u/blatanthyp0crisy

I fucking love that this show has highlighted two songs off AJJ’s masterpiece of an album People Who Can Eat People Are the Luckiest People in the World but this is such a niche folk punk album from 20 years ago that I really really want to know how the heck this happened?

For reference, Brave as a Noun played during the credits of s1 ep 8 and People played towards the end of s2 ep 8

I’ve been reading Perdido Street Station by China Miéville for the last month or so and I FINALLY finished it last night. For much of the book I believed it would end up being a 5 star read for me but then it ended and I was…. Conflicted.

My main issues are:

1. Lin’s treatment as one of the very few female characters and as one of the two major Xenian characters. She had the most interesting perspective to me and I badly wanted to follow her journey as an artist struggling with her identity as a Khepri. I was also interested in the dynamic between her and Isaac, how they might navigate their equally strong individual passions and society’s stigma against their relationship. But then, >!the story took a hard turn away from Lin and went all in on Isaac instead. And, when Lin returned, she was almost immediately sidelined and transformed into a tragic creature with barely any agency!<.
2. The reveal of Yag’s crime and his continued representation as a tragic character the reader should root for. >!His punishment sticks and he continues to face justice for the horrid crime he committed, and I will say I very much admired the reframing of rape as a severe theft of choice, but he is still framed as a tragic character which the reader should feel bad for and even aligned with somehow!<. It would be different if Yag spent any time thinking about the actual crime he committed and the effect it had on the person he committed that crime against, if he made it clear that he understood the gravity of what he did and accepted his fate as the consequence of his actions, but he doesn’t. He still believes he deserves to fly again and then, >!when that possibility is taken off the table, he chooses to become a different being entirely instead of remaining as the iteration of himself which was created because of the crime he committed!<. It felt dismissive of the crime itself.

Despite these two glaring issues, I was really impressed by the world building and the large cast of diverse races and beings. I was interested in learning more about the history, culture, and politics of this world and its inhabitants. Even though the science behind crisis theory and some of the more mathematical stuff went over my head more often than not, I still really enjoyed reading about it because it was unique and so unlike the same repetitive fantasy slop I feel is commonly published in recent years. I loved the Weaver and everything it represented. I thought the Construct Council was a cool take on AI and automation and wanted to see more.

Overall, there was so much creativity and interesting stuff crammed into Perdido Street Station and I really thought I was going to love it all the way through but I don’t think I can overlook the treatment of Lin or Yag’s stories.

I’m soon to be 31 and have no kids (with no plans to ever have kids) and have found it incredibly difficult to connect with others in the valley. I also work a job which is mostly remote so am unable to connect with coworkers much.

I’ve used Bumble BFF, tried out MeetUp and different groups on social media, and am starting to think maybe there’s just no one around me that shares similar interests and is looking for new friends, or even acquaintances, as an adult.

So, I’d like to ask everyone on the subreddit who HAS been successful in finding any sort of community, how did you do it? Where do you connect with people? I’d prefer to hear your specific stories and am not just looking for general recommendations!

Hello all! I have SO MANY books and am always reading, I’d love to find fellow readers to swap books with or hang out with while reading together but haven’t been able to find any events that fit my tastes in genre or schedule.

I tend to read mostly literary fiction with some historical fiction and non-romance/non-YA fantasy/sci-fi mixed in. I am usually free on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and sometimes free during the day on Sundays.

Would anyone whose tastes are somewhat similar to mine be interested in scheduling a biweekly or monthly informal get together for book swapping, reading together, or even just chatting about what we’re currently reading over coffee or drinks? I’d prefer to meet up somewhere in the Bethlehem area and with people who are somewhat close in age to me, I’m 30F and currently reading Perdido Street Station by China Miéville for reference!

Pre-COVID, my income was insanely low. I was working FT for near minimum wage at a gas station making just under $20k a year but I was still somehow able to pay my bills while saving a little every month, traveling often, going out to eat almost every weekend, and attending concerts/other recreational activities regularly. This was because, while my income was damn near the poverty line, my rent, utilities, groceries, gas, and other expenses were very low. I was splitting a 3 bedroom house with 2 other roommates and only paying about $500/mo for everything.

Now, I’m making $53k a year and living paycheck to paycheck basically because I can barely afford all of my bills which continue to increase. I pay about $1200 a month just for rent and utilities, not to mention gas, groceries, student loans, car insurance, and the $100 a paycheck I try to keep putting into my savings. Now I need a new car because I’m sharing with my boyfriend currently which only sort of works and I can’t even fathom how that added expense will work.

I’m used to taking a few weekend trips a year and at least one actual vacation over the summer but I truly don’t know how that’s going to work and it’s depressing the hell out of me. I can barely afford to go out to eat, go to concerts, pick up any new hobbies, or even leave the house really and it’s making me insanely depressed.

I know I’m better off than a LOT of people, I work in social services and my clients are struggling far more than I am because at least I have a job, a roof over my head, and some savings put aside but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m stressed to the max and unable to really enjoy life anymore without constantly budgeting and considering if I can afford to have any fun whatsoever.

I recently finished Land and can’t even fathom picking up another book because of how blown away I still am. O’Farrell’s prose and storytelling is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before and I’m looking for something to read that won’t completely disappoint me in its wake!

I don’t necessarily want to read a book with similar plot points and characters, I want something with a similar scope and treatment of time and perspective. I want a novel that can both focus on small human moments and the inner lives of its characters and zoom out to the greater world and historical context of the story.

I plan on reading more from O’Farrell of course but am looking for other recommendations as well! For reference I mostly read literary fiction, historical fiction, sci-fi, and some fantasy.