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Robotswithpersonality

Robotswithpersonality

Joined June 2022

Funny fantasy, sci-fi for speculating, meta horror, final girls, Greek myth, pleasant mysteries, ace/agender rep
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Robotswithpersonality
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THE. SASS. Robot sass! 💅🏼🤖

review
Robotswithpersonality
A Rover's Story | Jasmine Warga
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Panpan

Um, what? Okay, okay, I'm obviously outside the target age demographic, but that caveat aside...1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? So - the last minute fuss about dire diagnosis for the mom/scientist was a complete misdirect.
The mystery about the sound was never resolved despite constant harping on it because it helps to indicate the reality that science takes a really long time to figure things out...not particularly narratively satisfying, but okay.
22h
Robotswithpersonality 3/? The Resilience rover who was basically given sentience for the entire novel and a close relationship with the drone robot character who similarly had a full personality, was split from Fly for - dramatic impact? Just to make us sad? 22h
Robotswithpersonality 4/? Resilience, despite clearly demonstrating the full range of human emotion (which, along with Sophie's letters, could help young readers identify their own struggles with emotion, maybe?) and the ache to connect is never able to communicate with any of the humans he worked with. 22h
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Robotswithpersonality 5/? The mission to find evidence of Mars supporting life in the past matches up with the real Rovers, okay cool, while the mission to get Courage on line was another incredibly sad failure that appears to be completely fictionalized?
Sophie writes a series of letters that allow us to get to know her, and later read them to her mother, far as we know, Resilience never got them? Not the point, okay.
22h
Robotswithpersonality 6/? 'It's about the Journey not the destination' makes for a dreadful pun about the test rover's name, who never got to see Mars, again, randomly sad and disappointing.
I enjoyed the push and pull of attempting to relate a robot consciousness and how they would struggle to navigate a world built by humans, when they were infused with a purpose dictated by humans, that and the relationships between robots had some real potential.
22h
Robotswithpersonality 7/? But the author seems to have also been pulled in two other directions which both compromise what felt like the real heart of the book - somewhat paralleling the current science/discoveries relating to Mars Rovers, and trying to make this into a standard tear-jerker, because I'm fairly sure attempting to rip the reader's heart out is how you win medals in middle grade novels, but this attempt is particularly clumsy. 🤷🏼‍♂️ 22h
Robotswithpersonality 8/8 Resilience makes it back to Earth, without his friend, to be turned into a display piece, relive the glory days and missing his friend via video clips, sustained by the brief visits of those who he tried so hard so hard to please who can't even hear him. Congratulations, you successfully anthropomorphized the robot, that sounds like a nightmare.
I will continue my search for happy robot stories.
22h
6 likes7 comments
review
Robotswithpersonality
Are We There Yet? | Dan Santat
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Mehso-so

I had way more fun with the visual storytelling and turn-the-book text gimmick than with the fairly schmaltzy message and somewhat cliche/confused narrative. I think I would look for other Santat picture books for that pictures alone.

review
Robotswithpersonality
When Breath Becomes Air | Paul Kalanithi
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Pickpick

Oh, this feels weird. I've certainly read other books by people who have already passed, and even one or two by people who knew they were dying, but I'm not sure I've encountered one where the act of dying was so much the focus. Critiquing a dying man's words feels...wrong.
For the most part, I'm not certain what might be viewed as a critique is anything more than a difference in option on two points. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Paul's identity, at least as it's presented in his writing in this book, was very much caught up in his work, his ability, his perspective as a neurosurgeon and a caring physician meant an unflinching understanding of prognoses in the pursuit of quality of life, which meant that often his phrasing around the cognitive function of patients is a clinical assessment, and yet it resembles ableist language I've seen before. 2d
Robotswithpersonality 3/? While his quotations bridge both secular literature and scripture, his conclusions around the necessity of even scienitists believing in God to acknowledge a meaningful, loving existence felt not just insupportable but offensive to this atheist reader. A difference of opinion certainly.
I am grateful for the epilogue written by Lucy, his wife's, point of view, because it provides the acknowledgement
2d
Robotswithpersonality 4/? of both the limited time available to Paul to write the book, and its value as is, the fact that it was written focusing on a brief period under the specific conditions, with that specific priorities of a specific human being at that time.
We can't experience death before our time, and another's experiences can only ever be a possible touchstone for our own approach to end of life, but it's still encouraging to know people who care,
2d
Robotswithpersonality 5/5 about their families, about their careers, doctors who care about patients, about the future of medical science, who see the future they've planned wiped away and still find reasons for enjoyment in existence.
⚠️death, grief, descriptions of medical procedures and terminal illness
2d
14 likes4 comments
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Robotswithpersonality
A Rover's Story | Jasmine Warga
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🥹✨⭐🌟🌌🌠

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Robotswithpersonality
When Breath Becomes Air | Paul Kalanithi
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🩵

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Robotswithpersonality
A Rover's Story | Jasmine Warga
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dabbe 💙🌈💚 1d
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Robotswithpersonality
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Today's 'scratched my brain just right' sentence. ☀️💛🧡🤎

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blurb
Robotswithpersonality
Are We There Yet? | Dan Santat
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🥰🦖

blurb
Robotswithpersonality
Are We There Yet? | Dan Santat
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Best inclusion of a back of book barcode in the cover art I've seen in a while. 😁

GingerAntics Oooooh, I do like that! 2d
11 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Robotswithpersonality
When Breath Becomes Air | Paul Kalanithi
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Context provides a lot of the punch, but this is definitely the phrase that caught my attention today.

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review
Robotswithpersonality
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Pickpick

Just an all around good time, full of amazing facts. Ackerman speaks well, with both empathy and an even-keeled understanding of how harsh nature can be. It's refreshing to hear not just the acknowledgement that the flaw in many studies may be the way humans choose to perceive and judge things based on our limited perspective, 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? but how historically, a more patriarchal view among a largely male scientist base may have biased reports of or dismissals of female bird behavior.
The author is also ready and eager to point out when conclusions are preliminary/under supported by existing evidence. The idea of always asking more questions, realizing that answers may be more complex than first thought, it feels necessary to any non-fiction/science-based work.
4d
Robotswithpersonality 3/3 The audiobook is a great listen.
⚠️animal abuse, animal death
4d
14 likes2 comments
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Robotswithpersonality
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Excuse-MOI! 🦜 😄

Ruthiella 😂😂😂 4d
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Robotswithpersonality
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Drone design improvement. 👀😁

Texreader Perfect! I can picture it! 🤣 4d
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review
Robotswithpersonality
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Pickpick

A remarkable novel that does not need any connection to the Discworld series to make it so. It seems clear that Pratchett set out to have a clear-eyed discussion about religion, with a minor detour into classical philosophy, and on those points alone it's an incredible book. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? I'm glad it's been long enough since my original read for me to forget the ending because it got to me probably as much as it did the first time.
I can only approach this book from my own perspective as an atheistic reader, but it might have other things to offer those with a spiritual tradition.
Unsurprisingly, this book works because of some Pratchett gold standards: excellent character work
5d
Robotswithpersonality 3/? (the evolutions of Om and Brutha are marvelous), deadly serious yet often wryly worded tackling of darker subject matter, which doesn't mean there can't be puns and disgruntled penguin goddess avatars, and a few moments spared to remember the importance of libraries, and just how stupid war is. 5d
Robotswithpersonality 4/4 I could go into more detail about how well Pratchett lays out the arguments around organized religion, the nature and value of faith, but I don't think there's a substitute for reading the book, even if there may be moments where you wish things would go faster (hint: that's probably when you should slow down and think about it more).
Don't take my word for it, go read it!
⚠️torture, mention of slavery
5d
13 likes3 comments
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Robotswithpersonality
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I mean, fascinating discovery, but you gotta figure the first thing that firefighter thought was “you little bastard....“ 😆🔥👨🏼‍🚒

StaceGhost I loved her book about birds in Lewes DE! It‘s only about 45 m from where I live and she captured it so well 6d
Robotswithpersonality @StaceGhost Have a feeling I'll be looking up her other books soon! 5d
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Robotswithpersonality
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😏

dabbe 😱🤣😱 5d
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review
Robotswithpersonality
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Mehso-so

I wish I had a clearer memory of my experience with the novella I read by this author a few years ago. I can remember that it had a promising premise, that there was emotion, and sci fi tech, and yet what I most clearly remember feeling at the end was a bit frustrated, a bit empty, like for all that was there, at the conclusion, once it was all compiled, it felt a bit cold. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? I want to believe that robots, so often, if not exclusively, an analogue for humanity in science fiction, don't automatically mean a distancing, a detachment from human empathic response, and other books have relieved me of this worry, but I can see where this book wanted me to land emotionally and I just didn't get there. 7d
Robotswithpersonality 3/? Certainly, for much of the book, focused somewhat on a writer, but mostly on a person, Zelu's experiences, as an individual and with her family, had me feeling all the emotions, and so much of the earlier moments with Ankara and Ijele had me experiencing a tentative hope, but somehow as things crescendoed, I felt less and less attached. 7d
Robotswithpersonality 4/? The writing, on a sentence level, is incredible, but I hesitate to think I'll pick up another work by this author, because despite so many things to recommend within their pages, rich insights into that life of a particular individual which I have never encountered before, but I really don't enjoy this lack of anything particular I feel at the end. 7d
Robotswithpersonality 5/5 If I felt dissatisfied with the way the book ended, that would be a particular feeling, if I was angry or sad but objectively admiring, that would be something, but I just feel a gradual dissipation of investment. Sorry, can't recommend, I'm not in a headspace to do so.
⚠️ableism, misogyny, racism, loss of a parent, mental health concerns, PTSD
7d
14 likes4 comments
review
Robotswithpersonality
The Magic Fish | Trung Le Nguyen
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Pickpick

LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT! Recognizing and accepting queer identity in the face of contentious cultural norms, fleshing out immigrant experience so that while the unique and possibly painful experience of immigration is not ignored, it doesn't try to be a monolith or fall into tropes, doesn't need to form the backbone of the story, interweaving fairy tales, 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/2 in all their grimness and whimsy, absolutely gorgeous fantasy dress designs, a beautiful mother and son relationship, the author notes at the back, discussing language and fashion and his own experiences growing up. UGH, I LOVE IT!
⚠️homophobia, violence, cannibalism
1w
12 likes1 comment
review
Robotswithpersonality
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Mehso-so

Informative, fair and measured in reporting, but overall sad in tone. Hammer does a decent job of presenting Lendrum's crimes within the broader context of the demand and attraction of theft and smuggling of rare/endangered/illegal bird's eggs, within Lendrum's own life which encompasses both some unfortunate circumstances, but mostly unfortunate choices,1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? the somewhat acknowledged addictive nature of illicit collections, and some understanding of the uneven regulations and law enforcement sentencing of such crimes.
It's obviously an area that needs improvement, because the crimes are still happening, with the resulting death the endangerment and death of living creatures for at least partially a monetary gain alongside possible thrill-seeking and compulsive motives,
1w
Robotswithpersonality 3/? (and the author is clearly pointing the finger at powerful financial backers that everyone is afraid to identify), but having read up on prisons systems it doesn't seem like that type of sentencing has or will help anyone.
The author quotes those who remark on the fact that Lendrum's skills could have been incredibly useful in science or conservation, and it seems tragic that Lendrum never found a successful rehabilitative path in that
1w
Robotswithpersonality 4/? direction, and further that he often took advantage of similar circumstances when available.
I'm glad that McWilliams' team exists, but he definitely feels like a somewhat sidelined force for good, rather than a true narrative foil. The amount that prosecuted bird collectors kept in touch with him post-arrest further underlines that some form of mandatory rehabilitation involving community outreach
1w
Robotswithpersonality 5/5 rather than fines or sentences seems like a much better method of reducing recidivism.
This is as close to true crime as I want to wander in non-fiction, and as even-keeled (versus a possibly more salacious accounting of events) as it was, it pretty much validates my opinion that such stories are major bummers and involve delving into real people's personal lives in a manner that makes me uncomfortable.
⚠️animal abuse, animal death
1w
8 likes4 comments
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Robotswithpersonality
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Pfft. Savage. 🫢😆

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Robotswithpersonality
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🤦🏼‍♂️

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Robotswithpersonality
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Okay, but I love that. 🐣🥚🧺🐇💚💜🩷

blurb
Robotswithpersonality
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New word acquired!
Actigraphy. 🚶🏼‍♂️📊

dabbe #weirdwordwednesday @CBee Great word! 🤩 2w
CBee Very cool!! 2w
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Robotswithpersonality
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😲

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Robotswithpersonality
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Relatable. 🤖♥️📚

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Robotswithpersonality
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Good timing, baby bird! 😊

review
Robotswithpersonality
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Pickpick

A lovely time. It's a treat to encounter a mix of humble and enthusiastic maker who is also a writer, meaning the description of their discovered passion is that much more a joy to read. I loved the journey from haphazard, curious, to more knowledgeable, but still eager. There are shenanigans, but there's also beautiful descriptions of nature, of appreciating the time spent. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? The market for memoirs in the range of 'person dissatisfied with work/life discovered new path/hobby' is inexhaustible, but that doesn't devalue a particularly well-done version, especially when the cynicism/exhaustion is cranked way down and the joy of new discovery is cranked up. It never felt too hokey, but it does feel wholesome, even if not every choice made would pass a safety check. 2w
Robotswithpersonality 3/? I did notice a couple repeats in work recounted that make me think certain chapters may have had their first iterations as separate articles, but overall the chronology is engaging. Even if you're not sure where a chapter is going at the start, you end up seeing the linkages by the end.
2w
Robotswithpersonality 4/4 While I'm happy Hutchinson has found fulfillment in his carpentry business, I am also glad he is still billed as a writer, and this as his first book, so hopefully I can look forward to more. 2w
11 likes3 comments
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Robotswithpersonality
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Pickpick

As often happens with books where the writing really impressed me, I know I'm going to have trouble expressing how much I enjoyed this. To say it was a wild time feels like the easy way out, and bound to be misconstrued considering the subject matter. As much as there was personal drama, and a smidgen of sexiness, it's the off-the-wall social media strategizing, the inspiring amount to which the character recognized her apparent levels of 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? power and powerless and took the leaps, the points at which she confronts being some version of 'stupid' because being naive and inexperienced with much that life has to offer (good/bad) is what happens to young people, and is not something which should come with blame or shame, can be met with courage and empathy, and strategizing with your support systems. Which is not to say that people decades older cannot act in immature and destructive 2w
Robotswithpersonality 3/? ways, as evidenced in parents and exes.
The extent to which a particular moral view can be more soul-destroying than soul-saving, the extent to which money, while not directly purchasing happiness, allows for agency, for freedom, certainly necessary for happiness to manifest, the extent to which misogyny infests so many value judgements on how to live a life. The parallels about promotion for wrestling versus onlyfans was endlessly
2w
Robotswithpersonality 4/? fascinating, as were so many of the discussions raised by all of the issues brought up by the plot. I always thought 'juicy' in reference to a book had to infer salaciousness, but here I just think it means the novel is overflowing with things for the reader to sink their teeth into. On the surface, I would consider a book like this to be outside my comfort zone, but now I'd happily read Rufi Thorpe's take on anything I wouldn't normally dive 2w
Robotswithpersonality 5/5 into.
⚠️mention of SA, misogyny, struggles with addiction, mentions of wrestling injuries
2w
10 likes4 comments
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Robotswithpersonality
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Panpan

Okay, how do I put this delicately? I would much rather have had a) the story of this man's life written by someone else and b) a pamphlet consolidating Charlie's direct wisdom and any reasonable distillation of his life experience as teachings, because I'm pretty sure that's all the space that's actually required. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Not only did the author feel it necessary to put in a fair amount of his own filtering and filler with opinions and historical facts which at a stretch might be considered context for the life events of Charlie White, but he went into what I consider to be gratuitous detail regarding the death of Charlie's father and his first wife. Maybe it's worth flagging that the nature retreat he went on as a boy may have included the trauma of sexual 2w
Robotswithpersonality 3/? assault that Charlie didn't want to acknowledge, but I feel really weird about my perception that the author attempted to mortph that into a lesson of resilience. I'll be honest, Charlie's mom may have been a bit neglectful because as a single mother of that many kids she didn't have a choice, but I struggle to see any of the youthful experiences related as anything more than lucky escapes rather than adventures that teach bravery 2w
Robotswithpersonality 4/? in the context of a mother who granted her son the gift of early responsibility and independence.
Despite championing Stoicism, the author doesn't wander too far into the 'rugged individualism' that has toxified modern American society, but I fear that interpretation is up for grabs among a biased readership.
The premise of writing a book to aid your kids in navigating the future based on how a man in the past navigated big changes hasmerit
(edited) 2w
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Robotswithpersonality 5/? is even heartwarming, but the tone of the book is uneven, to say the least.
Among the many tales of being a doctor in the earlier years of the twentieth century, the intern stories are appalling, while the realities of medical breakthroughs quickly falling to the wayside, leading to an understanding of IID, Iterative Incremental Development as a way to approach change seems valuable. The part where Charlie seemed to council on the side of
2w
Robotswithpersonality 6/7 callousness when it came to ailing loved ones, including one of his wives dying of cancer, not so much.
I think if you're looking for general life wisdom, there are better sources. I think if you're looking for the story of a spectacular life lived across a recent swath of history, you should be prepared for a bunch of distressing moments, and to feel ambiguous about the subject at the end of it.
2w
Robotswithpersonality 7/7 ⚠️child SA, mental health concerns, details of medical procedures, loss of loved one by cancer 2w
GingerAntics Eh, this does not sound good! 2w
marleed Oof! My IRL KC-based bookclub read this last year. I was one of only two (other being the host who recommended it) that liked it at all. I found the KC history interesting. Also my maternal grandfather went to med school in Chicago during that time. Both he and my mother have long since passed and this has me curious about his medical training. I always thought it a big deal he was plucked from Montana mines for medical school - but maybe not🧐 2w
10 likes8 comments
review
Robotswithpersonality
Snuff | Terry Pratchett
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Pickpick

Third reread. Still my favourite book. The one that got me out of a decade long reading slump, before I'd read any other Discworld books. Having now read all of them, and reread all the City Watch books, I'm overjoyed that it lives up to my memory. Vimes remains a character who you regularly see thoughtfully consider the challenge to his own assumptions and then do better as a result. Pratchett's writing in his voice is fully developed. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? While Thud! does a lot for Vimes, this is the only book that really moves from including Vimes as the head of an ensemble in the City Watch, to being primarily his story with a new supporting cast.

On that subject, Feeney is a wonderful addition because similar to Night Watch, you get to see Vimes in the role of imparting wisdom AND being reminded of his own flaws. The dialogue/attempts at punning regarding the pseudolanguage in reference
2w
Robotswithpersonality 3/? foreign cuisine and fighting styles doesn't age particularly well, but as a further way of underlining Vimes' continual journey from ignorance to fuller understanding while simultaneously indicating Freeney 's earnestness and potential, it works well.

I loved seeing Willikins fleshed out and put to full use in this story, it only makes me wish we'd seen more of him earlier. Obviously after Thud! you can't put that awesomeness back in the box
2w
Robotswithpersonality 4/? As much I remembered the reappearance of the Summoning Dark in this story, Willikins feels like the more eloquent depiction of a Vimes without the weight of the law, which is why he spends so much time being carefully, occasionally humorously reined in...most of the time...

The arc of the goblins is expertly plotted to travel from heartbreaking to uplifting, and stands as eloquent shorthand for any manner of oppressed and dehumanized groups
2w
Robotswithpersonality 5/? throughout history.

It pains me to say that a little Sybil goes a long way because I always love her contributions, but Pratchett has created a character who rarely needs more than a couple of paragraphs to accomplish wonders, whether it's being a confidant to a spouse or changing the minds of society. Still happy to see her conscientiously woven into the plot as needed.
2w
Robotswithpersonality 6/6 This time 'round I particularly felt the tying of ends, as much as they could be, for Nobby and Colon, the romance that might last for one, the dramatic shift of mindset that might last for the other. A footnote (though not literally 😉), but lovely possibilities offered. I can't honestly recall if they pop up in my books after this one, at the moment, so am happy to leave them in semi-retirement in the country.

⚠️ Speciesism, slavery
2w
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Robotswithpersonality
Snuff | Terry Pratchett
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Having just survived the latest at work, I am in thundering agreement. 😫

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Robotswithpersonality
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❤️‍🩹

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Robotswithpersonality
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This is your reminder that slut-shaming is patriarchal, misogynistic bullshit.

BkClubCare Yes. This quote struck me profoundly. 2w
dabbe 🎯🎯🎯 2w
9 likes2 comments
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Robotswithpersonality
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Today's favourite simile:

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Robotswithpersonality
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🍲😌

review
Robotswithpersonality
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Pickpick

This really makes me think I'd have a better time with murder mysteries if they were all novella length. A couple caveats: I've had a good time with each book in this series thanks to the cheeky meta angle as well as the quality of the writing, and the last two books were not novellas. I also accept that if you're a one off or the first book in a murder mystery series you might have to take more time to introduce characters, and that adds 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? to the page count.
But this book did a great job of reminding the reader of the protagonist's circumstances, introducing a list of suspects, their motives, the murders, and exploring clues before realizations and reveals. The pace was perfect. We all know my beef with drag-it-out-for-the-tension/drama thrillers, but classic murder mysteries are guilty in their own way of regularly veering off a promising track because of some obstacle or
3w
Robotswithpersonality 3/? other.
Readers could argue that perhaps too many people were cooperative this time around, but the investigation stayed engaging and didn't feel too easy or too fast. I do wish that the murders/suspect pool didn't revolve around a charity for people recovering from addiction, but the other thing this author regularly brings to this series is an edge of pathos, this quiet wish that things hadn't turned out like this, even amidst the relief
3w
Robotswithpersonality 4/4 of solving/surviving. Maybe that sounds like a given for any half-decent detective story, but something about the empathetic way Stevenson writes Cunningham makes it hit a little harder.
Happy to have another murder mystery series where I look forward to the next installment.
3w
14 likes3 comments
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Robotswithpersonality
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🤨

review
Robotswithpersonality
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Pickpick

Oh, I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT! A simple message for all ages that you've doubtless heard before, but the story is so sweet and the art is so beautiful. Sincerely hope this becomes a childhood classic for the next generation.

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Robotswithpersonality
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Incredible writing: inventive descriptions in non-fiction is one of my favourite things.

review
Robotswithpersonality
Medea | Blandine Le Callet
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Pickpick

I think I've changed my mind about pursuing further Medea adaptations. While the original tale is enduring and memorable, it is also very dark. This version does its best to present flawed humanity more than supernatural/godly influences, but that presents even more starkly the limitations placed on Medea - while she has violent impulses, she also is at the mercy of any number of political machinations and the realities of being a woman 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? in ancient times. This retelling attempts to be a little more favourable to the protagonist in some of the framing/context for certain actions, but in the end Medea knows exactly what she's done and has to live with it. A play length exploration of this myth is mercifully brief, a 300 page graphic novel is about as long a time as I'd want to spend in this headspace. A full written novel would be too long. 3w
Robotswithpersonality 3/3 I can definitely still see pursuing feminist scholarship analyzing the story though, the various ways to break it down, examine the choices and symbolism, could make for some fascinating non-fiction reading.

⚠️ableism, gore, nudity, murder, animal death, bigotry, misogyny
3w
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Robotswithpersonality
Medea | Blandine Le Callet
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Damn.

Texreader Yikes! 3w
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Robotswithpersonality
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First page and it's already giving Terry Pratchett style footnotes. I LOVE IT! 😁

review
Robotswithpersonality
A Far Country | Daniel Mason
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Mehso-so

Poverty and classism suck.
Full marks to Mason for making an entire book that really never wanders far from those points.
There's a decent thread of: communities without arable land and infrastructure are hit hard when natural disasters occur, drought, flood, so might be a bit of cli fi?
1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? It's hard to nail down the time and place, but I think that might have been purposeful, speaks to the universal plight that is a group of people who cannot stay in their hometown because it offers no future, but have to try and make a life in a teeming city where the lines between the well-to-do and the rest have long since been drawn, and opportunities for improvement of circumstances are scarce. 3w
Robotswithpersonality 3/? Slow paced but that's not to say nothing happens, there are a number of significant events experienced by the protagonist, but it's interesting to realize that nevertheless her circumstances largely remain unchanged.
I wouldn't pick this up if you heard about the spiritual/mystical/magical thread running through it, it's more a rarely mentioned possibility than an actual plot point.
3w
Robotswithpersonality 4/4 I do continue to love Daniel Mason's writing, but I don't think I'd recommend this book to anyone who wasn't head over heels for North Woods and A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth, while I remember a certain sadness from his other writing, this particular book is inescapably bleak.

⚠️animal abuse, animal death, starvation, extreme poverty, landgrab/gentrification, violent conflict, child death
3w
12 likes3 comments
review
Robotswithpersonality
This post contains spoilers
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Panpan

Okay, did anybody else feel like they read half a book?
I'm used to a fairly handy feature of this series of novels/novellas being time jumps, but there was something that felt particularly rote about this entry's skipping along the plot beats. There were certainly aspects of the world hinted at that I'd like to know a lot more of, there seems to be the regular hint of something sinister that might lead to discontent with the formerly 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? promising fantasy world, but the character didn't even get to learn any of it before getting tossed back to 'the real world'. I know this series has had characters who end up aging in ways they didn't plan, but dropped back from new adult to child feels particularly cruel. Maybe I'm not remembering a previous book in the series well enough to be assured of Nadya's happy ending elsewhere, but in the moment of reading this particular book, it's (edited) 3w
Robotswithpersonality 3/? an incredibly unsatisfying ending.
I've suspected that I was falling out of love with these books for a while, I think this one sealed the deal. There's something about going into a series knowing you'll read about the mistreatment of a child, that that child won't be able to articulate why they are being made to feel bad, but they'll feel it, that they won't have the agency to advocate for themselves,
3w
Robotswithpersonality 4/? to make their own choices and determine their own identity, that the journey of the book will mirror life, adolescence, in figuring out who you are, who you want your family to be, in recognizing that you shouldn't have to change to be accepted. Those are all great messages, and even if the books are regularly darkly fantastical, they often have satisfying moments of self-realization. 3w
Robotswithpersonality 5/5 I just think that the ratio of emotional toll to engaging storytelling and comforting messaging is off, for me personally. I would continue to recommend most books in the series, especially to teenagers, but maybe not this one. I think I'll have to hear very good things from afar before I pick up another. Will still be on the lookout for McGuire's pseudonym Mira Grant horror though, as I've loved a couple under that name.
⚠️ableism
3w
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Robotswithpersonality
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Pickpick

Charming and chilling by turns.
What grabbed me is that it isn't a breathless tour of past exploits, derring-do, it's this well-spoken, self-effacing honest look at a bunch of moments the author decided might be interesting to the reader.
Carre(Cornwell) acknowledges his Service record, rather than slyly alluding to it, and sets out in the very beginning how much he will not be revealing and the reasons why. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? As a result, it is primarily his time as a novelist looking for background, characters, having experiences, that lead to the best stories, though doubtless his time as a spy opened certain doors that others deciding to write in his particular genre might not have access to. It's apparent that Carre has a great admiration of war journalists, and the events related help the reader to understand why. 3w
Robotswithpersonality 3/? It always saddens me to realize in a non-fiction setting, that there are parents who did not offer a supportive, loving home life, and Carre takes a lengthy chapter to introduce his father, and to a lesser extent his mother, so that one is fully engaged in puzzling out their characters, and clearly understands the reason for estrangement. 3w
Robotswithpersonality 4/? Likewise, while there are few allusions or direct statements, it appears Carre may have had difficulties in other personal relationships, though it seems that he knew many people, may have had many friends.
I suppose it's a testament to his writing that I find it strange to think he may not have been a joy and a help to those around him because the way he talks about so many of the people he encountered is appreciative, empathetic and even
3w
Robotswithpersonality 5/? amused.
Perhaps it's the contrast, he speaks lucidly, if not off-handledly, about a number of dark realities, I felt occasionally that I'd understand the full weight of a few stories better if I had a more thorough understanding of international political history.
I'm still interested to try his fiction (though there were a few spoilers within these pages), but I'm now prepared for the lower likelihood of happy endings...
3w
Robotswithpersonality 6/6 A note on the audiobook, as I did a tandem read: read by the author, a great voice, and impressive ability to replicate the accent/cadence of others, really added to the reading experience.
⚠️war violence, domestic violence, mention of SA, suicide, torture
3w
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review
Robotswithpersonality
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Pickpick

Completely lives up to the hype.
Incredible writer, the poetic skill with which he shifts from what might be considered a more mundane approach to a mind-altering one. Like picking up a music review only to realize you're actually going on a journey with the author, into his life and into commentary about society and the music business. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Subject matter shifts somewhat as you get further into the collection and the essays get longer, though there is still a heavy presence of music, and also of addressing racism.
As such I might advise spacing out the reading experience, depending on your personal sensitivty to the subject matter, as the discussion regularly involves not just racism but racist violence.
4w
Robotswithpersonality 3/? Personal stand outs:

The Night Prince Walked in Water
The Return of the Loneliest Boys in Town
Brief Notes on Staying // No One is Making Their Best Work When They Want to Die
Fall Out Boy Forever
There is the Picture of Michael Jackson Kissing Whitney Houston on the Cheek
February 6, 2012
4w
Robotswithpersonality 4/? In the Summer of 1997, Everyone Took to the Streets in Shiny Suits
Nina Simone Was Very Black
August 9, 2014
Serena Williams and the Policing of Imagined Arrogance
They Will Speak Loudest of You After You've Gone
Johnny Cash Never Shot a Man in Reno. Or, The Migos: Nice Kids from the Suburbs
Surviving on Small Joys
4w
Robotswithpersonality 5/5 ⚠️Mention of suicide, racist violence, misogyny, death of parent, mention of child death
4w
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Robotswithpersonality
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💔

review
Robotswithpersonality
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Pickpick

I love the art, I love the storytelling, that quirky kind that's okay abandoning a bit of reality, and yet still seeming so matter of fact about aspects of the characters' journeys and decisions. I think The Way Back Home is my favourite, how the author made the moon feel so accessible. 😊 Strong visual component, especially in The Way Back Home, it felt like it could have been just images, no words and been the same story. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Love the format switch up to accurately reflect the added notes, the reader goes from glossy paper of the illustrated (water colours and ink?) stories to matte paper with a great texture, plus the handwritten notes and sketches are in pencil, and the artist/author has a very fun variance in font in the notes, first scribbly, then lofty outlined capitals, and more elaborate circus poster type letters. (edited) 1mo
Robotswithpersonality 3/3 Then there's the character design, where everyone is some variation of small child size allowing the reader to see the world from that perspective, without being super cutsie - the penguin doesn't really have facial expressions but an adequate range of body language, and the boy and the alien smile rarely, but to greater effect.
Will have to investigate what else my library has by Oliver Jeffers.
1mo
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Robotswithpersonality
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😮‍💨😔 Take care of yourselves. ❤️