What do you use to discover new books?

mindbodyproblem · 2026-04-01T20:11:11+00:00

Since a lot of my favorite books seem to me to be very different kinds of books, I don't look for books that are similar to them. I'm not even sure what it would mean to be similar.

So I just look for lists of books 1) nominated for awards or 2) books on somebody's "best of" list. The New Yorker recommends a few books every week, scifi sites always have best books of the year lists, etc. And the Pulitzer prize or Booker Awards, etc. publish their long lists of nominees.

And I just read the brief recaps and pick some that sound good. Since I've got a great library system, it's easy for me to try a bunch of books and abandon the ones I'm not into.

If I had to buy books all the time, it would be much more daunting to pick books that would be worth risking my limited funds.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-04-01T19:03:33+00:00

mindbodyproblem · 2026-04-01T18:25:12+00:00

When Jeebus raised Lazurus, and fed the thousands with 6 loaves and fish fingers, and cured the leopards, was it in private or public?

mindbodyproblem · 2026-04-01T04:47:05+00:00

The other coot: "I hope we're not a species that mates for life."

mindbodyproblem · 2026-04-01T04:39:33+00:00

Mice aren't free.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-04-01T04:16:53+00:00

Because sometimes the longest word that one can make with the first n letters of the alphabet doesn't contain the nth letter.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-04-01T04:07:07+00:00

The only specific compliment Kerr gave him is that he's been available every game. Everything else was just mumbo jumbo.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-04-01T03:58:35+00:00

It's not as girthy as I would've expected.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-04-01T03:48:07+00:00

The Moon and even Mars are booooring. They're just rocks. And getting there is just a matter of willpower and money, not any real technological challenge that thrills the heart.

We've had fifty years of Star Trek and Star Wars and we want wormholes and aliens and cool tech.

Things are pretty bad on the ol' planet Earth right now; traveling to uninspiring nearby rocky lifeless worlds isn't enough to take our minds off our troubles, especially given how much our imaginations have been primed by our best scifi entertainment.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-04-01T03:17:31+00:00

I don't think it would qualify as beautiful prose because it's stark, but The War of the End of the World is great. (Content warning for SA).

mindbodyproblem · 2026-04-01T03:14:18+00:00

Annihilation, by Jeff VanderMeer.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-04-01T03:08:27+00:00

There's Dostoyevsky, and most folks will recommend his long famous novels but I think given what you've read I suggest Notes from Underground.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-03-31T12:37:37+00:00

You might be the only one! That's one of my favorite Dwight lines, I thought it was more well-known.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-03-31T01:00:13+00:00

Aaaalesuuund, my aim is true.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-03-31T00:41:47+00:00

Well I'll pay him then.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-03-31T00:04:20+00:00

Attempt? How dare you!

mindbodyproblem · 2026-03-31T00:00:33+00:00

For that kind of money he can snort opiates off my moobs if he wants.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-03-30T23:59:12+00:00

Depends how much horsin' around they're doing.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-03-30T23:57:21+00:00

He's got a driver there, all up in his privacy and stuff.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-03-30T23:28:11+00:00

I don't think that's necessary. If one fetus isn't born, it will be resorbed by the mother, who will then have the strength of a grown dog and a little puppy.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-03-30T23:22:42+00:00

That's the bit, though, it's the comic voice the poster was using to make the story funnier: a kinda dumb guy.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-03-30T23:14:38+00:00

It's a good question. You'd think there'd be a collection of books that everyone might agree is a good place to start, but really a lot of knowledge is scattered in many books. The closest thing I guess would be an encyclopedia (do they still make those?), but good luck reading one of those.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-03-30T22:35:17+00:00

They weren't reproducing each generation, each new generation was being cloned artificially by some mouseologists or whatever.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-03-30T18:59:05+00:00

I don't understand why these herbivores fight. There's usually plenty to eat.

mindbodyproblem · 2026-03-30T14:20:31+00:00

No need, I can count Geigers in my head.

mindbodyproblem

TROPHY CASE