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Water Knife
Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
WATER IS POWER In the near future, the Colorado River has dwindled to a trickle. Detective, assassin, and spy, Angel Velasquez cuts water for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, ensuring that its lush arcology developments can bloom in Las Vegas. When rumors of a game-changing water source surface in Phoenix, Angel is sent south, hunting for answers that seem to evaporate as the heat index soars and the landscape becomes more and more oppressive. There, he encounters Lucy Monroe, a hardened journalist with her own agenda, and Maria Villarosa, a young Texas migrant, who dreams of escaping north. As bodies begin to pile up, the three find themselves pawns in a game far bigger and more corrupt than they could have imagined, and when water is more valuable than gold, alliances shift like sand, and the only truth in the desert is that someone will have to bleed if anyone hopes to drink."
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review
Reggie
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pickpick

This awesome cli-fi thriller has me feeling parched and makes me want to drink as much water as I can while it‘s around. In the future the western states are playing spy games with who gets water. They‘re allowed to throw up borders. Texans are now climate refugees who are killed by neighboring states because they don‘t want to deal with them. This was soooo good. The characters are likable but none of them are clean. A pick! 2 comments👇🏼

Reggie 1. There is a moment where I had to put my kindle down because if this girl died I just didn‘t want to read about it. It was so tense. 2. There was a sex scene in here and it wasn‘t explicit but it still bothered me because there‘s a water shortage and here these people are losing fluids. But yolo, I guess. Lol it was great book. 12mo
Deblovestoread Great review, Reggie. Stacked! 12mo
SamAnne I loved the themes of this novel! 12mo
See All 14 Comments
Reggie @Deblovestoread Thanks! I hope you like it if you get to it. 12mo
Reggie @SamAnne Aside from climate change I think the importance of journalism is big in here. Have you ever read Rising: Dispatches from the new North American Shore by Elizabeth Rush. I think you‘d like it. It‘s nonfiction but when they were blowing up the dams in here it made me think about how Louisiana has landloss not only to the rising of water but the silt that usually made it‘s way down there from the Mississippi doesn‘t make it to the delta (edited) 12mo
Reggie because of all the dams on the river. And California is removing dams from that one river recently to try and rewild it. Lots of stuff going on. 12mo
BarbaraBB Oow this sounds terrifying good! 12mo
SamAnne @Reggie I‘ve not read that one! I worked for a couple decades on dam removal and read a lot on the subject. I obsessively follow the news on Lake Powell and the Colorado. I loved in Water Knife how the woman running NV was so closely based on the woman who is the water manager for Las Vegas. As the old Earth First bumpersticker says: Nature Bats Last. 12mo
SamAnne @Reggie also—have you read his previous book The Wind Up Girl? Set in Bangkok years into rising sea level crisis. Also includes some uncomfortable sex scenes! 12mo
Aimeesue Great review! I read a NF book about water usage this year that terrified me. But I also found out that I live in one of the few places in the US where the water treatment plants actually reuse ALL the water. Most places don‘t because of the ick factor. (edited) 12mo
Reggie @Aimeesue Thanks. He has a list of books in the back he said gave inspiration and there was one a lot of his characters in the book owned which is called Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner that I want to look up. I just put The Big Thirst on hold on Libby. Thanks for the rec. 12mo
Aimeesue @Reggie I‘ll check that one out! 12mo
batsy "These people are losing fluids. But yolo, I guess" ?? 12mo
Suet624 Definitely sounds like a thriller. I can see it all coming to pass. 12mo
68 likes4 stack adds14 comments
review
AstarealDyrim
Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pickpick

A true peace of speculative fiction that is scarily close to reality. If you want to feel anxious about the future this is the book for you!

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RamsFan1963
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pickpick

44/150 Wow!! So intense, brutal and graphic. I knew from reading The Windup Girl and Pump Six that this would be a very dark and tense read. Bacigalupi's world has no real heroes, only survivors. I recommend this, but if you're easily triggered by graphic violence, you might want to pass. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
10/10 #bookbuyingdiet (woo hoo!)

swynn Yay for Bacigalupi love! 3y
RamsFan1963 @swynn His books are such intense reading, I always feel bad for his characters since I know most either won't survive or will end up in worse shape than when they started. 3y
53 likes2 comments
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RamsFan1963
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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"There were stories in sweat."

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

swynn I love Bacigalupi. Hope you like this one as much as I did! 3y
40 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Schnoebs
Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pickpick

4.25⭐️

Experiencing perpetual drought and air pollution from dust storms and forest fires, water utilities become the big power players of the West as they fight over every last drop of water from the Colorado River. Under these conditions, states have put up border walls to keep out climate refugees from over running their cities and tomahawks and private militias are used to blow up treatment plants and guard water pipelines...

SamAnne I wasn‘t a fan of all the writing, but the premise was fantastic. I work on water/river issues and I loved the story! 4y
Schnoebs @SamAnne same! Im a planner focused on groundwater and I never thought I‘d read a book that made water utilities such bad asses lol 4y
38 likes2 comments
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LeafingThroughLife
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Bailedbailed

Starting my weekend off with a bail. I gave this one 50 pages before determining this will not be a book I read. At least not this year. Climate fiction about a brutal, near waterless southeast where water is power, this book seems like it‘s on track for some great world building but also that said world isn‘t too much of reach. This would not be the break I need from reading the news this year. This is my #bookspin #doublespin

TheAromaofBooks That's a shame, but I can understand!! Awesome cover, though. 4y
SamAnne I liked his Wind Up girl better. I work on river/water/fisheries conservation so I loved loved the premise. But it didn‘t deliver for me. 4y
15 likes2 comments
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RamsFan1963
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description or reason for wanting to read the book. Some are old and some will be new. Don't judge me - I have a lot of books.
Day 114

#tbrmountain #bookbuyingdiet

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MallenNC
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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A genre that I had never heard of until last year is Cli-Fi, which is fiction related to climate change. I‘m interested in reading something from this genre, particularly as it had been 70 degrees several times this winter, which is unusual to say the least. The tagged book sounds interesting. #NewtoYouGenre #AuldLangReads

OriginalCyn620 I‘ve read one cli-fi and didn‘t enjoy it, but it was the particular book I chose, not the genre. I hope this one is better! 5y
WanderingBookaneer I liked this one a lot. 5y
MallenNC @WanderingBookaneer It sounds really good! 5y
MallenNC @OriginalCyn620 I think it would definitely matter about the book chosen. I don‘t like regular sci-fi except in very rare cases, and I think this would be the same. 5y
31 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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SaunteringVaguelyDownwards
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pickpick

This book was a brutal but realistic look at how the fundamental resource of water becomes corporatized and exploited when it grows scarce. Cities wield the power of life and death by shutting down water lines, terrorists blow up dams to sow chaos, and journalists try and trace the muscle back to the source. Vivid characters.

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2019: a "cli-fi" (climate fiction) book

2 likes1 stack add
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CampbellTaraL
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pickpick

A pretty good dystopian novel set near future with adult characters. The setting and events that unfold are realistic in light of the things happening in the SW of the US. It makes your pause to think how it could easily happen this way, a rather terrifying thought.

35 likes1 stack add
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JacintaMCarter
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pickpick

#2019Book63
If you‘ve ever worried that a combination of climate change, corrupt government officials, and basic human awfulness will lead to the downfall of American society, then you should definitely read this book.

BookmarkTavern Wow! I‘m sold! 5y
63 likes6 stack adds1 comment
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rsteve388
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
Pickpick

I live in CO and this book felt a little too close to.home with regards to what could happen in CO in say 10 years...

The ending felt a bit flat, rushed and left me without a clear ending. But overall the book was well done. The research around water rights both junior and senior waa well done. It was clear the author did a considerabke amount of work to ensure that this book was as close to the truth as possible


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rsteve388
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi

I finished The Watet Knife!

I walked 6.5 miles today! I am up to 22 miles so.far this week!!

#BFC #BookFitnessChallenge

Chrissyreadit That is awesome!!!! 5y
wanderinglynn Way to go! 🙌🏻 5y
TheSpineView That's awesome! 👏👏👏 5y
8 likes3 comments
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rsteve388
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi

Walked 8.3 miles!!
Read The Water Knife and Started United by Cory Booker.

#BookFitnessChallenge #BFC19

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rsteve388
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi

Enjoying a lazy day watching charmed and reading

No walkimg today.

Walked 3 miles yesterday

#BookFitnessChallenge #BFC19

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rsteve388
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi

Weekly Check In: June 7th 2019

Miles walked: 27 (pretty sure thats what i walked the week before)

Books Read: finished: When They Call You A Terrorist and up to page 155 in The Water Knife.

Next Week: want to Walk 35 miles and get 2 runs in.
Read: Finish The Water Knife and start Circling The Sun by Paula McLain

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rsteve388
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi

I finished 'American War' this weekend ans walked a total of 7 miles in the last two days.

Will start The Water Knife tomorrow and When They Call you a Terrorist: A BLM Memoir

So far in the #BFC19 #BookFitnessChallenge I have read 7 of my ten book goal!

Exciting to finish strong.

BookwormAHN Nice going 👏🏻 5y
wanderinglynn Great progress! 🙌🏻 5y
5 likes2 comments
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rsteve388
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pictured are the four physical books i intend to read for June. Its based off monthly reading challenges, a FB Group i belong to.

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rsteve388
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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My library haul.

Today is my partners Graduation, so i ate a ton of food and only walked 2.4 miles.

Now to relax and do some reading.

#BFC #BookFitnessChallenge

VanChocStrawberry Congrats to your partner! That‘s still a good walk!👏 5y
Caterina "Only" 2.4 miles. ? That's great!! 5y
Clwojick Mmmm. No bake treats 🤤🤤🤤 5y
12 likes3 comments
review
Read66
Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
Pickpick

Ultimately a powerful dystopian about a world where the most valuable commodity is water and whoever controls it. Trigger warning for violence

Reggie This sounds great and scary. Thanks for posting about it. 6y
4 likes1 stack add1 comment
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CorinnaBechko
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pickpick

Half frightening post apocalyptic nightmare, half wild thriller, all unputdownable. #postapocalyptic

10 likes1 stack add
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CorinnaBechko
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Weird that it finally rains here while I'm reading this, but if it wasn't I might be too scared to continue.

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CorinnaBechko
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Weekend plans. #catsoflitsy

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ErikBookman
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
Pickpick

Excellent work of near future science fiction primarily set in the American West. Very intense and very convincing. Disturbingly so. Especially since I‘ve either lived or traveled through some of the areas included in the book‘s setting.

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Decalino
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pickpick

I am a huge fan of Paolo Bacigalupi, especially his book The Wind-Up Girl. The Water Knife explores a dystopian near future where water rights, corruption and violence determine who lives and who dies in the deserts of Nevada and Arizona. The subject matter is incredibly timely and well-imagined, the characters believable. The gruesome details of this world can be hard to stomach, but reflect reality in other desperate places today.

10 likes1 stack add
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WanderingBookaneer
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Hurricane season is almost upon us and—even though we‘ll spend most of it in FL— @BookishMarginalia and I are terrified of another water shortage.

Mommamanzi Blah! My least fav time of year. 7y
Sassy_Steph Good luck!! 7y
Tamra I hope you avoid the worst of it! 🤞🏾 7y
See All 12 Comments
Librariana Happy you two will be in Florida for most of it and glad you are getting prepared ahead of time - very smart. Stay safe! 💖 7y
Maria514626 Good luck! 🤞 7y
julesG Again? So soon? Keep safe! Keep us update whenever you can! 7y
Cinfhen Sending love 💕 and a Costco run is always a good plan.....did u buy any books??? 7y
MaureenMc 🙏🤞 7y
WanderingBookaneer @Cinfhen : We are behaving because of the move to FL. No physical book buying until summer. 7y
Cinfhen Oh wow!!! That must be a real restraint for you guys 7y
WanderingBookaneer @Cinfhen : You have no idea! 😂 We are maxed out on loans and holds in the library. One perk is that I am zipping along #MountTBR 7y
116 likes12 comments
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Schnoebs
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Nothing like finding a few gems at Barnes and Nobles #books #reading #bookhaul #mpls #twincities

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Brooke_H
Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pickpick

Everything I love in a sci-fi: realistic world-building, well-rounded and fleshed out characters, a page turner that is not for the weak. This was intense as hell, and I loved it. I will be reading all of this writer's work.

Okay, and listen: nothing bad happens to the dog. I feel that is a "spoiler" everyone is going to want. Plenty of horrifying and graphic torture, abuse, and murder of humans. But the dog is A-OK.

WanderingBookaneer I loved this one! 7y
BibliophileMomma Stacked. 7y
11 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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parasolofdoom
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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review
Dempsey
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pickpick

This was a great story, and it would make a GREAT show. Seriously, HBO, AMC, snap up the rights. #dystopia #litsyatoz @BookishMarginalia

MinDea I have had my eye on this book! 7y
14 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Drnkpnkprincess
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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@Mommamanzi thank you so much for setting this all up! best first official #litsyswap and can‘t wait to participate in more! 💕☺️

@Avanders again, thank you so much for taking the time to help this girl read a little more #dystopian lit! I cannot wait to read all of these, and don‘t know where to start! 🤩🤩🖤📚🖤📚👌🏼

Avanders Oh and I love that we each sent each other one of the same books!! I'm so excited about it 😁 #dystopianblues (edited) 7y
Drnkpnkprincess @Avanders hahaha yes! When I opened that one I got so excited! It sounds so amazing i had to practice self control and not read it before sending it to you... looks like we will have to set up a #buddyread for 7y
Avanders @Drnkpnkprincess ooh that's a fun idea! I know what you mean, my fingers were very sticky with that one!! 7y
79 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Drnkpnkprincess
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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@Avanders thank you!!!! I‘m so grateful for all these amazing gifts! I love that you sent me things that will help me survive and I definitely sent you all the things I‘d miss! 😂 I LOVE the tote and can not wait to break it in... and the books! 😍😍 each one sounds AMAZING and I cannot wait to adjust my #tbr accordingly! #dysoptianblues

Avanders Yayay!! I'm glad you liked ☺️ I know, it's so cool that we took the extras part of the #dystopianblues "theme" differently like that.. I love these swaps and love seeing how everyone interprets them ☺️???? (edited) 7y
81 likes1 comment
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Drnkpnkprincess
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Ekkkkkkk!!!!!! #dystopianblues box time!!!! I cannot wait to see all these books and goodies! You‘ve out done yourself! Thank you SO much @Avanders !!!!!! 😍☺️💕💕

Avanders 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 7y
82 likes1 comment
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lzwicker
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi

Almost finished this one. Interesting concept: a future where fresh water is scarce and very expensive, and corrupt government organizations fight for control of the rivers and lakes.

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Well-ReadNeck
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Mehso-so

Listened to this one on audiobook!! Good narration. I loved the writing and the characters. But, the story was as slow as molasses.

bookwrm526 The writing was slow, but man the concept was scary to me 7y
heikemarie I thought it was great! I love the picture 😂 7y
azulaco I‘ve been wanting to read this for awhile. I‘m glad to have advance warning that it was slow going for some. The story sounds fascinating. 7y
ApoptyGina69 I agree, the concept appealed to me, but the storyline was unsettling and I ended up bailing in the end. 7y
rmaclean4 @ApoptyGina69 I agree. I liked the narration of this book...but I ended up bailing. 7y
75 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Brie
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Two books with #water, one post-apocalyptic and one short story collection. #noteworthynovember 🌊

67 likes1 stack add
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tracyrowanreads
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Breakfast. Trying to remember a time when I couldn't read, and I can't. My parents bought books for me before I was born.

Christy2318 I don‘t remember not being able to read either. My earliest reading memory is sitting on the kitchen floor with my book crying because Bambi‘s mom died. I was six. 7y
tracyrowanreads @Christy2318 😩😩💔💔🐇 Couldn't find a deer so you got Thumper. 7y
Christy2318 💜 7y
22 likes3 comments
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bookwrm526
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pickpick

I couldn't think of any actual #waterfalls for today's #AugustGrrrl prompt, but this book is about a dystopia where the very wealthy live in biodomes with complete ecosystems including elaborate water recycling mechanisms while everybody ride died for lack of water and corporations fight over water rights for the little water that is still available. @Cinfhen

RanaElizabeth Bacigalupi writes such good climate-change books. 7y
bookwrm526 @RanaElizabeth this is the only one of his I've read so far, but it was good, and pretty scary! 7y
RanaElizabeth @bookwrm526 His YA series is pretty good. 7y
54 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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readswellwithothers
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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It's hot. My Saturday night plans: To spread eagle on the carpet with the fan, the dog, and a book that starts with the line "There were stories in sweat." Things are getting pretty crazy around here, is my point.

17 likes1 stack add
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Creadnorthey
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
Pickpick

Got through this days ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. NPR has a good description of it: "Chinatown meets Mad Max". More Mad Max than Chinatown, but a rocket-ride good read

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MatthewBurris
Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Tonight's reading

2 likes1 stack add
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Creadnorthey
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi

Like his last book, about a hundred pages to go, I slow down because I don't want it to end. There is also the feeling that something very very bad is going to happen before anything good.

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AshleyS
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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I have a love/hate for when all my holds come in at once at the library, but I'm excited about all these books!

BookishMarginalia Patient HM is really interesting! (edited) 8y
Reviewsbylola 11/22/63 is amazing! 8y
DebinHawaii Great haul! 📚👍 8y
Karkar You have some great books there!! 📚📚📚 8y
MyNamesParadise Love Wherr All Light Tends to Go!!!! 8y
28 likes5 comments
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bookshopsc
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pickpick

Aaah, another Bacigalupi. The Windup Girl was one of the best sci-fi novels I‘ve read over the last decade, so I‘ve been eagerly awaiting his next adult SF work. (His young adult stuff has also been fantastic.) Bacigalupi‘s new one, The Water Knife, reminds me of early Gibson, but the playing field is the water-parched Southwest rather than the online world. Like The Windup Girl, it has a hard-hitting environmental theme. - Dave

Carbail I loved this one. One of the best #libraryreads books I read in 2016. 8y
56 likes11 stack adds1 comment
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rsmbcol
Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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Pickpick

This was the first book I read in 2017. It takes place in a future in which water is a commodity that is fought over by corporations and government. It has created a class system that is medieval in nature. It was both suspenseful and thought provoking.

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EsquireGirl
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
Mehso-so

After years, perhaps decades, of intense drought, the states of these United States are essentially at war with each other over water rights. Water knives are the nefarious individuals that work for certain state govs (NV and CA) to cut off the rights of other state. This story is about one knife (Angel), a journalist documenting the desiccation of Phoenix, and the lengths we'll go to in order to survive.

Sweettartlaura Just so-so? I've had this on my TBR for a while... Keep it or drop it? 8y
EsquireGirl I would keep it. I think I'm just a little worn out on these "the world is coming to an end" type of stories. 8y
2 comments
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WanderingBookaneer
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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My wife finished work yesterday so it's a lonely commute for me.

Laura317 I'm not sure if I should make sad face because you're alone, or happy face because she's got the day off. So, I'll just do this : 😐or maybe this: 😶 8y
WanderingBookaneer @Laura317 : I get it. I feel the same. 8y
LitHousewife Doesn't it suck being the spouse who has to keep working this week. My commute is always by myself, but darn it I shouldn't have to be the only one up right now! 😂 8y
See All 10 Comments
Shortstack @Laura317 this made me laugh 8y
TheBookAddict 😂 cute! 💕 @LitHousewife I know what you mean, it really does stink. Makes me want to pull the covers from him and turn on the light as I'm walking away... 😂 I know, it's awful. I need to get a job at a school. 😔 8y
LitHousewife @TheBookAddict Same here! My husband "only" gets 8 days off at Christmas this year. He got 10 last year. I could smack him. LOL! I won't complain too too much. I like my job and my perks throughout the year. ? 8y
LindsayReads Awww! 💜💜 8y
minkyb I'm sure she is up to no good with Septimus and it probably involves a book! 8y
MrBook Awww!!! 8y
144 likes1 stack add10 comments
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gossamerchild
The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi
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my #bestofnovember pile. I read more than I thought I had. also, I would not recommend The Water Knife to anyone who is still feeling bad about the election. i liked the book, but read it at the absolute worst time. good haul overall, though, even with 2 #dnf 😊

#photoadaynov16 @RealLifeReading

hyacinth Oops I just picked up TWK actually. I think I'm already starting to see what you mean about a dark read at a wrong time. 8y
gossamerchild @steelsilk don't get me wrong, it's a good book. It's just a very realistic dystopia 😕 8y
hyacinth yeah, i live near the southwest in a place that gets droughts sometimes so it's already painfully accurate.... 8y
28 likes3 comments