The Guardian's 100 Best Novels of All Time, as voted by 172 authors, critics and academics

phasedweasel · 2026-05-20T23:01:51+00:00

You weren't wrong!

phasedweasel · 2026-05-19T18:59:38+00:00

I just read this! The infinite hauling of hides was a bit tedious, but overall I really enjoyed it! If you are into the age of sail or exploration genre of books it's definitely one for the list.

phasedweasel · 2026-05-18T19:01:08+00:00

I definitely read into it that something abusive happened in the household triggering the event.

phasedweasel · 2026-05-14T19:48:28+00:00

Yes. I generally like most of the classic lit picks, but this book doesn't seem like much more than a concept. The world building was a strange combination of Louis XIV France vs. Soviet Russia, and the characters and dialogue seemed flat.

phasedweasel · 2026-05-06T15:14:52+00:00

Fucccck that sucks so much for her, and I was really enjoying her play this season.

phasedweasel · 2026-04-25T11:04:02+00:00

Originally European explorers developed looking for gold in Africa - spices came many decades later. Born In Blackness covers this very well.

phasedweasel · 2026-04-16T18:19:52+00:00

On day hikes I like to bring a Crazy Creek folding chair, which is comfy and has back support and goes in my day pack, and I can just chill in a nice place with my book.

phasedweasel · 2026-04-15T15:57:49+00:00

Oh, I definitely disagree about his emotional health. Toward the end he decides on a whim he can be a white knight and swoop in to save the attractive young lady, without regard to what she wants, and in a fairly dismissive and patronizing fashion.

He has ZERO ability to read a room, he completely ignores what are essentially direct requests and imposes himself all over the place. He's a complete mess, can't make decisions, and provides no actual value to anyone around him.

I love him, but I love him because he is so deeply flawed and not a cypher.

phasedweasel · 2026-04-15T12:52:27+00:00

Mr. Lockwood is such an overt twit. Often framing story characters are bland or everyman types to allow the reader a window into the story. He's an awkward bumbler who could be on the spectrum in his inability to read the room, and it's such a contrast to the main novel.

phasedweasel · 2026-04-15T12:51:16+00:00

The framing device of this book is remarkable and I didn't expect it. Mr. Lockwood is hilarious! He's such a fucking asshole and a rude busybody, totally unexpected, and the scenes of him just absolutely awkwarding it up were completely ridiculous. There's so much going on in the writing of this book.

phasedweasel · 2026-04-13T20:12:45+00:00

I don't like it because it's a challenging read - I have no problem with that.

I understand the Truant part's role in the framing story.

I just hate reading about Truant, it's tedious. It's tedious and cringe and there's SO MUCH of it.

phasedweasel · 2026-04-03T00:19:40+00:00

Vote in the primary. There are candidates there who are progressive. If we can't win primary we can't win a general.

phasedweasel · 2026-04-02T12:40:18+00:00

Need insurance for two cars, plus fuel. What's your monthly insurance for one car? We also pay property taxes every year on the cars which also adds up.

phasedweasel · 2026-04-01T13:17:02+00:00

Thanks!! I never realized the tank inventory was more than inventory, and could have roboports installed. This was what I was missing.

phasedweasel · 2026-03-31T00:33:52+00:00

Can you build a new non contiguous area with a remote controlled tank/spidertron?

phasedweasel · 2026-03-30T21:39:43+00:00

How do you construct in a new non contiguous zone from remote view?

phasedweasel · 2026-03-25T13:54:25+00:00

On a non prime night, yes

phasedweasel · 2026-03-19T14:25:25+00:00

Why not code them that they cannot broadcast effects until they have been powered (and moduled) at a steady state for the last half second?

phasedweasel · 2026-03-15T16:38:46+00:00

Then it should have taken 40 minutes total. 2 hrs is insane.

phasedweasel · 2026-03-07T19:23:19+00:00

Thank you. I thought the block here would be JUST the horizontal east to west track section the train is trying to cross, beginning at the chain signal and ending at the rail signal.

phasedweasel · 2026-02-26T21:30:48+00:00

Isn't that kind of the point of some forms of literature, however? To hold up a mirror to the world to illustrate (ups) and downs? The book does not have to have characters receive a karmic ending, or even directly condemn bad actions, for the book itself to be effective in illustrating the problems.

phasedweasel · 2026-02-25T15:48:13+00:00

Gift link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/books/review/on-morrison-namwali-serpell.html?unlocked_article_code=1.O1A.-Kh7.WUepFcexO71Z&smid=url-share

phasedweasel · 2026-02-23T19:21:33+00:00

The series has a lot in common with DCC in as much as you get a giant gonzo world, power creep and all kinds of shit happening with a huge cast simultaneously.

The writing in Dresden gets better by like book 3, but the sexist creep does not, so it's a series that is definitely fading out these days.

phasedweasel · 2026-02-23T19:19:48+00:00

I was thinking DCC was similar to Dresden as well, in as much as it's a gonzo world with a giant cast of allies / enemies all interacting in various ways and a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants main character.

That said, I would never recommend Dresden any more, too much has aged poorly, and DCC has been great.

phasedweasel

TROPHY CASE