Book cover of Real and the Unreal: Outer Space, Inner Lands

Book description

Outer Space, Inner Lands includes many of the best known Ursula K. Le Guin nonrealistic stories (such as "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," "Semley’s Necklace," and "She Unnames Them") which have shaped the way many readers see the world. She gives voice to the voiceless, hope to the…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Real and the Unreal as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This collection contains, hands down, my favorite exploration of non-human consciousness: the story “The Author of the Acacia Seeds and Other Extracts from the Journal of the Association of Therolinguistics.” The title is a mouthful but I love how this story acknowledges we may never fully understand other species’ communications, that there will always be some matter of uncertainty or mistranslation.

At the same time, this story captures for me the intelligence and creativity of the non-human while making a persuasive argument that we need to at least try to understand forms of life that see and experience the world…

If you love Real and the Unreal...

Book cover of Spellbinding Sentences: A Writer's Guide to Achieving Excellence and Captivating Readers

Spellbinding Sentences by Barbara Baig,

Spellbinding Sentences is for writers who want mastery of their craft, writers who want to know the secrets of powerful prose that will give readers pleasure and keep them turning pages. These techniques are available to anyone who’s willing to practice them consistently.

Sentences shows exactly what to practice and…

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