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Andy Gill recommended Two Sevens Clash by Culture in Music (curated)

 
Two Sevens Clash by Culture
Two Sevens Clash by Culture
1978 | Reggae, Rock
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I saw Culture live. Dub reggae was one of the main things I would listen to, so seeing them live was great! We may have been on the bill with them or something, I can't remember. I think we might have done a big Rock Against Racism gig in Finsbury Park at the Rainbow. And Culture played at that. There was a band called… I know The Jam came and did a few numbers before Gang Of Four. It's all a vague. I think we took the rhythmic nature of the lyrics and the way they fitted around the music was very key, very influential."

Source
  
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George Saunders recommended Dispatches: Picador Classic in Books (curated)

 
Dispatches: Picador Classic
Dispatches: Picador Classic
Michael Herr, Kevin Powers | 2015 | Biography
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Herr, who recently passed away, was one of the great prose stylists of the twentieth-century. Reading Herr is immensely instructive and hopeful; he always makes me feel that, yes, the English language can be used to interrogate any dilemma, no matter how complex. Herr’s rich, high-culture/pop-culture language and his stunning level of erudition allow him to put all doubts and counterarguments into play and create a sturdy mosaic of ambiguity, with an affectionate but skeptical mind at the center of it. I wish he was still with us and writing about this moment – there’s no one I would trust more."

Source
  
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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Rebel of the Sands in Books

May 19, 2018 (Updated May 19, 2018)  
Rebel of the Sands
Rebel of the Sands
Alwyn Hamilton | 2016 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
Amani is a girl in a country that doesn't value women, and treats them as useless property only good for breeding sons. The country is basically occupied by another country that the Sultan is "allied" with, but lets run roughshod over his people. She has her sights set on escaping her backwoods, dead-end town, and running to the capital city, where the aunt she's never met lives. All of that is derailed when she meets Jin at an underground shooting competition, and then later hides him from the armed forces hunting him.

The country is definitely middle-east inspired, but there's a lot of religion-bashing, and complaining about the culture oppressing women. It's the same problem I have with a lot of knight-and-castle era fantasy - just because historically in OUR world those time periods weren't kind to women, doesn't mean they have to be the same in fantasy. It's FANTASY! It can be anything you want! Break the tropes! It's a fine line to walk, taking the good parts of a culture without just cherry-picking and appropriating the culture, and who's judging what the good and bad parts are, anyway? So I understand it's difficult, but bashing the culture in a book inspired by their mythology is not quite cool, either. I feel like City of Brass, another fantasy book set in the middle east, hit a better middle ground of embracing the culture of the inspiration without bashing parts of it.

That gripe aside, I really enjoyed the world-building. I'm not quite sold on the characters yet - Amani is far too quick to abandon things she should fight for - but I'm interested enough to see how they progress in the next two books.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
  
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Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Norse Mythology in Books

Jul 24, 2017  
Norse Mythology
Norse Mythology
Neil Gaiman | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.4 (38 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fabulous retelling of Norse mythology
Neil Gaiman is a genius and his version of Norse mythology is riveting and exciting. It seems to be an important part of our modern culture again so it is only natural that Gaiman brings it back to the forefront. Epic and interesting.
  
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Ross (3284 KP) rated The Emperor's Soul in Books

Sep 4, 2017  
The Emperor's Soul
The Emperor's Soul
Brandon Sanderson | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Another Cosmere world, another unusual magic system. I think this was about the right length for an interesting foray into Eastern culture and mysticalising (not a word) ancient artworks and skills.
A really enjoyable short read, though I don't see it contributing more to the Cosmere as a whole.