GatewayRedbirds.com

I'm reading The View from Flyover Country by St. Louisan Sarah Kendzior. It was mostly written in the 2012-2014 timeframe, but it's extra relevant today. Basically, a series of journalistic essays explaining the death of the working and middle classes and the tools that the government and ruling classes use to keep these groups down, while entrenching their own power and wealth. I believe the word to use for her is "prescient."

I've never made a real attempt to listen to an audiobook, but I've found myself pretty captivated listening to Christopher Hitchens read his memoir - Hitch-22.

haltz wrote:I've never made a real attempt to listen to an audiobook, but I've found myself pretty captivated listening to Christopher Hitchens read his memoir - Hitch-22.

and so many are on youtube....

I started reading the "Broken Earth Trilogy" by N.K. Jemisin. Only a few chapters into the first book ("The Fifth Season") but it is good. Each of the 3 books won the Hugo award for best science fiction book (in 2016, 2017 and 2018). A black woman winning that award 3 years in a row is pretty dang notable.

pioneer98 wrote:I started reading the "Broken Earth Trilogy" by N.K. Jemisin. Only a few chapters into the first book ("The Fifth Season") but it is good. Each of the 3 books won the Hugo award for best science fiction book (in 2016, 2017 and 2018). A black woman winning that award 3 years in a row is pretty dang notable.

Cool. I need a new thing and I like what I know about Jemisin.

Jeff Tweedy's Let's Go (So We Can Get Back) is terrific. I highly recommend, especially if you want glimpses of Belleville/St. Louis in the 70's and 80's.

The down side is my family is getting frustrated with me listening to nothing but Uncle Tupelo/Wilco/Tweedy for the last couple of weeks.

my brother did a book review for Jonathan Coe’s most recent novel, Middle England

https://www.publicbooks.org/whose-england-whose-brexit/

Finally reading The Devil in the White City, about the 1893 Chicago world's fair and one of America's first serial killers. It's quite enjoyable!

Same author wrote "In the Garden of Beasts" Germany 1930s.


Erik Larson

heyzeus wrote:Finally reading The Devil in the White City, about the 1893 Chicago world's fair and one of America's first serial killers. It's quite enjoyable!

Yes, that's a good one.