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norb

norb@ramblingreaders.org

Joined 2 years ago

just a guy who reads sometimes

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norb's books

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2025 Reading Goal

16% complete! norb has read 2 of 12 books.

Becky Chambers: Record of a Spaceborn Few (Paperback, 2018, Hodder & Stoughton) 4 stars

Centuries after the last humans left Earth, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, a …

Another great read. I like how the author has really thought pretty deeply about the idea of people leaving Earth, and what that might look like.

I also appreciate that the stories have weight, but the characters in a way don't? I do not mean that in any disparaging way. Just that these characters all have a certain humanity about them that is uplifting.

Philip K. Dick: Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick (EBook, 2009, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group) 5 stars

Philip K. Dick was a master of science fiction, but he was also a writer …

What a great collection of stories. I am not sure if they were chronological or not, but they tended to get more "metaphysical" in nature as they progressed, which, from what I've read, is how his writing went as he aged.

The standouts to me were Paycheck, The King of the Elves, The Days of Perky Pat (maybe my favorite one of them all), and The Exit Door Leads In.

finished reading A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

Becky Chambers: A Closed and Common Orbit (2017, Hodder & Stoughton) 5 stars

Once, Lovelace had eyes and ears everywhere. She was a ship's artificial intelligence system - …

Wow breezed through this one. Loved the parallel stories/timelines that explored similar themes in different ways.

There was something relatable about a person who was uncomfortable in their environment or surroundings. But then to juxtapose that plot line with a plot about “someone” uncomfortable in their body was a really smart way to take an idea many people have dealt with (fish out of water) to something many of us have not (body dysmorphia).

Still stand by my original comment that it reminds me of Murderbot Diaries quite a bit!

@castlerocktronics Thanks for the well thought out reply! That first story you mentioned was also (I think) the first in the collection and stuck with me the most. There was something about both of those people looking at their relationship in two different but somehow similar ways? I also felt like it gave me an idea of Hemmingway’s own issues with women and relationships.

The bullfighting stories were great. My favorite was the kind of washed up fighter trying for one more big show right after getting out of the hospital. The ending seemed inevitable, but not in a trite or boring way. More so that it was exactly where the story needed to go. I also felt like it was a bit of a rumination on aging, pushing limits, and also how god awful people can be to each other. Definitely some layers to it.

Also the story about …

Ernest Hemingway: Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway: The Finca Vigia (Paperback, 1987, Collier Books) No rating

I've never read any Hemingway, but I loved a lot of these short stories. His ability to have two people talk around something is impressive. These stories were also ... more modern ... than I expected. I'm often caught off guard by how modern old things can be, sometimes.

All in all, a good read and I might find my way back to one of his novels someday.