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Children of the New World
Children of the New World: Stories | Alexander Weinstein
126 posts | 92 read | 1 reading | 208 to read
AN EXTRAORDINARILY RESONANT AND PROPHETIC COLLECTION OF SPECULATIVE SHORT FICTION FOR OUR TECH-SAVVY ERA BY DEBUT AUTHOR ALEXANDER WEINSTEIN Children of the New World introduces readers to a near-future world of social media implants, memory manufacturers, dangerously immersive virtual reality games, and alarmingly intuitive robots. Many of these characters live in a utopian future of instant connection and technological gratification that belies an unbridgeable human distance, while others inhabit a post-collapse landscape made primitive by disaster, which they must work to rebuild as we once did millennia ago. In The Cartographers, the main character works for a company that creates and sells virtual memories, while struggling to maintain a real-world relationship sabotaged by an addiction to his own creations. In Saying Goodbye to Yang, the robotic brother of an adopted Chinese child malfunctions, and only in his absence does the family realize how real a son he has become. Children of the New World grapples with our unease in this modern world and how our ever-growing dependence on new technologies has changed the shape of our society. Alexander Weinstein is a visionary new voice in speculative fiction for all of us who are fascinated by and terrified of what we might find on the horizon.
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review
RamsFan1963
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Pickpick

98/150 This book is kind of hard to review. Taken as individual stories, the majority of them range in quality, some ending too abrupt to be satisfying. Taken as a whole, it's a view of a world falling apart, technology run rampant, people alienated and isolated, losing their humanity in perceived realities and created memories. 3 ⭐⭐⭐💫
23rd book for #RushathonExtended @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES @Andrew65

TheSpineView Well done! 14mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 14mo
GondorGirl This collection was so good! 14mo
Read4life Great job! 🍁👻🎃 14mo
57 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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wisherwishinguponastar
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I sent you the tracking number through email, @Hazel2019 ! I am crossing all the “t”s and dotting all the “I”s. The post office probably thinks I have anxiety issues (I do, but not the point!). #LMPBC #groupv

Hazel2019 Got the book in the mail today! 😊 4y
wisherwishinguponastar Hopefully my cursed USPS existence is over!!!! Enjoy! 4y
6 likes2 comments
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wisherwishinguponastar
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Mehso-so

Some good short stories paired with some not so good short stories (#groupv will understand what I mean when I say ‘pyramids anyone?‘). My takeaway is that sometimes adding a shock factor demolishes your story, so stack your plot points carefully. #bookjournal #lmpbc

wisherwishinguponastar @Hazel2019 I will get this sent out to you (with the tracking number sent to you!!!) in the next 48 hours!!! 4y
wisherwishinguponastar @rjsthumbelina @shadowspeak17 Your comments made this book awesome! Enjoyed reading this with you! 4y
rjsthumbelina Yay! I found that I didn't hate it, but it definitely at times had a vibe that was...off. A lot of that may have been bc he was trying too hard, though. I think it was an excellent one for a postal book club - lots to talk/write/think about 4y
6 likes3 comments
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wisherwishinguponastar
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Some family members want to go outside, but I would rather stay in with a book. #lmpbc #groupv

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rjsthumbelina
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Mehso-so

I'm sad that I didn't love this more, simply bc the ideas from a tech standpoint in the stories are so strong. Also, some of the themes and points he was making I really liked the way he went about it. But most of his characters, I couldn't get behind. And there was too much superfluous sexual content. (I think he was trying to make a point with this, but it wasn't done very effectively.)

Read for #LMPBC #groupv

rjsthumbelina @booksellerofyourdiscontent @shadowspeak17 @Hazel2019 Once I get paid this week, I will send this via UPS. I don't trust USPS right now 4y
wisherwishinguponastar Yeah, I am normally a USPS supporter, but for this round I might have to go another route. 4y
TheSpineView 🤩📖📚 4y
21 likes5 comments
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AnneCecilie
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December 6: The Final Days of Father Troll by Alexander Weinstein. Published in the Western Humanities Review.

If you ever wondered how trolls live then this is the story for you

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shadowspeak17
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Children of the New World is on its way to you, @rjsthumbelina ! I‘ll email you the tracking number shortly. 😊
#lmpbc #groupv #catsoflitsy #Phoenix

AlaMich 😻 4y
Leftcoastzen 😻 4y
Lreads 😻💕 4y
Nute Cute photo!😻 4y
42 likes4 comments
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shadowspeak17
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️
Well, this is unfortunate. I didn‘t really like my #lmpbc pick much. 😅 These stories all had interesting concepts that I liked, but I feel like they fell short in development. I finished most of them wishing the author had gone more into the tech or had at least made the protagonists more than what felt like the same sad middle aged white man over and over again.
#groupv #catsoflitsy #Phoenix

wisherwishinguponastar I feel like that is one of the biggest dangers in a short story. Hopefully you got to enjoy adding some marginalia to the book. Your cat balances out any downsides to the book! 4y
Leftcoastzen 😻 4y
47 likes2 comments
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shadowspeak17
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Alrighty, what do you guys think of these?
#lmpbc #groupv

See All 12 Comments
rjsthumbelina I have read Parable of the Sower before. My top vote is for Children of the New World. After that, Childhood's End, then Dawn 4y
wisherwishinguponastar These all sound fantastic! I agree with @rjsthumbelina that Children of the New World sounds awesome! Probably Dawn would be next for me. 4y
LazyOwl Highly recommended 4y
LazyOwl I've been wanting to give this series a go for a while now, as I've heard good things 4y
Hazel2019 All Systems Red would be my top choice 😁 but will read any of them. So many great choices! 4y
shadowspeak17 Looks like Children of the New World has come out on top. I‘ll go with that one for this round. 😊 @rjsthumbelina @booksellerofyourdiscontent @Hazel2019 4y
Hazel2019 👍🏻 4y
28 likes12 comments
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TheNextBook
Pickpick

Holy crap this collection is crazy! If you like the show Black Mirror then you will definitely enjoy this collection. The future is bleak in this and every short story offers a new twist on what the future could hold. It‘s dark and unsettling. I enjoyed this. Some stories were better than others but overall well worth the read.

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TheNextBook
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Hello everyone!!!!! 👋🏽 It feels like I havent posted in forever. At least not consistently and I‘m hoping that will change. We‘ve been traveling a lot and I‘ve just started a new job so trying to adjust and actually vacation has stopped me from reading so much! I jave one more trip then my routine will finally be consisten again! But I‘m here. I‘m reading and yeah! Still working through this collection which is really different but so good!

TheNextBook Read this first paragraph by the way!!!! Lmao! WTF?!! 6y
TrishB Hi 🙋‍♀️ you have a lot going on! 6y
TheNextBook @TrishB hey!!!!! Everything is finally settling down so I‘m just trying to make a nee mormal 6y
See All 7 Comments
Dragon Rocket Night ? 6y
TheNextBook @dragon it was odd! Lol 6y
readordierachel I really enjoyed this collection. So inventive. 6y
TheNextBook @ReadOrDieRachel I‘m enjoying it!! Very different and well done. 6y
39 likes7 comments
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TheNextBook
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On a much needed vacation and got some time today to relax. Seems like the perfect time to read a little.

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TheNextBook
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I‘ve been reading this collection for a while and it is different but in really good way! I never know what to expect from any of these stories. They are so futuristic and out there that I am kind of just a long for the ride. It‘s intense though.

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TheNextBook
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This is my next collection for #keepingitshort. I‘ll start tomorrow. It‘s coming with me on my first trip along with my Nook and a collection of essays. I‘ve read all the ARC‘s I plan on reading. Hoping to get some more time in with The Count of Monte Cristo as well

readordierachel I really enjoyed this one! 6y
TheNextBook @ReadOrDieRachel I‘ve had it for over a year!!! Time to read it. 6y
Nute I really want to read this collection. I think this is the book that has a story about a robotic child. Can‘t wait to read your thoughts. I was intrigued. 6y
TheNextBook @Nute I will keep you posted! I was really intrigued by this collection too. Right off the back the description reminded of Black Mirror! 6y
55 likes4 comments
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AMVP
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Gonna start this book next to commemorate the recovery of my $19 store credit voucher I found in it.

JoScho We have a Mr Ks in our town too. I didn‘t know it was a chain (edited) 7y
16 likes1 stack add1 comment
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AMVP
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The first aquisition of today's #bookhaul . This one's been a safety net purchase for a while, in the event I couldn't find anything else to buy.

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Beachesnbooks
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Mehso-so

3.5 stars, between a pick and a so-so. I'm picky about short story collections and the prose in this was nothing to write home about; I also felt like all of the main characters were basically the same middle-aged dude. However, the scifi concepts were really interesting and the different tech advances and their effects on humans very well-thought-out. Creative but I wasn't blown away.

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kiminreverse
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Pickpick

I loooved almost all of this collection of dystopian stories about a near future that's easy to imagine from where we are. I didn't actually know what this was about but grabbed the audio at almost random.

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Betty
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Thanks to @TheLibrarian for this #giveaway Enter today! She has another one coming up.

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TheLibrarian
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Giveaway - Two more books are up for grabs! For a chance to win, comment below with your favorite emoji!

A winner will be randomly selected Monday at 12pm EST (US addresses only).

Also, please feel free to tag or share with anyone you think would be interested.There are 2 giveaways currently active and I‘ll post one more tomorrow.

MicheleinPhilly ☺️ 7y
Jenni_Capps 😍 7y
dariazeoli 🤷🏻‍♀️ 7y
See All 40 Comments
Minispok 😉 7y
Kimberlone 💩 7y
Soubhiville 🤣 7y
erinreads 😻 7y
DGRachel 😳 7y
MiyakoBunny 🖤 7y
AmyG 🐝 7y
Jennick2004 🐧 7y
S3V3N 😎 7y
Lucas.Rencher I pretty much only text my wife and I send her this emoji all the time 😘 7y
lildeb_8 😠 7y
tammysue 😊 7y
coffeewithbooks I used these two emojis a lot 💕😊 7y
hyperhawk 😹 7y
mjdowens 🍻 7y
bridge12 💪🏼 7y
Pearrr 🙄 7y
blondie 🖤☻ 7y
Betty 📚 7y
CatLass007 😹😹😹😹😹 7y
SaraBeagle 🤔 7y
BibliophileMomma 🧐🧐 7y
2BR02B 😆 7y
TheLibrarian Congrats @blondie ! Please send me an email with your name and mailing address to nelsoncarrie73 at gmail dot com 7y
kamoorephoto I love my kitty emojis 😻😹😽😿🙀 7y
blondie Eeeee!!! Thank you so much! I'll do that in a few mins! 7y
TheLibrarian @blondie Got your email! 7y
78 likes1 stack add40 comments
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BookFreakOut
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YOU GUYS my library catalog has the option to text a call number to you and if there was a limit to my unlimited texts I would surely reach it now. Or maybe it‘s time to blow up some friends‘ phones... 🤫

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Librariana
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Pickpick

Dewey's #readathon countdown, Day 26: Short Stories.
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🌟🌟🌟🌟
I don't have much in the way of short stories when it comes to my home library (3📚s total pictured ⬆), but I recently finished Children of the New World and found it to be a fascinating, dark, and imaginative collection of speculative fiction about our future. A very interesting exploration of our technological dependency.
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@DeweysReadathon #30DaysofReadathon #LitsyAtoZ #LetterW

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Spiderfelt
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Pickpick

One of the stories caught my attention listening to this interview: http://beta.ttbook.org/interview/mourning-our-lost-and-broken-technology. I was intrigued enough to put everything else aside and begin reading the ebook immediately. The stories presented original, challenging and disturbing ideas. It is not difficult to imagine that we pose the greatest threat to the destruction of our current culture.

Lindy It's not difficult at all to imagine that in the anthropocene era. 😕 7y
15 likes1 comment
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Librariana
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We are winding down after a loooong day of college football, cooking, dishes, video gaming, and laundry with a little midnight reading. We party hard! What can I say? ?
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I'm hoping that in a few hours after we wake up (and now that a good chunk of house chores are done!) I can stay in my jamma-jams and do some "Litsy Party of One"-ing ?

athorne Eww! Adorable! My boyfriend doesn't read. :( But he fuels my reading habits! 7y
Librariana I loved the "Eww! Adorable!", @EMJenkinson ? And bless that boyfriend of yours for fueling your reading habit! Yay!! My husband likes to read... he just doesn't do it quite as frequently as I do. However! He's become more of an audiobook listener since I turned him to them and we like to listen to things together while we cook or on road trips ? I know... sappy ? Currently we're listening to 7y
athorne Hahaha. I meant Eee! Damn autocorrect. 😻😻😻 7y
See All 6 Comments
Librariana @EMJenkinson - I loved the "Eww!" tho! It made me laugh ? I took it to mean we were sickly sweet and I took it as a compliment and ran with it! Lol! ? Either way, you had the nicest of intentions and I appreciate that. 7y
athorne XD It is very sweet. Especially listening to audio books and cooking together! I wonder how It is gonna sound in my new car. >.> away better sound setup, but I don't intend to thump all the way to Oklahoma City. XD 7y
Librariana @EMJenkinson - IT was a great one to listen to! I certainly enjoyed it 😊 And funny enough, that's one my guy HASN'T read/listened to! I did that one on my own 😁 Hope you enjoy the story despite the spookyness! 7y
38 likes6 comments
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UrsulaMonarch
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When you know you have a long #wait so you bring TWO books (...plus #kindle just in case)
#prepared #SFPL

readordierachel You gotta have options! I really liked this collection 👍 7y
UrsulaMonarch @ReadOrDieRachel me too ! Just finished today - I think a lot of the stories & images will stick with me! 7y
6 likes1 stack add2 comments
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nickimags
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I bought these gorgeous peonies during the week and couldn't resist sharing them again, with a book post of course 😉

EloisaJames Beautiful photo!! 7y
nickimags Thanks very much @EloisaJames 😊 7y
12 likes2 comments
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Flaneurette
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Not a great month but better than nothing

*chalk art credit goes to my daughter

Cinfhen Chalk art is awesome and great reading month 💜💙💛💚❤️ 7y
31 likes1 comment
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PandaPanda
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Pickpick

This was so good. I'm usually not into short story collections but these were all so amazing. If you are a fan of black mirror this is for you!

8little_paws This book rocks 7y
PandaPanda @8little_paws I know! I need more of this in my life. 7y
Spiderfelt What is black mirror? Is this a genre? I've read the first three stories, and am totally hooked. 7y
PandaPanda @Spiderfelt black mirror is a British TV show that is also very popular in America (it's on Netflix). They have a very similar feel to this book. 7y
66 likes1 stack add4 comments
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8little_paws
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Pickpick

This book was exactly what I needed at the exact right time. Some of the stories are so good I want to scream. Speculative fiction.

73 likes2 stack adds
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bitterbear
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I'm never going to get to page 36... #mona #murdercat #catsoflitsy

ohyeahthatgirl This cat looks like it gives zero foxes. And i love it. 8y
bitterbear @ohyeahthatgirl She can be a jerk.. 8y
bitterbear @ohyeahthatgirl and you're correct she doesn't give any foxes... 😜 8y
24 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Moray_Reads
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Well why would ANYONE want to do that? 😉

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Moray_Reads
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Onto my next ARC of the day. If the blurbs are anything to go by this could be a good pick for today's #thoughtprovoking prompt! #aprilbookshowers

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andytbarnes
Pickpick

Going into this, I had heard several comparisons to Black Mirror. While both very worthwhile high-context sci-fi, Alexander Weinstein is clearly a talent instead of someone simply capitalizing on the seemingly insatiable appetite of current audiences for near future dystopian vibes/ stories which riff on some variation of "sure technology is neat, but are we sure we are not losing some of our humanity in the process?!" ...Continued on Goodreads!

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rachellayown
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Pickpick

I hit a bit of a short story slump for a while. Every story I read wasn't enough for me, and then I picked up this collection I received from @Christine (Thank you, Christine!) I absolutely loved the first story and the slump ended. As with any collection I enjoyed some stories more than others, but these are all quite readable, interesting, well-written, and thought provoking. I will definitely check out anything else Weinstein writes.

Christine Yay!!! So glad you enjoyed and that it was even a slumpbuster! 😄 8y
readordierachel Totally agree! 8y
rachellayown I did @Christine! Thank you again! 8y
50 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Reviewsbylola
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Ok ok, I know we have over a week until #BOTM selections for April, but I'm ready to go! For once, I put in some time and effort in predicting what I think some of the selections could be. Out of the 8 I am guessing, I really only know details about a couple, so if you've read any of these, please share your thoughts!

Reviewsbylola If you still haven't signed up for #BOTM (I have a hard time believing there are any of you out there 😂), feel free to use my link to sign up. HTTPS://www.mybotm.com/abdc5b5018467 (edited) 8y
ReadingEnvy I'm hoping for The Outrun, but it comes out April 25 so that would only work if we got early access. 8y
readordierachel I read Children of the New World. It's a collection of speculative short stories. I liked it a lot! Reminded me of the TV show Black Mirror. 8y
See All 16 Comments
Mdargusch Of course you spend your time dreaming of possible #BOTM titles. 😂 8y
8little_paws I don't think it'll be COTNW, that came out a while ago and iirc was a paperback release 8y
Ehbooklover So excited to read The Shadow Land! 8y
Cinfhen Have you been stalking #NetGalley? I was planning on doing that mid week 😂😂I currently have the ARC for Shadow Land, it's been very slow going and I own All the Rivers. It's written by an Israeli author and it's recently been translated. I haven't started it yet but I hear it's excellent 8y
BoldCityBooks @Reviewsbylola I went to a Penguin/Random House event at my library where they talked about these upcoming books. I requested Anything is Possible and got approved for an ARC so it's on my Kindle right now but I haven't read it yet. Hoping to get to it soon. 8y
Reviewsbylola That makes sense! I knew I had seen it around! @8little_paws 8y
Reviewsbylola I am looking forward to that one. I like that it is an extension of Lucy Barton. @optojake 8y
Reviewsbylola I'll have to look that one up. @ReadingEnvy 8y
Reviewsbylola I usually stay away from short stories so I'm on the fence. @ReadOrDieRachel 8y
Reviewsbylola I enjoyed The Historian so we'll see how this one is! @Ehbooklover 8y
emilyhaldi You crack me up! This might start an entirely different BOTM obsession for you 😂 8y
Cinfhen My NetGalley stalking has produced an entirely different batch of choices....I'll post them later today but clearly I have way too much free time and I'm one step away from counseling 🙄😬 8y
107 likes1 stack add16 comments
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Brona
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Interesting. Very interesting #shortstories #speculativefiction

11 likes2 stack adds
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rachellayown
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Big thanks to @Christine for the wonderful #cupidgoespostal goodies! These books have been very high on my TBR and I'm very excited to read them! And I love all the other goodies- the chocolates, journals, pens, etc. It's all so lovely and I feel so spoiled. What a special treat. Thank you @BookishMarginalia for organizing the swap! And thank you again, Christine. I'm very grateful!

Reviewsbylola 😍😍😍 8y
cathysaid I want ALL THE CHOCOLATE!! 8y
LeahBergen 😍😍 8y
See All 7 Comments
Christine Aww yay, so glad you like it and that you haven't read the books already! I was getting nervous that you were going to get to Simon on your current diverse YA kick before you opened the package! 😛 8y
rachellayown @Christine That's so funny because I originally wanted to read Simon this month, but decided I'd get to it in March. But I was so excited I tucked it in my work bag and I got time to start it waiting for court today. I immediately was hooked! I'm so appreciative. All the goodies are lovely. Thank you! 8y
Christine Haha, yay! 😄 8y
75 likes7 comments
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LeahsBookNest
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Waiting for my new Nook to arrive so I can finish Kindred. Reading on my laptop is not comfortable so I picked up this short story collection instead.

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kellsmcphillips
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Pickpick

So awesome! Made me fear for the future though.

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Librariana
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Spent the first half hour of #24in48 reading the first story - "Saying Goodbye to Yang" - in this short story collection. Reading this line... of a father figure finding these seemingly insignificant items among the sparse belongings of his android 'son'... made me rather melancholy. It was a tender look at a futuristic premise.
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Now, off to catch some zzz's ? and ? of ?! ??

bookloaner Happy reading to you too! 😀😀😀 8y
24 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Anita
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Pickpick

A bit uneven, but there were several stories that really knocked my socks off.

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Yossarian
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Normally, I don't mind being the only guy in my book club, but last night far too much time was spent gawking at the author's photo.

LeahBergen 😂😂 8y
hgrimes That dude looks like he belongs in an LL Bean catalog. I wonder if he has a puppy. 8y
Megabooks 🤣🤣🤣 8y
See All 10 Comments
drokka *giggles* 8y
Yossarian My only comment was that that he's either wearing too many layers above the waist, or else it's too cold to be barefoot in the water. 8y
Hooked_on_books He *is* cute! 😂 8y
BookHermit 😂But what did y'all think of the book? The stories have stuck with me in the month or so since I binge read them. Good book club pick? 8y
BookishFeminist 😂😂 8y
Yossarian @BookHermit The consensus was that several of the stories were excellent, but it didn't really hold together as a good collection. And it left too much out to be good science fiction. A mixed bag, but tending towards thumbs down. 8y
Gina Hehehehehe 8y
112 likes10 comments
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sarahllane
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Finally got my hands on this this bad boy! 😻📚😻

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Yossarian
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Mehso-so

Nixon and Ford's Chief Economic Advisor Herbert Stein is famous for saying, "If something cannot go on forever, it will stop." Trends that can't continue indefinitely won't.

Most of these near-future science fiction stories seem based on the premise "but what if they did?" Kids used to play outside a lot. Now it's less common. What if in the future it never happens? Maybe fun to think about, but Stein's Law is a Law for a reason.

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CaroPi
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Pickpick

I really like it my first book of the year. Excellent collection of short stories that gives a spooky glimpse of what the world could be. #scifi #shortstories #litsyAtoZ #LetterA #readingchallenge2017 These stats are generated using #bookout

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CaroPi
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Loving this book. #shortstories set in a not so distant future that show us a dark side of our relation with technology. #scifi that is a pleasure to read

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kristenmcquinn

"Barrett, put that fucking Bible down, we've got something serious to talk about." LOL. This line made me laugh. I'm not a very nice person.

RadicalReader @kristenmcquinn that was funny true statement too with his parents try to get childrens attention when it is clear the childs attention belongs anywhere else 8y
9 likes1 comment
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CaroPi
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So this is my first book of the year! Really looking forward to it. With a nice small dinner. #kielbasa #eggs #cheese #scifi #shortstories

jessberk13 Looks delish! Love kielbasa! 8y
CaroPi @jessica I know kełbasa rocks!!! 8y
18 likes2 comments