“The subtlest change in New York is something people don‘t speak much about but that is in everyone‘s mind. The city, for the first time in its long history, is destructible. A single flight of planes no bigger than a wedge of geese can quickly end this island fantasy, burn the towers…”
The language here is terrifying, and it‘s incredible that this was written in 1948, so prescient of the possibility of horror. ⬇️

Stumbled on this new-to-me weather word while reading the tagged this week and thought it was perfect for #weirdwordWednesday. I can‘t recall ever seeing this weather phenomenon as depicted, but I must have experienced it growing up near Scranton, PA and the Appalachians. One of those, “Oh there‘s a word for that,” moments. #weirdwords @CBee

I agree with Vonnegut‘s own assessment that this novel gets a grade of C. It reads as his own catharsis or purging of ideas. He writes in the intro, “I think I am trying to make my head as empty as it was when I was born into this damaged planet fifty years ago.” That holds up. If it wasn‘t for the excellent Kilgore Trout appearances and the rather scathing first chapter, I would have panned this. ⬇️

I‘m not sure why but I was thinking about the word table this morning and how it can be used as a verb. I thought, “Hmm, I wonder if there‘s a word for when we make a noun a verb.” Sure enough! The rhetorical term is anthimeria. Incidentally, I love the example of “turtling down the road.”
#weirdwordWednesdays #weirdwords @CBee

Just finished this excellent work of nonfiction. Baume writes about the history of queer rep in American sitcoms, using them as a framework on which to hang discussions of important milestones in queer history. Baume‘s voice, as heard in his excellent video essays, shines through. I would recommend this even if you have never seen any of the TV shows Baume writes about. One caveat- most of the queer rep discussed is gay or lesbian. See comments ⬇️

Thank you #GroupQ for another excellent reading memory! This read was perfectly timed for me, apt for hot summer days. Powell‘s writing about the humid Louisiana climate was nearly palpable. While I think this could have been expanded to at least flesh out some characterization, I can appreciate what Powell was trying to do. Lots packed into a small parcel- sex, heat, supernatural horror, sin, vengeance- what a great way to end #LMPBC!

I‘m really enjoying this so far- it‘s the July pick for my LGBTQIA+ book club. The chapters seem to be adapted from Baume‘s excellent video essays, but the book format gives them a different feel. It makes me realize how good Baume is at condensing historic moments, using them as a context for what was happening on TV while also using the TV moments to show how media representation can have a quantifiable effect on real life. #catsoflitsy

I was reading this to study my Greek. While the format of the book is great for learning new words and phrases, I am just totally bored by this story to the point that I don‘t even want to pick it up. I have a few more of these easy Greek readers on my shelf, so I‘m hoping the next one will be more engaging. Also, who knows? Maybe it‘s my language comprehension that‘s contributing to my boredom with it, so I‘ll hang on to it and revisit it later.

It‘s always difficult to review memoirs. This one falls into the category intense revolutionary openness. I love Fern Brady‘s comedy, and I‘m grateful to the show Taskmaster for introducing me to her. This book, sprinkled with humor, shines most brightly for me in the passages about the hypocrisies of social constructs. ⬇️

Thank you @BookmarkTavern for picking this interesting read for #LMPBC! I lost patience a few times with the alternating storylines and the pacing, but I ended up appreciating how the meaning of the story changes, mirroring the ever-evolving meaning of language. It gave me White Noise by Don DeLillo vibes.

This book has been an interesting addition to my recent bird-watching frenzy. It‘s the kind of thing that I probably won‘t read straight through but it makes a great reference. It covers 25 common birds and gives an accessible profile of behaviors relating to territory, courtship, nesting, breeding, plumage, seasonal movement, and social behavior. I have gained a new appreciation for many of the birds in my local area already. ⬇️

This is the pick for my local LGBTQ+ book club which is meeting tomorrow. The plot was twisty and the characters were interesting. While I felt a bit unsatisfied with some aspects of the story, I think the writing itself was strong. It‘s probably the first time I read a novel with a clearly defined neurodivergent MC. Aster‘s experience of the world is not treated as just a vague label. ⬇️

“With both fiction and birds, I think about existence, the span of life, from conception to birth to survival to death to remembrance by others. I reflect on mortality, the strangeness of it, the inevitability. I do that daily, and not with dread, but with awareness that life contains ephemeral moments, which can be saved in words and images, there for pondering, for reviving the bird and my hear…”⬇️

I really enjoyed this read. It‘s one of those books that wasn‘t on my radar at all, and I‘m thankful to @Reggie for picking it for #LMPBC. The characters were all loveable, even the unlikeable ones/ones who had very little page time, and I found the ending so charming. I also found the writing extremely insightful about aspects of gay life, particularly the clash between “respectability” and public or open lifestyles. ⬇️ #catsoflitsy

My Saturday morning coffee read. I‘m about halfway through, and I‘m hoping to finish it this weekend. #LMPBC #GroupQ

This Greek comic follows Zoe, a baker, who decides to take time away from work to vacation with a guy she meets. My comprehension of what happens is a bit vague because some of the language was beyond my grasp, but essentially she ends up regretting her decision. The title refers to a scene where customers dreamily reflect about Zoe‘s absence from the bakery for so long. “The croissants are not the same…” I will reread this when I have more vocab.

This graded reader in Greek had quite a melodramatic story. The title asks “Who is A.M.,” and the story follows Katerina, a radio producer, and Manolis, a record store clerk, as they try to solve the mystery of who is threatening the singer Anna Vardi with death if she sings in public again… woah! Anyways, the format of the reader/supplemental materials were great and I learned some useful new words. I will probably reread this for practice also.

Today‘s #weirdword is for the birds. Gorget refers to a piece of armor protecting the throat, but it is also a common word to describe the patch of feathers on hummingbird necks. Having lived on the east coast of the US all my life, I have never seen any hummingbirds apart from the Ruby-throated, but I discovered the Cornell Lab Bird Cams the other day and now I‘m obsessed with watching them zoom and hover in all their iridescent splendor. ⬇️

Really nerding out for this #weirdwordsWednesday. While doing my Greek homework this morning I came across the word τσιπούρα. Having been to a Greek distillery before, I thought this was the word for what some people know as “raki,” an anise-flavored alcoholic beverage (which is apparently the national drink of Turkey!). The problem was it was on a list of things you can buy from a fisherman. (See comments for more explanation.)⬇️
@CBee

A comedy in which tragedy is narrowly avoided by manipulating others into thinking that a tragedy has occurred. Hmm…quite interesting. Leonato‘s soliloquy in Act V, Scene I was the most effective part to me, full of seeming anguish despite the fact he knows his daughter isn‘t dead- the real emotion seems to come from her ruined reputation. ⬇️

This took me a long time to read, esp. for a graphic novel. Vellekoop uses the graphic memoir format to chronicle his life, growing up in a conservative Christian family, his growth into an artist and his coming out/dating experiences. Most of the second half draws on his long-term struggles with depression, as well as his journey to eventual self-acceptance and expression in middle age. There are long scenes lifted from counseling sessions.⬇️

More and more it‘s the feeling that a book gives me which is what I remember most. If it‘s a particularly powerful or emotional reading experience, I cherish it long after I forget the characters‘ names or other details. This is a book that will leave a lasting mark. Chang‘s imaginative, haunting writing really impressed me. I wanted to underline every sentence. ⬇️

I picked this book up for a bit of research on a short story I‘m writing and I‘m learning a lot (and becoming a bit more paranoid with each page). One cyber, or information, security term that came up is “zero-days.” These are flaws in software or hardware which make every user around the world vulnerable. They‘re named because the targets of attack have zero days to come up with a defense. These are scary! #weirdwords #weirdwordWednesdays
@CBee

Recently I started volunteering one day a week at the history center for my county, hoping to glean some experience in archiving work. My goal, besides helping out, is to see if I like it enough to pursue a degree in library or archival science. So far, it‘s amazing and right up my alley! Anyways, this book is coming in handy as I begin indexing the history center newsletter for easy searching. Any Litsy archivists out there? #archives #history

I‘m bailing on this a bit more than 50% through. This was on a books to read before you die list, and I can see the merit of its place there. Unfortunately, several unlikable characters and the misery of the plot are just too depressing for me to continue. I‘m grateful for learning about the author and this book‘s place in inspiring the quiet revolution, and I‘m ultimately glad I picked it up, but it‘s just not for me right now.

I‘ve settled on this for #LMPBC #GroupQ. I‘m in the midst of reading it, and loving it. I hope to be finished in the next few days so I can send it off.
@Reggie @Bookzombie @BookmarkTavern

I‘m a big Vivek Shraya fan, despite this being only the second book of hers I‘ve read (The Subtweet was the other and it was incredible). This collection of essays is a celebration of change and reinvention. I found the discussion about labels being “choices I make for the comprehension and comfort of others,” to be an interesting reframing. ⬇️

I haven‘t finished a book in a few weeks, but today I‘m celebrating my ever growing currently reading stack. I‘ve posted a bunch about the White essays and Walden which have taken a backseat to some library volumes. A common theme of some in this stack is refugee, migrant, and immigrant experiences. Tin Flute has been my melancholy bedtime reading, and People Change is my pick for the LGBTQ+ book club I‘m facilitating next week. Huzzah!

A late night #weirdwordwednesday. A malaphor, or a mixed idiom is when two idioms are mixed with a comic result. They remind me of malapropisms. I meant to come up with a few of my own but didn‘t have much creative energy. Has anyone got any other funny ones? #weirdwords @CBee

“Readers and writers should not deceive themselves that literature changes the world. Literature changes the world of readers and writers, but literature does not change the world until people get out of their chairs, go out into the world, and do something to transform the conditions of which the literature speaks.”
This book is the community read for my town this year. So far I‘m finding it thought provoking and bracing.

All right, Group Q. Here‘s what I‘ve got. The tagged is a YA trans superhero novel. Hola Papi is NF, sort of a memoir I believe (?). Brickmakers is tragic gay love I think. Manhunt is trans dystopian horror. Gods of Want is short stories in a fabulist style. I‘ve got other options if we‘re not feeling any of these. These are kind of the first that came to my hand. Let me know. @Reggie @Bookzombie @BookmarkTavern

This was a wild, strange read. It took me a while to sink into what was happening. I think the terror-filled, apocalyptic, other-worldly weekend away resonated with me in the end as an excellent metaphor for what it can feel like when queer people of many stripes are in extended situations when they have to pretend to be something they aren‘t and accept all manner of uncomfortable and inappropriate situations to survive. Was this over the top? ⬇️

This was a gorgeous book. Jedrowski manages to invoke the aura of Giovanni‘s Room without being tedious or derivative. The writing is incredibly sensitive to the complexity of the characters‘ relationships, and is full of poignant descriptions of the MC‘s internal life. The author chose to write in English, not his first language, because it allowed him to channel his own voice and not feel like his parents were speaking through him. ⬇️

Saw some delightful news today that the 20th album of one of my favorite songsters, Chris Smither, is set to be released in May. I saw him live in November and he played one of his new songs called Down in Thibodaux. It‘s full of words that rhyme with the title: bateau, chapeau, crapaud, and fais-dodo, a typically Louisianan evening country dance. I had to share my enthusiasm for these delightful words on #weirdwordWednesday. #weirdwords @CBee ⬇️

“I thought of the photographer and his courage, imagining how the photo had made it out of the country: a roll of film smuggled into West Germany… Anonymous figures trapped on the wrong side of history, compressed and rolled up inside a stranger‘s pocket. No matter what happens in the world, however brutal or dystopian a thing, not all is lost if there are people out there risking themselves to document it. Little sparks cause fires too.”

This was a fun read, my first Scalzi. The only reason it‘s not fully a pick for me is my own mood. Normally, I would have enjoyed the snark, the Hitchhiker‘s Guide-ness of it. However, I just haven‘t been in the mood for the light tone that this delivers. Also, I‘m miffed that my own cats haven‘t delivered the way Hera does for Charlie. They haven‘t made it past the plotting stage as far as I‘m aware. Pictured-Jack, mid-plot. #catsoflitsy

Another end-of-month DNF. This started off strong with a strange loop of a story about a cell phone, a voice mail, and a suspicious stranger in a mall. I set it down after a story about slaughtering chickens. Today I went back for another try and the story I landed on seemed overly tedious, a description of carvings on a sarcophagus. I feel like Sims tried for atmosphere and shock based on the stories I tried, and nothing is drawing me in further.

This is a bail for me. I just wasn‘t connecting with it this time around, but I will probably give it another chance eventually. Erdrich‘s writing is generally quite good. Under normal circumstances, I think I would have enjoyed this. Perhaps because this is a prequel and I haven‘t read Love Medicine, or perhaps because of the magical realism elements which made me feel a bit distant from the characters, I just wasn‘t feeling it.
#catsoflitsy

I mean, the cliffhanger is real. This might be one of my favorite volumes so far, I think because of the intertwining of the various plot threads and their culmination. This series has so many memorable moments. My favorites are the emotional, reflective asides Hazel offers, and the ones in this volume really tug at the heartstrings.

A low pick, but thought-provoking. This shorty is one of the newest in Biblioasis‘ Field Notes series. Plett does a good job of exploring possible definitions of community, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of communities. She explores online camaraderie, “third places,” Mennonite communities, queer spaces/groups, and much more. It raises a lot of questions without answering them, embracing ambiguity. ⬇️

“What if we had social media platforms that might eventually meld into the fabric of a life in a less inflammatory, more convivial way, in a way that one day might leave us going ‘Water, what the hell is water?‘”
In reference to a David Foster Wallace anecdote about fish. Some young fish pass an old fish who says, “Morning boys, how‘s the water?” One young fish replies, “What the hell is water?”

Another solid addition to the series. My reading across the board has slowed down in ways. I‘ve got a stack of books on the go and I‘m dipping in and out of them all. As a result, there are some character names and minor details in this series that I‘m starting to forget. To combat that, I started keeping a note on what happens in each of the volumes, which is helpful. Not much else to say. Great writing and arresting visuals as usual.

There‘s been a few #weirdwords sprinkled throughout White‘s essays, but a recent one that I never heard before was the phrase “shoe hockeys.” I tried searching the term but it was unproductive. I‘m thinking he‘s either describing skates that you attach to the bottoms of shoes or, as he mentions later in the paragraph, a pair of skates. Anyone else heard this phrase before? Is it a retronym? @dabbe
#weirdwordWednesdays @CBee

I absolutely loved this graphic memoir! 10/10 The incredible artwork accentuates how Summers‘ pregnancy pushed her out of her comfort zone in so many different ways, challenging her perception of herself and the people around her constantly. I really appreciated the depictions of each stage of the pregnancy, from DIY home insemination, through birthing classes, to the birth of her son. Add to that a marvelous sense of humor. Just wonderful!

“‘Actually Mr. Duggins, I have gained weight—the reason is that I‘m going to have a baby.‘ Does anyone else have conversations like this with your landlord? … My privacy was gone.”

In the intro to this graphic memoir, Summers writes about the positive shift in public attitudes towards homosexuality and trans people. ⬇️

“Events carry us rapidly in directions tangential to our true desires…Perhaps success in the future will depend partly on our ability to generate cheap power, but I think it will depend to a greater extent on our ability to resist a technological formula that is sterile…There is more to these rocks than uranium; their is the lichen on the rock, the smell of the fern whose feet are upon the rock, the view from the rock.”
-1956

“Gober‘s closet is a hinge point, arriving twenty years after Marsha P. Johnson and company rioted at the Stonewall Inn and in the midst of the AIDS crisis. It opens to nothing, nowhere. There is no place to hide. Nothing in it, too- no collared shirts, no ties, no pressed trousers draped on hangers. It is empty because I have left it.”
from the essay “Robert Gober” by Andrew Durbin

This dynamic graphic novel brought back many bittersweet memories of my own trips to NYC in high school/college with friends. The energy that the authors bring to the page with their artwork/story captures so much of what it‘s like to be in the city, the motion of the traffic and subway, the smells and lights, the unexpected connections/interactions with strangers. ⬇️

First book of the year! I found Jemisin‘s writing to be very precise and evocative on a sentence level. I love how she played with the characters‘ knowledge and how it is revealed. The urban fantasy elements were sort of reminiscent of Gaiman‘s writing but Jemisin‘s voice is unique. I can‘t wait for the sequels! P.S. I returned my copy to the library so the photo is a tessellation I folded appropriately called “Suction,” apropos of the antagonist.

This morning I‘m trying to speed through the end of the tagged so I can return it to the library. Just in time for #weirdwordsWednesday, I found the word gormless, which I had never heard before. I guess it stems from a dialect noun “gaum,” which can mean understanding or attention. Throw in a spelling change and the current meaning makes sense. Still, I‘m surprised I‘ve never noticed it in British literature I‘ve read. #weirdwords @CBee