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SRSBooks is a place to discuss words and how fancy words are put together in books, stories, poetry, essays, nonfiction, etc.

You can talk about all of that and plus publishing, ereaders, booklights, recommendations you want to give, recommendations you want to have, or discuss how Nabakov was shitawful (or not).

NEW: Spoilers are written:
[spoiler](/s "Elizabeth marries Darcy!")
spoiler

Rules

  • If your content may be triggering, please put [TW] before your post.

  • Posts that are bigoted, creepy, misogynistic, transphobic, unsettling, racist, homophobic, or just reeking of unexamined, toxic privilege will probably result in a ban.

/r/SRSBooks

1,248 Subscribers

2

Honor Harrington

Most badass female MC of all time

0 Comments
2018/03/13
06:09 UTC

5

2017 Resolution: Diversify the Perspectives I Read

My list of favorite authors is pretty homogenous. Basically all male, mostly white. In 2017, I really want to shake things up, see things through a different lens. I'd like my list of favorite authors to be more well-rounded, as I know there's an entire perspective on life not reflected in my reading lists!

Some authors I really like are George Saunders, Haruki Murakimi, Walker Percy, Thomas Pynchon, Kurt Vonnegut, and Junot Diaz. My favorite prose ever has to be either James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room or Walker Percy's The Moviegoer. But mostly, I love creative concepts, dark humor, and unconventional syntax -- there's this book, U.S.! by Chris Bachelder that pretty much nails it -- basically any weird fiction will get my interest, although I'm open to discovering some weird non-fiction too...

Can anyone help me add to my 2017 reading lists based on this?

1 Comment
2016/12/31
17:51 UTC

4

So I started reading the Horus Heresy book series (WH40K)...

I started reading because Wh40K is quite in-vogue lately and I wanted to get a better feeling of the lore since so many games come out in that setting.

I've now reached close to the end of the 4th Book (Flight of the Eisenstein) and the only way I can surmise the series until now is Manly Guys Doing Manly Things. It's just a series of situations where burly Space Marines get to be either: Angry, Stoic, Proud, Angry, Confused, Loyal, Honorable, or Angry. It's all toxic masculinity, all the time. >_<

On the presence of women, it's like someone took The Bechdel Test and murdered it in a back-alley, then dumped it in the river with lead weights at its ankles. I think there's all of 1 woman appearing in the first 3 books, and she's relegated to the 10 seconds role as a murder plot point. The silent sisters (AKA The Spanish Inquisition but Mute!) make a presence in the 4th book, and they are a whole host of problem on their own.

Putting aside the blatant sexism, I find the plot quite shallow and infantile at times. Super-Honorable Demi-Gods get corrupted almost at the drop of a hat with barely any explanation at all. The turning of Horus itself made almost no sense at all and that is the major plot point of the series!

Overall, if this series is meant to show anything close to what the setting has to offer, I'm severely disappointed and for the life of me I cannot see why people are so excited about it. Space Marines, as a faction, seem to be the most boring bore that ever bored before and I do not think I will ever grasp how some fans are so friggin' dedicated to them or why they're so promoted for everything WH40K.

It just reinforces my decision to always play Orks when I have to, since they're just random fun and you can't go wrong with asexual Mushrooms.

Any thoughts? Anything I'm missing? Does this series get amazing later on perhaps (I would be surprised). Is the setting for WH40K just better elsewhere? I'd love to hear the fempire's opinions on this.

4 Comments
2016/04/26
07:34 UTC

6

Good research sources for Ursula K La Guin

Need as title suggests for a book report. Sources specializing in the Dispossessed would be most useful. Web only, I got books already.

0 Comments
2016/03/30
01:08 UTC

12

PEOPLE OF COLO(U)R DESTROY SCIENCE FICTION! by Lightspeed Magazine

0 Comments
2016/01/20
18:07 UTC

9

Looking for fantasy/sci-fi novels with gay male protagonists

Hi there!

I'm searching for fantasy/urban-fantasy or sci-fi books with male leads who are gay or bisexual. Most of the novels I find reads like typical yaoi fanfiction, but hopefully SRSBooks know about some good ones.

Also feel free to list books with well-written LGBT characters that aren't neccesarily protagonists, I'm open to all suggestions :)

4 Comments
2015/11/28
11:42 UTC

5

Anyone have suggestions on a minimally biased US history book?

I am interested in getting a better grasp of US history apart from what was covered in high school (non-AP). I would think that (older) AP books would be a good start, but I would like something that doesn't focus on preparing for a test.

2 Comments
2015/10/11
16:15 UTC

5

Anyone read "Negotiate this!" by Herb Cohen?

My dad suggested this book. I can see some helpful points. For example, addressing to listen to others by being curious and wanting to understand the other side a lot, and to understand people are multifaceted, don't assume about others, etc.

But it seems to be more rambling, and I get the impression that he is much better as a speaker and storyteller rather than being instructive. Some parts I find it seems very "patriotic" about America, such as when he talks about Reagan. He did have direct involvement in dismantling the Iran Hostage Situation though, so it's not like he is not un-reputable.

There are also some parts which I found kind of racist. For example, he makes the statement that "Chinese people, however, are wonderfully understanding and patient" (96) added note: (This was referring to his experience at Chinese restaurants, so I do not see how he could make such a generalization). Also, it was strange he anthropomorphized the left side of his brain has a German "guy dressed in black leather outfit...[telling] me 'You vill vin now. Dis is de only way..." and the right side as "a barefoot lad from Barbados, wearing shorts and a psychedelic flowered shirt, who says, 'Cool it, mahn, dere's always another day another way'" (which I am assuming is pointing to a Jamaican stereotype).

Another part I find unsatisfying is that is seems like negotiating requires being manipulative in some ways. Though some parts are like game theory (like withholding information), the part about "calculated incompetence" seemed to promote playing dumbness (though the technical term seems to apply more to the game theory idea), which reminded me of narcissistic parents and how it makes a sense of distrust, and indirectly associates with manipulative tactics of pua.

I also found his mention of "in today's politically correct terminology, we would say he was 'oratorically challenged'" (55) very similar to the sentiments of Seinfeld, or as the modern "red scare" of the "sjw". (This flowery language seems to be used mockingly when something such as "speech impediment" or "speech disorder" could be more suitable).

However, as of this point, I do not know how much I am making negative inferences or "cherry-picking", or if I am mis-interpreting things.

I have not read his other book "You Can Negotiate Anything", but based on descriptions and reviews, it seems to be similar in "storytelling" and has advice that is "dated".

Are there other books that discuss negotiation in a more systematic way that doesn't feel like I am engaging in something "sleazy"? Some books like covey's 7 habits are slightly better, but it seems vague at describing how to engage in negotiations.

EDIT: To add on, he provides an example of how he persisted at finding a job by constantly showing up to the place for like 3 weeks even after he was told no many times. There was eventually a vacant position, but I think that was more of a matter of luck. This reminded too much of pua or aggressive tactics that do not. However, maybe it is a culture of the past (because no internet for speedy applications). Nowadays, I usually hear the advice of apply to many places, and don't give up if someone turns you down, eventually someone will hire you.

Also, so many examples are personal stories that seem more to display his wealth, like when he is discussing how he bought a beach home for like $76000. I also dislike the sense of "false humility" where he says he is not egoist, but at the same time mentions things like how his wife thinks he exaggerates too much. The stories don't really explain "how do I 'disarm' or 'be friendly'" with the other person I am negotiating, but just saying a story of "I did it" and not really going into how. (Maybe a book on social engineering would be more appropriate for my interests, but that again also seems very manipulative).

I would be ok if the book was titled as an autobiography.

0 Comments
2015/09/11
00:41 UTC

14

Looking for sci-fi/fantasy with LGBT women protagonists

I have a bit of gift card money to a local bookstore and I've noticed that my book collection isn't looking quite gay enough. I'm trying to find new science fiction or fantasy novels that specifically revolve around gay or bi women, but I'm having a hard time picking the good ones from the not-so-good or only-published-on-Amazon ones. Anyone have any suggestions? Bonus points if it's similar in style to Mistborn.

5 Comments
2015/04/28
03:58 UTC

24

I just found out that /r/booksuggestions is run by white supremacists

It's mod list includes mods from subreddits like /r/NationalSocialism, /r/CoonTown, and /r/CuteFemaleCorpses.

It still has 47 thousand subscribers, more than triple the number in /r/suggestmeabook, the subreddit that was made to replace it.

5 Comments
2015/03/13
19:50 UTC

5

Your favourite queer history books?

I'm working on expanding a reading and research library to include a wide variety of books on queer history and feminism, including problematic volumes (both early and current authors, with an addendum of the issues therein).

What are your favourite books?

8 Comments
2015/02/25
01:57 UTC

2

thoughts on Naomi Wolf's "The Beauty Myth" and "Fire With Fire"?

i picked up Fire with Fire at the op shop on Tuesday interested in learning more about the "genderquake" of politics in the 90s and it has taught me a few things so far but I'm not quite past the first chapter yet. Has anyone read The Beauty Myth? What did you think of the two books mentioned? What did you learn?

1 Comment
2015/01/14
04:11 UTC

2

Anyone read Kathy Acker?

I need to read more books by women and PoC, and I usually read fiction, typically modernist/postmodernist/avant-garde etc. type stuff. To this end I'm trying to decide on Amazon between Acker's Empire of the Senseless or Flannery O'Connor short stories. I've read Wise Blood so I like O'Connor already but Acker seems divisive. I gather that she was pretty transgressive but I do enjoy transgressive, for the most part.

2 Comments
2015/01/11
07:04 UTC

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