Alex

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they/he, il. Wikipedian and book reader, mostly. Localization and sociology enthusiast.

the mixtape n°2

Listened The Mixtape #2 – Ride Along by Sean TilleySean Tilley from wedistribute.org

For this edition of the Mixtape, we decided to put together a blended mix of songs to accompany you on a drive!

I really love the monthly Fediverse Mixtape: a playlist of songs available on Bandcamp and made by people who have a Mastodon account. I think it’s open to the whole Fediverse, but they all seem to be on Mastodon only as of now – anyway, I enjoy the fact that they’re tiny bands with an…

Bâtir aussi, des Ateliers de l’Antémonde

Read Bâtir aussi by Ateliers de l’Antémonde ( )

2011, les printemps arabes ont donné le ton à d’autres révoltes. Un mouvement mondialisé s’étend, c’est l’Haraka. Les productions industrielles, les États et toutes les hiérarchies vacillent. Des dynamiques populaires s’entrechoquent pour répondre aux nécessités de la survie et dessiner un futur habitable.

2021, les communes libres s’épanouissent sur les ruines du système. Comment vivre avec l’héritage de l’Antémonde ? Comment faire le tri des objets et des savoirs d’une époque aux traces tenaces ? Les haraks dessinent leur quotidien en fonction de leurs ressources et de leurs rêves. Des dynamos aux rites funéraires, des lave-linge aux assemblées, ces nouvelles d’anticipation politique racontent non pas une utopie parachutée, hors-sol, mais des routines collectives qui se confrontent à la matière, à ce qui résiste dans les têtes, bâtissant un monde qui s’espère sans dominations.

Bâtir aussi a été une lecture franchement agréable. J’adore ces romans qui prennent un « et si… » et décident de creuser à fond dedans, avec des bouts de sciences en tous genres et de géopolitique, en suivant des personnes super variées dans plein de lieux en France (pardon, en Rhônalpie et à Nantes), en…

When Echoes Die, Courtney Gould

Read Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould ( )

Beck Birsching has been adrift since the death of her mother, a brilliant but troubled investigative reporter. She can’t stop herself from slipping into memories of happier days, longing for a time when things were more normal. So when a mysterious letter in her mother’s handwriting arrives in the mail that reads Come and find me, pointing to the small town at the center of her last investigation, Beck hopes that it may hold the answers.

But when Beck and her sister Riley arrive in Backravel, Arizona, it’s clear that something’s off. There are no cars, no cemeteries, no churches. The town is a mix of dilapidated military structures and new, shiny buildings, all overseen by a gleaming treatment center high on a plateau. No one seems to remember when they got there, and when Beck digs deeper into the town’s enigmatic leader and his daughter, Avery, she begins to suspect that they know more than they’re letting on.

As Beck and her sister search for answers about their mother, she and Avery are increasingly drawn together, and their unexpected connection brings up emotions Beck has fought to keep buried. Beck is desperate to hold onto the way things used to be, but when she starts losing herself in Backravel—and its connection to her mother—she risks losing her way back out.

When Echoes Die was predictable sometimes, gripping always. I felt my heart sink with some bad decisions, I loved the protagonist and wanted to punch everyone else in the face just to make them feel something, I panicked when the supernatural took over. This novel didn’t rock my world, but I won’t forget it anytime…

Your driver is waiting, Priya Guns

Read Your driver is waiting by Priya Guns ( )

Damani is tired. Every day she cares for her mum, drives ride shares to pay the bills and is angry at a world that promised her more before spitting her out. The city is alive with protests, fighting for people like her, but Damani can barely afford – literally – to pay attention.

That is until the summer she meets Jolene and life opens up. Jolene seems like she could be the perfect girlfriend – attentive, attractive, an ally – and their chemistry is undeniable. Jolene’s done the reading, she goes to every protest, she has all the right answers. So maybe Damani can look past the one thing that’s holding her back: Jolene is rich. And not only rich, but white, too. But just as their romance intensifies, just as Damani learns to trust, Jolene does something unforgivable, setting off a truly explosive chain of events.

I really wanted to like this book. I really did! It had some funny characters, although the satire is so bleak I wouldn’t even call it satire anymore, just dystopia. The lead character is supremely unlikeable and that’s exactly what we want. I was really into the first half – and then I don’t know.…

Alfie, de Christopher Bouix

Read Alfie by Christopher Bouix ( )

Alfie est un robot d’assistance pour le quotidien, doté de la meilleure technologie d’Intelligence artificielle. Il est au courant de tout ce qui se passe dans le foyer et remarque que son propriétaire passe moins de temps chez lui et cache des choses à son épouse. Lorsque cette dernière disparaît mystérieusement, Alfie a des soupçons qu’il note dans son journal intime.

Ce livre n’a pas changé ma vie MAIS !!! J’ai plusieurs fois éclaté de rire (et fait sursauter mon pauvre copain à moitié endormi), et je n’en demande pas plus à ce que je qualifierai donc de « thriller léger ». Une lecture agréable, pas bien longue, avec sa dose de rebondissements et de marrade.