pickI tend to read a Sarah Vowell book about once a year. Audio is always the way to go with her books, with her quirky, nerdy voice. This one didn‘t really have a central theme, but still mostly enjoyable.
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The Partly Cloudy Patriot | 
pickI tend to read a Sarah Vowell book about once a year. Audio is always the way to go with her books, with her quirky, nerdy voice. This one didn‘t really have a central theme, but still mostly enjoyable.
pickFinished my #BookSpin and my #DoubleSpin (Alice in Wonderland also - can‘t ever remember which is which!) @TheAromaofBooks
This tag was an odd one to read because Vowell touches on politics from 20 years ago; doh - it was published in 2002. Wow - that feels especially out of touch! And also NOT. Voter restrictions, election fraud accusations, assaults on democracy… I am both annoyed and fearful and weirdly reassured that nothing is new.
For today‘s #Scarathlon #PhotoChallenge; I have encountered the word #horror THREE times already in my current #BookSpin read! 🤣
“… that‘s how we make sense of the worst horrors. We use humor to manage anxiety. “
Since this book is a fun trip through US history, I have hit the phrase “horrors of war” and “I still think Watergate‘s a horror…” as well.
#BookSpinBingo newby here. #EstherAssisting with books, grid, and placement. Tagged book is #BookSpin; #DoubleSpin is Alice in Wonderland (for my #ClassicsClub)
Row 2 will be an easy bingo because I already finished Yoga Pant Nation and The other two, Gilgamesh and Alchemy, are in the house. Column 4 books not “spin” numbers, I will have to get from the library - both also for #ClassicsClub. Thank you, again, @TheAromaofBooks for hosting!
Sorry I'm so late posting this @LiteraryinLititz ! Having a baby with what we think is reflux makes it hard to get anything done! The book looks interesting and the truffles look great! Not pictured is the chocolate caramel pretzel bark, which we already tried 🙂 Thank you! #JolabokaflodSwap
pickAnother book I may never have read without my postal book club.
A bit dated, but I enjoyed all of the essays, especially the historical ones, California as an Island, The Nerd Voice (I ❤️ Al Gore), and Tom Cruise Makes Me Nervous.🤣
My first by Vowell, but I will read more. I think we share political views and she‘s freaking funny.
I read the book for the pictures and also listened to the audio because look at that list of readers.⬆️
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
pickI love all of Sarah Vowell‘s books (so far) and this was no exception. A collection of essays that make history so fun and real. The celebrity voices make the #audiobook awesome! #nonfiction
pickHad no idea what to expect when I picked up this book from the consignment store, but I really enjoyed this essay collection on citizenship, patriotism and history. Vowell is also oddly prescient on the issues that still plague us, even though she was writing in the late 90s and early 00s. Looking forward to reading more of her work!
Found a cute Little Free Library at the Brunswick Maine train station
“Another reason I‘m intrigued with the hanged of Salem, especially the women, is that a number of them aroused suspicion in the first place because they were financially independent, or sharp-tongued, or kept to themselves. In other words, they were killed off for living the same sort of life I live right now but with longer skirts and fewer cable channels.”
pickThis was a wonderful audiobook. It was an easy quick listen that also had some thought provoking moments. Definitely dated to the G.W. Bush/Al Gore election to just after 9/11. I‘d be curious to have an updated essay on her idea of patriotism in this political climate.
pickI first read The Partly Cloudy Patriot about 10 or 11 years ago, during the W era. Since it was only about 5 years old at the time, it hadn't aged badly at all. Reading it now, in the Era of Trump, it all seems so tame and naive. Who knew that I would one day long for the willful befuddlement of George W. Bush? I love Sarah's writing, but this collection of essays isn't as strong as her books with a singular subject. Still a solid read.
pickThis passage from 'The Partly Cloudy Patriot' epitomizes why I love Sarah Vowell: she is able to display her nerdiness unapologetically and self-deprecatingly at the same time. These essays allow Vowell's nerd flag to fly on a number of fronts.
so-soNot my favorite Vowell, probably because it wasn't what I was expecting.
Just started this on August 4th on audio. It's been a while since I've listened to any of Vowell's books. I forgot how much fun it can be - her voice is so perfect for the material and it has good production calues.
This quote made me laugh. I'm only in the first chapter but I cannot get into Vowell's voice. I'm moving to the print version.
New audiobook from the library. I also have the physical book. I like having both.
This week's trip to The Salvation Army Thrift store netted me more than books! I had to get Cat's Prey. I was obsessed with these gothic romance/mysteries when I was a teen.
Baking accomplished, and flag flying on the front porch (because nolite te bastardes carborundorum), so time to sneak in a few pages before the happily obligatory cookout, cocktails, etc. 🇺🇸😎📚
I couldn't help clicking & reading this article after reading this book by Sarah Vowell, with its small part containing a letter to President Clinton on his further Presidential Library planning, based on what she gleamed while visiting 4 other presidential libraries and how they handled their namesakes successes and foibles. Made me click, read, & laugh a little.
https://www.wired.com/2017/05/obama-pioneers-new-approach-presidential-library/
The first and the last I'm sure! LOL 😂
But he definitely deserves his rep as a Renaissance Man for that alone.
pickUnlike some of Sarah Vowell's books, this one was a collection of essays, stories, and letters and not focused on just one historical area....that being said her huge amount of historical knowledge paired with her wry wit and humor was, as always, a joy for me to listen to, even if some of the stories were a bit dated (it was published in 2002) I still enjoyed laughs and heartbreak about the 2000 election FBAR, the new surge of Patriotism after...
Confronting a tour guide about their new & "improved" language. Their view...slave is passive, the new language makes it clear this was something done to them, Sarah's point...it's a little, well nonchalant. I see both of their points, not sure which is better though..the enslaved African might be technically correct, but seems a bit white washy to me, maybe just keep the label that was used historically and, I don't know, actually ...
Bush and Gore in a debate.........
Hahaha! So funny, and even funnier in retrospect.
It's always Russia!!!!!!
..country's most successful economic expansion. He is an expert on environmental issues, foreign policy, military technology, and the digital communications industry. Before Bush was a two-term governor, he was a late-blooming, failed oilman who lucked out owning a baseball team."
* Before the time of most of you, but I enjoyed this flash of the past. That's always been our country, Geeks are weird, let's get the guy we can have a beer with.?
“The modern geek has been generally dismissed by society because their passions are viewed as trivial by those people who ‘see the big picture.‘ Geeks understand that the big picture is pixilated and their high level of contribution in small areas grows the picture. They don‘t need to see what everyone else is doing to make their part better."
I love the #BookSerendipity #Bookendipity when my lunch time read and ride home audiobook start complimenting each other. #BookNerdHeaven
“Being a nerd, which is to say going too far and caring too much about a subject, is the best way to make friends I know.”
I think the whole Litsy community would agree!
Some cloudy and sunny books for the #weather. I've read all of these except the Adichie. #aprilbookshowers
pickI was concerned that the wit she has when speaking would not show up in the text, but it did. Amongst all the humor are some very important truths that should not be ignored. Very, very good.
Still, sometimes I think the true American flag has always been that one with the snake hissing "Don't Tread on Me."
The true American patriot is by definition skeptical of the government.
Geeks tend to be focused on very narrow fields of endeavor. The modern geek has been generally dismissed by society because their passions are viewed as trivial by those people who "see the big picture." Geeks understand that the big picture is pixelated and their high level of contribution in small areas grows the picture. They don't need to see what everyone else is doing to make their part better.
