User Profile

Phil in SF

kingrat@sfba.club

Joined 1 year, 1 month ago

aka @kingrat@sfba.social. I'm following a lot of bookwyrm accounts, since that seems to be the only way to get reviews from larger servers to this small server. Also, I will like & boost a lot of reviews that come across my feed. I will follow most bookwyrm accounts back if they review & comment. Social reading should be social.

2024 In The Books

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Phil in SF's books

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2025 Reading Goal

21% complete! Phil in SF has read 6 of 28 books.

quoted Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (Vorkosigan Saga, #1)

Lois McMaster Bujold: Shards of Honor (EBook, 2018, Spectrum Literary Agency) 4 stars

When Cordelia Naismith and her survey crew are attacked by a renegade group from Barrayar, …

Beside her, Pilot Officer Parnell adjusted the leads and cannulas to his headset and settled more comfortably into his padded chair, ready for the neurological control of the upcoming wormhole jump.

Shards of Honor by  (Vorkosigan Saga, #1) (37%)

new vocabulary: cannula

a thin tube inserted into a vein or body cavity to administer medication, drain off fluid, or insert a surgical instrument.

quoted Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (Vorkosigan Saga, #1)

Lois McMaster Bujold: Shards of Honor (EBook, 2018, Spectrum Literary Agency) 4 stars

When Cordelia Naismith and her survey crew are attacked by a renegade group from Barrayar, …

The earth still breathed a comfortable warmth from the heat of the afternoon, and the stream purled softly in the stillness.

Shards of Honor by  (Vorkosigan Saga, #1) (17%)

new vocabulary: purl

(of a stream) Flow with a swirling motion and babbling sound

avatar for kingrat Phil in SF boosted
Margarita Montimore: Oona Out of Order (2020, Flatiron) 3 stars

A remarkably inventive novel that explores what it means to live a life fully in …

A premise that actually pays off

3 stars

Right away I realised that this was not my usual type of book, and if I'd actually read the entire jacket before before starting, I probably would not have given it a shot. But I'm glad I did.

The protagonist has all the hallmarks of being one of these unrelatable characters that has all these gifts (beauty, wealth, normativity) while still feeling sorry for themselves, but if I was ever annoyed at Oona it was because the writer wanted me to be, and even then it didn't last for long.

The characters are so fun and physically present. The chapters/sections are a nice, medium length. The plot moves along at a great pace, and each "leap" brings about an exciting paradigm shift that has you excited to keep reading.

I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but if the premise sounds tantalising to you, you should at least read until the …

commented on King: A Life by Jonathan Eig

Jonathan Eig: King (Hardcover, 2023, Farrar Straus & Giroux) No rating

Vividly written and exhaustively researched, Jonathan Eig’s King: A Life is the first major biography …

Bookwyrm now has a complete list of all Pulitzer Prize winners in Biography (so far) with the addition of this book. On SFBA.club, all the entries have descriptions & the best cover image I could find. Other servers don't always pick those up from here, so your mileage may vary.

Carolyn Ives Gilman: Arkfall (EBook, 2010, Phoenix Pick) No rating

Humans live deep within an apparently lifeless planet covered by massive ice sheets. Having to …

A line of porters stood by with electric carts in the hallway, so Osagi approached one, trying to conceal her diffidence.

Arkfall by  (7%)

new vocabulary: diffidence

modesty or shyness resulting from a lack of self-confidence

I've read this word for literally decades and have always thought it meant ambivalence or indifference. tbh, the ability to get a definition at a long-hold in my Kobo is going .o really improve my vocabulary