richardderus's fifth 2025 thread

Sense of humor = god tier.

Welcome to Year of the Wood Snake.

Reviews 1, 2, 3 are here.
Reviews 4 through 17 are here.
Reviews 18 to 24 are here.
Reviews 025 up to 033 are here.

THIS THREAD'S REVIEWS
034 The case of Cem in post #57.
035 Lesser ruins in post #58.
036 Propaganda girls : the secret war of the women in the OSS in post #86.
037 The man nobody killed : life, death, and art in Michael Stewart's New York in post #114.
038 Luminous : a novel in post #135.
039 The Hymn to Dionysus in post #203.
040 The Latina Anti-Diet: A Dietitian's Guide to Authentic Health that Celebrates Culture and Full-Flavor Living in post #207.
041 Ultramarine in post #233.
042 Enemy feminisms : TERFs, Policewomen, and Girlbosses Against Liberation in pot #255.
043 Splinter effect : a novel in post #277.
044 Twist : a novel in post #281.

All my threads in the 75ers linked somewhere here
My Last Thread of 2009 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2010 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2011 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2012 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2013 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2014 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2015 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2016 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2017 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2018 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2019 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2020 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2021 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2022 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2023 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.
My Last Thread of 2024 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.

All previous Pearl Rule reviews linked here.

THIS THREAD'S PEARL RULE REVIEWS:
#006 The Antidote in post #55.
#007 The Ego System: The Awakening (51%) in post #218.

All previous Burgoine reviews linked here.

THIS THREAD:
BURGOINE #014 Something in the walls : a novel in post #16.
#015 Cabinet of Curiosities: A Historical Tour of the Unbelievable, the Unsettling, and the Bizarre in post #34.
#016 The Unworthy on post #200.
#017 Hot Air: A Novel in post #224.
#018 O Sinners!: A Novel in post #227.
#019 The Paris Express in post #230.

Seriously...not a great venue for normies here.
My 2024 goals are here, for reference.

2025 GOALS
I wrote an unprecedented 413 reviews in 2024, though certainly not all those books were read in 2024! I'm not counting books read, but reviews written. Decades of pilf from the review aggregators never got a real review written, just some notes on my computer. This year I went back to all my old computers and vacuumed notes onto a data stick. It's my purpose now to write at least a Burgoine review from those notes, post it here and on the DRC aggregator's site, and that will be my annual count.

For those who think I should follow the "books read in 2025" model, that's very interesting, and thank you for sharing your judgment with me. I will, however, be using the site the way I want to not how you think I should.

Numerical goals aren't really the point for me. I've shown I can meet or exceed them often enough now to think they're just unnecessary, and a little show-offy, for me. I will focus my efforts on getting my unwritten-review count down, and on focusing my efforts on reviewing #ReadingIsResistance titles.
☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂☀☁☂
1Q25
2Q25
3Q25
4Q25

See >5 richardderus: for 2024 achievements & 2025 goals.
Monthly (and special hashtag events) wrap-up posts are linked below.
JANUARY 2025 here.
FEBRUARY 2025 here.

GBBO and other special foodie projects will be linked here.
Season 15's comments linked here.

Best advice I've found on coping with this passage of terribleness.

Very well, your exemplary patience is now rewarded.

Happy Saturday, Richard. Happy New Thread. Let the big warm-up begin!

>10 msf59: Saturday orisons, Mark! Have an Islamic migfer c.1500 from the Metroplitan Museum of Art:

Happy new one, BigDaddy! Your topper made me laugh.

>8 richardderus: Love this!

>11 richardderus: Fancy. Functional yet breathable.

Salutations RD on your new thread.

‘Morning, RDear! Happy new thread and happy Saturday to you.

I’m glad were able to get out to get some coffee yesterday. Prime Lending Service? How does one find it?

>1 richardderus: and >2 richardderus: Great toppers pics.

*smooch*

Happy new one, RD!

BURGOINE #014

Something in the walls : a novel by Daisy Pearce

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Newly minted child psychologist Mina has little experience. In a field where the first people called are experts, she’s been unable to get her feet wet. Instead she aimlessly spends her days stuck in the stifling heat wave sweeping across Britain and anxiously contemplates her upcoming marriage to careful, precise researcher Oscar. The only reprieve from her small, close world is attending the local bereavement group to mourn her brother’s death from years ago.

Then she meets journalist Sam Hunter at the grief group one day, and he has a proposition for her: Thirteen-year-old Alice Webber claims a witch is haunting her. Living with her family in the remote village of Banathel, Alice finds her symptoms are getting increasingly disturbing. Taking this job will give Mina some experience and much-needed money; Sam will get the scoop of a lifetime; and Alice will get better—Mina is sure of it.

But instead of improving, Alice’s behavior becomes inexplicable and intense. The town of Banathel has a deep history of superstition and witchcraft. They believe there is evil in the world. They believe there are ways of…dealing with it. And they don’t expect outsiders to understand.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Psychological horror/thriller novels really do scare me. This one, in a lot of ways, was scary; its only issue for full, effective scare factor in my eyes is the journalist/tyro child psychologist tie-up. I'm really oversensitive to that kind of cruel, manipulative relationship, having been abused by jesus freaks with the truly horrific tale of god and the devil making a bar-bet that Job wouldn't buckle under extreme psychological torture. It didn't help that the male journalist scraped her acquaintance in a group for grieving loss sufferers, a true predator move.

For those reasons I could never get all the way into the story, hence my seemingly ungenerous rating. It *is* effective in its creation of a spooky atmosphere, with icksome details and sensory evocations. Lots of body horror that feels very...bodily...so squeamish souls are duly cautioned. Effectively claustrophobic, emotionally sharp-edged horror read that has some serious flaws.

Minotaur Books wants $14.99 for an ebook. I say it's a good library borrow.

>12 Crazymamie: ...and very effective at neck protection, too!

I'm glad you liked my topper, and the advice in >8 richardderus:. *smooch* for a Saturday of good memories.

>13 PaulCranswick: Thank you most kindly, PC!

>14 karenmarie: Horrible! *smooch*

Prime Lending Service does not exist for y'all who have KU. I'm not a bit sure it still exists at all, frankly, as I haven't used in since my strokes, but I am certain it doesn't work for them as has KU.

Coffee's a necessity so going to get it was mandatory. Ow. I'm glad you enjoyed the toppers!

>15 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie, I'm a little surprised at how fast these three weeks flew by.

Happy new one, Richard.

>1 richardderus: - Still too early for a dip in the garden pool but it's a hopeful sign! ;-)

>16 richardderus: Always on the look-out for a genuinely scary psychological thriller, but maybe this one isn't for those of us who have already read a few of the best ones?

And away we go ------- but not on the water!

Yes to both >1 richardderus: and >8 richardderus:! Happy New Thread! We all look forward to it.

>16 richardderus: If it falls in my lap, I'll grab it. Thanks, Richard!

*smooch* for a surprisingly good day!

Happy new thread Richard!

>1 richardderus: I fear you may be wallowing.

Checking in on the new thread, RD. ((Hugs)) and **smooches** for today and hopes that you have a wonderful weekend.

>1 richardderus: I love it!!

and...Happy New One Richard :)

>21 jessibud2: *chuckle* You have fun with that wild idea, now, hear?

Thanks, Shelley!

>22 laytonwoman3rd: ummm

...well, you see, it's like this...the ideas are okay except when they're not, and is there ever a single excuse for predatory behavior, and...well...maybe just not on this one...

>23 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Keep it going with that surprisingly good day, no matter what. *smooch*

>24 humouress: I fear I would be drowning if I tried to float *that* boat.

Thanks!

>25 alcottacre: There is not going to be a wonderful weekend as long as Old Stuff has a working TV, Stasia. I thought westerns were tedious in 1963, when I learned the name for what they were. Nothing in the intervening 62 years has changed my mind.

>26 RebaRelishesReading: Me too! And thanks, Reba.

>31 richardderus: Snap judgment there. I think you need to give them a fair chance ;0)

BURGOINE #015

Cabinet of Curiosities: A Historical Tour of the Unbelievable, the Unsettling, and the Bizarre by Aaron Mahnke

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: The new book based on the long-running hit podcast by Aaron Mahnke, which has translated into over 120-million downloads to date, and a monthly average of over 2 million listeners.

The podcast, Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities, has delighted millions of listeners for years with tales of the wonderful, astounding, and downright bizarre people, places, and things throughout history. Now, in Cabinet of Curiosities the book, learn the fascinating story of the invention of the croissant in a country that was not France, and relive the adventures of a dog that stowed away and went to war, only to help capture a German spy. Along the way, readers will pass through the American state of Franklin, watch Abraham Lincoln’s son be rescued by his assassin’s brother, and learn how too many crash landings inspired one pilot to leave the airline industry and trek for the stars.

For the first time ever, Aaron has gathered scores of his favorites in print, and curated them into a beautiful, topical collection for devoted followers and new fans alike.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Fun trivia book. I don't listen to Mahnke's podcast but this definitely makes me understand why people do, with his engaging, personable affect, and the combination of infotainment and attractive design.

Sourced anecdotes largely point you to Wikipedia, some are not *quite* as presented here (lookin' at you Saqqara-bird story) but honestly...you'd buy this as a giftie for the nibling who's a Jeopardy!-watcher and they'd enjoy debunking the stuff as much as anything.

St. Martin's Press requests $14.99 for an ebook.

>33 humouress: >33 humouress: Nope. Je refuse. Sooner I would die thank you please. I'm allergic to horsehair.

Happy new thread

>8 richardderus: I hope the roots are deep enough.

>35 richardderus: I do, too, Arlie. I very much do, too.

Thank you most kindly.

Happy New Thread!

>38 SilverWolf28: Thank you, dear lady!

>1 richardderus: Ha! What a great idea.

Happy new thread

Happy new thread, and Saturday *smooches*

>40 figsfromthistle: Ain't it just, Anita? Thank you.

Morning, Richard. It could creep up to 60F today. Yeah, baby. Let the warm-up begin. I will take Juno for a walk in the woods to celebrate.

>8 richardderus: Perfect!

>43 msf59: Isn't >8 richardderus: a great reminder to let the wind blow without adding your breath to it?

It's peak fire weather here, though by the beach it's a lot less of a risk. We're under a fire watch or something because the dry weather and the winds are making things ideal for any careless accident to turn into a huge disaster.

‘Morning, RDear. Happy Sunday to you.

>16 richardderus: This one is a hard no, but, as always, your review is thought provoking. Hmm. 3.5 is ‘very good’ in my rating system.

>19 richardderus: Ah. Got it. And yes, coffee is mandatory. We’re down to our last pound of whole beans, so I really must go grocery shopping today.

>31 richardderus: Sadness about TV and Westerns and OS.

>34 richardderus: Pass, but interesting.

*smooch*

>45 karenmarie: I think >16 richardderus: is good. I just don't think it's worth $14.99, and it most assuredly is not a book you should touch! At All! Even for free!

>34 richardderus: is for those who have not discovered QI, sweetiedarling. We have General Ignorance.

What leads people to stare at the screen while inane babble assaults their intelligence? Right now it's The Brady Bunch. That was too stupid for my nine-year-old self, and here it is battering my nerve at sixty-five. Unforgivable that I have to smell, see, and hear this...person...at all, still less daily.

Wishing you a good week ahead, RD!

>47 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie, I will do my possible to make it so.

Good afternoon, Good Richard. May you be well-fed, safe from brush fires and smoke, and unassaulted by insistent banality for at least an hour or so of your afternoon! *smooch*

>49 LizzieD: Hey-ho, Peggy me lurve. I'm fed, I'm safe, and I'm under assault as always. Relentless cachinnation as first Lucille Ball, then Jerry Mathers, acts the ass for the amusement of the unintelligent and uncritical. *sigh* I used the thirty-five minutes he eats lunch to polish up my ungentlemanly snarl of annoyance at a prize-nominated novel.

We do not belong in this fever dream of the scum who have risen to the top.

Happy new thread, Richard. Snickered over the boat up top… 😀

>52 drneutron: Hiya Doc, glad you saw the humor!

Hi Richard, dear friend, Happy New Thread and i love your thread topper photo.

PEARL RULE #006

The Antidote by Karen Russell (64%)

Rating: 3* of five

The Publisher Says: From Pulitzer finalist, MacArthur Fellowship recipient, and bestselling author of Swamplandia! and Vampires in the Lemon Grove. A gripping Dust Bowl epic about five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their small Nebraskan town

The Antidote opens on Black Sunday, as a historic dust storm ravages the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska. But Uz is already collapsing—not just under the weight of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl drought, but beneath its own violent histories.

The Antidote follows a "Prairie Witch," whose body serves as a bank vault for peoples’ memories and secrets; a Polish wheat farmer who learns how quickly a hoarded blessing can become a curse; his orphan niece, a basketball star and witch’s apprentice in furious flight from her grief; a voluble scarecrow; and a New Deal photographer whose time-traveling camera threatens to reveal both the town’s secrets and its fate.

Russell's novel is above all a reckoning with a nation’s forgetting—enacting the settler amnesia and willful omissions passed down from generation to generation, and unearthing not only horrors but shimmering possibilities.

The Antidote echoes with urgent warnings for our own climate emergency, challenging readers with a vision of what might have been—and what still could be.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: I cried "Uncle" at 64% because I just don't care anymore.

I hadn't meant to sound so angry. Nothing about their calm faces in my uncle's kitchen made any sense.

I read that, thought, "I couldn't agree more," and put the book down. I had steadily lost interest, which was a sadness since I really wanted this read to thrill and delight me. It *sounds* great!

Knopf thinks $14.99 is right and proper. I say use the library.

>54 johnsimpson: Greetings John! I hope all's well in the world for all y'all!

034 The case of Cem by Vera P. Mutafchieva (tr. Angela Rodel)

Shortlisted for the 2025 Republic of Consciousness Prize—United States & Canada—for Small Presses Winner announced 12 March 2025, and I hope this one wins it.

035 Lesser ruins by Mark Haber

Shortlisted for the 2025 Republic of Consciousness Prize—United States & Canada—for Small Presses. Winner announced 12 March 2025, and if this one wins I'll be ticked off.

>57 richardderus:
Got me with a BB on this one. It sounds fascinating.

Like you, I am not a fan of second person writing, but will take your word for it, that the technique works in this novel. Onto the gargantuan TBR list it goes.

My real life book discussion group met today and we had a great discussion about Salman Rushdie's Knife. This group is a largely made up of librarians and we spent most of the time talking about Rushdie's take on censorship and the freedom of expression and its current suppression. For a small book, this one packed a punch for our group.

Loving the art on this thread so far!
*that is all*

Have a marvelous Monday, RD!

((Hugs)) and **smooches**

It will take several hours but we are supposed to creep into the mid-60s today. I will gladly take it. I am a fan of Karen Russell too but I think she should stick to short fiction. Bummer.

>51 richardderus: Amen!!

>59 benitastrnad: I am *stunned* that I loved that read, Benita. I would have given you excellent odds that I'd've loathed it. Try the free Kindle sample...you'll know right away.

>60 benitastrnad: Wow! A better group to have that discussion I cannot conjure. I'm sure very interesting chat was had.

>61 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan!

>62 alcottacre: I'll settle for a quiet one, Stasia. Enjoy your trip! *smooch*

>46 richardderus: Sorry you're being force fed the Brady sugar custard.No fun.

I fell into re-watching a batch of "Ironside" episodes this past week I remember really liking the show back in the day but now find the plots childishly simple and the villains one note and dull. And just cut to the formula and never vary from it.

Our tastes change we we change - I mean that not only for individuals for for societies.

>63 msf59: Ain't >51 richardderus: grand, Birddude? I'm glad you are getting some pleasant weather after the blasts of cold.

>55 richardderus: was such a disappointment to me! I was looking forward to reading it, and *wompwomp* it was...dull.

>68 magicians_nephew: It's TV, Jim, there's no room for nuance when you need millions of dimwits to click on your channel. Today's treats include Perry Mason, Matlock, and In the Heat of the Night. The same note, whanged away at, celebrating how much we need cops.

Urpsome tedious nonsense.

Good morning, Richard. Ha! It is still, I see.....

I wish you a good week and look forward to more results of reading here. *smooch*

ETA: Sheesh. I just tried to read the sample of *L Ruins* and couldn't even make it through the sample. I'm amazed that you read the whole book. You are a brave, brave man.

>71 LizzieD: ...stubborn, anyway...it irked me, and if it wins any kind of prize at all I will be v v v angry at the judges.

>57 richardderus: The Case of Cem looks fascinating. Added it to the wish list.

>73 SandDune: It really is, Rhian. I hope you enjoy it when it gets to the top of the pile.

Hiya, RDear. I hope the 35 minutes of NOOSTV provided a boost.

>55 richardderus: Pass, and I now realize that although I loved Swamplandia!, I really don’t need to keep it on my shelves. Unfortunately, the shelves it’s on are in a room I can barely walk into, so there it sits.

>57 richardderus: My, my. 5*. I’ve added it to my wish list and just went down the rabbit hole for a bit re Cem and the Ottoman Empire.

>58 richardderus: Pass, even if my life circumstances don’t parallel yours and I might like the character more.

*smooch*

>55 richardderus: That's too bad. I enjoy her short stories and liked Swamplandia enough.

How are the firefighters doing on the other end of Long Island? It's seems early but then fire season (here in the west anyway) is an all-year affair.

Hope all is well with you, Richard!

>75 karenmarie: It's really too bad about >55 richardderus:. I'd reject all her books now.

I think you'd do well to think of >71 LizzieD:'s response to >58 richardderus: as your guide. Yes, >57 richardderus: is really worth it. And Cem...well. What an unusual soul. I think he deserves more notoriety.

*smooch*

>76 Copperskye: It's a scary thing to see so much of this pretty much sodden island. Good to see you, Joanne!

>1 richardderus: LOL! Love it. : )

Hi Ricardo. Hopelessly behind here, but leaving a smooch for you.

Hiya, RDear. Happy Tuesday.

Book sort and Virlie’s today, last time until after our March 20-22nd book sale.

*smooch*

>79 Berly: Berly-boo! I'm happy to see your smooch and raise you a big ol' hug!

>80 karenmarie: Happy book-fondling, Horrible, and Virlie's is always happy-making. Heck, it makes *me* happy and I'm hundreds of miles away.

I think you'll like tomorrow's book, BTW, so be sure to come wearing your book-Kevlar. *smooch*

Happy new thread!

The photo up top is hilarious.

>8 richardderus: I’m still afraid. I don’t think our roots are deep enough, and even old, deep-rooted trees have fallen, if the ground has been disturbed too much and the wind is strong enough. (I know. Just call me Debbie Downer.)

>52 drneutron: Too true, sadly.

>57 richardderus: Sounds very interesting. I’ll check to see if the library has it.

>83 Storeetllr: Too true, Mary/Debbie. I'm pretty pessimistic about the future.

Good night, good Richard. Sleep well. Wake refreshed. *smooch*

036 Propaganda girls : the secret war of the women in the OSS by Lisa Rogak

PROPAGANDA GIRLS: The Secret War of the Women in the OSS brings the underknown role women play in Intelligence...and their poor trwatment while and after doing the work...to light, via St. Martin's Press:

Happy Wednesday, Richard. How did I get sucked into this work business? I am retired. I am working the rest of the week and longer shifts too. The bosses are in a jam, with one in the hospital so someone has to cover these shifts so I am stepping up. Hey, I'm outta here on Saturday, right?

>86 richardderus: The OSS in World War II is a story that needs to be told - better. The Brits thought the OSS was a gang of loud mouthed thugs, without the brains or the patience for real behind-the-lines work. Their attrition rate was eye-watering. But some good work was done. How much it affected the War as a Whole will never be known.

Will have to give this one a look, Richard.

>85 LizzieD: Good morrow, Peggy me lurve. I'm refreshed, I suppose; I'm busily reading having just finished my morning's podcasts, The Intelligence and Words Unravelled, and posted my review of the #WomensHistoryMonth book. Happy Wednesdaying! *smooch*

>87 msf59: You're doing The Right Thing, Birddude, and that always has a personal cost. Saturday can't come soon enough, can it. Spend it splendidly.

>88 magicians_nephew: It's a real step towards a better telling of the story, Jim, and an angle of view that really needs to be thought of to get a real rounded view of the role intelligence plays in war. We really can't know what the impact of any specific intelligence operation, or it would never be repeatable.

These are some horrific times.

‘Morning, RD. Happy Wednesday.

>86 richardderus: My Kevlar vest worked. Your well-written review is rather depressing in that these women were expendable, unknown and are still basically unknown. We laud their actions because they were on our side, but right now some of their descendants are, of course, the evil, manipulative, and dangerous oligarchs and fascists who are now in control of our country.

Julia Child, of course, also worked for the OSS during the war, as did her husband Paul.

>89 richardderus: What are your daily podcasts, O Wise One?

>92 richardderus: We’re only 52 days into this nightmare.

*smooch* from your own terrified Horrible

>86 richardderus: Hmmm ... maybe ...

>92 richardderus: If I saw this used by someone I respected, I'd presume they were trying to express opposition to gay labelling and anti-gay measures by crossing out that triangle.

Trump is not, of course, someone about whom I'm inclined to presume good intentions, let alone find the best possible explanation for their behaviour.

>95 ArlieS: Artie - thank you.

If anybody else had posted this i would have read it as "No More Pink Triangles" and so a pro Gay voice.

With Trump - day to day you never know.

>95 ArlieS: and >96 magicians_nephew: That was my first thought too.

Having read HCR this morning, I'm asking again, "What is so difficult about asking the destroyers, 'Where did you get that information? Why do you think that? GIVE US SOME SUPPORTING EVIDENCE,' every single time that they open their mouths?"

Sorry, Richard. I'm adding >86 richardderus: to the wish list with thanks but not a lot of hope of getting to it soon.

Do some of your best! *smooch*

ETA: If that had been the *Egg&I* BMacD, I'd have been all over it.

>86 richardderus:
OK. That's a BB. Thanks for the Women's History reviews. Keep'em comin'!

>93 karenmarie: My list is huge...daily I'm on The Intelligence, which is The Economist magazine's round-up. It helps me feel less...blind...as I try to keep going through the next far-too-many days.

The Childs are not dirty-tricksters like these ladies were, but made a lot of cultural communication pitfalls avoidable. I hope against hope the descendants still extant of all these women are staunchly against what's going on. *smooch*

>94 humouress: It's worth it, Nina.

>95 ArlieS: Ambiguity is the point...deniability reduces the general supply of trust.

>96 magicians_nephew: One thing you DO know, Jim, is that it's a lie if it comes from the scum who run this administration, so no presumption of goodwill need be imputed to their utterances.

>97 LizzieD: Getting to it isn't urgent, Peggy. Tying these jackanapes up in huge amounts of oppositional red tape is a definite distant second to chopping off heads, burning the corpses in a landfill, and expropriating their assets, but it'll do.

>98 benitastrnad: I hope you'll like it, Benita.

>92 richardderus: >102 richardderus: : (

>92 richardderus: Indeed, words fail me...

>105 Berly: Agreed, Berly-boo. :_(

>106 RebaRelishesReading: Me too, Reba. Me too.

>109 richardderus: - Why isn't anyone listening to her??!!

Sweet Thursday, Richard. I wish AOC would lead the charge here. We NEED strong voices and right now they are minor squeaks at best.

I will miss Jackson Day, which is a bummer. This extra work thing is getting in the way but 2 more days we are outta here.

>110 jessibud2: I do not know!!!!

>111 msf59: Boo hiss on missing Jackson Day! I'm amazed you're being so agreeable about the extra work with the BIG vacay coming up. I guess good-helper pointes are never bad to have in the bank, are they. Still...how exciting!!

037 The man nobody killed : life, death, and art in Michael Stewart's New York by Elon Green

A little-known New York City story, forty-two years old, and it's still fresh as tonight's news. Change? What's that?

>114 richardderus: Fantastic review, Richard. You're right that saying "just can't, too hard" comes from a place of privilege. I will say "not just yet", as my library stack is still outrageous, but I've duly added it to the ever-growing TBR list.

Thursday *smooch*

‘Morning, RDear. Happy Thursday to you.

>114 richardderus: Just can’t read it, and at this time in my life, don’t know how to protest and resist. Guilt twice? Yes.

*smooch*

>116 karenmarie: Protest, at our age and level of infirmity, is less about walking in protest parades and suchlike gubbins and more about sending money to causes/politicians/media outlets that align with our values, amplifying voices that we support...even when our friends do not want to hear it...because we can't do more strenuous things.

Guilt is an indulgence the country and the world can not afford. Act, do what is within your physiological capabilities and remember that you lose what you won't take action to save on the personal, bodily, and societal scales.

>115 bell7: ...and giving in to it is frankly Just Not On. Maybe not today, but one day soon inaction's consequences WILL bite us all. Take other actions if this is not right for you right this second, but don't let up.

>110 jessibud2: Shes been tarred with the "RADICAL LEFT" tarbrush which means nothing she says is every taken seriously

she's a useful gadfly and i wish more mainstream people would take up her banner

>119 magicians_nephew: +1000000

>119 magicians_nephew: That's what I was going to say. She's AOC, so everything she says is automatically crazy. At least that's the assumption in southeaster NC.

>117 richardderus: Too much going on! You - or I, anyway - can't respond to every single crisis. I think we all have to choose one or two that we care most about and put our efforts into righting those injustices. What we say to people in person can speak to whatever thing they bring up, but our money and time should go to where we think it will do the most good.

*smooch*

>121 LizzieD: Agreed; but make a choice and act. It does not matter much which choice or what means we choose so long as action results. any action is preferable to paralysis when the emergencies are piling up. Deciding "I'm doing this thing, that's enough," is the absolute bare-bones minimum we all need to enact in our lives.

If I've been a very very good boy, as well as wrong about there being no Afterlife, I will come to awareness after my death-passage in here:

...and the space behind me will be filled with ever-renewing boxes of books to sort and play with; to the right of the image will be a kitchen, a self-cleaning Wolf gas range, an eternally full without shopping Sub-Zero fridge, cupboards with bone china, lead crystal, sterling, in ever-clean and ever-shifting patterns, a bedroom and bathroom without laundry ever needing to be done, and a reading nook.

Thank goodness you explained that there will be "ever-renewing boxes of books to sort and play with" because as is, it kinda looks like purgatory!! LOL

And you don't deserve that!

>119 magicians_nephew: LIKE

>123 richardderus: Oops, when I first saw the photo I was worried, but with your clarification, it all makes sense 😅.

Drive by , not remotely caught up.. but hey... ! how are ya?

>127 mckait: Hi Kath!! Do you have a thread this year? : )

>126 Ameise1: Heh...I see how that could be the response absent explanation, Barbara!

>127 mckait: Kath! I'm glad to see you here! You saw my Bsky post about the progress of the coup, so that's how I am. *sigh*

>1 richardderus: Happy new thread!

>131 ocgreg34: Thank you, Greg!

Tech scum own the establishment to a degree that shocks me.

038 Luminous : a novel by Silvia Park

LUMINOUS is an excellent, assured debut near-future SF set in reunified Korea. It gets 4.5* from me here:

Happy newish thread, Richard. You got me with your review of Propaganda Girls. My library has it on order.

>133 richardderus: Telling photo - some Tesla owners here have posted signs on their cars that say "I bought this before Elon went crazy"

Morning, Richard. Both The Man Nobody Killed & Luminous : a novel sound really good. On to the very obese TBR they go.

Last work day for 3 weeks. Happy Dance!

>130 richardderus: sighs...

>135 Familyhistorian: Elon never was not crazy. Burn all swasticars, may be harsh...but the horror that is this coup will likely lead to atrocities.

>136 msf59: They'll be here when you're back from Oz, Birddude. Three whole weeks! Enjoy it, take lots of pictures, and be sure to get into at least one Dymocks.

>130 richardderus: Me too, rd, me too :(

‘Morning, Rdear! Happy Friday.

>117 richardderus: You’re absolutely right – I can send money. I have decided, however, that I need to support three local causes – WUNC/NPR in Chapel Hill, CORA Food Pantry in my county, and Friends of the Library by volunteering on the Board and working on the book sale team, which raises money – substantial money, like $35-40K every year – most of which we budget directly to the Library. NPR needs support, local people need food, and our Library will be under attack.

>123 richardderus: Sigh. All those gorgeous, empty shelves, just waiting to be filled. I like the rest of your house plan, too, especially the self-cleaning, eternally full, ever—shifting, etc., and reading nook.

>130 richardderus: and >133 richardderus: Words fail me.

>134 richardderus: I’m going to mention this one to my bonus daughter… excellent review.

*smooch*

>139 mckait: No other way to be, is there. It's not a cheery sunny happy-happy-joy-joy moment, is it. *smooch*

>140 karenmarie: Morning, Horrible! Happy that my hectoring has an effect. Not that you wouldn't do those things anyway, just because they're the right thing to do...being a moral human being and all...but maybe adding a bit of extra support...?

All those shelves just open and awaiting the boxes and crates full of books...*happy happy sigh*

I hope Hwan will like >134 richardderus:, if she decides to read it. I think it's likely to speak to her even more resonantly than it did to me. Silvia Park is a very assured debut novelist. She deserves our support.

Those images...well.

A very easy way to protest is to call your elected representatives. 5calls.org makes it incredibly easy, with contact numbers, issue scripts, and such.

>143 katiekrug: A wonderful resource! Use them often!

A lot going on here, Richard. Thank you!

Like Karen, I give $. Where I fall down is the calling or messaging. I think I said somewhere among the 75 that old pols like Jesse Helms used to write polite responses to my complaining letters. Now I get put on the e-mail list for their bulletins even though David Rouzer's (congressman) office does call me "Mr. McLizzle." Thanks to Katie for 5calls.org.

Luminous goes straight to the wish list with thanks. *smooch*

>123 richardderus: Whew!!! I guess it's heaven for you after all. I missed your opening phrase and my eye caught on "afterlife" and I thought you had a preview of the other place --- miles and miles of empty book shelves -- AACKKK!!

-- reading on I see I wasn't the only one worried

>123 richardderus: "White. A Blank canvas. His favorite. So many possibilities"

>145 LizzieD: It's seldom dull around here, Peggy. Giving money is very sensible for those of us frankly unable to take the strain of gettin' our feet on the contested ground. Keep aiming for the added phone calling! *smooch*

>146 RebaRelishesReading: Yeah, it's not in me to see an empty shelf and not immediately begin putting books on it. That WOULD be hell.

Lovely to see you here, Reba!

>147 magicians_nephew: Aptly quoted indeed.

>123 richardderus: Wot no books?

>151 humouress: Hi Nina! Didja miss >134 richardderus:? I likededed it a real lot.

When to the bank yesterday and parked beside a Tesla. Just below the spoiler were crisp letters forming two works. FIRE MUSK. I believe a similar message was on the car's nose, but I couldn't work around to see it straight on.

Like your retirement home, I do. Will have the shelving extend to infinity? ...And beyond? The ceilings must be higher than 8 feet, in my opinion. But it IS your dream.

>152 richardderus: I did miss it. Will keep an eye out for it.

>153 weird_O: Spreading up, out, down...but no way would it be heaven unless the books kept coming and kept getting shelved comfortably. "FIRE MUSK" only with combustibles is my mantra as well. I'm awfully glad I'm not able to drive anymore because I'd most likely have been a Tesla customer. Oh my god the horror the horror

>154 humouress: I think you might like it, Nina. I'm impressed mostly because she's a debut author!

>92 richardderus: WHAT!? I mean.. WHAT!?!!!?
I just saw a docu yesterday about political and homosexual prisoners being killed and tortured in the KZ Struthof. How can this go through?!?

>130 richardderus: You‘re on bsky? I just signed up, will start following soon

Have a lovely weekend, hopefully with some grat reading. Put the err.. forgot the title.. YA(?) book about famous women from your last thread into my amazon basket. Will read it and then leave it at a bookcrossing place.

edit: couldn’t find you on bsky

>123 richardderus: Sounds perfect!

>134 richardderus: This sounds like a great read. I will check it out if the library has a copy.

Happy weekend reading

>157 Deern: I'm https://bsky.app/profile/expendablemudge.bsky.social

I love that you're going to leave the Eric Huang book at some handy crossing place! Great idea. Try reading Good Girls Don't Make History, too, Nathalie. I liked it even better.

The Felonious Yam can say anything he wants because his very base base agrees with him.

>158 figsfromthistle: Morning, Anita! >134 richardderus: is a great library borrow, but maybe don't rush. Bound to be lotsa holds. Heaven indeed, >123 richardderus:, no?

Sending hugs northwestward.

Happy Saturday, Richard. I doubt I will have many opportunities to go online while Down Under but I will check in when I can. Hold down the fort, good sir.

>161 msf59: ::vibrates with jealous loathing::

Have a safe trip and lots of fun while you're there!

::commences voodoo dolly manufacture::

...and for Nathalie's special enjoyment, Rothko's No. 11 / No. 20, 1949, from Christopher Rothko's personal collection.

Clearly made early in his development of the color-field style...not like most of the stuff from the 1950s.

>163 richardderus: - LOL! That made me laugh out loud! However, economic collapse is only the first of a long list....(just sayin')

>159 richardderus: following now :)
Added the other book to the basekt as well.
>164 richardderus: (((thank you))) :)

>165 jessibud2: Ain't that one priceless? I love the creative energy, and am jealous of the creative spark that saw this...before me...darn it.

>166 Deern: I followed you back. Glad the books appeal, and really like your plan for 'em.

I'd never seen >164 richardderus: before it popped up on Tumblr today. Very interesting to see how he developed this style. English painter Francis Bacon said Rothko's color-field style made him depressed..."all that maroon" was his complaint...which made me think about how we find the things we love in this world and hold onto them.

>162 richardderus: You’re so mean evil. Let Mark and his missus enjoy their trip in peace.

As for bookshops in Sydney, Dymocks is one of the local chains but there is also a Books Kinokuniya and (my personal Mecca) Galaxy, which is upstairs from Abbey’s; they’re all around the Queen Victoria Building near Town Hall Station.

ETA: corrected per >172 richardderus:

‘Morning, RDear. Happy Saturday to you.

>142 richardderus: I’m happy with my non-political support level, and I am seriously unhappy with the Democrats. Yes, they’re the only chance for our country to not become a third-world embarrassment to be a part of, but even if I use my junk-mail email address to control the avalanche of emails I’d receive after sending them money, I just don’t have it in me right now to send them money. They’re sitting on their hands, caving, and posturing.

Law suits and judges ruling against the chaos demon and his minions are the only thing working at all right now, IMO. So after I get back from my visit with Peggy and Stasia and get through the book sale March 20-22, I’ll try to figure out which organization fighting the chaos demon I want to support financially.

>143 katiekrug: Opened up as a new tab on my primary brower, Katie, thanks for the reminder.

>163 richardderus: Brought a smile to my unhappy and scared face.

*smooch*

>159 richardderus: It realty calls to mind "Animal Farm"

"Comrade Napoleon is always right"

For people who don't like to think too much

>169 humouress: Moi? Mean? Just silly to say such a thing!

I'm eville.

>170 karenmarie: It's harder than ever to find a politico who's worth my support, so I focus on giving to orgs and to media outlets aligned with my politics.

The Dems lost me when Schumer did ZILCH to oppose any of the repulsivecan agenda as Biden's term went on.

*smooch*

>171 magicians_nephew: Comrade Pigjowls is very definitely Always Right, or the cultists are exposed as the dupes they are. That cannot be allowed.

Happy Saturday, Richard. Hope things are going well in your little corner. Or, at least, as well as can be expected.

>163 richardderus: Economic collapse at the very least. I may have to move to Mexico sooner rather than later to be able to afford to continue living. (I’d have gone already if my daughter didn’t need my help with my grandkids.)

>175 Storeetllr: ...except Mexico's gonna get slammed by these rotten-souled slimy Aynholes. Noplace is safe while the Gang of Psychos are in control.

Apart from the obvious, I guess I'm doing okay. *smooch*

A burning swasticar is a lovely sight; but don't do it in the ocean!

>177 richardderus: A beautiful sight indeed. I see quite a few of them around here. There are a lot of Teslas in my area, mostly just plain Tesla's but I usually see a couple driving when I am going somewhere. My area had mild weather, so I think that is why they are so popular. The BC government ( my province),has removed Tesla chargers from a rebate program - https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/tesla-products-bc-hydro-rebates-... . It is a start.

I also know several people driving Tesla (in Germany), it’s all company cars. I hope those companies change their car programs quickly to some non-Tesla, non-Chinese brands. Tesla has a big site for the construction of the Y in Eastern Germany. I wonder what the reactions there will be if their new idol (the Afd won the elections in the Eastern counties) costs them their jobs should sales keep crashing. I can‘t see the typical German Putin/Trump/Musk sympathisants, who are also for the most part climate change deniers and e-car haters, start buying Tesla now. That would actually be funny.

I once saw that model from >177 richardderus: at a kind of green living trade show in Bolzano and took some pics because I thought it was so unbelievably ugly and in its monstrosity has nothing to do with green living. Never saw one on the road, but roads here are narrow with unforgiving high curbstones and next to no possibility to drive fast. Next to it stood a very cute little yellow Renault e-car I immediately fell in love with. Sadly the small cars are still way too expensive and charging infrastructure isn’t great. Well, I‘ll have my bike fixed instead. :)

>178 vancouverdeb: I thought the people who bought the Model Y were dimwitted...I mean, *Elon* sells the Y and no one sees the dudebro "in"joke?

I'm so pleased BC is taking action against Muskolini! That's very happy-making.

>179 Deern: AfD scares me as much as the christian nationalists in the US do. The idiots who deny climate change because "we can't be SURE it's human caused" are so insentient as to need conservatorship.

Charging infrastructure is the principal issue slowing electric cars down. People should buy hybrids.

>178 vancouverdeb: - YAY!! Good on Eby!

‘Morning, RD! Happy Sunday to you.

>177 richardderus: Agree about the swasticar. And yes, do it in front one of muskolini’s businesses instead.

>178 vancouverdeb: Oh, Deborah, that made me laugh out loud. Removing the chargers from a rebate program. Small but telling.

*smooch*

Jeremy's best line: "You're not old, you're midcentury modern."

>182 jessibud2: Agreed!

>183 karenmarie: ...and effective, capitalists hate the "death by a thousand cuts" that is losing their government handouts.

I’m definitely feeling mid-century modern. 😂

>187 drneutron: No yolk, Doc!
***

Untitled, 2024 (Tesla Model 3 crushed by replica Olmec Head), by Chavis Mármol. The Mexican artist created the work earlier “to satirize the Tesla brand and its creator.”

>177 richardderus: Or just not give him the money by buying the cars in the first place?...

>189 humouress: That's *my* solution, but hundreds of thousands have already done it. They should a) burn 'em or ii) take 'em to the crusher. Sorry about that mortgage you took out, maybe "default by Musk aversion" won't hit your credit too hard.

A really good doc on Dorothy Parker:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV-t93ThFQE

>184 richardderus: Midcentury modern! 😂 Love it!

Also love the image of the burning swastikkkar. And the ensuing discussion. Good on Canada. I wish Canada would annex NY as one of its provinces. I know I’d vote for that.

>192 Storeetllr: - Ha! I could live with that! I watch a current affairs show on local tv every weeknight. The host has a Friday political blog and his thing is, that he usually wears some t-shirt that pertains to the topic. Last Friday, he had on a shirt that was plain white, with an American flag. Below it was printed *11th Province*. That's all. ;-)

>130 richardderus: ... And it looks like there will be no legal options to prosecute this obvious abuse of the independence of government.

But then, Trump is famously a felon, but Musk is perhaps less famously a fraudster. As admitted in court when his scheme to pay people to vote Trump was exposed. In his defence, the options were:

1. The scheme was an incentive to induce people to register to vote (a federal criminal offence)
2. The scheme was an illegal lottery (a Pennsylvania state criminal offence)
3. The scheme was a giveaway (which cannot be supported by the facts; it has to be possible to enter a giveaway without doing anything other than indicating the desire to participate, which was not the case here, as entrants had to register to vote and complete a short survey, which amounts to an "entry fee" under the "peppercorn" theory of contract law)
4. The scheme was an odd way to recruit spokespersons (legal, but fraudulently misrepresented)

Only option 4 is not criminal. There was clearly civil fraud, but it's not clear that anyone would have the ability to sue, because the damages for those defrauded would be limited to their damages; as the acts required to qualify for consideration for the employment opportunity (registering to vote and filling out a short survey) only represent "nominal" costs to the applicant, these don't really create a basis for restitution.

One might wish to reflect on the fact that Elon Musk managed to put himself in a situation where the best his lawyers could do for him was to argue for a finding that he committed civil fraud.

>177 richardderus: agree on both counts

>178 vancouverdeb: Good for BC government -- I should have moved to Canada long ago. Too late not I fear.

>180 richardderus: Not being a dude-bro...(what's the joke? she whispers)

>192 Storeetllr: Oh! Great idea! Let's write to Carney, shall we?

That was one of Jeremy's best. I miss him sometines. Claudia, never.

>193 jessibud2: ...the while thing...? Surely not, Shelley!

>194 sirfurboy: One might wish to reflect on the fact that Elon Musk managed to put himself in a situation where the best his lawyers could do for him was to argue for a finding that he committed civil fraud.

This is Murrykuh, my dude, that's not a bad thing as long as it didn't cost any of the hoi polloi money. Most people can't parse any part of that argument, so the scum is safe.

>195 RebaRelishesReading: re: >180 richardderus: think how very proud the scum Muskolini is of his manliness...now think about chromosomal maleness...and the Model Y, an SUV, becomes a man-bun on wheels.

BURGOINE #016

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica (tr. Sarah Moses)

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: The long-awaited new novel from the author of global sensation Tender Is the Flesh: a thrilling work of literary horror about a woman cloistered in a secretive, violent religious order, while outside the world has fallen into chaos.

From her cell in a mysterious convent, a woman writes the story of her life in whatever she can find—discarded ink, dirt, and even her own blood. A lower member of the Sacred Sisterhood, deemed an unworthy, she dreams of ascending to the ranks of the Enlightened at the center of the convent and of pleasing the foreboding Superior Sister. Outside, the world is plagued by catastrophe—cities are submerged underwater, electricity and the internet are nonexistent, and bands of survivors fight and forage in a cruel, barren landscape. Inside, the narrator is controlled, punished, but safe.

But when a stranger makes her way past the convent walls, joining the ranks of the unworthy, she forces the narrator to consider her long-buried past—and what she may be overlooking about the Enlightened. As the two women grow closer, the narrator is increasingly haunted by questions about her own past, the environmental future, and her present life inside the convent. How did she get to the Sacred Sisterhood? Why can’t she remember her life before? And what really happens when a woman is chosen as one of the Enlightened?

A searing, dystopian tale about climate crisis, ideological extremism, and the tidal pull of our most violent, exploitative instincts, this is another unforgettable novel from a master of feminist horror.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Seemingly alone among readers, I did not like Tender Is the Flesh because its conceit was simply too absurd for me. I was unable take it seriously enough to get into the real story. Not at all the issue with this top-flight idea. "The Enlightened" are so very of the moment, and so perfectly limned as the abuser tech bros and Aynholes they're...parodying? illuminating in 3D, certainly. By gender-flipping the baddies, Author Bazterrica bypasses facile dismissive male critics' inevitable sexist takedowns of the story's, um, Gothic excesses. She's also thereby making a powerful point about women and their missing solidarity. The (female) abusers rise to the top, thereby to use their power in pointlessly sadistic rituals of pain and humiliation.

Hence my lower-than-expected rating. I do not wish to examine women in any remotely sexual light. It's metaphorical here, granted; I still do not enjoy it; so not-quite-four is my rating of a solid five-star story. YMMV, of course, and I very much hope it will.

Scribner will say "$13.99 please" at checkout.

I am pleased about the BC government no longer giving rebates on Tesla Chargers, Richard. But I talked to my sister today and a friend of hers heard that someone in Richmond smeared dog poop on a Tesla while it was parked. I think that is a step too far.

>201 vancouverdeb: I agree. That gets into the realm of property crime. I'm all for burning swasticars...but ONLY IF IT'S *YOUR* SWASTICAR.

039 The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley

THE HYMN TO DIONYSUS, Natasha Pulley does the Greek thang...and very well, too!

>191 richardderus: Thanks Richard. Big Dorothy Parker fan here.

Nos so much for her famous smartcrackers as for her perfectly crafted short stories like "Big Blond" and "Horsie"

They're in The Portable Dorothy Parker as are other of her short fiction.

They claim that the portable Parker is the only "Portable" (aside from The Bible) thats has never been out of press. Hard to believe.

There's a hell of a distance between wise-cracking and wit. Wit has truth in it; wise-cracking is simply calisthenics with words..

>204 magicians_nephew: I myownself love her wisecracks as much as her stealthy stilettos of stories. Poems, well...not so much.

I'm totally unsurprised that it's never been o.p. because her cult, while never enormous, is evergreen. Wit and cruelty always appeal when they're aimed so precisely at deserving targets.

Gauld's latest.

040 The Latina Anti-Diet: A Dietitian's Guide to Authentic Health that Celebrates Culture and Full-Flavor Living by Dalina Soto

THE LATINA ANTI-DIET: A Dietitian's Guide to Authentic Health that Celebrates Culture and Full-Flavor Living is Ballantine's edition of a good, supportive guide to eating

>199 richardderus: Thanks Richard -- I think I may get it now

>208 RebaRelishesReading: Of course! I always want to know if my words aren't making sense so I can make it work.

>203 richardderus: Looks fascinating. My library doesn’t have it yet, but I’ve tagged it on Libby, so when it arrives, I’ll be on the holds list.

>210 Storeetllr: Good news, Mary...the book doesn't officially publish until tomorrow, so at least two weeks before it makes it through the system I'd estimate.

>203 richardderus: Hymn to Dionysus looks good! I’ve got it requested. Thanks for the reccie.

Have a great week, Richard!

Karen O

>202 richardderus: And then there are those who find themselves inside burning swasticars, and the battery fails. For some reason those cars don't fail safe. An absolute fly by wire no-no. How did anyone engineer that? Manual door release is non obvious. It may be found by removing a speaker grill, or, for back seat passengers, by opening storage boxes, removing the mat liners, and then prising open a panel with a flathead screwdriver (not provided). All while the car is on fire around you. And it seems that some models just don't have manual releases.

How Teslas got European vehicle type approval is beyond me. In fact, this may be why some models don't.

Oh but if we are talking about Musk and engineering, there is an amusing story of Musk flaunting his supposed greater intelligence when ripping servers out of a data centre. The CEO told him that some of the floors could not handle more than 500 pounds of pressure, so rolling a 2,000-pound server would cause damage. Musk replied that the servers had four wheels, so the pressure at any one point was only 500 pounds per square foot. The servers were ripped out, and, of course, the floor was damaged. Musk didn't appreciate that the contact area of each castor was not one square foot, but more like one square inch. Idiot.

>212 klobrien2: Howdy, Karen O.! I'm glad you got interested in >203 richardderus:. Enjoy it when it gets to the top of the pile.

>213 sirfurboy: He's always failed upward. This failure's a doozy. *shudder*

>117 richardderus: Amen to that.

>124 Berly: I like that afterlife. But I'd also want something more physical to do.

>155 richardderus: I feel like I dodged a bullet when I didn't buy a Tesla, some years ago. I liked what I test drove, but not enough to pay that much money. Later I learned about both issues with the products, and the nasty lunacy of their CEO.

>170 karenmarie: I share your disappointment with the Democratic party.

>194 sirfurboy: Never forget that Musk was himself an illegal immigrant in the US.

>216 ArlieS: The Dems and the Repulsivecans have signed their own death warrants. The sentence won't be carried out soon enough for me, but it WILL come back to bite 'em in the worst way. Neither of them had the fortitude to do the PEOPLE'S business. Fox and its ilk have already found out the immutable truth that the audience has legs. Their cultists are aging. Their masters made the idiot mistake of coming for the old people, like they did in Greece and in Russia, but without the international bankers' muscle...the cash machine...to back 'em up.

It won't end well for them, but they have plenty of fight left in 'em.

I read on your thread that you're sleeping more, but feeling commensurately okay. I hope the trend continues.

PEARL RULE #007

The Ego System: The Awakening by René Zografos (51%)

Rating: 2.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Can we afford to stand by as our planet collapses?

In the past 50 years, humanity has wiped out 70% of the world’s wild animals. Our oceans are being emptied, wildlife habitats destroyed, and ecosystems pushed to the brink, all to satisfy an insatiable hunger for meat and animal products.

In The Ego: The Awakening, award-winning journalist René Zografos reveals the devastating consequences of the meat industry on the environment, animal welfare, and our health. With eye-opening insights into factory farming, wildlife crimes, and political inaction, this book challenges us to rethink our choices and their impact on the planet.

Discover how factory farming fuels climate change, deforestation, and biodiversity loss.Animal suffering is hidden by an industry designed to obscure the truth.Plant-based living can lead to a sustainable future and improved personal health.This is more than a wake-up call. It’s a call to action, offering practical steps to create a better world. Zografos blends compelling facts, personal reflections, and a sense of urgency to empower readers to make meaningful changes.

Proceeds from this book support animal welfare, ensuring that every purchase makes a difference.
It’s not too late to save our planet. The time to act is now. Will you be part of the solution?

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: More citations, less verbiage.

However much I agree with you, rigorous adherence to standards is even more urgent than ever when you're arguing against the Orthodoxy.

The real problem for the US today.

'Morning, RichardDear! Happy Tuesday to you!

I skimmed the 36 posts that I hadn't read but will get back to them later today or tomorrow.

>219 richardderus: So scarily on the horizon.

*smooch* from your mid-century modern Horrible

>219 richardderus: - And ain't that the truth.

They said it could never happen in Germany because the Germans were *too civilized and intelligent* a nation. By the time they realized they were wrong, it was too late. People simply refuse to learn from history. As George Santayana said: "Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it".

It scares the daylights out of me.

>221 jessibud2: It should. All of us have to pull together before They finish pulling everything apart.

>220 karenmarie: MCM Horrible! It has a ring....

I'll see you when you've settled in after returning to the ole homestead to make an octuple recipe of pecan puffs. *hinthint*

BURGOINE #017

Hot Air: A Novel by Marcy Dermansky

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: A joyfully unhinged story of money, marriage, sex, and revenge unspools when a billionaire crashes his hot air balloon into the middle of a post-pandemic first date.

Joannie hasn’t been on a date in seven years when Johnny invites Joannie and her daughter to dinner. His house is beautiful, his son is sweet, and their first kiss is, well, it’s not the best, but Joannie could convince herself it was nice enough. But when Joannie’s childhood crush, a summer camp fling turned famous billionaire, crash lands his hot air balloon in Johnny’s swimming pool, Joannie dives in.

Soon she finds herself alighting on a lost weekend with Johnny the bad kisser, Jonathan the billionaire, and Julia his smart, stunning wife. Does Joannie want Jonathan? Does Julia want her husband? Or Joannie? Or Joannie’s beautiful little girl? Does Johnny want Julia? Does Jonathan want Joannie, or Julia, or maybe, his much younger personal assistant, Vivian, who is tasked to fix it all? A tale of lust and money and lust for money, Hot Air is as astonishing as it is blisteringly funny, a delirious, delicious story for our billionaire era.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice for modern times. A bit prim and a lot heteronormative for my taste.

I'm not mad about it, also not mad I read it. Some decent one-liners in here.

Knopf wants $13.99 for the ebook. *shrug*

>224 richardderus: - I gave both novels I've read by her 2.5 stars, so I'm no longer wasting my eyeblinks on her :)

>225 katiekrug: Gotta say, me neither on her, Katie. I'm not mad I read it but I ain't doin' it again.

BURGOINE #018

O Sinners!: A Novel by Nicole Cuffy

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: A journalist investigates a seductive and mysterious cult and its leader, an enigmatic Vietnam War veteran, in this not-to-be-missed novel.

Faruq Zaidi, a young journalist reeling from the recent death of his father, a devout Muslim, takes the opportunity to embed in a cult called The Nameless. Based in the California redwoods and shepherded by an enigmatic Vietnam War-veteran named Odo, The Nameless adhere to the 18 Utterances, including teachings such as “THERE IS NO GOD BUT THE NAMELESS,” “ALL SUFFERING IS DISTORTION,” and “SEE ONLY BEAUTY.” Faruq, skeptical but committed to unraveling the mystery of The Nameless, extends his stay over months, as he gets deeper into the cult's inner workings, compassionate teachings, and closer to Odo. Faruq himself begins to unravel, forced to come-to-terms with the memories he has been running from while trying to resist Odo's spell.

Told in three seamlessly interwoven threads between Faruq’s present-day investigation, Odo’s time before the formation of the movement as a Black infantryman during the Vietnam War, alongside three other Black soldiers, and a documentary script that recounts The Nameless’ clash with a Texan fundamentalist church, O SINNERS! examines both longing and belonging. Ultimately the novel What is it that we seek from cults and, inevitably, from each other?

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: I am exactly the right audience for this story: I think cults are reprehensible, predatory horrors; I'm part of the generation defined by the Vietnam War and its aftermath; I'm a strong advocate of novels that tell stories complicated by memories a character needs to repress in order to make sense of their daily life.

After about the fifth time-switch I felt ping-ponged; after the repetitions of the 18 Utterances, I was not able to control my eyerolling. I just liked the story, yet didn't like the storytelling as much.

One World asks $13.99 for the ebook. I myownself would ask the library to get one.

>219 richardderus: Oh, you are so right.

>228 RebaRelishesReading: And how I wish I was not.

BURGOINE #019

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: Emma Donoghue, the “soul-stirring” (Oprah Daily) nationally bestselling author of Room, returns with a sweeping historical novel about an infamous 1895 disaster at the Paris Montparnasse train station.

Based on an 1895 disaster that went down in history when it was captured in a series of surreal, extraordinary photographs, The Paris Express is a propulsive novel set on a train packed with a fascinating cast of characters who hail from as close as Brittany and as far as Russia, Ireland, Algeria, Pennsylvania, and Cambodia. Members of parliament hurry back to Paris to vote; a medical student suspects a girl may be dying; a secretary tries to convince her boss of the potential of moving pictures; two of the train’s crew build a life away from their wives; a young anarchist makes a terrifying plan, and much more.

From an author whose “writing is superb alchemy” (Audrey Niffenegger, New York Times bestselling author), The Paris Express is an evocative masterpiece that effortlessly captures the politics, glamour, chaos, and speed that marked the end of the 19th century.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Of all the (too-many) characters in this story, I liked the train the best.

Quite a change from Room and its claustrophobic one-space, a crowded cast of characters and actions that merely move them around the train to talk at each other some more left me...unsatisfied. I'd've liked Author Donoghue to cut a few, and home in on the ones left. Beautiful sentences, and a fascinating historical background, rescue the story from mediocrity. Make it a movie already!

Summit Books charges a reasonable $12.99 for an ebook.

Tuesday *smooch* and wishes for a good day!

>231 bell7: Thanks, Mary! *smooch*

041 Ultramarine by Mariette Navarro (tr. Eve Hill-Agnus)

ULTRAMARINE, translated-from-French novella via Deep Vellum that punches way above its weight in impact:

>233 richardderus: Ooh that sounds right up my alley, thank you

>234 norabelle414: Great! I hope you enjoy it, Nora.

Happy Wednesday, Richard!

I am quite behind as you are sprinting forward. A friend of mine owns a Tesla and put a super sticker on the car that says "Forgive me, I bought this car before I knew Musk was an *****"

>236 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita! I'm sorry for your friend getting nasty looks, but I still blame 'em for giving that asshole money. He's been a jerk publicly for decades with serious Aynhole behaviors not even trying to be hidden. Tech scum of the darkest sort.

>237 richardderus: Indeed, no argument there, Richard. Although one good thing he did was rescue the astronauts that were stranded in space for 9 months......

>238 figsfromthistle: That's how the friendly media spins it. Boeing must be squashed by the new boys so an excess of caution by NASA kept them from riding the Starliner home (which made it back totally safely). It's not safety except safety of Muskolini's bottom line that caused that situation. (He gets several billion a year in NASA money for his corporation's services.)

‘Morning, Rdear! Happy Wednesday to you.

Back home safe and sound, laptop hooked up again, coffee in hand…

>200 richardderus: I’ll pass, which shouldn’t surprise you at all. Nicely Burgoine’d.

>203 richardderus: I loved Circe by Madeline Miller and have looked on in amusement as she and other authors have retold myths. I’m sure it’s my loss, but I’ll pass.

>206 richardderus: *snort*

>207 richardderus: Excellent review.

>224 richardderus: Just enough words that would have passed the ER review test.

>227 richardderus: I’m mostly the audience for this story but will pass, especially because of ping-ponging and repetitions.

>230 richardderus: Seriously not a fan of historical novels. I just looked online, and remember the photograph of the engine sticking out of the building.

>233 richardderus: Intriguing but a bit rich for my taste $$-wise.

I dodged them all!

*smooch* from your MCM Horrible

>240 karenmarie: Dammit anyway, Horrible! Your MCM hips and knees should make it impossible for you to dodge all my book-bullets. Fair warning, tomorrow's book is one you should flat-out avoid even knowing about, still less reading about. Mmmmmaaaaaybe JenHwan could relate.

Remember Ocean's Godori? You either gifted it to, or alerted Hwan to it. The sequel's coming out here pretty quick, and I got the DRC...just as good as the original.

*smooch*

>233 richardderus: >234 norabelle414:

Up my alley too. On the neverending pile it goes. :)

RD, the touchstone in the post goes to the wrong Ultramarine. The REVIEW link is fine, its just the one above it that goes elsewhere.

>242 mahsdad: I fixed it, and really appreciate you letting me know. Enjoy the read!

>233 richardderus: Woo hoo! My library’s got a copy!

Except boo hoo, turns out it’s in French.

I'm glad to be back, Richard, and totally frustrated by not being able to catch up. I can promise, and with a thumb, that I will read anything by N. Pulley that you don't call a stinker. I have a lot of catching up to do there too.

>219 richardderus: There we go. One frustration that I'll complain about and illustrate again is the absolute impossibility to get the Trumpists that I live among, the not-necessarily MAGA types, to expose themselves to news in any source that doesn't view FOX as a bit leftist. I remarked after the initial attack on USAID that a lot of people would die that didn't have to. The young lawyer among us said, fairly belligerently, "WHAT people?" I said, "Well, we can start with all the people who will now lack life supporting help from USAID." She had a look of total incomprehension.
Sorry. There I went again.

Anyway, it's good to be back here. I'll say again that the three of us repeated our warm appreciation for you enthusiastically! *smooch*

>233 richardderus: Great review. My library has a copy and I've put it on my never-ending wish list.
Have a great Wednesday.

>244 Storeetllr: Oh hell. I hope they'll take a hint from you to get an English-language version.

>245 LizzieD: Ruh-roh...I smell a spell coming from the shared cauldron of crones behaving madly....

"WHAT people?" is such an appalling racist bigoted thing to say. "*I* don't know anyone who's affected" so that means they aren't important? No one not you or just like you matters?

I understand the jerks here in povertyland being that stupid but a legal professional...? Critical thinking not taught anywhere in her JD?

*fume*

Well, at least we have a little bitty lifeboat here. Thank All the goddesses. *smooch*

>246 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara! I hope you can get a copy sooninsh.

>245 LizzieD: I'm puzzled; what does she think USAID is used for?

>248 richardderus: >250 humouress: My point is that she's been on FOX or worse so long that she probably has no idea what USAID has been used for. She might have heard of Voice of America, but I'd bet a great sum that she has seen nothing but the fine idea of cutting waste in government offices in her news consumption.
She's not heartless. She's not stupid. She's ignorant and resistant to getting that changed if it means capitulating to radical left news feeds. Incidentally, radical left obviously refers to Canadian and British and every other legitimate news source in the West.

>251 LizzieD: She's almighty ignorant to want to stay that way, Peggy me lurve, and much as I don't like to insult people I haven't personally met, that counts as stupid. I judge her very harshly for not being naturally stupid, but stupidifying herself by choice.
***
Timeline cleanse!

A Rothko color field painting I've never seen before, and about which I can discover nothing. But it's gorgeous.

>239 richardderus:
I agree with you on the friendly publicity about the Starliner. The astronauts didn't need "rescuing." The muskolini must be protected and the public hear only good things about that illegal alien (in every sense of those words) in order to polish up his scruffy image. It is no accident that his Spacex company is now more profitable and worth more than is Tesla. Spacex is owned by musk, and the only entity using it is the US government through the forced contract from NASA. (look back to the years when there was a movement in Congress to defund NASA so that it couldn't produce publicly own rockets and habitable space capsules. The workaround NASA was forced into was using Spacex or Blue Origin as its source for rockets and space capsules.) Soon muskolini will be the sole supplier to NASA. I wonder if this is a prime example of governmental fraud?

>253 benitastrnad: Political fraud, possibly securities fraud because Tesla's stock backs a lot of his debt. NASA exists at this point to fund his Mars obsession. It's why the basic-science and climate-science funding is getting axed, why should he care about anything that doesn't get him closer to Mars?

042 Enemy feminisms : TERFs, Policewomen, and Girlbosses Against Liberation by Sophie Lewis

Haymarket Books's ENEMY FEMINISMS: TERFs, Policewomen, and Girlbosses Against Liberation, is a challenging and emotionally difficult read...necessary, too...with its flaws considered.

>255 richardderus: - Sounds interesting but not sure I would read it. TERFs make me incandescent with rage, and the Cult of the Mother only somewhat less so...

Dreary and damp here. Blerg.

>256 katiekrug: It's deffo an "eat-your-spinach" read, Katie. The author's outrage equals yours. She's got a hecoring style I found unpleasant but I can't fault her targets.

Yeah...really gross here too.

Too many posts behind to catch up, Richard, but I wanted to check in on you.

((Hugs)) and **smooches** for today. . .

>258 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! *smooch*

Jes skulking through. Have no pertinent contribution to make, so I'll just salute you and your stellar thread. I appreciate the opportunity to experience the brain pickings others have left scattered around you. (I know you are generating new thoughts to be picked.)

>260 weird_O: Hiya Bill! My brain's never stopped generating ideas. Kinda troublesome TBH because at least a few are gonna bother/offend someone. I'm no longer accepting responsibility for others' emotional states. Factual errors I always want to know about. The way you disagree with ___, that too. It offended you? ...and...?

>255 richardderus: Morning (((Richard))), that’s a book for me!
Just read a comment this very morning about our Landeshauptman (regional governor) saying „even feminsts were against the women’s quota“ when asked why in some important regional board there was exactly one female member among 20 men. Of course a female candidate should be capable for the job, but the capability question is rarely asked when it comes to male representatives in politics. They’re usually praised for their „connections“ or similar and don’t have to prove anything before being assigned.

Thanks for the meditative Rothko, needed that after a look at the news.
I wish I was sitting at some nice beach now, looking at a calm morning sea.. shouldn’t complain though. White mountain tops and spring blossoms, with morning birdsong in the background would be second on my list anyway, just a bit less meditative.
The weather will turn back to winter tomorrow, so I‘ll take a long walk today and hope for some good weekend reading.

>262 Deern: I'm happy you've got a plan for the recrudescence of wintertime, Nathalie, and that it will involve some good reading. I'm doing one necessary errand in the windy cold weather then in for the weekend.

The Rothko makes me happy every time I see it. So beautiful, so peaceful.

Women are always expected to meet higher standards than men because men are never asked to be more than mediocre to get the highest praise. *sigh*

Oh those lovely blues in the last Rothco, Richard! Thank you!!!! Most of the time I wish blues were greens but not in that one.

I'm no longer accepting responsibility for others' emotional states. I have no intention of offending just to offend, and neither do you. I think that's healthy.

*smooch*

>264 LizzieD: Perzackly, Peggy! I'm not going to be Offended unless that's what is, in my observation, intended. I'm really glad you liked the Rothko.

>1 richardderus: I really like this topper. LT pauses just long enough at it before whisking me to the latest posts. Thank you, LT.

I have to amble to a library to find some books on Rothko. I've been dismissive of his work without knowing what it's all about. You've given me a poke, so thanks for that.

>255 richardderus: This sounds frightful. But of course I don't know which group (of women ?) Sophia Lewis favors, who are presumably either the only True Oppressed (TM) or the magical bellwether, whose liberation will raise all boats, in much the manner of trickle down economics.

Yes, I'm probably refining too much on the single world "enemy" in the title, and other indications of a similar attitude.

But I'm sick to bloody death of the Truly Oppressed (TM), whether they oppose accommodations for any disability other than their own, or any idea of liberation other than their own.

Lewis doesn't appear to want allies, but rather obedient followers.

Too bad she can't talk to my deceased mother, about past "liberation" movements - mom knew rather too much about women's place in various leftist movements, which at the time involved important tasks like making coffee. I'm not going to make coffee for Lewis' non-white (?) and possibly trans-only (?) feminists. Or for that matter perform what she probably considers my true function - send them money with no strings attached.

If she (?) doesn't want allies, she won't have many.

And if she does want allies, attacking hordes of "enemies" who share some of your goals is not the way to get them.

That said, a history of partial feminisms would be interesting, and probably quite useful. There have certainly been all kinds of gender essentialist feminisms, as well as groups that wanted a larger piece of the pie for people like them - women who were otherwise part of groups more privileged than most.

>266 weird_O: Well, that's one hood deed I've done in the 2020s! I'll recommend Mark Rothko: Toward the Light in the Chapel, published by Yale University Press as part of its “Jewish Lives” series by Annie Cohen-Solal.

Have a lovely weekend-ahead's reads.

>267 ArlieS: Lewis is a blonde lady, with a lack of love for all authority. It's not like she's a terribly oppressed minority. Huey Newton famously said, "the only position for women in The Movement is prone."

It's just barely moved on since then. I hope I'm able to move the needle where I am, when it needs moving; the world has to take care of itself.

Stopping by with a Saturday *smooch* Richard.

>270 vancouverdeb: Happy Saturday *smooch* back, Deborah! Glad to see you here.

Dropping off a weekend smooch before you start a new thread and I can't keep up again.

>272 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! *smooch* happily returned

If books had volition....

Hello RD! I’m back from the book wars and wish you a happy Sunday.

>>255 richardderus: Well, I have many other books about women that do not hector me, lecture me, or blame me, so I’ll pass, even with your 4*.

>261 richardderus: I'm no longer accepting responsibility for others' emotional states. 👍

*smooch*

>275 karenmarie: Morning, Horrible. Glad you're more or less back to normal. I'm absolutely not taking on others' emotional responses...too much work keeping my own in perspective.

*smooch*

043 Splinter effect : a novel by Andrew Ludington

Andrew Ludington's first novel, watch out St Mary's! New kid is in town via Minotaur Books. And so the "Rabbit of the Smithsonian" series begins (or so I hope).

>277 richardderus: Oh goody!!! Looks like a treat for me. On the list it goes, infodumping and all with thanks. *smooch*

>278 LizzieD: Excellent, Peggy! I think you'll like it at least as much as I did.

Just de lurking to wish you a wonderful week ahead!

044 Twist : a novel by Colum McCann

Colum McCann's latest, aptly titled, exploration of communication and its breakdowns.

>280 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita! Thanks, and I wish all the same to you.

‘Morning, RDear! Happy Monday to you.

>277 richardderus: Since St. Mary’s doesn’t appeal, this really wouldn’t either. I’m highly amused, however, by the fact that this book’s hero has the same first name as my last-but-one’s smut book's romantic leads – Rabbit Trace in this case, in Chaos by Chani Lynn Feener. Yup, SF smut!

>281 richardderus: … after all, nothing's original after The Tale of Gilgamesh. I need to remember this, because recently I’ve been doing a bit of eliminating from consideration simply because I consider something derivative. Only taking off .5 stars for prolixity and not ending the novel when it should be ended is generous, IMO. Onto the wish list it goes.

*smooch* from your own MCM Horrible

>283 karenmarie: Morning, Horrible. Monday it is.

I think you'd unlike the Rabbit of the Smithsonian series. I like the St Mary's books so it was a slam-dunk for me. I must say, though, if a man introduced himself to me as "Rabbit," I'd laugh at him. How do these ladies come up with these names?! I'm mildly surprised you're reading SF smut, TBH...maybe the walls are crumbling?

The idea that things are derivative is really best reframed as "trope fatigue," or "weary-story syndrome" or something. Every-damn-thing is derivative. It has been since, well...always by our standards based on human lifetimes.

*smooch*

>281 richardderus: Amazing! Colum McCann has learned to write in complete sentences since Transatlantic! I just read a bit of the sample, and he is writing in sentences. That makes Twist move straight to my wish list since it sounds like my kind of book. I'll be able to afford it about the same time as the price goes down or the number of used copies goes up. Win! Thanks, Richard. *smooch*

>281 richardderus: Ooh, Twist looks good! Thanks!

Magnificent Monday to you…

Karen O

>285 LizzieD: I'm so pleased, Peggy! It's likely to have used copies in the next two weeks because it comes out tomorrow. I hope you'll enjoy it when you get it! *smooch*

>286 klobrien2: Magnificent-Monday wishes heartily returned, dear lady, and enjoy >281 richardderus: when you get to it. A very involving story indeed.

I haven't read anything by Column McCann, Richard. You've got a great review , and I know many people love his books. I'll have to consider Twist.

>289 vancouverdeb: It's a great entry point for his work, Deborah, and a cracking good story to boot.

New thread is up:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/369518