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The Scottish Highlands

Freddie Ardley Photography | website | instagram

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The Scottish Highlands

Freddie Ardley Photography | website | instagram

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Escaping the heat of the South Indian sun. Golconda Fort Hyderabad, India.

Photographed by Freddie Ardley

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My top books of 2024

10. Post After Post-Mortem by E.C.R. Lorac

9. The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes

8. The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu

7. Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds

6. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by Victoria Schwab

5. Gods of the Wyrdwood by RJ Barker

4. From Grace to Charity by Emily Belle Freeman

3. Morning Star by Pierce Brown

2. Heirs of the Blade by Adrian Tchaikovsky

1. To Green Angel Tower by Tad Williams

I read quite a few books this year but mostly fantasy and sci fi. One accomplishment I’m happy about is I read a half dozen over 800 pages!

Some of the best books are long.

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It's my 10 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

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My favorite books of 2023

10. Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

9. The Inexhaustible Gospel by Neal A Maxwell

8. Kindred by Octavia Butler

7. Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

6. Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

5. Red Rising by Pierce Brown

4. Recursion by Blake Crouch

3. Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams

2. House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds

1. Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

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Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

By Jim Richardson

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Vin, from the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. Ai generated art using Midjourney. Retouched and intervened with Adobe Photoshop.

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Bondsmith, Dustbringer, Edgedancer, Elsecaller, Lightweaver, Skybreaker, Stoneward, Truthwatcher, Willshaper, and Windrunner Glyphs by Persia029

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I wasn’t going to say anything about it because, frankly, I regularly read much better criticism of Brandon Sanderson on tumblr.

However, Brandon responded to that Wired article, so I’ll share his response with you all.

Brandon Sanderson:

All,

I appreciate the kind words and support.

Not sure how, or if, I should respond to the Wired article. I get that Jason, in writing it, felt incredibly conflicted about the fact that he finds me lame and boring. I’m baffled how he seemed to find every single person on his trip--my friends, my family, my fans--to be worthy of derision.

But he also feels sincere in his attempt to try to understand. While he legitimately seems to dislike me and my writing, I don't think that's why he came to see me. He wasn't looking for a hit piece--he was looking to explore the world through his writing. In that, he and I are the same, and I respect him for it, even if much of his tone seems quite dismissive of many people and ideas I care deeply about.

The strangest part for me is how Jason says he had trouble finding the real me. He says he wants something true or genuine. But he had the genuine me all that time. He really did. What I said, apparently, wasn't anything he found useful for writing an article. That doesn't make it not genuine or true.

I am not offended that the true me bores him. Honestly, I'm a guy who enjoys his job, loves his family, and is a little obsessive about his stories. There's no hidden trauma. No skeletons in my closet. Just a guy trying to understand the world through story. That IS kind of boring, from an outsider's perspective. I can see how it is difficult to write an article about me for that reason.

But at the same time, I’m worried about the way he treats our entire community. I understand that he didn’t just talk about me, but about you. As has been happening to fantasy fans for years, the general attitude of anyone writing about us is that we should be ashamed for enjoying what we enjoy. In that, the tone feels like it was written during the 80s. “Look at these silly nerds, liking things! How dare they like things! Don’t they know the thing they like is dumb?”

As a community, let’s take a deep breath. It’s all right. I appreciate you standing up for me, but please leave Jason alone. This might feel like an attack on us, on you, but it’s not. Jason wrote what he felt he needed--and as a writer, he is my colleague. Please show him respect. He should not be attacked for sharing his feelings. If we attack people for doing so, we make the world a worse place, because fewer people will be willing to be their authentic selves.

That said, let me say one thing. You, my friends, are not boring or lame. In Going Postal, one of my favorite novels, Sir Terry Pratchett has a character fascinated by collecting pins. Not pins like you might think--they aren't like Disney pins, or character pins. They are pins like tacks used to pin things to walls. Outsiders find it difficult to understand why he loves them so much. But he does.

In the book, pins are a stand-in for collecting stamps, but also a commentary on the way we as human beings are constantly finding wonder in the world around us. That is part of what makes us special. The man who collects those pins--Stanley Howler--IS special. In part BECAUSE of his passion. And the more you get to know him, or anyone, the more interesting you find them. This is a truism in life. People are interesting, every one of them--and being a writer is about finding out why.

In that way, the ability to make Stanley interesting is part of what makes Pratchett a genius, in my opinion. That's WRITING. Not merely using words. It’s what I aspire to be able to do. People are wonderful, fascinating, brilliant balls of walking contradiction, passion, and beauty. I find it an exciting challenge to make certain that the perspective of the washwoman or the monk sitting and reading a book is as interesting in a story as that of the king or the tech-mogul.

And I find value in you. Your passion for my work is a big part of why I write. You make my life special. Thank you.

(NOTE: I do want to make it clear, again that I bear Jason no ill will. I like him. Please leave him alone. He seems to be a sincere man who tried very hard to find a story, discovered that there wasn't one that interested him, then floundered in trying to figure out what he could say to make deadline. I respect him for trying his best to write what he obviously found a difficult article.

He’s a person, remember, just like each of us.)

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The infographic is based on the Google web search volume for each book genre in different countries.

(via The most popular book genres in 36 countries around the world (infographic))

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Anato Finnstark  -  http://host-grin.tumblr.com  -  https://www.facebook.com/finnstarkillustration/?ref=hl  -  https://www.artstation.com/anto-finnstark  -  https://www.patreon.com/anatofinnstark  -  http://anato-finnstark.cgsociety.org  -  https://www.instagram.com/anatofinnstark  -  https://plus.google.com/106985418551256748997  -  https://society6.com/anatofinnstark

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“Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul.”

— Anne Lamott

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buck mountain ~ heliotrope | photos © taj howe + sean airhart

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A new edition of Wuthering Heights with illustrations by Felix Abel Klaer

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I’m in a fantasy and sci fi book club so every time we meet we read something one of us recommends and other people bring up books they liked as well. A club favorite is Name of the Wind and yes, I loved it too

#nameofthewind

#fantasybookclub

💬 What was the last book you read recommended by a friend? Did you enjoy it? 📖

I’ve been recommended Rhapsodic by @laurathalassa sooooo many times, I finally dove in yesterday, and let me tell you… I’m loving it!! It’s exactly what I needed right now. 🤩 Can’t wait to see where this story goes!

. . .

h a s h t a g s : #rhapsodic #laurathalassa #paranormalromance #bookrecs #lilbookrec #bookrecommendations #bookstagram #cozyaesthetic #fallvibes #flannelshirt #cozyvibes #comfystyle #fallcolors #mybeigelife #neutralaesthetic #bookphotography #kindleunlimited #amazonkindle #booksandcoffee #bookmoments #comfy #academia #vintagebooks #bookishaesthetic #bookstoread #romancebooks #ebook #booktography #bookgram #readercommunity https://www.instagram.com/p/CXEdfW2OLKi/?utm_medium=tumblr