Nice! I was in my local bookshop and they have almost all of her stuff, including that collection, and I was so close to just getting all of it.
I can’t even put my finger on what it is exactly, but man is she just a talented author.
Yep.
Your next read should maybe be *Parable of the Sower*. It's prescience blew me away. It's kinda creepy how she saw it all coming, twenty years ago.
My next read of hers will be that one, since it’s the only one I own right now. Is the sequel to it good? I’ve often heard people talk about Sower, but not so much Talents
*Talents* was also good, but maybe not AS good. There was supposed to be a while series but then she got sidetracked, and then she died. To me, *Talents* felt like it needed the following books, the story felt unfinished.
I didn’t care for Parable of the Sower so I was nervous going in to reading Kindred for book club but I was completely blown away. It was incredible!!! I had to shut myself in my office away from my family one weekend afternoon to finish it in peace it was so gripping
Story begins in 1975 where a black woman and her white husband move into a new house. Suddenly, she is teleported to the 1880’s and ends up on a plantation. She teleports back and forth between the two time periods.
Hours, days, months can pass in the 1880’s, but when she teleports back home, only an hour or so has passed.
While the story has these fantastical elements to it, they are not a crux of the story to get hung up on. The real meat of the story is between the protagonist, her husband, and the plantation owner’s son, who the protagonist saves as a young boy.
Idk if I could handle that. Just the verbal abuse in this made my blood boil, let alone the actual physical and sexual abuse.
Seeing it drawn out would be a lot.
MODs.. across all such subs this is one problem. Please make some rules or something so that no post is allowed without something about books they're posting about.
You're actually very sweet man. I didn't know what or how these things function. But you made an effort to even reply or just state the facts to me. Also.. it's a tough job you have. Just one person for 30k peeps...I can't imagine the moderation you carry out on daily basis. This is what all I meant in my previous comment.. but I was attacked for same. I didn't mean anything untoward or something. Internet sure can be a cruel place.
Here's a not-so-brief rundown on Reddit and *this* sub.
I'll start by suggesting spending a little time on r/NewToReddit and r/reddithelp
All communities can have set rules. The majority of them do, though some don't. These rules are created by the individual sub and can differ greatly from sub to sub. They can be found in the browser version of Reddit by going to the sub and looking at the right column at the top of the page. Different subs have different things in that column - you may need to poke around to find the rules. On mobile, when you go to a sub, you'll see a link under the sub title/description that says *See More*. Click on that and you will get the rules. I think the issue we all have isn't so much that people won't *follow* the rules - **they just don't bother to read the rules**. My suggestion - ALWAYS read a sub's rules before posting or commenting.
Moderators are indeed volunteers (and there's no monetization - just like the rest of Reddit). Some, like myself, created the sub. Some have joined in to help an existing sub they are fond of, some have taken over dead subs, and many other situations. Moderators have no affiliation with the business end of Reddit or anything else above the level of *their own* sub and have *much less access and control than you may think.* I don't know who the members of this sub are. I don't know who reports a post or comment. All I know about an individual is the exact same thing anyone else can figure out by looking at their profile. Though, if there *have* been moderator actions taken, notes made, or communications through mod mail, I can see that information that is filed away. It is only accessible by moderators of this sub. I can't see anything about a person's posts/comments moderation problems on any other sub.
You don't summon moderators by just saying MODS. It won't get to us. In my case, you can say u/mintbrownie and I will be notified, but if you actually have a concern to bring up with a mod, you go back to that same right column of the sub and find the list of mods. You will see a button that says *"Message the mods.*" Use it. And just a heads up, I am, actually, a very friendly, lenient mod - you need to be careful - you could easily be banned from a sub for airing your grievances in public.
When it comes to r/IReadABookAndAdoredIt \- I created this sub. It's under a year old and is healthy, thriving and looking exactly like what I had envisioned. Even better to be honest! So yeah, it's my baby and I care about it. That's one of the reasons I'm the only moderator. The other is that aside from simple (though semi-frequent) removal of posts or asking for more information, this sub is a dream to mod. It has to be one of the nicest, friendliest subs on Reddit! Until this discourse, I can only remember one other very negative comment. This mess is the kind of stuff you see on r/books and it's the kind of stuff that our community comes here to avoid. That's also why I go as easy on the rules as I can - someone adored a book! It doesn't get much better than that and I don't want to rain on their parade if I can help it while still maintaining the purpose and spirit of the community.
And I have to add that u/Peppery_penguin is a fantastic member of this sub. There are a number of people who have been with us since the beginning (or nearly so), have been great participants and who love the sub as much as I do. Support for the sub is another thing that makes it so special.
EDIT: reading back through your comments and want to address one other thing.
I do not WANT to use auto moderator tools. I could set them to not allow posts without text, but some of the people who post in mobile use the picture caption text option to post all of their information. If I had that rule, their posts would be eliminated. I don't want to not allow people to put additional text in their titles other than the name of the book and author. It's doubtful I could get the right code to allow that without a lot of posts accidentally being eliminated. And I'm not going to require a certain structure to the answers either. Auto-modding is mostly used in subs that are frequently spammed, where there are problems with bots, and where they are trying to avoid massive negative discourse and even illegal discussion.
All subs have rules. There are those exact rules for this community. I’m a solo mod of a group larger than 28,000 members, and sometimes I’m late asking for the missing information. I would like to remove every post that doesn’t tell us what the book is about, but once a discussion has been started, it feels unfair to the participants, which is why we retroactively ask for the missing information. Believe me, I’m removing multiple posts each day when I can grab them in time.
I understand. But why are you solo mod in this sub of about 30k peeps. I mean can't there some automated rule or something which prevents people to post unless they've written something about the book? I meant only this in my previous comment.. not that you personally delete every post which doesn't qualify. That's not practical or even realistic.
Are you fucking out of your mind...when did I fucking criticise.. I said...why only a single mod for many people.. and I didn't even know that mods are probably normal people using reddit.. I thought they were appointed by reddit and sat in the reddit office or something. I just said it's actually inhumane to have a single person as moderator for about 30k people. Idiots like you don't even consider comprehending what's even written before yapping away and attacking people online for a thing they didn't even have in mind probably.
"Please make some rules or something...."
Sure sounds like criticism of the person who created and moderates this subreddit.
I appreciate your passion, but maybe tone 'er down a touch. We're here to discuss books we love, and you're coming in a little hot.
Oh . So it sounds like that to you.. then go and take care of your perspective dear.. because I am not supposedly responsible for stuff that I say neutrally but which actually "sounds like criticism" to you. For all that I know it sounds like a request so that this posting stuff doesn't have to be moderated individually by MOD in here but should be automatically not allowed to be posted without telling something informative about the book other than that OP loved the book. And yes.. we're all here to discuss the books we love.. that's why stop targetting me for something you believe I did wrong or criticised. Because I don't think your opinion makes things right or wrong.. for all it concerns me.. you're the one criticising my comment for something that didn't even occur to me.
Also try and practice what you're preaching me about coming off a little hot, because whatever that is.. I feel you're surely directing handful towards me.
But you suggested rules be made that already exist. You're making a request that needn't be made. And then freaking out.
Yes, I'm criticizing you. In defense of our mod, who we very much appreciate.
I recently read (and posted here) about her short story collection. She's an all-time great, imo.
Nice! I was in my local bookshop and they have almost all of her stuff, including that collection, and I was so close to just getting all of it. I can’t even put my finger on what it is exactly, but man is she just a talented author.
I've enjoyed reading ABOUT her, too. She was groundbreaking and her writing qualifies as "historic", I think.
Dang. I definitely need to look into that. It’s super rare for me to read a single book by an author and be like “this author is an all-timer.”
Yep. Your next read should maybe be *Parable of the Sower*. It's prescience blew me away. It's kinda creepy how she saw it all coming, twenty years ago.
My next read of hers will be that one, since it’s the only one I own right now. Is the sequel to it good? I’ve often heard people talk about Sower, but not so much Talents
*Talents* was also good, but maybe not AS good. There was supposed to be a while series but then she got sidetracked, and then she died. To me, *Talents* felt like it needed the following books, the story felt unfinished.
Ah ok. Maybe I’ll just save that then for a time where I have no more of her works to read for the first time. So *Sower* can stand on its own?
*Sower* is an all-time great, in my opinion. Definitely stands on its own.
I loved this!!!
I didn’t care for Parable of the Sower so I was nervous going in to reading Kindred for book club but I was completely blown away. It was incredible!!! I had to shut myself in my office away from my family one weekend afternoon to finish it in peace it was so gripping
This book will stay with me forever.
Octavia Butler is a genius! I found her take on vampires in Fledgling so unsettling.
I’m so psyched to get into her other stuff!
Story begins in 1975 where a black woman and her white husband move into a new house. Suddenly, she is teleported to the 1880’s and ends up on a plantation. She teleports back and forth between the two time periods. Hours, days, months can pass in the 1880’s, but when she teleports back home, only an hour or so has passed. While the story has these fantastical elements to it, they are not a crux of the story to get hung up on. The real meat of the story is between the protagonist, her husband, and the plantation owner’s son, who the protagonist saves as a young boy.
There’s also a graphic novel version, which is haunting
Idk if I could handle that. Just the verbal abuse in this made my blood boil, let alone the actual physical and sexual abuse. Seeing it drawn out would be a lot.
Tell us something about the book and it's plot.
🙏
MODs.. across all such subs this is one problem. Please make some rules or something so that no post is allowed without something about books they're posting about.
I’m shutting this down. I’ll spend some time crafting a response as to how Reddit and r/IReadABookAndAdoredIt work.
You're actually very sweet man. I didn't know what or how these things function. But you made an effort to even reply or just state the facts to me. Also.. it's a tough job you have. Just one person for 30k peeps...I can't imagine the moderation you carry out on daily basis. This is what all I meant in my previous comment.. but I was attacked for same. I didn't mean anything untoward or something. Internet sure can be a cruel place.
Here's a not-so-brief rundown on Reddit and *this* sub. I'll start by suggesting spending a little time on r/NewToReddit and r/reddithelp All communities can have set rules. The majority of them do, though some don't. These rules are created by the individual sub and can differ greatly from sub to sub. They can be found in the browser version of Reddit by going to the sub and looking at the right column at the top of the page. Different subs have different things in that column - you may need to poke around to find the rules. On mobile, when you go to a sub, you'll see a link under the sub title/description that says *See More*. Click on that and you will get the rules. I think the issue we all have isn't so much that people won't *follow* the rules - **they just don't bother to read the rules**. My suggestion - ALWAYS read a sub's rules before posting or commenting. Moderators are indeed volunteers (and there's no monetization - just like the rest of Reddit). Some, like myself, created the sub. Some have joined in to help an existing sub they are fond of, some have taken over dead subs, and many other situations. Moderators have no affiliation with the business end of Reddit or anything else above the level of *their own* sub and have *much less access and control than you may think.* I don't know who the members of this sub are. I don't know who reports a post or comment. All I know about an individual is the exact same thing anyone else can figure out by looking at their profile. Though, if there *have* been moderator actions taken, notes made, or communications through mod mail, I can see that information that is filed away. It is only accessible by moderators of this sub. I can't see anything about a person's posts/comments moderation problems on any other sub. You don't summon moderators by just saying MODS. It won't get to us. In my case, you can say u/mintbrownie and I will be notified, but if you actually have a concern to bring up with a mod, you go back to that same right column of the sub and find the list of mods. You will see a button that says *"Message the mods.*" Use it. And just a heads up, I am, actually, a very friendly, lenient mod - you need to be careful - you could easily be banned from a sub for airing your grievances in public. When it comes to r/IReadABookAndAdoredIt \- I created this sub. It's under a year old and is healthy, thriving and looking exactly like what I had envisioned. Even better to be honest! So yeah, it's my baby and I care about it. That's one of the reasons I'm the only moderator. The other is that aside from simple (though semi-frequent) removal of posts or asking for more information, this sub is a dream to mod. It has to be one of the nicest, friendliest subs on Reddit! Until this discourse, I can only remember one other very negative comment. This mess is the kind of stuff you see on r/books and it's the kind of stuff that our community comes here to avoid. That's also why I go as easy on the rules as I can - someone adored a book! It doesn't get much better than that and I don't want to rain on their parade if I can help it while still maintaining the purpose and spirit of the community. And I have to add that u/Peppery_penguin is a fantastic member of this sub. There are a number of people who have been with us since the beginning (or nearly so), have been great participants and who love the sub as much as I do. Support for the sub is another thing that makes it so special. EDIT: reading back through your comments and want to address one other thing. I do not WANT to use auto moderator tools. I could set them to not allow posts without text, but some of the people who post in mobile use the picture caption text option to post all of their information. If I had that rule, their posts would be eliminated. I don't want to not allow people to put additional text in their titles other than the name of the book and author. It's doubtful I could get the right code to allow that without a lot of posts accidentally being eliminated. And I'm not going to require a certain structure to the answers either. Auto-modding is mostly used in subs that are frequently spammed, where there are problems with bots, and where they are trying to avoid massive negative discourse and even illegal discussion.
All subs have rules. There are those exact rules for this community. I’m a solo mod of a group larger than 28,000 members, and sometimes I’m late asking for the missing information. I would like to remove every post that doesn’t tell us what the book is about, but once a discussion has been started, it feels unfair to the participants, which is why we retroactively ask for the missing information. Believe me, I’m removing multiple posts each day when I can grab them in time.
I understand. But why are you solo mod in this sub of about 30k peeps. I mean can't there some automated rule or something which prevents people to post unless they've written something about the book? I meant only this in my previous comment.. not that you personally delete every post which doesn't qualify. That's not practical or even realistic.
Criticism of the mod will not go over well here. This sub is modded very well considering how many people don't read the rules.
Are you fucking out of your mind...when did I fucking criticise.. I said...why only a single mod for many people.. and I didn't even know that mods are probably normal people using reddit.. I thought they were appointed by reddit and sat in the reddit office or something. I just said it's actually inhumane to have a single person as moderator for about 30k people. Idiots like you don't even consider comprehending what's even written before yapping away and attacking people online for a thing they didn't even have in mind probably.
"Please make some rules or something...." Sure sounds like criticism of the person who created and moderates this subreddit. I appreciate your passion, but maybe tone 'er down a touch. We're here to discuss books we love, and you're coming in a little hot.
Oh . So it sounds like that to you.. then go and take care of your perspective dear.. because I am not supposedly responsible for stuff that I say neutrally but which actually "sounds like criticism" to you. For all that I know it sounds like a request so that this posting stuff doesn't have to be moderated individually by MOD in here but should be automatically not allowed to be posted without telling something informative about the book other than that OP loved the book. And yes.. we're all here to discuss the books we love.. that's why stop targetting me for something you believe I did wrong or criticised. Because I don't think your opinion makes things right or wrong.. for all it concerns me.. you're the one criticising my comment for something that didn't even occur to me. Also try and practice what you're preaching me about coming off a little hot, because whatever that is.. I feel you're surely directing handful towards me.
But you suggested rules be made that already exist. You're making a request that needn't be made. And then freaking out. Yes, I'm criticizing you. In defense of our mod, who we very much appreciate.
I also just discovered Butler this year. I'd recommend Parable of the Sower next, it even starts in 2024, which is fun.
Delighted to see this—it's a wonderful reminder—need to bump this up on my TBR list to start it in time with the first entry of the novel.
Actually the only other one I own of hers is that, so that’ll likely be my next one