Author: Shannon Turlington
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The defining characteristic of our era…
I recently came upon this bit of wisdom, from In the Woods by Tana French: To my mind the defining characteristic of our era is spin, everything tailored to vanishing point by market research, brands and bands manufactured to precise specifications; we are so used to things transmuting into whatever we would like them to be that…
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Recommended reading: Americanah
An occasional feature where I recommend newish books you might like to read. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie “You can’t write an honest novel about race in this country. If you write about how people are really affected by race, it’ll be too obvious. Black writers who do literary fiction in this country, all three of…
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Reading with focus, or the annual theme read…
This year, for the first time, I tried reading around a theme or focus. The focus I picked was mysteries, a genre I have not paid much attention to since I devoured them as a youngster. To tell the truth, I really didn’t get focused until around August, so most of my reading was random…
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How to decide what to read next…
Over on that most wonderful bookish online community, LibraryThing, entire groups and challenges are dedicated to helping us pick what to read next from the gigantic wishlist of everything we’ve ever wanted to read. My favorite way is to join in on theme challenges, selecting a book from a randomly proposed theme like “books with…
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Rule number 1 for self-publishers: Proofread!
In the last few years, services like Kindle Direct Publishing and Lulu have made it incredibly easy for writers to self-publish, which I think is mostly a good thing for writers and readers. Self-publishing enables writers to build and audience and demonstrate their talents, and it puts more voices out there than ever before. Some terrific…
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12 Banned Books to Read
This is the week that we celebrate books that have been banned or challenged. Usually, the books are banned from school libraries or from being taught in school. The reasons given seem valid–sexual content, dirty language, racism–but dig a little deeper and you’ll generally find that the true reason is that these books seem dangerous.…
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My 2013-2014 Project: iHRIS Implementation Toolkit
For the past 12 months I have been editing and compiling a web-based implementation toolkit as a consultant for the iHRIS project. iHRIS is free, open-source, health workforce information software developed for use in low-resource countries. The Implementation Toolkit is a guide to deploying iHRIS in a country, but also functions as a general tutorial for implementing…
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My Review of The Dispossessed by Ursula K Le Guin on SF Mistressworks
The Dispossessed, Ursula K Le Guin (1974) Review by Shannon Turlington You shall not go down twice to the same river, nor can you go home again. That he knew; indeed it was the basis of his view of the world. Yet from that acceptance of transience he evolved his vast theory, wherein what is…
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My Review of The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell on SF Mistressworks
The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell (1996) Review by Shannon Turlington It’s hard to describe the exhilarating sense of emotion I felt while reading this book. I don’t consider myself a religious person, and this book is unquestionably about religion and our relationship with God. I am a spiritual seeker, though, and I found this novel…
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Our new neighborhood Little Free Library…
Our neighborhood Little Free Library officially opened for business on July 4, and people are already sharing books! Follow our Tumblr for updates.
Shannon Turlington 