hold my attention but be an easy read too.... Fingers crossed 🙏📖🙏

#currentlyreading #noconcentration

BarbaraBB I really liked this one! 🤞🏽 4y
TrishB That‘s the new criteria! 4y
Balibee146 @TrishB totally.... It's so weird right now... Home school officially shut for two weeks so I'm doing my best to get on the mindset to have quality time... Read, cook and get back into the exercise habit which I used to love. Hope you are okay... Are you having an Easter break from working at home? 😘😘 4y
TrishB @Balibee146 supposed to be off for a week from Tuesday, but so much to do I‘m not sure this is going to happen. 🤞🏻🤞🏻 4y
Balibee146 @TrishB oh that's tough... But you need to consider your health too....i know you are committed and conscientious but if something has to give make sure it isn't you 😘😘😘hope you do manage to carve out some down time 😘😘😘 4y
55 likes1 stack add5 comments
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rsteve388
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Pickpick

This was my second favorite book in this year's (2020) tournament of books. It's a great dystopian novel about Truth and what isn't true and how truth can be distorted to suit someone's reality. It was an excellent story that had many twists and turns that kept me at the edge of my seat. Would highly recommend.

BarbaraBB One of my ToB favorites too. Too bad It didn‘t win the play-in round! 4y
22 likes1 comment
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Balibee146
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Impulse buy #bookmail thanks to a positive comment from @BarbaraBB
I even paid twice as much for this cover... It's also a #floppybook so this must be the US edition?
An anticipated read 👍

Cathythoughts Nice 👍🏻❤️look forward to your thoughts 4y
61 likes1 comment
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BarbaraBB
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Finally! Today starts the #ToB2020 with the play-in round. I haven‘t read We Cast a Shadow yet but
I hope Golden State will make it into the tournament. I really liked that one. Oval was good too but didn‘t have as much effect on me in the end.

Which is your favorite of these three?

JennyM I feel excited for you, @BarbaraBB! I‘ve not read any of these 😲 4y
Cinfhen Echoing @JennyM I haven‘t read any but I remember how much you enjoyed 4y
Suet624 I didn‘t read Oval. The other two were so so for me. Both were interesting ideas though. If I were forced to pick I guess I would pick Golden State. 4y
See All 11 Comments
BarbaraBB @Suet624 @Redwritinghood The winner is We Cast a Shadow. The only one of the shortlist that I haven‘t read! I will start it soon now! 4y
Suet624 Wow. You‘re fast! The email just popped into my mailbox. I‘m good with that decision although I haven‘t read their reasoning yet. 4y
Suet624 Just read the discussion and the judge makes me want to find Oval. 4y
BarbaraBB @Suet624 She writes a very good piece about Oval indeed. I liked it but in retrospective maybe more! (edited) 4y
Redwritinghood @BarbaraBB That‘s also the one I didn‘t read. Of course. 4y
BarbaraBB @Redwritinghood Are you going to? I should but I‘m not sure yet 🤷🏻‍♀️ 4y
Redwritinghood @BarbaraBB Probably not. I‘ve seen a lot of lukewarm reviews of it. 4y
65 likes11 comments
review
ReadingEnvy
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Pickpick

I have made the call - Ben H. Winters is the Philip K. Dick of our generation. The way he expands an idea into a novel (in Golden State - an alternate/future California ruled by absolute truth) and the flawed characters that you root for anyway, but also that sense of maybe the ending could have been stronger. 4/5 stars with some redemption in clever and funny moments. This was another read from the Tournament of Books.

keithmalek You might also enjoy The Truth Machine by James L. Halperin. 4y
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review
UnabridgedPod
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Pickpick

Ben H. Winters's Golden State gave me crazy Fahrenheit 451 vibes. It's definitely not cribbing heavily from Bradbury's novel, but it has the same feeling of projecting for readers a world that's just a year or two from being possible. (There are also some fabulous scenes where we see the protagonist tempted unbearably to read banned fiction.)⠀

Lazlo Ratesic is a Speculator, a sort of police officer whose job is to enforce the truth. ⬇️

UnabridgedPod His position came through ability--not everyone CAN sense lies--so it's a career that developed by affinity and by family tradition. Both Lazlo's father and his older brother were also Speculators. Lazlo's talent, though, pales in comparison to his brother Charlie, whose genius made him a hero upon his death in the line of duty. Speculators are tasked with finding and arresting those who lie--⬇️ 4y
UnabridgedPod the Golden State is a society that does not tolerate lies or fiction or, for the most part, speculation. It's a world that doesn't trust stories, that films everything to create an objective reality against which any interpretation can be tested and proved right or wrong. People keep journals to account for their every movement. ⬇️ 4y
UnabridgedPod The story begins as Lazlo is called to investigate a death--it seems to be an accident, but there's some question as to its cause. On the investigation, Lazlo has to bring a new Speculator to help train her. Initially, Lazlo sees nothing strange about the incident, but as he and Speculator Paige interview those involved, she convinces him that there is more to the facts than what they can see. ⬇️ 4y
UnabridgedPod Their investigation digs into the truth, into the past, and into the possibility of an objective truth.⠀

I enjoyed Golden State a great deal--there were some sections where the pace dragged a bit for me--but overall, I found Lazlo's search for truth and his struggle to understand that possibility to be compelling.
4y
22 likes4 comments
review
Redwritinghood
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Pickpick

Was this great literature? No way. Was it exceedingly entertaining and readable? Heck yeah! Meant to be a social commentary on our current state of willful deception by politicians, influencers, and the media, this is set in a dystopian society where lies are the ultimate crime. Unfortunately, this means that anything in the official record is accepted as truth. The main character was great, but the book didn‘t quite deliver in the end. #tob2020

thebluestocking You describe this well. I felt very much the same, but the ending marred it too much for me to give it a pick. 💙 4y
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BarbaraBB
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this book a lot. It‘s about a dystopian world where lying is the ultimate crime and a whole society is build on protecting the truth. Beside dystopian the book is a thriller in which two detectives (‘speculators‘) are hunting for the ultimate truth to protect their golden state.
The question is: what is true? I loved this premise and its execution despite it feeling a bit rushed in the end.

#ToB2020 #ATY2020 week 4 #pop20
#JennyIs30

Hooked_on_books Yeah, I thought this one was cool. Really unique idea. 4y
thebluestocking I‘m glad you liked it! I really liked the set up and voice in this one. But the end kind of ruined it for me. 💙 4y
BarbaraBB @thebluestocking I can see why but for me it felt like the right ending with a lot of unanswered questions about thruth and lies. I kind of thought that fitting. 4y
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BkClubCare Thanks for letting me know you posted! I think we agree on reaction. It was a fun one to listen to. I guess I am still unsure who were the good guys/bad guys and what was the end goal. But fun questions to wonder abt. 4y
BarbaraBB I felt like the Golden State people were the good ones in the end, but by that time the reader (at least I) was completely in favor of Lazlo an the truth system which I think is a great accomplishment of Ben Winters! @BkClubCare (edited) 4y
vivastory His last policeman trilogy is excellent 4y
BarbaraBB @vivastory I am certainly in the mood for more by him (this was my first), so thanks 😊 4y
Hooked_on_books Random question on the Reading Europe challenge. I found a book centered on the Armenian genocide and refuges but that doesn‘t actually take place in Armenia. It‘s by an Armenian-American author (Litten Chris Bohjalian). Can I count that as an Armenia book? 4y
Suet624 It‘s funny because I gave this a so-so rating. But I keep thinking about it, so it definitely made an impact. His book Underground Airlines was really good. 4y
BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_books I think you can. The book should be set in the country or written by an author from that country. On this case both are partly true. Agree @Librarybelle ? 4y
BarbaraBB @Suet624 I saw your review indeed and I understand why you rated it a so-so but it‘s always good indeed when you keep thinking of a book. So many I forget about within days! Thanks for the recommendation of the other book. I‘d like to read more by him! 4y
Hooked_on_books @Librarybelle Cool, thanks for the replies, you guys! 4y
85 likes9 stack adds14 comments
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BarbaraBB
Golden State | Ben Winters
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#WeeklyForecast 05/20

I am currently reading and loving Ways to Hide in Winter. I‘ll finish it soon I guess, not able to do much more until I know how it ends.
Then it‘s on with the #ToB2020 shortlist, hoping to tick off some prompts for the challenges as well.

Megabooks I have Oval, but it got put down in “the great migraine bail” halfway finished. It is...odd. 4y
Cinfhen Curious about Ben Winters novel / I own it but it‘s currently in Miami 😝 4y
BarbaraBB @Megabooks Do you think you will pick it up again? 4y
See All 7 Comments
BarbaraBB @Cinfhen It starts off really good - but I‘m a sucker for dystopia! 4y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB yes 👍🏻 4y
Megabooks Okay, so I decided to pick Oval back up and skim the first 8 chapters I read before I put it down. I want to be able to talk to you about it. When you get to Louis and Anja meeting at the house party in the suburbs, let me know. 👍🏻📚😘 4y
BarbaraBB @Megabooks I will! Looking forward to it already but it can take a while as I just started 4y
69 likes7 comments
review
thebluestocking
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Mehso-so

A murder mystery that takes place in a surveillance state where truth is all and lies are punishable by prison time or banishment. I really enjoyed Lazlo, the main character, and the beginning of the mystery, but towards the last half of the book the plot became so convoluted that it lost momentum for me. It also failed to stick the landing.

#tob #tob2020

cathipink I'm with you on this book. The ending was a hot mess. 4y
thebluestocking @cathipink Right? It‘s a little weird. 💙 4y
Ruthiella I had such fun up to that point, the end (or the inconsistencies posed by the end) didn‘t bother me so much. 4y
See All 8 Comments
thebluestocking @Ruthiella It did have some great ideas and characters and twists. It just lost me. 💙 4y
BarbaraBB I am reading it now and love how it started. I hope I‘ll like the ending more than you all did! @Ruthiella @cathipink (edited) 4y
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB It was a fun read Barbara! 😀 I hope you enjoy it. 4y
BarbaraBB @Ruthiella I did like it a lot! Just posted my review! 4y
Suet624 Absolutely agree with your review. First half was 👍. Second half was 🥴 4y
53 likes8 comments
review
Suet624
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Mehso-so

The author stated he began writing this after hearing Kellyanne Conway talk about alternative facts. The premise is interesting & involves living in Golden State, a place where only truth can be told. Cameras capture everything, daily logs are kept and stored, and certain individuals have the ability to sense when a lie is being told. It‘s both a sci-fi & mystery. The mystery part, unfortunately, gets bogged down and messy.

Cortg I love the bike 😍 4y
Suet624 @Cortg that bike was sitting on the porch of my library. The librarians do a wonderful job of decorating both inside and outside the building. 4y
Cinfhen Excellent review xx Happy New Year 🎊 😘 4y
See All 6 Comments
Suet624 @Cinfhen Thank you! Have a wonderful 2020. Can‘t wait to see what books you‘ll be reading. 4y
BarbaraBB Interesting review. I bought a copy of this one as well. 4y
Suet624 @BarbaraBB I loved Underground Airlines so I was a bit disappointed. But I really liked the idea of this one. (edited) 4y
47 likes6 comments
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BkClubCare
Golden State | Ben Winters
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My book I am racing to finish before NYE

BarbaraBB Is it good? I ordered it for #ToB2020 4y
BkClubCare I haven‘t had much time to really get into it yet but it has humor and philosophy that intrigues me. I guess I will have clean today 😐 because husband keeps insisting to help me walk dogs which cuts into my audiobooking! LOL 4y
BkClubCare @BarbaraBB - pls read so you can explain it to me! LOL I did like it and the narrator definitely added to authentic voice sense. But I really am confused about the “conflict” - what the enemy was really trying to accomplish 4y
BarbaraBB Ooh that sounds intriguing. I am waiting for my copy to arrive. Will keep you posted! Happy new year 💕 4y
BarbaraBB I finished it and liked it a lot! Just posted my review 4y
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BkClubCare
Golden State | Ben Winters
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I hope to finish this audiobook before midnight 🎉 Tuesday! It will be the 73rd book of the year. I can‘t decide if I should skim-read a few cookbooks, too because my year goal was 75 books. SO CLOSE! 🤣
I will have to comment the hashtag because I have already forgotten it... I do know to thank @Clwojick !! 🌟

BkClubCare And I failed to read instructions- crap. I don‘t have a photo... so bad at these tbh 4y
12 likes1 comment
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BkClubCare
Golden State | Ben Winters

Really liking the vibe so far -ten % on on audiobook. #tob20202

11 likes1 stack add
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Kempfme
Golden State | Ben Winters
Pickpick

This is a great futuristic tale of a world where lying is a crime. It reminds me a little of 1984.

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AceOnRoam
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Ok, here is the list. Of the 7 I have read so far, I would LOVE for Ben Winters to win this tournament.

#Tob2020
#TheRooster

https://themorningnews.org/article/the-2020-tournament-of-books-shortlist-and-ju...

#readingonroam

BarbaraBB I see this post just now, or I wouldn‘t have asked you the exact same question. I haven‘t read your favorite so will soon! 4y
AceOnRoam @BarbaraBB yes, it's all good, I think we were posting at the same time as we were both excited to share the big news! 4y
BarbaraBB You were right, a very good and entertaining book! 4y
See All 8 Comments
AceOnRoam @BarbaraBB I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It's different for sure! 4y
BarbaraBB Is it still your favorite? 4y
AceOnRoam @BarbaraBB Yes, at the stage it is my favourite.. looking forward to the brackets coming out this week !! 4y
BarbaraBB Are they coming out this week? Great! I was wondering about that! 4y
Rissreads I just looked at the short list and I have every single book either on my physical tbr shelf or on my Litsy tbr list! ❤️ 4y
32 likes8 comments
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bookandbedandtea
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Mehso-so

This book is set in a future nation (which is now California) where lying is the ultimate crime. For anyone, like myself, who has wished there were a way to prevent people from lying (esp online) it's an interesting premise but the execution is uneven. If the ending hadn't been so rushed I think it would be a pick but it only posed more questions without offering answers.

19 likes1 stack add
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bookandbedandtea
Golden State | Ben Winters
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A new tea mug from my sweet sailor and a very intriguing book. It's the little things. 😊

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j9brown
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Mehso-so

The premise and setting were cool but the plot itself had a few too many cliches and the main character was kinda inconsistent.

cathipink This book totally bummed me out because I was right there with it for 2/3 of the book.... and then it went completely off the rails for the last 30 pages. Lots of cool ideas though, and I loved the genre mashup. 5y
j9brown @cathipink Yeah, it had a lot of potential, but it really did a faceplant at the end there. 5y
KatieDid927 Agreed. 4y
50 likes3 comments
review
Addison_Reads
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Pickpick

Even though the ending felt rushed and I wanted more detail, I still really liked this book.

The premise is one I haven't read before and I loved all the issues radiating from the central theme of humans just being honest all the time. Of course what do you do when your world built on truths starts to crumble? That's the journey this book takes you on through the main character's quest for the "truth" surrounding a suspicious death.

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Addison_Reads
Golden State | Ben Winters
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This quote stood out to me today while reading the tagged book. Set in a Los Angeles of the future, society now upholds truth as the greatest law and anyone caught lying is punished.

I'm really enjoying it so far. Anyone else read this one?

Tiffiney I haven't...but it sounds intriguing 5y
ImperfectCJ I read it. I liked the premise and about the first two thirds of the book. But I'm difficult to please when it comes to endings. 5y
wanderinglynn I‘m curious, does the book explore or even define what “truth” means? I‘m definitely intrigued. 5y
Addison_Reads @ImperfectCJ I agree with you. I just finished it and the last part was rushed a bit and I wanted more answers. Overall though, I enjoyed it. 5y
Addison_Reads @wanderinglynn Yes, there is a definition that truth is what is "known or knowable" or facts that can be proven. However, how truth is perceived and interpreted becomes part of the story as the main character seeks answers to another character's death and the world of "truth" around him starts to unravel. 5y
25 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
vivastory
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Pickpick

A murder mystery set in a dystopia with vague ambitions of social commentary. Laszlo Ratesic is a Speculator, someone who can detect untruths in a future where lying is one of the most serious criminal offenses. The core murder mystery is a solid story. Winters excels at writing offbeat characters & the surreal nuances of this world (when people greet each other they express a scientific truth, making for some memorable non sequitirs) sets this 👇

vivastory book apart from the deluge of other dystopias. He aims for social commentary, but his message is often muddled & vague. It's almost like he wanted the biting commentary of a satire without the unlikeable characters that are almost inevitable in satire. Despite a few faults, this is another satisfying book by Winters. 5y
BarbaraBB Intriguing review! 5y
Ruthiella I‘m looking forward to this one. I liked his last policeman trilogy. 5y
See All 8 Comments
charl08 Great book! I'm hoping for a sequel. 5y
Cathythoughts Stacking 👍🏻👍🏻 5y
rwmg That does sound intriguing. Wishlisted 5y
Godpants This one was so fun. 5y
Suet624 I‘m reading this now. The idea of having a Speculator around to definitively call bullshit on Trump sure would be nice. 4y
93 likes5 stack adds8 comments
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vivastory
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Since novels as we know them don't exist in this world, I'm guessing I'd spend most of my free time watching "People Searching for Small Things They Lost." Although it'd get boring watching myself on TV for awhile, so I'd switch to "Arguments in Restaurants." ?

KathyWheeler This is the book I‘m picking up next. I‘d started it once but I own it and all my library books were coming due, so I put it down to read them. 5y
vivastory @KathyWheeler I hope you like it. I'm about 2/3 in & really enjoying it 👍 5y
KathyWheeler @vivastory I was enjoying it when I put it down to finish my library books. 5y
87 likes1 stack add3 comments
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vivastory
Golden State | Ben Winters
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The narrator of Winters' latest reminds me of Dale Cooper, albeit more jaded & more of a loner.

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chuckstar158
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Mehso-so

Interesting premise but the plot took a few too many liberties for me to believe it. Ironic considering the premise is about being honest.

Sharpeipup New hair color? 5y
Bklover Love this review! 5y
chuckstar158 @Bklover Thank you! 5y
chuckstar158 @Sharpeipup You got it! Lighter for summer hair and she talked me into pink. It wasn‘t hard to do. 😂 5y
14 likes4 comments
review
Gryffleclaw95
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Golden State was my BOTM pick for January 2019, and I thought it would be a good read for my trip to California. This was definitely an interesting book and the world that Winters writes is intriguing and I felt could have been explored more. However, I felt that the end of the book fell flat and I wish that Winters had expanded a bit more and given us more of a conclusion. In addition, I wish some of the plot had been explained better.

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Gryffleclaw95
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Today I read by the ocean and it was magical 🌊 📖

11 likes1 comment
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AuthorJensenReed
Golden State | Ben H. Winters
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Mehso-so

Golden State was a really interesting book, but the style wasn't my favorite.

I recommend it if you like dystopian/mysteries, and I wouldn't mind a follow up book because the ending kind of fell flat, but I don't think I'll be adding it to my forever shelf.

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amycollard
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Pickpick

Really enjoyed this dystopian-type police procedural. It‘s set in a sort of futuristic California (though that name is never mentioned) where telling the truth is all-important and telling a lie will get you sent to jail. Society is based on confirming facts and keeping strict documentation of what happened. It has echoes of 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, but also has a playfulness about it that kept it from getting too dark. Weird ending but I loved it

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Howseldomtheydo
Golden State | Ben Winters
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View from my walk today! #litsywalkers #bookfitnesschallenge This book has mixed reviews. I enjoyed it but not quite sure about the ending, wondering if there will be a sequel...

DivineDiana Would love to know more about this sculpture! 💗 5y
Howseldomtheydo @DivineDiana The sculpture is called Flatman, by Larry Griffis Jr. (25ft. tall made of steel) It was moved to the Outer Harbor in Buffalo a couple of years ago from Griffis Sculpture Park(400 acres, 250 sculptures) 5y
DivineDiana Thank you! I love it! 5y
andrew61 Great sculpture, thanks for sharing. 5y
82 likes4 comments
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ImperfectCJ
Golden State | Ben Winters
Mehso-so

After a rough beginning that read like a hackneyed cop story (intentionally?), this novel drew me in enough to keep me reading until the end. I feel about the ending of Golden State like I feel about the ending of Vox. Things just start breaking down, narratively speaking, and weird things happen. Hex was like that, too. The authors start with a great dystopian idea and then seem unsure where it should lead.

Jeannie I loved the Last Policeman series by him. Perfect for my dark sense of humor but haven‘t read his others yet. I think maybe Last Policeman set the bar high. 5y
ImperfectCJ @Jeannie I happened upon Golden State on the library's “new books“ shelf and picked it up knowing nothing about Ben Winters. Last Policeman looks like I'd really like it if it doesn't send me spiraling into an existential morass (not that I need a book to push me in that direction; I have a hereditary predisposition toward existentialism). I'll have to try it and see. 5y
Jeannie @ImperfectCJ if you ever read Last Policeman, let me know. I know absolutely no one who has read that series. 5y
ImperfectCJ @Jeannie Will do. I love an excuse to talk about books. (edited) 5y
2 likes4 comments
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Howseldomtheydo
Golden State | Ben Winters
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Starting a new book today! Hoping to get out for a walk after the rain moves through #litsywalkers #currentlyreading

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The.Intentional.Reader
Golden State | Ben Winters
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I have this feeling like a 100 times a week! Anyone else?