Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 1h

Might wind up being my top pick of the year.

Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 16h

I get what you're saying; I appreciate them (and include them) because I have a hard time "thinking over" speech; even just a few seconds lets me kind of organize & reflect in a way I do frequently while reading.

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Reposted by Jake Casella Brookins

Kieron Gillen @kierongillen.bsky.social · 1d

Novels are just comics consisting of one picture and an overwritten caption.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 2d

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

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Reposted by Jake Casella Brookins

Chicago 🏳️‍⚧️🌱 @chicagotrans-plant.bsky.social · 1d

Evanston votes on banning ICE officers from using city property as staging areas and strengthening it's welcoming cities ordinance.

Unanimously passes.

Biss says staff will begin implementing it immediately.

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Reposted by Jake Casella Brookins

Amanda Rutter @alrutter.bsky.social · 1d

We've only had to go and do a reprint of The Spear Cuts Through Water AGAIN. Thanks to every single person who continues to recommend this dream of a book ❤️

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 1d

We also have some protest songs but they're in 7/8

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 1d

Protest sign covered in size 8 font laying out the nuances of the problematic but still incredibly vital nature of the US constitution while also discussing the advantages of a more gradualist parliamentary monarchy that does a better job siloing off symbolic power & de-fanaticizing civic religion

John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 1d

Turning up to the "No Kings" protest with my "Actually maybe you need a king" sign.

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 1d

Henry Bemis, tragic frustrated goon, from "Time Enough At Last"

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Reposted by Jake Casella Brookins

Kendra, regular version @kendrawcandraw.bsky.social · 1d

You can't logic your way out of being burnt out. Unless you're me. Who should be able to do it and it's a personal failing that I can't

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 1d

The boss move is to pull a Bradbury: call your collection a novel and just kind of stare everyone down until they mumble "fix-up" or "mosaic" or something

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 1d

Good take here. The more commercially viable format overshadowing the obviously better short work is a really weird curse, strikes more often than I'd like.

Django Wexler @djangowexler.bsky.social · 1d

Asimov, more than the other "greats", was a short fiction writer first and foremost, and his novels were always weak. Stories like "Nightfall", "The Last Question", and the Susan Calvin robot stories are absolute classics. (2/2)

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 1d

The market alone cannot sustain good literature, and no literature will survive the collapse of the biosphere, something thinkable within generations. Not many art discussions, awards, takes will help us escape the machine, but more of them should stick in the gears, and fewer should grease them.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 2d

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

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 1d

The issue bluntly is just volume; in putting together @ancillaryreviewofbooks.org's monthly recs, I probably scan 200+ titles to pull out a dozen or two that look like a good fit. Just no way around that without curation.

But hard agree, still: a plain list of titles & dates would be rad + useful.

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 1d

Edelweiss+ gets fairly close to this, if you're willing to 1.) go down the twisted road of becoming an E+ power-user (it's free!) and 2.) still spend some time scouring all of the cool small presses that don't feed that datastream.

Brandon O’Brien, low on Action Points @therisingtithes.bsky.social · 1d

Braincrack:

there should be a single unified non-blog place online to get a list (and a calendar view) of every upcoming SFF novel & novella release in a year. Something you can just set reminders for the week before, and when it's on preorder, so you can keep up with every pub without hassle.

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 1d

Epic handshake meme: two muscular arms, one labeled "Frank Frazetta Day" and the other "Discordians on Friday" clasping hands, labeled "Let us celebrate buns".

Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 1d

Die a standard nomenclature user, or live long enough to recreate one of Howie Mandel's running gags from "Bobby's World" (1990-1998)

After leaving Vienna, and long before you come to Budapest, @megapolisomancy.bsky.social · Feb 6

I’ve realized since writing this (and many other essays, bah) that the word “genric” actually captures the meaning I’m reaching for much more than the word “generic”. Of course in practice everyone is just going to think “genric” is a typo

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 1d

🤌

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 2d

I don't really subscribe to the idea of national character but I do think it's a good idea, when designing a sociocultural "ball", to make sure the Anglo-Saxons will have a hard time palming it is what I'm saying

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 2d

periodic reminder that if things had gone infinitesimally differently we'd be calling the Americas "Vespucci-land" which, like Franklin's proposal of the turkey for the US national bird, I think would have subtly shifted history in a better direction

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 3d

I feel like I've heard good things about Houellebecq's, but can't vouch for it

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 3d

Utterly failing to write or edit or even read anything new (first cold in several years has positively laid me out), needed a re-read, picked up Virtual Light for the first time in a bit. Utterly wild that this came out the year *after* Snow Crash

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 3d

and shout out to those still clawing

merritt @merrittk.com · 3d

s/o to everyone from working class backgrounds in the arts and entertainment who clawed their way to where they are without the benefit of family wealth, career experience, or connections

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Reposted by Jake Casella Brookins

Preorder Read This When Things Fall Apart @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 4d

They're talking about killing leftist activists. They're talking about murdering people organizing in defense of immigrant communities, doing mutual aid work, and protesting their violence. They are talking about murdering people like me and my friends. We must do more than acknowledge it's fascism.

Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 6d

My gosh. After the US bombed multiple boats in the middle of the ocean, murdering people on grounds that they were allegedly "carrying drugs," the US Attorney General says "Just like we did with cartels, we're going to take the same approach, President Trump, with Antifa."

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Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 4d

The reading experience of both The Art of War and The Prince is greatly enhanced if you add "Oh, honey," to the beginning of each section.

(Less good for Clausewitz.)

Stellaween? @antlervel.vet · Apr 23

It’s really funny that The Art of War is treated as this like alpha male book when it’s clearly meant to be read by ancient Chinese failsons because it’s all “please don’t forget you have to feed your troops” and “if someone asks if you’re going to attack them consider lying about it”

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Reposted by Jake Casella Brookins

Sebastian Stockman @substockman.bsky.social · 4d

If the Altman be Bob,
Great work, good job
If the Altman be Sam,
Good grief, goddamn

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