Welcome to the first post in this series for 2019. I continue jotting down books that sound interesting, and that I hope to read some day.
Items about books I want to read:
- Via Tricycle, some Buddhist advice on eating mindfully, highlighting the book The Compassionate Kitchen.
- A curious item. A book collects issues of the zine International Anthem. Story about it via Dangerous Minds.
- Via Schlock Value, where every so often I come across books that look like fun, I find the 1982 sort of scifi sort of fantasy The Cyborg and the Sorcerers.
- Apparently Jell-O, the ever popular dessert, has a somewhat dark family history, and a descendant of that family has written a book about it. The book is Jell-O Girls, and it was reviewed in The New York Times.
- The Food Politics blog highlights another book by Paul Greenberg: The Omega Principle, about omega-3 acids and fish.
- Via Public Domain Review, two books on bon-mots: one from the 18th century and the other one from the 19th century. You can read these free online.
- Information Literacy Weblog highlights a new to me book for library instruction: Transforming Information Literacy Instruction.
- Library Juice announced the book Reference Librarianship and Justice.
- Library Juice also announced the book Toward a Critical-Inclusive Assessment Practice for Library Instruction. This may be of interest for us here and our assessment efforts in library instruction and information literacy.
- Via The New York Review of Books, a look at The Penguin Book of Hell, which they describe as “an anthology of sadistic fantasies that for millions of people over many centuries laid a claim to sober truth.”
- Drinkhacker reviews the book Dry, a book of non-alcoholic cocktails and drinks, so you can be considerate and make something nice for your non-drinking friends.
- Drinkhacker also reviews Moonshine, a book that combines history and ways to enjoy moonshine.
- City Book Review looks at Dungeons and Dragons Art and Arcana: A Visual History.
- City Book Review also looks at Ocean Liners: an Illustrated History.
- The Weekly Standard looks a bit at the history of advice columns and highlights the book Asking for a Friend.
- The New York Post reviews “a collection of comic-book stories about the Holocaust and interviews with some of the biggest names in the business.” The book is We Spoke Out.
- Apparently, according to this article in GQ, a lot of straight white men are joining masturbation clubs. Go figure. The article also highlights the book Not Gay: Sex Between Straight White Men.
- The Progressive reviews a new graphic novel on the life of Eugene V. Debs.
- Another business book questions why so many incompetent men, especially white incompetent men, rise to power and get promoted. Via Huffington Post, the book is Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? (and how to fix it).
“Quarantined” books (books that fall under my self-imposed moratorium on politics, activism, etc.). A new category in this series. I am currently under a moratorium on reading anything political, activist, social justice, and such, and I am hoping that moratorium will end some day. . .maybe. . . once the Hard Times end. In the meantime, these are books I would usually read, but I am not in order to keep the sanity, but I am still listing them because I hope a day will come I will feel I can read them again.
- Democracy Now! talks with Ralph Nader about his book To The Ramparts.
- The Atlantic asks “did free pens cause the opioid crisis?” and looks at the book Dopesick.
- Alternet looks at “here is why online comment sections must die.” It is something I have been saying for quite a while given they are often nothing more than cesspools of human stupidity. Article also mentions the book A People’s History of Silicon Valley.
- This is a list, but the books at this point would be quarantined for me. Signature has a list of “19 Best Books to Understand Fascism and How It Works.”
- Via Democracy Now!, interview with the author of the book How to Hide an Empire.
Lists and bibliographies:
- Spiral Nature Magazine has a list of 25 occultnik books they’ve reviewed and ranked. Occultnik books here are books on “on magick, spirituality, or occulture.”
- The New York Times has “A Doctor’s Guide to Read on the Opioid Crisis” with a list of books that may be of interest on the topic and a discussion of the issue.
- Seattle Public Library’s Shelf Talk blog has a look at some food comics and manga. From their list, I have read Get Jiro! and one of the Oishinbo volumes.
- Book Riot has a list of five books about sex work and feminism.
- RA for All: Horror comments on and presents the list for the inaugural Splatterpunk Awards, a recognition of extreme horror books. On a side note, I wish the blog’s owner would change that hideous red and black layout; it is extremely difficult to read on the screen.
- Aretha Franklin passed away in 2018. The Booklist Reader offers a small list of books about her life and work.
