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Brt Brgmns @Bormgans

bookblogger on Weighing A Pig Doesn't Fatten It - mainly speculative fiction

Joined June 2015
  • Tweets 298
  • Following 257
  • Followers 211
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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
11 Jun 2024
A classic with sentimental merit, but a missed opportunity too. #FlowersForAlgernon #DanielKeyes More on Weighing A Pig: schicksalgemeinschaft.wordpr…

FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON – Daniel Keyes (1966)

I keep a small list of canonical speculative fiction I have yet to read: Brave New World, Connie Willis’ Doomsday Book, The War of the Worlds, Ender’s Game, The Hitchhiker’s Guide…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
19 May 2024
#InAscension #MartinMacInnes #scifi full review on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8KU

IN ASCENSION – Martin MacInnes (2023)

A couple of days ago, the shortlist for the Clarke Award was announced. In Ascension is nominated along 5 other titles. As such, the book seems a rare exception of a title that straddles two worlds…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
2 Mar 2024
#DenisVilleneuve's changes to the story lower the stakes & the tragedy. Still an entertaining movie though. #DunePart2 #DunePartTwo #Dune #scifi More thoughts on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8G4

DUNE: PART TWO – Denis Villeneuve (2024)

Let me first repeat some stuff from the intro to my Dune: Part One review. I’ve invested quite some time writing about Frank Herbert’s books, and my reread of the Dune series in particular, resulti…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
6 Jan 2024
One of the best books I've ever read. Terryfing & prophetic indeed. #TheDeluge #StephenMarkley #clifi @simonschuster @do_you_cli_fi_ Review & analysis on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8Dd

THE DELUGE – Stephen Markley (2022)

Stephen Markley had high ambitions for his book: “emotionally reorient the reader around what’s happening, so we can actually feel in our hearts what the stakes of this moment actually …

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
4 Jan 2024
2023 favorites on Weighing A Pig schicksalgemeinschaft.wordpr…

2023 FAVORITES

I started 39 titles in 2023. It seems like I found a good ratio of speculative fiction and other stuff – some Dutch, some non-fiction, some regular literature. We’ll see how it goes in …

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
28 Nov 2023
I've written a review, but I still don't really know what I think of this book. Both harsh & epic, and deadpan comedy. #IndependentPeople #HalldorLaxness More on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8zw

INDEPENDENT PEOPLE – Halldór Laxness (1934-35)

“Some people grumble about monotony, – such complaints are the marks of immaturity, sensible people don’t like things happening.” I have no idea how this book first showed u…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
15 Nov 2023
I'm an unapologetic fanboy of the hypetrain TV show Succession, and if you are too, know that reading the scripts (published by @FaberBooks) is a blast as well. #Succession #JesseArmstrong #HBO More on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8yY

SUCCESSION: SEASON ONE: THE COMPLETE SCRIPTS – Jesse Armstrong (2023)

I guess HBO’s TV series Succession doesn’t need a lot of introduction for those in the mainstream media loop. Its 4 seasons aired in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Collectively the series s…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
2 Nov 2023
Finally a #PKD I really liked. #scifi More on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8xW

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE – Philip K. Dick (1962)

Glad that I finally read this – the first PKD I truly liked. Reading it almost never happened, as after Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said I decided to stop seeking out more Philip K. Dick. Bu…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
25 Oct 2023
A sprawling story that keeps on doing unexpected things without feeling contrived. #RalphAzham @lewistrondheim @PapercutzGN More on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8y2

RALPH AZHAM – Lewis Trondheim (2010-2019)

Lewis Trondheim is no small name in the world of comics. In 2006 he won the Grand Prix de la ville d’Angoulême, a life time achievement award, and arguably the most prestigious award in the f…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
2 Oct 2023
A deserved classic! #TheMartianChronicles #RayBradbury More on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8xv

THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES – Ray Bradbury (1950)

The Martian Chronicles is one of those titles I saw listed again and again as one of science fiction’s key texts – it ranks sixth on the aggregate list Classics of Science Fiction. But …

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
18 Sep 2023
'The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age' is one of the key texts of speculative fiction. Highly, highly recommended. #Cyberiad #StanislavLem #scifi More on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8xd

THE CYBERIAD – Stanisłav Lem (1965)

Cyberiada is a short story collection by Stanisłav Lem. Michael Kandel’s outstanding translation appeared in 1974, but omits five stories that were in the Polish edition. Lem writes about Tru…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
22 Aug 2023
An “influencer comedy of horrors billed as A Clockwork Orange meets RuPaul’s Drag Race“ according to some. Shortlisted for the BFA. A curious book, daring in a way, but not without fault either. #Glitterati #scifi #OliverLangmead More on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8wu

GLITTERATI – Oliver K. Langmead (2022)

Glitterati is a “influencer comedy of horrors billed as A Clockwork Orange meets RuPaul’s Drag Race”, according to New Scientist, who included it in their list of best speculative ficti…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
6 Aug 2023
Review of KSR's Galileo's Dream. Part historical biography, part meditation on science, part time-travel adventure. No mean feat. #KimStanleyRobinson #scifi @ksrinfo More on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8vB

GALILEO’S DREAM – Kim Stanley Robinson (2009)

Robinson called Wolf Hall one of his favorite novels, and coincidentally he published a biographical novel the same year in which Mantel’s book on Thomas Cromwell appeared. Robinson’s i…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
17 Jun 2023
Best book I've read this year so far. Harrison is 77 and might have dropped his best yet. A memoir of sorts, and a lot of insightful stuff on writing. Should appeal to anyone interested in story, narrative, culture. @serpentstail More on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8uO

WISH I WAS HERE – M. John Harrison (2023)

“How do you know what to say before you know how to say it?” I’ve read most of Harrison’s 21st century output, and loved it all – aside from Empty Space, which I DNFed…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
5 Jun 2023
All these people that were shocked, have they been paying attention to the world? Not as good as #Lapvona, but still an excellent read. #OttessaMoshfegh #MyYearOfRestAndRelaxation #literature More on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8uk

MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION – Ottessa Moshfegh (2018)

“Having a trash chute was one of my favorite things about my building. It made me feel important, like I was participating in the world.” Moshfegh’s most recent book, 2022’s…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
26 May 2023
The Shalamov comes as close as can be to one of those books you have to read if you want to understand humanity and human history. Powerful stuff. Sorokin's Telluria, on the contrary, didn't do much for me. wp.me/p1tcLv-8tB

KOLYMA STORIES – Varlam Shalamov (1954-1965, transl. 2018) & TELLURIA – Vladimir Sorokin (2013,...

Two very different books this time, both translated from Russian, both published by New York Review Books, and both collections of short stories of sorts. Telluria is a work of speculative fiction,…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
8 May 2023
A microcosmos of Greg Egan's oeuvre. #gregegan #scifi #hardscifi #Diaspora #transhumanism More on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8tf

DIASPORA – Greg Egan (1997)

Before this, I had read 6 Egan titles: 4 novels, 2 novellas. Judged by those, his work is remarkably consistent thematically, even though the reading experiences themselves differ widely – Eg…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
20 Apr 2023
I can easily recommend David Auerbach's new book #Meganets - on the uncontrollability of the contemporary internet. It's an important topic that needs our attention. That said, I have a few conceptual criticisms. More on Weighing A Pig... wp.me/p1tcLv-8sI

MEGANETS: HOW DIGITAL FORCES BEYOND OUR CONTROL COMMANDEER OUR DAILY LIVES AND INNER REALITIES –...

I’ve always been impressed by the writing on David Auerbach’s blog. His article The Bloodsport of the Hive Mind: Common Knowledge in the Age of Many-to-Many Broadcast Networks should be…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
31 Mar 2023
Fresh, snappy military epic fantasy from the 80ies. Easily stands the test of time and betters most of today's bloated stuff.#GlenCook #theblackcompany #fantasy More on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-8rw

SHADOWS LINGER – Glen Cook (1984)

Glen Cook was already an experienced writer when he published The Black Company in May 1984: I counted 9 novels. The Black Company would spawn 11 novels and a bunch of short fiction. Shadows Linger…

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Brt Brgmns@Bormgans
22 Mar 2023
I wrote about two Becher books, published in 2005 & 2022. The reviews turned into a short essay about why I like Bernd & Hilla Becher's work so much. @SFMOMA #berndundhillabecher #photography #contemporaryart More on Weighing A Pig Doesn't Fatten It: wp.me/p1tcLv-8po
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