Robotswithpersonality

Robotswithpersonality

Why We Make Things and Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman | Peter Korn

We love a good simile. 🌬️💨

2 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Why We Make Things and Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman | Peter Korn

😬🫣

4 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Why We Make Things and Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman | Peter Korn

Today's 'scratched my brain just right' sentence.

4 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Why We Make Things and Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman | Peter Korn

“...craft's materiality imposes cooperation on the sometimes discordant factions of the mind...Thus the holistic quality of craft lies not only in engaging the whole person, but also in harmonizing [their] understanding of [themselves] in the world.“

4 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Why We Make Things and Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman | Peter Korn

“... intellect, manual skill...when you add in the creative component of design, craft becomes a fully integrated application of one's capacities....pleasure and empowerment...like an engine firing smoothly on all pistons...“ 😌❤️

5 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-Reader | Vivian Gornick

pan

Hard to look at this one objectively, the premise holds such potential and I feel thwarted by this particular execution.
Choosing a selection of nine books or authors, coming back to these works over a period of decades, reflecting on what the books had to say to a person at different times in their lives, relating to the authors' lives as well as pivotal moments in your own, is in itself an essay collection with dash of memoir I could get on 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? board with, especially as the author is a competent and seemingly insightful writer.
The tricky part lies in what is chosen for close reading and personal reflection: I don't think there was a single book covered that I had an interest in reading upon hearing more about it. It's objectively interesting to see a shift in perception about characters, motivations, inner lives, author influences, especially as it relates to the reader's life, 3d

Robotswithpersonality 3/? but there seems to be a large proportion of what my approaching-40 self now classifies as unnecessary drama in the telling. [And not for nothing, but the maddening character psychoanalyzed and prescribed with religious mania and rather clumsily alternately as frigid and asexual was not a fun reading experience.] 3d

Robotswithpersonality 4/4 Speaking of fun reading experiences, if anyone knows of other non-fiction takes on re-reading, especially exploring the habit itself, I'd love to move from specifics of one person with a set of books, to either one person investigating the phenomena as a passion/proclivity among readers, and/or collating responses from many people about books they like to reread.
⚠️animal abuse, animal death

3d

Robotswithpersonality Not the auspicious start to Non-Fiction November I was hoping for. 🤷🏼‍♂️ Back from vacation now and hoping for some more satisfying reads in the month. 3d

10 likes1 stack add4 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature | Becky Siegel Spratford

pick

This collection gets all the love for the essays I truly enjoyed, but I will say there's a variance, in the quality of the writing, in how the author's chose to address, or seemingly not quite address the topic suggested by the title of the collection.
I don't know if it's a matter of understanding or not understanding the assignment, I think it's more accurate to say that there are essays 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? from authors talking from a memoir perspective about what was formative to their experience of horror, that made them fall in love with the genre at large, in various media, those that talk about their experience of horror, of trauma, and how fictional horror helps, and those talking about the writing of horror and what it means to them. And there are various essays that include multiple or all of these components. 1w

Robotswithpersonality 3/? I will say a number of authors make specific reference to particular personal traumas, so be prepared.

My favourites:
Stephen Graham Jones - Why Horror?: Of course. I love his writing style, anyone who's read the acknowledgements in his books, knows they're in for a treat, his earnest appreciation, the hilarious metaphors.
For similar reasons I loved Gabino Iglesias's Horror is Life: A Blood-Soaked Love Letter.
1w

Robotswithpersonality 4/? Rachel Harrison - Permission to Scream: I loved everything about this, think I officially enjoy her non-fiction writing more than her novels.

Paul Tremblay: An enchanting and concise way to talk about history of experiences with horror and the love of the genre.

Clay McLeod Chapman: Especially liked the end. 1w

See All 7 Comments

Robotswithpersonality 5/? Victor LaValle- Horror Saved My Life:
Just a wonderful experience to read his writing.

Haley Piper - The Giant Footprint of Horror: Apparently I love Hailey Piper's non-fiction writing, I should probably try her fiction writing!

David Demchuck - Of Monsters and Men: To tell a story and also make it an opportunity to write about the reasons you love horror and your personal experiences with it. THIS is how you do it. 1w

Robotswithpersonality 6/? Grady Hendrix - Why I Love Horror: Vulnerable and unsettling, while emphasizing what horror provides in the way of spine chilling doubt, quality work.

Definitely a recognition of seeing oneself in The Other, in horror in a number of essays, particularly liked those from Tananarive Due, Jennifer McMahon. (edited) 1w

Robotswithpersonality 7/? I do appreciate that the editor has a background in horror reader recommendations and she provides an introduction to each author and suggests a starting point and a similar author for further reading, but I do feel like the effort to explain why these essays were arranged in the order and grouping they were in every introduction occasionally felt forced, overall an unnecessary inclusion.

1w

Robotswithpersonality 8/8 ⚠️domestic abuse, child abuse, suicidal ideation, self-harm, miscarriages 1w

8 likes7 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature | Becky Siegel Spratford

...a historical war... And I hope it stays there. 😮‍💨

7 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature | Becky Siegel Spratford

From “Permission to Scream “ by Rachel Harrison.

7 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Clouds of Witness | Dorothy L. Sayers

“facts...nasty, hard things, all knobs.“ ☺️

8 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Clouds of Witness | Dorothy L. Sayers

so-so

I do treasure a cheeky last line.
I'll admit to being a bit surprised that this one felt so much more like a court drama than a classic mystery, it was technically following the beats of looking for clues, discovering evidence, but Wimsey seems to play a smaller role in figuring things out, we get less fun or incisive character moments with him and Bunter, less cozy or outrageous about town moments, and there were large swathes 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? of news coverage and deposition.
Classism plays a major role, because I had no idea (and hope it's not still the practice) that peers of the realm were given an entirely different process within the justice system after initial charges are brought, and it's clear that the Lords and Duchesses are given every consideration during the investigation while the common folk and the less well off minglers in a certain echelon of society, 1w

Robotswithpersonality 3/? are often depicted with less intelligence, less manners, and more readily suspicious motives.
It doesn't appear that the central male characters of the story are treating the female characters with much more consideration than in the first novel of this series, but you do get a broader range and a clearer picture of what the womenfolk have in the way of restricted options in the time period of the novel. 1w

Robotswithpersonality 4/? Mary Wimsey, who couldn't pursue her original love interest because the family wouldn't allow it and she had no funds without their approval, who could only reconsider once the man found a job that could also offer her a modest salary as a secretary alongside, who alternatively planned to marry a man who guaranteed her a certain level of indifferent independence and an approved match that would secure her inheritance; 1w

See All 6 Comments

Robotswithpersonality 5/? Mrs Grimethorpe, suffering an appalling amount of physical violence from her husband, which no one in her immediate circle has worked to put a stop to, who feared for her life if she tried to leave, attempting to find solace with another man who didn't bother to try to lift her out of her circumstances, as men of his station are so used to having a wife and entitled to whomever else as well; 1w

Robotswithpersonality 6/? Simone Vonderaa, a mistress whom everyone understands has to look out for her own interests, going where the money is even if it devastates a former lover/supporter, because she needs a source of income that again, necessarily comes from a man. Pretty grim. 1w

Robotswithpersonality 7/7 As with many other series, I'll let the third book help me decide to continue or not based on whether it offers the same kind of promise as the first, or suggests it's not a series to wallow in if it drags about like certain portions of the second.
⚠️Domestic abuse, suicide 1w

7 likes6 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature | Becky Siegel Spratford

Spirit bar in the bathroom, with 'wretched hive of scum and villainy' vibes. The visual! 🤩

9 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature | Becky Siegel Spratford

Wh- Hey! I want that story, too! 👀

7 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Clouds of Witness | Dorothy L. Sayers

The ultimate physical form of a detective? 🕵🏼‍♂️🤔

10 likes1 stack add

Robotswithpersonality

Why We Make Things and Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman | Peter Korn

Thanks, Mom. ☺️ 🏦💸

11 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature | Becky Siegel Spratford

“Now you know how I feel. And if you already felt it? Then you know you aren't the only one.“ ♥️

9 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature | Becky Siegel Spratford

Aspects of my personality, also well-represented communities on Tumblr...😏

8 likes1 stack add

Robotswithpersonality

Why We Make Things and Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman | Peter Korn

“...life is a process of continual becoming.“

12 likes1 stack add

Robotswithpersonality

The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand | Christopher Golden, Brian Keene

pick

It's tricky putting together an anthology based on a well-known, LONG book. Because there's a lot of material you could expand upon, and while I respect the authors' creative impulse to take inspiration as they find it, I don't know that that matches up with the readers' interest in what they'd like to see more of based on The Stand. Half of this book or more, dwells on stories involved in the admittedly lengthy beginnings of The Stand: 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/?!people are sick, people are dying, those left are dreaming, need to find a way out, [ then have to choose a community, have to meditate on where they fall in an impending war between agents of good and evil.] While each author had a different story to tell, it's hard not to see them blurring together when so many focus on the early days of sickness, death, chaos, and figuring out where to go. I think it's very understandable post-COVID, 3w

Robotswithpersonality 3/? that the initial plague times are what captured so many imaginations, people who wanted to write about a moment that mirros what they've experienced in their lifetime. But in The Stand, the beginning stages let us get to know an emerging cast of characters and start following them on their journeys, while in this short story anthology, you get the same plot beats, over, and over, and over, until basically part 3.
3w

Robotswithpersonality 4/? The reading process for me, just made clear that what I wanted to see was
a) more backstory on certain characters (didn't get it)
b) tales that actually take place outside the events in The Stand - aka what happened AFTER? Suffice to say, a horror anthology is not the best place to go looking for HEA. 3w

See All 28 Comments

Robotswithpersonality 5/? It's useful to recognize my unreasonable expectations both because it might warn off those who are looking for the same thing, and because it lets me judge the book as whole more fairly, on its own merits. And there are stories in here I LOVED. ♥️

I do wish there had been more of part 3 and 4 than there was of part 1 and 2, though if there were too many 'post-apocalyptic life sucks' stories, as opposed to those with a more hopeful end, 3w

Robotswithpersonality 6/? it would have gotten as redundant in tone as part 1.

That said, here's my brief reaction summary of each of the stories - I THINK I've avoided spoilers.

Room 24: Yuck

⚠️stalking, domestic abuse, child death 3w

Robotswithpersonality 7/? The Tripps:
Mother Abagail mention, violence and poverty experienced by urban Black populations in America, repeated references to what drug trade has done to Block communities, Flagg's influence leading to destruction of families

⚠️gore, child death

Bright Light City:
Great pacing, action, get a feel for characters immediately, real personal stakes, just a bit of hope by the end, my kind of horror ♥️
3w

Robotswithpersonality 8/? ⚠️mention of animal cruelty

Every Dog Has Its Day:

Still intense, but grateful for that ending

⚠️Animal death, suicidal ideation

Lockdown:
I like the detail of a historian referencing 1918 flu and probable outcomes, refreshing to see people listening to experts, influence of the Walking Dude or just humanity trying to keep its own little slice to itself? 3w

Robotswithpersonality 9/? In a Pig's Eye:
Went gross in the details a bit, but a hopeful end for hero and heroine, and again a smaller echo of the good v evil, the choice humanity makes in plague conditions

⚠️animal cruelty, cannibalism, gore

Lenora:
A favourite. ♥️
So much grief, but so heartbreakingly tender

⚠️mention of child death, torture, animal cruelty, animal death, suicide attempt 3w

Robotswithpersonality 10/? The Hope Boat:
Left me feeling a little blank. Realistic reaction, situation, but didn't feel I was sharing in the emotional turmoil of the character, possibly story not done a service by being preceded by one that rocked me.

⚠️Child death 3w

Robotswithpersonality 11/? Wrong Fucking Place, Wrong Fucking Time:
I KNEW the C. Robert Cargill would end up being a favourite. I knew he could throw down western style with sci fi/robots but I had no idea he could so handily do meta-horror. Truly fantastic.
I loved his Sea of Rust series, but now I definitely want to investigate his horror short story collection We are Where the Nightmares Go. ♥️ If you like Stephen Graham Jones horror, I think you would love this. 3w

Robotswithpersonality 12/? Prey Instinct:
Mourning a loss of queer relationship, loved one, amidst the plague, backed by AIDS crisis, morphed into fear of all comers, feels like there's also a theme of female violence unleashed, prey and predator, does feel like it was the beginning of something rather than a whole on its own.

Grace:
I mean...being in a spaceship above the earth is already a terrifying concept for me. Adding life and death stakes influenced by the 3w

Robotswithpersonality 13/? forces prevalent in The Stand just heightens things. I do appreciate that ending.
⚠️Suicide

Moving Day:
I liked the writing style, this sense of small town individuals but somewhat wholesome v. horrible experiences, on the cusp of a coming of age narrative, for what I know of this author's writing, tragic ending of only female characters listed sounds typical

⚠️Suicide 3w

Robotswithpersonality 14/? La Mala Hora:
Just something about the writing style didn't grab me, melodramatic in perfect stakes to be meleodramatic, but I was getting soap opera over sincerity

The African Painted Dog:
Here for an animal POV and that ending, just wish things weren't so miserable in the middle

⚠️Animal cruelty, animal death 3w

Robotswithpersonality 15/? Till Human Voices Wake Us, And We Drown:
Nope. Too much weird ass shit that didn't end up amounting to much. Not even sure how to phrase the content warnings beyond 'ick'.

Kovach's Last Case:
Main character feels very personable, the kind of detective I'd be happy to read in a series, but this story definitely felt like the introduction to something we didn't see completed.
3w

Robotswithpersonality 16/? Make Your Own Way:
Felt like a western transposed to modern day, not traditionally a girl and her horse story kind of person, but I appreciate an independent heroine

I Love the Dead:
I'll admit what I've heard of Malerman didn't make me think I'd like his writing, and in this instance I was proved right. Tense without a reason or real pay off, following a perspective I didn't find engaging
3w

Robotswithpersonality 17/? Milagros:
Refreshing to get a perspective outside the US, but as the narrative was very much classic short horror, the defeat of hope, not to my taste

Legion of Swine:
Just a moment, really, but as written by S.A.A Cosby, it was a compelling moment

Keep the Devil down:
Pacing drove me crackers, but I actually like the sorry, felt like a full arc
3w

Robotswithpersonality 18/? Across the Pond:
Extra dark in the UK, but it does lend balance to the collection to have stories from Flag's followers' perspective as well, which is about the only positive thing I have to say about it
⚠️SA

The Boatman:
I've had Tananarive Due on my TBR for a while but I think this story is going to help me actually pick up one of her books, vivid characters, great pace, I wanted there to be more of the story because I liked the writing 3w

Robotswithpersonality 19/? but it didn't necessarily feel incomplete as a short story

The Story I Tell is The Story of Some of Us:
Knew I could already enjoy Paul Tremblay's writing from Horror Movie. I've heard the character name mentioned associated with another of his novels, I'm impressed that the story managed to feel complete without me having read the book. Great voice, distinctive palaver, kind of sweet and melancholy as well as horrific.
3w

Robotswithpersonality 20/? The Mosque at the End of the World:
Excellent. Feels like one of the few stories that used the plague as a jumping off point to tell a truly complete and unique story, I do wonder if that geographical and cultural distance from many of the US-centric stories added to that feeling of freshness, but regardless this was superbly engaging storytelling: and that fantastical showdown reveal? *Chef's kiss*. ♥️
3w

Robotswithpersonality 21/? Abigail's Gethsemane:
MMM, put it this way, if I wasn't an atheist, this probably would have hit differently. I think there's an interesting parallel in here about individual and community struggles of Black people in the face of systematic racism, and particularly racially-motivated violence, and the struggle of a person of faith with doubt in the face of evil.
⚠️Racism, hate crime murder/lynching 3w

Robotswithpersonality 22/? He's a Righteous Man:
Damn. That ending, that final line, the twist, the symbolism, the commentary. Perfectly haunting.♥️

Awaiting Orders in Flaggston
Well that was bleak.
⚠️ Torture
3w

Robotswithpersonality 23/? Grand Junction:
Again, no surprise that I liked a story from an author I've loved before. I feel like the father/son dynamic, the many faces of evil are themes I recognize from The Book of Accidents. Well structured arc and twist, great ending.

Hunted to Extinction:
Impressive to consider a future post-Stand that's actually darker than what was on page in cannon, intriguing fantastical element, and hey! Finally a story set in Canada! 3w

Robotswithpersonality 24/? Came the Last Night of Sadness:
Catherynne M. Valente coming in clutch with a future element hinted at the end of The Stand, and building on an event in the book that it never occurred to me could go in this direction, and expanding wildly from there, classically from her, the sense of horror is swimming amidst the fantastical, a young woman who is more, and her choices 3w

Robotswithpersonality 25/? The Devil's Children
A possible post-Stand future relegating status to comparative immunity, the threat of infection and wiping out communities on a smaller scale than the plague, with a heck of a reversal by the end. I think there's also some underlying commentary about historical travesties: medical testing on minority populations without their knowledge or consent, forcing indigenous populations into reservations, not honouring treaties. 3w

Robotswithpersonality 26/? The plot was just right for the amount of pages, but I feel like to carry such heavy themes, it needed to be longer, to explore them in depth. 3w

Robotswithpersonality 27/? The Unfortunate Convalescence of the SuperLawyer:
And the award for going the farthest out with the smallest of inspiration goes to...a fascinating, psychedelic alternative explored. That author's note at the end does a lot of heavy lifting. There's other aspects of the text that make me thing there are literary references, beyond Lord of the Rings, that I'm missing, possibly even from other Stephen King books I haven't read. 3w

Robotswithpersonality 28/? One hell of a trippy ride. If you like stories that get a little meta about the idea of stories, I think you'll like this one.

Walk on Gilded Splinters:
Classic worst-case post-apocalyptic scenario, digital and print records destroyed, humankind has backslid into savagery and superstition, trying to claw back the hallmarks of civilization by crude guesswork and reinvention. Oh, and building a gospel around THAT character? No thank you.
3w

Robotswithpersonality 29/29 ⚠️SA, mention of cannibalism 3w

7 likes28 comments

Robotswithpersonality

The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand | Christopher Golden, Brian Keene

Today's 'scratched my brain just right' sentence.💙

Sparklemn Oh yes! 3w

9 likes1 comment

Robotswithpersonality

The Bakery Dragon and the Fairy Cake | Devin Elle Kurtz

pick

To no one's surprise, I had a great time reading this. I'll admit to being biased towards the first book in what looks to be a series, but this one followed in its footsteps with lovely illustrations and a good message. The shift to cakes in the narrative means somewhat of a pastel departure from the rich tones of the original, and similarly, there was a beautiful contrast between earlier moments of loneliness and concern to warmth 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? and understanding in the original, whereas this one felt lower stakes, there was consternation before knowledge gained but not quite the same sense of reconciliation and triumph in bringing a community together with bread as there was here in expanding one's repertoire with baked goods.
4w

Robotswithpersonality 3/3 On the 'not reading too much in to it' side of things, it's sweet, and good for all ages, and I'll admit that I love that Kurtz found a way to promote the public library in a story about bakery dragons and vegetable fairies. 4w

9 likes2 comments

Robotswithpersonality

The Bakery Dragon and the Fairy Cake | Devin Elle Kurtz

When in doubt, go to the library. 🥰

9 likes

Robotswithpersonality

The Bakery Dragon and the Fairy Cake | Devin Elle Kurtz

Reminder for Ember: Shiny coins are NOT worth more. 😊💰

10 likes1 stack add

Robotswithpersonality

Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil | Ananda Lima

pick

Not quite as straightforward as a series of linked short stories, even the interstitials between each short story don't quite fall into a single chain, but there's certainly an interplay, a weaving in and out of themes, characters and imagery. For those wondering: no, it's not horror, though the Devil pops up occasionally to act as muse or seeker of stories, to seemingly offer aid or apologize for when he cannot, indicating his age old role 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? as scapegoat and his inability to will things like shitty presidents and pandemics out of existence. It lends the book a touch of the surreal; the majority of the writing is contemporary, focusing on the modern anxieties of immigrants in America, of an unnamed female writer.
4w

Robotswithpersonality 3/? Capturing the essence of the interstitials, the even shorter moments between short stories is hard to condense but engaging - below are thoughts on the actually titled short stories.

Rapture: a bit surreal, the Devil's costume dubbed 'the future' is chilling 4w

Robotswithpersonality 4/? Ghost Story: anxieties of dealing with aging parents, living too far away to visit regularly, living away from the country and culture you grew up in, looking for inspiration, Devil as muse?
4w

See All 10 Comments

Robotswithpersonality 5/? Tropicàlia: pretty sure it's riffing on Kafka's Metamorphosis, but that's only based on what I know of it in pop culture as I haven't read it, clearly touching on anxiety of immigrants, documented vs undocumented, visas, trying to find work, microaggressions and systematic racism in the workplace, ratchets the tension by mirroring events looking back and forward with timeline of approaching eclipse 4w

Robotswithpersonality 6/? Antropófaga:
Surreal, I think it's talking about being poisoned by the hate/intolerance of certain white American conservative mindset, by American processed food, and possibly by manual labour working with harsh chemicals in the type of position where a new immigrant might find work? About being swallowed by a system that doesn't care, about possibly being absorbed into a similar mindset if you're not careful.
⚠️Child loss/miscarriage, 4w

Robotswithpersonality 7/? body horror, cannibalism(?)

Idle Hands: LOVED it. Telling a story via a variety of different people's correspondence/feedback (set up in the last interstitial as likely members of a writers workshop group) on the short story rather than reading the story itself, also getting an indication of how a story can strike so many people differently, reveal their own perspective, biases, the spectrum of each basically liking and critiquing different 4w

Robotswithpersonality 8/? elements, and that dry hilarity in the background of recognizing that in theory a writer has to take all this disparate feedback sincerely and decide what direction to take the story in, what changes it make, if any - since all together either everything about the story is great or everything 'needs work'. 4w

Robotswithpersonality 9/? Rent: revenge and exorcism in one elegant motion, and a tie back to earlier story ideas, I like it

Porcelain: I think that was a story about yearning for companionship during COVID lockdown...a unique way to get there

⚠️mention of animal death
4w

Robotswithpersonality 10/? Heaven, Hell and Purgatory: I dunno, all three of those sounded like vaguely nightmarish scenarios, I think it was on purpose

Triptych: Hasselblad
One's former selves, reflecting upon youth and the passage of time, what can be appreciated across generations (art, photography) 4w

Robotswithpersonality 11/11 Certainly not what I thought I was getting when I picked it up, but I like the writing, and the author's creative formatting, leaving doubt as to how many layers of story there are, who the described writer is...😏 4w

7 likes10 comments

Robotswithpersonality

The Creative Lives of Animals | Carol Gigliotti

Welcome home, dear. 👁️

8 likes1 stack add

Robotswithpersonality

Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil | Ananda Lima

Okay, new first place in memorable dedications! 😈

Sparklemn Best dedication ever! 😈 1mo

dabbe You don't see that every day! 🖤 1mo

10 likes1 stack add2 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror | Ashley Cullins

pick

That was so much fun! This book truly is a love letter to the films, to their place in the horror genre, the self-made whodunnit slasher subgenre. I'd say this is definitely more of a film history, sharing the ins and outs of how each movie was made, but among the reflections and reminiscences there are discussions about how each instance and the series as a whole differs from other horror/slasher movies, 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? how it influenced generations of people in film, including many who ended up working on the later instalments.
I was equal parts enchanted and surprised by the joy and warmth of everyone interviewed. I don't want to be so cynical as to suggest it's all the rose-coloured glasses of nostalgia or the understandable diplomacy of people still in the business and involved in the franchise. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? It is wonderful to hear that so many in Hollywood had a good experience involving this series, and I do appreciate that when things were not going smoothly for Scream 4, when the first attempt at Scream 7 fell apart, the book doesn't shy away from documenting the circumstances.
On the lighter side, again, I loved all the trivia, the movie magic, the kismet and the shenanigans. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? I'm glad for the insight, the thoughtful description of the work put into each film, particularly Scream 6, because I'll admit, it wasn't my favorite, and I think I value it more just knowing the effort involved.
I was overjoyed to learn tantalizing tidbits about the upcoming Scream 7 currently in production, though that does mean this is as close to a cliffhanger as a non-fiction book can get: I want to go see a film that won't be out 'til 1mo

See All 8 Comments

Robotswithpersonality 5/? next year! 😩 Suffice to say I'm pumped to see the direction they're going in, and I think if you're spoiler averse, you're not going to get any more out of this book than you would out of skimming the IMDB page, or probably watching the trailer whenever it comes out. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 6/? ⚠️I do want to flag a quoted reference to the 'casting couch' in relation to the plot of Scream 3. I found the phrasing quite uncomfortable. Even if the person quoted is clarifying their stance on the despicable real life criminal acts of Harvey Weinstein, I think there's an acknowledgement about coercion and abuse of power in sexual assault and harrassment cases that needed to happen after that quote to feel truly supportive of the Me Too 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 7/7 movement that unfortunately makes Scream 3 feel so relevant.
⚠️SA 1mo

Caroline2 Ohhhhh thanks for the heads up! I love the Scream films. I have such a vivid memory of seeing the first film in the cinema and being in awe!! Stacked. 👍 1mo

Robotswithpersonality @Caroline2 Most welcome, enjoy! 😊 4w

10 likes1 stack add8 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror | Ashley Cullins

An essential part of why I love them.

11 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror | Ashley Cullins

Today I learned shaving cream is the secret to getting fake blood off?! 🪒

11 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror | Ashley Cullins

Okay, but I really, really want to see the bedazzled Ghostface mask. 💎👻

8 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror | Ashley Cullins

Interior decorating? 🩸🫣

7 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror | Ashley Cullins

Happy little trees! 😁🌲🌳

10 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror | Ashley Cullins

5cream 😏 😱🥛

9 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror | Ashley Cullins

Relatable, yes! 😅♥️

9 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror | Ashley Cullins

I love it. ♥️👻☺️

8 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror | Ashley Cullins

🥹

5 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror | Ashley Cullins

Feels like a cornerstone of a healthy Hollywood set: if you as the director wouldn't feel comfortable doing it, don't make your actors do it. 👏🏻🩸

7 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror | Ashley Cullins

Promise I'll get back to absorbing nifty Scream movies trivia in a moment, just had to pause for this:
What do you mean TOM HANKS was in a slasher movie?! 🤯 Is this the same Tom Hanks? Was he not acting but directing/producing /writing? Which one feels odder? Was it early in his career? Did that wholesome fellow actually play creepy for once? Just gonna go IMDB...🤔

Lauranahe Well now I have to go look at IMDb. 1mo

Lauranahe Update: IT‘S REAL!? Bruh. 🤯 1mo

Robotswithpersonality @Lauranahe I love the IMDB trivia section being all: 'originally they were going to off Hanks character but he was too charismatic so they just didn't film it', if that doesn't say it all...💁🏼‍♂️ 1mo

11 likes3 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Play Nice | Rachel Harrison

🫢 Well that certainly creates a strong impression.

11 likes1 stack add

Robotswithpersonality

The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand | Christopher Golden, Brian Keene

Violent, but evocative. 🌄

7 likes

Robotswithpersonality

The Shattering Peace: The acclaimed Old Man's War series returns in this military sci-fi adventure | John Scalzi

pick

Okay, yes, I cried several times but I would NOT describe this as an emotionally devastating read. What it had to say, the strength of the relationships and the actions taken both as a result and in spite of those connections, to care for those around you, and also not just your own species at large, but the fate of a fragile peace for many beings, *UGH*, I love the way Scalzi writes this series. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? There are always stakes, there's always heart, there's always laughter and there is always badassery. Characters are relatable and legendary by turns. The promise and threat of progress, what people might do to further their own agenda, contrasted with what you might do to try and save those who don't wish to be part of a grander plan, there's always larger discussions going on in this series, amidst the hilarity and heartache. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? I would be happy if Scalzi never stopped writing these books.

Specifics:
Ran is a treasure.
Gretchen is GOAT. And I like that in the midst of truly ridiculous existential threats, the rekindling of her romance with Magdy doesn't have to be torrid, it can just be real and hopeful. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? I'm happy to see characters in this universe interact with the Consu in a more grounded fashion. [THE NAMING CONVENTION. *snrk* 😆]
Members of the (I think) newly introduced conclave alien species the Garvinn deliver almost as many choice one liners as Ran in their interactions with humans. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 5/5 The interplay between diplomats, military and scientists of various races is an engaging and snarky joy to witness.
The skip drive science speculates in a pleasing manner, and I never feel bogged down by too much tech talk.
1mo

9 likes4 comments

Robotswithpersonality

The Shattering Peace: The acclaimed Old Man's War series returns in this military sci-fi adventure | John Scalzi

Based on your behaviour. 👏🏻

11 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Lords and Ladies | Terry Pratchett

pick

Had a splendid time with this reread. Definitely one of my favourite of the witch books in the Discworld, for a number of reasons.
The concise manner in which the elves are portrayed as menacing by their very indifference to life (even outside the evil cat metaphor), Pratchett is able to make you creeped out and concerned in a few sentences. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Magrat's journey from putative witch to a soon-to-be-queen in her very own style feels even better the second time 'round, but this is definitely Esme's story. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? The insight into Granny Weatherwax, as she deals with upstarts from the possible next generation of witches, the influence of a thousand alternate world minds grazing hers, the road-not-taken narrative from a nostalgic wizard/almost beau, the outsized threat that is the Queen of the Fairies/Elves and a community that has to go from congenial disbelief to fear while fighting enchantment. It gives you bits of vulnerability, even humility, 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? in a character with a traditionally granite self-confidence, while also showing the efforts she goes to to protect, to do right.
You have Nanny Ogg there as stalwart friend to Weatherwax, clapping back and backing up as necessary, but you also have her as an irrepressible personality, pursued by Casanunda, the dwarf purported to be the second greatest lover in the world. (edited) 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 5/? For all the cheerful ribaldry that comes with Nanny's dialogue, it's sweet to see a swain court her so ardently, and refreshing to see Nanny not modify herself one jot for the purposes of appealing to the suitor.
I forgot the Librarian joined the wizards who visit Lancre for the upcoming nuptials and much like Nanny, it's always a good time when he's on the page. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 6/6 Likewise, speaking of evil cats, Greebo in all his viciousness, is a welcome addition for the chaos and destruction he offers, giving the elves some of their own back. 😏
Wish me luck in my ongoing reread of the witch books, because I don't remember having the most favourable impression of the next in the subseries, Maskerade, when I first read it. 🤞🏻 (edited) 1mo

9 likes5 comments

Robotswithpersonality

The Shattering Peace: The acclaimed Old Man's War series returns in this military sci-fi adventure | John Scalzi