@bibliolater@bookstodon I'm reading Everybody – a Book about Freedom by Olivia Laing at the moment. About health, sex, Susan Sontag, Kathy Acker, all threaded through by the story of psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich. I'm loving it.
Valiant Women is the story of the 350,000 American women who served in uniform during World War II. These incredible women served in every service branch, in every combat theater, and in nearly two-thirds of the available military occupations at the time.
I have been reading a lot of books in similar genre, and so far I (queer non-Western middle class white woman) have found this one the most accessible and compassionate
I understand that people to whom the issues of identity and justice might be literal life and death issues might consider it TOO compassionate, in that it endeavours to let the ignorant preserve their self image as a basically decent person. It acknowledges difficult feelings as valid, even as it encourages people to move past them.
The more I study accessibility the more I realize the next generation of online tools need to be built around this idea because it improves the overall experience for everyone.
@bibliolater@bookstodon usually #fiction, because I read very little #nonfiction. However, if I do, I try to find some that I enjoy and not only think I should read, because they are good for me.
I just finished an interleaved reading of two books, and wow! did they enhance one another.
The first was an approachable philosophical treatise about how science works given that scientists are human with all their faults. The answer: “evidence”. (Thanks to Jim DiCarlo for this rec + confirmation by @markdhumphries).
The second was a book describing the unfolding of ideas about evolution from Darwin’s tree (mutations + survival of the fittest) through more modern ideas about horizontal gene transfer between species - a perfect illustration of the ideas in the philosophical book but not included in it. (Thanks to @cyrilpedia for this rec).
Books can be complementary in all sorts of ways. Do you know of pairings that are enhanced when thought about together?
I’m just starting a book about the nature of time and ideas about time travel by @JamesGleick. Any thoughts on a good complement for it? (Maybe @JamesGleick) even has suggestions?
'The question is whether we as a society are willing to sacrifice a bit of effciency in the interest of fairness.' #DeZinVanHetBoek#TheEssenceOfTheBook
As a #russian I’ve read this book hoping to understand the current situation better. It is affecting me emotionally in the ways I am not ready to share, but the most important thing is, it shows how people are not that different anywhere and how decisions are driven by personal loyalties, family dynamics and personal experiences more often than by commitment to ideals/ideologies good or ill
#BooksOf2023 #1: #KeeperOfTheLosCities #3: Everblaze. My kids have enjoyed getting into a new series after we finished the #WingsOfFire books last year. These magical adventure books are perfect for our next series together. 📚 📕
@bookstadon#BooksOf2023#10: Francesca T. Royster’s Black Country Music. This was a great dive into the history - and present - of how Country music has a much deeper Black history than many people realize. It’s an excellent companion to Marissa R. Moss’ fabulous Her Country.
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