Hän Solo de Rui Lacas

Ora aqui está uma BD que li apesar de ter sido desaconselhada. A verdade é que gosto de ir dando uma vista de olhos ao que é publicado a nível de banda desenhada em Portugal e ainda que os primeiros leitores de Hän Solo me tenham dito que não valia a pena o esforço, a minha teimosia venceu, agora que a minha memória foi reavivada pelo facto deste livro ter sido premiado numa convenção de BD recente.
Hän Solo é um trabalho que versa um momento da vida de Hän, um holandês bipolar que depois de fazer Erasmus em Portugal acaba por decidir cá ficar a tentar a sua sorte. Rui Lacas tem aqui uma base que lhe permitiria imensas possibilidades de exploração, desde a situação de um estrangeiro em Portugal, o preconceito, a xenofobia ou a aculturação; a relação amorosa estranha com uma portuguesa; o facto de querer trabalhar como fotógrafo, a desvalorização da profissão, os problemas de desemprego jovem; a doença bipolar em si ou a sua relação com todos os restantes problemas de Hän. A verdade é que o autor falhou em toda a linha. Depois de criar esta personagem, todas estas coisas foram simplesmente atiradas para o enredo - ou falta dele - até se alcançar um final que resolve uma parte dos problemas quase por magia ou acaso e ignora os restantes.
A ilustração é mediana, sem ser original nem interessante nem especialmente mal conseguida.
Assim sendo, só me falta perceber como é que esta obra foi sequer nomeada para prémios como melhor arte, melhor publicação nacional ou, pior ainda, melhor argumento. Menos ainda percebo como é que o público votou de forma a esta obra ser a vencedora destes três Troféus Central Comics, especialmente considerando que conheço muitos dos outros nomeados e que são trabalhos bastante superiores.

Não recomendo perder tempo com esta obra, a não ser que tenham uma obsessão por conhecer tudo o que é publicado em Portugal.

Quote / Citação (6)

"Back in '95, Nansen's plan on his final northward journey was eventually, as the total load grew lighter, to kill sled dogs one by one and feed them to the rest. At first, he reported, the other dogs refused to eat dog-flesh, but slowly they came to accept it."

"Suppose it were to happen to us, in the civilized world. If 'another form of life' decided to use humans for similar purposes, and being out on a mission of comparable desperation, as its own resources dwindled, we human beasts would likewise be slaughtered one by one, and those still alive obliged to, in some sense, eat their flesh."

"Oh dear." The General's wife put down her utensils and gazed at her plate.

"Sir, that is disgusting."

"Not literally, then... but we do use one another, often mortally, with the same disablement of feeling, of conscience... each of us knowing that at some point it will be our own turn. Nowhere to run but into a hostile and lifeless waste."

"You refer to present world conditions under capitalism and the Trusts."

"There appears to be little difference. How else could we have come to it?"

"Evolution. Ape evolves to man, well, what's the next step - human to what? Some compound organism, the American Corporation, for instance, in which even the Supreme Court has recognized legal personhood - a new living species, one that can out-perform most anything an individual can do by himself, no matter how smart or powerful he is."

Thomas Pynchon, Against The Day (2006)

Skim by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki

Pedi Skim emprestado depois de ler esta opinião. Esta banda-desenhada usa a vida de uma rapariga de 16 anos com excesso de peso e a tentar tornar-se uma bruxa Wiccan para fazer uma exploração de várias vertentes da adolescência.

A história de Skim - igualmente a alcunha pelo qual a personagem principal é conhecida - está num ponto de viragem. Ao longo do livro ela é exposta a situações que vão tocando, mais ou menos superficialmente, em vários dos reconhecidos dramas da adolescência. Fala-se da aceitação pelos colegas, da ideia de normalidade e preconceito, de paixão, de auto-descoberta, de amizades verdadeiras ou de circunstância, de vontade de desaparecer ou de suicídio. Os três principais paralelos que sustentam esta exploração são o suicídio de um colega, a paixão por uma professora e a amizade estranha e assimétrica com Lisa. O ritmo do desenvolvimento da história é estruturado pelos momentos em que Kim escreve no seu diário, momentos esses que originam páginas com organização diferente das típicas vinhetas e que incluem comentários que mostram as várias coisas que ela vai descobrindo ou concluindo. Estes são frequentemente irónicos e vão ajudando a transmitir a mensagem do livro ao leitor.

A ilustração é eficaz embora não especialmente bonita ou original.
Skim é uma BD sobre a adolescência que lembra e comenta os vários problemas associados à sua vivência e arranha algumas lições sem ser paternalista e sem se deixar cair no dramatismo tão frequentemente associado a histórias nesta faixa etária, sem dúvida de interesse a fãs do meio ou da temática, ainda que fique aquém do seu potencial no que toca à profundidade de análise.

__________________________________________________________________________

I borrowed Skim after reading a friend's review. This graphic novel uses the life of a 16 year old overweight Wiccan-in-training girl to explore various aspects of being a teenager.
The story of Skim - also the girls nickname - is at a turning point. Throughout the book she experiences some situations that question the typical dramas of adolescence. Themes such as peer acceptance, normality and prejudice, passion, self-discovery, true or circumstantial friendships or the will to disappear or suicide are tackled more or less superficial as the story progresses. The three main issues that support this exploration are a friend's suicide, falling in love with a teacher and a strange asymmetric friendship with Lisa. The pace is set and kept by moments when Kim writes on her diary, in pages with a different organization and illustration, which include comments that show what she is learning or discovering and, with no lack of irony, help to transmit the message to the reader.
The illustration is effective though not specially beautiful or original.
Skim is a graphic novel about teenage that goes through multiple of its characteristic problems and points to some lessons though never feeling patronizing or overly dramatic, doubtlessly of interest to fans of comics or of this theme, despite not being as deep in its analysis as it could have been.

Bloodlight - The Apocalypse of Robert Goldner by Harambee K. Grey-Sun

Bloodlight foi mais uma aposta no NetGalley. O autor propõe-se a escrever uma obra de ficção que lhe permita explorar simultaneamente a vida de um adolescente inseguro e questões metafísicas como a religião e o conceito de realidade. Se a ideia do autor me agrada bastante, infelizmente o resultado final ficou bastante aquém das expectativas.

O livro de Grey-Sun é uma história de fantasia que se aproxima bastante da literatura weird sem no entanto ser tão eficaz a transmitir sensações como escritores de horror que li anteriormente como H. P. Lovecraft ou Laird Barron. A fantasia que tem por base a religião cristã não é tanto uma exploração da religião mas uma simples transformação conceptual de algumas das suas figuras para dar contexto à história. Robert Goldner, a personagem principal, é um adolescente de 17 anos com graves problemas de auto-confiança e uma ideia estranha e imatura de afirmação pessoal que se torna plausível num contexto de bullying e racismo e numa escola completamente dividida em grupos quase estanques como estamos habituados a ver em filmes ou séries sobre adolescentes americanos. Como personagem principal, Robert não me convenceu e a sua história de insegurança não tem, em si, especial novidade que a distinga de tantas outras.  Enquanto lida com a sua vida já de si complicada, Robert começa a sentir alucinações cada vez mais vívidas e complexas e é na descrição destas que o livro se destaca. Por um lado, há que admitir a enorme imaginação do autor na criação das várias alucinações e na forma como conseguiu que algumas acabassem por fazer sentido tendo em conta o final. Por outro lado, há uma tal quantidade de momentos alucinatórios que as suas descrições ao pormenor se tornam cansativas e desnecessárias.

A prosa de Grey-Sun não é de resto especialmente bem conseguida, nem no que toca à narração nem no que toca ao pensamento da personagem principal. Os diálogos são em geral simples e directos, adicionando pouco à história que não uma interrupção da narração.

Ainda que não terrível, Bloodlight foi, por tudo isto, uma leitura desapontante que não atingiu os objectivos que o autor definiu e que me tirou a vontade de ler a trilogia da qual é prequela.

_________________________________________________________________________

Bloodlight was another NetGalley bet. The author set himself to write a work of fiction that would allow him to explore simultaneously the insecurities of a teenager and metaphysical issues such as religion and reality. If this idea seemed really good, unfortunately the final result ended up being below expectations.

Grey-Sun's book is a fantasy history quite close to weird fiction though far from the effectiveness of horror writers I've read before such as H. P. Lovecraft or Laird Barron. The fantasy has its basis on christianism but it's not so much an exploration of religion but a simple transformation of some of its faces to give this story context. Robert Goldner, the main character, is a seventeen year old boy with severe issues of self-confidence and an odd concept of self-affirmation that is believable considering a context of bullying and racism and a school divided in cliques typical of american teen TV series. As the main focus of the story, Robert didn't grab me and his story doesn't differ from so many others about these issues that abound nowadays. While he deals with his already complicated life, Robert starts having hallucinations that grow more vivid and complex and its in their description that the book stands out. On one hand, one must admit the author's huge imagination shown by these hallucinations and by his ability to create some delirious moments that actually make sense considering the ending. On the other hand, the hallucinations where often overdone and the moments are so frequent that their descriptions end up being boring and unnecessary.
Grey-Sun's prose isn't specially well achieved neither in event narration nor in the wording of the main character's thoughts. The dialogues were in general simple and straightforward, adding little or nothing to the story apart from a needed interruption to the otherwise never-ending narration.
Although not terrible, Bloodlight was a disappointing read that failed to achieve the author's purposes and ended up making me give up on reading the trilogy that follows this prequel.

O Baile por Nuno Duarte e Joana Afonso

Fiquei interessado nesta BD pela sua ilustração e a leitura mostrou-me que a minha primeira impressão foi certeira.

O Baile é uma história de horror em que um inspector da PIDE se vê a braços com zombies, como a capa já dá a entender. O argumento de Nuno Duarte é simples, sem especiais erros a apontar mas igualmente sem nada a destacar. As personagens não têm tempo de ser exploradas mais do que superficialmente e até a personagem principal passa a história a ser empurrado pelo enredo até ao final. O próprio não é especialmente original, sendo no fundo mais uma versão das histórias de bruxaria em que o culpado, lembrando os policiais, é revelado num clímax final.

Por outro lado, o desenho de Joana Afonso é a jóia deste livro. Com um traço diferente do habitual, a autora tem uma excelente capacidade de contar a história por imagens, como compete a um ilustrador em banda-desenhada. As cores que complementam o desenho estão adequadas à historia e ao contexto proposto.

Sendo assim, um livro a que vale a pena dar uma oportunidade essencialmente pela arte gráfica, com uma história que entretém sem surpreender. Estarei atento a novos trabalhos de Joana Afonso.

14 by Peter Clines

Decidi requisitar este livro no NetGalley por ter lido um comentário de um autor dizendo que seria uma leitura ao estilo de Lost. De facto, a estrutura da história lembra facilmente a série, mas as semelhanças ficam-se por aí. Peter Clines não tem a subtileza do suspense da série e cruza o seu mistério com outros estilos de horror, de forma que o resultado final é algo estranho.

14 é a história de como a chegada de Nate ao edifício Kavach despoleta uma série de investigações dos inquilinos sobre a sua casa, culminando não só na descoberta do que o Kavach é mas também na possibilidade de se destruir a humanidade.

O prédio é, de facto, muito estranho. Nenhuma das pessoas que lá vive tem sonhos durante a noite, há baratas verdes com pernas extra, cada apartamento tem um tamanho e organização diferentes e há portas trancadas para nunca serem abertas. Facilmente se compreende como os inquilinos não conseguem segurar a sua curiosidade e, à medida que vão ganhando confiança uns com os outros, vão formando um grupo de investigadores à revelia do encarregado que parece estar determinado a impedi-los.

A escrita de Clines é pouco elaborada e as suas personagens são em geral simples peões num enredo em que a estrela é sem dúvida o edifício. Nota-se que este livro é, essencialmente, fruto da sua vontade de contar esta história, não havendo espaço para especial evolução das personagens que a povoam, com a notável excepção de Nate. O mistério é interessante e vai sendo revelado aos poucos, nunca deixando o ritmo abrandar mas sem revelar demasiado do que se espera ser o final. Tentando não contar demasiado para não estragar a leitura aos interessados, limito-me a dizer que podem contar com uma mistura entre Lost, steampunk e H.P. Lovecraft. O livro está pejado de referências à cultura popular e geek actual, desde Lost e Fringe a Star Trek ou Twilight Sone, ao ponto de se tornarem cansativas. Gosto bastante de detectar referências nas minhas leituras mas quando isso parece ser o único ornamento da escrita do autor a piada sucumbe à exaustão.

Para quem não se incomodar com SPOILERS, há mais a dizer sobre a obra de Peter Clines. Um ponto positivo é o seu tratamento das relações interpessoais. Não lhes dá demasiado foco mas mostra a sua influência nas decisões das personagens e não se preocupa com encaixes bonitos ou lições de moral. Um homem acha uma mulher atraente mas acaba por se apaixonar por outra, sem que nenhuma tenha que ser melhor ou pior pessoa, simplesmente porque acontece. Um ponto negativo é o final mal explorado, em que criaturas imortais capazes de viagens interdimensionais são burras ao ponto de dar tempo e oportunidade aos humanos para lhes impedir a entrada na Terra.

Não sendo uma obra-prima, 14 é no entanto competente como entretenimento, segurando o leitor migalha a migalha e sempre com algo inesperado à espreita, resultando numa leitura leve e rápida. Ponderaria ler outros trabalhos do autor, em especial se os soubesse mais refinados ao nível da escrita.

_______________________________________________________________________

I decided to request this book on NetGalley after reading a comment which stated it was similar to Lost. In fact, the structure of the story reminds one of the TV series, but Peter Clines doesn't have the subtlety of its suspense and he crosses his mystery story with horror which ends up originating a rather weird novel.

14 is the story of how Nate moving into the Kavach building starts a chain reaction of events that culminate in the tenants discovery of exactly what is Kavach but also on the possibility of bringing about the end of humanity as we know it.

The building is in fact really weird. None of the tenants have dreams at night, there are green cockroaches with extra legs, each apartment has different size and organization and there are doors locked so they would never be opened. One can easily understand how they can't get a grip on their curiosity and, as they get to know each other, eventually become a group of investigators, much to the despair of the caretaker.

Clines' writing is simple and straightforward and his characters are generally all but pawns to his plot where the true star is the building itself. One can tell the book is, in essence, the result of the authors will to tell this story, without much dedication to the evolution of the characters, with the notable exception of Nate. The mystery is interesting and is revealed step by step, never slowing down the pace or showing too much of what's ahead. Trying not to spoil too much, if you're going to read 14 expect a mix of Lost, steampunk and H.P. Lovecraft. The book is teeming with cultural and geeky references, from Lost and Fringe to Star Trek and Twilight Zone, to the point where they become tiresome. I usually enjoy finding these small nods to cultural icons but when that is the author's sole means of adorning his text, the fun is drowned by exhaustion.

For those who don't mind SPOILERS, there's of course much more to say about 14. One of its strengths is his approach to human relations. He doesn't give them centre stage but he does show their influence on people's decision-making and he avoids those typical fittings or moralised endings. A guy finds a woman attractive but he ends up falling in love for another, not because one of them is shown to be better or worse, but simply because it happens. A weakness would be the ending, where immortal inter-dimensional travellers are dumb enough to give the puny humans time and chance to stop them from entering Earth.

Far from being a masterpiece, 14 is still competent as entertainment, leading the reader with breadcrumbs of revelations and always something unexpected waiting just around the corner, resulting in a quick and light read. I might read other works by Peter Clines, if I knew them to be more refined in terms of writing.

Quote / Citação (5)

"For the rest, she grew used to the life that she was leading - used to the enormous sleepless nights, the cold, the dirt, the boredom, and the horrible communism of the Square. After a day or two she had ceased to feel even a flicker of surprise at her situation. She had come, like everyone about her, to accept this monstrous existence almost as though it were normal. The dazed, witless feeling that she had known on the way to the hopfields had come back upon her more strongly than before. It is the common effect of sleeplessness and still more of exposure. To live continuously in the open air, never going under a roof for more than an hour or two, blurs your perceptions like a strong light glaring in your eyes or a noise drumming in your ears. You act and plan and suffer, and yet all the while it is as though everything were a little out of focus, a little unreal. The world, inner and outer, grows dimmer till it reaches almost the vagueness of a dream."

George Orwell, A Clergyman's Daughter (1935)

The Classic Horror Stories by H.P. Lovecraft

Mais um livro que requisitei no NetGalley, este porque nunca tinha lido H.P. Lovecraft. Já tinha intenção de me dedicar às suas histórias, até porque já li obras influenciadas por elas (é quase impossível escapar-lhe) e uma colecção das mais relevantes pareceu-me uma óptima forma de o fazer. Já noutras opiniões disse que o horror não é a minha praia, mas devo dizer que Lovecraft me surpreendeu pela positiva também nisso: as suas histórias são mais ao estilo "weird" do que propriamente horror, o que as tornou mais interessantes para mim.

Esta colecção começa por uma excelente introdução por Roger Luckhurst que contextualiza o leitor sem ser demasiado reveladora quanto às histórias que se seguem e termina com mais notas explicativas. A contribuição de Luckhurst é um dos pormenores que distingue esta de outras colecções de trabalhos de Lovecraft, dando-lhe uma componente quase académica mas longe de ser aborrecida. Há uma constante intenção de ajudar o leitor a perceber o texto como ele foi escrito. E nesse sentido - outro pormenor que distingue esta colecção - houve uma tentativa de reproduzir a obra o mais fielmente possível, tentando eliminar as alterações que foram feitas pelos diferentes editores que as publicaram inicialmente.

O livro inclui as seguintes histórias: The Horror at Red Hook, The Call of Cthulhu, The Colour out of Space, The Dunwich Horror, The Whisperer in Darkness, At the Mountains of Madness, The Dreams in the Witch House, The Shadow over Innsmouth e The Shadow out of Time. Há ainda um excerto do seu ensaio sobre o horror na literatura, Supernatural Horror in Literature.

Se a nível de interesse informativo e cultural, este foi dos livros mais importantes que li nos últimos tempos, a nível das histórias a minha opinião já não é tão homogénea. Por um lado, reconheço que Lovecraft é provavelmente o autor mais eficaz a criar um ambiente de estranheza e uma sensação de intrusão e imprevisibilidade que já li. Por outro lado, o exagero de adjectivos e a sua repetição - em especial de história para história - tornam-se frequentemente cansativos e prejudicam a leitura. A meu ver, o estilo funciona melhor em textos curtos e provavelmente lidos isoladamente, tal como foram publicados. Posto isto, percebe-se porque é que o que menos gostei foi At the Mountains of Madness, que embora seja dos seus trabalhos mais conhecidos é igualmente dos maiores e acabou por me aborrecer a meio da leitura.

H.P. Lovecraft concentra-se num tipo de medo diferente do habitual nas histórias mais tradicionais - de pendor religioso - ou mesmo nas actuais, que se concentram na sensação de encurralamento e de inimigos que se dissimulam no meio de nós. O medo das histórias de Lovecraft não se associa a nenhum castigo, a nenhuma culpa nem necessariamente a nada de humano. Vem do exterior, de fora da Terra, de fora da nossa "dimensão" até fora da nossa compreensão. Os seres que constituem o terror da obra de Lovecraft têm uma descrição quase inacreditável, tal é a estranheza do seu organismo. Há uma associação destes seres (com os quais Lovecraft criou toda uma estrutura interrelacionada que originou o que se chama mais tarde o Cthulhu Mythos) com cultos ou bruxaria, numa tentativa de aumentar a plausibilidade da história. As criaturas têm atitudes incompreensíveis, vivem ao longo de eras o que lhes dá uma visão distinta da sua própria existência e têm capacidades muito para além das nossas. O que é comum a todas as suas aparições é a sensação de estranheza da personagem narradora, como se o seu mundo estivesse a ser invadido por algo que não tem capacidade de entender e que, talvez por isso mesmo, o aterroriza imediatamente. Lovecraft transmite, mais do que medo, uma certa insanidade, através de um misto de dúvida e expectativa associadas a uma informação propositadamente pouco focada e sobre-adjectivada que deixa o leitor próximo da náusea.

Estas são histórias que presumem ultrapassados os medos medievais do moralismo religioso, da culpa própria, dos demónios que seduzem ou castigam, dos fiéis salvos e infiéis condenados e por isso se dedicam a explorar o medo de humanos que começam a questionar-se sobre a vida noutros planetas (e nas partes pouco exploradas do nosso), sobre a possibilidade de outras dimensões e da sua conexão com a nossa, sobre viagem no tempo, e de como podem haver outras criaturas com capacidades semelhantes ou superiores às nossas e intenções ininteligíveis que se cruzem connosco das formas mais imprevisíveis. Há, por outro lado, uma notória preocupação com a pureza racial e cultural que revela, para olhares atentos, o preconceito de que Lovecraft era abertamente apoiante e que pode diminuir o prazer da leitura.

Assim, recomendo esta colecção a quem ainda não tenha lido H.P. Lovecraft e tenha algum interesse em ficção especulativa e horror ou weird em especial, mas também a quem já tenha lido alguma história isolada ou traduzida e queira ler os trabalhos originais. Será também de especial utilidade a quem quiser conhecer o contexto do autor e da publicação de histórias cuja influência permeia muito do que se escreveu e escreve ainda hoje e não só na literatura de horror.

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn"

________________________________________________________________________

Another book from NetGalley, this one because I had never read H.P. Lovecraft. I had thought about it, of course, after reading works influenced by him (it's almost impossible not to) and a collection of his most relevant stories seemed like a great way to finally do it. I've previously mentioned here that I'm not a great fan of horror literature, but I must say that Lovecraft surprised me with stories more close to what we call weird than actual horror, which made this that much more interesting to me.

This collection starts with an excellent introduction by Roger Luckhurst that gives the reader some contextual information without spoiling too much and ends with some more explanatory notes. Luckhurst's contribution in one of the details that distinguish this from other Lovecraftian collections, giving it an almost academical component without ever being boring or over-thought. There is a real intention to help the reader understand the text as it was written. Towards that - another distinguishing detail - the works were reproduced as faithfully to the original writing as possible without the alterations made by the different editors that published them in the first place.

The book collects the following stories: The Horror at Red Hook, The Call of Cthulhu, The Colour out of Space, The Dunwich Horror, The Whisperer in Darkness, At the Mountains of Madness, The Dreams in the Witch House, The Shadow over Innsmouth and The Shadow out of Time.  The is also an excerpt from his essay, Supernatural Horror in Literature.

If when it comes to cultural interest, this was one of the most important books I've read recently, my thoughts on the stories themselves aren't always as positive. On on hand, I recognize that Lovecraft is, to my knowledge, probably the most effective author generating an ambience of weirdness and feelings of intrusion and unpredictability. On the other hand, the amount of adjectives and their repetition - specially in different stories - become overwhelming and tiresome. I feel his style works best in short stories and probably read separately, as they were published. Given all I've just said, it's easy to see why the one I enjoyed less was At the Mountains of Madness, which in spite of being one of his best known works is also one of the biggest and ended up boring me.

H.P.Lovecraft focuses on a kind of fear that differs from the usual in the more traditional, religiously biased stories or in the contemporary ones, that focus on feelings of entrapment and enemies hidden in plain sight. The fear in Lovecraft isn't associated with any punishment or guilt or even anything necessarily human. It comes from the outside, from space, from other dimensions, it's external to our comprehension. The terrifying beings in his works have a near incredible description, such is the weirdness of their organisms. There is an association between these creatures (with whom he created a whole interconnecting structure that came to be called the Cthulhu Mythos) and cults or witchcraft contributing to the plausibility of the stories. The creatures have incomprehensible behaviour, live through ages which gives them a different concept of existence and have abilities far beyond ours. Common to every one of their appearances is the feeling of weirdness they cause to the narrator, as if his world was being invaded by something he can't understand and that, perhaps precisely because of that, terrifies him immediately. Lovecraft transmits, more that fear, this feeling of near insanity, through a mix of doubt and expectation associated with blurred and over-adjectivized information that gets the reader almost to nausea.

These are stories that assume we've left behind those fears associated with religious morality, with guilt, seducing or punishing devils, saved pious or doomed non-believers and because of that are dedicated to the exploration of the fears of those who question alien life, outer-dimensional life, time travel or who consider the possibility of there being other creatures with abilities similar or superior to ours and whose intentions are unintelligible even when we come across them. There is, on the other hand, an obvious preoccupation with racial and cultural purity which shows, to those who are alert, a prejudice that Lovecraft was openly supportive of - something that can spoil the experience of reading his work.

As it is, I recommend this collection to those who haven't read H.P. Lovecraft and have any interest in speculative fiction and horror or weird in particular, but also to those who have read one or other isolated work and wishes to read the original and more memorable ones. It will also be useful to those who wish to understand the author's context, a man who came to influence so much of what has been written ever since, and not just in horror literature.

"Yog-Sothoth knows the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the key and guardian of the gate. Past, present, future, all are one in Yog-Sothoth. He knows where the Old Ones broke through of old, and where They shall break through again. He knows where They have trod earth's fields, and where They still tread them, and why no one can behold Them as They tread."

Follow the Money: The Money Trail Through History by Ruben Alvarado

Há muito que queria começar a ler sobre finanças e economia e quando a oportunidade de ler um livro sobre a história do dinheiro através do NetGalley não podia deixa-la escapar.

Ruben Alvarado transporta o leitor ao longo da nossa própria história, desde as primeiras trocas de produtos até ao dinheiro como o conhecemos hoje. Foi muito interessante ver a sua análise de vários momentos importantes da nossa civilização relacionando-os com o que aconteceu na altura com o dinheiro, desde o material de que era feito, a sua escassez ou abundância ou os seus movimentos internacionais até às primeiras experiências com dinheiro de papel e o abandono do gold standard. O livro termina na crise actual, no entanto não há aqui uma tentativa de a analisar mais profundamente do que as restantes situações referidas.

Há alguns momentos em que o autor se deixa levar pelas suas opiniões pessoais e se afasta de certa forma de uma análise isenta, mas em geral isto não se torna um problema. Por outro lado, a situação do dinheiro actual e de como as suas características afectam as sociedades podia ter sido explicada com maior detalhe, dado ser bastante mais complicada de perceber do que as anteriores.

Em geral, uma leitura rápida e informativa, que recomendo a todos os que tenham interesse nesta área, mesmo que completamente leigos em relação ao assunto do dinheiro.

_______________________________________________________________________

I've been wanting to start reading about finance and economy for a while so when this came up on NetGalley I couldn't miss the oportunity.

Ruben Alvarado takes the reader on a trip through our history, from the first trades to the creation of money as we know it today. It was really interesting to read his analysis of multiple moments of our civilization intertwining them with what happened with the money at the same time, from the material it was made of, its scarcity or abundance, its international flow to the first experiences with paper money and the abandonment of the gold standard. The book ends at the current financial and economic crisis, though the author doesn't emphasize its analysis over the past history.

There are some moments when the author gets somewhat carried away with his own opinions undermining his impartial analysis but in general this doesn't become a problem. On the other hand, current money and how its characteristics affect societies could have been explained in more detail because it is quite more difficult to understand than past situations.

All in all, a quick and informative read that I recommend to all interested in this area, even if completely new to the subject.

The Inner City by Karen Heuler

Mais um livro que tive oportunidade de ler através da NetGalley, desta feita uma aposta às cegas, dado que desconhecia a autora e a descrição era apenas indicativa de que estava prestes a ler ficção curta especulativa. A aposta foi, sem dúvida, ganha. Embora, como é inevitável nestas antologias, haja contos que goste mais e outros que goste menos, no computo geral a leitura foi interessante, com algumas ideias originais e uma abordagem diferente daquilo a que estou habituado.
Karen Heuler diz na sua página que escreve realismo mágico, instigada a isso pela leitura de Gabriel García Márquez, e de facto vejo a proximidade entre algumas das suas histórias e o pouco que li de Haruki Murakami, outro autor associado a este género literário. Apesar de tudo, não consigo escapar à impressão que isto não passa de mais um filho da ficção especulativa, do fantástico, com um isolamento da fantasia ou ficção científica e uma aproximação à chamada ficção literária provavelmente mais por motivos comerciais do que pelas características intrínsecas da obra.
Comentário aparte, como antologia de contos sejam de ficção especulativa sejam de realismo mágico, The Inner City é um trabalho interessante que permite uma exploração da reacção do indivíduo a uma série de situações caricatas - por vezes absolutamente surreais - e que terminam quase sempre numa nota auto-analítica, em tom de descoberta ou de transformação do sujeito. Os enredos, esses são de uma multiplicidade e heterogeneidade que só se compreende sabendo que os quinze contos foram publicados separadamente entre 1997 e 2011. Desde crianças que se transformam em animais, híbridos genéticos de humano e cão criados para serem servis a pessoas que nascem da terra como plantas mas já adultos, vestidos e com intenções bem definidas e outras que se tornam parte de um oceano alienígena que mais parece um sincício, tudo pode acontecer nas obras de Karen Heuler. Tocando em temáticas como a experimentação biológica e genética, a ecologia, a religião e a engenharia social, a novidade aqui reside principalmente na naturalidade com que a maioria das personagens encaram estes fenómenos, o que permite à autora guiar o leitor por caminhos inesperados. O foco recai sempre sobre uma pessoa, a sua visão dos acontecimentos, a sua participação neles ou comportamento perante eles e aquilo em que a pessoa se torna ou que descobre ser, algo que de certa forma se aproxima de Kafka ou mesmo Camus. Há constantemente um interpelação à mente do leitor, a quem são mostradas realidades que dificilmente não o farão questionar o seu conceito de pessoa, de sociedade, de humanidade ou de moralidade.
Uma obra recomendada a quem gostar de ficção curta especulativa. Fico com vontade de ler algo mais desta autora, venham daí as sugestões.

_____________________________________________________________________

Another book I had the opportunity to read through NetGalley, and this time a blind bet, considering I didn't even know the author and the description wasn't really specific. No regrets. Though, as is unavoidable in anthologies, there were some stories I liked much more than others, in general the book was very interesting, with some original ideas and approaches different from what I'm used to.
On her website, Karen Heuler says she writes magic realism, lead there by reading Gabriel García Márquez, and I do see some similarity between some of her stories and the little I've read of Haruki Murakami, other author associated with this genre. I still can't move past my feeling that this is but another part of speculative fiction isolated from science fiction and fantasy and associated with literary fiction for commercial reasons.
Side note apart, as an anthology of short tales - be them whatever genre one says - The Inner City is an interesting work that allows for an exploration of the individual's reaction to some odd situations - often quite surreal - which end in a self-analytical tone. The plots are of such an heterogeneity that one can only understand it knowing that they were published separately between 1997 and 2011. From kids that turn into animals, human-dog hybrids to people born from the ground like plants (though adult, dressed and decided) and others that become part of an alien ocean that reminded me of a syncytium, anything can happen in the works of Karen Heuler. Addressing themes such as bio-genetic experimentation, ecology, religion and social engineering, what's new here is the simple and natural way in which characters deal with the awkward situations, allowing the author to lead the reader through unexpected paths. The focus is always on the person, her vision of the phenomena, her participation in or behaviour facing them and what she turns into or finds out about herself, creating a narrative that reminds me of Kafka or even Camus. The reader is shown realities that constantly question his concept of person, of society, of humanity or morality.
A recommended work to all those who enjoy speculative short fiction. I now want to read more of this author, any suggestions?

Cats

After reading a post on Brain Pickings on A Cat-Hater’s Handbook, I decided I'd come and talk about my cats but because now I don't feel like talking at all - I'll end up complaining too much of all the destruction they are causing - I'll just show some pictures of them.

They are called Thor and Loki and this has been their (almost complete) first year, one I'll probably remember as my home's ragnarok. Enjoy :)

The last one was taken two days ago, under this surprising and overwhelming heat wave we're experiencing here, which makes them sleep all day or at least be generally even lazier than usual (not during the night, sadly).




And now I'll leave you with this other awesome  Brain Pickings post:

T. S. Eliot’s Iconic Vintage Verses About Cats, Illustrated and Signed by Edward Gorey

Montaro Caine by Sidney Poitier

Descobri Montaro Caine no NetGalley e fiz a requisição porque fiquei curioso, não só por ser do Sidney Poitier, mas também pela descrição. O livro é, no fundo, a vida do Montaro Caine, um CEO de uma empresa mineira e de engenharia química, no início do enredo aparentemente prestes a perder o controlo da empresa. À medida que a história é contada, vamos percebendo que Montaro é uma pessoa atípica, com uma infância complicada e que vê o avô não só como uma figura paternal mas como uma espécie de guia. Simultaneamente desenvolve-se o enredo aparentemente paralelo onde uma criança nasce com uma moeda na mão. É esta história que nos mostra que estamos perante ficção especulativa e que me foi mantendo o interesse na leitura. Ao longo do livro Montaro vê-se perante uma situação complicada, que envolve não só esta moeda com materiais desconhecidos e aparecimento no mínimo misterioso, como coleccionadores milionários, burlões, família e até pessoas do seu próprio passado. Claro que no final todas as pontas soltas misteriosas se ligam numa revelação que tem como centro, mas não como único foco, o próprio Montaro Caine.

A personagem principal está bem desenvolvida, as suas motivações e decisões, as interacções com a família, com a empresa na situação habitual, com empregados, com desconhecidos, as suas imperfeições e o seu carácter, tudo parece fazer sentido e raramente é forçado para dar jeito ao enredo. O resto das personagens raramente são tão bem desenvolvidas e são essencialmente o suporte para a história, embora haja alguns bons momentos.

Infelizmente acaba aqui aquilo que o livro teve de interessante para mim. A questão da moeda acabou por se revelar de certa forma previsível, com uma aproximação à ficção científica pouco aprofundada ou original. O final do enredo foi prejudicado essencialmente por querer dar o palco ao grande defeito do livro, a mensagem paternalista de auto-confiança, esperança, trabalho e união que o autor quis passar à força. Não que a mensagem seja má per se, mas a forma como foi sendo "martelada" ao longo de toda a história torna a leitura por vezes irritante. As conversas com o avô são um exemplo disso. Montaro vem com dúvidas práticas e pragmáticas, o avô limita-se a dizer-lhe que confie em si (de várias maneiras diferentes) e o neto quase magicamente acaba por arranjar soluções. A leitura aproxima-se em certos momentos da de livros de Paulo Coelho, ou do que suponho seja a sensação de ler O Segredo e é tanto melhor quanto mais se afasta disso.

Há nesta obra uma ideia positiva, que é a de que perante oportunidades de crescimento e progresso (aqui representadas pela moeda, pelo conhecimento, pela ciência) devemos tentar unirmo-nos e trabalhar em conjunto para esse fim. No entanto o facto do autor pregar estas ideias em vez de as demonstrar e de as associar a um certo efeito mágico da motivação e da esperança estraga o que poderia ser, conceptualmente, uma história interessante. Fica assim uma leitura aceitável que agradará a quem gostar de ver explorada a vertente do negócio, do bluff, da forma como os interesses de uns e outros vão sendo jogados por uns e outros, cada um centrado na sua vontade e com um protagonista bem conseguido, mas que ficará à quem das expectativas de leitores mais experimentados, especialmente na ficção científica, e que desaconselho sem reservas a quem não suporta narradores-pregadores.

________________________________________________________________

I found Montaro Caine at NetGalley and decided to request it not only because of the author but because the description enticed me. The book is, bottom-line, the story of Montaro Caine's life, the CEO of a mining-chemistry corporation apparently on the verge of loosing its control. As the tale is told, we start to understand Montaro as an atypical individual, with a complicated youth and a grandfather who he sees not only as a father-figure but as a true guide. Simultaneously, the apparently parallel plot starts to be developed, as we read about a child who is born with a coin in her hand. This is what shows we are about to read some sort of speculative fiction and also what made me curious enough to keep reading. Eventually, as Montaro and this coin with impossible materials become more connected, he is lead into some complicated situations all at once, be it negotiations with millionaire collectors, scams and troubles with his family and even the return of people and stories from his own past. Of course all these loose ends come together at an ending that is centred around Montaro, but not at all solely focused on him.

Montaro is a well developed character, with fleshed out motives and decisions, character and imperfections, and interesting interactions with the company, his employees, his family, where he makes sense without seeming too pushed into stuff just for the sake of the plot.

Unfortunately this is all that's good with this book. The issue with the mysterious coin ends up being quite predictable in a very superficial and far from original approach to science fiction. The ending was ruined because it gave centre stage to the worst of this novel, the preaching. The author is quite paternalistic in the way he conveys his message of self-confidence, hope, union and effort, and at times gets close to what Paulo Coelho does on his books (and also, I imagine, to what the Secret has to say). The book is at its best when the author escapes from those moments. One example of what annoyed me is his interaction with his grandfather. Montaro comes with a very objective doubt, a practical issue that he can't find the solution to, speaks with his grandfather who, in a lot of different ways, usually tells him to trust himself and eventually he comes up with a solution. Once this would be fine, everyone needs a confidence boost once in a while, but for this to be the means to solve problems seems to me quite stupid.

There is a very positive message in this novel, one that tells us that we should unite and work together towards our common progress, here conveyed by the coin and science as a means to the betterment of humanity. However, the fact that the author preaches this instead of showing and associates the message with the magical effect of hope and motivation spoils what could have been, at least conceptually, an interesting story. As it is, this is a passable read with a good protagonist which will please those who enjoy the negotiation, bluff and overall playing and taking advantage of each characters' interests but will be below the expectations of more experienced readers - specially in science fiction - and one that I thoroughly do not recommend for people who can't stand preaching narrators.

O que é natural é bom (não é?)

Decidi partilhar este artigo que encontrei via WTF, Evolution? para ilustrar o que eu sinto quando alguém me diz que algo é bom ou seguro porque é NATURAL.

Este anfíbio espreme a fêmea para ela libertar os ovos. Muitas vezes este processo leva à morte da fêmea. Mas isso não tem qualquer problema, porque a natureza - amiga que é - arranjou maneira de ela conseguir libertar os ovos mesmo depois de morta, pelo que consegue na mesma ter filhos.

Se quiserem saber mais, cliquem na imagem.

Da próxima vez que pensarem que algo é melhor por ser natural, que funciona com segurança por ser natural, que é correcto porque é natural e por aí fora, pensem nestes sapos da Amazónia.

___________________________________________________________________

I decided to share this article I found via WTF, Evolution? to express what I feel when anyone tells me something is good or safe because it is NATURAL.
This amphibian squeezes the female in order for her to release the eggs. Many times the females end up crushed to death. But that's totally fine, because even dead, the female's body retains the ability to release viable eggs when squeezed.
If you want to know more, click the photo.

Next time you think something is better because it's natural, something works safely because it's natural, something is right because it's natural and all that, think instead of these amazonian frogs.

Photos by Domingos Rodrigues, shared on the article at The Scientist

Afinal é coveiro desde pequenino

Cavaco Silva ADMITE (para usar o vocabulário dos noticiários) que já abriu dezenas de covas. Ora tendo sido ele nosso governante, isto não deve ser novidade para ninguém, mas achei por bem partilhar de qualquer forma, até porque assim deixa de se associar tal personagem com outras profissões (cujos representantes até já se queixaram). Será que também foram colossais, como os desvios dos outros? Se pelo menos tivesse plantado árvores na economia, talvez tivéssemos fruta em vez de apanharmos com a chuva das crises e austeridades. Para resolver este último problema recomenda trabalho, trabalho, trabalho, trabalho, trabalho... Coisa que não há em lugar nenhum neste país. O que me faz pensar que o enterrou nos buracos que cavou. Sendo assim, se alguém souber do paradeiro das Covas de Cavaco, avisem o pessoal para irmos em busca do trabalho, trabalho, trabalho, trabalho, trabalho, que de preferência venha associado a emprego, emprego, emprego, emprego, emprego e que, em sociedades mais civilizadas, até traz uma bonificação a que chamam, por lá, salário, salário, salário, salário, salário.

Para ver mais (e rir mais, quiçá) visite-se a televisão pública na net.

Tiny Story (história pequenina?) de Sebas and Clim

Um amigo mostrou-me e eu não resisti a partilhar aqui.

Tiny Story from Sebas and Clim.

Simples e original, esta pequena história transmite aquelas ideias que tipicamente pensamos serem essenciais à progressão da nossa sociedade, em menos de um minuto.

Book sites and social platforms - new experiences

On the aftermath of all this, I decided to start trying new book sites and share my experience with each of them, be it as an alternative to Goodreads or as new kinds of platforms to share reading experience, reviews or recommendations. I'll keep updating this as I go from site to site and I'll also post links to posts where other people do the same.

Libib

As I said on the previous post, this is a collection manager. It allows one to create multiple lists of virtually unlimited items, be them books, films or video games. It's possible to import your collection from csv files such as the export file from Goodreads and Libib even mails you the list of books that couldn't be automatically added because of a variety of errors. The thing is the available editions are far too little which, for someone like me that would rather add the specific edition, is really disappointing. This, added to the almost complete lack of Portuguese authors and the inability to manually add books (something that was at the base of Goodreads' extensive catalogue of books and editions in multiple languages) made me give up on using it. If you are a Portuguese speaker, this won't be the place for you, unless you want to use it to list (as a wishlist for example) english written or translated books. I don't know how complete it is when accounting for other languages, though it didn't seem good enough in my short browse.

BookLikes

Some of my friends are already using and seem quite excited with it, even though it is still in beta test. The developers seem active and engaged with the growing community and willing to try to address all their requests.

I finally got to try this one out. BookLikes allows us to import collection via csv file, though it takes a while for the books to appear. I've asked for the importation about 10 hours ago and, for the moment, I have 449 of my 818 books available. Other than that, the website seems to be working fine, even more if we consider it is still in beta. Each person has a blog where he can share  posts such as quotes, comments or reviews, a timeline where he can see when he started and finished reading books or when he posted reviews, and shelves. The blog is really quite cool and though I don't really need another bunch of book blogs to follow, it is a really nice way to check out someone's aggregated reviews. The timeline is a cool feature, not a game changer but still one can't argue it is quite interesting to look back and see how our reading and writing has progressed along some time. It's also possible to add a link to your personal website, so that when a BookLikes user visits your page he sees, under your portrait, four options: the blog, the shelf, the timeline and the personal website. The collection management is where they need to have some improvements. The transition from GR is good, with BookLikes having identified my ratings, the books on my wishlist, some of those I've read come associated with the date I finished them, and they were also able to get some of my reviews, which were integrated on my blog. There were also some glitches such as some books appearing that I actually didn't have listed anywhere and the dates I started reading don't sync, as opposed with the finish dates. But the biggest problems here are of two kinds. The first is the fact that BookLikes doesn't allow for the user to add new books manually (it seems to import them from bookseller websites, as GR initially did) or change between different editions after you've added one. The second one is the shelf system, it still seems to limited, not in terms of number (it's infinite shelves for infinite books) but in terms of shelf type. I want to be able to define exclusive and non-exclusive shelves the way I want to (for example, I used to have "to read", "to borrow", "wishlist" and "considering") Right now I need to have all these on the "planning to read" exclusive list (the others are "read" and "currently reading") and the sub-categorised in shelfs such as "to borrow" or "to consider". The "wishlist", "favourites" and "private" classifications are the only ones not exclusive. This isn't a big concern for me right now because I know the developers intend to add these features, along with a lot of others, as one can see on their blog, so I'll definitely give BookLikes a chance and I recommend it for those leaving GR. For these, the other big problems might be Amazon appearing constantly as one of the main "to buy" options there, but as the platform grows this will be less constant (they'll connect with other stores) and less important (once you are used to the website); the lack of a recommendation system (it will probably be added in time) and a group feature. This one isn't really important for me, I'm usually not very involved in reader groups, apart from my association with Clockwork Portugal.
Oh, and have I said that the ratings have a half-star system? It's really much better, I always felt that 1-5 without halves and the association with some definitive meanings was far to much of a constraint and often confusing.

The Reading Room

And here is another potential replacement for Goodreads. The Reading Room is a typical bookish social platform, much closer to GR than to BookLikes at that. There is no blog or timeline feature, but you do have similar collection importation and management and possibility to rate (again, half-stars up to 5) and review books. The platform also has groups and book recommendations with specific tabs for each of those features. I won't speak about the groups because I didn't try them out. The recommendations can be of two kinds, friends' and the site's through some lists or featured bookshelves. It lacks an algorithm, something that though by no means essential to me ends up being quite interesting sometimes. When looking for books one can also find here lists of award winners and even reviews published on the New York Times or The Guardian, something I found quite useful. The Reading Room also allows one to preview some books with a sample chapter (or read some complete books), something that is integrated with their Android / iOS app reading app. The app has no social or shelf update features, one is only able to get the books or chapters and read them. I've also heard it will eventually be possible to buy books directly from the site, and according to the developers, at a price comparable to Amazon's. The website ends up being a little bit confusing at first because there seems to be too much going on and fighting for attention, but this is something to  re-evaluate because the team has said they are going to redesign that interface.
The importation here is much quicker but less inclusive. The Reading Room got 545 of my 818 books (I don't now yet which were the ones that didn't get here, but I'm guessing some were the Portuguese ones) and placed the right ones on my wishlist. It didn't import ratings, reviews or dates. My biggest trouble with this one is the lack of specific edition choice. There is sometimes a very big difference between editions, such as prefaces, illustrations, translations or bonus stories, and when one gives a rating or writes a review, it should somehow be linked to the specific edition. One also cannot add a book manually, which is very limiting, but once one searches for a book and doesn't find it, the site asks for the information in order to try to add it. One can add non-exclusive shelves to organize the books, but it seems to be impossible to change or add the exclusive ones, so I couldn't go back to the ones I was used to (explained under BookLikes). The platform isn't as fluid and intuitive as I'm used to when it comes to organizing books and shelves, but it's not too cumbersome or confusing.
The Reading Room developers seems very dedicated and I've seen the crew answering people's input on twitter and even some blogs (such as the one I linked below) so though I wasn't really convinced on my first visit, I'm certainly keeping my account and will visit from time to time to check how the site goes.

ThirdScribe

Stil don't know anything about it, but I've asked for an inscription.



Other opinions/experiences:

fullofsecrets has an ongoing post with a purpose similar to this one but she has tried quite a few platforms including BookLikes, The Reading Room, weRead and Bookwormr so check it out.


Final thoughts

My overall opinion right now is that Goodreads is the best at what it does but it's far from being irreplaceable. The enthusiastic teams behind BookLikes and The Reading Room have already done very good jobs at developing their own platforms and I'm still open to more suggestions. There is a big problem with this transition for me, and that comes to the amount of books and organization I had on my collection. Almost 300 books read, about 100 to read, 100 to buy, 50 to borrow and over 200 to consider, but it's the fact that those that I have read are rated, some reviewed and all thoroughly organized in terms of length, genre or even if I got them through NetGalley that makes it harder to begin a new collection, even if the list itself is - mostly - copied from one place to another. The other major issue I have with both these sites is that they don't have Portuguese books or translations I read which means the collection there would always be incomplete (please give me a librarian status feature and manual book adding and - much as I did on Goodreads - I'll add them all gladly as time goes by). For now, I'll mainly use BookLikes and see how it goes.

If anyone has any new posts for me to feature here or new sites for me to try (that I haven't excluded on the previous posts) please say so and I'll add them.



Edit #1

Added information about The Reading Room and BookLikes and final thoughts.

Goodreads and Amazon, or where do I keep my book info without having it stolen by market monopolisers?

By now every Goodreads user knows it has been bought by Amazon. This has started a typical online fiery reaction, with a lot of people yelling (or capslocking) that they are going to leave the site for good and move to an alternative. When I started sharing my thoughts on that on twitter my friends commanded me to organize my info and post it. Some even ordered me to write in English, so they could share it. This all seems a bit foolish and not at all typical of me (I rarely follow orders like this) so I did it. (I don't get it either - perhaps my work was rather bothersome today and I needed a break).

So I'll start by saying what it is I think is troubling with having Amazon owning Goodreads. Well, everything. Amazon is not only a monopoliser, which by itself is already bad enough, but it's a very aggressive one at that. Everyone that reads and deals with them must have already heard about the way it treats authors, small publishers or stores and worst of all, how it allows the subcontracted warehouses to explore its workers. If you haven't, please search it, the internet is packed with those stories so there's no point in me aggregating them here. But my problems don't end with Amazon's lack of ethical concerns. There is one other thing that is perhaps most unnerving and that is the independence claim. Goodreads was always supposed to be a community made for and by its people. When Amazon last tried to get a grip on it all the librarians helped to save the database. I was one of them. I've been a librarian ever since I found that I could be, and have helped with adding books, correcting information, aggregating doubled insertions or different editions for years now. I have, as most that were there almost from the beginning, helped build not only the database but also the community, calling my friends there and sharing my reading status through other social networks. So when it comes to this, I feel somewhat robbed of a thing that was not only useful and full of my info, but also a thing that was, in a way, partially mine.

Therefore, we have a giant company very interested in controlling the book market buying its third (that I know of) social network for readers, and this time one that was picked precisely for being independent from stores and publishers and allowing both positive and negative reviews and ratings without any kind censorship.

Finally, I've just heard from a friend that there are already rumours of comments being deleted on the post that talks about the transaction.

And now, to speak about the possible alternatives, for those who are already considering to leave, though I haven't really tried most of them (I've been looking for info on their respective sites, trying the logged off experience and searching the web to produce these comments):

Anobii - Seems like a nice, graphically appealing alternative to Goodreads. The one thing I don't know if it has is author pages, give-aways and other author-reader interaction experiences. It includes on its list of backers / investors, companies like HMV Group, HarperCollins, The Random House and Penguin. So, might not be as bad as having your info on Amazon's hands in your opinion, but it's by no means an independent venture. The privacy policy does state that you can decide if you give your info to their fellow companies or not, so its some kind of protection. Another good thing for some people is that Anobii also has an app that scans barcodes, something I've found really useful when building lists of things to check or buy later while exploring bookshops.

Bookish - Though it is affirmed that the site is editorially independent, the platform was jointly founded by Hachette Book Group, Penguin Group USA and Simon & Schuster. So if one wants to avoid giving information to big publishers or sellers, this is not the place. I also seem to recall a problem with the site's terms of use or privacy statement, though I don't know if that situation has ever changed.

Booklamp - This is not a social network or a collection organizer, so it isn't an alternative to Goodreads. All that aside, it seems an interesting project of its own, trying to describe books in terms of their DNA, in other words, the features and themes that are part of the book. And they do this with computational tools, trying as much as they can to differ from social networks' book recommendation system.

BookLikes - A social network for readers and bloggers, this platform appears to be a good alternative to Goodreads. It allows for bookshelfs, reviews, comments, recommendations and on top of that lets you have your own sort of customizable blog and timeline with your thoughts and favourite quotes. I don't think they have author pages or give-aways integrated, but that isn't why I use these platforms anyway (I might miss some authors' thoughts on books). It is a Polish start-up, but I have no info on its current status as independent. I do know they have a direct link to Amazon.com on the book pages, but so did Goodreads once upon a time. I've also read it used to have an integrated bookstore but I see no further evidence of this.

BookRabbit - This is not an independent site, it belongs to Redberry Digital. a multi-disciplined creative agency that works with multiple companies, such as Sony or Waterstones, but at least it isn't part of a massive online bookstore. The network itself has a purpose quite like Goodreads, with bookshelves, reviews and ratings, but I saw no evidence of author pages, give-aways or groups. A thing that worries me is that there are no links to alternative editions. Each edition stands on its own, as if they were all different books. Another problem I have with it is that it shows a list of people who own each book. Not just a list of reviews or ratings to the book, but a direct list of owners, an information that seems directed at companies such as Amazon and not at all useful for the site's users. A final note that is definitive in my opinion is that it allows no other language but English, prohibits so-called foul language and may revoke posting rights if you answer too many times with "wtf" or "lol".

BookShout! - This is a mix of a store and a review sharing site, so I don't think it's what I'm looking for here.

Bookwormr - This one seems like an alternative, but as happens with others, it doesn't seem to have author pages, collection management / shelves, groups or give-aways. So it's another review / rating sharing page and it doesn't look very active. On the other hand, the site has a new version, introduced in February 2013, so it deserves a better look.

LibraryThing - Owned partially by Amazon so this isn't an alternative to anything. It doesn't make for a very good user experience comparing with Goodreads, at least it didn't when I tried it a few years ago. It is more independent from Amazon than Shelfari or Goodreads because, according to Tim Spalding, he remains the owner of the majority of the company. But one is still working in Amazon's interest here so I'd rather keep on Goodreads or else move to a totally independent site.

Readernaut - Another social network for readers, though I couldn't see how it worked without registering. On the other hand, I do know that only Amazon books can be added so this is far from the freedom Goodreads allows. I don't know if it sports a recommendation system, if it allows for book reviews or to follow authors.

Reader2 - This place looks quite abandoned and the interface is barely developed. Anyway, it would be a place to do lists and look for recommendations based on keywords and similar books, but not to manage collections, shelves or read and share reviews. An alternative if all you want is a place to list your books and a basic recommendation service. I don't know if the reader is able to contribute to the recommendation system as it is on Goodreads. Also don't believe you can have the experience of following or interacting with authors.

Revish - This one has been around for a while and seems to offer a similar experience to Goodreads, but actually doesn't. This isn't a collection manager, it's a review manager, where you are encouraged to follow some guidelines and produce well-thought and developed comments on the books you've read. The terms of use are quite typical of these platforms, though they prohibit swearing and can at any time moderate or eliminate user generated content without prior warning or explanation, which is something I really don't like. This is, sadly, the general practice of these websites. It appears to be quite independent from monopolisers. It's something to try if all you're interested is in reading people's book comments.

Riffle - This site doesn't allow any kind of unregistered exploration. So I went around the internet to try to find out something about it. It seems to work through Facebook and it's basically a pin-board (Pinterest like) for books, with some direct connection to the publishing houses. Check it if you are interested, but this isn't an alternative to Goodreads nor is it particularly good for those with information sharing concerns, considering the association with Facebook.

Shelfari - Also owned by Amazon so no alternative here either.

SocialBooks - This is a place to share thoughts and discuss books. Without registering I couldn't see how it works, but the announcement on the home page is for the first read in November so either it's from last year and has been abandoned or it's this year and it's not yet working. There's also no place to read the terms of use. So this isn't an alternative to Goodreads but it might be interesting on it's own.

TheReadingRoom - This seems like an overall good social network for readers, which also includes advanced copy request, free chapters and its very own eReader app for Apple or Android tablets and phones. The site includes recommendations, bookclubs and reviews, so most of the experience we get from Goodreads. The one thing I failed to find is if they have some kind of librarian participation, one which allows the user to add books and edit information.

Wattpad - It's not really the same kind of platform. This one allows you to publish your work and ask readers for feedback or, as a reader, to be a spotter of new talent or new works from already established authors who choose to start by showing a part of their next book there. Wikipedia describes it, and rightly so, as a "Youtube for electronic text stories".

weRead - I've heard this one wasn't working any more, but that doesn't seem to be the case because the website is online. It started as a Facebook application but had expanded into a privately owned website of its own with connections with multiple social networks and offering an experience very similar to Goodreads, with lists, reviews, comments, and author pages. It was bought by Lulu and then by Flipkart, an online store like Amazon, in 2010. The community doesn't seem to be very active currently, considering all the books with no reviews or comments. It also doesn't seem to include book ratings but we all know that those pesky stars are both good and bad.

YourNextRead - This is a recommendation system, based on some algorithm and people's input. No platform to keep a collection or share reviews, but a different way to look for books worth trying.

What did I take from all this? I'll probably keep using Goodreads for now, but I'm growing favourable to the possibility of leaving or at least diminishing the information I share there. There's really no complete alternative and most of those who get close to do it, like Anobii, Bookwormr or weRead aren't exactly independent ventures, currently don't have organized communities contributing with their opinions and ratings or don't allow for collection management. Some have such terms of use that wouldn't even consider them (see BookRabbit above). If I was to change, or if I eventually decide to do so as a consequence of this process or of any changes to Goodreads experience or privacy policy (if they change the "all is allowed in reviews" policy I'll leave immediately), I'd probably try TheReadingRoom or BookLikes first, or ask my friends if they are already using any of these and how good they actually are. One of the most important things in this transition would be to keep at least a good part of the people that I share reading with in Goodreads and get them to the new platform. In spite of this, if I can't do it, it won't stop me from leaving the previous community.

Last, but not least, I am even more determined to reduce my purchases from Amazon and its owned stores. There are things that I can't afford if not from there, but there are others that I can or will make an effort to. There is no point in complaining about what Amazon does to people and small companies and then remain a client. So I'd also be glad if people can tell me not only alternatives to Goodreads, which I'll keep adding here, but also alternatives to Amazon in terms of books written in or translated to English.

Edit #1

I've heard of some more options but haven't listed or spoken of them yet because none offered to be on par with the best choices above. Anyway, here are some names people have told me:

WhichBooks - essentially a tool to look for a specific kind of book based on factors such as funny vs serious, gentle vs violent, optimistic vs bleak. Not really my kind of recommendation system, but it might be cool on some instances. No Goodreads alternative though.

ThirdScribe - this in still under construction but people have been promising it might be a cool platform for those who liked Goodreads, though I still don't know what it is going to offer exactly.

Storyverse - this is, again, not really a social platform for readers or a collection manager. It's a tool to find what was referenced inside a book. If you look up American Gods, for example, it will show you what mythological figures, songs, books, authors and other stuff Neil Gaiman decided to mention or draw from in the book. Do check it out. (heard about it here, through WhiteLady3's comment below).

Skoob - This one is a real alternative but for one limitation: it's in Portuguese and directed towards Brazilian readers. I didn't reference it initially because I think one of the very best things about Goodreads was how multicultural the community was and I wouldn't want to narrow my scope now.

Bookworms - on the same note as the previous one, this one is directed to Portuguese people and written in Portuguese and was referenced by Telma in a comment below. I've also heard it hasn't been updated in a while or is no longer worked on, but can't really be sure right now.

Edit #2

Libib - This is a collection manager, not only for your books, but also for movies and video games. You can also publish reviews to the items you have collected. It seems much less of a social network and much more of a catalogue, and I like the idea. I'm considering registering and using it as a general backup of the items I actually own even if I also start using a new book social network to speak about books, review them, check other people's opinions and look for recommendations. Thanks Sofia for reminding me of this one.

BookGlutton - I found that I initially also left out this one because it's not really an alternative to all that Goodreads was good for, but seeing as I am already speaking about most of them, here it is. BookGlutton is a social reading platform, focused on public domain and small press books, allowing people to read a book together, comment on specific paragraphs, sections or the overall work and chat with your group while you read each chapter. The creators are also preparing ReadUps, which appears to be a platform to further enhance the social reading and include the possibility of feedback on writing. This is supposed to launch this Spring so if you are interested visit the site or and sign up. I think this would be great for book communities as a preparation for book discussions, meetups or hangouts. Let's see how the new platform comes into being.

Edit #3

my-bookclub - Though more focused on creating book clubs, this platform allows for some collection management (if only 4 shelves), review sharing, and book recommendation. My problem with it is the acceptable use policy. It has far too many rules and limitations to what one can actually write, such as no unjustified caps lock use, no content that is obscene, blasphemous, untrue, misleading, inaccurate or that causes annoyance, all should be civil and tasteful, etc.. my-bookclub looks like a place so tight that I feel incoming social claustrophobia, which is odd for a site that pretends to host clubs. I won't be trying this one out.

I'll me posting mine and other people's experiences with new book sites on the next post.

Cenas (4)

Um post com uma análise muito interessante sobre todos os filmes que ganharam o Oscar de melhor filme ao longo das 85 edições. A Sofia teve o entusiasmo - e a paciência - e nós beneficiamos. Eu pelo menos já sei que, chegado a dedicar-me a este grupo de filmes, vou começar pelos que ela gostou mais e só se estiver muito interessado é que vou progredir para os restantes.

Descobri num dos muitos blogs de livros que sigo (não me lembro de momento qual) que estava disponível gratuitamente na internet uma pequena prequela do Seraphina - The Audition - um livro cujo conceito me intrigava embora ainda não estivesse decidido a ler. Fiquei convencido a experimentar, um dia. Aos interessados, sigam este link para o scribd e depois digam-me o que acharam. Aos que já leram o romance de Rachel Hartman, por favor partilhem comentários ou críticas.


Por fim, deixo-vos com uma análise sobre a ficção pós-apocaliptica e o que motiva a sua fama e a proliferação de livros que dela tratam, publicada pelo SF Signal. É um facto que muitos de nós passamos pelo menos uma fase da vida em que gostamos de livros, filmes, séries que exploram a situação de uma humanidade ou resto dela que sobrevive a uma obliteração da sociedade, por vezes acompanhada de consequências ambientais importantes. Pessoalmente, interesso-me por este tipo de obras dentro da temática da distopia que me parece sempre uma análise importante e quiçá essencial às pessoas, à sociedade e à espécie humana. Como encontrei o artigo num post da Trëma, aqui fica o link para o blog. Aproveitem para dar uma vista de olhos às várias recomendações que o Luís Filipe Silva nos vai deixando por lá no mundo da ficção especulativa.

Introductions to Philosophy - between the University of Edinburgh on Coursera and Nigel Warburton's basics

After reading some philosophical works, some more literary such as Camus' The Stranger, others more academic or theoretical as The Laws of Plato or Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil (reviewed here), I decided it was time to have a proper introduction to philosophy as a whole. I've always been interested in some philosophical fields of study but until recently I felt I knew too little of what it means to be a philosopher nowadays. In order to address this problem I found two simultaneous solutions. One was to participate in an Introduction to Philosophy online course from the University of Edinburgh and the other was read Nigel Warburton's Philosophy: the basics. Most of the themes shared by both I heard first on the course sessions and then reviewed them by reading the book.
I have only good things to say about the course. Most of the speakers were beyond good at introducing the main questions in philosophy and I felt interested in further exploring all of them. Questions addressed went from the concept of philosophy, epistemology - knowledge and skepticism -, mind and morality to things like belief in testimony - more skepticism -, in scientific theories and even the logical plausibility of time travel. Other than the video lectures, the people responsible for each theme also gave advice on further reading, both on resources available online and on books. A cool coincidence was the reference to Philosophy Bites, a podcast by David Edmonds and none less than Nigel Warburton. Most courses in the Coursera platform are repeated after a while so be on the lookout if you're interested. I highly recommend it for those that, like me, have had little or no previous introduction to philosophy.
If I must say that adding the course to the book made it much easier to grasp all the information on each of them, I also must emphasize how well Nigel Warburton's book works as an introduction. Without dwelling much on what philosophy is or what is it's history or it's main authors, the book essentially shows what it is all about by describing and discussing how some important issues are addressed in philosophical inquiry. After a short general introduction about philosophy, the book includes argumentations subject to themes such as the existence of god, the definition of right and wrong, politics, the external world, science, mind and art. In each section we are presented with the main theories for the specific issue, their arguments and counter-arguments, and finally the author recommends further reading for those interested in a deeper analysis.
For those who believe philosophical inquiry to be something theoretical, withdrawn from reality or everyday life, this is a book that will prove you wrong. Some of my favourite chapters, exploring morality (right and wrong), politics or even the concept of art, can contribute to the reader's understanding of some essential ideas, social demands and people's choices or behaviour, and that couldn't be closer to what we need on a daily basis. To realize, even if superficially, where some of the political discourse comes from is fundamental to any active adult citizen, and to know the ideas linked to the ever evolving artistic movements is important to anyone who aims to understand art to its fullness. To save you from a never-ending post, I'll avoid arguing the primordial importance of understanding where our moral standards come from and how they are connected to the reality or to some sense of absolute or relative right and wrong in order to avoid a deeply prejudiced view of the world around us.

Taking all I have just said into account, what I recommend, above all else, is that everyone should be properly introduced to philosophy as a discipline but mostly to what philosophical inquiry has to offer in terms of understanding ourselves and the world around us. If you do this by attending a good course, such as the one on the Coursera platform I mentioned, or by reading a written work on the basics of philosophy, such as Warburton's, or even if, as myself, you do both, it doesn't really matter, as long as you please do something. You'll be doing it for yourself and, in the process, doing something for all of us, because to live in a world of people who understand knowledge, concepts, morals, rules, truths and perceptions would be much better than to insist on keeping what we have now.

The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All by Laird Barron

I asked for an advanced e-version of this book from Netgalley because I really liked the name and cover and also because it's about time I read some good horror stories. The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All is not only the first of Laird Barron's works I've read but also the first time I read a horror anthology. I haven't even read H.P. Lovecraft I'm afraid. So take this as a beginner's review, someone who didn't really have specific expectations or previous works in the genre to compare to. The book will be made available on April the 2nd.

This book collects nine stories and I'll start by talking a bit about each of them.

The first tale is Blackwood's Baby, a nice introduction into the theme and the author's apparent intent. We follow a hunter who gets invited to a special hunt, in a forest known to be haunted or else associated to some supernatural infernal being and those who cut deals with him. We are given all the campfire chills we would expect from such a typical setting, but at a pace and with such a surprising build up and development that puts it miles away from most of the plots we see in horror films. Barron even has space to explore some issues of social hierarchy but the two things that stand out in Blackwood's Baby are the main character, a complex and mysterious Luke Honey who really drives the story, and the ending which keeps nagging you at the back of your mind long after you've read it. I noticed that while at first, just after finishing the story, I was rather confused, probably because I am not used to this kind of theme and storytelling, after delving more into the book I came to like it much more. The fact that the author doesn't put all the evil in the supernatural beings and allows the humans to have the worst intentions and actions gave me hope that this would be something more than a bunch of scary stories. 

After all the weirdness of the first one, The Redfield Girls starts off as a very simple story. Some women who travel on vacations together, this time forced to take a new element, Bernice's niece who appeared without warning at her door the day before the trip. Of course they had to go to a a place with a lake which here represents the unknown and scary and also the place where Bernice's aunt died years ago. The characters are very believable and their actions seem genuine but the plot, apart from one or two good moments, is somewhat predictable and the spookiness didn't work as well as in other cases. I liked The Redfield Girls, mostly for the "girls" themselves and for the play the facts versus its interpretation and people's imagination of lack thereof, but it's far from the best story here.

Hand of Glory on the other hand is my favourite story of the collection and the only one I felt I'd keep on reading if there was more written on those characters and setting. Johnny Cope - the main character - is a hit-man who was attacked and sets out to investigate and get some good old revenge, something that turns out to be much more complicated that he thought. The whole investigation, the weird people he meets, the dark magic abounding and the overall uncertainty are really well played but the strong point is the development of the character and the insight into who he is, who he thinks he is or even who he wishes he could be. This becomes even better because at the same time he questions himself, his motives or purpose, he also feels he is surrounded by people of unknown or ever shifting allegiances and unreliable information. Laird Barron brings us a truly character driven story with a horror and suspense setting which works just right. Add up references to real people and history with a twist and some unique villains about whom we are never sure of anything and you know why Hand of Glory became one of best short stories I've read.

The next in line is The Carrion Gods in Their Heaven, where we follow an abused wife hiding from her former husband with her girlfriend in an old cabin in the woods. Everybody knows one shouldn't go to such a place if one is a character in a horror story, but if you think it's a bunch of film clichés, think again, the danger might not come from the forest or a haunted shack or whatever. Sometimes it's our own curiosity that dooms us as much as it saves us. This is an original tale based on a known myth of transformation into an animal. I wasn't really hooked by the plot or the characters but I liked the uncertain ending.

In The Siphon we return to what Laird Barron does best, a plot that gives the story a structure while allowing the reader to have some insights into the mind of the weird characters he creates. The main character is a psychopath but so are some others he meets in a tale where the greed of humans is paralleled with the hunger of some supernatural beings whose revelation, description and actions will make you squirm until the very end.

The Jaws of Saturn take us back to the setting of Hand of Glory, though even the very same Phil Wary manipulating and using people to his dark intent isn't enough to make it as interesting a story as the previous one. There is something more predictable and less scary about this plot and its main character. In spite of that, I liked the reference and the feeling I was slowly getting to know Phil, here portrayed as a dark magician in the open, all resistant to bullets, super strength and mind-control.

What to say about Vastation? I think the author had to try an array of psychoactive drugs in order to come up with this kind of storytelling. It's a surreal look into the mind and "life" of a godlike being, someone who is immortal, capable of time-travel and of all sorts of other superhuman things. In spite of all this lack of clarity, Vastation ends up being the best story at evoking a feeling of life (and death) as a circle and of how boring it all would become if one had to exist outside of it. Though it is true for all other, this was the story that most suffered from interrupted reading. If you can, read it all at once or at least during the same day. I believe the experience will end up much better than if you do otherwise.

The Men from Porlock is another very good horror tale that uses a forest to place the characters in a context where everything can happen, where the unknown is full of possibilities, where finding an isolated community who sacrifice people is both believable and terrifying. The name should tell most of the veteran readers that these men are as unwelcome interruption and by now one already knows what Laird allows his characters to do or suffer but it's the way things are revealed that makes this one of the best stories in the collection. And to think they only wanted to hunt for some food.

The last tale, More Dark, gives a weird ending to the book and was, unfortunately, the only one I didn't enjoy reading. This is due not only to the rather confusing text but also and mostly because it is a reference to real people, mostly horror authors I suppose, of whom I know nothing. This, added to the lack of explanation or insight into who the people in More Dark are made me feel uninterested and even bored at times, in spite of the looming darkness the author was still able to transmit. Some kind of metafiction in a genre I know little about couldn't work for me.

As a whole, this was a good collection, with a very good but versatile prose and a pervasive unsettling feeling - which probably comes from the fact that Laird Barron tends to describe the scariest moments and revelations as if the characters were in fact hallucinating. Connecting the stories is not only this hallucination but also that sensation that there is always something lurking in the shadows, on the corner of the character's eye (or is it on the corner of my eye?) that we never really grasp. The references to myth and culture and the characters or ideas that appear in more than one story add to the excitement and make the anthology work as a whole. The different ways the author explored death are still with me, making me think about ends, beginnings, transitions and even considering the possibility that most of the moments we see as endings, destructions or disappearances, are thought of as such because of our own lack of knowledge and self-confidence. Most of those moments end up as being little transitions into "more of the same". Might death be, in spite of all the awe and terror most cultures and religions associate with it, just another one of those, a way into something quite like the life we had until then?
As a final note, I must say that even though I'm not really into reading horror - by itself, as entertainment, I prefer epic fantasy or science fiction - Laird Barron convinced me with the main characters he creates, some of the best, most complex and fleshed out I've seen in short fiction. My favourite stories were Hand of Glory, The Siphon and The Men from Porlock, previously published in The Book of Cthulhu II, Blood and Other Cravings and The Book of Cthulhu, respectively.

If you like horror, read The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All. If want to try it out and feel like you need some strong characters and thought-provoking stories to enjoy it, then Hand of Glory is definitely for you. If you don't like horror stories, undefined mythologies and unexplained mysteries, stay away from this. In my case, if I ever return to horror anthologies, I'll be sure to look for Laird Barron in the participant authors list.

The thing that awaits us all, according to Laird Barron, beautiful is not.