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Circa24’s Year In Books

Circa24’s 2023 Year in Books

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2024 Reading Challenge

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Circa24

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Website

https://wordpress.com/page/circa-24.com/162

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Science Fiction, Gay and Lesbian, Fiction

Member Since

August 2023

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/circa24

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Circa24 is a professor of Biology. She received a Doctorate in Zoology from The University of Toronto. For many years, she has taught classes on environmental biology and animal behavior. She has spoken at international conferences on the biological roots of cruelty, discrimination, and greed. She uses the pen name Circa24 to distinguish her creative writing from her technical and non-fiction works. Author’s comment: “Hey, if a pseudonym is good enough for Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, Mary Ann Evans, and Samuel Clements, then it’s good enough for me.”.

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I loved your sequel, , but I see that some people have trouble with the degradation endured by Tissi. Can you comment on why you made it so intense?

Circa24 In the beginning, I had intended to take an entirely different path, but Tissi dragged me into her world. That's why I warn people up front that the b…moreIn the beginning, I had intended to take an entirely different path, but Tissi dragged me into her world. That's why I warn people up front that the book will be unsettling.

Too often, enslavement is portrayed as little more than a form of forced labor. However, the greater horror is in its dehumanization, and that was the aspect I wanted to drive home. Every dehumanizing torture and every degradation in the book has precedence in one or more systems of enslavement. I chose the bakery setting because it was one of the most feared fates an enslaved person could endure in the Roman era. Like a sentence to the mines, it hailed a short life and tortuous death. Even the Romans acknowledged this, and it formed a core theme in the picaresque story by Apuleius, The Golden Ass where, in the 9th book, Lucius is sold into labor to drive a baker's mill-wheel.

Torture and degradation of the enslaved have been an accepted form of amusement through the ages and, as in American lynchings, have served as a bonding ritual to unite the empowered community against the subjugated one. I tried to leave out the torture reserved for Deilos, that was reportedly employed by several of the guards at Auschwitz-Birkenau and by the DINA at Villa Grimaldii under Pinochet (hence the names Birki and Rimm). More recently, one American army sergeant was convicted for a similar act of torture (Dishneau 2006, cited in: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/402871/s...). I tried to leave that bit out, but ultimately, I could not ignore the abjections of these victims. (When I substituted a less vial passage, the story didn't read right. However, I tried to temper it with his Harrie "name," Dielos, a double nod, first to the cult of Dionysus and Leto, the twin gods of love whose cult was centered at Delos. Second to Daedalus, the son of Icarus who flew too close to the sun and was a metaphor for truth (Remember: Deilos was a political prisoner, and they are often singled out for more horrific abuses.)

I also wanted to make the terror of the resistance palpable and the acceptance by most of society shocking. Each person who fights the system could be charged with an energy crime and become subject to the same filth and humiliation. Rather than a clear-cut good-guy bad-guy dichotomy, I have some characters awaken slowly to the horrors and others who experience sudden revelations. Like most of us, who don't give two thoughts about the people who make our cheap consumer goods, most people in Silent Consent and Endured just accept the conditions of the Nameless without thinking about their roles, Perhaps our world would be a little better if we asked how and who supports our quality of life, and include future generations in those computations.
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I loved the "morning person" scene at the hotel in An Encounter With Cows , but how was it that Jackie's student had a key to her room?

Circa24 Remember, he wasn't just Jackie's student; he was close to her and her second in command on the dig. Their friendship dates back years to when she fir…moreRemember, he wasn't just Jackie's student; he was close to her and her second in command on the dig. Their friendship dates back years to when she first worked on his father's ranch. Jackie and Kayla even housed him on occasion. Given these facts, Jackie could easily have given him a spare key to retrieve materials.(less)

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Circa24’s books

Average rating: 4.32 · 34 ratings · 13 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	Thomas Hardy Was an Optimist: A Collection of Short Stories From the Plague Years 4.42 avg rating — 12 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Silent Consent it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 6 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Silent Consent 4.29 avg rating — 7 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Endured by The Gods (Silent Consent, #2) 3.83 avg rating — 6 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	An Encounter With Cows 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Endured by the Gods: Silent Consent Book 2 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Thomas Hardy Was an Optimist: A Collection of Short Stories From the Plague Years 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Circa24's Blog

Why Sad Stories Sing to Us.

Fiction provides powerful frameworks to explore and understand the experiences and viewpoints of others in a way not possible in our daily lives. Although it does not provide factual knowledge, it immerses us in the minds and lives of characters, including ones you’d never encounter in reality. Thomas Harris’ Hannibal series, for example, dives into the mind of Hannibal Lecter. This character, who Read more of this blog post »

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Published on May 29, 2024 07:38 • Tags: cathartic-stories, dystopian-novels, sad-stories, thomas-hardy-was-an-optimist, tragic-stories

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Circa24 is Currently Reading

Circa24 Circa24 is currently reading

The Captive Mind

by Czesław Miłosz

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Sep 07, 2024 11:43AM

Circa24 Circa24 is currently reading

The World As I See It

by Albert Einstein

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Aug 12, 2024 09:11AM

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Circa24 Circa24 is currently reading The Captive Mind by Czesław Miłosz	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Circa24 Circa24 rated a book it was amazing Death Masks (The Dresden Files, #5) by Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The books in the universe built by Butcher keep getting better. His comfort with his characters shines through in this one, as does Dresden's sense of irony and sarcasm. He maintains a fairly consistent set of laws surrounding the use of magic and pr ...more
Sep 07, 2024 11:33AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Death Masks by Jim Butcher. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Death Masks by Jim Butcher <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Circa24 Circa24 rated a book it was amazing Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, #4) by Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
When I read the third book Grave Peril, I thought the author had found his strengths. I was unprepared for how he capitalized on them in this fourth book in the series. He takes full advantage of the events in previous books. He builds upon that univ ...more
Sep 01, 2024 11:09AM · like · see review
Circa24 Circa24 is 75% done with Summer Knight Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, #4) by Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author) progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 28, 2024 06:05AM · like · see status
Circa24 Circa24 is currently reading Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, #4) by Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Circa24 Circa24 rated a book it was amazing Ban This Book by Alan Gratz (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Ban This Book has on no sexual content or so-called ‘critical race theory,’ yet it has joined the ranks of Florida’s banned books. There’s no doubt why bullies tried to ban this book. The title itself challenges the authority of politicians, religiou ...more
Aug 23, 2024 09:08AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Ban This Book by Alan Gratz. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Ban This Book by Alan Gratz <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Circa24 Circa24 is currently reading Ban This Book by Alan Gratz (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 15, 2024 09:19AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Ban This Book by Alan Gratz. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Ban This Book by Alan Gratz <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Circa24 Circa24 is currently reading The World As I See It by Albert Einstein	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Circa24 Circa24 rated a book it was amazing The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Another winner for Larson! The author examines the period leading to the American Civil War and introduces you to the personalities on both sides of the divide. Unlike many histories, Larson addressed the role of Southern "honor" culture in the escal ...more
Aug 07, 2024 02:35PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Circa24 Circa24 is now following Lee Mandelo Author of Summer Sons
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Quotes by Circa24 (?)

“I told you, Cow, Tarquin doesn’t demote. She destroys.”
― Circa24, Silent Consent

tags: cruelty, dystopian, dystopian-fiction, harries, lgbt, political-prisoners

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“She gazed over her oxygen mask at the small, smiling Christmas tree that sat on the table behind her. Tonight, the whirling sound of the disk in the drive was a song that was sweeter than any lullaby.”
― Circa24, Thomas Hardy was an Optimist: A Collection of Short Stories From the Plague Years.

tags: aids, aids-epidemic, circa24, grief, hiv, hospice, lgbt, protests, short-story-collection

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“When we entered the apartment, none of us had to ask about the food basket. From the look on Dad's face, we had received a ham. We always prayed for a turkey. It put him in a better mood.”
― Circa24, Thomas Hardy was an Optimist: A Collection of Short Stories From the Plague Years.

tags: alcoholism, christmas, emotional-abuse, food-baskets, poverty, short-story-collection

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Circa24’s Quotes

“At a gut level, she knew this illness was one more ploy by her mother—one more ploy to keep Karen under her mother's thumb”
― Circa24

tags: anger, circ24, death-and-dying, grief, lesbian, lgbt, mother-daughter-relationships

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tags: aids, aids-epidemic, circa24, grief, hiv, hospice, lgbt, protests, short-story-collection

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“I stopped and stared at the washing machine, and I felt revulsion at knowing that his things had been in there ahead of mine.”
― Circa24, Thomas Hardy Was an Optimist: A Collection of Short Stories From the Plague Years

tags: child-abuse, denial-of-child-abuse, lgbt, revulsion, witnessing

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“When you reach our age, everyone wants to keep you alive with granola. Consider this breakfast an act of liberation. I got greasy egg sandwiches, bacon, and hash browns.”
― Circa24, Thomas Hardy was an Optimist: A Collection of Short Stories From the Plague Years.

tags: abandonment, birthdays, circa24, elderly, lesbian, lgbt, old-age, ontario, short-story-collection

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tags: alcoholism, christmas, emotional-abuse, food-baskets, poverty, short-story-collection

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Circa24’s Year In Books

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Circa24

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