qebo's 2025 books (1)

I'm Katherine, a computer programmer in Lancaster PA (working remotely for a medical imaging company in Philadelphia area). I was in 75 books from 2011-2016, but keeping up with the numbers occupied too much of my time to the detriment of RL, so in 2017 I switched to CR where I've been ever since, minus 2020-2021 and with significantly reduced participation in general. I maintain a list of books read, but reviews are mostly brief or non-existent. A goal this year is to finish the books I started last year. When I read, it's mostly non-fiction (science, history/biography, social issues) or light fiction; I'm far less literarily inclined than most folks here. Aside from books... I co-manage a neighborhood community garden and belong to several local garden/nature organizations. I picked up crocheting two years ago after a lapse of several decades, still do more experimenting with techniques than producing finished items.

January
#01: The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration by Jake Bittle -- (Jan 13)
#02: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain -- (Jan 17)
#03: Dying of Whiteness by Jonathan M. Metzl -- (Jan 22)

February
#04: How We Learn to be Brave by Mariann Edgar Budde -- (Feb 8)
#05: James by Percival Everett -- (Feb 15)
#06: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass -- (Feb 18)

March
#07: Number Go Up by Zeke Faux -- (Mar 2)
#08: The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan -- (Mar 19)
#09: Easy Money by Ben McKenzie -- (Mar 20)

April
#10: Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams -- (Apr 9)
#11: Private Revolutions by Yuan Yang -- (Apr 18)

May
#12: A Woman I Know by Mary Haverstick -- (May 13)
#13: Tomorrow Will Be Different by Sarah McBride -- (May 27)

June
#14: Fen, Bog, and Swamp by Annie Proulx -- (Jun 18)
#15: On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service by Anthony Fauci -- (Jun 29)
#16: Playframes by Celia Pearce -- (Jun 30)

July
#17: Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson -- (Jul 14)
#18: Burn Book by Kara Swisher -- (Jul 27)
#19: We Carry Their Bones by Erin Kimmerle -- (Jul 30)
#20: Threads of Empire by Dorothy Armstrong -- (Jul 31)

August
#21: Every Living Thing by Jason Roberts -- (Aug 3)
#22: Benjamin Banneker and Us by Rachel Jamison Webster -- (Aug 6)
#23: The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett -- (Aug 10)
#24: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin -- (Aug 15)
#25: A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter -- (Aug 23)
#26: The New Retirement by Jan Cullinane -- (Aug 25)

September
#27: The Air We Breathe by Andrea Barrett -- (Sep 11)
#28: Relinquished by Gretchen Sisson -- (Sep 15)
#29: Haven by Emma Donoghue -- (Sep 18)
#30: How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free by Ernie J. Zelinski -- (Sep 19)
#31: More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova -- (Sep 24)

October
#32: Written in the Waters by Tara Roberts -- (Oct 14)
#33: Of Time and Turtles by Sy Montgomery -- (Oct 31)

November
#34: While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams -- (Nov 16)
#35: Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice by David S. Tatel -- (Nov 17)
#36: The Sisters by Mary S. Lovell -- (Nov 29)

December
#37: In Love by Amy Bloom -- (Dec 4)
#38: Positive Obsession by Susana Morris -- (Dec 14)
#39: Nobody's Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre -- (Dec 18)
#40: All Systems Red by Martha Wells -- (Dec 23)

Happy New Year Katherine. You’re always reading fascinating stuff. I really enjoy your posts.

Happy New Year, Katherine!

>6 dchaikin: Well, I aspire... but I have a stack of 17 books (and also several audio and e-books) that I began in 2024 and didn't have the brain energy to continue. So we'll see. No promises.
>7 kidzdoc: Thanks!

Jan 1 is always a terrible day for promises anyway. 🙂

I love hearing from you, whether about books or about your garden. Pictures of insects are as welcome to me as a book review!

Happy New Year! I look forward to following your reading this year.

As a fellow gardener, I look forward to hearing all about it. Happy New Year!

Good luck with your reading this year!

Happy New Year - here's to much good reading and good gardening.

I'm up for more gardening talk this year... happy reading and gardening, and see you around!

#01: The Great Displacement : Climate Change and the Next American Migration by Jake Bittle -- (Jan 13)

why now: RL book group selection for December, but I didn't finish in time for the meeting. The book was my suggestion but I don't remember how I heard of it.

Episodes of ordinary people in the United States displaced because of hurricanes, floods, erosion, fire, heat, drought. Includes regional histories of how their communities came to be. Illustrates the inadequacy of current governmental policies to address the problems.

>16 qebo: interesting. A migration implies a destination, but doesn’t sound like that applies here, only departure from. ??

>17 dchaikin: Yeah, that's a point. IIRC (audio book, with the upside that I can read while walking but the downside that I can't skim to refresh memory) most people try to stay approximately where they already are, which puts stress on housing. And some cities are now billing themselves as climate havens.

>16 qebo: Pretty topical book right now - where are all those people going to go whose houses have been burned?

>17 dchaikin: Interesting point about a migration implying a destination. I think this may sometimes be somewhat nebulous, as in, "we're leaving here, but we'll travel until we find water, or food, or...". That we be as contrasted with refugee migrations with a destination in mind: "We'll cross the border into..."

Will have to look for this book.

#02: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain -- (Jan 17)

why now: James has been getting a lotta buzz and is a book that interests me, but I'd never read Huckleberry Finn and had only a vague sense of the plot.

So now I've read it. I watched the 1993 movie version first to get the gist, then set a goal of 25 pages per day for the book which I mostly managed to achieve. A brief essay at the end explains why it's a classic. I can see why someone would want to rewrite the slave Jim.

>20 qebo: did you enjoy it? I listened and enjoyed the beginning, and maybe the entire first half, a lot.

>20 qebo: ok now you have to read James. Its incredibly; author turns the book on its heals whilc at the same keeping some of the parts intact

Happy new year, almost-neighbor!

>21 dchaikin: I was seeking context, not enjoyment. I could see the interest of various styles of life along the river.
>22 cindydavid4: Yup, next up in the fiction queue.
>10 labfs39:, >11 karspeak:, >12 WelshBookworm:, >13 mabith:, >14 rasdhar:, >15 lisapeet:, >23 Jim53: Thanks for visiting! I'm slow to circulate but I'll get to your threads.

>20 qebo: You inspired me to read, or rather listen to, Huck Finn. I took Dan's advice and am listening to the version narrated by Elijah Wood.

>21 dchaikin: ok. Huck’s set up got me interested, his position in/outside society. And, of course, later, castigating himself for being unwilling to honor horrific southern societal values.

>25 labfs39: Elijah Wood does a terrific job.

>25 labfs39:, >26 dchaikin: Elijah Wood plays Huckleberry Finn in the 1993 movie that I watched.
>26 dchaikin: castigating himself
Yeah, that. As I've noted, I am much less literarily inclined than most in CR. I'm much more comfortable with non-fiction.

#03: Dying of Whiteness by Jonathan M. Metzl -- (Jan 22)

why now: Mentioned on SistersInLaw podcast while I was reading or had recently finished The Sum of Us, which has a similar theme. RL book group selection for January.

The author is a psychiatrist who grew up in Kansas City and works in Tennessee. This book is a combination of research, focus groups, and interviews in his familiar territory: guns in Missouri, education in Kansas, health care in Tennessee, and how policies motivated by racial fear and resentment end up hurting the people they implicitly purport to privilege.

>28 qebo: Several Southern states, including Georgia, refused to accept expansions in Medicaid dollars under the Affordable Care Act that would have been provided to them free of charge from the federal government, as the state legislatures, as far as I could understand it, didn't want to provide an additional government handout to people they deemed unworthy, such as people who were already on welfare. When I lived in Atlanta residents of the state voted on a special amendment to the state's constitution that would have authorized a special, very modest tax that would have supported hospitals and health care centers, mostly in underserved rural areas of the state, which were in danger of closure, especially since Medicaid dollars were limited. Sure enough the measure was voted down, mainly by registered Republicans, as the Georgia Tea Party came out strongly against it. As a result many of those hospitals, which served mostly White patients, were forced to close, and people in these areas suffered as a result. I guess I would call it penny foolish and pound disastrous.

>29 kidzdoc: It does all seem insane, and yet it is a recalcitrant mindset. People don't seek healthcare out of frivolous greed, and surely unhealth is more costly than health to society as a whole.

>30 qebo: Absolutely, Katherine. IIRC there was a story on the PBS NewsHour sometime last year about a region in rural Mississippi that was sorely lacking in primary care physicians, and as a result of that combined with unhealthy dietary habits there were many patients with serious preventable complications, particularly kidney failure and lower extremity amputations from poorly controlled T1DM (type 1 diabetes mellitus) that were vastly more expensive than preventive care.

>28 qebo: Did you think it a good book on that theme?

>32 TadAD: Yes.

>31 kidzdoc: I'd suppose many of us with lifelong access to preventive medicine, nutritious food, time for exercise, have little idea what can happen when these things are missing.

>34 qebo: Absolutely, Katherine. I imagine that you're familiar with the term "food desert," which often applies to poor Black neighborhoods but also can apply to rural mostly White areas, especially in the Deep South. Likewise there are "medical deserts" in rural Deep South areas; many if not most of the 159 counties in Georgia don't have a single pediatrician, and access to pediatric subspecialists or free standing children's hospitals or hospitals with pediatric wings is limited to large or moderate sized cities in the state. It wasn't uncommon for parents to drive four hours or more to come to the children's hospital I worked in, and occasionally we would care for children who came from adjoining states, especially Alabama and North Carolina.

>35 kidzdoc: Sigh. A suboptimal way to run a society.

When I moved to the Florida panhandle, my daughter's doctor told us to fly her back to Seattle or take her to Atlanta (a five hour drive) if she needed emergent medical care. A doctor on the panhandle told me that medical care there was bad, but had become disastrous after Hurricane Michael. Many people who had evacuated didn't come back, including medical personnel. Like Darryl says, it was a medical desert, with Atlanta being the nearest oasis.

>37 labfs39: Yikes. Not within my experience. I grew up across the street from a pediatrician practice and a block away from a hospital, and lived in Boston and Philadelphia within walking distance of major medical complexes.

>29 kidzdoc: Yes, this sort of thing is exactly what the excellent The Sum of Us, which Katherine mentioned, is about. It's also, in my opinion, what our recent presidential election results were about. I don't care what people told pollsters about the price of eggs or any other mishegas.

I will keep a lookout for Dying of Whiteness. Thanks for the review, Katherine.

>32 TadAD:, >39 rocketjk: "review" is a significant elevation :-) Sorry for folks seeking more. I just don't have more to give these days. The minimalist goal for the year is to produce a post when I read a book.

>39 rocketjk: in my opinion
Mine also. Even if the price of eggs is the immediate concern, there's a lotta other stuff entangled in an assessment of who will be able to solve that problem.

>30 qebo: It does all seem insane, and yet it is a recalcitrant mindset. People don't seek healthcare out of frivolous greed

You'd think that would be obvious and uncontroversial, but it's amazing the horrifying logical knots people can tie themselves into to justify this stuff. When the organization I work for switched our health insurance over to a much worse plan with a very high deductible, we had an HR person stand up in front of us all and tell us that this was a good thing, actually, because it would encourage us to "take personal responsibility," think before we went to a doctor, and not use healthcare frivolously.

Seldom have I wanted so badly to be able to kill someone with my thoughts.

>41 bragan: Yeah, I'd be seething too.

https://5calls.org
Passing this along from Norabelle414's thread as I hadn't previously been aware of it. Give it your zip, select from a list of issues, it gives you phone numbers and talking points. For the record:
Lloyd Smucker (R - Lancaster & York Co PA) - lost cause, parrots R talking points and does nothing original, but got a live polite human
John Fetterman (D - PA) - mixed bag, got voice mail with choppy message, don't entirely trust that my message was recorded
Dave McCormick (R - PA) - assume a lost cause, voice mailbox full which is potentially encouraging that volume is high

ETA: Fetterman is looking worse (Bondi) and worse (Gaza).

>43 qebo: Thanks for this. I've been shooting off emails, but maybe calling is more effective?

>44 labfs39: I really don't know. Phone seems more difficult to ignore if someone answers, but do they slog through voice mail? The last time around I gave up; representatives were either doing the right things already or they weren't going to. However, I'd like to get more in the habit. I HATE making phone calls, so it took me awhile to gear up for this.

>44 labfs39:, >45 qebo: The top line on the linked website is why calling is more effective than emails/letters (spoiler: staffers tally phone call subjects first/faster. Also the phone ringing off the hook is harder to ignore than a flooded email inbox. Caveat - this is from articles published in 2016, so may no longer hold true).

>46 ELiz_M: From a news report yesterday, phone volume is currently tens of times higher than usual, so my experience is typical.

>47 qebo: - Glad to hear that people are riled up. Here in Massachusetts phoning our senators seems like a case of preaching to the choir to me and I tell myself that Warren and Markey have it covered. But I am afraid that the Democrats in this state have grown complacent; His Awfulness got a disturbingly large number of votes this last time. I am hoping that recent events are persuading those voters that they made a terrible mistake, but who knows.

>48 Fourpawz2: I spent years calling Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham a few times a week and it feels less impactful to tell my current senators to keep up the opposition, but it's good to give positive reinforcement.

catching up on the news, im worried that all of our best efforts are for naught. just so depressing

>43 qebo: thanks for this! gonna start this tonight!

>48 Fourpawz2:, >49 RidgewayGirl: I think positive reinforcement has to be encouraging, and those of us less fortunate in our representatives appreciate your and their efforts.
>51 cindydavid4: It's helpful. Last time around, I had a spreadsheet trying to keep track of the deluge and what was still relevant.

did you see his latest? hes focused on the Kennedy Center Honors, making himself chairman, firing several long time members and promising to make it great. . remember he gave one to rush limbaugh; I cant even imagine; bet the Jan 6 folk would be among them. gawd it just gets worse and worse

>53 cindydavid4: I just saw it. Un-bloody-believable

>53 cindydavid4:, >54 kjuliff: Yeah. Though I'm much more concerned about turning the United States government into Xitter.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-kara-swisher.html

(I listen to podcasts far more than I read books these days.)

>55 qebo: Well yes, but it’s all part of it. Everything he does is part of his wider plan.

>56 kjuliff: Everything, everywhere, all at once. Yeah.

#04: How We Learn to be Brave by Mariann Edgar Budde -- (Feb 8)

why now: RL book club selection for February. One member wanted to read it in support of the author, who is the Episcopalian Bishop of Washington DC and spoke at the presidential inauguration urging compassion.

The book is organized into chapters on facets of bravery: leaving, staying, starting, accepting, stepping up, letdown, perseverance. A lot of Christian imagery and biblical references which are mostly lost on me. Also personal anecdotes from the author's life and career, which were more interesting to me as they can apply generally.

#05: James by Percival Everett -- (Feb 15)

why now: Lotsa buzz, intriguing as a reinterpretation of the same events from a different POV.

It starts off more closely tracking Huckleberry Finn, but told from a different perspective, and also with events that involve only Jim/James when the two are separated. Then it veers away. I was disappointed not to have the alternate perspective for some episodes of the original, especially one where Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer were particularly infuriating. There's a major revelation with minimal context that I wish had been more developed. The code switching was a little too much tell not show, although also amusing at times.

Tidbit of acquired knowledge (Jim/James is heard singing by a traveling minstrel group and coerced into joining the show) : History of the cakewalk which began as a parody of European dance.

>59 qebo: Hmm, I was considering that, somewhat because of all the buzz, but a little uncertain if it was the type of thing for me. Your review adds a gram or two to the "no" side.

>59 qebo: I finished listening to Huck Finn yesterday and was underwhelmed, although the narration by Elijah Woods was excellent. I want to read James soon, while HF is fresh in my mind, although my book club isn't discussing it until June. I'll have to take notes so that I don't forget it.

>60 TadAD: Oh please don’t be put off at all. James is a wonderful book. It’s very funny and entertaining as well as making a number of moral points.

Take my comments with a grain of salt. I'm not literarily inclined, and I miss a lot in e.g. appreciation of language or cultural references.

>62 kjuliff: what she said; one of my fav books of the year

>59 qebo: nice to see. I’m glad you gave it a try.

>60 TadAD: i’m on the absolutely yes side here. Read it. He challenges you, the reader, and it’s quick smart fun. It’s also brilliant, in my flawed opinion.

#06: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass -- (Feb 18)

why now: Seeking reviews of James, I read a thread where someone questioned the code switching and someone else recommended this book which I happened to have sitting on a shelf.

The book is Frederick Douglass' personal story but also analysis of the psychology of the system of slavery. He packs a lot into 69 pages, though he explicitly leaves out details of his escape because it was 1845.

Specifically with an eye toward code switching, I wondered how this observant and resourceful person portrayed himself to his enslavers, and got a sense of what he did, but less sense of how he appeared.

As a boy he was sent to a household where the wife was new to enslavement so began teaching him the alphabet. The husband put a stop to this and lectured her about the reasons. FD heard the exchange and realized that learning to read and write would be key to freedom, so he continued his own education by enlisting white boys with the strategy of "I bet you can't..." which prompted them to show off their knowledge. Several years later he ran a school to teach other slaves: "It was necessary to keep our religious masters ... unacquainted with the fact, that, instead of spending the Sabbath in wrestling, boxing, and drinking whiskey, we were trying to learn how to read the will of God; for they would much rather see us engaged in those degrading sports, than to see us behaving like intellectual, moral, and accountable beings."

Tidbit of acquired knowledge (concluding an episode about a fight in a shipyard with "to strike a white man is death by Lynch law") : It originated with a person, probably Charles Lynch.

>66 qebo: when i read this, back in college (1994), what struck me most was how elegant the writing was. Not sure what i would think now. There is a large biography of Douglass’s that is fascinating.

>67 dchaikin: I have his 1855 autobiography, but not his 1881 autobiography which is probably what I'd want to read (500 pages, which probably won't happen soon but I've just acquired it anyway) because by then he can say more. I also have Love Across Color Lines which I read... definitely pre-LT, maybe 20-ish years ago... and remember only vaguely. Checking your books... Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David Blight? 900 pages!

>68 qebo: i used audio 🙂 Took awhile…

Off topic...

Yesterday was the first meeting of a township tree task force composed of township officials and residents. This was the result of several pressures from residents: a neighborhood (not mine) where the township abruptly removed trees for roadwork, a neighborhood (mine) tree planting group that has been stymied by murky rules, a neighborhood (mine) climate action group that requested the formation of a permanent advisory tree commission and was turned down. There was a contentious email exchange, and a contentious supervisors' meeting. The compromise was a temporary tree task force with a mission to clarify the rules, improve communication with residents, and develop programs to encourage trees. The task force membership was by invitation, of people who have been involved in one group or another, rounded out with people from other neighborhoods who have demonstrated engagement in community issues.

The meeting went better than I'd expected. I'd been worried that the township manager, who can be a bit of a bully and contributed to the contentiousness, would railroad everyone into his POV, but he sat off to the side and was relatively subdued. And the township actually does seem receptive, so gets the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise. They've come across as negative, but that's partly because the rules aren't clear so residents bump up against them unexpectedly. A common complaint of township residents is that township officials deliberately obfuscate the rules so they can apply them when they feel like.

BUT... in chit-chat before the meeting, one task force member who I don't know at all, in answer to a innocuous how have you been from someone else I know only peripherally, expressed his excitement about scoring an invitation to Mar-a-Lago and seeing the president and RFK Jr from a distance. The two of us from my neighborhood walked out together after the meeting, both with the same reaction of WTF?!? (we both tried to keep poker faces during the story), is he unaware of how polarizing this is? What this guy said about trees was perfectly sensible.

>70 qebo: Great story. Thanks for that.

"What this guy said about trees was perfectly sensible."
You never know when you're going to uncover an issue that people of extremely disparate political views can coalesce around and/or at least show some common sense. Last night my wife and I checked in on a zoom presentation about the people working to help the liberal candidate in the very close put extremely crucial upcoming election for the Wisconsin State Surpreme Court. There were representatives from three different Wisconsin organizations. One was a woman who led a coalition based in western Wisconsin farm country. Their primary battle when they're not helping with statewide elections is to try to protect independent dairy farmers from the damage done to their businesses, ecology and lifestyle by giant agribusiness companies. She spoke of a local county meeting in which government guardrails were on the agenda to help with this problem, and said that the normally poorly attended meeting was jam packed, that the folks there ranged from hardcore Dems to people in Maga hats, but that everybody there came together to support the proposed rules. (To be clear, that was just a sidelight to the story they were telling about the hard, hard battle they are facing to keep their swing-state Supreme Court from becoming conservative.)

Well, I'm not really sure that was what you meant to be the point of your story, so apologies if I've gone off the rails, but anyway that's what jumped out at me. I guess it's because the memory of last night's zoom is fresh in my mind.

>71 rocketjk: not really sure that was what you meant to be the point of your story
It was on my mind, as preparation has been a preoccupation in recent weeks... but yeah, that's definitely some of it. There's a local woman who is involved in all manner of ecological/conservation efforts and overlaps with multiple groups as a go-to consultant. One group, which I'm also involved in, is strictly non-political, explicit rules have been stated, but what exactly this covers is not fully defined. Climate change? This woman makes presentations at climate events because she believes it's happening, but she objects to assertions that human activity has anything to do with it. She voted for Trump because of abortion; I have never discussed politics with her but got this from someone she told who was disturbed by the revelation. I live just barely outside a blue city that is surrounded by a red county, divided as is the rest of the nation but on a smaller scale, so meeting of different political factions is inevitable, but a blatant declaration in a group of strangers was a surprise.

And part of the point is murmuring to myself about where to focus attention. I can be a voice on the phone or a warm body in a crowd or direct $ strategically, but I'm more motivated by tangible effects and I would like to see the government that resides a quarter mile down the street work better.

Wisconsin Supreme Court has been in the news so I appreciate your report of the organized effort.

>72 qebo: Just wondering how this presenter can believe climate change is happening, but deny human activity as a factor - quite the picture!

Keep up your work for township trees.

As an aside, have you seen this wonderful book: Smithsonian Trees of North America?

>73 SassyLassy: have you seen
I hadn't, and it looks like a book I'd want to have. Thanks!

>71 rocketjk: Hey, I spent part of today writing postcards in support of Judge Crawford.

>75 RidgewayGirl: Cool! I gotta get me some of those.

Hi Katherine! I lost you for a bit but I found you again :-)

#07: Number Go Up by Zeke Faux -- (Mar 2)

why now: The author has been making the rounds of podcasts, e.g. Chris Hayes / Why is This Happening (link includes transcript), Stacey Abrams / Assembly Required, The Bulwark. All will give you the gist, with an update to current events.

If you are already skeptical about cryptocurrency and NFTs, this book will confirm your opinion and then some. There's a concise explanation of "number go up" (also in the podcasts). The author mostly chases the people at the top, in places such as the Bahamas and Switzerland, and if they weren't so villainous they'd mostly come across as cartoonish failure to thrive in a meaningful world. He also goes to Cambodia, where people seeking employment are duped into "pig butchering" scams and held captive in compounds with armed guards. And to El Salvador where Bitcoin was adopted as legal tender by the government, though there's little evidence on the ground as shop proprietors are dismissive.

I'd thought of cryptocurrency as somewhere between what is its purpose in life and obfuscation of criminal activity, idealistic and nefarious independence from institutional and governmental intervention and regulation which is its key feature. What I hadn't been so aware of is the cult/community aspect, where for example possession of a ridiculous NFT is the price of admission into mingling with celebrities.

I listened to the audio version. If there are diagrams in the print book, I didn't see them. There were lots of verbal diagrammable episodes: hacked into this, transferred from here to there, investigating the linkage between a crypto wallet and an identifiable person. The author steps through the tedious process of acquiring and selling an NFT: starting with $, wending through various exchanges and fees, converting back to $ in hopes of not losing too much in the process.

Someone always asks whether I'd recommend it. Yes.

>78 qebo: I've read several articles and watched several news stories about cryptocurrency, including one on the PBS NewsHour earlier this week. I still don't understand it, though, and I certainly don't trust it.

>79 kidzdoc: I can’t understand it either though I’ve tried and tried. I feel that I should know. I believe there is nothing good about it because it isn’t even a currency. It sounds like a financial joke made up by a cynical podcaster with a degree in economics from 1950s South Africa, who wants to help the apocalypse along.

>79 kidzdoc:, >80 kjuliff: Filter out the techno-jargon, and what remains is a Ponzi scheme. I'm reading a book by this guy now.

>81 qebo: I hope you can enlighten us some more. In what way is it a Ponzi scheme?
Also I understand there are ATMs around. Do people use them to cash or transfer money?

>82 kjuliff: The podcasts linked in >78 qebo: are about an hour each. The interview linked in >81 qebo: is less than 10 minutes. I'd already heard the podcasts. I went looking for a succinct video. Number Go Up is mostly about the people at the top who made money. The book I'm reading now is Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud (I'm about a quarter through) which so far is more explanatory about economics in general, and I gather is more about the people who lost money.
ATMs
I had to Google. Apparently both, for a fee.

Good info here. Thanks qebo!

>78 qebo: Every time I read something about cryptocurrency, I think of Nikki Glaser at the Tom Brady roast, teasing him for losing $30,000,000 on crypto: "I mean, even Gronk was like, 'Me know that not real money!'"

>83 qebo: I read some good reviews of Easy Money when it came out, I'm glad you're enjoying it.

>72 qebo: Me too!

part of the point is murmuring to myself about where to focus attention. I can be a voice on the phone or a warm body in a crowd or direct $ strategically, but I'm more motivated by tangible effects and I would like to see the government that resides a quarter mile down the street work better.

I'll be thinking about 5 calls and what topics I want to weigh in on though.

I also think I'll be checking out The great displacement: climate change and the next American Migration by Jake Bittle sometime this year from your list of January books. I found a map in an online review of this book that shows "hot spots" (lots of people moving here) in red and "cold spots" (lots of people leaving these places) in blue. The map is actually from this article on the Frontiers in Human Dynamics website, dated Dec. 2022.

>78 qebo: timely. Sounds fascinating. I have an ex-coworker, caught in our last layoff round, determined to focus on crypto. He’s a pretty sharp guy.

#08: The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan -- (Mar 19)

why now: RL book group selection for March. Seeking non-fiction that wouldn't send us into further despair.

I usually get the audio version for the book group, but this one is amply illustrated so I walked to the neighborhood independent bookstore which has a small but nicely curated science & nature section. It is exactly what the title says, with dated entries from 2017-2022, each a pencil drawing with maybe a few handwritten sentences of highlights, and 1-2 pages of print elaborating. The back yard is in northern California, and the species are relatives of the ones I see in Pennsylvania. The author studied nature journaling with John Muir Laws and has a direct line to Bernd Heinrich. The drawings are mostly quick sketches but also a number of detailed portraits, not world class art but an indication of what persistence can achieve. The anecdotes are casual observations, with attention to habitual and odd behaviors, questions that arise, understanding gained over time, told with a bit of novelistic style. I haven't read anything else by Amy Tan and now I'm interested.

#09: Easy Money by Ben McKenzie and Jacob Silverman -- (Mar 20)

why now: Showed up as a related book when I was reading Number Go Up.

The author is an actor (not familiar to me) but also was an economics major in college. He got curious about cryptocurrency during COVID, and contacted a journalist for assistance with getting his skeptical assessment published, starting with online articles. Although this book covers some of the same ground as Number Go Up (e.g. interviewing Sam Bankman-Friend and traveling to El Salvador), it is not redundant. If you are interested in one book but not both, I'd recommend this one. It is less concerned with chasing after colorful characters, and more concerned with explaining economic principles.

A possibly encouraging tidbit from the neighborhood. A neighbor a few streets away from me began displaying a gigantic Trump sign several months before the election. He is known for assholery (to the extent that a previous next door neighbor installed a fence to reduce interaction, and enlisted township staff to restrain him from invading her space to complain about her garden) so yeah, figures. The sign remained up after the election but was recently removed. Where the Trump sign was, is now a small Ukranian flag. Huh. A neighbor across the street from him told me that he asked for the flag when another neighbor was giving them away, and she overheard him say that he has soured on Trump.

>91 qebo: Apparently many voters who chose Trump and Republican representatives are increasingly angry and are making their voices heard, to the point where many of those representatives are canceling their usual town hall meetings to speak with these same voters. There was a town hall meeting this week in Doylestown that my representative, Brian Fitzpatrick (R), was invited to speak but didn't attend. According to the Bucks County Beacon the organizers placed an empty chair with a placard of his name and photo on the placard, and people in the packed auditorium spoke vehemently and passionately about their concerns and Fitzpatrick's unwillingness to stand up to Trump.

>92 kidzdoc: My representative has never held a town hall in person, just on the phone with questions screened. His newsletter and replies to constituents are official talking points; he has no original thoughts. There was a protest downtown last weekend (I had a schedule conflict, but I've talked to two neighbors who were there, and also a brief video clip was shown on the Rachel Maddow show) organized by a local Indivisible, a similar setup with an empty chair, and speakers describing how DOGE and the executive orders have affected them personally. Unfortunately, activity in the city does not necessarily reflect the entire pool of voters, as this district includes swaths of the county.

>93 qebo: I moved back to Bucks County, PA permanently in January 2022 and registered to vote here that summer. Since then Brian Fitzpatrick, the locally and nationally well known moderate Republican representative from Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional district, has not held a single town hall, to my knowledge. He did appear on the CBS News program Face the Nation earlier this month to discuss the Congressional budget, and he will often show his face at non-political events throughout Bucks County, but he refused all invitations to debate Ashley Ehasz, his Democratic challenger, in the 2022 and 2024 Congressional elections. The 1st was one of three Congressional districts in the country that voted for Kamala Harris for President and the Republican candidate for Congress, so I suspect he will be forced out of hiding and stand up to his constituents if he hopes to be reëlected in 2026 (I did vote for Ehasz in 2022 and 2024, BTW).

In addition to the town hall in Doylestown this week there was also a protest outside of his local office in Langhorne, not far from where I live, on Monday. I don't know if he was in his office or was hiding elsewhere, though.

there was an event with Bernie and AOC the other night near ASU 15000 fit in the audiorium and many more hundreds outside Watched it on youtube. Then yesterday they spoke in Tucson, with 20,000 . Not bad for a red state

>95 cindydavid4: They can't be everywhere and Bernie Sanders is 83 years old. The crowds should indicate that others need to step up.

https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/03/special-election-pennsylvania-lancaster...
Lancaster PA in national news. An adjacent district, not mine.

>97 qebo: There was an article in The Wall Street Journal about that election today, along with an interview with the Pennsylvania state representative who is married to actress Sheryl Lee Ralph on the MSNBC program Morning Joe

A Shock to the GOP From MAGA Country

>99 kidzdoc: Chris Hayes interviewed the election winner yesterday on MSNBC, and described Lancaster as "Amish country". And yeah, I guess, but that's the tourist version and misses the urban/rural divide, and several small towns and almost-city suburbs that are increasingly blue; it's not a monolithic district.

A book story (which I may delete after awhile)...

In the early 1970s my father wrote a book, which was published as part of an academic series. (It still generates royalties in the double digits! As in less than $100 annually.) About a decade ago, the publisher contacted him to ask whether he'd be interested in updating it. He figured it'd take a few months, and said yes. Well it wasn't a few months. 5 years later the editor who'd been working with him had moved on, the publisher was no longer interested, and my father was immersed in research. I would tease him that he was pushing 90 and should maybe wrap it up. In July 2020, 4 days before his 90th birthday, he had a stroke that immobilized half his body. The password to his computer was not recorded on any of the many post-its stuck to his desk, but fortunately his mind was fully intact and he was able to tell us. He had saved the final draft of several chapters 3 weeks previously, and had multiple versions of the others. He remained in the hospital or rehab for another 7 months, and died without ever returning home. Some years before, he had designated a colleague/friend as the beneficiary of his book collection and we made arrangements accordingly, transporting a trunkful of books to the memorial service in another state. The friend offered to get the book published. We didn't know him at all, but we also didn't have the slightest idea what else to do. So I delved into my father's computer, a scary place of disorder (to my eye), and handed over my father's life to a stranger. Well, he got it done. A publisher that had seemed promising fell short of commitment, several others considered and rejected, but eventually one bit and followed through. The friend has refused any reimbursement for his time, and he would be completely behind the scenes except per publisher protocol he is named as co-author. Also he chose the cover art which is significantly gaudier than the family aesthetic. The only $ has gone to assistants who properly attributed images and created an index. We've been getting occasional brief status reports from the friend, and bits of bureaucracy from the publisher. Today, somewhat over 4 years after my father's death, a half dozen actual physical books arrived in the mail. (My mother, unfortunately, is too far gone with dementia to understand.)

>101 qebo: That's a wild publishing story, and very cool. There's almost a short story there, including the gaudy cover.

>101 qebo: What an interesting story, qebo. Your father would have been pleased, I hope. What's the topic?

>101 qebo: Thanks for relating that story. It sounds like something Louise Erdrich would write, maybe. It must have felt really great after all that time to receive those hard copies of your father's book. I understand why telling us the title of the book would be walking a thin line with LTs rules against self-promotion, but could you send me a PM? I'm extremely curious now.

>101 qebo: That's a great story about your father's book, Katherine. I'm also curious to know what it's about.

>103 labfs39: would have been pleased
>104 rocketjk: It must have felt really great

When the initial publisher fell through, and for another two years no other publisher was interested, we thought it wasn't going to happen. The friend would report trying this or that, but months would go by with no communication and we were completely at his mercy. My father enjoyed the process of research and writing so we were resigned to accepting he spent his final years as he wished and this would have to be enough. My father was 25 years into retirement, the colleagues we had known were mostly dead, he had a professional circle but they weren't local and at best we might've vaguely recognized a few names. But the friend was persistent, kept scouting around for plausible publishers, and in fall 2023 he got a yes. Which we still didn't entirely believe because the contract listed stuff that had to get done and what if it didn't. Another year went by, with evidence of progress when two assistants were hired for the images and the index. In fall 2024 we got a PDF and a tentative date. That's when it became real, and since then it's been waiting.

Huge (by city standards) turnout for the Hands Off rally, especially considering it wasn't organized by the usual suspects, there were no scheduled speakers, and information was sparse. Center of downtown with lots of honking horns and thumbs up from traffic.

"over 1,000 people" sez one group
"2,500 people deep" sez another
"about 2,000 people" per organizers sez the newspaper

>107 qebo: One of my best friends from medical school, a pulmonologist at UPMC, just posted of a full length photo of herself at the Pittsburgh rally. She's wearing a full length Lady Liberty outfit, and she's holding a sign that reads "Give me your tired & poor! You can keep DOGE."

>108 kidzdoc: I took lots of photos of signs but at odd angles in the jostling crowd. This was one corner of four.

I missed the bagpipes:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BHbDdHA6a/
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:6dntj7ppctgzhaq3bwjmcvdo/post/3lm3afkhgqc2u

>109 qebo: Well done for participating in those protests, Katherine! I wish that I was in a situation where I could add my voice.

>110 kidzdoc: I'm just one warm body in the crowd. I walked downtown with no idea what to expect.

>111 qebo: That is what we need now, the voices of individuals who stand up as one and express their voices to Trump, the Republicans who bow down to him like cowards, and Democrats who are struggling to figure out how to respond to the chaos.

I attended the beginning of the Hands Off March in Atlanta today. I didn't have it in me to walk three miles to the capitol, but I hope to find ways to resist civilly. It's going to be a long haul.

>101 qebo:

Sorry that your dad missed the new edition of his book, but it's nice it was done. My mum recently published a first book at the age of 78 and is planning another. I'm just happy that she still has drive and motivation (if only her physical state matched them!)

>109 qebo:

🤩

>101 qebo: What a nice story! I'm glad it all worked out.

>109 qebo: I saw video of your protest on social media! Great turnout.

>109 qebo: I've seen a lot of dog/doge variations. One I like is "Who let the Doge out?" (I suppose it's better if one it aware of the song it's punning on).

>113 markon: My sister-in-law recently had hip surgery so she couldn't stand for long and left early. Yeah, it'll be a long haul with other events and activities as we... hopefully... get our act together.
>114 LolaWalser: Writing a book seems an excellent occupation for aging; doesn't require physical strength, and leaves a tangible legacy.
>115 norabelle414: Thanks. It has been quite a saga.
>116 ELiz_M: Another: "The DOGE ate my Constitution".
My favorite so far is "They're eating the CHECKS. They're eating the BALANCES." Which I've seen in several variants, so I assume it's out there on the internet for people seeking ideas.

>111 qebo: My wife and I were two voices in the crowd among many thousands on 5th Avenue in NYC yesterday. It was inspirational, though not really surprising to us, to see so many people out there in the (light) rain.

No Other Land arrives in Lancaster PA tomorrow, at the venue I'd expected but two months after the big cities.

>119 qebo: That looks very interesting. I'll look forward to your impressions.

>119 qebo: It was mentioned in another thread and several people in northeast cities had seen and recommended it, but it hadn't arrived here yet. I've been keeping an eye on this venue which shows obscure/independent/political films, sometimes followed by a panel discussion though not in this case.

Thanks for the fascinating story about your dad’s book. So many obstacles just barely overcome. And kudos for protesting against the monsters in power

https://bsky.app/profile/lancasterwatchdog.bsky.social/post/3lrlfhvhtds27

No Kings yesterday. More clearly organized than Hands Off, different location about 2 blocks away, stage with speakers for nearly 2 hours. The plaza was filled, and both sides of the street were lined with signage. I was poorly situated to take photos. Estimates are 3500-4000 people, so about double the size of Hands Off.

>123 qebo: good for you for being there. I was at a suburban no kings event. We thought there were maybe 500 to 700 people there. Lots of support from passing traffic (and police). Downtown Houston had a much larger showing.

I was proud of Mainers yesterday. From little Deer Isle (where I worked one summer) to the protests in Portland (I was at the one at Lincoln Park), people were out and making their voices heard. You might appreciate this sign:

>125 labfs39: I sympathize With his sign!

>123 qebo: The rally I went to was impressively organized, too.
That's a lot of people for Lancaster!

>125 labfs39: I love that sign!

#10: Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams -- (Apr 9)

why now: She was scheduled to be interviewed on a podcast but it didn't happen because of legal restrictions, and I was curious.

The author was a young diplomat from New Zealand, attracted to the potential of social media, who after several rounds of persistence got a job at Facebook in 2011 as director of global policy. This was a role of her own design, and began with persuading Facebook to become a presence at meetings of world government leaders, because if the goal was worldwide connection then the company would have to develop coordinating policies. Alas, Facebook cares more about expansion than ethics, and she was slow to become disillusioned. Lotsa anecdotes about Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, Joel Kaplan, and general scuzziness of the upper echelons, and navigating personal travails with pregnancy and childcare amidst corporate insistence on all-consuming availability for work.

#11: Private Revolutions by Yuan Yang -- (Apr 18)

why now: RL book group selection for April. Chosen by a member of the group who was adopted from China so from her POV this was something of a "what if".

The book follows four women now in their 30s IIRC from childhood in rural areas to adulthood in a city, with specifics obscured so as not to identify anyone. I listened to the audio, and found the life episodes engaging, family dynamics and role models and attitudes and aspirations and challenges, but was often not sure who was who as the book cycles among them not always in the same order and picks up each story without reminders.

#12: A Woman I Know by Mary Haverstick -- (May 13)

why now: RL book group selection for May. A local filmmaker who none of us know directly but all of us know of.

The author initially planned to make a film about the Mercury 13 focused on Jerrie Cobb. Well into the process of interviewing and collecting documents, she was warned by a government official that the documents were classified and should not be in her possession. She began investigating, found CIA documents about June Cobb who had a similar biography, went down a rabbit hole of espionage and obscured identities, and paused on the film because she was uneasy about who she was actually dealing with. This book was published after Jerrie Cobb died, still an enigma. The time frame of primary interest is late 1950s - mid 1960s, with emphasis on the assassination of JFK. It's most engaging when the author is with Jerrie Cobb trying to extract clear information. Otherwise, I found the effort to disentangle an expanding network of spies intriguing but confusing, and dubiously speculative.

#13: Tomorrow Will Be Different by Sarah McBride -- (May 27)

why now: Heard her interviewed on a podcast, and she seemed sensible.

I was hoping for a better understanding of what it means from the inside to be transgender, and can't say this was achieved. She says it's difficult to explain, feels like a "homesickness". Regardless, although she seems awfully young to be writing a memoir, it is substantive. The gist is that involvement in politics as a teenager and through college merged with the personal process of gender transition into a career of advocacy. The presentation is both straightforward and emotional, with a very sad episode about the death of her husband, relevantly also transgender.

I haven't been around much, combo of all the garden stuff picks up in the spring with physical labor and organizational obligations, and the death of my mother at the end of May after nearly five years of physical and mental decline. I feel ridiculously tired, and the consequence for LT is that I'm more inclined to watch videos than read books.

Take care of yourself. Losing a mother is hard at any age. Any good videos to recommend?

In addition to watching Asian dramas, I spent much of the spring doing data cleanup on LT. I find it mentally soothing, which I've needed, but it consumes a lot of my reading time. With the loss of your mom and the state of the union, you need to prioritize your well-being, and sometimes that means videos. :-)

>129 qebo: My wife has been reading Careless People and finding it very interesting (and depressing).

>133 qebo: I'm so sorry about your mother, qebo. LT is here for you whether you're reading or not! Definitely share any video recommendations you have.

Thanks all. Dementia is incredibly depressing. My mother was a reference librarian, known for her organizational skills, but communication deteriorated from restricted to impossible over several years. A few months ago she was sent to the hospital for stitches after a fall, and we were worried about a slippery slope of decisions, but in the end she just... stopped.

My taste in videos is too middlebrow for this group. I tend toward long form mystery/detective, story arc that extends 4-8 episodes, a plot and a puzzle and a resolution.

>138 qebo: I wouldn't worry about brow-level, qebo. I have watched hundreds of Asian dramas since the Covid lockdown. I find them incredibly relaxing. Usually they are 16 one-hour episode arcs, although it can range. Sort of like really long movies. My favorites are romantic comedies, dramas, and even the occasional crime drama, which is not a genre I usually engage with. Kerry/avatiakh and I occasionally recommend one to each other, but maybe I should start mentioning them on my thread more often. Perhaps there are closet drama watchers out there who would like to discuss them.

>139 labfs39: Aren't you learning Korean? Are you able to follow without subtitles? I watched Parasite with subtitles (a few years ago, memory has faded) which I tend to avoid because it's extra eye strain on my phone.

>140 qebo: Oh, I was trying to learn Korean. Duolingo for two years did nothing for me. I just learned to game the system. So I got a textbook, but then I got busy with other things. So the best I can do is tell when the subtitles are wrong. I watch on my laptop, so it's easier on my eyes for sure. The print on my phone would be tiny.

I'm sorry to hear about your mother's passing, Katherine. Watching one or both of your parents decline is heartbreaking, regardless of their age and their conditions. It's been a little over 3½ years but I still haven't completely come to grips with my father's passing, and that holds far more for my mother, who talks about him daily.

I'm very sorry about your mum, Katherine.

>132 qebo:

Noting that, I've been trying to read more about (from) transgender and non-binary people in support of them in the face of this despicable offensive against them. FWIW, I'd say it helps to recognise that their experiences are as varied as any. So, basically, the more one reads, the more transgender people one "encounters", the better the picture that emerges. For me at least it helped to drive home that gender really is experienced, i.e. exists, "on a spectrum".

I was hoping for a better understanding of what it means from the inside to be transgender

This interested me too but I wonder whether it can ever be adequately conveyed. After all, how would we cis people explain how "cisness" feels? At a minimum, I suppose, it can be said that some people feel a specific kind of internal discomfort, a dissociation, often from the earliest age, because of how they are seen/treated based on their presumed gender.

I've still read relatively little but to reference Kate Bornstein, Julia Serrano, Jan Morris's Conundrum, Maia Kobabe, S. Bear Bergman (no trans people of colour so far).

I'm waiting for Lucy (previously Luc) Sante's I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition.

>132 qebo: I have this one on my stack up here at the cabin. I'm glad to hear that you're positive about it ... at least, to an extent.

>142 kidzdoc:, >143 LolaWalser: Thanks.

>143 LolaWalser:
I wonder whether it can ever be adequately conveyed
Perhaps not. With no disconnect, there's no conscious awareness to articulate. I can completely see chafing at expectations vs preferences, wanting to have a different role. It's "am"-ness that I don't get. I would've thought that as the range of social possibilities and presentations for both male and female expand, what you "are" would matter less, but instead, as Sarah McBride puts it, there is an increasing "decoupling". So I'm thinking about it wrong, but I don't yet have an alternative. Thanks for the list of books. I read Conundrum years ago, also She's Not There. One bit I remember from Conundrum is a quote from a psychiatrist, in IIRC the 1960s, that in his professional experience when there is such a strong disconnect between the mind and the body, it is easier to change the body.

LT mini-meetup! @_Zoe_, @radicarian, and @RemarkableReads in Lancaster as a halfway-ish point between NY and VA. We met at a restaurant near the F&M campus. (Mark was inside collecting the accompanying kid supplies.)

>146 qebo: Nice!

>146 qebo: Great meet up photo!

Look who I found in my lilies

>149 labfs39: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misumena_vatia ?

>150 qebo: Yes, the color-changing crab spider. It's legs were a perfect match for the flower, I almost didn't spot it.

>146 qebo: It was great to see you! Thank you for taking and posting that photo. Now I can borrow it whenever I eventually get around to updating my own thread!

>149 labfs39: Wow!!!

>146 qebo: Lovely picture, I'm glad you had a good meet-up! Thanks for sharing!

>133 qebo: Condolences on the loss of your mother, and I hope you're getting enough rest and time to take care of yourself.

A vacation! What with COVID and elderly parent decline and financial constraints, I've rarely left my neighborhood and a 5 mile errand loop since 2019. Train to New York NY to overlap with a friend from MA who has since moved to CA and was visiting her daughter. Train to Boston MA to visit friends from when I lived there 25+ years ago. Train to Brunswick ME which is the end of the line and also where my niece lives. Car to Bass Harbor ME. Ferry to Swan's Island ME where my brother and his wife are staying for the summer (and thinking of making it permanent). Ferry back to Bass Harbor ME. Car back to Brunswick ME. Train to Portland ME where I met up with Lisa/labfs39. Plane to Philadelphia PA. Train back home to Lancaster PA. Too many pieces! I had a spreadsheet for the scheduling. I prefer to stay in one place as a hub for day trips, but I actively wanted to see all these people and places. And also to get past my COVID anxiety and out of my shrunken world. Everything went smoothly, never needed my mental contingency plans. Lots of walking around in the heat (several days of 20,000-25,000 steps), though considering what the weather had been for the prior few weeks (stretches of 90+ degrees and torrents of rain), it was comparatively pleasant. August would not have been my top choice but it was the intersection of other people's availability. I read two e-books that had been sitting for years in one case and months in another.

Returned to a jungle in the yard which'll need attention as the weather cools.

Shortly before I left, I acquired a few books about retirement (including the one recommended by Darryl/kidzdoc). Today I ordered a few books about travel...

I had a great time visiting with you on Saturday. I'm so glad you could squeeze me into your very busy trip. Glad you made it back to your lovely garden. I'm also glad you ordered a few books about travel. It can be exciting to think about what's next. Perhaps we'll bump into each other in some remote village or city street corner by chance next time.

>157 qebo: Lovely looking at your lush garden. Did you not experience drought this summer. Here right on the Atlantic coast, there has just been the first rain, only for a few hours, since early July. Unheard of! My plants are shrivelling. So sad.

>158 qebo: I suspect you will enjoy the travel books more than the retirement books, and find them more inspirational!

>160 SassyLassy: 2 years ago I think it was, drought killed off some of my plants (e.g. jewelweed, and patches of wild ginger). This year, we've had an excess of rain, storms with several inches and flooding. It's been too hot to do much yard work, so before I left I tidied up the front which the neighbors can see, but the rest is growing exuberantly.

more inspirational
Travel is limited until retirement occurs, and I'm feeling pretty inspired to figure out how to do it.

I found lots of monarch eggs and caterpillars in the yard upon my return. I don't generally search for chrysalises because they could be anywhere and they're difficult to spot. Yesterday I happened upon a newly emerged monarch butterfly (note the empty chrysalis next to it).

What a busy vacation! I hope that you were able to relax to some degree.

Congrats on a successful vacation. You had a lot of moving pieces and it's great everything went smoothly.

>162 qebo: That is so cool. My daughter had tried to plant to encourage monarchs but has had limited success.

I'm so glad you had a nice trip, qebo!

>162 qebo: Wow, lovely!

#14: Fen, Bog, and Swamp by Annie Proulx -- (Jun 18)

why now: RL book group selection for June. I already had it, sitting in a physical stack of books that I began reading in 2023 or 2024.

The author helpfully defines fen (supports reeds and grasses, fed partially by groundwater which has contact with minerals) and bog (supports sphagnum mosses, fed primarily by rainwater) and swamp (supports shrubs and trees) and divides the book into a chapter on each. Within each chapter though is a mishmash of science and history, seems to be things that caught her attention. Engaging, and probably fine as an introduction, but not comprehensive.

#15: On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service by Anthony Fauci -- (Jun 29)

why now: Seeking an audio book, and this was on a list of recommendations based on prior books.

Some family background, but primarily about his career in national government spanning significant medical events and multiple presidential administrations. Heavy on AIDS and COVID, passing through anthrax, Ebola, influenza, SARS, Zika, ... I'm probably forgetting some. It's just enough personally engaging while focused on medicine, and he's good at explaining medical issues in layperson terms. He avoids partisan politics, is respectful of every administration until Trump, never resorts to personal attacks; his anger is at threats to his family, and malevolent disinformation.

#16: Playframes by Celia Pearce -- (Jun 30)

why now: Over the winter a friend in Boston mentioned a book reading that she and her daughter were going to (she knows the author through somethingorother, and her daughter designed and facilitates an online game), and I expressed interest, so she sent me a signed copy.

How do we know we are playing? Academic, lots of carefully defined terminology, but the author is also a game player and designer, and anecdotes and examples are engaging. I was within 25 pages of finishing this book in April, but the last chapter is about January 6 and every time I started to pick up the book I just... couldn't. January 6 was a "playframe breach"; she traces a history from alternate reality games through Gamergate to QAnon.

https://news.northeastern.edu/2025/01/14/gaming-culture-jan-6-qanon/

>167 qebo: Hopefully I'll get to On Call in the not too distant future.

>168 qebo: Thanks for including the link. Interesting premise. Do you think she defended her argument well?

>170 labfs39: Not sure how to answer this as my interest isn't deep enough go through it step by step or research counterarguments. It's a plausible argument.

#17: Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson -- (Jul 14)

why now: Lotsa buzz, authors making the rounds of interviews. I've been following Ezra Klein since he was a college student with a blog in 2004.

The target audience is pro-government liberals. We're doing government wrong, too focused on process rather than results, with risk aversive regulations stifling rather than facilitating innovation and construction. Food for thought, getting some pushback (e.g. https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/07/09/the-broadband-story-abundance-liberals-..., https://newrepublic.com/article/199473/abundance-trump-infrastructure-racial-dis... ) but the conversation is worthwhile.

#18: Burn Book by Kara Swisher -- (Jul 27)

why now: I listen to her podcasts On and Pivot regularly. This book was mentioned when it was published.

A survey of her career, written pretty much as she speaks. I enjoyed reading it, but if you follow the podcasts there's nothing notably different or new.

#19: We Carry Their Bones by Erin Kimmerle -- (Jul 30)

why now: I was reading various books about genetic genealogy and forensic DNA last year, and this was one. I got distracted and set it aside about halfway through, picked it up again to chip away at the physical stack of unread books.

The Dozier School for Boys in Marianna FL was the real life inspiration for the fictional Nickel Boys. It operated from 1900 until 2011 when it was shut down after an investigation of abuse. There were marked and unmarked graves on school grounds, records about deaths were sketchy, families were asking questions. The author, a forensic anthropologist, was hired by the state to identify burials, both where and who they were. Unsurprisingly this was controversial and met with resistance. The book is about the science and the families and the politics. A resulting diagram shows 55 burials from 1918-1952, with about half identified definitely (and returned to families) or presumptively.

#20: Threads of Empire by Dorothy Armstrong -- (Jul 31)

why now: RL book group selection for July.

I skimmed this or the audio equivalent, semi-listening, sometimes spacing out and not returning to the distraction point. Each chapter focuses on a carpet: how it was made, who may have made it, how it got to be where it is, its importance at the time. More detail than I could absorb.

>174 qebo: I didn't know the history of the Dozier school and hadn't read The Nickel Boys, but your review prompted me to read the Wikipedia article. Wow. I lived relatively near Marianna when I lived in Florida, but had no idea.

>176 labfs39: I have The Nickel Boys in the queue, and there's also a movie. May be why I noticed the NF book initially.

#21: Every Living Thing by Jason Roberts -- (Aug 3)

why now: RL seminar selection for last spring. As often happens, I kept up for while then fell hopelessly behind. Another book I plucked out of the stack of unread books to finish.

Intertwined biographies of 18th century contemporaries Carl Linnaeus vs. Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon. Each produced an encyclopedia of life, respectively Systema Naturae and Histoire Naturelle. The focus is on their contrasting views. Linnaeus was a rigid taxonomist, discerning and imposing order. Buffon had proto-evolutionary ideas, less accepting of absolute boundaries, more accepting of change over time. Very engagingly told, with family origins, colorful anecdotes, promotional tactics, rivalries, politics as well as science, author opinions (he appears to have a personal preference for Buffon). Scientist reviewers have noted some factual errors, so beware.

#22: Benjamin Banneker and Us by Rachel Jamison Webster -- (Aug 6)

why now: I was haphazardly perusing my LT groups, and this book was mentioned in the Genealogy group.

The subtitle is Eleven Generations of an American Family, but really it emphasizes three generations starting with Benjamin Banneker's grandparents. In the third generation, Benjamin Banneker's sister Jemima married Samuel Lett and the family migrated further west in Maryland and then to Ohio. They were the common ancestors of the author and her co-authors, who are distant cousins. In the fifth generation, the family split, with the author's branch passing as white. She was completely unaware of this ancestry until a close relative stepped back along an unknown line and found it, and in writing and researching she connected with distant cousins who had been aware all along. (The relationships have been confirmed by DNA.) The book alternates between her imaginings of people in those early generations, and present conversations with the cousins around whose story is this. I suppose we process information very differently. She is a poet and creative writing instructor. I like charts. Nowhere in this book is a family tree for reference, for the established facts, for the uncertainties, for the author and cousins. Benjamin Banneker is famous and there are biographies with necessarily sketchy information, so imaginings mostly irritate me. I was interested in the split, and while it is frequently mentioned it is a murky background rather than a focus of research or story. I like this sort of thing regardless, entanglement of history and memoir and discovery, but wished for a somewhat different book. What appeals to me in genealogy is starting at a single point and rolling the dice, resulting in many alternative paths. The author is more interested in the common origin than the divergence.

https://www.osra1977.org/lett-settlement-history
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Banneker-1

#23: The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett -- (Aug 10)

why now: Been in the queue of e-books for years, and I was setting off on a train trip with fewer distractions than usual.

A fictional Arctic expedition departs from Philadelphia in 1855 to search for real missing explorer John Franklin. The central character is Erasmus, a contemplative naturalist past his prime. The expedition is organized by Zeke, ambitious to be famous. Erasmus' sister Lavinia is engaged to Zeke, and asks Erasmus to make sure that he returns safely. A family friend Alexandra is recruited to stay with Lavinia and keep her occupied. The story alternates between the men away and the women at home.

Of course the expedition runs into trouble, and is trapped in ice through winter. Zeke, after antagonizing the entire crew, sets off on his own and doesn't return when expected. The ship has a tiny window of opportunity to escape the ice, Erasmus has to balance loyalty and responsibility, and decides to keep everyone else alive by leaving Zeke behind. So the story continues with the reception at home.

I appreciated the author's patience with character development, descriptions of nature, science, encounters with and exploitation of Esquimaux people, immersion in the era. Shouldn't've taken me so long to get around to reading this book, and I will definitely seek others.

#24: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin -- (Aug 15)

why now: @SqueakyChu reviewed it around the time I'd was reading Playframes, so I noticed it because of the game theme. I began reading soon after but stopped about 10 pages in, annoyed with the banter of the characters and a stupid lie (is this a character revelation? is this an author contrivance?). But the scene takes place in Harvard Square, and I was in Boston ready for another book so I tried again.

The story covers three decades of a friendship, which would not normally be my sort of thing, but centered on projects, which is my sort of thing. My exposure to computer games is limited, but in the abstract I can appreciate the creativity of designers and interactive immersion of players.

Sadie and Sam meet in the rec room of a children's hospital at ages 11/12. She is there to visit her sister who has cancer (and survives). He is there for multiple foot surgeries after a car accident, which also killed his mother. They bond over video games. He had until that day been mute from the trauma, so hospital staff encourage her to keep visiting him. They have a falling out when he discovers that she, who he thought was his friend, has been filling out a time sheet for a community service award. They meet by chance again 8 years later, when she is a student at MIT and he is a student at Harvard, and decide to spend a summer designing a game together. A company is founded, financed by Sam's college roommate Marx, whose presence becomes more important over time.

It's a rambly book, not clearly going anywhere, with backstory (e.g. both have significant grandparental influence and support) revealed intermittently. The main characters are both sympathetic and exasperating. Much of their relationship is unspoken, and doesn't venture far outside the games they are designing. Both can be caring and manipulative. They fail to notice significant struggles in each other (she is in an abusive relationship, his mangled foot is dangerously painful), and misinterpret motives, reacting without communication.

I was interested enough to keep reading, and wanted things to be OK for both of them though I never entirely got over my annoyance with... I was never sure is it with the characters or the author. I would be curious to read another book by the author.

#25: A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter -- (Aug 23)

why now: It was mentioned in Fen, Bog, and Swamp as a classic (originally published in 1909), so I got the e-book, fairly recently so it was visible in the list when I was ready to start another book while on vacation.

The story covers Elnora's life from starting high school to recent graduation. She lives with her mother at the edge of the Limberlost swamp in Indiana, and is knowledgeable about the flora and fauna. Her father drowned in the swamp on the day she was born. Her mother is bitter and blames her. So when Elnora wants to attend high school, she has to find a way to pay for it. By chance the Bird Woman is buying moth and butterfly specimens to sell to collectors. (This turns out, I didn't initially realize, to be the second book of a series; several casually inserted characters (huh? who is that?) were significant in the first book.) Also neighbors who have known her since birth admire her and go out of their way to help. It's all about having the right dresses, though also she is better at everything than anyone else and invariably virtuous and sensible and considerate. She succeeds in winning over the city girls, graduates with honors, is hired as a teacher which she hopes will fund college. It's now about midway through the book and her mother suddenly sees the error of her ways and transforms, after being told an unpleasant truth about the dead husband... which couldn't this have been done years ago? All is now well there, and a new problem appears: a young man, visiting his uncle to recuperate from typhoid fever, is as interested in the swamp and its denizens as she is and thus an attraction, but is engaged to marry someone else. Until he isn't, he is suddenly disillusioned, and asks Elnora to marry him the next day. Much of the remaining book is about her refusal until she is sure that he is truly free. So yeah, the swamp was kinda interesting, but the drama kinda eyerolly.

#26: The New Retirement by Jan Cullinane -- (Aug 25)

why now: Darryl/kidzdoc is inspiring us all to retire.

Organized into themes: What do I want to do? Where do I want to live? How is my health? Can I pay for it?

I don't anticipate a problem with the doing; I have an ample supply of interests and hobbies and volunteer activities. So I mostly read this section with appreciation that the book starts here, and provides lots of ideas. I'll want to rearrange priorities, and have a loose structure that doesn't revolve around a job so I don't have to make spontaneous decisions every day. I'm in a fortunate position that I could work part time for my current company if I want to semi-retire or bring in a bit of extra income. I had mentally mapped out a general plan for where: sell my current house within 5-ish years because the yard maintenance is increasingly tiring, buy a condo in a building just outside my current neighborhood which is walkable to downtown, research continuing care facilities so I'm not starting from scratch as I become decrepit. But both of my brothers are in retirement prep mode too, and it's looking possible that neither will stay here. So, the world is wide open, and the ideas and resources in this book are helpful for researching options. My health is so far so good, I have reasonable habits so the question is what breaks down over time, and whether anything dramatic happens. My current doctor is a block down the street, and a medical complex and a hospital are both 2-3 miles away, which may not be the case elsewhere. I'm less certain about finances, and this book can't reassure individuals because there are too many variables; it can only describe the sorts of things to consider regarding income and expenses. I met with a lawyer last year to set up a medical directive and POA and will and such. Anyway, this book was a helpful overview of all the components that should be in place before the leap is taken, and I feel in a better position to check some boxes as done well enough, and focus attention where it is needed.

In the week since reading this book... I've set up an appointment with a financial planner (already used by other family members), and in preparation gone through my financial details, which despite my resistance to meticulous tracking turned out to be about what I had in my head: obligatory expenses are modest, and I'm a bit too casual about subscribing to streaming and news services and buying books and plants and craft supplies. I've set up an appointment with a contractor (recommended by a friend) so I can get my house into a position to sell when I'm ready.

>181 qebo: Hi Katherine!

I LOVED Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Perhaps it's because my older son is a gamer and also maybe because I feel this book was about the forgiving nature of friendship with another who is a bit odd. This story was one of my best recent reads. Funny how different people get different reactions to the same novel.

Quite a variety of reading topics while on vacation! My ears pricked at the mention of taxonomy (in Every Living Thing), since I'm still reading (and enjoying) The Beak of the Finch. I was much more interested in the first section of The New Retirement than you, as I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about what I want to do every day when retired.

>185 labfs39: I also enjoyed The Beak of the Finch but even more I loved Time, Love, Memory by the same author (which I read pre-LT).

I'm not uninterested in the first section of The New Retirement but I'm less worried about that aspect of things. I do a fair amount of volunteer work for example, and there's always more to do. I am abysmal at amorphous socializing, but I've found that I get to know other people through task-oriented activities such as school or work.

>186 qebo: I haven't gotten into the habit of volunteering since moving to Maine (Covid, then the girls), but would definitely spend time doing that and taking classes once I'm retired. In the past I've done quite a bit, especially teaching English as a foreign language and Girl Scouts.

>187 labfs39: A state college a few miles from me lets people 62+ audit classes for free, but it's not something I can do with a full time job. I know someone who went through the botany program there after she retired.

>188 qebo: USM is a bit further of a drive from me, but they offer Osher Lifelong Learning classes and many are on Zoom.

>186 qebo: same;volunteering is my social life!

I read A Girl of the Limberlost earlier this year as well. It's always frustrating to have those Too Perfectly Good and also Naturally Good at Everything protagonists mucking up an interesting setting when what we want is an Anne Shirley or Jo March.

I've also had The Voyage of the Narwhal on my shelves for a long time, and I have really enjoyed the other Barrett books I've read, so I will move it up my "to read" pile. I also own a copy of the Zevin book; I think it's one I will have to be in the mood for although a lot of people have told me I will like it.

>183 qebo: I enjoyed reading your comments about The New Retirement; I need to get a review on paper, but I'm still looking at it, depending on what phase of the retirement process I'm working on. The focus last month was working with my financial advisor on a retirement plan, one which is now focused more on growth, coordinating my company share and growth accounts with a much smaller one from another financial services company, which still isn't complete, and moving money into my current credit union account to serve as an immediate source of dollars in case of emergency. My current credit union has offices in Atlanta but not up here, so I'll probably open an account with one that has offices in the Delaware Valley.

Next up will be selecting a Medicare plan, as I'll turn 65 in late March and can sign up for a plan in late December. Ideally I can get Medicare coverage in the first quarter of 2026, so that I don't have to renew my Independence Blue Cross plan for only 3 months. I'll also need cataract surgery in the near future, and I would like to find out if it's better to do so when I'm covered by IBX or Medicare.

After that I'll need to set up appointments with our estate and retirement lawyers, in order to craft a will, PoA, medical directive, etc., and look into getting long term care insurance, as I'm not married and am childless.

I'm reading this book at the right time in the retirement process. My "fault" was that I never thought about retiring until March, and only decided to do so when the financial advisor told me in July that I was in good shape to do so. As you can imagine this doesn't change much for me, as my life is essentially on hold while I'm caring for my mother at home. There will be many decisions to come once Mom needs to go to a nursing home or passes away, and I'll refer back to the relevant chapters of The New Retirement at that time.

On another note, did you see that CVS and Walgreens pharmacies in Pennsylvania are now administering the COVID-19 vaccine? I can't help but wonder if this had anything to do with RFK Jr's blatantly false statement during Thursday's Senate subcommittee meeting that anyone who wanted the vaccine could receive it now.

>191 mabith: I just went looking for your review, which somehow didn't register at the time though I was on that thread. Yeah, the perfection is... distancing?
>192 BLBera: She writes mostly short stories which I haven't tried and generally don't care for (by the time I get into the story, it's over), but I've started reading The Air We Breathe.

>193 kidzdoc: I also will need cataract surgery, eye doctor at my recent appointment said probably next year. Thanks for mentioning this, as it's an expense to keep in mind. I switched to Medicare 2 years ago, and the internet sez it'll partially cover the cost.

I'd heard that the COVID vaccine would become available in PA: https://whyy.org/articles/pennsylvania-pharmacies-offer-covid-vaccines/ . I typically wait until October so I haven't yet tried to schedule an appointment. A neighbor who is over 65 did try this past week, and the closest she could find was an hour away in MD. She didn't want to wait because she expects to travel next month and has asthma. She is retired and took a day trip with her dog, said pharmacy staff told her they'd been unusually busy so they may've been getting an influx from PA.

>194 qebo: I'll see my optometrist again later this month, and she'll advise me as to whether I should get cataract surgery now or wait until next year. She is aware that I'll be eligible for Medicare next year, and her recommendation for timing of the surgery will be dependent on how much my vision has deteriorated in the past six months. I have new prescription glasses, but she told me that the best she could do was correct my vision to 20/40, and even with glasses my vision is not very sharp.

I checked yesterday, and I was able to schedule an appointment for my mother to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in our local Walgreens pharmacy on Monday. I'll actually cancel that appointment, as Mom will see her geriatrician on Tuesday. If they don't have the vaccine I'll make another appointment, in the CVS we use, for her.

According to a link I posted on Facebook earlier today New York and Massachusetts are also providing the COVID-19 vaccine without the need for a prescription.

>186 qebo: “amorphous socializing”—I hadn’t heard that term before, and I love it! I’m not good at it, either, although I get by. But I certainly don’t enjoy it.

#27: The Air We Breathe by Andrea Barrett -- (Sep 11)

why now: Enjoyed The Voyage of the Narwhal so looked for another book by the same author.

The setting is a town in the Adirondacks with a state tuberculosis sanatorium and private "cure cottages", during WW I. About 60 years after the Arctic expedition, with one tiny tie: a survivor of the Narwhal is great-uncle to a major character (this is just mentioned, not crucial to the story). The scientific focus is x-rays. Coincidentally, I had just attended a presentation on the history of x-rays given by an associate of the Lancaster Medical Heritage Musem, which helped with visualizing the descriptions.

A resident of a cure cottage is bored, and approaches the sanatorium with the idea of a weekly "learning circle". Although he gets the first turn, which lasts for several sessions about dinosaur fossils, presentations eventually rotate, bringing out interesting backstories of immigrants and hidden facets of expertise. The pace is slow, building atmosphere and relationships, with no clear direction so... something is going to happen? Yes. A major incident with a mystery about who set it off and why, entangled with misplaced infatuations and suspicions about loyalties in this time of war.

The narrator is "we", patients in the sanatorium, as if facts were pieced together later, but "we" is privy to thoughts and conversations as if omniscient, so I was perpetually wondering "how do you know this?" and it threw me out of the story. This is actually addressed by the narrator at the very end, which is too late.

This novel was a notch down from The Voyage of the Narwhal IMO, but engaging. If there's another novel, I'll want to read it. The short stories, I don't know, not a format I'm drawn to, but maybe if the stories are interconnected?

>194 qebo: I'm surprised to hear about your neighbor's difficulty in getting the new covid vaccine. I've just made an appointment to get it at the local CVS (West Grove) next week.

>198 Jim53: Note the date of the article linked in >194 qebo:. That's when the situation changed. I haven't yet tried to schedule, usually wait until October and have to be careful because the COVID vaccine puts me out of commission for a day.

The Maine State Governor and the Maine CDC just issued a standing order making the Covid vaccine available to all adults without a prescription, and MaineCare and all state-regulated private insurance plans must cover the cost, with no copays or prior authorizations. The one caveat:

Vaccines for children aged 6 months to 18 years come through a federal supply program that doesn’t open until the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meets next week. This federal action will determine when, and how many, pediatric doses will be available in Maine.

While in my home state, Georgia, which is home to the Atlanta-based CDC, has held off on administering updated state guidelines — at least for now. Last week, the state’s Department of Public Health announced that it will be halting distribution of the newest version of the COVID-19 vaccine until after the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issues its annual recommendations. The panel is scheduled to meet in Atlanta from Sept. 18-19. (underlining is my emphasis.)

And from a September 5 article: A CVS pharmacy spokesperson told Atlanta News First that Georgia is one of 11 states who are now requiring prescriptions for COVID-19 vaccinations. The other states are Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia. Washington D.C. is also included.

What about people who don't have a physician?

I'm not eligible to get a booster under the current guidelines, although I wish my tendency toward sinus infections made me so.

>201 markon: I'm in Virginia, which is one of the states that requires a prescription. The solution that has been working here is that you go to a pharmacy and a pharmacist writes a prescription for the vaccine and then submits the prescription and administers the vaccine. Not every pharmacy will (or can?) do this but if you find one that does it's seamless. I had good luck at Walgreens (after being denied by CVS).

>201 markon: Maine is no longer on that list, thank goodness, as the governor issued a standing order making the covid vaccine available to all adults without a prescription.

#28: Relinquished by Gretchen Sisson -- (Sep 15)

why now: RL book group selection for September. One member is an adoptive parent and heard about this book on a podcast.

The focus is on women who relinquished children for adoption in the United States. Not on the adoptive families or the adopted children. The gist is it's a very difficult thing to do, not just in the immediate moment but years and decades afterward. Even the women who think it was the best decision they could have made at the time under the circumstances, and are satisfied with the chosen parents, have all sorts of feelings about pressures and propaganda and lack of support once the transaction is complete. Open adoption is less painful than closed, but involves navigating relationships, and sometimes broken promises, which are not legally binding. Themed chapters (e.g. adoption agencies, cultural mythology) and long interviews, sometimes two interviews ten years apart with views that changed over time.

Not a topic I'm super interested in, but especially relevant in the aftermath of Dobbs, and the individual stories are compelling reading/listening.

Oh, also, the RL book group meeting was postponed because one participant's partner had COVID and tested positive, and she had similar symptoms last week though she tested negative and now feels better, and another participant has symptoms of something but has also tested negative for COVID. I haven't had so much as a mild cold in 5 1/2 years, so COVID or not I don't want it.

#30: How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free by Ernie J. Zelinski -- (Sep 19)

why now: One of several books on retirement recently acquired.

This one is breezier than The New Retirement and as the title suggests kinda has an attitude of ditch your soul-crushing job and free your creative spirit. It covers travel, relocating, health, learning, socializing, and is sparse on financial considerations. It has entertaining bits with eccentric characters and cartoon illustrations but in general is more inspiration than reference.

I met with a financial advisor today and the gist is I'm in a decent position to retire whenever I feel like it.

>207 qebo: Hooray! That's great news. It's fun thinking about next steps when that piece of the puzzle is settled.

#31: More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova -- (Sep 24)

why now: Scrolling through e-books, have several others by the author from years past and wondered whether another was out by now. This one is new.

They're all about some medical condition. This one is bipolar disorder. Maddy is an unenthusiastic college student from a conventional family whose values and goals she is questioning, and depressed after a breakup. She summons the effort to get to the counseling center and is prescribed an anti-depressant which sends her into a dangerous manic episode. She is hospitalized then released to a regimen of therapy and medication and monitoring. She resists the diagnosis and the caring but sometimes misguided interventions of family. A chance encounter with a comedy club becomes a career aspiration but is met with family skepticism and is perceived as a symptom rather than a legitimate path through life.

I was maybe 1/3 through before I got engaged with the story as Maddy didn't particularly resonate, but she grew on me. An afterword describes how much homework the author put into stand-up comedy.

As a warning, there are a few graphic descriptions of cutting.

>209 qebo: That sounds like a worthwhile read as I've liked other books by Lisa Genova. Bipolar disorder is so difficult. :`(

>207 qebo: That's great news, Katherine!

>211 kidzdoc: I'm not quite ready... but work has been slow recently (there's work to be done but what I can do about it is limited until a release is out the door and that's not under my control) so whenever a block of time appears I chip away at my list of things to have in place: consolidating finances, decluttering accumulated items, contacting a contractor about this or that neglected nuisance house issue... I will probably stay in this house for a few more years, but I want to be in a position to downsize.

I've just joined a local branch of the Village to Village network. Many of its activities are on weekdays when I can't participate, but it's a source of information and resources. Specifically, there is a discussion group for "solo agers". I know a few people in it through other organizations and the neighborhood.

This week I finally got around to closing a bank account that I haven't used in over a decade. I'd started the account maybe 25 years ago because it's the major local bank, but then I was living in Philadelphia and it wasn't accessible, so all my automatic deposits and payments are tied to a mega bank that ate the bank that ate the bank that ate the regional bank where I had another account. On Thursday I walked to the nearest branch, which had to remove the dormancy on the account before I could do anything else. The teller said this'd take about two hours and he'd contact me. On Friday I'd still heard nothing, so I called to ask whether it was done. Well, apparently it's not possible to call the local branch. I navigated a menu that several layers deep asked for the usual identifying information, and then asked for my "secret word". Which is so secret I didn't know I had such a thing. So I hung up and tried another route, which promised a live person if I waited long enough, and after a half hour I took it up on the offer of a callback, which never happened. I walked to the nearest branch again, and the same teller checked the dormancy which had been removed but he hadn't been notified. He closed the checking account, which claimed to contain one cent more than the number on the statement from last month, and this triggered an overdraft fee in the savings account so it couldn't be closed. The teller called someone in the innards of the bank to ask what to do, got a lengthy answer, and said he'd have it straightened out by Monday. All very annoying, but I do now feel better about closing the account with the local tradition, as it seems to have become a conglomerate.

>212 qebo: What you're doing sounds wise, Katherine. I need to progressively downside the items in the house, as my father was a bit of a pack rat and I brought a goodly amount of what I owned from the nearly 25 years I spent in Atlanta, although I got rid of most of it on repeated trips there from 2021 to 2023. As long as my mother is alive I'll stay in this house, whether she is here with me or in a nursing home, as I will want to be able to visit her on a daily or every other day basis to ensure that she gets the best care. After she passes my brother and I will need to decide what to do with the house; he will likely want to move out of the house he currently shares with an old girlfriend in South Jersey across the river to PA, whereas I've been giving thought to either returning to Atlanta and moving into a retirement community there. My bank account is with a national credit union (Credit Union 1) that swallowed up the one I had with Emory University, where I trained in residency, but it doesn't have any branches in PA or NJ, so I'm deciding whether I should close that account and open one with a local full service bank, a credit union, or an online bank like SoFi. PNC Bank has several branches in Bucks County, so that might be the best option.

Your experience of dealing with that bank sounds like a nightmare. If I have to go to a Credit Union 1 branch in person the closest one would be the location closest to the Emory University campus, which would have to wait until my next trip to Atlanta.

I searched for local Village to Village branches, but apparently none are within 75 miles of me, which I found surprising.

>213 kidzdoc: Village to Village branches, but apparently none are within 75 miles of me
I'm surprised too, as you are closer to the urbanized glob than I am. The organization began in Boston, and the branches start with a group of people in random wherever. Lancaster has a large contingent of Mennonites, who tend to be very community-oriented. One (who I know through a botanical group) founded this branch. Another (who I know from the neighborhood) has been a member and volunteer for years.

>214 qebo: Right, Katherine. I extend the search radius to 75 miles, but I still didn't get any hits. For some reason I thought that Lancaster would be less than 75 miles from me, but Google Maps tells me that it's at least 84 miles away by car, depending on which route I take. Bucks County, the other counties in the Delaware Valley, and Mercer and Somrrset counties in central NJ would seem to be ideal locations for something like Village to Village, but maybe there is something similar to it here.

>215 kidzdoc: Amtrak route between Lancaster and Philadelphia is 60 miles, and driving routes are longer. And then you're a ways further northeast?

Hmm, there is one in Bucks County and several in Philadelphia. Maybe the search is being stupid? You can also just directly browse the map. What they do varies. The Lancaster organization has lots of activities, e.g. meals, walks, exercise, reading, writing, most of which are at inconvenient times for me. And in photos the people look so... old. I don't feel I'm quite there yet. Also has volunteers who will help with household tasks and medical appointments and such for people who are aging in place.

No Village to Village around me either, but that's less surprising. At this point, my family is my village, or rather I'm the village gofer for my family. Oldest child syndrome?

I'm picking away at my house to-do list as well, but had some bad news. The plywood under the roof was installed incorrectly, so although my shingles still have life in them, next summer I'll need to have the roof removed and redone on the main house. The breezeway and garage seem okay. That will be a major expense. :-(

>217 labfs39: Ugh. Seems there's always something, worse when it's a surprise. Another reason to downsize, aside from the expense, I just don't want to be dealing with this sort of thing when I'm 80.

COVID shot yesterday, and I'm feeling it today. However, functional enough to sort through stuff and get it into the car for delivery to the various donation and recycling places.

>216 qebo: Hmm. I'm still not seeing the Village to Village communities near me, save for the possibility of one in Newtown, which is about 5 miles away. As you said the people in the photographs look far older than me, and I'm not sure that I would be a good fit, at least not yet.

Ideally I would like to meet other people with similar interests by going to regular lecture series in museums, universities, and other organizations, preferably lunchtime lectures and talks in, say, Philadelphia, Princeton and New Brunswick that would give me time to go there after I drop my mother off in the adult day center she goes to and pick her up before it closes. There are plenty of such series in the Delaware Valley, but the hours don't fit with my schedule. I'll probably renew my membership to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, start going there on a regular basis, and consider visiting other local museums.

>218 qebo: I got the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines last month, and felt fine other than mild deltoid muscle soreness at the injection site; I opted to receive both vaccines in that arm. I haven't noticed any side effects from those vaccines for several years, but the second Shingrix (shingles) vaccine laid me flat for at least a couple of days.

>219 kidzdoc: COVID-19 vaccines
I always have a day of feeling fatigued and achy.

I just scheduled mine for next Friday. Thanks to Governor Mills' executive order, adults in Maine can get the vaccine without a prescription or any such nonsense.

>221 labfs39: I went to CVS which already has my insurance info in the system, and it was straightforward. PA is is now a member of the Northeast Public Health Collaborative, absurd that this is necessary, but I'm grateful.

>222 qebo: The CVS in Maine told my sister (aged 40) that she was not eligible for the covid vaccine. I believe this is in direct contradiction to the standing order. My sister didn't question the pharmacist as I would have done.

>218 qebo: I feel so fortunate to have gotten both my COVID and flu vaccines today at Kaiser Permanente. I was there to pick up new hearing aids and was able to stop at the clinic for both of my vaccines (no prescription necessary). I get them both in one arm and have not have any reaction to doing it this way either today or in the past.

Author event! Barbara McQuade speaking at Millersville University which is just a few miles from Lancaster.

No Kings 2. This guy was walking around through the crowd on stilts for 2 hours. Watchers from the rooftop. Crowd size "thousands". Bigger than No Kings 1, main plaza about the same but more people on the other side of the street and lining the entire block, and a large group that gathered about a mile away and walked through the city. Similar to reports from elsewhere, lotsa flags, inflatable costumes, frog hats, music, array of speakers but I was too far away to hear clearly.

https://bsky.app/profile/lancasteronline.bsky.social/post/3m3ii2g3jjq2x

>226 qebo: Thank you for marching. I was not at a march (you probably know why), but was watching the news about all of them. Today was fun, though. I was at a folk festival in Montgomery County, Maryland....and Jamie Raskin was there. It was fun seeing him in person (for the third time for me). He seems so happy to hang out with his constituents, although the No Kings Day marches have given all of us a boost in mood.

>227 SqueakyChu: I wasn't exactly marching, just milling about. You are extremely fortunate in your representative.

>228 qebo: I know. I appreciate Jamie Raskin so much.

I couldnt march, but I had a sign outside my house, and have been a big supporter of the event. Loved all of the photos that have come up

We were in the big protest in New York City. A zillion people. It was very inspirational.

#32: Written in the Waters by Tara Roberts -- (Oct 14)

why now: RL book group selection for October. One member had gone to an author event at Longwood Gardens.

The author visited Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture at a time of transition, and an exhibit description of Diving With a Purpose caught her attention. She contacted the organization, learned to scuba dive, traveled the world to meet and work with DWP groups and trace paths of the slave trade, seeking her own purpose and a sense of belonging. A personal story, along with a history of slave ships and the practice of marine archaeology.

#33: Of Time and Turtles by Sy Montgomery -- (Oct 31)

why now: @lauralkeet reviewed it, reminding me that I have it in the physical stack of books that has accumulated over the past few years either partially read or with the intention of reading promptly. Which obviously hasn't happened. I bought the book soon after publication partly because I've read others by the author (hummingbirds, octopuses), and partly because I had a friend who was prominent in the turtle rescue/rehab field and died over 20 years ago. Is she in the index? Yes, minimally, but this book will make me sad so I've been avoiding it. At least one of her turtles (and I'm guessing more) went to the rescue organization featured in this book. I may even have met the turtle; I don't remember names, but I do remember being introduced to some of the more personable characters in the menagerie, which occupied her basement and garage and occasionally the kitchen.

Yes, it brought up memories and made me sad, and was all somewhat familiar but filled in my vague and receded knowledge about turtle life cycle, turtle metabolism, turtle psychology. Turtle people are an obsessive bunch, empathetic to the vulnerabilities of alien creatures. This book is mostly focused on a turtle rescue operation in Massachusetts, and its efforts to protect turtles at risk from human encroachment (lost nesting sites, a road severing the territory), repair turtles damaged by poor pet caretaking (inappropriate environment or nutrition) or traffic (broken bones, cracked shells), release hatchlings and healed adults. Story and science, told through an interesting group of people, specific turtles, emergency and seasonal rescue activities.

A couple of interesting book reviews. I enjoyed Montgomery's The Good, Good Pig when I read it decades ago, but haven't read anything since. I think I may have the octopus book on my shelves.

>233 qebo: I'm so glad you summoned the courage to read Of Time and Turtles, Katherine. And even happier that you enjoyed it.

>233 qebo: Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I enjoy Montgomery's writing but I find her a little woo-woo for my tastes so I don't read her too often. But it might be time for me to pick this one up.

#34: While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams -- (Nov 16)

why now: Decluttering. I had a stack of large print books that I'd bought for my mother shortly before she began rejecting everything offered and declined with dementia. I was curious enough about this one to hang onto it.

Supreme Court Justice Howard Wynn goes into a coma, and a document produced by his lawyer gives power of attorney to his clerk Avery Keene, who has no idea why as their relationship was impersonal and he seemed disdainful of her abilities. His estranged wife (#2) objects. His estranged son (of deceased wife #1) is concerned enough to get involved in a supportive role. Together they follow cryptic clues, not sure who else can be trusted. The justice was expected to be the swing vote on a case to allow or not the merger of two biotech companies, one USian and one Indian, and his research had uncovered a conspiracy involving the POTUS. This is a thriller, so as the protagonists make progress, maneuverings of the villains reveal the danger they are in. There are a couple of murders too. Avery is reasonably well fleshed out if a tad too perfect, dedicated to a demanding career while feeling responsible for the safety of her drug addicted mother, and with a conveniently eidetic memory. Everyone else is something of a caricature. The puzzles are more for the fun of the game than corresponding to a real investigation which IMO would've been more interesting. I wasn't reading attentively enough to follow all the convolutions, so perhaps it could've made more sense.

#35: Vision: A Memoir of Justice and Blindness by David S. Tatel -- (Nov 17)

why now: RL book group selection for November. IIRC I found it in the NPR book concierge, it looked kind of interesting and is the sort of thing my book group will read.

David Tatel came from a family of scientists and inventors, and expected to be another when he started college, but in the early 1960s he was inspired by the civil rights movement, and became intrigued by the potential of law to make a difference and the similarities of scientific and legal reasoning. He rose to nearly the top; he took the place of Ruth Bader Ginsberg in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit when she was confirmed to the Supreme Court. He had been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa in his teens, and warned his future wife that his vision could deteriorate, but neither anticipated how much. For decades, he devised strategies to manage without letting on that his vision was limited, and rejected external markers such as a white cane. By his early 40s, this was no longer possible. He is pragmatic but also appreciative of the people and technology that support him. The emphasis is on the law, with chapters on his judicial philosophy, and his alarm that the recent Supreme Court has undermined environmental protections and voting rights. But throughout, his blindness and his family are entwined, and it makes for a compelling human story.

The last chapter is about his guide dog (initially suggested by his grandson). In it he mentions the documentary Pick of the Litter about training a litter of puppies to be guide dogs, which I would recommend to anyone seeking respite from world turmoil.

>238 qebo: I am an absolute sucker for books about service dogs, so I am adding this book to my wishlist and Pick of the Litter to my watchlist.

>239 labfs39: I'm not a dog person but I was impressed by the training process. Something like 3/8 qualify as guide dogs. The rest are career-changed into other service jobs, or breeders, or pets.

#36: The Sisters by Mary S. Lovell -- (Nov 29)

why now: Watched Outrageous mini-series based on this book, and was curious.

I listened to the audio version, 18+ hours!, which I'd hoped to speed up because I wasn't that curious, but at 1.2x the narrator's voice was too irritating though it was fine at 1x. WAY more than I really wanted to know. The Mitford siblings, 6 daughters and 1 son, were minor aristocracy risen to public prominence circa WWII, as several of the sisters were associated with political figures on opposite sides. Nancy was author of novels loosely based on family personalities, and companion of Gaston Palewski, army lieutenant and cabinet member under Charles de Gaulle. Unity contrived to meet Adolph Hitler and was invited into his entourage. Diana left her first husband for Oswald Mosely, who founded the British Union of Fascists. Jessica eloped with Esmond Romilly, rebellious communist/socialist nephew of Clementine Churchill. The mini-series ends pre-war and before things take a darker turn. The book follows the siblings from birth (all born 1904-1920) to death (all but 2 had died by 2000). The author explicitly aspires not to get political but this is not fully possible given the context and also political is the reason anyone would care. The sisters were highly verbal and dramatic which makes for an interesting portrait of an era.

Huh. David Greene -- author, journalist, NPR host, and graduate of the public high school in Lancaster PA -- is forming a non-profit that will assume ownership of the local newspaper. I've long since lost track of him. I'm all for seeking ways to get $ into local journalism, though I dunno about this "bridge"...

"Enter Greene, currently host of the syndicated public radio program Left, Right & Center. He saw how founding Always Lancaster could combine his fondness for Lancaster, where he spent part of his childhood, with a zeal for a journalism that seeks to bridge America’s ideological divide."

#37: In Love by Amy Bloom -- (Dec 4)

why now: RL book group selection for December. Just before we met in November, I'd been talking with a neighbor who is about my age with an older and ailing husband, and conversation turned to practical matters of wrapping up life and she mentioned the Hemlock Society. Then at dinner with the book group, which consisted of only three people all 60s-70s, one person was talking about a friend who has dementia and the long sad decline. So when it was time to choose a book, the other person remembered this book and we were all on board.

The author and her husband married in their early 50s, and about a decade later her husband began having memory problems and could no longer work as an architect, but it was another two years before he got a neurological evaluation and a diagnosis of Alzheimer's. He immediately decided that he would rather die of his own volition than lose his personhood gradually over years, and he asked her to figure out how. She researched options, and determined that the few US states allowing assisted suicide have restrictions that make it next to impossible: sound mind, terminal illness, and death expected within 6 months. Alzheimer's doesn't qualify. In all the world, the one place it legally can be done is Switzerland. They settled on Dignitas, but even there the criteria are strict, "discernment" is the key so the window of opportunity was limited, plus bureaucracy for identification purposes and a hefty price tag, and until she had collected the necessary documents and he was accepted provisionally, pending two interviews upon arrival to ensure that he really meant it, she continued to consider a backup plan, which involved surreptitious internet sessions and inquiries to sympathetic medical professionals and discussions with friends who offered to help but she didn't want anyone to be convicted of a crime.

This book is about their marriage, the diagnosis, the frustrations of maintaining a normal-ish life, who was helpful and who was not, what to tell the grandchildren, step by step from their arrival in Switzerland to his death a week later, the memorial service... all infused with wry humor and pain. I listened to the audio, narrated by the author which I would recommend.

>241 qebo:

I didn't watch that series but I too was curious about the Mitfords (both Jessica and Nancy are authors worth reading imo), only I chose a hefty tome of correspondence between them. To get to their voices, as it were. I recall the exercise as worthwhile, especially if one's contempt for the English upper classes hasn't reached the requisite depth.

One particularly nasty detail was the sisters' gloating racism about Jessica's mixed race grandson. There was always this sense of "whatever will she do next" and "serves her right", as if Jessica was being rightfully "punished".

hello

>244 LolaWalser: gloating racism about Jessica's mixed race grandson
I can imagine. Though if the book even mentioned this, it was in passing and I missed it.

Awfully quiet here...

>243 qebo: Went to another "solo agers" meeting this week, and going around the circle for status updates a woman with a family history of dementia said she is looking into the Hemlock Society and Dignitas. Someone else, who apparently is a friend of hers, offered his garage... I am glad this sort of conversation is not shushed.

It is quiet around CR these days. I expect it will pick up in January. That's usually our busiest month.

I like the idea of solo agers meetings. I wish there were something like that near me.

Great review of In Love, Katherine. I'll add it to my library wish list.

>247 qebo: Yes I’ve noticed too. I suppose it’s seasonal. I’ve tried to make an effort but haveing to use speech to text makes it difficult to write reviews. I did appreciate your understanding of this when you posted on my thread.. I’ve been too ill to have this strength to answer till today. It your post did buoy me up, so thanks.

I like the idea of the solo-agers group. I doubt if this one near me, but will look into it.

>241 qebo: interesting, I’ve sped up audiobooks’ sections where I wasn’t interested, but it didn’t help. It’s not like flicking through pages of a paper book. It’s just annoying hearing the distortion to the narrator’s voice due to the increased speed.

I’ve always wanted to read about the Mitford sisters, and I’ve only known of them through hear-say. Seeing as The Sisters is available in\ audio I’ll try to increase my knowledge. Thanks for the review.

>251 kjuliff: 1.2x is OK if the author's speech is slow, but anything faster is too irritating. Yeah, there's no good equivalent of skimming.

#38: Positive Obsession by Susana Morris -- (Dec 14)

why now: Walked past the neighborhood-ish book shop on my way home from I forget where, and dropped in to peruse. This was prominently on display.

An explainy (the author is a professor of literature) chronology. Whatever I'd read of Octavia Butler's novels, it was 30-ish years ago (aside from Kindred which I re-read for a RL book group not too long ago), so I appreciated the synopses and the throughline themes. Got me interested to read or re-read. She kept journals with extensive research and political commentary, which are in a collection of papers, and I wished for more of her voice directly, as she had interesting mind and a difficult life and was stubbornly herself.

The title is from an essay by Octavia Butler:
"Positive obsession is about not being able to stop just because you’re afraid and full of doubts. Positive obsession is dangerous. It’s about not being able to stop at all.”

#39: Nobody's Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre -- (Dec 18)

why now: I hadn't been especially interested in the Epstein files... how much more scuzzy and depraved could these people be than has already seeped into my awareness by osmosis?... until there was so much resistance to releasing them. This book was published in the midst of the media attention.

She had just a few years of respite, after her escape from Epstein in 2002 and before the FBI found her in 2007 and drew her in to criminal cases, which involved reliving the details over and over, feeling an obligation to help others as well as hold the primary predators accountable. It's just horribly sad and enraging, more so because her struggles with physical and mental health described in the book led to her suicide before it was published. You probably know the gist, but imagine if this is your life.

>254 qebo: That is so horribly tragic that reliving her personal experiences, and her efforts to help other victims, led her to take her own life.

>253 qebo: Nice review of Positive Obsession, Katherine. I still haven't read anything by Octavia Butler, even though I do own one of her books, so maybe I'll borrow this one sometime next year.

#40: All Systems Red by Martha Wells -- (Dec 23)

why now: Seeking a break from depressing non-fiction, lotsa Murderbot buzz on LT, and it's short.

I dunno. I'll probably read another to see where it goes, but... (IMO of course...) While I can see the appeal of the main character, it isn't enough to overcome the space opera essence.

Well I think this is it for the year. I have another 9 hours to go in the current audio book, and I've started but not yet engaged with several e-books and paper books, so nothing else is going to get finished in the next few days.

This this has been a better reading year than I've had in ages, managed more books and kept up with reviews/comments, and it was reasonably substantive. And I've felt like I'm hardly reading at all, in part because nearly half the books are audio and I multitask by reading while walking.

I see there's a non-fiction thread in the 2026 group, a welcome addition.

The two main tasks for this holiday break are to set up a new computer which mostly involves organizing a decade of stuff that has accumulated on my old computer, and to paint a section of wall that was damaged by water seeping in around a chimney which I got fixed a few months ago. Also have two crochet projects in progress and I really should add several everything-except-the-ends to Ravelry but this includes photos which are a separate mess.

I missed being in touch with you, Katherine! Hope you and your loved ones had a blessed Christmas and all my best wishes that 2026 is good to you. If we ever get up your way, I'll let you know.

>253 qebo: This is on my to read list since I've enjoyed her fiction. Thanks for the review.

>258 qebo: I hope 2026 will also be a good reading year for you!

>258 qebo: I have that same dreaded setting up a new computer task as you to get through. However, I won't tell you how many things that just need putting together are on my list!

>259 SqueakyChu: Thanks! I haven't been to the DC area since... 2015? Has it really been that long?
>260 markon: It's worthwhile, maybe especially if you haven't read her books in awhile, which was my situation. I hadn't been aware of other biographies, but there are a recent few. A Handful of Earth, a Handful of Sky by Lynell George (reviews here and here) looks intriguing, as it is focused on her papers and her thought process, the intention is to show whereas the book I read is more tell.
>261 WelshBookworm: Thanks! Who knows, as I am trying to figure out how to retire which will occupy disproportionate time in order to eventually free up time.
>262 SassyLassy: Oh, I have many more things to do than I've listed! But I've been procrastinating on the computer and the painting, promising myself that I'll do it when I have a block of time... and now the block of time has arrived.

Computer switcheroo done. Not 100%, still have things to install, but the new laptop is in the primary location with all the essentials functioning, and the old laptop is off to the side and more difficult to access. (Aagh! They've swapped the Ctrl and Fn keys!)

While I'm in an organizing frame of mind, I really should deal with email and photos... Technically independent problems, but I paid attention while transferring and backing up files and now I can't unsee the mess.

I'd just gotten the desk tidied up when the tree guys showed up unexpectedly. I was in the queue to remove an errant non-native tree and prune dead limbs from an oak tree but this was to be in January or February and they normally call the week before. They'd finished a nearby job early and wanted to fit me into the gap.

I'd just gotten the tree tasks clarified when a neighbor called to ask for a ride home from the hospital. ?!? She was agitated and not entirely coherent, so I didn't inquire in the moment, just established where she would be waiting. On the way home I got the story: her husband had a mini-stroke and needs diagnostic tests for a cluster of issues, and he takes care of the car which needs somethingorother before she can drive it. She'd gotten a ride to the hospital from another neighbor. A reminder that a number of neighbors are aging into situations they're not fully able to manage.

I did not expect so much activity today.

>254 qebo: I’d been following Virginia Roberts Giuffre partly because she lived her final years in Australia. I don’t think I could read the book because it must be heartbreaking. She was so brave and faced adversity everywhere. I’m interested in what other people thought about the book because I feel that I should read it although now it’s not the time.

So thanks for that review Katherine.

Kate

>265 kjuliff: Yes, heartbreaking is the word. Australia is merely a backdrop and you'd notice more than I did, but that's not a compelling reason to take it on. With all the information and interviews available, the significance of the book is the long term effects on one life. All of these girls/women thought they were alone and couldn't explain.

>266 qebo: i’m so glad that she wrote that book. It appears it’s a very important book and the damage done to so many children.- yes they were children- were children. not even young women who were trafficked. Even the men who didn’t indulge in their “services “must have known what was going on.

>256 kidzdoc: oh a bio of one of my fav sci fi writers! fortunattely my indie store is having their famous new years day list so I will put on the list.

I don't think I'll get to the painting this holiday break. Yesterday I successfully consolidated all of my pre-gmail email into my gmail account, but I've spent all of today organizing the accumulation of 25+ years and I'm not yet done.