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Backbiters by Debra Leea Glasheen

Guiluli is a Red Mighty, a mutation of humans born from the Corporate World War. After 54 years of existence, Pre-ev (non mutated) humans still don't much like the Red Mighties and as a result, the Red Mighties have created their own Nationland.

Despite all of the world's natural resources being either consumed or poisoned by the war, the Nationland has cleaned up its land, so they have pure water and soil free of contaminants in which to grow food. Yet another reason for those off the Nationland to dislike the Red Mighties.

I like the idea of the evolved/mutated species emerging from a human race destroyed by its own vices and desires. It seems that hominids may be ripe for another evolutionary step, after all we have been homo sapiens for a while now. Maybe this is the next step.

This is an interesting twist on a typical dystopian novel in that I feel there is way more hope of a future that isn't just trying to exist day to day but actually thrive as a civilization. The possibility of cleaning up what we have destroyed. Backbiters is a great read for those that enjoyed the Hunger Games, Divergent, Not a Drop to Drink.




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Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

This book. This book is grounded inside its main character's mind and body in an almost visceral way, and if you've ever had a "crazy" friend--and who hasn't, but I mean one who is actually diagnosed with anxiety disorder and/or OCD--even though this book is entertaining and wonderful and all the things good fiction should be, it will help you to "get" them in a way they might not have been able to articulate to you.

Aza is the star of the show. Or maybe she's not. She's so stuck inside her head, where twisty thoughts and logic have her spinning about the bacteria in her body and how it might just take over and kill her, that maybe she's the victim. Worse, maybe she is the bad guy. And the victim. And the star.

Life is complicated.

Aza is lucky in that she has a best friend, Daisy. Daisy, who talks all. the. time. but who sticks by Aza even though Aza isn't easy to stick by. So when Daisy suggests that she and Aza make like Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden to solve the mystery of the missing billionaire, Aza goes along with it.

Things happen. So many things. And I don't want to talk about any of them, really, because it would spoil this book, which unspools almost magically. It starts from a very clenched place and almost literally unwinds to a a better stasis.

Read it. Read it to find out what role Aza plays in her own life. To see if she can find her way out of her own head, at least a little. And to find out what the title means: "turtles all the way down."

So yeah - consider this review the equivalent of me standing next to you, shoving this book into your hands, making almost uncomfortable levels of eye contact while imploring you to read it.

But really. Read it.




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Black Light Express by Phillip Reeve


From my recent review of Black Light Express for Locus:


Philip Reeve’s absolutely incredible world building again takes center stage in Black Light Express, the sequel to Railhead. The second book picks up soon after the events that brought Railhead to a stunning close, with former thief and unwitting catalyst Zen Starling having fled the Network Empire along with Nova, his android girlfriend. Meanwhile, completely against her will, Threnrody Noon, the Paris Hilton of the empire-controlling Noon family, has assumed the position of Empress. She is only a pawn of more powerful interests however and virtually trapped in the palace attending a haze of pointless engagements while her former fiance, Kobi, is on the other side of the galaxy about to be forced into a corporate approved marriage with someone he has never met. Basically, the fallout from Railhead is reverberating across all the lives of the major characters while, unknown to them, it’s about to get a lot lot worse. 

What Black Light Express (and the first book, Railhead), offers readers is sentient trains, a vapid rich girl who decides she doesn't want to be a pawn anymore, political machinations, alien technology, aliens, dinosaur-descended aliens, human-android romance, the fact that the human-android romance is the best kind of romance, more stupid rich people, the satisfaction of rich people losing because they are stupid, a protagonist who is smart and scrappy and more than willing to walk on the wrong side of the law because playing by the rules gets you only so far (and those rich jerks are the ones who wrote the rules in the first place).

Oh - and a train is killed and that is far more upsetting than you would think. 

As I wrote in my review, I'm really surprised that these books are not more well known. They  are excellent SF (which is not too common in the YA literary world) as well as being excellent political mirrors for much of modern society. Check them out!
















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Virtual racing wasn’t real – but it made many fans feel real good

NASCAR will make its return to the track on May 17 at Darlington Raceway – but that doesn't mean fans have been without racing for the past two months.




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NHL execs express mixed feelings over proposal to hold draft early

There are mixed feelings among executives about the idea, ranging from frustration to begrudging acceptance.




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UFC 249 ushers in fan-free, mask-filled era of sports

Kicks, punches and grunts echoed through the empty arena




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TodaysMeet







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The Urge For Coffee

Necessity in the mother of invention. So I guess Near-necessity is the weird uncle of invention.




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Not-A-Kludge: I'll See Your Treehouse and Raise You a UFO








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Reunion x Station Cold Brew Coffee & Tonic





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Hair Flipping Has Never Been More on Point Than When You Do it With Archery

Archer and Korean Pop star Chou Tzuyu, of "Twice", may have hit the target on the coolest new way to flip your hair.




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Dogs Finally Get the Compliments They Deserve in These Pretty Tweets

The theme here is simple: whatever your dog is looking at might be pretty, but your dog is always prettier. Got it?






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Winter Would Have Been More Tolerable With a Gallon of Hot Cocoa




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This Coffee-Making Alarm Clock Should be Standard Issue in All College Dorms






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Feeling the Love





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Artist Leaves $15K Worth of Coins Along Canal and Live-Tweets What Happens

The guy had to have known how this little social experiment would turn out. At least he used pennies. 




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THE ORIGINAL GUIDE TO CAT SLEEPING POSITIONS




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Squee Spree: Octo-Winner!

Squeeps! This week I'll be treating you to all the baby octopus squees you can handle. Get your eight arms ready!




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Reader Squee: Peanut

Lily_Rose says: "This is our schnauzer/poodle puppy, Dexter, about a month ago. I gave him his first peanut and he wanted more!"

I didn't know dogs liked peanuts... I thought that was elephants... or is that just in cartoons?

-Sally Squeeps

Do you have a squee pet that you want to share with the world? Send us your pet pictures and stories, and they could end up on Daily Squee!





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Squee Spree: A Basket of Squee!

It's time to say goodbye to the squeenks (squee+skunk), whose stink doesn't keep all of us from loving them. Personally, I can hardly bare to say goodbye when they are looking at me like that! Baby skunks are just too cute!




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Reader Squee: Can't A Girl Eat In Peace?!?!

Chellecos says: "Here is my bunny cooling-off on the air conditioning vent, trying to get privacy and a little R&R!"

Well you are very squee and all, but we'll leave you be so you can get some much needed rest.

Do you have a squee pet that you want to share with the world? Send us your pet pictures and stories, and they could end up on Daily Squee!




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Squee Spree: Brown-Eyed and Bat-Eared

Me oh my, Mr. Fox Friend! What a lovely stare you've got there!





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Reader Squee: I Shall Nom You, Cage!

Our Submitter says: "This is my pet rat, Zelda, chewing on her cage."

Is your cage yummy, Zelda? Or are you just anxious for adventure?

Do you have a squee pet that you want to share with the world? Send us your pet pictures and stories, and they could end up on Daily Squee!