Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 8h

You shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
In fact, you shouldn't judge books at all.
Unless you are a licensed judge in federal court. Even then - these books should have a lawyer present.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

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Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 8h

I played the Gravity's Rainbow pinball - ONCE.
These balls shouldn't come out of the players...

Steve Lieber @stevelieberart.bsky.social · 9h

Dumb question: Have any BOOKS ever had a licensed pinball? Not movie or tv adaptations of books- an actual prose novel licensed as a theme for a pinball game.

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Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 8h

I never read a book that I am going to review. That would ruin my objectivity.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

3

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 8h

"It's... it's a COOKBOOK!"

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Reposted by Tom Shapira

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 1d

I don't care that they were never worn, I'm not paying full price for secondhand shoes.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

7 36 180

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 14h

What if I told you these are HIS shoes?

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Reposted by Tom Shapira

Deep Cuts in a Lovecraftian Vein @deepcuts.blog · 11d

Carmen opened her eyes. Waldo stood at the edge of the bed, looking out the window at the moon. On the floor were his cane, his striped shirt, his hat, his glasses, her scarlet hat and trenchoat...

"How did you find me?" she whispered.

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Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 16h

Waldo obviously wants to be alone, to be Poe's Man of the Crowd, and yet we (all of us) chase him endlessly; a perverse version of The Running Man.

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Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 16h

People always ask "Where Is Waldo?"
But no one thinks to ask "HOW is Waldo?"

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

2 6

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 23h

Bulgakov killed Leo Tolstoy with a reverse piledriver. The government covered it up.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

1 7 31

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 23h

I should get a refund for The Divine Comedy - I didn't laugh once!
(I did reach a higher understanding for the place of man in the vast cosmos and our relationship with god - but what good does that give me?!)

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

2

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 23h

The site is called 'Goodreads' yet it proves most reads AND readers are quite bad.
Discuss!

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

2 11 46

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 1d

The Horus Heresy should get a collective Booker Prize.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

2

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 1d

The Music Erich Zann played to keep the Eldritch Horrors at bay was an early form of K-Pop.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

1 2

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 1d

I don't care that they were never worn, I'm not paying full price for secondhand shoes.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

7 36 180

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 1d

If correctly read, one soon realizes Finnigans Wake is a Jack Reacher novel

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

1 6

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 1d

The whole "poetic, ecstatic truth" thing was really beautiful when I first heard it - but mocking the 'accountant's truth' hits differently in 2025. We should stick up for dry facts more. Much more.

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Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 1d

The kind of thing to read if you want to take down your own appreciation of Herzog down five or six pegs.

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Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 1d

I thought the memoir was... Fine. He led an interesting life and, naturally, he's a very charismatic speaker (of course I took the audio book).
But The Future of Truth is not just bad writing. It's bad philosophy.

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Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 1d

Methinks Werner Herzog should stick to making movies over writing books after this one

A picture of Werner Herzog's latest book - The Future of Truth.

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Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 1d

Brandon Sanderson should be brought in the complete MORE unfinished novels.
The Good Soldier Svejk? Naturally.
The Pale King? Of course.
The missing bits of The Satyricon? Abso-fucking-lutly

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

1

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 1d

Waldo could find Spot.
But Spot couldn't find Waldo.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

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Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 1d

I don't think it's bad for the conqueror worm to eat these mimes - be they metaphorical of physical.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 1d

If "a person on business from Porlock" knocked at my door I would simply remember the rest of the lines of the visionary poem I was holding in my head.
I guess I'm just built different.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

2

Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 1d

"I swore never to read again after 'To Kill a Mockingbird' gave me no useful advice on killing mockingbirds. It did teach me not to judge a man based on the color of his skin, but what good does"

Homer Simpson says: I swore never to read again after 'To Kill a Mockingbird' gave me no useful advice on killing mockingbirds. It did teach me not to judge a man based on the color of his skin, but what good does

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