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DocBrown

DocBrown

Joined June 2016

UPS driver, sociologist, feminist, explorer, runner
blurb
DocBrown
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My favorite delivery of the day: Auntie‘s Books in downtown Spokane! (As featured in one of the stories in Jess Walter‘s fine collection.) This is the first of two cartloads - 44 pieces total. Great selection and great people too!

dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 9mo
Hooked_on_books It‘s a great store—I‘ve been there! 9mo
DocBrown Yeah @Hooked_on_books? Visiting, passing through, or close to home? 9mo
Hooked_on_books I was there for a week teaching people how to use a new medical records system (I know, very exciting) and had a little time to check out the local haunts. This was almost 11 years ago, so it‘s been a while! 9mo
40 likes4 comments
review
DocBrown
Great Believers | Rebecca Makkai
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Pickpick

So I‘ve had this on my TBR for YEARS and finally got around to reading it. Boy am I glad I did! It‘s a tour de force! Joins The Latecomer and The Goldfinch in a Trinity of masterful books about art. I love the interweaving plot threads and the verisimilitude. And the rootedness in place (Chicago and Paris). All the feels for this excellent story, excellently told ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Photo of Chicago‘s Marina City from Wikipedia)

Silverneurotic This is one of my favorite books from last year. 9mo
emz711 I saw this on the Chicago architecture tour. Where they take you around on a ferry and you get to see all the different types of buildings. Really fun way to see the city 9mo
DocBrown @emz711 Yes I so agree! I did the architecture tour with my oldest son when he was in college. It was part of the City Pass package and I was not expecting much. It turned out to be the highlight of our visit!! 9mo
DocBrown @Silverneurotic Definitely one of my favorites from this year so far. Only a few weeks in but it will be hard to beat! 9mo
48 likes4 stack adds4 comments
review
DocBrown
Yellowface | R F Kuang
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Pickpick

I love the way this book messes with my head about whether the MC is justified in her actions - or at least sympathetic - or not. Lots of social commentary about the nature of representation, fame, and success, especially as these pertain to the publishing world. I‘m not sure if all the topical references will hold up in a few years, but maybe that‘s the point? Here today, gone tomorrow. Still, definitely a fun page-turner. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SamAnne Really loved this one. 9mo
DocBrown @SamAnne What about it did you love? Did you find Juniper sympathetic? 9mo
64 likes1 stack add2 comments
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DocBrown
Hello Beautiful | Ann Napolitano
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Pickpick

I can‘t believe my youngest turns 18 in just a few days! I sent this pic in for the senior baby ads in his yearbook. On another note, this book did a great job depicting the (mostly hidden) ripple effects of childhood emotional neglect. I wish I could buy lots of copies to give to all the people in my life. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️-1/2

Ruthiella Cute picture! 😃 9mo
AmyG Adorable! It goes fast, doesn‘t it? 9mo
Tamra Cliche but true, the time flies by incredibly fast! 9mo
Suet624 Oohhh, how sweet. I agree about the book too. 9mo
DocBrown @Ruthiella I agree, it's one of my favorites! Actually @AmyG and @Tamra, it feels like it's been a looooooong time coming! Not that I haven't loved being this guy's dad, he reminds me so much of myself at that age. Thanks @Suet624! 9mo
56 likes5 comments
review
DocBrown
Romney: A Reckoning | McKay Coppins
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Mehso-so

Mitt wants everyone to know that he‘s a VERY GOOD PERSON. A man of CHARACTER, INTEGRITY, & PRINCIPLE who‘s anguished over his MANY IMPORTANT DECISIONS because he‘s always been concerned about his LEGACY, PUBLIC SERVICE and the INSTITUTIONS of DEMOCRACY. Meh. He‘s not much more self-aware, or less self-important, than DJT. A well-written book about an earnestly decent yet dull person who comes off sounding like a sanctimonious scold. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hooked_on_books Somehow, this doesn‘t surprise me. 9mo
sarahbarnes What @Hooked_on_books said. 👆 9mo
DocBrown @Hooked_on_books @sarahbarnes Mitt is the student the teacher leaves in charge when they‘re called away from the classroom 😂 9mo
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Hooked_on_books That actually doesn‘t make me feel any better, since that was me. 😕 9mo
Chelsea.Poole 😂 9mo
Suet624 Love this REVIEW!! (edited) 9mo
DocBrown Me too, @Hooked_on_books, me too. I'd like to think that I've evolved and loosened up since then, but maybe I haven't? Maybe my reaction to Romney is based on the fact that he and I are cut from similar cloth? I don't know. 9mo
DocBrown Thank you @Suet624!! 9mo
Ephemera Mitt‘s father was a decent guy. 9mo
DocBrown @Ephemera I agree. I admire them both for their decency and courage to rise above petty, craven politics. It‘s mind-boggling where the GOP is today compared with the Eisenhower years. 9mo
Ephemera Ike was the last decent Republican President. 9mo
49 likes11 comments
review
DocBrown
Lone Women: A Novel | Victor LaValle
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Mehso-so

Unpopular opinion: this was my 1st disappointment of 2024. I struggled mightily to get all the way through, & was tempted to bail multiple times. It seemed to lose momentum about halfway in, when POV zooms out from MC. I guess the point is that life‘s hard enough on the frontier, all the harder for racial, gender, & sexual minorities who don‘t conform to utterly arbitrary group norms. And that unlikely people can be allies/adversaries. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

ShelleyBooksie Sully ♡ 9mo
Ruthiella ❤️🐶❤️🐶❤️ 9mo
JenReadsAlot Omg so adorable 😍 9mo
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Tamra That look! 9mo
SamAnne I love that your dog is named Sully. 9mo
Megabooks Such a cutie!! 💜💜 9mo
keithmalek Cute doggie! 9mo
Deblovestoread What a cutie! 👋🏼 Sully! 9mo
Suet624 I just haven‘t been drawn to this book and I think it‘s for the reasons you mention. 9mo
61 likes9 comments
review
DocBrown
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Pickpick

First 1/3 felt rushed, but then the author digs in and finds herself part of the story about the foster care system and how it creates more problems than it solves. And that it‘s just one more way to undermine the lives and families of people of color. I‘m not sure what the answer is, but in its current form child welfare is perpetuating generational harm on innocent people. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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DocBrown
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‘“Feeling right” is about living the life that‘s right for you.‘ This is exactly how I felt about becoming a UPS driver at the advanced age of 48. I‘d spent twenty years in higher education but it just never felt right to me. It‘s hard to explain but becoming a UPS driver felt like coming out of my cocoon and becoming the butterfly I was all along. And THAT‘S why I‘m so happy now!

Clare-Dragonfly That is wonderful! 10mo
Suet624 I love this!! 10mo
Andrea4 Good for you! 9mo
37 likes3 comments
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DocBrown
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‘In fact, for both men and women — and this finding struck me as highly significant — the most reliable predictor of not being lonely is the amount of contact with women. Time spent with men doesn‘t make a difference.‘ Huh 🤔

Texreader 😂😂 Love this!! 10mo
Suet624 I just noticed that I follow you but haven‘t seen any of your posts! I wonder why? 10mo
Ddzmini I found the interesting as a prediction 😊🙌🏽 10mo
DocBrown @Suet624 I have no idea! Is there a way to 'unmute' me? I love your comments and our conversations! 10mo
Suet624 @DocBrown I don‘t even think there‘s a mute button. 😀 I guess I just have to remember to check your posts manually. 10mo
36 likes5 comments
review
DocBrown
Tom Lake: A Novel | Ann Patchett
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Pickpick

I blazed through this like a comet. I could so relate to MC‘s midlife reflection on paths taken & not. On doors closing that were blessings in disguise. On your kids realizing you‘re not just their parents, you‘re actually human beings with rich/fascinating (pre)histories. On rootedness in people & place. On reckoning with decisions & finding peace & contentment amidst pain & regret. Pure perfection. Meryl on audio is the cherry on top! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ElizaMarie The baby! So adorable! Also that book sounds pretty interesting 10mo
AmyG Oh my…what a sweet dog. 10mo
SamAnne Love that sweet pup! 10mo
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BookwormM Beautiful fur baby. Agree Meryl Streep is perfection can see this as a movie 10mo
Hooked_on_books Look at that baby face! 🐶❤️ 10mo
Tamra 😘 10mo
bthegood It is on my tbr - for as many great reviews I've seen - no spoilers - so glad - looking forward to this one. 10mo
DocBrown @ElizaMarie Yes she is! She's the good one of our two hounds 😂 And yes I enjoyed it! Though I asked my wife if she'd read it and she said she had, but was not at all impressed by it, so there you go! 10mo
DocBrown @SamAnne @AmyG thank you thank you! 10mo
DocBrown @BookwormM thank you! Oh I can totally see this as a movie. 10mo
DocBrown @Tamra be careful what you offer, as she gives it back in spades! 10mo
DocBrown @Hooked_on_books how can you not when she shoves it up so close?? 10mo
DocBrown @bthegood It was kinda on my radar but then it popped up on my Libby as a 'skip the line' book. Not sure how I managed that, but off I went! 10mo
72 likes13 comments
blurb
DocBrown
Tom Lake: A Novel | Ann Patchett
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Okay am I the only one who spent the first one-third of this book waiting for a character named Tom Lake to enter the story? Lol so confusing! Wow this is so the right thing for me right now. I usually can‘t do audiobooks on my route but this one is an exception. Less than 24 hours since I started and I‘m more than halfway done!

BookwormM 🤣I thought that as well 10mo
DocBrown @BookwormM I‘m glad I‘m not the only one! 😂 10mo
Hooked_on_books This book and Meryl Streep are a match made in heaven! 10mo
DocBrown @Hooked_on_books I so agree! Meryl *IS* Lara! 10mo
48 likes4 comments
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DocBrown
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My 1st 3 2024 reads have all been about NYC, but this one is the best! After walking thru Central Park, my son & I spent hours in the vast Met Museum. The book brought it all back for me. Author narration is an acquired taste but I appreciated his musings on art, love, work, family, friendships, the city, the passage of time, beginnings & endings & everything in between. All the love for this gem. My fave work memoir since Skyfaring.

Texreader Love this!!! 10mo
DocBrown @Texreader Thank you!!! I love it too!! 10mo
61 likes2 comments
review
DocBrown
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Pickpick

Like an inflatable Santa, this book falls a bit flat after its peak. Still, a fun read and engaging characters. I‘m always a bit skeptical of middle-class depictions of the 1%. I never know how much is realistic vs caricature. Book‘s/author‘s backstory is just as interesting. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ruthiella Nice photo! 10mo
DocBrown @Ruthiella Thanks! It‘s from my route. I keep my eyes open for anything interesting or noteworthy. 10mo
RaeLovesToRead Go home, Santa.. you're drunk! 10mo
DocBrown @RaeLovesToRead Right??? Lol. 10mo
53 likes4 comments
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DocBrown
Witness: Stories | Jamel Brinkley
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Pickpick

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ I‘ll be honest, I probably wouldn‘t have picked this up if it hadn‘t promised a story about UPS drivers. That story, like most in this collection, starts with one thing and pivots 90° to something else. I appreciated the focus on everyday black lives in the unglamorous parts of NYC. I probably appreciated it more having just run the marathon there. If you‘re looking for diverse voices in your reading, look no further.

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DocBrown

lightbulbquest.com/I-asked-chatgpt-to-write-this-heres-what-happened-next

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DocBrown
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Mentally preparing for a strike by doing a deep dive into the last one. Apparently it‘s not as scintillating reading to the pups 🤷‍♂️

ShelleyBooksie Adorable. The ears♡♡♡♡♡♡ 2y
44 likes1 comment
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DocBrown
Sea of Tranquility: A Novel | Emily St. John Mandel
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Pickpick

This book has no cover photo in the Litsy database, but the thread has some amazing shots! Here are a few of the ones I enjoyed the most. As for the book itself, it‘s a pleasantly forgettable tale reminiscent of at least a half dozen other time travel / futuristic stories I‘m familiar with. Barely a pick for me. Photo credits below ⭐️⭐️⭐️-1/2

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britt_brooke 🤩 Thanks, Martin! 2y
FelinesAndFelonies 😂😂 thank you!! 2y
AmyG I love all these photos! 2y
DocBrown You‘re welcome @britt_brooke and @FelinesAndFelonies! Glad you enjoyed @AmyG! 2y
Vanessa Thank you for including me! 2y
56 likes11 comments
review
DocBrown
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Pickpick

You never know what you‘ll come across when you‘re out on the road! These dogs weren‘t menacing but I wasn‘t taking any chances as I was outnumbered. I enjoyed this breezy, poignant memoir by a fellow driver. Recap: truckers work incredibly long, hard hours; they have mad skills; they deal with a lot of bullshit; they see beyond the myths of their personas and the country as a whole ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tamra Cute though! 2y
Soubhiville Looks like possibly a pack of German Wirehair Pointers? Someone out hunting? I hope they found their way home ok. 2y
SamAnne Oof. Or woof? 2y
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DocBrown @Soubhiville this was the driveway of a home I was delivering to. They all have their shock collars. 2y
DocBrown @SamAnne no noises - they seemed friendly enough but I wasn‘t taking any chances. 2y
Ephemera They all have shock collars? Why? 2y
55 likes1 stack add6 comments
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DocBrown
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Pickpick

I decided to read this after The Foundling raised the issues of criminality, heredity, and eugenics. It‘s an excellent exploration of how at least 60 members of just one family have been imprisoned or under supervision for committing a crime. The book doesn‘t really settle the nature/nurture debate; it‘s likely an interaction between the two - as with so many other (anti)social phenomena. A family saga of a different kind ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

53 likes1 stack add
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DocBrown
Groundskeeping | Lee Cole
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Pickpick

This book was very meta. Young Paducah, KY, writer takes college writing courses while working a campus job & living with grandad. Published immigrant girlfriend is pursuing a career as a writing professor. So, LOTS of conversations about writing, literature, representation, & appropriation. Plenty of local color & depictions of cultural/political/class differences. It doesn‘t try to do too much, but what it does do, it does very well ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DocBrown Paducah. I‘m wondering if that word serves as a dog whistle for you @britt_brooke. 2y
Bklover Beautiful dogs!!❤️❤️ 2y
SheReadsAndWrites These pups!!! 🥰 2y
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britt_brooke Yes! My hometown! Thanks for the tag. 🤍✨ And where have you been? Did you disappear from Litsy for a bit? 👀 2y
Aimeesue Puppas!❤️❤️ 2y
DocBrown Does three years count as 'a bit' @britt_brooke ? 😂
One word: pandemic! My life got turned upside down, but I landed on my feet.
2y
britt_brooke @DocBrown It‘s been 3 years?! 🤯 Glad to see you back! 2y
56 likes7 comments
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DocBrown
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Pickpick

So I figured out that what Littens really want to see are my animals so I‘ll keep on posting pics of them! This book was a bit didactic but definitely a page turner. Held my attention throughout with plenty of twists along the way. Others have mentioned the many social issues raised in the story. I especially appreciated the fact that nearly all the MCs, heroes & villains alike, are women. Action-packed! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reagan You can‘t go wrong with animal photos 😁 2y
JenReadsAlot Cute! 2y
Bookwormjillk Haha it‘s true. Mine get so much more attention than I do 😆 2y
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RowReads1 Yah! Cats in boxes. 2y
Tamra 😹 2y
catiewithac 😻 2y
70 likes6 comments
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DocBrown
Groundskeeping | Lee Cole
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Trying to enjoy some reading before work today, but am feeling a bit distracted.

CBee Your doggies are precious 😍 2y
SamAnne Oh my word. 2y
DivineDiana This is the kind of distraction I would love! 🥰 2y
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plemmdog I enjoyed it a lot. 2y
Deblovestoread Oh my. That cuteness would be hard to resist. 2y
JenReadsAlot Omg all that cuteness 😍 2y
ShelleyBooksie I'd be on the couch with them. Adorable!! 2y
BookwormM Too cute 🥰 2y
Tamra Stackables! 😆 2y
DocBrown What did you enjoy @plemmdog? 2y
DocBrown Thank you @CBee! If only they were housetrained! 2y
DocBrown @SamAnne I know right? 2y
DocBrown They're really bi-polar @DivineDiana. Lazy one minute and rambunctious the next! 2y
DocBrown @Deblovestoread Didn't get much reading done! 2y
DocBrown Is there such a thing as 'too' cute @BookwormM? 2y
DocBrown @Tamra I see what you did there! Clever! (edited) 2y
plemmdog @DocBrown I liked how he portrayed working-class Americans with nuance, and also how he captured a sense of place. Kentucky is one of those states that isn‘t quite Southern, and isn‘t quite Midwestern. 2y
DocBrown Thanks for weighing in @plemmdog! I just finished the book yesterday and am still thinking about what I want to say about it. 2y
Soubhiville I love this photo! 2y
65 likes20 comments
review
DocBrown
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Pickpick

I can think of a few other titles that work equally well for this book. Nightmare Machine. Terror Machine. Outrage Machine. Radicalization Machine. Polarization Machine. Destruction Machine. Emphasis on Machine. With the rise of AI algorithms, the humans have left the building. But they aren‘t off the hook. As long as decisions are made to prioritize profit over human wellbeing and development, it will keep getting worse. A sobering read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ShelleyBooksie Stacked - this sounds depressing but really good! 2y
50 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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DocBrown
Latecomer | Jean Hanff Korelitz
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Pickpick

I absolutely LOVED this juicy, twisty, clever, puzzle-like book where the various storylines weave & intersect. PLUS it situates the characters among actual people, like Joseph Süß Oppenheimer (above) - always a bonus for me. Like The Goldfinch, art figures prominently in the plot. Likewise religion, politics, & vocation. But ultimately a story about family finding themselves, individually & together. Not at all too lengthy. Exquisite ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Suet624 Sounds fantastic! Stacked. 2y
Ruthiella This does sound fantastic! I‘ve only read this from her 2y
DocBrown @Ruthiella I haven't read anything else by her. My wife happens to be reading The Plot and was saying she didn't care for it at all. But then we like very different books! 😂 2y
BookNAround I have this one on my tbr pile. Sounds like I need to move it up or convince my book club to read it so I definitely get to it. 2y
DocBrown @BookNAround It was definitely a winner for me. I'm still casting about for my next fiction read. 2y
36 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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DocBrown
Mercy Street | Jennifer Haigh
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Pickpick

Our local abortion clinic is the site of a pop-up church, & across the street from the Salvation Army. I drive past it every morning in my UPS truck. The protestors I see are usually older (white) people, mostly men. I wanted this book to shed more light on those folks but it felt like the author couldn‘t quite get inside their heads/hearts. More heat than light here (see what I did there?) But an interesting story overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️-1-2

Tamra This pic engenders a lot of conflicting emotions for me. 2y
SamAnne Another Litten in my city! I thought, wow I drive by a really similar looking PP....oh it's the same one! I am a big believer in free speech. And reproductive rights. But the way our police department has not reined in the yelling and disruption for patients walking in the door is infuriating. There have been many times in my life where PP was the only health care I could afford, and I've run that awful gauntlet. Stacked. 2y
DocBrown @Tamra, would love to hear more if you're willing. @SamAnne, SO COOL! I've been inside the new facility only once to deliver a package. Felt like a warm and bright sanctuary from all the din outside. 2y
See All 16 Comments
SamAnne I‘ve not found a fiction book that captured the complexities of the perspectives on this issue. I really disliked Joyce Carol Oates‘ novel American Martyr that featured only a caricature of the anti-abortion activist. 2y
DocBrown Yeah @SamAnne, I felt a little that way with this book. But the character development overall was good, and they intersected in interesting ways. Worth a read, I think. 2y
DocBrown BTW @Tamra and @SamAnne, I HIGHLY recommend Jessica Valenti's daily newsletter/podcast Abortion, Every Day . It's usually about 10-15 minutes of audio, and a GREAT way to stay current on all the latest developments. 2y
Tamra As @SamAnne said, I too am a strong supporter of free reproductive choice & freedom of expression & religion. Nonetheless I feel for all patients who are subjected to the expression entering & exiting the clinic. It‘s one of those grey uncomfortable zones in life where differing moral beliefs and legal rights can clash. It makes for intellectually stimulating thought though. 2y
Tamra @DocBrown thanks for the tip! 2y
DocBrown Thanks for sharing @Tamra! A fraught and provocative issue if ever there was one! Jessica Valenti signs off every day with 'I hope you talk with someone about abortion today, and I'll be back to talk with you about abortion tomorrow.' I love that! We need more conversations and more dialogue on this of all topics! 2y
Amiable I have been a volunteer escort at a local PP clinic for almost 7 years. We are stationed in the parking lot and on the sidewalk to greet patients and walk them into the building so they don‘t have to walk through/past a gauntlet of protesters screaming in their faces on what may be one of the most difficult and emotional days of their lives. And you are right—the overwhelming majority of the protesters are old white men. What does THAT say? (edited) 2y
Amiable It comes across as misogyny, as men attempting to control women‘s lives and choices. The frustration that I have with them is that they don‘t offer alternatives. I once walked in a patient who was in tears —she told me that she and her boyfriend were homeless and living in their car. How did the protesters think she should bring a baby into that, she wanted to know? “Give it up to a family that wants it !” is the party line. Do you know how many (edited) 2y
Amiable kids are already in foster care? A LOT. Where are these old white men for those kids? Nowhere to be found. And the hypocrisy! Say that woman decides to continue her pregnancy. Who is paying for her healthcare? And when the baby arrives, who pays for the next 18 years? If the mother needs assistance, the right-wingers label her a welfare queen and rail about government handouts. They are pro-birth. Not pro-life. 2y
Amiable Because once the baby is here, they don‘t want to support any programs that may give financial, educational or emotional assistance to the mom or baby. Especially if the mom and baby are people of color. 2y
Amiable Plus, it‘s really simple biology. Don‘t like abortion? Then you should be devoting your energy to programs and services that prevent unwanted pregnancies. That‘s literally what PLANNED Parenthood does. It‘s right there in the name. They should be throwing money at PP, not blocking the sidewalks and threatening violence on the staff who are treating patients. Because—yes. That happens as well. We volunteers have been threatened, too. (edited) 2y
DocBrown Thank you so much for sharing @Amiable. Abortion would disappear tomorrow if men took more responsibility when it comes to sex and birth control. 2y
Ephemera This is BS. These people are trying to cram their religious feelings down the throats of others. Holier than thou prigs who would never ever think of adopting a baby that would otherwise be unwanted. These are the same people who say birth control shouldn‘t be taught in schools, only abstinence, when we all know that abstinence doesn‘t prevent pregnancy. 2y
41 likes1 stack add16 comments
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DocBrown
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Pickpick

I resonate with all the Litsy reviews on this book. More than a memoir about ‘accompanied suicide‘ — in a room like this one, in the suburbs of Zurich, because it‘s illegal everywhere in the US without a terminal diagnosis of 6 months or less — more than an account of a spouse with Alzheimer‘s, this is a depiction of a married couple whose sweet & gentle love for each other is stronger than the death that ultimately separates them ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SamAnne Just finished this one. All the feels. 2y
48 likes2 stack adds1 comment
blurb
DocBrown
The Latecomer | Jean Hanff Korelitz

Oh my goodness, I‘m less than 1/3 through but am loving all the juicy twists and turns! Apparently there are more to come.

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DocBrown
Pickpick

Conover is a masterful narrative nonfiction writer. As a bonus, he narrates his own audiobooks. Although the area he depicts here IS definitely remote - I've driven through it more than once - it sounds/feels familiar to me as a UPS driver in the Pacific Northwest AND as a fan of the Little House series. The pioneer impulse is alive and well in the 21st century. A superior companion to Nomadland ⭐⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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DocBrown
Three Women | Lisa Taddeo
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Pickpick

This burrowed underneath my skin and flayed me. It‘s not, as so many have asserted, about female desire. It is in fact about female invisibility. If it is about desire it‘s not so much sexual desire as the desire to be seen, and believed, and respected, and equal, and empowered. This could never have been written about 3 men, as it‘s still very much a man‘s world. The words go down like butter but come up like bile. A tour de force. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

runswithscissors007 Great review. (I kept reading that it was about desire. I kept thinking “huh. I feel like it‘s more. “ but I only just finished it and couldn‘t put it in to words. ) thank you. 5y
sprainedbrain Excellent review. 5y
DocBrown Thanks @runswithscissors007 and @sprainedbrain. Although it may not be a particularly revealing book to female readers, as a male it was definitely eye-opening. 5y
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Reggie Great review!! 5y
Suet624 I was just thinking of you. You‘ve been off litsy for a long time! Wondering how you are. 3y
DocBrown Thanks for thinking of me @Suet624! I'm fine, but life has been busy since Covid. I finally feel like I have space again in my life for books, and for Litsy. 2y
67 likes1 stack add6 comments
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DocBrown
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Pickpick

This is my top nonfiction pick of the year so far. I‘ve read some very good books but this one is excellent! I can‘t believe this actually happened!! If you believe your relationship with your mother is complicated and fraught, you‘ve got nothing on this author! I don‘t want to spoil it but you don‘t want to miss this one! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

61 likes4 stack adds
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DocBrown
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Pickpick

I have no idea how I managed to pick up this book but boy am I glad I did! This isn‘t a difficult read. It‘s chock full of wisdom collected from personal stories, stories shared by friends and clients, and through her copious encounters with books. We are all blessed by older women in our lives. Reading this helped me appreciate that even more. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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DocBrown
Fleishman Is in Trouble: A Novel | Taffy Brodesser-Akner
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Pickpick

Y‘all. This book wrecked me. I. Am. Devastated. My insides are all torn up and I know I‘ll be feeling it for weeks to come. It‘s the first novel I‘ve read this year and it may very well be the last — nowhere to go but down from here. This helped me see myself, my marriage, and my spouse in sharp focus. Shimmering brilliance. All the stars for all the feels. Stack it! Read it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BarbaraBB Isn‘t it the best when a book has that effect on you? 💕 5y
Megabooks Loved this one too!! 5y
squirrelbrain Great review! 5y
KarenUK Such a great book... 5y
Reagan A great review! Stacked! 5y
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DocBrown
Fleishman Is in Trouble: A Novel | Taffy Brodesser-Akner
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‘That was what I knew for sure, that this was the only way to get someone to listen to a woman — to tell her story through a man; Trojan horse yourself into a man, and people would give a shit about you.‘ This sentence explains the entire book.

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DocBrown
Fleishman Is in Trouble: A Novel | Taffy Brodesser-Akner
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‘Whatever kind of woman you are, even when you‘re a lot of kinds of woman, you‘re still always just a woman, which is to say you‘re always a little bit less than a man.‘

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DocBrown
Fleishman Is in Trouble: A Novel | Taffy Brodesser-Akner
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Can I get a witness?

runswithscissors007 That‘s not how you play it othello...🤣 5y
37 likes1 comment
review
DocBrown
Camgirl | Isa Mazzei
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Pickpick

Reads like a female version of Cherry by Nico Walker. I found myself learning a lot about how so many of us try to redeem our brokenness through manic self destruction on the one hand, and the earnest yearning and reaching out for connection on the other. A wild ride — albeit the most unsexy depiction of porn and kink imaginable. Depressing but not without hope. ⭐️⭐️⭐️-1/2

Dolly I‘m distracted by the kitties. Are they sleeping or caught mid-rumble? They are beautiful. 5y
DocBrown @Dolly They‘re resting in front of the fire. They do like to tussle and chase each other at breakneck speed when they‘re not busy snuggling with each other. 5y
53 likes2 comments
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DocBrown
Camgirl | Isa Mazzei
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What is wrong with the publishing industry, that a book written by an English major, and presumably edited by one or more English majors, makes such an easy — albeit — common mistake!! It‘s ‘left Lucy and ME,‘ and ‘gave my sister and ME‘! Direct objects people!! Am I the only grammar nazi in the house?!?

Texreader This trend has been driving me batty. And outraged. 😡 It‘s happening everywhere: in books, in the movies, in the news, in interviews. I‘m with you!!!! It sounds like an attempt to be pretentious and comes across as simply uneducated. Thanks for bringing it up. It hits me everyday and I cannot get used to it. I‘m glad I‘m not the only one. 5y
MommyWantsToReadHerBook Good grief. I'd like to give those editors a piece of my mind! 5y
julesG It always reminds me of the Queen's "My husband and I". For anyone still on the grammar fence: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1837_aae/page37... 5y
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rachelk 🙌 Yes!!! 5y
ravenlee Drives me absolutely crazy! I see this all the time. Especially “between you and I;” I see that one everywhere. 5y
Reviewsbylola This one does bother me. I can overlook a lot of mistakes but that‘s a bad one. 😬 5y
BookNAround Grammar grump here too. 5y
DocBrown @Texreader You AREN‘T the only one! 5y
DocBrown @MommyWantsToReadHerBook I‘d do it myself but I don‘t have any mind to spare! 🤣 5y
DocBrown @julesG Thanks for the resource!! 5y
DocBrown @ravenlee I heard it from the mouth of an English prof yesterday—it was all I could do not to jump down his throat! 5y
DocBrown @Reviewsbylola It‘s the worst! 5y
DocBrown @BookNAround Welcome to the club! 5y
48 likes13 comments
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DocBrown
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In 26 days I‘m running 26 miles for the 26th time — 26 years after being diagnosed with T1 diabetes. I‘ve chosen to make my upcoming race in Jackson a fundraiser for the Diabetes Foundation of MS, which provides a range of services & programs for the nearly 400,000 diabetic Mississippians. Will you consider being 1 of my 100 supporters? I‘m asking for $26.20 but you can donate any amount; nothing is too big or small! Link is below. Thanks!!

DocBrown www.justgiving.com/fundraising/runner-martin-hughes 5y
wanderinglynn Congrats! What an awesome achievement. Good luck with no. 26! 👏🏻🏃🏻‍♂️👏🏻🏃🏻‍♂️🎉 5y
DocBrown Thanks @wanderinglynn! It's a very special event for me. 5y
BookwormM Go you much respect ✊ 5y
36 likes4 comments
review
DocBrown
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Pickpick

An important but not always an interesting book. Unless you‘re interested in the behind the scenes work of journalists you may not find all of this compelling reading. However, as a document of the rise of the #MeToo movement and the part the Weinstein investigation played in that, this will be required reading going forward. I did appreciate how gut wrenching the process was for Christine Blasey Ford — helped me understand how that unfolded.

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DocBrown
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🤣🤣🤣

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DocBrown
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Pickpick

Like John in exile, this author‘s extended meditation on the cataclysm of climate change reads like an apocalyptic vision of the future. The haunting beauty of his lyrical description belies the horror of what fossil-fueled growth has already put in motion. Relentlessly bleak, the true takeaway is that we can‘t shop or consume our way to a better world; our only hope is through political action. A must-read for all global citizens. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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DocBrown
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That part in Batman Begins where Bruce and Rachel survey the ruins of Wayne Manor. He says he will rebuild it just the way it was, brick by brick. Alfred suggests improving the foundations. Meanwhile, from The Uninhabitable Earth: ‘It took New York City 45 years to build 3 new stops on a single subway line; the threat of catastrophic climate change means we need to entirely rebuild the world‘s infrastructure in considerably less time.‘

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DocBrown
Big Numbers | Jack Getze
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Aside from my mortgage, there aren‘t a whole lot of big numbers in my life. Here are 3 I‘m celebrating today as I cross the threshold of 10,000 in both total Litfluence points AND total running miles on my Garmin. As my 16 yo son would say, ‘Let‘s GOOOOO!‘

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🙌🏻🎊🎈 5y
ShelleyBooksie Congrats! 5y
Ruthiella Congratulations! 🤩 5y
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Megabooks Congratulations!! 💜💜📚📚🎉🎉🥳🥳🤩🤩🥂🥂 5y
sudi Congrats 🎉🎉🎉 5y
DocBrown Thanks so much @Megabooks and @sudi !! 5y
49 likes7 comments
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DocBrown
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‘What that means is that we have not, at all, arrived at a new equilibrium. It is more like we‘ve taken one step out on the plank off a pirate ship....The last few years of climate disasters may look like about as much as the planet can take. In fact, we are only just entering our brave new world, one that collapses below us as soon as we set foot on it.‘

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DocBrown
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‘Climate change is a “hyper object” — a conceptual fact so large and complex that it can never be properly comprehended. But time is perhaps the most mind-bending feature, the worst outcomes arriving so long from now that we reflexively discount their reality.‘ It‘s a calamity that we confront such a problem at the very moment in history when our attention spans have never been shorter.

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DocBrown
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Pickpick

1 of just 25 books to make NPR, NYT, & WaPo year-end lists, this is an ideal analysis of who DJT is & why he does what he does. Describes the 4+ decades of Trump‘s prodigious relationship with TV. Context about the changing nature of storytelling & industry are also insightful. I hope this will help us think & talk differently about this man instead of always reacting & playing his hateful destructive game. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️-1/2.

skewermann @Singout @mdhughes72 you might also enjoy my prescient, pyromaniacal parody of "Fire and Fury"... "Dire and Puny" ? ? #satire ? #Orwell https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081S5JLTX 3y
49 likes1 comment
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DocBrown
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So true!!

Aimeesue Exactly. We have all lost our damn minds. 5y
DocBrown @Aimeesue The whole media — anti as much as pro — are riding the Trump Gravy Train. 5y
Aimeesue Yep. All driven by clicks and likes and the attention-span economy. How sad for all of us. 5y
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DocBrown
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👆👆👆So much good stuff here! 👆👆👆

Aimeesue YES! Exactly. 5y
42 likes1 comment
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DocBrown
Snowy Day | Ezra Jack Keats
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‘The Caldecott-winning tale of a young boy‘s encounter with snow has been checked out 485,583 times from the NYPL since it was published in 1962.‘ As a child this book was a revelation for me — not just because it‘s about a little black boy, but because it‘s about snow. It snowed exactly once in the town I grew up in, all of .01” After living 25 years in the desert I now live where I can enjoy all 4 seasons, including snow in the winter.

Joanne1 Amazing!! Not the I‘ve ever heard of the book. 5y
DocBrown @Joanne1 Do yourself a favor and check it out! 5y
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review
DocBrown
Trick Mirror | Jia Tolentino
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Pickpick

This essay collection is fresh and sharp, lean and tight, moving deftly from autobiographical material to cultural commentary and back again. The author is smart and self-aware, and yet she doesn‘t take herself too seriously. She accepts herself as the walking talking contradiction that she is. And maybe that‘s the biggest takeaway of all — in today‘s world how can any of us be anything but? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️