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1. Embed this notice
   Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 04-Jan-2025 04:55:17 JST Molly White

   in case you needed a reason to volunteer at your local public library: today the librarians let me pick a theme for and then curate one of the featured displays.

   time to get this town reading more space operas!

   #PublicLibraries

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 04-Jan-2025 05:05:54 JST Molly White

     in reply to

     some of my picks, in case you want to read along virtually...
     * All Systems Red, Martha Wells
     * Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie
     * Empire of Silence, Christopher Ruocchio
     * Leviathan Wakes, James A. Corey
     * Saga (graphic novel), Brian K. Vaughan
     * Shards of Earth, Adrian Tchaikovsky
     * The Three Body Problem, Liu Cixin

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 04-Jan-2025 05:10:44 JST Molly White

     in reply to

     Also:
     * Collapsing Empire, John Scalzi
     * Foundation, Isaac Asimov
     * Olympios, Dan Simmons
     * The Stars are Legion, Kameron Hurley

     Was working with a somewhat limited selection, or else I’d have tucked in some others

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 04-Jan-2025 06:05:54 JST Molly White

     in reply to

     Here's the full list in one post for bookmarking:
     https://www.mollywhite.net/micro/entry/202501031454

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 04-Jan-2025 06:14:41 JST Molly White

     in reply to

     • Benny

     @SignorMacchina Neuromancer is so good!

   • Embed this notice
     Benny (signormacchina@hessen.social)'s status on Saturday, 04-Jan-2025 06:14:42 JST Benny

     in reply to

     @molly0xfff The Three Body Problem trilogy is already in my book shelf, Foundation not (yet), but the Neuromancer trilogy.
     And after watching the Peripheral series and hearing about it's cancellation I'm thinking about adding the currently available books of the Jackpot trilogy (Peripheral, Agency) to my collection.

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 04-Jan-2025 09:12:12 JST Molly White

     in reply to

     • Jessamyn

     @jessamyn I was wondering if I would be able to find a dozen or so I needed for a display but i was pleasantly surprised!

   • Embed this notice
     Jessamyn (jessamyn@glammr.us)'s status on Saturday, 04-Jan-2025 09:12:13 JST Jessamyn

     in reply to

     @molly0xfff fantastic, I have definitely read most of those (and should probably read the others) and I am actually surprised you could find that many space operas but maybe that's just me reflecting on my library's own deficiencies in the space opera category.

   • Embed this notice
     Brian Beach (haiku_brian@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 04-Jan-2025 10:03:14 JST Brian Beach

     in reply to

     @molly0xfff Thanks for the recommendations!

     I just finished The Three Body Problem, and was trying to decide what book to read on a long flight tomorrow. Gonna try an new-to-me author and go with Shards of Honor.

     I’ve read and liked many of the books on your list.

   • Embed this notice
     LDRF (radome@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 04-Jan-2025 22:40:47 JST LDRF

     in reply to

     @molly0xfff great list, I’d add Asimov’s “The Gods Themselves” as it fits well in the current tech-political climate https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_Themselves

   • Embed this notice
     Ricardo Carvalho (rabc@hachyderm.io)'s status on Wednesday, 08-Jan-2025 05:57:07 JST Ricardo Carvalho

     in reply to

     @molly0xfff so, I took the freedom to make a BookWyrm list in case anyone is interested in check the list: https://bookwyrm.social/list/3488/s/molly-whites-curated-list-of-space-operas

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 03:45:33 JST Molly White

     in reply to

     update: the library director was in today and showed me his secret space opera hoard. new additions to the list:
     * August Kitko and the Mechas from Space, Alex White
     * You Sexy Thing, Cat Rambo

     (haven’t read yet, but he highly recommends)

     he also had two of the books i’d been wanting to include in the display!

     * The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Becky Chambers
     * Ninefox Gambit, Yoon Ha Lee

   • Embed this notice
     Sherri (spark44029@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 04:22:07 JST Sherri

     in reply to

     @molly0xfff Total agreement! Are you a fan of Black Jack? Dauntless by Jack Campbell has the fastest take-off of any book I have ever read.

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 04:22:07 JST Molly White

     in reply to

     • Sherri

     @Spark44029 haven’t read it!

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 04:25:23 JST Molly White

     in reply to

     btw if you thought this was a list of only 20 or so books, i failed to mention that almost every one is the first in a series. you’ve got 100+ books here

   • Embed this notice
     Different Than (guyjantic@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 04:26:17 JST Different Than

     in reply to

     @molly0xfff ooh, new space opera for me!

     Because someone said the words, I'll recommend my favorite space opera: The Hellflower trilogy by Eluki Bes Shahar (or Bes'Shahar or Bes-Shahar; I've seen it spelled all those ways).

     Elevator pitch: Han Solo as a world-weary, nonwhite middle-aged woman eking out a living after escaping oppression. She ends up entwined (not like that) with a young, naive, confused (because events) super-assasin-type guy from a super-assassin-type genetically engineered lineage. She tries to keep his culture of honor and temper from getting him (and her) killed. Also she is carrying around a piece of "pain-of-death-illegal" tech from the Before Times.

     Bes-Shahar created an entire slang/dialect for her main character, and everything is in first person, so there's a little learning curve. It's worth it!

     The slang/dialect feels a lot like 1930s gangster-speak sometimes, but you gotta believe me it works.

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 04:26:17 JST Molly White

     in reply to

     • Different Than

     @guyjantic strong pitch

   • Embed this notice
     James Baker 🍁 (grumpusnation@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 04:28:52 JST James Baker 🍁

     in reply to

     @molly0xfff I didn’t see it on the original list you posted, but is Catherynne Valente’s “Space Opera” anywhere on there? https://everybookadoorway.com/glitter-is-punk-actually-space-opera-by-catherynne-m-valente/

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 04:29:19 JST Molly White

     in reply to

     • James Baker 🍁

     @GrumpusNation haven’t read it yet but the blurb sounds incredible

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 04:32:49 JST Molly White

     • Glitzersachen.de

     @glitzersachen oop, fixed

   • Embed this notice
     Melting Voices (chaosresearchparty@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 05:09:27 JST Melting Voices

     in reply to

     • David

     @deFractal @molly0xfff what is this secret meaning

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 05:09:27 JST Molly White

     in reply to

     • Melting Voices

     @chaosresearchparty “alt text continued”. the image is just a placeholder to make space for alt text from the first image that was too long to fit in the character limit

   • Embed this notice
     David (defractal@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 05:09:28 JST David

     in reply to

     @molly0xfff I particularly respect inclusion of "alt text cont'd."

   • Embed this notice
     Bartosz Rakowski (rakowskibartosz@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 05:16:24 JST Bartosz Rakowski

     in reply to

     @molly0xfff i enjoyed the Algebraist. Wish you enjoy it too

   • Embed this notice
     Derek Price (dprice@fosstodon.org)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 06:59:48 JST Derek Price

     in reply to

     @molly0xfff Unfortunately, The Algebraist is not available in the states due to some publisher issue

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 06:59:48 JST Molly White

     in reply to

     • Derek Price

     @dprice hmm? i had no problem getting a copy

   • Embed this notice
     Derek Price (dprice@fosstodon.org)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 07:23:16 JST Derek Price

     in reply to

     @molly0xfff Weird. The Amazon web site said it was unavailable but I was able to buy it on my Kindle after downloading a sample 🤷♂️

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 07:23:16 JST Molly White

     in reply to

     • Derek Price

     @dprice strange!

   • Embed this notice
     Molly White (molly0xfff@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 09:46:09 JST Molly White

     in reply to

     • S38

     @sab38 the link to the original post is upthread and my site has dark mode

   • Embed this notice
     S38 (sab38@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 11-Jan-2025 09:46:10 JST S38

     in reply to

     @molly0xfff

     Could these bright white images just be text?

     I can't read the small black on white text on my narrow screen. Even the bright white hurts my eyes just scrolling through my feed. I would prefer to use my own text theme.

     Since you are nicely doing alt text anyway the images are really redundant.