I have been reading Finnegans Wake over the course of this year, a few pages a day, along with a group over on reddit. It is one of the very few things that still keeps me visiting reddit at all.

Since the group are aiming to have a few weeks to review the book, I now have only two weeks before finishing it. It has been quite a ride, hovering right on the edge of comprehension at best - and usually some way beyond.

Last year, I read Proust's In Search of Lost Time, and the year before War and Peace - which makes particular sense in this format, since there are 365 chapters.

Anyhoo, I am now giving thought to my next annual big read. Some options are The Brothers Karamazov, Gravity's Rainbow, and Crime and Punishment but I sm undecided and would like to consider some others.

Have you done anything of the sort? Do you have any suggestions?

EDIT - and The Romance of the Three Kingdoms sounds like an interesting one too.

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/1009590

The book is antiquated but interesting.

Zionism is opposed to socialism and is a reactionary bourgeous movement.

Do you buy physical books you have already read?

For example; I have read a book named “The Words We Keep” digitally. I loved it, it really resonated with me because it’s about something - I personally have and struggle with as well.

Thinking to buy the book physically but feel like, I can’t justify it due to the fact that I’ve already read it.

I don’t really re-read books either.

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/972256

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SARA LIPPINCOTT (1938-2023) was an editor specializing in nonfiction who edited some eighty books about science for the general public including bestsellers such as Bill Bradley’s Time Present, Time Past, Timothy Ferris’s The Whole Shebang, Lee Smolin’s The Trouble with Physics, and John McPhee’s Pulitzer prize-winning Annals of the Former World.

A longtime nonfiction editor at The New Yorker, she moved to Los Angeles in 1993, where she taught writing for ten years at Caltech and later became an editor at the now-defunct Los Angeles Times Book Review. From 1996, she edited the sixteen books in the Edge Annual Question series, and the twenty-two books in the Science Masters I and Science Masters II series.

Several days ago, Sara called to give me the sad news that she was very ill and the end was near. She also had a request: "I have something I’ve written that I would like you to publish on Edge." Yesterday, on Sunday, October 29, 2023, Sara died peacefully.

Thus, it is with great sadness, but also with a deep sense of love and appreciation, that I share with you Sara’s piece, "The Tea Table."

Well I'm craving something in this genre but I'm a bit overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time. So many titles and yet I'm not sure what to read. Maybe you can help?

I'm looking for something in a high fantasy setting. I'm not too keen on heavy politics and war driven plots (though, I can read that ). What really gets me is interesting characters, good action and magical creatures.

I've loved anything Discworld and I've also enjoyed the First Law books by Abercrombie.

I'm finding that Tolkien, Sanderson and George RR Martin appear on every fantasy list I come across, so if you do recommend something I'd appreciate it be something other than that.

i need because Mcgraw system for reading the book sucks cheeks.

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/948134

Make sure to subscribe, upvote, and leave a comment to help this person with the algorithm.

Trying to help 'em out.

Scot-free: Safe in Georgia

Scot-free Safe in Georgia is based on the real-life kidnapping of Scott who stopped to assist, what appeared to be, a lone stranded motorist along I-95 just outside Titusville, Florida. While it appears I may have taken liberties with the facts of this crime, as well as the situations and conversations that followed the initial kidnapping, I can assure you that they are true to Scott's vivid memories of this traumatic event. Scott, his wife Deb, their families, and all their friends, truly hope you enjoy reading this story. A story of how one man's faith, and his love of his wife, provided him with the courage and the mental skills needed in order to survive when most of us would not have.

I grew up in the aftermath of the great depression in the rural area of north Florida. God blessed me with loving parents that instilled in me the values of honesty and kindness to others. They both came from large families that were survivors of the depression. It was their examples of pride, hard work, and ability to find a way to get the job done that got me through my difficulties in life.

Way More Than TEXAS TRUMPERY: Politically Cartooned

In the ever-evolving landscape of American politics, change is a constant. "Way More Than TEXAS TRUMPERY: Politically Cartooned" takes a close look at the transformation of the traditional American Republican Party, a shift brought about by the rise of Donald Trump. M. Scott Byers, an Austin-based political cartoonist, offers a unique perspective on this political metamorphosis, with a decade's worth of thought-provoking political cartoons that dissect the phenomenon known as "Texas Trumpery."

For 150 years, the American Republican Party stood as a symbol of conservatism, patriotism, and moral politics. However, as the book's title suggests, the landscape has shifted dramatically. The Republican Party, as it was known, is no more. In its place, Donald Trump has orchestrated a hostile takeover, reshaping the party's core values and principles. Byers leaves no room for ambiguity: he views Donald Trump as a nihilistic rogue, an autocratic demagogue whose actions pose a real danger to America's democracy.

The heart of this collection consists of 240 cartoons spanning 136 pages, each offering a unique and incisive perspective on the state of Texas politics. Byers captures the transformation of Texas, a state that has been one of the most reliably Republican for three decades. While many statewide elected officeholders still bear the Republican label, Byers' cartoons reveal a sometimes laughable, yet hardly humorous reality.

The cartoons, accompanied by text and cutline, delve into the most pressing issues of the past ten years. Through humor and satire, Byers hopes to convey a crucial message to Texas and national Republicans: a stark warning about the slippery slope into what he calls "The Trumpery." The cartoons serve as a satirical mirror, reflecting the potential consequences of zoning out under Donald Trump's influence.

Small Gods: A masterful comic satire on Religious Institutions and Fundamentalism Small Gods is a fantasy comic satire on religious institutions, religious fundamentalism, philosophy, and the weaponisation of religious fanaticism for political power set in the Discworld. It explores how religious beliefs and faith shift and change over time, from being centred on the deity to being centred on the religious institution itself. Rereading this was an absolute joy!

This is the story of how Brutha becomes the eighth prophet of the god Om. Omnia is a monotheistic theocracy based on the Seven Books of the Prophets of Om, or the Septateuch. Omnia was a place where: "No matter what your skills, there was a place for you in the Citadel. And if your skill lay in asking the wrong kinds of questions or losing the righteous kind of wars, the place might just be the furnaces of purity, or the Quisition’s pits of justice. A place for everyone. And everyone in their place." Vorbis, the exquisitor in charge of the Quisition, enjoyed near complete authority and power over everyone out of fear of the Quisition’s pits. As the story opens, we have Brutha, a novice at the Citadel, working in the gardens when he comes across a tortoise who speaks to him. The tortoise in question is actually the god Om, who inexplicably finds himself in the form of a tortoise and unable to do much more than speak to Brutha in his mind. On Discworld, a particular god’s powers depend on the number of believers the god possesses. As the story progresses, we understand why even though the great god Om was held supreme in Omnia, the actual god Om was at present virtually powerless having Brutha as his only believer. Om starts to understand the reason when he ruminates: "… it can’t be just him who believes in me. Really in me. Not in a pair of golden horns. Not in a great big building. Not in the dread of hot iron and knives. Not in paying your temple dues because everyone else does. Just in the fact that the Great God Om really exists." After all, "Belief shifts. People start out believing in the god and end up believing in the structure….. “Around the Godde there forms a Shelle of prayers and Ceremonies and Buildings and Priestes and Authority, until at Last the Godde Dies. Ande this maye notte be noticed.”’" Religion starts out centred on the god and then ends up centred on the Institution with people going through the motions because it’s what everyone does, or out of fear of the Institution. This had the unfortunate effect of turning the great god Om into a "small god". Similar to the other gods on Discworld, Om doesn't really care or think much of humans beyond realising the need to have believers. As the story progresses, due to his association with Brutha, Om starts to get a better understanding of humankind and also to care for them. Brutha starts out as a novice who simply took everything taught by the religious institution on faith to someone who realises what's wrong with the system and tries to change it.

Similar to a lot of other Discworld books, an underlying sense of anger and frustration permeates this book, with this book probably being Pratchett’s angriest. This is particularly evident when he speaks of the actions of the Quisition, generally involving torture and murder on a regular basis: "And it all meant this: that there are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that cannot easily be duplicated by a normal, kindly family man who just comes in to work every day and has a job to do. Vorbis loved knowing that. A man who knew that, knew everything he needed to know about people." (A very astute judge of humankind, I must say). And, in relation to the the actual Quisitors: "But there were things to suggest to a thinking man that the Creator of mankind had a very oblique sense of fun indeed, and to breed in his heart a rage to storm the gates of heaven. The mugs, for example. They had legends on them like A Present From the Holy Grotto of Ossory, or To The World’s Greatest Daddy".

Even though the subject matter is serious, there are numerous hilarious jokes, puns and comic twists strewn throughout the book to make a reader laugh out loud. Some of my favourite jokes were: "Nhumrod looked around the garden. It seemed to be full of melons and pumpkins and cucumbers. He shuddered. ‘Lots of cold water, that’s the thing,’ he said. ‘Lots and lots.’" Another one which speaks of the somewhat random rules of religions: "‘I nearly committed a terrible sin,’ said Brutha. ‘I nearly ate fruit on a fruitless day.’ ‘That’s a terrible thing, a terrible thing,’ said Om. ‘Now cut the melon.’ ‘But it is forbidden!’ said Brutha. ‘No it’s not,’ said Om. ‘Cut the melon.’ ‘But it was the eating of fruit that caused passion to invade the world,’ said Brutha. ‘All it caused was flatulence,’ said Om. ‘Cut the melon!’"

I don’t consider this book to be either against religion nor particularly for religion. The case of faith vs doubt is not a theme in this book and is not much of a thing on Discworld considering that the Gods on Discworld are very “present”. Even then, atheists like Simony do exist. In fact a running joke in the book is that people try to put some distance between themselves and atheists because atheists tend to be struck down by lightning (by Io the god of thunder). However, this book definitely speaks out against the use of unspeakable violence and subjugation in the name of god by people like Vorbis, without being in the least bit heavy handed about it. Now there is another thing about this book and Discworld books in general that I have loved, besides the social/religious commentary and humour, is that these books make me feel a little hopeful for humanity in general. In the midst of terrible events we have instances of people sometimes putting aside differences to do the right thing: "He looked around in time to see a wave lift a ship out of the water and smash it against the dunes. A distant scream coloured the wind. The soldiers stared. ‘There were people under there,’ said Argavisti. Simony dropped the flask. ‘Come on,’ he said. And no one, as they hauled on timbers in the teeth of the gale, as Urn applied everything he knew about levers, as they used their helmets as shovels to dig under the wreckage, asked who it was they were digging for, or what kind of uniform they’d been wearing." And, "The black-on-black eyes stared imploringly at Brutha, who reached out automatically, without thinking … and then hesitated. HE WAS A MURDERER, said Death. AND A CREATOR OF MURDERERS. A TORTURER. WITHOUT PASSION. CRUEL. CALLOUS. COMPASSIONLESS. ‘Yes. I know. He’s Vorbis,’ said Brutha. Vorbis changed people. Sometimes he changed them into dead people. But he always changed them. That was his triumph. He sighed. ‘But I’m me,’ he said. Vorbis stood up, uncertainly, and followed Brutha across the desert. Death watched them walk away." This is another reason I have loved this book. I will end this with a couple of thought provoking metaphors I loved from the book:

"‘About life being like a sparrow flying through a room? Nothing but darkness outside? And it flies through the room and there’s just a moment of warmth and light?’ ‘There are windows open?’ said Brutha. ‘Can’t you imagine what it’s like to be that sparrow, and know about the darkness? To know that afterwards there’ll be nothing to remember, ever, except that one moment of the light?’" And another one which speaks of the wonders of the world:

‘Life in this world,’ he said, ‘is, as it were, a sojourn in a cave. What can we know of reality? For all we see of the true nature of existence is, shall we say, no more than bewildering and amusing shadows cast upon the inner wall of the cave by the unseen blinding light of absolute truth, from which we may or may not deduce some glimmer of veracity, and we as troglodyte seekers of wisdom can only lift our voices to the unseen and say, humbly, “Go on, do Deformed Rabbit … it’s my favourite.”’ (This one is also a little funny!)

Frederick Marini is a retired school educator and retired District School Media Director / Librarian PreK–12. He has a BS degree from the University of Wisconsin –Madison and a MS degree from UW LaCrosse. He has served on numerous local, regional, and State Boards and committees.

Title: The Monster that Haunted the Sewers.

Inspector Lestrade (joyfully sarcastic): "Is that your gigantic monster, Holmes? It's just a big rat!"

Watson: (hears something a trifle alarming just behind)

(visual: a giant spider is seen emerging)

Pardon if this doesn't quite belong here. I searched Lemmy explorer for a Holmes community, but saw none. It doesn't quite fit my own community, either (Euro Graphic Novels), so I figured maybe here?

In any case, this little cartoon is by Nicolas Barral, and is part of a bande dessinees series called Ex-Libris, published by Fantasmagories.

Note: if someone wanted to start up a Holmes community on Lemmy, please tag me so I can subscribe, thanks!

Register Now to Find Your Perfect Girlfriend

In 2023, several largest online libraries have simultaneously started to introduce search through the entire text of all books in their collections, going beyond just titles, descriptions, and book metadata.

Here are some notable developments in this area:

1. Z-library now offers a full-text search across its vast collection of books (over 14 million books and 84 million articles).

2. Nexus/STC software company provides a full-text search over its current selection of 250,000 books and approximately 2 million papers. It continues to add around 10,000 new items daily and aims to index all the books from the largest online libraries within the next year(Anna's Archive, the largest repository, hosts 21 million books and 97 million papers). Additionally, Nexus/STC was the first to develop an AI technology that operates all the data from such amount of books (the mentioned 250,000 selected items).

3. Anna's Archive, which aggregates all items provided by Z-library, Library Genesis, Sci-Hub, and other resources, has long been developing full-text search functionality. While the release date remains unknown, it is anticipated in the near future.

4. In August 2023, Google Books introduced a limited full-text search feature that allows users to search within the abstracts of its indexed books. Due to copyright constraints, the project's development is restricted, offering only a glimpse of its potential without comprehensive research capabilities.

5. OpenLibrary features a "Search Inside" tool on its platform, yet its book collection is dozens of times smaller than Z-library's and lacks additional parameters for refining the searches.

Shadow libraries currently house the largest online collections of digitized and born-digital books globally. Their extensive offerings surpass those of any other platform, making comprehensive search results difficult to achieve even with full-text search functionality. Full-text search in them is a powerful research tool, that allows to get search results not available to Google or any other search engine. To keep up with the search and AI technologies, American and European companies must urgently advocate for radical changes in copyright laws.

A significant growth is anticipated in the following areas:

• Instant access to complete collections of the world's largest libraries for individuals worldwide, facilitated by extensive digitization efforts focusing initially on non-fiction. Most important, the most known and used books have been already digitized.
• Full-text search across all indexed books simultaneously.
• AI systems fed with all the data from online libraries, making it operate a crucial part of knowledge available to humankind. The competencies of these new AI models will far surpass the current ones.

The number of ebooks available for free access is increasing every year. It seems impossible to combat this phenomenon as the storage space for books is negligible, leading to the creation of numerous copies and backups. It is likely that subscription-based models will emerge as a way to sustain the mentioned online services based on usage levels and that the books industry will have to accept it and adapt.

P.S. Please note that approximately 98% of links to Z-library are scams, potentially run by government entities to create confusion among users. All shadow libraries have to withstand severe pressure from the FBI and other government agencies.

Tags: ai-industry-development, all-books-access, all-books-digitization, ai-books-feedingi, libraries-full-text-search, indexing-all-books, online-libraries, open-access, search-technologies-development, shadow-libraries, the-largest-libraries

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/37607982.Artem_Orel/blog

Memoire: Triumph over Adversity

"Memoire: Triumph over Adversity" weaves the threads of my life's tapestry, reflecting the values that guided me from humble beginnings in picturesque Kodagu, South India. Born into poverty, I harnessed hard work, compassion, and humility to shape my dreams against challenging odds.

Throughout my journey, I faced daunting obstacles with unwavering resolve and a commitment to education. From teacher to mentor, my roles attest to the power of determination. This memoir resonates with those embracing hope amid adversity, inspiring young minds to chase dreams with persistence.

Beyond words, the book offers insights from consultancy across fifteen countries, guiding those aiming to make a difference. Chapters uncover post-retirement pursuits, painting a picture of enrichment and rejuvenation.

Join me on this literary voyage where "Memoire: Triumph over Adversity" transcends boundaries, celebrating human potential and purpose. It's a shared narrative, an ode to resilience, and an invitation to embrace the essence of being human.