tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125289922024-03-17T21:33:14.300-04:00The Itinerant LibrarianIn this blog, I feature book reviews, other reviews such as Tarot and oracle deck reviews, and some items of general interest. The home of features such as "Signs the Economy is Bad" and "Reading About the Reading Life."
If you are looking for my professional (i.e. the librarianship blog), go to <i>Notes from a Simple Librarian</i>.A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.comBlogger2146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-42167815784974895982024-03-15T08:51:00.036-04:002024-03-15T08:51:00.131-04:00Book Review: Deathwatch: Shadowbreaker<p>Steve Parker, <i><a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/1124074469" target="_blank">Deathwatch: Shadowbreaker</a></i>. Nottingham, UK: Black Library, 2019. ISBN: 9781781939635. <br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: science fiction</div><div style="text-align: left;">Series: Warhammer 40,000, Deathwatch</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: trade paperback</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: Eastside Branch, Lexington Public Library </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"The blade that kills you is the one you least expect"</i> (56).<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_z28qpYcwGEAksDzS1Dw7J6cQ0AtFTxQnxP2JWYW4Vq3CiAAuyVZ87Rw_R94zrEAJrJpFI9GG2uuyf2pgvvxBgxVz0loTtTRoobY8VWGtdjJdsEUigImCGeuyct2Z7tchjnASWuBZ_3NXTJbxrK664jMwlfxDppiHAQzLrtg-yYG2XGKLXx2bw/s211/Shadowbreaker%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="140" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_z28qpYcwGEAksDzS1Dw7J6cQ0AtFTxQnxP2JWYW4Vq3CiAAuyVZ87Rw_R94zrEAJrJpFI9GG2uuyf2pgvvxBgxVz0loTtTRoobY8VWGtdjJdsEUigImCGeuyct2Z7tchjnASWuBZ_3NXTJbxrK664jMwlfxDppiHAQzLrtg-yYG2XGKLXx2bw/s1600/Shadowbreaker%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>Codicier Lyander Karras leads Talon Squad of the Deathwatch. Deathwatch are elite small teams of Space Marines drafted by the Imperial Inquisition for extremely dangerous missions. As the novel opens, Karras is recuperating from wounds sustained in a previous mission. He is barely recuperated when Talon Squad's handler, the mysterious Inquisitor Sigma, has a new mission for them. An inquisitor, Epsilon, has gone missing, perhaps gone rogue. Her location? A T'au held world. Talon Squad's orders are to find her and bring her back alive by any means necessary. The challenges are not only getting in and out of an enemy held planet but also surviving the intrigues, internal politics, and machinations of the Inquisition. <p></p><p>The basic premise of the novel sounds great. However, the novel's pacing is fairly slow. The pace does not really pick up until about halfway into the story. Once the pace picks up, there is plenty of action for the fans. Along the way we learn of Epsilon's scheme, a complex scheme she claims can be good but is highly questionable and full of risks to put it mildly. </p><p>For folks who like intrigue and schemes, you get a good dose of that. The Inquisition has various schemes going, rivalries and politics within, and at times one wonders who the imperial servants really serve. There are layers of conspiracies that Talon Squad has no idea exist. They just do their jobs and keep fighting on, hoping for the day when, if they survive, they can return home to their Space Marine chapters. </p><p>Overall, I liked the novel, but I feel it was a bit too long at times. Some earlier elements could've been trimmed a bit. Once the pace picks up, it's a good Space Marines action story. Like many conspiracy tales, the ending is somewhat open. Hardcore fans will likely enjoy it. More casual readers may find the first half or so a bit slow and dragged out at times. Still, it was worth it once it gets moving. </p><p>I'd say 3 out of 5 stars. </p><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-70257503290719666602024-03-13T09:19:00.099-04:002024-03-13T09:19:00.253-04:00Book Review: Our History Has Always Been Contraband<p>Colin Kaepernick, Robin D.G. Kelley, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, eds. <i><a href="https://search.worldcat.org/title/1373927535" target="_blank">Our History Has Always Been Contraband: in Defense of Black Studies</a></i>. Kaepernick Publishing, in partnership with Haymarket Books, 2023. ISBN: 9798888900574. <br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: African American, Black Studies</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subgenre: history, politics, interdisciplinary, anthology</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: trade paperback</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: Hutchins Library, Berea College <br /></div><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqv1A8Dk4MGofRUfrYnu6mvvYNm3hQBVysy7ZHj4I0nM3PboJhMP8oGMopKUKCarZhAq26SpfrwXSt4vQe-RYkHITBWLXEnDpEsNzg1qNMC6BpI1XyLnspZ8Xs_oFZjghmbpeDG2YKXewWNcWemaLmdn84C0Pd7vHHd93g2DFWtwkrsBvhgTifhg/s211/Our%20History%20Has%20Always%20Been%20Contraband%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="140" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqv1A8Dk4MGofRUfrYnu6mvvYNm3hQBVysy7ZHj4I0nM3PboJhMP8oGMopKUKCarZhAq26SpfrwXSt4vQe-RYkHITBWLXEnDpEsNzg1qNMC6BpI1XyLnspZ8Xs_oFZjghmbpeDG2YKXewWNcWemaLmdn84C0Pd7vHHd93g2DFWtwkrsBvhgTifhg/s1600/Our%20History%20Has%20Always%20Been%20Contraband%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>This book was my selection for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_History_Month" target="_blank">Black History Month</a> in February 2024. The book came together as a response to efforts to remove AP African American Studies courses in schools, especially in Florida. The book looks at the history of Black Studies with focus on the United States, a field of study that has been under attack from its inception and to this day. The book explores the history of the field and provides a sampling of key texts. <p></p><p>The book is arranged as follows: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Preface by Colin Kaepernick. This describes the book project and how it became a reality. </li><li>Part One: How We Got Here. Two essays from the editors outlining the history of Black Studies and where we are now. This is a good overview of the topic. </li><li>Part Two: The History They Don't Want You To Know. This is the core of the book. It contains 38 pieces from various works starting with "Walker's Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World" (1829) to "'Introduction: Black Health Matters' from <i>Black Disability Politics</i>" (2022). This is a sampling of the materials that certain people don't want you to read and are working to ban. </li><li>Part Three: How We Fight Back: Three essays here on how to answer critics and censors as well as demonstrating how Black Studies are essential. </li></ul><p>When I started reading the book, I thought I would read Parts One and Three, then pick and choose some selections from Part Two to get a sense of the arguments. I ended up reading the book cover to cover. The writings are interconnected, and the ideas build up on each other, so take your time and read the book in full. In addition, the readings overall are interesting and engaging. It is not often that an academic book keeps me reading. I could not put this book down, kept wanting to read one more essay. Before I knew it, I read the whole book. It helps that the texts are accessible. People hear terms like "critical race theory" and think it is a complex esoteric term. It is not. Read this book so you can learn about it and more. </p><p>This is an interdisciplinary book. The writings come from diverse fields including literature, politics, law, psychology, sociology, gender and sexuality, feminist studies, queer studies, and more. If the book has a shortcoming, it's that the pieces in Part Two are mostly excerpts. However, this is not a book meant to be definitive. It is meant to expose readers to the basics and then teach them how to stand up and defend their learning and history. The idea here is to keep on learning, keep on reading and searching, and to keep growing. To do so, you can seek out the full works. Additionally, the book includes a "Recommended Readings in Black Studies" list that can make a good reading list for those interested in learning more. It can also make a pretty good curriculum. </p><p>This is book is essential reading not just for Black History Month but at any time. Black history is everyone's history, and this book makes it accessible for anyone to read it and start learning. This is the kind of book I wish had when I took courses in Black Studies in graduate school. Yes, it took me a while to find such classes, but let's not digress. The book is an excellent and essential book that I highly recommend. </p><p>This book is essential for public and academic libraries. I would say it should also be available in school libraries. I ordered a copy for our library, and I will promote it on our library's blog and social media as well. </p><p>5 out of 5 stars.</p><p>Additional reading notes: </p><p>The editors' hope for the book: </p><p></p><blockquote>"...I hope this collection of historical and contemporary essays-- some of which are original-- can be used as a resource to deepen our collective understanding of Black history through the discipline of Black Studies-- a dynamic field of study whose twentieth-century origins were birthed in resistence to the very foundations of Western thought and the U.S. university system" (x). </blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Carter G. Woodson quote, so relevant now, so urgent: </p><p></p><blockquote>"It is strange. . . that the friends of truth and the promoters of freedom have not risen up against the present propaganda in the schools and crushed it. This crusade is much more important than the anti-lynching movement, because there would be no lynching if it did not start in the schoolroom" from his book The Mis-Education of the Negro (qtd. in 2). </blockquote><p></p><p>I admit that is a question I often ask myself: where are those "friends of truth and promoters of freedom" in the U.S.? They seem to shine by their absence. </p><p> </p><p>Intention of the book: </p><p></p><blockquote>"<i>Our History Has Always Been Contraband</i> is intended for students, educators, and policy makers, as well as general readers interested in the subject and seeking to understand then politics behind the current attack on critical education. The readings are by no means meant to be comprehensive or representative of what is truly a vast interdisciplinary field. We deliberately selected texts and authors who had been excluded from the AP African American Studies curriculum, as well as a few canonical texts in African American Studies appropriate for high school students" (4).</blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Carter G. Woodson, on how White supremacists and other racist enemies of freedom sought to keep Blacks enslaved through their minds. This remains so relevant today for Blacks (and other ethnic groups in the U.S.): </p><p></p><blockquote>"If you can control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his action. When you determine what a man shall think you do not have to concern yourself about what he will do. If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him to accept an inferior status, for he will seek it himself. If you make a man think that he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back door. He will go without being told; and if there is no back door, his very nature will demand one" (42). </blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>James Baldwin on education: </p><p></p><blockquote>"The purpose of education, finally, is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own decisions, to say to himself this is black or this is white, to decide for himself whether there is a God in heaven or not. To ask questions of the universe, and then to learn to live with those questions, is the way he achieves his own identity. But no society is really anxious to have that kind of person around. What societies really, ideally, want is a citizenry which will simply obey the rules of society, If a society succeeds in this, that society is about to perish. The obligation of anyone who thinks of himself as responsible is to examine society and try to change it and to fight it-- at no matter the risk. This is the only hope society has. This is the only way societies change" (53).</blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Karl Marx, in 1844, on how criticism needs to be ruthless, a principle that guided Robin D.G. Kelley and other activists: </p><p></p><blockquote>". . . --I am speaking of a ruthless criticism of everything existing, ruthless in two senses: The criticism must not be afraid of its own conclusions, nor of any conflict with the powers that be" (qtd. in 138). </blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Kelley then tells us reading should not have limits in studying and learning. For me, also reminds me that you need to read your enemies to understand them so you can take their ideas apart: </p><p></p><blockquote>"As self-styled activist-intellectuals, it never occurred to us to <i>refuse</i> to read a text simply because it validated the racism, sexism, free-market ideology, and bourgeois liberalism against which we railed. Nothing was off limits. On the contrary, delving into these works only sharpened our critical faculties" (138). </blockquote><p></p><p> <br /></p><p>This book qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenge: </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowaxp3IHnR1dOsOEzNdgzhR-1q7D6V8LS4gOrhpDR4r4iOWQlAvl0t_a1pyDVd_62efsmBhnAPEoWraxQsom88x_2ybDqhGv4NLTf6OJ_ta2R90Vi-TV4xwZkYMxpeSSmZEGzovQ3Lao7VoiPB8nwNJSUx4zQSG62SnbzP84ycoj3MVqLUjnpuA/s377/Reading%20by%20the%20Numbers%20Challenge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="377" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowaxp3IHnR1dOsOEzNdgzhR-1q7D6V8LS4gOrhpDR4r4iOWQlAvl0t_a1pyDVd_62efsmBhnAPEoWraxQsom88x_2ybDqhGv4NLTf6OJ_ta2R90Vi-TV4xwZkYMxpeSSmZEGzovQ3Lao7VoiPB8nwNJSUx4zQSG62SnbzP84ycoj3MVqLUjnpuA/s320/Reading%20by%20the%20Numbers%20Challenge.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-38438632056206264592024-03-08T09:27:00.136-05:002024-03-08T09:27:00.153-05:00Book Review: Will You Give Me a Reading?<p>Jenna Matlin, <i><a href="https://search.worldcat.org/title/1294288071" target="_blank">Will You Give Me a Reading? What You Need to Read Tarot With Confidence</a></i>. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn, 2022. ISBN: 9780738770109. <br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Tarot and cartomancy</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subgenre: Intermediate level, workbooks</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: e-book galley</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: Netgalley <br /></div><p>This may be one of the better books on Tarot I've read so far. When I started reading it, there were some things I did not totally agree on. However, I kept reading, and I found much to learn and apply. I may still have a disagreement here or there, but reading the book was worth the effort. </p><p>The book is arranged as follows: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Foreword by Benebell Wen.</li><li>Introduction.</li><li>16 Chapters on various topics. </li><li>Final Thoughts and Acknowledgements. </li><li>Recommended reading list.</li><li>Bibliography, which covers the works cited in the book. </li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iLc_RoZp91XXLKav4UI2lh27b-QecyPYNfQbjIdKupOeqHg_c31LZLX0fNUcEvassLcsMNGoYbEK_lurtifkAhJP2XAELxuLjJof3MxGGjPdDb7EfqiuzvmWD9wCWAoO2x5zRKaeJ89uviEY6kX8a88sp6wLIA7hehVh4E7XszUQg1HwEc3Ofw/s210/will%20you%20give%20me%20a%20reading%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="140" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iLc_RoZp91XXLKav4UI2lh27b-QecyPYNfQbjIdKupOeqHg_c31LZLX0fNUcEvassLcsMNGoYbEK_lurtifkAhJP2XAELxuLjJof3MxGGjPdDb7EfqiuzvmWD9wCWAoO2x5zRKaeJ89uviEY6kX8a88sp6wLIA7hehVh4E7XszUQg1HwEc3Ofw/s1600/will%20you%20give%20me%20a%20reading%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>Benebell Wen presents the book as an intermediate level book; she writes that "you'll want to reread this book every few years just to keep your reading skills sharpened" (xii). The foreword is glowing and very positive, as a foreword should be, so it sets high expectations for the book. More so since it is Benebell Wen writing it. <p></p><p>The author then expands the scope of the book. Whether you are a beginner or been doing Tarot for a while, this book is for you according to the author. She writes: "Even professional readers will find plenty of food for thought within these pages" (1). Having read the book, I am not sure it really can work for beginners unless they put in a lot of work. In the first chapter, she does state an assumption "that, on some level, you have a baseline familiarity of how to read tarot" (3). If you lack that baseline familiarity, it is not impossible to read this book, but you will need to put in more work. You may or not also need a basic Tarot book, the type with card meanings ad other basics. This book does not include that basic information, and that is fine if you already know the basics. </p><p>Assuming you have the baseline, this book can bring your readings to the next level. Her emphasis is on you developing fluency with the cards and then reading for others as soon as possible. At times, this may feel a bit like an accelerated course, but it is much like learning a foreign language. Immersion is the best path to fluency, so that is what the author emphasizes. Practice and do so with others who are willing to give you a chance. </p><p>I am not totally sure of the full speed ahead approach, but there it is. In addition, she advocates not reading for yourself and not doing daily card draws. While she explains her reasons, this does go against the advice other also reputable Tarot teachers and gurus provide. In this regard, all I will say is what I have said before: take what works for you and resonates, leave what does not work. In other words, your mileage may vary. </p><p>Certain points of contention aside, and most of the remaining advice is helpful and can be useful to develop your craft. The author does take you step by step to help develop your card reading skills in a holistic way. </p><p>The author explores topics such as steps to a good reading, developing intuition and empathy, and setting boundaries. Much of the writing is also to help you build confidence as a reader. She also addresses various situations such as if a reading does not go well or deal with some difficult querents. She does cover a lot of ground, and a lot of it are things you won't find in basic books. </p><p>A strength in the book are the activities and exercises. Each chapter features detailed exercises to try out to help you grow. Many of the exercises can be done multiple times with different cards and/or decks. This ability to redo exercises over time adds a lot of value to this book. Definitely keep your Tarot journal handy to do the exercises. Another good feature is the "reader's tips" you find throughout the book. Note also that throughout the book the author is constantly asking questions, prompts to consider, to reflect. These are helpful, and it may be helpful to pause reading the book to reflect, maybe write in your journal for further insights.<br /></p><p>For the most part, the book is easy to read. It does offer some good advice. It may feel a bit contrarian on some points, but it is worth reading overall. I read the book cover to cover to write this review, but this is a book to read a chapter at a time, then take the time to do the end of chapter exercises. Do that and try to practice actual card reading as soon as you can. If you can't find querents right away, the author does provide practice scenarios to keep sharpening your skills in the meantime. </p><p>This is definitely a very good intermediate level book. If you know your basics, this book is a good step up. Even if you never intend to read for others and/or publicly (and many Tarot readers never do), you can get value from reading the book. This is a book I would buy for my personal library. I do recommend it for libraries that already collect Tarot and other esoterica. This should not be the first Tarot book for a library as it is not really for beginners, not without other basic guides. In the end, I am glad to have reader it, and it is one I will revisit to keep up my skills. </p><p>5 out of 5 stars. </p><p>Additional reading notes: </p><p>On empathy: </p><p></p><blockquote>"In contrast, empathy is a person's ability to put themselves in the shoes of another. It is a cognitive skill that is partly inherited but can also be trained. Empathy allows us to imagine what someone else is going through and allows us to feel for someone not take on their feelings, per se. With empathy, you feel <i>for</i> someone. As an empath, you feel <i>as</i> someone. They seem similar, the difference is huge" (17). </blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Empathy is a good skill for Tarot readers: </p><p></p><blockquote>"In fact, it is empathy that can fundamentally make or break a session. Even if you are not so good with your card just yet, the practice of empathy with querents will make up for that. Everyone wants to be seen and understood. One of your roles as a reader is to show querents that they are seen and understood with your presence and your actions" (18). </blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>A Tarot definition: </p><p></p><blockquote>"Tarot is the bridge between both the ordinary world, and the non-ordinary world of spirit. Tarot can be the scaffolding upon which you can build your own capacity to perceive information from non-traditional sources" (41). </blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Work with any and all tools available to you as a reader. Just because you are an intuitive does not mean you toss out standards and/or traditions: </p><p></p><blockquote>"My feeling is this: why take a tool out of the toolbox? Why not work to build both the intuitive flexibility <i>and</i> intellectual rigor by doing both? That way, if your intuition is quiet, you can always fall back on the standard card meanings, which is what I do. I go back and forth between standard meanings and my own intuitive hits" (46).</blockquote><p></p><p>I agree with that and over time this is how I learn and strive to read the cards. Make use of any tool at your disposal. Don't cut yourself short. </p><p><br /></p><p>A good reading: </p><p></p><blockquote>"A good reading consists of three pillars: a good question, a good spread (or reading style), and mastery of the card meanings. Some may argue a fourth pillar is intuitive talent" (83). </blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>On learning the court cards and just learning Tarot in general: </p><p></p><blockquote>"When it comes to learning the court cards, more is more. Read all the booklets that came with your decks, tarot books, and online resources to get a full sense of all the possibilities that can play into each card. You don't have to do this in one sitting, your understanding of each court card personality will grow alongside your tarot journey. With some research time, and practice, each court card will begin to feel like they are sitting right next to you. Make them come alive" (118). </blockquote><p></p><p>I find the above statement affirming as I always strive to read texts that come with card decks plus I read books like this one. I don't quite get those people who take pride in not reading texts because all they need is intuition. Again, why remove tools from the toolbox? However, I am not one to tell others what to do, so do what works for you. As for me, what I need to do next is reread some books I've found useful, do it more to do exercises and reflection. Go more in depth. </p><p><br /></p><p>Tip on deck choices for reading for others: </p><p></p><blockquote>"Consider your audience when reading with strongly thematic or political decks. You can always have 'your' deck, but use a public deck or even a variety of decks depending on whom you are reading for. While I may love my super pagan witchy decks, they aren't for everyone. I choose for the querents or, better yet, give the querent a choice of decks to choose from" (135).</blockquote><p></p><p>That is what I do. I give deck choices when I read in public when I can. I've <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.wordpress.com/2022/01/31/10-tarot-decks-i-use-to-read-for-others/" target="_blank">written a bit on this topic</a> over at <i>Alchemical Thoughts</i>, my cartomancy and commonplace book blog. I certainly would not bring anything overly political. In fact, I mostly avoid such decks; I don't need possible aggravation not to break my politics/social issues/activist stuff moratorium. As much as I can keep deck choices relatively safe for all. </p><p><br /></p><p>Another tip on reading books: </p><p></p><blockquote>"Read more books. Read books on philosophy and psychology. Read books on theology and human nature. Read books on pain and resilience and growth. Reading books about the human condition gives you a greater vocabulary when relaying tarot's message. The wisdom in other's pages will inspire your own and add depth to your readings. Less social media, more books" (149). </blockquote><p></p><p>I admit that though I've read a book here or there on the topics above, it has not been in a regular way. This is an area I can work on. Looking at the top of my TBR (to be read) list, I do have a couple of books that fit this category, so I will work to read them sooner. Needless to say, "less social media, more books" is great advice and one I am taking. Lately I do find myself stepping away from social media to read, and it feels good. </p><p><br /></p><p>Tips on keeping a resource binder, notebook, etc. I do have a cartomancy reference notebook (can't quite call it a grimoire), and I need to put some serious work on it. This tip can be helpful towards that work: </p><p></p><blockquote>"Build your own tarot resources binder full of spreads and activities that you find particularly helpful and meaningful. You can even arrange them by problem such as 'anxiety' or 'boredom.' Then, when you're struggling, choose an activity that would best help with the area you are feeling challenged in" (210). </blockquote><p></p><p>I will add the reference notebook I keep is in addition to my Tarot journals where I record things like daily and monthly readings, spreads done, and other cartomancy miscellany. The journal I use regularly, and in fact I have filled various notebooks and continue to keep journaling my cartomancy journey. </p><p><br /></p><p>In the books recommended list, she lists 14 Tarot books "geared toward the reader-to-querent experience" (233). I have read the following three books from that list (links to my reviews): </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2018/12/booknote-psychic-tarot.html" target="_blank">Psychic Tarot</a></i>. </li><li><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2017/05/booknote-marseille-tarot-revealed.html" target="_blank">The Marseille Tarot Revealed</a></i>. </li><li><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2020/04/booknote-tarot-elements.html" target="_blank">Tarot Elements</a></i>. <br /></li></ul><p><br /></p><p>This book qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenges: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip97aS5mWVkxUzFk6HI9aUlISIXVNZmxaVUbmA58W9fDmtUTP1O542MDqcYOOuXvQAteGxf83668Qf3UKyQFBpBrzhC5L6laazJiFt9iA7W_bX7rCCCWzFSohS0rETpnOTbDlHTOcpn_UnXSvU3WxntwdfzT9Z-EmeKVFygBGVPgC3ZT2iHJXzfA/s320/NetGalley%20Edelweiss%20Reading%20Challenge%202024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip97aS5mWVkxUzFk6HI9aUlISIXVNZmxaVUbmA58W9fDmtUTP1O542MDqcYOOuXvQAteGxf83668Qf3UKyQFBpBrzhC5L6laazJiFt9iA7W_bX7rCCCWzFSohS0rETpnOTbDlHTOcpn_UnXSvU3WxntwdfzT9Z-EmeKVFygBGVPgC3ZT2iHJXzfA/s1600/NetGalley%20Edelweiss%20Reading%20Challenge%202024.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2Ks4AqeMQUc0-OTEbcGKWqR7LQ1xExoJ8ZNeVAMjLNkdy41eAvYBip06G8n7De-8s6qEUWiPEoI-y6jOtvL_VLHOA-hpEW0UMM0sWZP4fI85ObsO-5AaFFlDP2mBIbwt84k_0EJXQ9aPnsr7sGCphyphenhyphenp6w8njUj75cEU6ESCXnwPnoUIH0lCXbw/s377/Reading%20by%20the%20Numbers%20Challenge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="377" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2Ks4AqeMQUc0-OTEbcGKWqR7LQ1xExoJ8ZNeVAMjLNkdy41eAvYBip06G8n7De-8s6qEUWiPEoI-y6jOtvL_VLHOA-hpEW0UMM0sWZP4fI85ObsO-5AaFFlDP2mBIbwt84k_0EJXQ9aPnsr7sGCphyphenhyphenp6w8njUj75cEU6ESCXnwPnoUIH0lCXbw/s320/Reading%20by%20the%20Numbers%20Challenge.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-13667599375798650912024-03-08T08:36:00.002-05:002024-03-10T17:03:22.749-04:00Tarot and esoterica books I read in 2023<p>Welcome to the last of my post in my series of top books I read in 2023. This list is a bit different as I am listing all the books I read in Tarot and esoterica for the year. I am not including any companion books for cartomancy decks I also read. I am including the full list because last year a couple of readers mentioned finding this list useful, so I hope this one is useful as well to my four readers. The list is in no particular order, and if a review has been posted to the blog by now I will include a link. </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/02/book-review-your-tarot-toolkit.html" target="_blank">You Tarot Toolkit: Simple Activities For Your Daily Practice</a>.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="140" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsQo_urF0dE_I6VHNq0lc19zeiwPicC51WQmypRC1zz4-uh5Brpnagd0vqoUye9M5CmRM8DReawTjxYu3GuKbjWnsjIQZrLXPXKD4uv4ajSq3IcnskoSWgXFOzKc2PSFUKBPM73pn5mn8H4F9g4LB1mW6n2x59MORMQqKVbX3FWZhgIuhMq8/s1600/Your%20Tarot%20Toolkit%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></p><p> </p><p>From my review: "Overall, this is a basic and concise Tarot book to work with the cards
individually. I can recommend it mainly for beginners and for mid-range
Tarot practitioners. It's easy to read and very accessible."</p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/06/book-review-big-book-of-tarot-meanings.html" target="_blank">The Big Book Of Tarot Meanings: the Beginner's Guide to Reading the Cards</a>.</i> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="140" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-636fh03kfgD_-moG6dV-iR-nR-G_CXAC92GvZhnS5GUQBTyUrMt66pLxQVJJztOvcgsfG4XXaKD3vnexeQ7ZIEu3D4dceT05z3my8Up2NxbBlEQlyBBq7geJuZg9jqgY3Nu0dUHYBgojNp4zONiuzrqxTv-jyk5_v5zI6aLDawwH_CbFWao/s1600/Big%20Book%20of%20Tarot%20Meanings%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></p><p> </p><p> From my review: "This is a very good Tarot reference book to keep handy. It is easy to
use and easy to read. Doing a love reading, and you are puzzled by cards
that may represent finances? This book can help with that."</p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/06/book-review-easy-tarot-combinations.html" target="_blank">Easy Tarot Combinations: How to Connect the Cards for Insightful Readings</a>.</i> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="140" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsNWcTJNuVtpygoWypuWHYzZLqAZuS4AjPLqoTXnxU0oaOy0zbIg0pb2JfJ6IOdzPyrID6UkMg2YE-jlSwYd-X28JuBxvluG9nBrygLFPm8Y2c5VD0SpKIddmBRdUmge0yPQUbNZYMjy_7vU5MKGD8MQptjEN4HZremfbkJ4xEe_CTpt_70k/s1600/Easy%20Tarot%20Combinations%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>From my review: "The core of the book is in each card's featured combinations, which
provide jumping points to help us expand our reading abilities. If you
need a bit of help with a card combination, this is a good book to have
on hand." </p><p> </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/10/book-review-doctoring-devil.html">Doctoring the Devil: Notebooks of an Appalachian Conjure Man</a></i>. </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="140" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPB36rsxmn-ILAigImU2sWdjeEhBJXjkQrs6mGptdqpriMKiE2fShPd1a6S8MIC_mSQ986-mmqKVlVj5nyivV2NJMQaTCioru-H4uc_jwPvHcFubqj4uj0RDKf-lO1ho7Az7Xj-ZJh0L92-gdxsxsKOCh8PmaLeaO30UM7_oA3Vfr4C08IAc/s1600/Doctoring%20the%20Devil%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>From my review: "As with the author's previous book, you do not have to be a worker to
read this. If you are seeking to learn how to do it, it is a good guide.
This book does emphasize more how to do things. It may be more
practical than the previous book. However, it also works as a good look
at the region and a very significant part of its folklore."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/12/book-review-roots-branches-and-spirits.html" target="_blank">Roots, Branches, and Spirits: the Folkways and Witchery of Appalachia</a></i>. </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="140" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0l2DgakMuAXaH6IJOMNPHTlPKI_fyMnYXsXJHeEm_p2AODwghptz7V0F8b3BxlR5Kr1hkCEL2eBOFuDDzy-aKBtHT5fPPhPuf2S5DAojCppOOVh3T9XM9Sx3GjdEcN7HnWDMV7Bz7PF4rHDZSssmq0q4-48q_zVXDQLc3qUqbY9HqMh2rluf9yg/s1600/roots%20branches%20and%20spirits%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>From my review: "The author writes and teachers readers about the old ways. The publisher
describes the book as 'part cultural journey and part magical guide' (from the back cover)." </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2024/02/book-review-evil-eye.html" target="_blank">The Evil Eye: the History, Mystery, and Magic of the Quiet Curse</a></i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0L3Z8oyTZhGg_mkXmEBx6udPaxIKDo3GxzwbUEPE33WXR2ad4hU2zxz_0Y_4y2U44dRoZsCmT-LBqV7HKMJ70dsWf631bqILHKQpYjQ5-d44IE-yASe6EvODFnx4MQmrHUKyJSdDY-74OKpfH83TogEfsNKjC9ylLV1XEQDBJu67QVcTSbhT6A/s210/The%20Evil%20Eye%20book%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="140" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0L3Z8oyTZhGg_mkXmEBx6udPaxIKDo3GxzwbUEPE33WXR2ad4hU2zxz_0Y_4y2U44dRoZsCmT-LBqV7HKMJ70dsWf631bqILHKQpYjQ5-d44IE-yASe6EvODFnx4MQmrHUKyJSdDY-74OKpfH83TogEfsNKjC9ylLV1XEQDBJu67QVcTSbhT6A/s1600/The%20Evil%20Eye%20book%20cover.jpg" width="140" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/11/book-review-witch-of-forests-guide-to.html" target="_blank">The Witch of the Forest's Guide to Tarot Magick</a></i>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="140" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IhWE-1xSz1l85BfvMJ81CInqk2DHsLm4eNsdbp9VcT_EwrfKlKWTy-Ilalm-hJWkPBiVmYxo4AEd7dK7wGu7JYfwUf4cOtTt2CTbFC_hN5TJp6Zhh44UMK1T8I2k9QYxBhAu3VodLSkdXDC7KT3dGXiQ0KaDRHnypSi2KQN3pq3Az3spH-0zmg/s1600/Tarot%20Magick%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From my review: "Overall, I liked the book, especially the card entries. Entries are
concise and informative. A good starting book for beginners, but it may
be too basic for intermediate and advanced users. This is one I would
give to a beginner along with a card deck. I would consider ordering it
for our library. "</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/12/book-review-thrifty-witchery.html" target="_blank">Thrifty Witchery: Magick for the Penny Pinching Practitioner</a></i>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="140" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcnXyGcoThtktiglr88XkWN6roF8XLjBxbegS_u5pZG5QZdR4cqYCGjzcp8NKSAyHgfZRs97BTnnFBZGqYeqFiOW08kX9PKg_diWRuctccdSlLIhNhSgBuJO-FRo4eufHp8eM_RHjGr6hPjiZgJrZyRIJwhz8ked9-g8QBEMkrTWldkCl0mGSuw/s1600/Thrifty%20Witchery%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From my review: "The book's authors are here to show us that you can have a robust,
healthy, and thriving witchcraft and magick practice without taking out a
second mortgage nor selling a kidney."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-65683588752683442332024-03-06T09:11:00.056-05:002024-03-06T09:11:00.128-05:00Deck Review: Moonology Oracle Cards<p>Yasmin Boland (author) and Nyx Rowan (illustrator), <i><a href="https://www.hayhouse.com/moonology-oracle-cards-deck" target="_blank">Moonology Oracle Cards</a></i>. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2018. ISBN: 978178-180-996-9. (Link to publisher)<br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Oracle card deck</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subgenre: Moon/Lunar <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: Kit with 44 cards and small guidebook in hard box</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: I own this one. <br /></div><p>This kit includes 44 cards and a guidebook. This is a Moon-themed deck you can use to tap into the Moon's wisdom and energies throughout lunar cycles. </p><p>The guidebook, which is about 120 pages, is arranged as follows: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Introduction. The author provides a brief overview of the cards. It states the cards' purpose and how to bless them before you start using them.</li><li>The Wisdom of the Moon. This has a very brief overview of oracle cards in general. It also includes some advice for using the deck. </li><li>The Phases of the Moon. This explains briefly how the deck works with the Moon's energies through its phases. A table of the 8 main Moon phases with keywords is included. </li><li>Working with the cards. This goes over the deck's structure and how to interpret the cards. It also includes a few card spreads you can try out. </li><li>Moon Phase Cards. The 8 main phases. </li><li>New Moon Cards.</li><li>Full Moon Cards.</li><li>Special Moon Cards. This includes things like a New Moon Eclipse and Blue Moon. </li></ul><p>Each card entry includes a small black and white image of the card, the card's message, the phase, interpretation text, attune to the Moon (an affirmation for guidance), additional meanings, and the teaching (additional information about the Moon plus a bit more on the astrology). </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kBHOd2vz27elcDd-5thvdOjHBBf2nYFOggP90XJQRvT_veJbsWeLn-pA_XXj1OQ0RzNMBAx-psvTKvnJRNGpmj-7VS0vGqYKPRufklX3bjl4b4y-b9WPXRrOBxGnE_lXkVYe7KVUq1Et8xHBFMnE5z2d5oEOs5a1H11LLabxRWJA4_wyvxhT-Q/s4000/IMG_20240211_111404645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kBHOd2vz27elcDd-5thvdOjHBBf2nYFOggP90XJQRvT_veJbsWeLn-pA_XXj1OQ0RzNMBAx-psvTKvnJRNGpmj-7VS0vGqYKPRufklX3bjl4b4y-b9WPXRrOBxGnE_lXkVYe7KVUq1Et8xHBFMnE5z2d5oEOs5a1H11LLabxRWJA4_wyvxhT-Q/s320/IMG_20240211_111404645.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full Moon card.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The book is compact, and it provides a good amount of information in the card entries The entries give you enough to work with the cards and the Moon. It brings in astrology, but it is on the light side; you get enough to learn the basics. If you are interested in exploring the astrology deeper and/or the lore and mysteries of the Moon, you may need to find some supplementary materials. The guidebook does not offer any lists of additional works. I found the guidebook easy to read, and its messages were on point. The text provides some good food for thought in the card entries. These are good cards for meditation, and the book helps with that. </p><p>The card art is in color and naturally focused on the Moon. We see the Moon in various phases and even a variety of colors based on phase and sky. You get the image, message, and phase title on the cards. The cards are not numbered. You may be able to to read the cards intuitively, more so if you already work with the Moon or bring some knowledge. If you are very new, you may need to rely more on the book to learn the way. Once you learn the basics, reading with the cards gets easier. </p><p>The cards have that sticky matte finish that can make cards hard to shuffle and slide. Beautiful as they are, this is not an easy deck to use and shuffle. The cards measure about 5 inches by 3 1/2 inches, The card stock is a bit on the thick side, but the deck overall is not heavy on the hands. The art is borderless. The card back depicts the Moon phases; it is not reversible. </p><p>I liked the deck overall. It works well for single draws for meditation or to get a message. If you work with the Moon consistently, say you do work during specific phases, this deck may be helpful. I do not work with the Moon much (I may need to explore that further). Still folks like me can still get benefit from using the deck. At this point in time, the author has a follow up deck, the <i>Moonology Manifestation Cards</i>, and I don't feel the need to go find it at this time. She also has a <i>Moonology</i> book; I may look for that to see if it offers new insights. As is, this is a pretty good deck kit. I feel it is a bit average, but good if the Moon is part of your work or want to learn more. It is good, not great. </p><p>3 out of 5 stars. </p><p><br /></p><p>This kit qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenges: </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJzUf904F-cgl8tCLW_PHtLSOZWiXjfKQ8aRtuGwIhlYuAqEr_ngB7XTWAx3hMDKKBF41nPC3ZFHsl0iopXsrFlXD_dbg8x2H0lgIDqzuW89ApT0gr4HwRd4LRLmR09Sez5PJVUZrZbFb8cmRt3C-LyhlXPgyzzcVODXTTVCpkdCFTGOwkC5vag/s377/Reading%20by%20the%20Numbers%20Challenge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="377" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJzUf904F-cgl8tCLW_PHtLSOZWiXjfKQ8aRtuGwIhlYuAqEr_ngB7XTWAx3hMDKKBF41nPC3ZFHsl0iopXsrFlXD_dbg8x2H0lgIDqzuW89ApT0gr4HwRd4LRLmR09Sez5PJVUZrZbFb8cmRt3C-LyhlXPgyzzcVODXTTVCpkdCFTGOwkC5vag/s320/Reading%20by%20the%20Numbers%20Challenge.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7B_ruPnbV9mOgjSeXO9lvKZWpcPnBBoqODd3nMSNqHBh2ZSKax_Phl8EMmU7DKzjudfGuIrYcCavWkdvuD9PMY3XpEPC4Hzu8_ArYdVKUN1K5LNDSCwa-0IXO1Qyb7snBjZwGIBovMXbXniqal-en4awOtv1xlLAjB8ew7u44lyf_IU6pV2RGA/s320/Mount%20TBR%202023%20image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="272" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7B_ruPnbV9mOgjSeXO9lvKZWpcPnBBoqODd3nMSNqHBh2ZSKax_Phl8EMmU7DKzjudfGuIrYcCavWkdvuD9PMY3XpEPC4Hzu8_ArYdVKUN1K5LNDSCwa-0IXO1Qyb7snBjZwGIBovMXbXniqal-en4awOtv1xlLAjB8ew7u44lyf_IU6pV2RGA/s1600/Mount%20TBR%202023%20image.png" width="272" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-70835784912995557912024-03-01T08:57:00.066-05:002024-03-01T08:57:00.153-05:00Deck Review: Magical Dogs Tarot<p>ISBN: 978-0-7387-5005-7. <br /></p><p> </p><p>This kit includes the 78-card deck and a full size book, the <i>Magical Dogs Companion</i>. I first used this deck in January 2024. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccrRaJThTuj-PESfYqc-SUmdbKhZ1O5r7bNT8yR81WlFhPf7drNhrRpXFw_K_Ufm_DK4qFIdrR69MB1uvOMFYPc5Efde62mtN-80uDZkcCdrzEJrhHQ9Um04JtcE44bW2T9dOTfpAcjLHdLJGuh97GNA9C3XK7Yd8uoOf-LK5BOa6FGxOImZ2gw/s4000/IMG_20240105_074753676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccrRaJThTuj-PESfYqc-SUmdbKhZ1O5r7bNT8yR81WlFhPf7drNhrRpXFw_K_Ufm_DK4qFIdrR69MB1uvOMFYPc5Efde62mtN-80uDZkcCdrzEJrhHQ9Um04JtcE44bW2T9dOTfpAcjLHdLJGuh97GNA9C3XK7Yd8uoOf-LK5BOa6FGxOImZ2gw/s320/IMG_20240105_074753676.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Earth Puppy (Page of Pentacles)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I bought this deck for a couple of reasons. One, I bought it during Llewellyn's Holiday Sale, and its price was 50% off, which meant I got this for less than $20. Two, Mickie Mueller is the artist. She is also the artist for the Mystical Cats Tarot, a favorite of mine (<a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2021/10/deck-review-mystical-cats-tarot.html" target="_blank">link to my review</a>). So based on the artist, I bought it. While I am not much of a dog person, I still appreciate them. In the end, I came to like this deck for its art and ease of use. If you liked the cat's deck, you might like this one. If you are a dog person looking for an accessible dog themed deck that brings canines to life, this is a good choice. Even if you are not a dog person you might warm up to this deck. </p><p>The book is arranged as follows: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Introduction. This discusses the strong bonds between humans and canines. Dogs may seem common and ordinary, but they also have an arcane and mysterious side which this deck brings forth. The introduction also goes over how the deck itself is organized. There are some card name changes in the Major Arcana but nothing too radical. For example, the Hierophant becomes the Shaman. In the Minor Arcana, dogs are grouped in elemental packs: fire, sea, sky, and earth. The introduction also gives some instruction on how to use ad care for the deck. That part is kept brief, an overview to help you get started if you are a beginner. </li><li>The Major Arcana: Dogs' Deep Wisdom. These are the Major Arcana card entries. Each entry includes a black and white image of the card, text describing the card, symbols, and elements, "Paws for Thought" (interpretation), keywords, and reversed meaning. </li><li>The Minor Arcana: Dog Packs. A chapter for each pack. Each chapter also has a one page introduction. You then get the card entries. Card entries are like those of the Major Arcana, which I appreciate. Books tend to go all out on the Major Arcana then skimp on the Minor Arcana. Here you get relatively balanced coverage. </li><li>Spreads. You get two spreads made for this deck that you can try out. </li><li>Appendix. This features some sketches from Mickie Mueller for the deck. This is basically a small look behind the scenes at how the deck was made. <br /> </li></ul><p>The book is an easy read, but not terribly deep overall. As the authors acknowledge, they provide an overview of how to read Tarot; you can find other more detailed books on that. The core of the book is in the card entries, and the writing does a great job here. The text presents the arcane elements and wisdom of dogs. It connects it all very well to Tarot, and we can learn many lessons when we see Tarot through dogs' eyes and lives. It is well written. The entries offer some depth without the heavy esoterica. Could you read the cards without the book? Possibly. I am sure intuitives may be tempted to toss the book aside. You'd be missing a lot of background and context if you don't read the book, so I would encourage folks to read it. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0cyszMqzZDe5yFR-6dsM51WAzB-GJ1VE3K0rCM8iBh6oxjxLBCzJ5QtXTztWG9-lc-zUMvOGywWjd3IfXD0JmtEDHrIH6gP5qM9r1so5JjJS514sYG9cCKDZbfjbGDUwT3nbq854SYHVAAJOhGPCd051Sm9uKND9Ca4Sp6S9sx-McYIlopxe1A/s4000/IMG_20240130_084238752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0cyszMqzZDe5yFR-6dsM51WAzB-GJ1VE3K0rCM8iBh6oxjxLBCzJ5QtXTztWG9-lc-zUMvOGywWjd3IfXD0JmtEDHrIH6gP5qM9r1so5JjJS514sYG9cCKDZbfjbGDUwT3nbq854SYHVAAJOhGPCd051Sm9uKND9Ca4Sp6S9sx-McYIlopxe1A/s320/IMG_20240130_084238752.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mage-I <br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The art on the cards is great with a broad variety of dogs and breeds. For the most part, the card entries identify the breeds you see on the cards. The art is colorful, playful at times, but it can also be serious. Card imagery leans strongly within Rider Waite Smith (RWS), so if you read within RWS tradition, you should be just fine with this deck. The dogs are painted with attention to detail; they are expressive and look realistic, like you could pet them. The dogs for the most part are outdoors, out in nature. Thus folks who enjoy nature themed decks may enjoy this one. </p><p>I found that I could easily read with this deck right away. Images are clear, and they draw you in. Images have plenty to consider. At times it felt as if the dogs talked to me.. I really enjoyed using this deck. It feels easy to use and read. It delivers messages well. You don't have to be a dog lover to use it. I am more of a cat person, and I can still use this deck just fine. I am sure many dog lovers will appreciate it. </p><p>The cards have the typical thin Llewellyn card stock. They shuffle and slide easily. The art is borderless, and the card back art is reversible. The cards measure about 4 1/2 inches by 2 3/4 inches. They have a very light glossy finish. The art is Mueller's watercolors, which look great, and are a reason to acquire this deck. </p><p>Overall, I am happy that I took a chance on this deck, and I am glad to own it. I highly recommend it, especially if you are a Tarot reader who loves animals. </p><p>5 out of 5 stars.</p><p>This deck qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenges: </p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRAFHphqLloUsIuNwFwDWQRVoobnZDGUsmytveEv3E2sKAnAFY43zUL5S8gq0Hclk0F8SLrs1jsF_aKnK3KyO4MsJ8LOfSFZw0tEc5rf4cQClh4odeUc2MzCykr3Vq67Oy3te_D0IazBabN1NWgCEChXwz975Dgdpa_VpalXFZRsZnXMIEQ8Nlg/s377/Reading%20by%20the%20Numbers%20Challenge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="377" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRAFHphqLloUsIuNwFwDWQRVoobnZDGUsmytveEv3E2sKAnAFY43zUL5S8gq0Hclk0F8SLrs1jsF_aKnK3KyO4MsJ8LOfSFZw0tEc5rf4cQClh4odeUc2MzCykr3Vq67Oy3te_D0IazBabN1NWgCEChXwz975Dgdpa_VpalXFZRsZnXMIEQ8Nlg/s320/Reading%20by%20the%20Numbers%20Challenge.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTQkGvQcJstdvhfAW0JwuVAk3BA9pmpNq5yoU4VQFWxDESP6IRFIq0hGoiYMc0ofwYHdI44zO0vh7BSd_1YKhRtzgDUcaDeb80IiuI7817-n5-6ZOSKi0iA6-lHS3IVMEcJEjamVwEDpogUAl3u2Hh10x0gRi0zEiZq9N_suAr1Hi33NQ0-C5MA/s320/Mount%20TBR%202023%20image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="272" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTQkGvQcJstdvhfAW0JwuVAk3BA9pmpNq5yoU4VQFWxDESP6IRFIq0hGoiYMc0ofwYHdI44zO0vh7BSd_1YKhRtzgDUcaDeb80IiuI7817-n5-6ZOSKi0iA6-lHS3IVMEcJEjamVwEDpogUAl3u2Hh10x0gRi0zEiZq9N_suAr1Hi33NQ0-C5MA/s1600/Mount%20TBR%202023%20image.png" width="272" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-1733283616461225172024-03-01T08:52:00.001-05:002024-03-01T08:52:00.150-05:00Media Notes: Roundup for February 2024<p> </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzd-4aToTsEU_vCAVxqUvqUzusVDuAeJ4Zmb2u9jCDATMhmlTM_Be89vWk1K27sJ8PuOIBaZOEq2Ko8_RhqBNhDJPEGxk7BRaoVKmNByjyOvK4uqaHDq4fEvH2sEJoLOihkixlUw/s1600/vintage+movie+projector.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="753" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzd-4aToTsEU_vCAVxqUvqUzusVDuAeJ4Zmb2u9jCDATMhmlTM_Be89vWk1K27sJ8PuOIBaZOEq2Ko8_RhqBNhDJPEGxk7BRaoVKmNByjyOvK4uqaHDq4fEvH2sEJoLOihkixlUw/s320/vintage+movie+projector.jpg" width="320" /> </a></p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div>This is a somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during February 2024. </div><p><br />Movies
and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted
otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online
source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise).
In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film
is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the
WorldCat record if available):</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3829266" target="_blank">The Predator</a></i> (2018. Action. Adventure. Horror). "<span class="sc-466bb6c-2 chnFO" data-testid="plot-xl" role="presentation">When
a young boy accidentally triggers the universe's most lethal hunters'
return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled
scientist can prevent the end of the human race." Another entry in the
series. While I like the series, given low ratings I've seen I am going
in with low expectations. At this point, the U.S. Government is fully
aware of the predators, well, the shady parts of the government, and
they want to keep it hidden no matter what. Early on you can tell this
is one of those movies where whatever the government wants to hide will
not stay hidden long, mayhem will happen, and the soldier they
imprisoned to keep him quiet, because he saw a predator ship, will have
to save the day. The veterans can be a bit entertaining, likely the good
humor part of the film. The scientist is your typical for this kind of
movie smart woman that the other science guys may or not appreciate.
That she sort of becomes badass along the way is a bit of a stretch to
be honest. I am not saying you needed dame in distress, but yea, was she
also in the rangers and not tell anyone? The "autistic" boy is your
typical for movies way to put in a genius without it being an adult.
It's the often annoying stereotype of the autistic kid as a serious
savant, and to be honest, I could've done without the kid, but the kid
is son of the one soldier, so there is also the estranged father angle.
So a lot of the movie is very much by the numbers, and thus not that
good. It kind of drags to be honest. The pace does pick up a bit in the
final 45 minutes or so (of an hour and 45 minutes). The ending to be
honest, which ties up the premise of the film seems a bit of a stretch,
even for this kind of movie. The predator concept is already quite a
classic, and here it just feels like they are trying to really stretch
it to keep the franchise going. The story here is just not that good.
Some parts of the film look good, but that is about it. In the end, you
are better off going back to the 1987 classic original. 1 out of 5
stars, and barely. Via TubiTv. Watched 2/2.</span></li><li><span class="sc-466bb6c-2 chnFO" data-testid="plot-xl" role="presentation"><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098156" target="_blank">R.O.T.O.R.</a></i> (1987. Action. Science Fiction. Thriller). Plot description: "</span><span class="sc-466bb6c-2 chnFO" data-testid="plot-xl" role="presentation">Robotic
Officer Tactical Operation Research. A prototype robot intended for
crime combat escapes from the development lab and goes on a killing
rampage." This came out the same year as <i>Robocop</i> (<i>Robocop</i>
came out in July, and this one later in October of the same year), only
this time as often happens in these movies, the prototype escapes and
goes on a killing spree. Dr. Coldyron creates the robot to be a perfect
cop, but when the robotic officer escapes the lab in Texas after
activating prematurely, he now has to try to stop his creation.The
acting is pretty bad, and the script tries to be serious but it is just
not good. It's ridiculous in parts and semi-funny on other parts. The
plot with the greedy government officials is just ridiculous; it does
not really make sense other than to push the overall plot along.
Willard, the police robot and assistant, provides a small bit of humor.
The movie overall does have a good amount of filler; we do not get to
see the robot until about 45 minutes into the film, about halfway. Even
after that, the film is just stiff, the plot is seriously flimsy, and
the acting is fairly bad. The overall script is just poor. This could
have been a semi-decent B-movie at least, but the execution overall is
just bad, and the film drags. The very end sort of tries to set up a
possible sequel, but that never happened, which is probably for the
better. About the only cool thing about this movie is the movie poster. 1
out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 2/2.<br /></span></li><ul><li> To
make sure you know this is in Texas, they give you as many hints,
besides giving you Dallas as the location. The doctor has a mug that
says "Texas" on, he wears cowboy boots, and some of the soundtrack has
country music. Also, the cops wear cowboy hats, so yeehaw. </li></ul></ul><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p>Television and other series<i> </i>(basic
show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of
these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube,
which, as noted before, I keep finding all sorts of other old shows in
it, often full episodes:<br /></p><div><br /></div><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbo" target="_blank">Columbo</a> </i>(1968-2003.
Crime. Drama. Mystery). The popular and often beloved series with Peter
Falk in the title role. I commented initially on the series back<a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/12/media-notes-roundup-for-november-2023.html" target="_blank"> in November 2023</a>
when I started watching it. A fascinating detail to me is that, unlike
other detective shows where we the viewer do not know who did the crime
until the detective finds out, in this show we already know who did it
and how. We just get to watch how Columbo puts it together, and there is
the suspense, will he figure it out? Well, we know he does, but it is
amusing to watch. The criminals often taunt him, intentionally or not,
which never helps them. Watched up to Season 1, Episode 8. <br /></li><ul><li>In Season 1, Episode 7, Leslie Nielsen guest stars. </li><li>Season 1, Episode 8, Roddy McDowall and James Gregory (some of you may know him also as Inspector Luger in <i>Barney Miller</i>) guest star. <br /></li></ul><li><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NYPD_Blue" target="_blank">NYPD Blue</a></i>
(1995-2003. Police procedural. Drama). The critically acclaimed police
drama from ABC in the late 1990s into early 2000s. I remember watching
this back in the day, and I did watch it all the way through, or at
least most of it to the very end. For me what always stood up is that
poor Sipowicz could never catch a break. Every time things seems to
start looking up for him the writers would just mess it up for him
somehow, often in very painful ways. Anyhow, Tubi got the full series in
so I decided to revisit it. Finished Season 1 and 2.<br /></li><ul><li>Season
1, Episode 1: Pilot. I had forgotten how much they could pack into one
episode. It is only about 48 minutes, without ads, but at times it feels
like a much longer episode. Very intense, the drama does not let up
much throughout. The revelation at the end of the one officer who is
corrupt was a good twist, which is an example of the surprises the
series could offer. </li><li>As always, for me at least, finding guest
stars famous from other places is always a bit of fun. In Season 1,
Episode 6, Tobin Bell appears (you may know him from the<i> Saw</i> film series). </li><li>Also Puerto Rican actor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Guzm%C3%A1n" target="_blank">Luis Guzman</a>
appears in Season 1, Episode 5; he plays Martinez's father (John
Turturro's character). Guzman is one of those actors you often see in
small roles here or there. </li><li>In actors you may know from elsewhere. In early Season 2, Peter Boyle guest stars as Sipowicz's (Dennis Franz) AA sponsor. </li><li>Detective
Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) appears in Season 2 and joins the cast.
Meanwhile, Detective Kelly (Caruso) leaves the series. Given how long
the series lasted, I had forgotten Kelly left so early in the series.
Simone then replaces Kelly. </li><li>Again, in actors you may know from
elsewhere, Frank Sivero plays a local small mobster in Season 2, Episode
16. You may remember him as Frankie Carbone in <i>Goodfellas</i>. In fact, in the episode he looks practically like he did in his <i>Goodfellas</i> role. </li></ul></ul><p> </p><p> </p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-75052263145186836552024-02-23T09:33:00.048-05:002024-02-23T09:33:00.132-05:00Book Review: The Evil Eye<p>Antonio Pagliarulo, <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/1347362890" target="_blank"><i>The Evil Eye: the History, Mystery, and Magic of the Quiet Curse</i></a>. Newburyport, MA: Weiser Books, 2023. ISBN: 9781578637973. <br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: folklore, folk magic</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subgenre: academic studies, guides</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: trade paperback</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: Via Interlibrary Loan through Hutchins Library, Berea College. The book came from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCC), Jackson County Campus Library, Gautier, MS. <br /></div><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0L3Z8oyTZhGg_mkXmEBx6udPaxIKDo3GxzwbUEPE33WXR2ad4hU2zxz_0Y_4y2U44dRoZsCmT-LBqV7HKMJ70dsWf631bqILHKQpYjQ5-d44IE-yASe6EvODFnx4MQmrHUKyJSdDY-74OKpfH83TogEfsNKjC9ylLV1XEQDBJu67QVcTSbhT6A/s210/The%20Evil%20Eye%20book%20cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="140" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0L3Z8oyTZhGg_mkXmEBx6udPaxIKDo3GxzwbUEPE33WXR2ad4hU2zxz_0Y_4y2U44dRoZsCmT-LBqV7HKMJ70dsWf631bqILHKQpYjQ5-d44IE-yASe6EvODFnx4MQmrHUKyJSdDY-74OKpfH83TogEfsNKjC9ylLV1XEQDBJu67QVcTSbhT6A/s1600/The%20Evil%20Eye%20book%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div><br />I think I first heard about this book on social media. The book is an exploration of the folk magic known as the Evil Eye. In this book, the author presents its origins and history, and how to detect it, protect from it, and even deploy it (if you need to defend yourself). <p></p><p>The book is arranged as follows: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A foreword by Judika Illes (her <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judika_Illes" target="_blank">Wikipedia entry</a>). </li><li>Introduction.</li><li>Chapter 1: Defining and Demystifying the Evil Eye.</li><li>Chapter 2: History, Origins, and Traditions. </li><li>Chapter 3: Amulets, Talismans, and How to Ward Away the Evil Eye.</li><li>Chapter 4: How to Diagnose the Evil Eye.</li><li>Chapter 5: How to Cure the Evil Eye: Spells, Prayers, Magic, and Rituals. </li><li>Chapter 6: How to Cast the Evil Eye.</li><li>Epilogue.</li><li>Appendix: the Evil Eye Around the World. </li><li>Bibliography and Online Resources. </li></ul><p> As we can see from the chapters, the book covers a lot of ground. The author starts by defining the term and showing how the concept is present in so many places. Odds are your culture either believes in the Evil Eye or in something very similar with a different name. Both religious and non-religious can and do believe in some form of the Evil Eye. I found interesting the parts discussing the Evil Eye in various cultural and ethnic traditions. </p><p>For folks who want or need to deal with it, the author looks at how to diagnose it, how to cure it, and even how to cast it. He emphasizes casting Evil Eye as a form of self-defense against someone who may do it to you. Do keep in mind, and I found this detail interesting, that anyone can cast and be victim of the Evil Eye at any time. Also, not all casting of the Evil Eye is intentional and malicious. Sometimes it can happen accidentally, so as the author suggests you want to learn all you can so you can keep it away and even defend from it if necessary. By the way, there is even a way to diagnose the Evil Eye using Tarot cards. <br /></p><p>The book overall is well written and accessible. I was a bit worried it might be a bit much like a textbook, but it is interesting and relatively easy to read. Even if you are a non-believer, this book teaches us about a phenomenon that many people around the world take very seriously. I leave it up to readers how seriously or not they take it. </p><p>Overall, I do recommend this book for public and academic libraries. For folks interested in forms of folk magic, this is a recommended book and one to add to their collections. I'd order it for our library just for the historical elements. This is a good work of scholarship as well as a folk magic guide.</p><p>5 out of 5 stars. </p><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-67437061284040300002024-02-16T09:15:00.001-05:002024-02-16T09:15:00.137-05:00Book Review: United States of Murder Inc.<p>Brian Michael Bendis (author) and Michael Avon Oeming (artist), <i><a href="https://search.worldcat.org/title/1079422524" target="_blank">The United States of Murder Inc</a></i>. Burbank, CA: DC Comics/Jinxworld, 2018. ISBN: 9781401287467. <br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: comics and graphic novels</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subgenre: Mafia, crime, noir, alternate history</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: e-book galley</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: Netgalley </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0KEard3yhY6JKHTcVYN3c6st2o1xzGB25q1sxzqEaO3nayblwNbJIGYTJfUZOcg8tKIdTzvNWGAUlKV8W1DaNbn53qzgeFZtog73UqyKvZT-N3NR1kA01wUI-ZCR2xV-LX-5IB98KvgdUGSzUsu7K8LvGnynoKTqDxy2XN1vFIK1AC7mZwxGPQ/s215/United%20States%20of%20Murder%20Inc%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="140" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0KEard3yhY6JKHTcVYN3c6st2o1xzGB25q1sxzqEaO3nayblwNbJIGYTJfUZOcg8tKIdTzvNWGAUlKV8W1DaNbn53qzgeFZtog73UqyKvZT-N3NR1kA01wUI-ZCR2xV-LX-5IB98KvgdUGSzUsu7K8LvGnynoKTqDxy2XN1vFIK1AC7mZwxGPQ/s1600/United%20States%20of%20Murder%20Inc%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>In an alternate United States, the Cosa Nostra never fell. In fact, it fully controls parts of the East Coast, Chicago, and Las Vegas. When our story begins, Valentine Gallo just becomes a made man. He is sent to deliver a package to a U.S. Senator, which seems to be a somewhat routine task. However, shortly after he does the delivery, a bomb goes off and kills the senator. Was there a bomb in the package? Was the bomb part of some other plot? Now Valentine and his reluctant companion Jagger Rose, a hitwoman, are on the run from the Mafia and the Feds, and they need to clear their names and find out what really happened. <p></p><p>The premise of the comic overall is interesting. This is a near future where the Mafia became stronger, and by now it's a fact of life. The story is fast paced once the events are in motion. The plot for the most part draws you in. However, there are one or two plot points that even for a fictional setting are a bit of a stretch, and they can detract from the overall story. </p><p>In addition, the art is good but at times it is a little too dark. This is a noir comic, but when some panels are so dark and/or vague that you can't make out some of the details that can be an issue. </p><p>Overall, I liked it, but I felt it could've been better. The art certainly needed more clarity. Still, it is an interesting action story in an alternate history setting. For libraries, I would say this is an optional selection. I would order it for our library if a patron requested it. It does end in a cliffhanger, so I may or not seek out the next volume. </p><p>3 out of 5 stars.</p><p>Book qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenges: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidv3oDS2yVA1U47x_rgoaVreLvvf6c3qDdKNSVSrCFlz5nWJ1ldIU3_cs7ZomsI4B54R37gXleYcgvekT-XuZGiGfCqdylZd7BudGCAYaBjMsdziCII4QJBJpJDY1wwbb5gY2Bux3-8VWt-FjoOqoi74s0fT_7K2mtFy0-1VLwriacJYvda6A2Fw/s320/NetGalley%20Edelweiss%20Reading%20Challenge%202024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidv3oDS2yVA1U47x_rgoaVreLvvf6c3qDdKNSVSrCFlz5nWJ1ldIU3_cs7ZomsI4B54R37gXleYcgvekT-XuZGiGfCqdylZd7BudGCAYaBjMsdziCII4QJBJpJDY1wwbb5gY2Bux3-8VWt-FjoOqoi74s0fT_7K2mtFy0-1VLwriacJYvda6A2Fw/s1600/NetGalley%20Edelweiss%20Reading%20Challenge%202024.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHvZC6B32Ng2ZW1tuj1HimdDnBsmdZUiMAdOT-uLG2ehpRrQiK-S3KwP-W5pNRzc0Oam9szxVScE7FC9YOWo3GuaaNKv5_R5Bub_UaWR8rsvUcFMkoMG8-HIQxzv6NyP6TfRT3qekvU0bxtqawP1rBbRhhs3UvC8pbo9Ug39LKDzSdo_GidEIzw/s377/Reading%20by%20the%20Numbers%20Challenge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="377" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHvZC6B32Ng2ZW1tuj1HimdDnBsmdZUiMAdOT-uLG2ehpRrQiK-S3KwP-W5pNRzc0Oam9szxVScE7FC9YOWo3GuaaNKv5_R5Bub_UaWR8rsvUcFMkoMG8-HIQxzv6NyP6TfRT3qekvU0bxtqawP1rBbRhhs3UvC8pbo9Ug39LKDzSdo_GidEIzw/s320/Reading%20by%20the%20Numbers%20Challenge.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-72155092736298358042024-02-16T08:21:00.073-05:002024-02-16T08:21:00.145-05:00Book Review: Helsreach<p>Aaron Dembski-Bowden, <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/1329359376" target="_blank"><i>Helsreach</i></a>. Nottingham, UK: Black Library, 2020. ISBN: 9781789993127. <br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: military science fiction</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subgenre: Warhammer 40,000; Space Marines Battles series (Book 2)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: hardcover</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: Beaumont Branch, Lexington (KY) Public Library </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote>"<i>We are judged in life for the evil we destroy</i>" -- Mordred, Reclusiarch of the Black Templars, mentor and predecessor of Reclusiarch Grimaldus.</blockquote><br /></div><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvg8cG8rX1ScOdqTBbPpHm4Kn-6FEafzNjijumIwUZW81h9P7Bx822Oq138WpKdkr1Sml1fgZSOKWtWparSW49cWLOSISNGRiPf5gdNzZBEwANFiUPNcQ0iSZsWvGmdwvOUeJn1w_QcO0BE1OKjbUVYFIwgm2cuJ_Mb50D1JKNXkipF7Zx0oNFfA/s211/Helsreach%20cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="140" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvg8cG8rX1ScOdqTBbPpHm4Kn-6FEafzNjijumIwUZW81h9P7Bx822Oq138WpKdkr1Sml1fgZSOKWtWparSW49cWLOSISNGRiPf5gdNzZBEwANFiUPNcQ0iSZsWvGmdwvOUeJn1w_QcO0BE1OKjbUVYFIwgm2cuJ_Mb50D1JKNXkipF7Zx0oNFfA/s1600/Helsreach%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>Reclusiarch Grimaldus, a chaplain of the Black Templars Space Marines Chapter, is among many sent to defend the planet of Armageddon from a massive ork invasion. Leading 100 Black Templars, he is sent to defend Hive Helsreach. He does not really want to be there; he feels and is convinced he will die there in a meaningless death. However, he does his duty and rallies his Space Marines and the city defenders. When the enemy numbers seem to keep rising, and his Space Marines keep dying, will he be able to hold for reinforcements, or will his feeling of dying become a self-fulfilling prophecy? <p></p><p>Before Grimaldus arrives on Armageddon, the opening scene of the novel is him recalling his ascension to Reclusiarch, a promotion that was not unanimous, but he did get enough votes to be approved. He himself does not always feel worthy of his predecessor's mantle, Mordred, so he strives to live up to it. <br /></p><p>The novel's narrative features two points of view mainly. One is the omniscient third person narrator. The other is Grimaldus' point of view. This provides a good narrative with some depth. The novel offers plenty of drama not only in combat but also in the politics and relationships. In the Imperium of Man, the various factions do not always get along. Grimaldus needs to be a warrior, a chaplain, and a diplomat. He has to encourage soldiers without outright taking over. He has to persuade the Mechanicum to lend their Titans to the defense of Helsreach and more. Through it all he strives to stay true to his chapter's ideas and honor. </p><p>Along the way, we meet other characters such as Trooper Andrej, a local soldier tasked with training and leading civilians who are given arms when things get really bad. We meet the crone princeps of Titan <i>Stormherald</i> who often makes things difficult for Grimaldus. The author does provide good detail on how the Titans work in looking at <i>Stormherald</i> and its crew, specially the bond between the crone princeps and the machine. For fans who know, they will appreciate the small appearance of Commissar Sebastian Yarrick. For those interested, Yarrick has his own series of novels; I read one of them: <i>Imperial Creed</i> (<a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2019/10/booknote-yarrick-imperial-creed.html" target="_blank">link to my review</a>). The author does a good job of weaving these and other stories into a good narrative; these are characters we care about as we read. </p><p>The novel's pace is swift. There is plenty of action and conflict as well as drama. The book is 396 pages for the novel, but it reads fast. Grimaldus is a complicated man, stubborn at times, who grows under fire to prove he is worthy of his Reclusiarch title. Fans of Warhammer 40,000 and Space Marines will likely enjoy this one. The novel can be a good option for casual readers as it is a stand alone novel. </p><p>This particular edition is part of the publisher's Masterworks series. It includes the novel and a 30-page short story, "At Gaius Point." The story is about events prior to the novel where traitor space marines invade Helsreach and are confronted by battle sisters. This group of Adepta Sororitas appear later in the novel, so that is the short story's connection to the novel. However, to be honest, the story is not as good as the novel. I'd say if you choose to skip it, you are not missing that much. The story does provide some explanation why the local sisters are a bit unfriendly to the Space Marines. </p><p>In addition, this edition is a very nice hardcover volume. Readers who collect the books may like this one on the shelf. It can also be a very good choice for libraries that collect science fiction and game based or franchise based fiction. I would still consider buying the volume for my personal shelf. Overall, a very good novel with good characters and plenty of action. I do recommend it. </p><p>5 out of 5 stars. </p><p>Two additional quotes from the novel I wanted to remember: </p><p></p><blockquote>"All lore is useful in the right hands. All information can be a weapon against the enemy" -- Grimaldus (223). </blockquote><p></p><p>I may need to put the above quote in my e-mail signature lines. <br /></p><p></p><blockquote>"Nothing is purer than hatred. With hatred, humanity was forged. Through hatred, we have brought the galaxy to its knees" -- Grimaldus, on meeting with Princeps Zarha, regarding the D-16 Oberon weapon (140).</blockquote><p></p><p>Context above is the princeps is being difficult, opposes Grimaldus using the weapon, and at one point she states she hates him for it. This is basically how he replies since he is going to do it anyways. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-24634936445237413532024-02-14T09:18:00.001-05:002024-02-14T09:18:00.143-05:00Top 4 graphic novels and comics read in 2023<div class="separator"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">Graphic novels, comics, and manga are a genre I enjoy, but last year 2023 felt a bit lean in terms of reading them. Looking back at my <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2024/01/reading-list-for-2023.html" target="_blank">reading list for 2023</a>, I read 24 graphic novels and comics plus one manga. Out of the 24, these four stood out for me based on me reviewing them and rating them either a four or five out of five stars. If the review is posted on the blog at this time, I will include the link. The list is in no particular order. <br /></p></div><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/01/book-review-lady-mechanika-volume-1.html" target="_blank">Lady Mechanika, Volume 1: The Mystery of the Mechanical Corpse</a>.</i> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="140" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxBkQxbmB7ZbtpOSr02r9kxwkSdruizhSsotjYeU6tbx3mK0C2gC6_u5PTk1l2kaRZuG_5yXbBd4GyuClEzn6VV957QIycgXnOi7dwGUtLPgGoQ1Jw7WaOcUKTNwzzhk1GPLev7PDm-QxhAF7DqjutQGjdS3pHzUyGyYQQA1R46vYCPENzD4/s1600/Lady%20Mechanika%20V1%20cover.jpg" width="140" /> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;">From my review: "The tale is intriguing and draws the reading in. The pace is swift and
steady, and the story offers a good blend of mystery, suspense, and
adventure. Fans of adventure stories and steampunk will find plenty to
enjoy. The story has a bit of feel like some of the old pulp
adventures. " </p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/01/book-review-cimmerian-volume-4.html" target="_blank">The Cimmerian, Volume 4</a></i>. </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="140" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8JjefeJAqFhfWL-YOCwXNwBHtby5MlndGqP501tAOudv3VBZBUMVFsv1sTVCmTqXYGbncLFP_kpKCJN6dbUoWx_Wmpx9CHldwwJYKyBrasKsNul0zovCBIdVOA92iqDnk-jzMc-kCej1qdE_Oy5m9uDjtWH8aD8gQUDREN-TzNI34xWAcm0/s1600/The%20Cimmerian%20Vol%204%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;">From the review. This is a series I continue to enjoy. Note that the editions in this series also include the original text of Robert Howard's Conan tales, so you can read the original along with the graphic novel adaptations. "If you are a fan of the Conan stories, you'll enjoy these adaptations where we get Conan wild, uncensored, and smart."</p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/02/book-review-knock-em-dead.html" target="_blank"><i>Knock 'Em Dead</i></a>. </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="140" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixp4_KfYAq48ArI7DIWlDUTxj8ti3F98t_dy0e8k0M4R-n2OFjAD5cIah8o0ix28xLSkal2tRbV5-y7THomHqVeK_iaOPLTNhBAA50B0LQU5aW7OTW0wHImlZJKhu6S-ynDmVtngaIO6qKqKo0rH6STpD8ZgN4W32bzJX0E8yZo-buhx0VqIc/s1600/Knock%20Em%20Dead%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;"> From the review: "The comic overall is a good read. If you like a bit of horror with a bit
of humor, this is a good selection. It is well paced and engaging. The
art is good and in full color."</p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2020/04/booknote-star-wars-legends-epic.html" target="_blank">Star Wars Epic Collection: The Empire, Volume 1</a>. </i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BuFwQtjUtcRFGLrNQ2l1F6r-TtHzMsqNhgWi3wmNvVbu7mRvNcO1WOj_4yXa0hnWKWBPRD7QStv4S3nFfsKAHKsQm6s7WxSR3iYO78Lpt5zleFUKzvouMP5CRtpKsjJnZKlvGQ/s1600/Star+Wars+Epic+Coll+Empire+V1+cover.jpg" /><i> <br /></i></p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;">This was a reread for me in 2023. From the review: "Overall, I really liked this one. Do note given this is a compilation
that art style may vary, but overall it is good art with great
storytelling (certainly better than the recent third trilogy of films)."</p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-56326580429401931452024-02-14T09:13:00.058-05:002024-02-14T09:13:00.133-05:00Book Review: Llewellyn's Complete Book of Divination<p>Richard Webster,<i><a href="https://search.worldcat.org/title/1001251185" target="_blank"> Llewellyn's Complete Book of Divination</a></i>. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Worldwide, 2017. <br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Reference, divination</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subgenre: esoterica </div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: e-book galley</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: Netgalley<br /></div><p> </p><p>The word "complete" may be a little ambitious, but this book does cover a good amount of divination practices. If you are curious, odds are you will find a divination practice of interest in the book and get some good information about it. The author has written extensively on various divination and psychic practices, so he is a good guide for this journey. </p><p>The book is arranged as follows: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Introduction.</li><li>Chapter One: What is Divination? Terms are defined in this chapter. </li><li>Chapter Two: The History of Divination. You get a brief history plus short biographical sketches of famous divination practitioners. </li><li>Chapter Three: The Main Systems of Divination. This is the core of the book. It features entries for 31 systems, some more popular than others. </li><li>Chapter Four: Unusual Methods of Divination. This is a list of additional methods with a brief description. </li><li>Chapter 5: How to Choose the Right Oracle for You. </li><li>Chapter : Preparing for Divination.</li><li>Conclusion.</li><li>Appendix: Different Types of Divination. This is an additional list. </li><li>Bibliography.</li></ul> <br /><div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50SOfV4poUIAtLVlTKp-wgjVCj-v-qfRWdPBCHo4kzHqTBWyF_mLGT6myBS2iiKzLHUtnlzMctWiZofITRJRBg7dMAty_a2JKiRLUoZW0QWWO_fPkrJTB1qxZ5-tX_GhW1Qi70ckxoxbjhdu0hyZiyQ-TeRR_44W_1HaufvuJ-OuqY8ysEHH88A/s175/Llewellyn%20Complete%20Book%20of%20Divination%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="140" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50SOfV4poUIAtLVlTKp-wgjVCj-v-qfRWdPBCHo4kzHqTBWyF_mLGT6myBS2iiKzLHUtnlzMctWiZofITRJRBg7dMAty_a2JKiRLUoZW0QWWO_fPkrJTB1qxZ5-tX_GhW1Qi70ckxoxbjhdu0hyZiyQ-TeRR_44W_1HaufvuJ-OuqY8ysEHH88A/s1600/Llewellyn%20Complete%20Book%20of%20Divination%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>This book can be useful for casual readers as well as folks interested in taking up a divination practice. The author takes us from basic definitions to the history to a look at the major practices. <p></p><p>Chapter Three is the core. It covers 31 systems that the author felt should be presented. The entries overall are informative and define the practice. The author often tells of his personal experience with a divination practice and/or experiences of other people he has encountered in his work. He then provides basic steps on how to do the practice or at least try it out. At the end of each entry, the author provides a small list of suggested readings if you wish to learn more. Additionally, the book features some illustrations for various practices. Type and quality of illustrations can vary. For the Tarot entry, for example, they used illustrations from the <i>Llewellyn Classic Tarot</i> deck (you can find <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2021/04/deck-review-tarot-made-easy-deck-set.html" target="_blank">my review of that deck here</a>). </p><p>The unusual methods chapter includes some of the less common practices that the author considered still interesting enough to include in the book such as banana reading, which is worth reading. </p><p>In addition, the author provides some advice to help readers choose a practice if so moved and how to prepare for doing divination. </p><p>This is an interesting book. It is informative, and it provides enough detail on the 31 main practices for folks who may want to try a practice. Keep in mind one or two practices may be closed or restricted such as Ifa, which is done by babalawos. I read the book cover to cover for this review, but for most readers this is a book for browsing. Read the introductory chapters, then pick a topic of interest in Chapter Three. I also liked the advice for choosing the right divination tool for you. I am a cartomancer that reads Tarot and oracle cards. I am thinking of expanding the repertoire, so a book like this is helpful to get the basics on other practices and help me decide if I want to go further or not. </p><p>For me, this may be a book to borrow. I do, however, strongly recommend it for libraries, especially libraries that already collect pagan and other esoteric materials. For libraries just starting to collect esoterica, pagan topics, and related themes, this would be a good addition. In the end, I really liked it and am glad to have read it. </p><p>4 out of 5 stars.</p><p><br /></p><p>Qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenges: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdYbsWWYeNs1dthqMmcfky1FgDGJl9KLiqRdhDAF6LcQ4yH7VYXlLAZ_QykRKSq31YXoUnYzJrK4Jd4PPkMYqZNZPmsyP7_kTgkb98EVlDuIVIqMCY5Pw_rsaRyZSOI2mlHVht4Km0a4ud01SvV-3R5ONgcU4Fxe5X7X53LrFTEFOEYNMn9yY0A/s320/NetGalley%20Edelweiss%20Reading%20Challenge%202024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdYbsWWYeNs1dthqMmcfky1FgDGJl9KLiqRdhDAF6LcQ4yH7VYXlLAZ_QykRKSq31YXoUnYzJrK4Jd4PPkMYqZNZPmsyP7_kTgkb98EVlDuIVIqMCY5Pw_rsaRyZSOI2mlHVht4Km0a4ud01SvV-3R5ONgcU4Fxe5X7X53LrFTEFOEYNMn9yY0A/s1600/NetGalley%20Edelweiss%20Reading%20Challenge%202024.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UFJgw71lLdHdK-bApPANrxX4xmidjsEkLZViYCNKkazCDRhOTZzLgRHpKzp9jbiptCr_oOmFNO8eL16rST5P7hFuAmH-FY0JnsEF4XD0PhiZab7x-IQzM_LoQMql8QQpjdHNdyQ4c1QJuwqL9QpeVdO3WgX6nBNhzSP_vQ90C2TEE-cO-63_sA/s377/Reading%20by%20the%20Numbers%20Challenge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="377" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UFJgw71lLdHdK-bApPANrxX4xmidjsEkLZViYCNKkazCDRhOTZzLgRHpKzp9jbiptCr_oOmFNO8eL16rST5P7hFuAmH-FY0JnsEF4XD0PhiZab7x-IQzM_LoQMql8QQpjdHNdyQ4c1QJuwqL9QpeVdO3WgX6nBNhzSP_vQ90C2TEE-cO-63_sA/s320/Reading%20by%20the%20Numbers%20Challenge.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p></div>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-13696329590465666602024-02-09T08:20:00.003-05:002024-02-09T08:20:00.194-05:00Top 4 fiction books I read in 2023<p>Welcome to the second post in my series of top books I read in 2023. This is based on my <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2024/01/reading-list-for-2023.html" target="_blank">2023 Reading List</a>. I may have mentioned this before, but I am not a big fiction reader. I do enjoy it, and I enjoy some specific genres, but nonfiction tends to be my reading default when it comes to texts. Out of 8 fiction works I read last year, only four got a four or five stars out of five stars rating to make it on this list. Turns out that last year was a year for Warhammer 40,000 books. Two of the four are WH40K books. One was from the Horus Heresy series (so, similar to WH40K), and one other science fiction novel. What can I say? They were good books. While I am not making promises now, I hope to read a bit more fiction in this new year 2024. We'll see how that goes. </p><p>These books are listed in no particular order. If a review for a book is published, I will include a link to it. </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/06/book-review-artificial-condition.html" target="_blank">Artificial Condition </a></i>(Murderbot Diaries, Book 2)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="223" data-original-width="140" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ag9d3aUKmN8JynKlOdoXLjoeYY2cxYN3scAkTf9Dqwq23LR9q42-wVynXPfKQIHDCz8LRhETQMuD5vYKZ86e_VT91aIJuzsmUkGetHTeLHIbhk0vlWSTe7SI3vhTua_V6572Rm2wiBpbQMMgdtS21CC1JMZPd1tvY8ZyRBi5fygfrQy9BQ8/s1600/Artificial%20Condition%20cover.jpg" width="140" /> <br /></p><p><br /></p><p>From my review: "The novel is fun, entertaining, and keeps you reading once you start.
The writing is concise. I do appreciate that so far the novels are
short, fun, and to the point." The Murderbot series has been one of my recent pleasant discoveries in fiction, science fiction this time. I am a bit skeptical since I understand the newer books are longer novels. Part of the appeal for me is that the books so far are easy reads, fun, and short. We'll see. So far this is a series I recommend. The only reason I have not read more of the series is that I tend to move from one book to another. For series, I often read a book or two, take a break, and assuming I liked it, come back after reading something else. It is very rare I just binge read a series. </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/03/book-review-first-heretic.html" target="_blank">The First Heretic: Fall to Chaos</a></i> (Horus Heresy, Book 14)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="140" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUekBEU17-1B_2PJQ2hD3gd0LBY0JNU9cqWiVkHpwjEfq-i-vN3yNO4B6wd23-cSRBg4W6lfStr684FO1O2J2GKhE7r8rv1snFYtxTJ6MKf4ntbu1WaRzlaPVlqYuyXDZFEBZKhT3y2k-w2cYkbQs_UoHtNX-KpZWiKziyQxtXSCwsSJDJe7c/s1600/the%20first%20heretic%20cover.jpg" width="140" /> <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>From my review: "Overall, I really liked this book. It is one from the series I would
recommend, especially for those readers who may like Chaos forces in
Warhammer 40,000 or want to read more about the Word Bearers. The novel
blends tragedy, a bit of pathos, intrigues, and warfare." </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Helsreach</i> (Warhammer 40,000. Space Marines Battles, Book 2)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvg8cG8rX1ScOdqTBbPpHm4Kn-6FEafzNjijumIwUZW81h9P7Bx822Oq138WpKdkr1Sml1fgZSOKWtWparSW49cWLOSISNGRiPf5gdNzZBEwANFiUPNcQ0iSZsWvGmdwvOUeJn1w_QcO0BE1OKjbUVYFIwgm2cuJ_Mb50D1JKNXkipF7Zx0oNFfA/s211/Helsreach%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="140" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvg8cG8rX1ScOdqTBbPpHm4Kn-6FEafzNjijumIwUZW81h9P7Bx822Oq138WpKdkr1Sml1fgZSOKWtWparSW49cWLOSISNGRiPf5gdNzZBEwANFiUPNcQ0iSZsWvGmdwvOUeJn1w_QcO0BE1OKjbUVYFIwgm2cuJ_Mb50D1JKNXkipF7Zx0oNFfA/s1600/Helsreach%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> <br /></p><p>As of this post, the review is coming soon. I can say this was one of my favorite books overall for the year. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/12/book-review-space-wolf-omnibus.html" target="_blank">The Space Wolf Omnibus</a></i> (Warhammer 40,000)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="140" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaO5u_ykWPffXYTN_y-6D9W_wkJZHHNrDdXwzI-wDechdYiaON62U87H-f8kxGbj8sOFj4mwNx7z2YMQv9968OIKww1IZr1IHeaT_OVBGmNM7KrgjQgeU-cJq-VyDsVkH9Nen2WLxBzAQ8I8nNNAd_H4FREXfTP1AsfMhOGIC3Vq7JstxvHk5LHg/s1600/Space%20Wolf%20Omnibus%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></p><p><br /></p><p>From my review: "If you like your Space Marines novels with a lot of action and combat,
this is a good selection. Pacing is relatively fast, and the narrative
just moves swiftly. It is a book of about 760 pages, yet before you know
it you are easily halfway in your reading." This omnibus edition collects the first three novels in the Space Wolf series of Warhammer 40,000. By the way, among the amusing moments, well, if you have a bit of dark humor as I do, yes, we learn that even in the 41st Millennium they have responsible gun owners. </p><p>Allow me to add one more note. Except for <i>Artificial Condition</i>, the fiction books I read are on the longer side. <i>The Space Wolves Omnibus</i> is over 700 pages, and books like that tend to take me a good while to read through. I am not a fast reader, I know, may make me a bad librarian, but there you have it. In fact, I am reading another omnibus volume of three novels; it is very good so far, but I am not picking up any other fiction until I finish that one. Nonfiction I can read along with it just fine. </p><p>Thanks to my four readers for stopping by, and stay tuned for the third post in this series of top books where I look at the top comics and graphic novels I read for the year. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-15682485717900465722024-02-02T08:49:00.001-05:002024-02-02T08:49:00.256-05:00Media Notes Roundup for January 2024<p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzd-4aToTsEU_vCAVxqUvqUzusVDuAeJ4Zmb2u9jCDATMhmlTM_Be89vWk1K27sJ8PuOIBaZOEq2Ko8_RhqBNhDJPEGxk7BRaoVKmNByjyOvK4uqaHDq4fEvH2sEJoLOihkixlUw/s1600/vintage+movie+projector.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="753" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzd-4aToTsEU_vCAVxqUvqUzusVDuAeJ4Zmb2u9jCDATMhmlTM_Be89vWk1K27sJ8PuOIBaZOEq2Ko8_RhqBNhDJPEGxk7BRaoVKmNByjyOvK4uqaHDq4fEvH2sEJoLOihkixlUw/s320/vintage+movie+projector.jpg" width="320" /> </a></p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div>This is a somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during January 2024.We are right after the holidays here, and I did not watch a whole lot this month. To be honest, lately I have been reading a bit more rather than watching media, which I think can be a good thing. <br /></div><p><br />Movies
and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted
otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online
source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise).
In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film
is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the
WorldCat record if available). </p><p>Only one new to me movie this month, but it was a pretty good one. <br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1615147" target="_blank">Margin Call</a></i> (2011. Drama. Thriller). Plot description: "A respected financial company is downsizing, and one of the victims is
the risk-management division head, who was working on a major analysis
just when he was let go. His protégé completes the study late into the
night, then frantically calls his colleagues in about the company's
financial disaster he has discovered." From there, the drama unfolds as the company decides to do whatever it takes, even if unethical to put it mildly, to mitigate the coming damage. The film is inspired, loosely I am sure, by the days before the 2008 financial meltdown in the United States. If folks needed more confirmation how much Wall Street and their trading is like a casino and bookies, well, this movie will add to it. I also found interesting that at times the higher ups don't quite get some of the numbers, need their subordinates, which they mostly hold in contempt and barely know their names, to explain the numbers. The film is a very good drama with some good scenes. It also has a pretty good cast putting in good performances including Kevin Spacey and Stanley Tucci. It has some pretty good scenes here and there too. Not exactly an uplifting topic, but it is a good drama. For many, it will bring back the clusterfuck disaster that was the 2008 financial meltdown and memories of the Wall Street greedy assholes who caused it. The film humanizes one or two characters, the ones trying to hold on to some ethics, but the rest are pretty much greedy assholes seeking to survive for the next shady deal. In the end, when you pay attention you realize little has changed from then to today. Still, this is a film worth watching. 4 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 1/1.<br /></li><ul><li>The opening scene with the layoffs, particularly the analyst's layoff (Stanley Tucci's character) is seriously cold and ruthless. I am glad I do not work in a financial company or similar. Then again, given the shit show that is about to go down after his layoff, he may want to be thankful he was let go beforehand. </li><li>OK, some of the soundtrack is seriously blunt, like that folk song about wolves in the house the analyst's assistant (Zachary Quintero's character) listens to while working. Could they have been any more obvious? <br /></li></ul></ul><p><br /></p><div><p>Television and other series<i> </i>(basic
show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of
these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube,
which, as noted before, I keep finding all sorts of other old shows in
it, often full episodes. </p><p>Nothing on the television circuit I feel a need to highlight. I did re-watch some comfort media, but it is stuff I've already highlighted on the blog before. Overall, this was a slow month in terms of films and television for me. <br /></p><p> </p><br /></div>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-60208456515011943282024-01-31T08:23:00.032-05:002024-01-31T12:52:53.948-05:00Book Review: The Mandalorian: The Manga, Volume 1 (Star Wars)<p>Yusuke Osawa, et.al., <i><a href="https://search.worldcat.org/title/1396227691" target="_blank">Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Manga, Volume 1</a></i>. San Francisco, CA: VIZ Media, 2023. ISBN: 9781974740963. </p><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Star Wars</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subgenre: science fiction, space opera</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: Manga, e-book galley</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: Netgalley<br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4ju2Etkh723U6KwSRARtS1fKaHAzyWhato39T6NrTsvOxov5T4O43ZkLmdDkS-h1-GMQ0UWxBEQ8UEJXsA6GpLJ_85171nnbLBdy_mCNgOpDph_GKvl-syDZCHFIxjp27wX44B8kegJaBCySTpdcaEWQfzB1xVzitvI7d3ZNTQtQsEBBSBZBcQ/s200/The%20Mandalorian%20The%20Manga%20V1%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="140" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4ju2Etkh723U6KwSRARtS1fKaHAzyWhato39T6NrTsvOxov5T4O43ZkLmdDkS-h1-GMQ0UWxBEQ8UEJXsA6GpLJ_85171nnbLBdy_mCNgOpDph_GKvl-syDZCHFIxjp27wX44B8kegJaBCySTpdcaEWQfzB1xVzitvI7d3ZNTQtQsEBBSBZBcQ/s1600/The%20Mandalorian%20The%20Manga%20V1%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>As I recall,<i> The Mandalorian</i> has been a popular series on streamer Disney Plus; there is even<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-mandalorian-and-grogu-movie-coming/" target="_blank"> a movie</a> in development at this time. Now we have a manga adaptation. Before I go on I will note that I have not seen the streaming series, so I come to this book as a reader. <p></p><p>This book presents the initial part of the Mandalorian's story, a mysterious and laconic bounty hunter in the Star Wars universe. The story takes us up to the point where he meets The Child (Grogu). </p><p>The volume starts with four pages in full color illustration. The rest of the volume is then in basic black and white. It is a pity the full story is not in color. Despite that, the art overall is good. The story is fast paced as the Mandalorian moves from one mission to the next. Being that he does not speak much, there is not a lot of dialogue, so the story moves along. Much of the story moves visually, and the visual elements are good. The book is a quick and easy read. This is the first volume of the series, so I hope the story shows some depth as it develops further. So far the story is fairly light. </p><p>Fans of the series may consider reading this. It may work too for fans of newer Star Wars works. For libraries, if they have manga collections, and especially other Star Wars adaptations, they may want to acquire this. For my library, I would consider it an optional purchase. As a reader, this was nice, a bit of fun, but not terribly memorable. I did like it. </p><p>3 out of 5 stars. </p><p>Qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenge: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXz9EMufmN9YRpGLsRvnGQe8MX1Q-DRAtuQU7CzVqVbQSBT5xKAVGgiWMUTzqMLIYdHkPc4EkBBzA1T6SndCtQa4frYKWtBU_llD8hQHnf0hNYhp7IJRmhhmxqTTF31yMTGtRb-k0f5CUbr4jm3DEQKZ8NBhug1xZbDxjZ7TuE6jx4rjChct2XpA/s320/NetGalley%20Edelweiss%20Reading%20Challenge%202024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXz9EMufmN9YRpGLsRvnGQe8MX1Q-DRAtuQU7CzVqVbQSBT5xKAVGgiWMUTzqMLIYdHkPc4EkBBzA1T6SndCtQa4frYKWtBU_llD8hQHnf0hNYhp7IJRmhhmxqTTF31yMTGtRb-k0f5CUbr4jm3DEQKZ8NBhug1xZbDxjZ7TuE6jx4rjChct2XpA/s1600/NetGalley%20Edelweiss%20Reading%20Challenge%202024.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-26866025088520634622024-01-26T09:14:00.001-05:002024-01-26T09:14:00.143-05:00Top 8 nonfiction books I read in 2023<div class="separator"></div><p>I read and review a good amount of nonfiction here on the blog. From <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2024/01/reading-list-for-2023.html" target="_blank">my 2023 reading list</a>, these are the top eight, out of forty-seven, nonfiction books I read. This list includes books that I rated either a 4 or 5 out of 5 stars, and they are books I think more people should be consider reading. These are not books necessarily published in 2023; they are books I read in 2023. The list is in no particular order, and if I have posted the review, I will provide a link to the review. </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/04/book-review-hotel-scarface.html" target="_blank">Hotel Scarface: Where Cocaine Cowboys Partied and Plotted to Control Miami</a></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="140" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-3mxncdYBZVnp5P6Velhh6HCl6ewj9catTJH2Tu2oNciANSEdXcoE3QJ9H3FUZTBZ3Vp0pRQ3C9VEfdHpC5boXXEIYa8iaJkCrEnb2DO6-xktUE_NMTfMNeWRmqCXnYthiFmpV4BU3iKrZAfdj0XuRMo-vsj9KP0fCa0aQn9c2TfwUu_nFU/s1600/Hotel%20Scarface%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></p></div><p>From my review: "The book is a pretty good read. It's interesting, and short chapters
make for a faster pace. The narrative keeps our attention in part
because we get one outrageous story after another."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/04/book-review-book-lovers-guide-to-london.html">The Book Lover's Guide to London</a></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="140" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyAMcKFBVI6_3I8H8WbQ162EHd-ONIqZjTWLKs4JTF_rj6oR1GG5iBRK2SQ3-xkYuWh9o0GvxkBy6Y8dbJIjwwcEcKfmlCgAkNT7KwJUgrpav5LNHmYsYvJfynwCEN12xHXA4oF8px9ZpnBAERpc9iNwigzRU_Ij-BYVaeFrzJgjnJxHo9S0/s1600/Book%20Lover's%20Guide%20to%20London%20cover.jpg" width="140" />" <br /></p><p> </p><p>From my review: "This is a great book for readers who enjoy literary trivia as well as
for armchair travelers. It is also a good selection if you are traveling
to London wanting to see the literary sites."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/07/book-review-exorcist-legacy.html">The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear</a></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0hxk1nxpG87EBZOS9JjIhw64AADL1LXJJAPIioYOvAd53nuP5SgIce5LT0-N5RkZloFB8Ec05zrjvI_cUuMEcbEUUwduwjpwx67wL1GmGc18Prpt7zYoqsS1CnmGaI_adCKjru0bBWGwGasGzYlJAQGSfqqknLmx0ldipDzLYTho5h1hj8BZaw/s320/Exorcist%20Legacy%20cover.jpg" width="212" /> <br /></p><p> </p><p>From my review: "Overall, this is a pretty solid book for fans of the film. If you are a
reader who enjoys learning how films are made, this is a book for you.
If you wonder why <i>The Exorcist </i>maintains its appeal as a classic, this is a book for you."</p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/07/book-review-narcas.html" target="_blank">Narcas: the Secret Rise of Women in Latin America's Cartels</a></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="140" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RlOx_h4_P3IKvk6wDpbLdN9UZ28_XcniBLHKFupfvhuCdIK0Lu25T2ij0EemCrcbpp_PXyN39t7uzEtp1Sx0c4vWlQavzR_UguWwR-zRVEG-nPiKejGcY_Yb_Wf-7gS5lGT47rTp24IEkgt-MZQVLG5Qygqyg-tRB7WB3V4nDkSm2EPd7jhQkw/s1600/Narcas%20book%20cover.jpg" width="140" /> <br /></p><p> </p><p>From my review: "Odds are good many people have heard of drug lords like Pablo Escobar
and Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. Perhaps they have even heard of El
Chapo's sons, known often as Los Chapitos. Yet not many have heard about
the strong and powerful women of the drug trade, some just as fearsome
as the men. Deborah Bonello does the research and brings us the stories
of some of these women." I will add that before you watch the upcoming at this time <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67921672" target="_blank">Netflix series about Griselda Blanco</a>, portrayed by Sofia Vergara, you may want to consider reading this book first. </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/08/book-review-peoples-hospital.html" target="_blank">The People's Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine</a></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="140" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN36vSfvmp-Y37dL-SbqrG78m3XHhyuDE80tZzOx8_XMk1l1grW-T-HK4evNrkkDb0U5KhDfnftX27YkUz8UhyIjGDqaKaL6UQVxSzbzf32a9fTD4sLX016pSl8QsERq0UW7tTSLKOCdYpkfpMn44DhxYQl-sxRNaV59vuhaMs6yjnFMbdlnFLSg/s1600/The%20Peoples%20Hospital%20cover.jpg" width="140" /> <br /></p><p><br /></p><p>From my review: The author works at Houston's Ben Taub Hospital. Ben Taub is not only the trauma hospital in Houston, the one that you want to be taken to if you get shot in Houston. It is also the city's indigent hospital. "Overall I found this powerful book hard to read. It invokes a lot of
emotions, and if you have any sense of humanity it will move you. If may
also, if you are healthy, make you pray you never need health care
services in the United States." </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/09/book-review-how-to-write-erotica.html" target="_blank">How to Write Erotica</a></i> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="140" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyU7fFD0X725EO2LzHwTMgBQeeg5ybIYIGkPIf87YlMdmWcRlt8uYYhjObHOWzQIPGZ8r2p7q3BcDudM-4AKofk8f2wmLd8lBRl95m195YOXZgagp4p0icBzmY68vI630cqYOkkbQf0mzb_m5x1dggcsWMsfWsPGvTGfEL1mnGhkNb4pygWBDew/s1600/How%20to%20write%20erotica%20cover.jpg" width="140" /> <br /></p><p><br /></p><p>From my review: "I do recommend the book for any erotica writer at any level. I also
recommend it for writers in other genres who may want to add a bit of
erotica in their writing. In addition, I recommend it for writing book
shelves in libraries. You can learn a lot about the writing craft from
the book. I would definitely add it to my personal collection. " </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>War Made Invisible</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkCzHJL_pF-dLdH7P3ZO09aERH1NpZCY5oPfdD5AWPy1kJoQZDx_96RhoetP1XSgAH2395s-RyNIWrnUhkuRcebgirJ5XuhJ-smX70YetUhPN0CK_EobcBeIPNEeURE3XyGKQI4oI30E-hT1fU73WQ-j_tQPZrLZy7_vpfSjLvrEtnt4UUux4zw/s211/War%20made%20invisible%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="140" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkCzHJL_pF-dLdH7P3ZO09aERH1NpZCY5oPfdD5AWPy1kJoQZDx_96RhoetP1XSgAH2395s-RyNIWrnUhkuRcebgirJ5XuhJ-smX70YetUhPN0CK_EobcBeIPNEeURE3XyGKQI4oI30E-hT1fU73WQ-j_tQPZrLZy7_vpfSjLvrEtnt4UUux4zw/s1600/War%20made%20invisible%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;">The review for this one is coming soon, but I will say now that if you wonder how come the United States can't have things like universal health care, better education funding, and decent human services, this book offers an answer. <br /></p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/12/book-review-blood-money.html">Blood Money: The Story of Life, Death, and Profit Inside America's Blood Industry</a></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="140" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8mabjSx_LSVPEJoSlwNiRvesf0S1hiSCQb77nBeeYKl5IhrOfHmjXqCW9onlfC4bwiDYVU4A4yukkisH5SZJhJ9PQqgpD7ODqCW3iQ2g20OeAOVECuNS110j-QqaGCiVq15dICl9Mr9VU8O1Yn6V8EWdYdun1bHlhbQco5IIhyR8lWAUaNbD9g/s1600/Blood%20Money%20book%20cover.jpg" width="140" /> <br /></p><p> </p><p>From my review: "This book is a serious look at the blood trade industry in the United
States, mainly focused on the blood plasma trade. The business is a
juggernaut in the United States, one of the very few countries that
allow payment for plasma donations, yet many Americans are blissfully
unaware of its reach and range. That is unless you are one of the
millions of Americans who donate plasma for a variety of economic
reasons." </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-1436381667340435362024-01-26T08:49:00.031-05:002024-01-26T08:49:00.136-05:00Book Review: Revenge of the Librarians<p>Tom Gauld, <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/1346997502" target="_blank"><i>Revenge of the Librarians</i></a>. Montreal, Quebec: Drawn and Quarterly, 2022. ISBN: 9781770466166. <br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: comics and graphic novels</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subgenre: literary, humor, comic strips</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: small hardcover</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: Eastside Branch, Lexington (KY) Public Library </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhdlf7B9VkEJmjyFjLYPmA20rERFqgaBByx8NXRn36J0X-2esaSiHm-pbASE3pk96w6NHfTPmQjcmY-WdQHhZfGn66o8CsiEnnkn6tzA8-iE5LbwesTurHNMkay1z8-Z9EG_ySZMYT6BmMMIIfp_iKXYYQHaAObBAjq2UEiBMQKrV6fGRBcxxJA/s140/Revenge%20of%20the%20Librarians%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="86" data-original-width="140" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhdlf7B9VkEJmjyFjLYPmA20rERFqgaBByx8NXRn36J0X-2esaSiHm-pbASE3pk96w6NHfTPmQjcmY-WdQHhZfGn66o8CsiEnnkn6tzA8-iE5LbwesTurHNMkay1z8-Z9EG_ySZMYT6BmMMIIfp_iKXYYQHaAObBAjq2UEiBMQKrV6fGRBcxxJA/s1600/Revenge%20of%20the%20Librarians%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>This is the latest, as of this post, collection of literary humor comics by Tom Gauld. If you've seen his comics, you can easily recognize his art style featuring simple figures, a style that works very well. Gauld has a good imagination and often he comes up with literary situations that many readers and writers can find relatable. This particular collection was published in 2022, and it contains many comics with pandemic humor. It is a nice way to make light of the lockdowns and the pandemic at least for a while. <p></p><p>Some highlights include: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The revenge of the librarians (opening strip).</li><li>The bookshop cat and the pandemic.</li><li>The library of terror.</li><li>A conversation with the author.</li><li>Village murder mysteries. I've been watching <i>Midsomer Murders</i>, and this reminded me of the series right away.</li></ul><p>The humor is nice, but it is not laugh out loud humor. Most cartoons may cause a chuckle, maybe make you smile. There are some comics that are nice but fall a bit flat. I like the book, but it is not terribly memorable. Fans will likely enjoy it, so will folks who like literary humor. It is a nice book book to pick up, read and smile a bit, then move on. It is more a book to borrow. I'd recommend it for libraries with large graphic novel collections. For a small library like ours, I'd consider this optional. </p><p>3 out of 5 stars. <br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-88893189572602038912024-01-19T09:07:00.002-05:002024-01-19T09:07:00.128-05:00Reading List for 2023<p>Welcome to my 2023 reading list and end of year report. In addition to the list and some numbers related to my reading, I will add a few end of year thoughts on things like blogging and social media. Before I go on, once again I did write a post on my thoughts about <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2024/01/some-end-of-year-pandemic-thoughts.html" target="_blank">the pandemic at the end of 2023</a>. If you are interested, or in case you missed it, feel free to check it out. I also wrote some random thoughts on <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2024/01/random-thoughts-my-social-media.html" target="_blank">what is left of my social media at the start of 2024</a>. 2023 was a year I cut down dramatically on my social media presence, and I think it is for the better. Anyhow, feel free to read that for details. <br /></p><p>As I noted at the end of last year, I stopped worrying about <i><a href="https://simplelibrarian.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Notes from a Simple Librarian</a></i>, my professional blog. If I find something I want to write about related to librarianship, I will write it. If not, not too worried. I wrote five blog posts over there in 2023. </p><p>My main blogging focus is here at <i>The Itinerant Librarian</i>. I continue writing book reviews both as a way to remember what I read and as a small form of reader's advisory. It's my small way as a librarian to give back to other readers. I also do cartomancy deck reviews and a miscellaneous post here or there. Overall, I am pretty happy blogging here, and I hope to continue in 2024 and beyond. The blog schedule here is a new post every Friday, plus additional posts here or there when needed or I feel like posting more. </p><p>A reminder for any authors and publishers, if you would like me to review your book or your cartomancy deck, feel free to contact me. I do suggest you look over <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/p/book-review-booknotes-statement-and.html" target="_blank">my reviews policy</a> to make sure we are a good fit for each other. For a sampling of what I have reviewed in Tarot and cartomancy, feel free to check the <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/search/label/Tarot" target="_blank">Tarot tag</a> on the right column of this blog. </p><p>After this blog, my blogging focus is on my cartomancy and commonplace blog,<i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"> Alchemical Thoughts</a></i>. This is where I post about my Tarot and cartomancy journey. Deck interview spreads are a highlight of this blog. The blog also serves a bit as a commonplace book where I jot down quotes and other small things I want to remember. I continue to work on writing for this blog, exploring new ideas. </p><p>Overall, as I noted on my social media post (link above), when I cut back on my social media presence, I lost reach for the blogs. Oh well, I will just continue to persevere, and I hope people will gradually discover the blogs and tell their friends about it. Every little bit of sharing helps. </p><p>Oh, another reminder. If you want to see what I was watching during the year in terms of media, you can check the <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/search/label/Film%20and%20Television" target="_blank">film and television</a> tag where you can find my monthly wrap up posts of what I was watching. I continue to enjoy using TubiTv for a lot of the streaming I watch. I do try other services here or there depending on what they have at a given time. </p><p>In other things, my politics/social issues/activist stuff moratorium continues. This means, in brief, I do not read nor watch any media on any of those three topics, or I avoid it as much as possible. As I have mentioned before, after 2016, I just got burned out on that stuff. It does not mean I don't care. It just means I choose not to engage for the sake of my mental health. I will admit a book slips in here or there that breaks the moratorium. I don't regret breaking the moratorium, but for the most part I've managed to maintain in during the year, and I will continue to maintain it in 2024. As I have said before, I cannot tune out 100%. Tempting as it is, personally and professionally I have to keep some awareness and stay informed. I do minimize the exposure as much as possible then. </p><p>A new thing in 2023 was my boycott of the publishers and imprints suing and trying to shut down Internet Archive. You can find my full statement on that <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/03/in-some-books-i-am-not-reading-at-least.html" target="_blank">here</a>. The boycott means there are books I will not be reading anytime soon. As I wrote on the statement, I have no delusions those companies will do any change, but it is my way to make a stand and express my displeasure. At any rate, there are plenty of books to read from other decent publishers. I am thinking I may write a follow up post on the statement, probably close to March 2024 when I reach one year in the boycott. </p><p>Finally on the updates, my cartomancy studies continue, and I feel they are going well. I have been doing some cartomancy challenges and prompts that I share on social media, so if you follow me on social media, feel free to check those posts out. I am considering at some point in the future offering small modest readings for folks online somehow. I need to work on the logistics of that, so stay tuned. </p><p>So now, let's get on with my reading list for 2023. Book titles with an asterisk (*) indicates a re-reread. </p><p><br /></p><p>January 2023</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Brian Keene, <i>Earthworm Gods</i>. </li><li>Bryan Paiement, <i>The Little Book of Whiskey Cocktails</i>. </li><li>Joe Benitez, <i>Lady Mechanika, Volume 1</i>. </li><li>Matthieu Gabella, et.al., <i>The Cimmerian, Volume 4</i>.<br /> </li></ul><p>February: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Ru-Lee Story, <i>Your Tarot Toolkit: Simple Activities for your Daily Practice</i>.</li><li>Scott Montgomery, <i>The 2000 AD Encyclopedia</i>.</li><li>Martha Wells, <i>Artificial Condition</i> (The Murderbot Diaries, Book 2). </li><li>Dik Browne, <i>Hagar the Horrible: Happy Hour</i>. </li><li>James Tynion IV, et.al., <i>Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Volume 2</i>.</li><li>Eliot Rahal, <i>Knock 'Em Dead</i>.</li><li>Colette Baron Reid, <i>The Wisdom of Avalon Oracle Cards</i> (kit with deck and companion book). </li><li>Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. <i>The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living</i>.</li><li>Dik Brown, <i>Hagar the Horrible: Sacking Paris on a Budget</i>. </li></ul><p> </p><p>March: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Brian O'Connor, <i>Armorclads</i>.</li><li>Emma Smith, <i>Portable Magic: a History of Books and Their Readers</i>.</li><li>David G. Marwell, <i>Mengele: Unmasking the Angel of Death</i>.</li><li>Tsugumi Ohba, <i>Death Note, Volume 2: Confluence</i>.</li><li>Dik Browne, <i>Hagar Hits the Mark</i>.</li><li>Aaron Dembski-Bowden, <i>The First Heretic: Fall to Chaos</i> (The Horus Heresy, Book 14). </li><li>Riccardo Minetti, Franco Rivolli, and Barbara Moore, <i>Green Oracle</i> (kit with deck and book).<br /> </li></ul><p>April:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Simon Garfield, <i>All the Knowledge in the World: the Extraordinary History of the Encyclopedia</i>.</li><li>Stephanie Phillips, et.al., <i>Harley Quinn, Volume 1: No Good Deed</i>.</li><li>Roben Farzad, <i>Hotel Scarface: Where Cocaine Cowboys Partied and Plotted to Control Miami</i>.</li><li>John and Caitlin Matthews (authors) and Wil Kingham (artist), <i>The Steampunk Tarot: Wisdom from the Gods of the Machine</i> (kit with deck and book). </li><li>Zac Thompson,<i> I Breathed a Body</i>.</li><li>Hannah Dolan, et.al., <i>LEGO Star Wars Ideas Book</i>. </li><li>Anthony M. DeStefano, <i>The Big Heist: the Real Story of the Lufthansa Heist, the Mafia, and Murder</i>. *</li><li>Sarah Milne, <i>The Book Lover's Guide to London</i>. </li><li>Shinsuke Hosokawa, <i>Zen Wisdom for the Anxious</i>.<br /> </li></ul><p> </p><p>May:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Kyle Gray, <i>Angels and Ancestors Oracle</i> (kit with deck and companion book).</li><li>Rose George, <i>Ninety Percent of Everything</i>. </li><li>Ty Templeton, <i>Batman Adventures: Nightwing Rising</i>.</li><li>Dik Browne, <i>Hagar the Horrible: Motley Crew</i>. </li><li>Stephen Bullivant, <i>Nonverts: The Making of Ex-Christian America</i>.</li><li>Sam Magdaleno,<i> The Big Book of Tarot Meanings</i>.<br /> </li></ul><p> </p><p>June: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Josephine Ellershaw, <i>Easy Tarot Combinations</i>. </li><li>Jake Richards, <i>Doctoring the Devil</i>. <br /></li><li>Stacey Graham (author) and Paul Kepple (illustrator), <i>The Zombie Tarot</i> (kit with deck and book).</li><li>Various authors, <i>Batman Adventures: Cat Got Your Tongue? </i></li><li>Various authors,<i> Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Empire, Vol. 1</i>.*</li><li>P.N. Elrod, <i>I, Strahd: the Memoirs of a Vampire</i>. </li><li>Cheryl Yambrach Rose, <i>Art Through the Eyes of the Soul Oracle</i> (kit with deck and companion book). </li><li>Nat Segaloff, <i>The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear</i>. </li><li>Jeffrey Brown, <i>Star Wars Jedi Academy</i>. </li><li>Gary Larson, <i>The Far Side Gallery 5</i>.* </li></ul><p> </p><p>July: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Todd McFarlane, <i>Batman/Spawn: the Deluxe Edition</i>. </li><li>H. Byron Ballard, <i>Roots, Branches, and Spirits</i>. </li><li>Ben Davies, <i>Reading Novels During the Covid-19 Pandemic</i>. </li><li>Marianne Julia Strauss, ed., <i>Temples of Books</i>. </li><li>Deborah Bonello, <i>Narcas: the Secret Rise of Women in Latin America's Cartels</i>. </li><li>Kathleen McLaughlin, <i>Blood Money</i>. </li><li>Caitlin Matthews, <i>The Celtic Wisdom Oracle</i> (kit with deck and companion book). </li><li>Kristoffer Hughes (author) and Chris Down (artist),<i> Celtic Tarot</i> (kit with deck and companion book). </li></ul><p> </p><p> August: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Carl Banks, <i>Walt Disney's Donald Duck: The Black Pearls of Tabu Yama</i>.</li><li>Jane Fritsch, <i>Serial Killers of the '70s</i>.</li><li>Tom Gauld, <i>Revenge of the Librarians</i>.</li><li>Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, <i>Harley Quinn, Volume 3: Red Meat</i>.</li><li>Ricardo Nuila, <i>The People's Hospital</i>.</li><li>Aaron Bowden-Dembski, <i>Helsreach</i> (Space Marines Battles 2, Warhammer 40,000).</li><li>Antonio Pagliarulo, <i>The Evil Eye</i>.<br /></li></ul><p> </p><p> September: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Rachel Kramer Bussel, <i>How to Write Erotica</i>.</li></ul><p> </p><p>October: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Steve Parker, <i>Shadowbreaker</i> (Deathwatch, Warhammer 40,000).</li><li>Michael Korda, <i>Making the List: a Cultural History of the American Bestseller, 1900-1999</i>.</li><li>Alana Fairchild, <i>Kuan Yin Oracle</i> (kit with deck and companion book). </li><li>Andy Borowitz, <i>Profiles in Ignorance</i>. </li><li>Riccardo Minetti and Laura Sava, <i>Dark Mirror Oracle</i> (kit with deck and companion book). </li><li>David Kendall, ed., <i>The Mammoth Book of Zombie Comics</i>. </li><li>Maggie Stiefvater, <i>The Raven's Prophecy Tarot</i> (kit with deck and companion book).<br /> </li></ul><p> November: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Adam Minter, <i>Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale</i>.</li><li>Lindsay Squire, <i>Tarot Magick</i>. </li><li>Tom Gauld, <i>You're All Just Jealous of my Jetpack</i>.</li><li>Norman Solomon, <i>War Made Invisible</i>.</li><li>Barbara Moore and Johnathan Hunt, <i>Trick Or Treat Tarot</i> (kit with deck and companion book).</li><li>Tom Gauld, <i>Baking with Kafka</i>. </li><li>Clive Barker, <i>Infernal Parade</i>. </li></ul><p> </p><p>December: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Martha Kirby Capo and Vincent Higginbotham, <i>Thrifty Witchery</i>.</li><li>J.M. DeMatteis, et.al., <i>Creature Commandos</i>. </li><li>William King, <i>The Space Wolf Omnibus</i> (Warhammer 40,000). </li><li>Richard Crookes, <i>Tai Chi Reflections</i> (kit with deck and companion book). </li><li>Serena Valentino, <i>Undead: Everything the Modern Zombie Needs to Know</i>. <br /></li></ul><p> </p><div style="text-align: left;">Number of books read in 2023: 80, including 3 re-reads. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Number of books read in 2022: 82, including 5 re-reads (the <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/01/my-reading-list-for-2022.html" target="_blank">2022 list</a>).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Number of books reading in 2021: 69, including 3 re-reads (<a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2022/01/my-reading-list-for-2021.html" target="_blank">the 2021 list</a>).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Number of books read in 2020: 80, including 5 re-reads (the <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2021/01/my-reading-list-for-2020.html" target="_blank">2020 list</a>). <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Number of books read in 2019: 72</span> <span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">(<a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-reading-list-for-2019.html" target="_blank">the 2019 list</a>).<br /></span></span></div><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Number of books read in 2018: 74, including 2 re-reads (the <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2019/01/my-reading-list-for-2018.html">2018 list</a>). <br />
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">Number of books read in 2017: 84 (the <a href="https://simplelibrarian.blogspot.com/2018/01/my-reading-list-for-2017.html">2017 list</a>).</span><br />
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">Number of books read in 2016: 92, including re-reads (the<a href="http://simplelibrarian.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-reading-list-for-2016.html"> 2016 list</a>). <br />
Number of books read in 2015: 123, including 2 re-reads (the <a href="http://simplelibrarian.blogspot.com/2016/02/my-reading-list-for-2015.html">2015 list</a>). <br />
Number of books read in 2014: 152, including 2 re-reads (the <a href="http://simplelibrarian.blogspot.com/2015/01/my-reading-list-for-2014.html">2014 list</a>). <br />
Number of books read in 2013: 173, including 2 re-reads (the <a href="http://simplelibrarian.blogspot.com/2014/01/my-reading-list-for-2013.html">2013 list</a>). <br />
Number of books read in 2012: 117, with 6 re-reads (the <a href="http://simplelibrarian.blogspot.com/2013/01/my-reading-list-for-2012.html">2012 list</a>). <br />
Number of books read in 2011: 119, with 3 re-reads (the<a href="http://simplelibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-reading-list-for-2011.html"> 2011 list</a>). <br />
Number of books read in 2010: 119, with 6 rereads (the <a href="http://simplelibrarian.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-reading-list-for-2010.html">2010 list</a>). <br />
Number of books read in 2009: 98, with 5 rereads. I believe this is the first time I started to actively track rereads. (the <a href="http://simplelibrarian.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-reading-list-for-2009.html">2009 list</a>). <br />
Number of books read in 2008: 111 (the <a href="http://simplelibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-reading-list-for-2008.html">2008 list</a>).<br />
Number of books read in 2007: 85 (the <a href="http://simplelibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-reading-list-for-2007.html">2007 list</a>).<br />
Number of books read in 2006: 106 (the <a href="http://simplelibrarian.blogspot.com/2007/02/my-reading-list-for-2006.html">2006 list</a>).<br />
Number of books read in 2005: 73 <br /></span></span></span><p></p><p>Commentaries and thoughts on the numbers and reading: </p><p>I am happy I managed to read 82 books in 2023, which is close to what I read in 2022. These days, with the Hard Times I am reluctant to make predictions on how many books I may end up reading. I just take it a day at a time, and I go from there. So aside from a reading challenge or two, which I have to decide on as of this post, I am not setting any specific reading goals for 2024. We'll just see how it goes. </p><p>Speaking of reading challenges, I completed 2 out of the 3 challenges I started in 2023. I basically was not able to complete the audiobooks challenge. However, I did very well on the Mount TBR Reading Challenge. I will probably sign up again for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge and the NetGalley/Edelweiss Reading Challenge. I will post a reading challenges post for 2024 once I get my act together. </p><p>On a side note, yes, I still use GoodReads to track what I read. I am not thrilled with it, but the alternatives, such as BookWyrm and Storygraph, which I tried out in 2023, just seriously fall short. I am giving thought to checking Library Thing again. For now, it is what it is, and I am not terribly worried about it. At the moment, just keeping an eye out for a decent alternative option. </p><p>So, let's look at the numbers: </p><p>Number of rereads: 2, and I admit one of them was accidental, as in I did not recall reading it previously. I am OK with that. </p><div style="text-align: left;">Best reading month: June with 10 books.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Worse reading month: September with 1 book. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Number of books read in print: 63</div><div style="text-align: left;">Number of books read as e-books: 17</div><div style="text-align: left;">Number of books read as audiobooks: 0 <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Despite reading galleys for review, print continues to be my dominant format for reading. E-books were either NetGalley or Edelweiss Plus advanced review copies (ARCs). I did not pick up any audiobooks. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Number of graphic novels (includes graphic novels and comics. Does not include manga): 24</div><div style="text-align: left;">Number of manga: 1 </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Nonfiction: 47</div><div style="text-align: left;">Fiction (does not include graphic novels nor manga): 8</div><div style="text-align: left;">I continue to be consistent in favoring nonfiction for my reading. Reading 8 works of fiction in a year is good for me. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Library books: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Public library.<br /></li><ul><li>Berea branch, Madison County (KY) Public Library: 15</li><li>Eastside Branch, Lexington Public Library: 11</li><li>Libby, formerly Overdrive (can be either public library): 0</li><li>Hoopla (via Madison County Public Library): 0<br /> </li></ul><li>Hutchins Library: 8<br /></li><ul><li>Interlibrary Loan: 4 </li></ul></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Usually I check out at least a couple of electronic books via Overdrive and/or Hoopla. This year I did not check anything out from the electronic library services. I may try to give them another look in 2024. However, given I usually read galleys as e-books, I don't always have an incentive to find e-books in Overdrive or Hoopla. I access Interlibrary Loan through Hutchins Library, my workplace. 4 books in a year is pretty good. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Books I own. For this, I can refer to my results of the <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/p/reading-challenges-for-2023.html" target="_blank">Mount TBR Challenge for 2023</a>. I read a total of 24 books I own. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Books borrowed from anyone (not family) or recommended by others: 0. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Other numbers of interest (at least to me): </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Erotica: 1. This was not a good year for reading erotica. The Hard Times are not always good for reading erotica. Hard Times are just not conducive. We will just have to see how it goes in 2024.</li><li>LIS and reference: 4. That is OK, but I may be able to do better. I am probably going to increase that number in 2024 due to work. Accreditation is coming back again, curriculum changes are in the works on campus, so I am anticipating I may need to do some more reading in the LIS area. Also, I need to work a bit more on checking new reference works we add to our collection, which I could then review here. Stay tuned. </li><li>Tarot and oracle: including companion books for specific decks: 15</li><li>Other esoterica/pagan/spirituality: 7 </li><li>NetGalley: 7</li><li>Edelweiss: 7. I did not plan NetGalley and Edelweiss Plus totals to match, but here we are. </li><li>Other books offered for review, not from NetGalley nor Edelweiss. These
may be books I got from a publisher, an author, etc. because I requested
or they were offered for review: 1</li><li>Books in Spanish: 0. I admit I did not put much effort trying to find books written in Spanish to read in 2023. </li><li>True crime: 4.</li><li>Food and drink: 1</li><li>Poetry: 0</li><li>Books that broke the moratorium. Naturally, this should be zero, but I read 2 books that broke moratorium in 2023. 2 out of 80 is pretty good. This is definitely better than last year when I started tracking this and at the time read 7 books that broke moratorium. </li></ul><p> </p><p>This time last year I was reading the following books. Links go to the reviews. </p><ul><li>Brian Keene, <i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/06/book-review-earthworm-gods.html" target="_blank">Earthworm Gods</a></i>.</li><li>David G. Marwell, <i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/07/book-review-mengele-unmasking-angel-of.html" target="_blank">Mengele: Unmasking the Angel of Death</a></i>.</li><li>Joe Benitez, <i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/01/book-review-lady-mechanika-volume-1.html" target="_blank">Lady Mechanika, Volume 1: the Mystery of the Mechanical Corpse</a></i>.</li><li>Ru-Lee Story, <i><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/02/book-review-your-tarot-toolkit.html" target="_blank">Your Tarot Toolkit: Simple Activities for your Daily Practice</a></i>. </li></ul><p>As we start 2024, I am reading the following books: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Ben Counter, <i>The Soul Drinkers Omnibus</i> (Warhammer 40,000). </li><li>Apollo Publishers, <i>Words to Win By: the Slogans, Logos, and Designs of America's Presidential Elections</i>. </li><li>R.K. Brislin, <i>Atheist in Appalachia: Nonbelief in Rural America</i>.</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Finally, to wrap up, here are other bloggers who have done end of year lists, compilations, etc. It is a small list, and one that keeps getting harder to put together as bloggers go on hiatus or extinct. As long as I can I will keep on blogging. The list is in no particular order: </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Feed Your Fiction Addiction</i> has their <a href="https://feedyourfictionaddiction.com/2024/01/2023-end-of-year-book-survey-year-in-graphs.html" target="_blank">2023 End of Year Survey</a>...with graphs. </li><li><i>The Literary Salon</i> does their <a href="https://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/202401a.htm#ch7" target="_blank">2023 in review</a>. </li><li><i>RA for All</i> assesses how<a href="https://raforall.blogspot.com/2024/01/reading-resolutions-2024-part-1.html" target="_blank"> they did in 2023</a> and then set <a href="https://raforall.blogspot.com/2024/01/reading-resolutions-2024-part-2-2024.html">goals for 2024</a>. </li><li><i>That Artsy Reader Girl</i>'s <a href="https://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/2023/12/2023-end-of-year-book-survey/" target="_blank">end of year</a>. <br /> </li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you made it this far, thank you for stopping by and reading. Feel free to leave a comment or two. If you did an end of year reading post, feel free to share the link so I can go check it out. Hope everyone out there has a happy, prosperous, and safe new year. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p> </p><p> <br /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-66115685230022261382024-01-19T08:31:00.061-05:002024-01-19T08:31:00.129-05:00Book Review: Serial Killers of the '70s<p>Jane Fritsch, <i><a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/1178621443" target="_blank">Serial Killers of the '70s: Behind a Notorious Decade of Death</a></i>. New York: Sterling, 2020. ISBN: 9781454939382. <br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: true crime</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subgenre: 1970s, serial killers</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: trade paperback</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: Eastside Branch, Lexington (KY) Public Library </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBGUxYtzspaAHsh7TWkBBD_aKIVDUVm2ozNZ2ybD6xa31SBkn19mkvNLEj25FLKyjm2rkj7wa0Dy5GmBUPJevsjnTwR4yNOay1XhcPeY0e1QQG6WRqrsXzMnQ1M4ozvzB7GU4-VoUDCLM7x35ym3XhuCiTOOh8srxPWpuxObTFeY9FwCbuoQbRw/s210/Serial%20Killers%20of%20the%2070s%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="140" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBGUxYtzspaAHsh7TWkBBD_aKIVDUVm2ozNZ2ybD6xa31SBkn19mkvNLEj25FLKyjm2rkj7wa0Dy5GmBUPJevsjnTwR4yNOay1XhcPeY0e1QQG6WRqrsXzMnQ1M4ozvzB7GU4-VoUDCLM7x35ym3XhuCiTOOh8srxPWpuxObTFeY9FwCbuoQbRw/s1600/Serial%20Killers%20of%20the%2070s%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>This book is basically a collection of short stories of serial killers active in the 1970s. The book includes fourteen chapters plus an introduction, an epilogue, and three appendices. The appendices are excerpts from three court case documents. The book includes some very famous killers such as David Berkowitz (the Son of Sam), Ted Bundy, and John Wayne Gacy. It also features some lesser known, or at least not as known nationally, such as Coral Eugene Watts (the Sunday Morning Slasher). <p></p><p>If you want to get a basic overview of what is often known as the "golden age of serial killers" in the United States, this book can be a good start. The chapters are not very long. However the narrative is not terribly interesting. At times, the narrative can also jump around a bit in terms of chronology. The book is a bit dry, and at times it reads like a textbook. For readers just wanting to get the basics on these criminals and their time, this book does the job. For true crime fans, the prominent killers have full books written about them that may be better reads. A good feature of this book is that it includes lesser known criminals that may not have full books written about them. </p><p>Overall, the book was OK. I appreciated learning a bit more about the time period and its serial killers. However it is a somewhat dry book with a narrative that may have needed some editing for better flow and continuity. Public libraries may want to add it to their true crime collections due to coverage of lesser known figures. </p><p>2 out of 5 stars. </p><p>Additional reading notes: </p><p>What is baffling about serial killers:</p><p></p><blockquote>"The baffling thing about serial killers is how ordinary they seem. How is it possible that someone holds down a job, pays his bills, and mows his lawn can suddenly turn into Jack the Ripper or John Wayne Gacy-- and just as suddenly turns back into an average guy?"</blockquote><p></p><p>Seeking to answer that question may be why many true crime readers including me read these kind of books. For me at least, another reason I read books like this one and books about older times like the 1970s is the crime solving and other details of the time. For example, journalists converging in town to cover Juan Corona's crimes. Today we have computers, cell phones, and the Internet, but that was not th case back then: </p><p></p><blockquote>"Television crews rolled into town, and reporters from wire services and all the major newspapers showed up. They brought along rolls of quarters to deposit into pay phones-- most with rotary dials-- so they could dictate their stories to rewrite men-- mostly men at the time-- working on typewriters holding sheets of carbon paper back at the office" (3).</blockquote><p></p><p>More on the 1970s: </p><p></p><blockquote>"At the time, before cell phones, it was harder to track a person's whereabouts. Missing persons databases would not emerge until a decade later. Communication among police departments-- over radios, desktop telephones, and fax machines-- was spotty. The internet and personal computers were years away, as were instant messaging, Facebook, Twitter, and the like. Hitchhiking was understood to be a safe way to get around, and some people in what was know as the 'counterculture' disappeared intentionally" (8). </blockquote><p></p><p>I find it very interesting that back then it was very easy to disappear. For one, the massive and often intrusive surveillance apparatus of today did not exist. And as mentioned, hitchhiking was seen as a viable option back then, but today, not really.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-20779329945104026802024-01-17T09:12:00.002-05:002024-01-17T09:12:00.144-05:00Random Thoughts: My social media presence as 2024 starts <p>I've been wanting to write about this for a bit, and I finally found a bit of time to do it. 2023 was finally the year I left Twitter. I had started planning my exit the previous year back at the start of 2022 when Elon Musk announced his intention to buy Twitter. So finally in 2023, I locked down the account to private status, downloaded the data file, and that was that. Right away, I can say that the worst that happened for me was a loss of reach, especially for my blogs. I have not done any deep analysis, but I can tell I have lost some visibility. Still, keeping that outreach was not worth staying on Twitter.</p><p>When I started planning my Twitter exit, I signed on to Mastodon. I briefly tried T2, which later became Pebble, which then went bust. More recently, I got an invite to Bluesky, so I am there tentatively. </p><p>In addition, I also pretty much had left Facebook. I left the account locked as much as possible. I still have to log in for work as my library insists on using it, and a lot of the college's students dwell on Facebook. We do get some return on that outreach, but not great. Aside from that, I have family there that won't move elsewhere, so if I want to stay in touch, see photos of the nieces and nephews, I reluctantly check in once in a while. I keep the exposure as low as possible. </p><p>So what is left?</p><p>Mastodon is now my primary social media presence. It has a bit of a learning curve, but it is not the complicated mess that certain detractors and journalists claim it to be. If you were able to use Twitter, you can use Mastodon. A big challenge can be choosing your initial instance (server), but you can always move to a different server. So far, I am happy with my current instance, and I foresee staying there long term for now. Keep in mind there is no algorithm, so you do have to put some work choosing who to follow and curating your feed. It is worth the effort. Additionally, Mastodon has better feature than Twitter and Bluesky including longer text limits, ability to edit posts any time, and robust filtering options. </p><p>Bluesky I got in when a friend sent me an invite code. By the way, I have some invite codes as of this post, so if interested you can drop me a line or comment. As my friend described it at the time, it is a nice neighborhood that will soon get gentrified. So far it has worked OK for me. I stay skeptical given its association to Jack Dorsey, the previous Twitter guy. Do note Bluesky is still closed and invite-only to get in, so I am also leery of what will happen when they do open it fully. In the meantime, it is OK for me. It lacks a lot of basic feature such as DM's (direct messaging), filters, and the ability to edit posts. Also text limits are short when compared to Mastodon. One good thing is it has attracted some famous writers like Neil Gaiman, John Scalzi, and Brian Keene. It also lacks functional hashtags, which is a big failure on their part. I am staying for now, but I could easily leave it if need be. </p><p>I recently implemented a YouTube channel where I do a bit on books and reading and a bit on cartomancy. It is not a major endeavor, but I still am learning how to use it. <br /></p><p>I do have one or two other accounts, but I do not use them such as Instagram, which is owned by Meta, which also owns Facebook. I may open a new account here or there to park the username, but I am no rush to do that. </p><p>As you can see, I am still blogging, so folks can always find me through my blogs. If anything, leaving Twitter and reducing my social media overall has made me a bit more mindful of what I use and consume. By the way, you can find my personal links on the right side column of this blog. <br /></p><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-61979801326247011142024-01-15T08:56:00.001-05:002024-01-15T08:56:00.143-05:00Deck Review: Anime Tarot<p>McCalla Ann (author) and Mercenary of Duna (artist), <i><a href="https://insighteditions.com/collections/tarot-cards/products/the-anime-tarot-deck-and-guidebook" target="_blank">The Anime Tarot Deck and Guidebook</a></i>. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions, 2022. ISBN: 9781647225698. (link to publisher)</p><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Tarot decks, cartomancy</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subgenre: Anime</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: kit with guidebook and 78-card deck. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: I own this one. <br /></div><p>This kit includes the 78-card deck and a small paperback companion book. The book is arranged as follows: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Introduction. A short introductory statement describing the deck's theme. On Tarot, it says, "it actually works best as an oracle of guidance to help us level up, overcome adversity, and grow both individually and within our communities" (4). The deck draws on themes and archetypes of anime. </li><li>Understanding Your Tarot Deck. This is the basic description of a Tarot deck's structure. The author tells us that some names and meanings may be different from the conventional because "this deck pulls from both Rider-Waite and Thoth traditions of tarot in order to provide the best of what both have to offer" (9). </li><li>The Major Arcana. Each entry has a full page color picture of the card. The text includes a description of the card's image, plus upright and reversed meanings. </li><li>The Minor Arcana. This is arranged by suits: wands, cups, swords, and disks. The court cards are included in the suits, and each suit starts with the court cards then goes over the pips. The entries include a half page picture of the card, then underneath we get upright and reversed meanings. </li><li>Tarot readings. This section includes how to care for your deck, preparing to read Tarot, and three card spreads. </li></ul><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlYp6B2cKBzl-2-TsPQvQmVhioT8Xwf5wm_RzzsEiSm03ZkgfYNNUhVY4bj2q8hLkuG5SmBHGpHpKEKamDkOU8BLW7BU2rZSNaTP1-_D1G6KNcm7795zKOSoQEFmpb0X4Megq4T-LZkk-oAyHpI7RadKfBOpJpRKJH3wZA3L2AktRhOqd9Fp_Mw/s4000/IMG_20231206_091449784_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlYp6B2cKBzl-2-TsPQvQmVhioT8Xwf5wm_RzzsEiSm03ZkgfYNNUhVY4bj2q8hLkuG5SmBHGpHpKEKamDkOU8BLW7BU2rZSNaTP1-_D1G6KNcm7795zKOSoQEFmpb0X4Megq4T-LZkk-oAyHpI7RadKfBOpJpRKJH3wZA3L2AktRhOqd9Fp_Mw/w182-h243/IMG_20231206_091449784_HDR.jpg" width="182" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justice-XI <br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The book is easy to read, and the text is attuned to the anime themes and archetypes. Some of the meanings may differ from the more traditional, but they remain overall within Rider Waite Smith (RWS). The book can work well for beginners, but intermediate users can find insights as well. It is a light book that gives you enough to get started. </p><p>The cards depict a variety of anime themes and characters. The cards are colorful without being too bright. The characters are expressive, conveying emotions, which helps readers when interpreting. I'd say the art overall is pretty straightforward. A few images differ from the standard, and anime and mange fans may recognize them easier than other casual readers. Still, I found myself liking the cards and warming up to the deck. The art is clear, easy to read. If you read intuitively, the deck may work for you. If you read within RWS, the deck can work for you too. I'd say the Thoth elements are minimal, and they do not detract from the reading experience. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUZDmmyfmAKuL0awImeV3M6QMoY_hzRowFOrJ8xsf5zkOSQnkkXcK9pmt9nv4O6KF8vtoNqKvK5L7a8SLPuDBxcIaefHKywQsQnxPdnWF6QR-ryAUGTUHL8oAcOF4ACtZ1QfjcDNMwSmZ-XRBBXMJD_CvkfQrOcKZSDNxIgH-aWGL2dmmBXqGYA/s4000/IMG_20231218_082311900_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUZDmmyfmAKuL0awImeV3M6QMoY_hzRowFOrJ8xsf5zkOSQnkkXcK9pmt9nv4O6KF8vtoNqKvK5L7a8SLPuDBxcIaefHKywQsQnxPdnWF6QR-ryAUGTUHL8oAcOF4ACtZ1QfjcDNMwSmZ-XRBBXMJD_CvkfQrOcKZSDNxIgH-aWGL2dmmBXqGYA/w174-h232/IMG_20231218_082311900_HDR.jpg" width="174" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Six of Cups<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The big negative issue with the deck is the card material. It has a matte finish that makes the cards stick and seriously difficult to shuffle. It makes the deck's usability hard. The card stock is thick, which can be good, but it can make the deck a bit heavy in your hands. I probably would like this deck more if the finish did not make it so hard to use. <br /></p><p>The cards measure about 4 3/4 inches by 2 3/4 inches. All cards are fully illustrated. The art on the back of the cards is reversible. The art is very good, and I enjoy the anime style very much. Fans of anime and/or manga will likely enjoy it. Folks tend to rag on the deck's publisher, and there are plenty of reasons to criticize their products, but aside from the finish, this fully illustrated deck overall is well done. I like it, and I am still happy to have it. </p><p>3 out of 5 stars. </p><p>This book and deck kit qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenge: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSbBVmlfLnxxcDghDh_2KBowfS9wPG5gncKZi5GMfmvp-wBmBd787GKq4eQ_kOIyTKia7HMjsJFQPPGJdeSzvVAcBIhxircKWLsbHzrDmQ0UhySfqZqU4K1waGEv1_kV9dDP-6MbmWK14MWXWHCdHbndtBEZZyLHk4K7kKz-sONjkV2VVUGLNBQ/s320/Mount%20TBR%202023%20image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="272" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSbBVmlfLnxxcDghDh_2KBowfS9wPG5gncKZi5GMfmvp-wBmBd787GKq4eQ_kOIyTKia7HMjsJFQPPGJdeSzvVAcBIhxircKWLsbHzrDmQ0UhySfqZqU4K1waGEv1_kV9dDP-6MbmWK14MWXWHCdHbndtBEZZyLHk4K7kKz-sONjkV2VVUGLNBQ/s1600/Mount%20TBR%202023%20image.png" width="272" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-1900421600211161522024-01-15T08:52:00.001-05:002024-01-15T08:52:00.276-05:00Some end of year pandemic thoughts: the fourth year <p>I find myself as the last year ended thinking about the pandemic. As 2023 ends, we are at the fourth year going on to the fifth. As we go into 2024, we have yet another variant, <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-experts-are-concerned-about-the-jn-1-variant-responsible-for-latest-covid-wave" target="_blank">JN.1 this time</a>. The variant is highly transmissible, but what else is new. Viruses mutate; it is what they do. Despite that, people pretty much have gone back to "normal." Seeing anyone masking is extremely rare, though I will note I have noticed a few students in my college masking up. </p><p>I admit to masking less, and I still do so mainly in extremely crowded conditions. I can note that my exposure is relatively minimal as I do not go out much other minor errands here or there. I avoid crowds. At work, any large meeting I can do online I do online. </p><p>One thing I've noticed in all this time is my very low tolerance for big crowds. Even before the pandemic my tolerance was low, but the pandemic has just strengthened my aversion to people and crowds. Riding the Polar Express back in December was about the only outside activity my family has done since the pandemic started, and mercifully it was not as crowded as it could have been since we chose a less popular time for the ride. </p><p>I will add that my family and me all have our vaccine shots up to date. I do figure that at some point I need to have faith in the vaccine. Between that, keeping exposure to a minimum, and taking care of myself I hope to be OK. I am doing the best I can with what I have. </p><p>As for the new year 2024, I am not sure. A few isolated places have brought mask mandates back, but I do not see it happening widely. I do not see it happen here in Bumfuck, USA unless people start literally dropping dead on the streets, and even then they may still refuse to mask up. Heck, our local hospital was among the first to stop wearing masks the minute they figured out they could get away with it. As for me, I will keep doing the best I can, keep the masks at hand, and pray the Cosmic Joker smiles on me and mine. </p><p>And on to year 5. We'll see, OK, I may be likely writing a 5th year update at the end of 2024. And so we keep going. </p><p>Links: </p><p>The <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2020/12/some-end-of-year-pandemic-random.html" target="_blank">first year</a> thoughts. </p><p>The <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2021/12/some-end-of-year-pandemic-random.html" target="_blank">second year</a> thoughts. </p><p>The <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2022/12/some-end-of-year-random-pandemic.html" target="_blank">third year</a> thoughts. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-72490768414672312072024-01-12T09:14:00.001-05:002024-01-12T09:14:00.141-05:00Holiday Post 2023: What the heck happened?<div class="separator"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Welcome to the final post in my holiday posts series. Now, while many Americans have already left the holidays behind, for me and my family last Saturday was Dia de Reyes (<a href="https://www.tripsavvy.com/three-kings-day-in-puerto-rico-4155264" target="_blank">Three Kings Day</a>) in Puerto Rico, which we celebrate modestly at hom, and that is followed by "<a href="https://latinomusiccafe.com/2016/01/12/octavitas/" target="_blank">las octavitas</a>." So there is still plenty of holidays cheer and celebration to go in our household. At any rate, this week I am looking back at what the heck happened in 2023, plus adding some predictions and outlooks for 2024. Not that 2024 looks any better based on the hot mess that was 2023 (<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-67861954" target="_blank">literally</a> and figuratively). So let's get this post going. </p></div><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Top news events of the year</span></b></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>As mentioned above, 2023 is now the hottest year on record thanks to the climate change and global warming that fuckbagels insist to keep denying. <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/6/2023-is-hottest-year-in-recorded-history-eu-climate-monitor" target="_blank">Story</a> via Al Jazeera. In fact, various news outlets towards the end of the year covered the story somehow. </li><li>The other big news event is that the United States continues breaking records. This time, mass shootings in the United States <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4342468-mass-shootings-in-us-hit-new-record/" target="_blank">hit their highest level</a> since 2006. Story via The Hill. Go USA! </li></ul><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>What the heck happened?</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">(Big news overviews) </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="333" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEzdbYCmtkwMe9hDBkyhtrfJEwpyD1AjM4AIroSPoc8rHryl_73DVu48yt4t2fRCNnuRJhZlWzQjdtyV3irWSt5nc8LEI_4d8AVbiK0xYKyOP87DX6sfHekBZPNKyOVnGz87j6njXz9es6irazbt02_T7U7nNav8728WgstjMpVC_w4VHVI0/s320/What%20Happened%20image.jpg" width="320" /> <br /></p><p> </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Atlantic</i> has their "<a href="https://archive.is/krnOx" target="_blank">Top 25 photos of 2023</a>." </li><li>UPI has their "<a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2023/12/11/2023-year-end-review/3381701940238/" target="_blank">2023 in review</a>." Among the highlights are war, as usual, climate change, a new monarch in Great Britain, and the Pendejo In Chief getting indicted, but somehow stays on the public view. </li><li>NPR offers their "<a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/12/05/1216262441/top-international-stories-2023" target="_blank">biggest international stories</a>" of the year.</li><li>In pop culture, <i>VICE</i> has a list of the "<a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvjbmw/biggest-pop-culture-moments-2023" target="_blank">203 Biggest Pop Culture Moments of 2023.</a>" Among the highlights I missed: a kid singing with a goat, something about teenagers and feet, and something about the MET Gala and a cockroach. </li><li><i>The Chronicle of Higher Education</i> looks at <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/2023-the-year-in-higher-ed" target="_blank">the year in higher ed</a>. <br /></li><li>In something a bit more specific, <i>LISNews</i> has their list of "<a href="https://lisnews.org/ten-stories-that-shaped-2023/" target="_blank">Ten Stories that Shaped 2023</a>" in terms of libraries and library science. </li><li>For the LGBTQ community, I'd say it was a mixed year. Stories via <i>The Advocate</i>.<br /></li><ul><li>On the one hand, there were moments that <a href="https://www.advocate.com/news/2023-lgbtq-milestones-queer-history#rebelltitem4" target="_blank">made history</a> in a positive way. </li><li>On the other hand, it was <a href="https://www.advocate.com/law/worst-anti-lgbtq-laws-2023#toggle-gdpr" target="_blank">the worst year</a> for the community in terms of bigoted LGBTQ legislation in various states. </li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) offers<a href="https://www.advocate.com/law/worst-anti-lgbtq-laws-2023#toggle-gdpr" target="_blank"> their 2023 in review</a>. A lot of things happened in terms of the Internet and technology. Among the highlights: surveillance, AI, and consumer privacy.</li><li>For the first time, if memory serves me right, I have an item in esoterica. Benebell Wen has written an overview of the "<a href="https://benebellwen.com/2023/12/07/state-of-the-tarot-union-2023/" target="_blank">State of the Tarot Union</a>." Wen looks at the Tarot and divination industry and some of the players in it. If this is of interest, this look at the landscape is worth a read. </li><li>Finally, the Rude Pundit offers what I consider one of the greatest end of year wrap ups with his end of year haikus, where he invites his readers to submit haikus that sum up the previous year somehow. When I see him post this, I always say I am going to submit a haiku, and then time gets the better of me. Maybe next year. <br /></li><ul><li>"Haiku Review 2023: <a href="https://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2023/12/haiku-review-of-2023-american-fiction.html" target="_blank">American Fiction</a>." </li><li>"Haiku Review 2023: <a href="https://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2023/12/haiku-review-of-2023-no-reason-to.html" target="_blank">No Reason to Believe</a> Maybe This Year Will Be Better Than the Last." </li><li>"Haiku Review 2023: <a href="https://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2024/01/haiku-review-of-2023-end.html" target="_blank">The End</a>." <br /></li></ul></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">A bit from around the world</span></b></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Global Voices</i> has a year in review <a href="https://globalvoices.org/2023/12/23/year-in-review-in-2023-the-climate-crisis-was-top-of-mind-for-the-caribbean/" target="_blank">focused on the Caribbean</a>, and climate change was one of the big concerns in the region. <br /></li></ul><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Film, music and television</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="753" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXH4JfANDwoSEmoOhWfruaYNDHWVdOGYTEytsx-YT7Ihtu9_51aibJgb33HhCJLNgH4aHGfhyUzeE2wIUM14ElpKXcA-8KXFIhSLt5HlECldvmDOPrOhFdvUAItkWYY8-VXRGBTvEAK06cotC2PehaL4VnwSmvINzLvWCyb3fzJ4BBxKRcylc/s320/vintage%20movie%20projector.jpg" width="320" /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> <br /></b></span></p><p>I do this part mainly to help me keep up with things in pop culture and media. Recent media is not a thing I follow with any consistency. To be honest, I tend to prefer comfort watching of older films and television series. Add to this that I am just more of a reader. Given the choice between watching something and reading a book, I am more likely to pick the book. But in order to stay informed, I look over pop culture news and publications. Here are then some highlights for the year. </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Film.</li><ul><li>In movies, let's be honest, this was pretty much the year of <i>Barbie</i> and <i>Oppenheimer</i>. Were there other movies? I am sure there were, but I can't quite recall. As for the big two, I have not seen them; I may get to them when they come out on DVD. We'll see. So rather than look at the usual best films, here is a list of the <a href="https://www.themarysue.com/the-worst-movies-of-2023/" target="_blank">worst movies of 2023</a> according to <i>The Mary Sue</i>. I do not recall hearing about any of the movies on this list, and I do read a good amount of news sources, so that may also explain why they are the worst of the year.</li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Television. I don't keep up with movies much in part because I stopped going to movie theaters years ago, and again, I tend to favor older films and comfort watching. As for television, there is just so much stuff that I just don't bother. It takes a lot to get me interested in some new television show. The fact television is so fragmented now into streaming services does not help the cause either. I have no interest in paying for different streamers. What we get in terms of television at home works well for us, plus I do use FAST (free ad supported streaming) sites like Tubi, which lately has done pretty well in terms of content I find interesting. Besides, there are so many good older things that are widely available that I don't feel the urge to go hunting the new stuff everyone else raves about. Add to that I can get stuff on DVD from my public library, and I am set. Anyhow, here is a look at some of the stuff on television that I most likely did not see nor miss. </li><ul><li><i>Reality Blurred</i> has their list of <a href="https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2023/12/best-reality-tv-of-2023/" target="_blank">best reality TV shows</a> of the year. </li><li><i>Vulture</i> has a list of the "<a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/best-anime-tv-shows-of-2023.html" target="_blank">best anime of 2023</a>." Now this is a list I need to look over again and see what I would like to watch down the road. Anime is one of the genres I enjoy greatly. <br /></li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Music. </li><ul><li>I know Taylor Swift was <i>Time Magazine's</i> <a href="https://time.com/6342806/person-of-the-year-2023-taylor-swift/" target="_blank">Person of the Year for 2023</a>.</li><li>Also the gays of Grindr declared Beyonce the "<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/beyonce-mother-of-year-grindr-1234929461/" target="_blank">Mother of the Year.</a>" Story via <i>Rolling Stone</i>. Not, it is not for her maternal instincts nor parenting. In this context, "mother of the year" is defined as “'a woman who’s iconic and constantly serves cunt.' And for Gen Z, 'serves cunt' means “Bold. To the point. And overall extravagant.” </li><li>Rolling Stone always does various end of year music lists. For me, I often look over their "<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-50-best-spanish-language-albums-of-2023-1234922548/bratty-tres-1234925343/" target="_blank">best Latin albums</a>" of the year. <br /></li><li>As happens every year, there were some Christmas albums, and <i>The Big Issue</i> <a href="https://www.bigissue.com/culture/music/2023-best-christmas-albums-ranked-review/" target="_blank">ranks</a> some of them. <br /></li></ul></ul><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Books and reading</b></span></p><p>I already did a holiday <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/12/holiday-post-2023-books-and-reading.html" target="_blank">post on books and reading</a>, so this covers some lists I found interesting that I may have missed and/or came after that post, plus some trivia about books and reading. On a side note, let me mention that I will be writing and posting my end of year reading list and report later this month on this blog, so stay tuned to see what I read in 2023. <br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Earlier in the year, <i>Comics Beat</i> had a list of "<a href="https://www.comicsbeat.com/45-anticipated-manga-for-fall-2023/" target="_blank">45 best manga for fall 2023.</a>" I figure this is a pretty good list to find some new things to read. From the list, <i>Betwixt: a Horror Manga Anthology</i> caught my eye mainly because I tend to like anthology works, but there are a few other titles I will be looking up. If you like manga, it is likely you may find something to read on this list too. </li><li>Want more manga? The Manga Critic has their list of <a href="http://mangacritic.mangabookshelf.com/2024/01/09/the-best-and-worst-manga-of-2023/" target="_blank">best and worst manga of 2023</a>. <br /></li><li><i>Literary Hub</i> has their "<a href="https://lithub.com/the-10-biggest-literary-stories-of-the-year-3/" target="_blank">10 Biggest Stories of the Year</a>." It was a year when books got pulled off shelves, they got banned, and one or two other controversies. </li><li><i>Literary Hub</i> also has a list, incomplete by their admission, of <a href="https://lithub.com/notable-literary-deaths-in-2023/" target="_blank">notable literary deaths</a> in 2023. For me, the one that stood out was Rachel Pollack who died on April 7. </li><li>The Associated Press looks at <a href="https://apnews.com/article/book-publishing-trends-2023-e804eafc54ac0de63ae1130edcc04bdb" target="_blank">2023 in books</a>. Naturally banned books and artificial intelligence (AI) made the list. Oh, and author Salman Rushdie was stabbed by some asshole. <br /></li><li><i>Publishers Weekly</i> has their <a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/93922-the-top-10-library-stories-of-2023.html" target="_blank">top 10 library stories of 2023</a>. Again, book bans are a big deal in 2023. Also, the fuckery of the publishers suing Internet Archive made their list. Let me use that as a reminder that <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/03/in-some-books-i-am-not-reading-at-least.html">my boycott</a> against those publishers and their imprints continues. I will not spend a penny on their works nor will I review them if I can avoid it. I make the disclaimer because due to work, I may have to purchase something for the library here or there (can't control that). Anyhow, you can read my blog post for details. I hope to write a reflection on the boycott down the road as it has been almost a year of the boycott. </li><li>NetGalley is one of the services I use to find ARCs (advanced reader copies) of books to read and review on this blog as well as books to consider for possible library acquisition. They have published their list of <a href="https://bookish.netgalley.com/announcements/12/2023/most-popular-books-2023-netgalley/" target="_blank">most popular books for the year</a>. The list is based on members' activity on the site and related to the books. </li><li>NPR looks at the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/12/29/1221912275/most-borrowed-library-books-2023" target="_blank">books checked out the most</a> at public libraries. <br /></li></ul><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> Adult and risque</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="467" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGj3NwRPaWcziH3XnGChS_zI7rNCBQG0DcQ7lO_biy7djeixTzCdh0rCW7uRZT4_sVyUZttR3jYuLOJTTFWqocFuneYe4vp2ca7DGt1HxgJwusm1DOuIUhdG51CTBYcG1X45fLdbLaxTG8CeL0sCQVLsmvBvoPqBD6yhw2BvmjKVH-qx-ajs/s320/Christmas%20model%20looking%20at%20box%20pin%20up.jpg" width="213" /><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></b></p><p>This is where you can feel free to scroll on down if it is not your jam. But if it is, read on. </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network (AEBN) has published a run of popular online <a href="https://www.aebntrends.com/popular-searches-by-country-in-october-and-november-2023/" target="_blank">searches</a> in adult topics for the end of 2023. This is based on keyword searches across their websites. If you like trivia, trends, numbers, so on, their <a href="https://www.aebntrends.com/" target="_blank">main trends page</a> has all sorts of articles. </li><li>Speaking of trends, <i>Dr. Dick's Sex Advice</i> <a href="https://www.drdicksexadvice.com/2023/01/05/the-hottest-sex-trends-to-know-about-for-2023/" target="_blank">writes</a> about "the hottest sex trends to know about in 2023." Some pretty good advice here so you can get, enjoy, and manifest the sex and intimacy you may want in the new year.</li><li>Dr. Dick also highlights a report from Google on their <a href="https://www.drdicksexadvice.com/2023/12/30/google-reveals-top-sex-questions-people-asked-in-2023/" target="_blank">"top sex questions asked in 2023</a>." He also comments on the questions and offers some clarification as needed. <br /></li><li>Adult Empire, an adult entertainment and retail company, has <a href="https://avn.com/business/articles/video/2023-adult-empire-award-winners-announced-924190.html" target="_blank">announced their 2023 Award Winners</a>, which may be of interest to fans. Story via Adult Video News (AVN). </li><li><i>The Advocate</i> looks at Grindr's <a href="https://www.advocate.com/news/grindr-unrwapped-2023-report#toggle-gdpr" target="_blank">report on sexual preferences</a> and trends in the LGBTQ community. The report is based on the app's user data. The article includes a link to the full <a href="https://www.unwrapped.grindr.com/" target="_blank">report</a>. </li><li>Finally, and always interesting, sex blogger Bacchus of <i>Eros Blog</i> does their<a href="http://www.erosblog.com/2024/01/02/a-look-back-at-2023/" target="_blank"> 2023 retrospective</a> of their best posts for the year. </li></ul><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> Miscellaneous</b></span></p><p>These are stories that did not fit any of the categories above and/or just random trivia.</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Word of the year. Well, we have some options. </li><ul><li>Merriam-Webster <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-of-the-year" target="_blank">declared</a> "authentic" as their word of the year. They also have a list of additional words that stood out in 2023, which may remind you of some of the events and fuckery that happened during 2023. </li><li>Dictionary.com <a href="https://content.dictionary.com/word-of-the-year-2023/" target="_blank">chose</a> "hallucinate" as their word of the year. </li><li>Oxford University Press, owners of the Oxford English Dictionary, decided on "rizz" for their word of the year. Note that "rizz" is also one of Merriam-Webster's highlighted words for 2023. <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4340335-oxford-names-rizz-word-of-the-year/?ipid=promo-link-block1" target="_blank">Story</a> via <i>The Hill</i>. </li><li>However, the best word for this year has to be Cory Doctorow's recently coined term to describe the hellish shithole the Internet has become: "enshittification." The American Dialect Society chose it as <a href="https://americandialect.org/2023-word-of-the-year-is-enshittification/" target="_blank">their word of the year</a>, and boy does the term really reflect 2023 and the current state of the Internet thanks to spammers, scammers, corporate fuckbagels, and other assorted greedy assholes. <br /></li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Speaking of enshitiffication, if you wonder why the U.S. Congress and government are such a mess, well, one reason are lobbyists doing their best to<strike> bribe</strike> (oops, cajole, beg, plead, offer a free private jet flight, and at times outright write legislation that they get their legislators to present and pass on their behalf among other things). <i>The Hill</i> presents thus their list of "<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/4340803-the-hills-top-lobbyists-2023/" target="_blank">Top Lobbyists 2023</a>." Lobbyists can include, but are not limited to, "corporate lobbyists, hired guns, association leaders and grassroots activists." If you wonder why regular Americans can't seem to get a break from the government, you can thank these deep pocketed folks running interference. </li><li>Google has put out their <a href="https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/stories/year-in-search/" target="_blank">2023 Year in Search</a>. Find out what people were searching online last year. The site includes archives to the previous years, going back to 2010. </li><li>In the Bad Economy, <i>The Hill</i> looks back at the <a href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/arts-culture/4354950-these-major-retailers-went-out-of-business-in-2023/" target="_blank">major retailers that went out of business</a> in 2023. Pundits keep saying the economy is good and things are getting better, but I am sure these defunct businesses may beg to differ. Among the casualties were Bed, Bath, and Beyond (although they still operate online) and a retailer called Tuesday Morning that I had never heard of until I read this article. To be honest, <i>The Hill</i> article is not that big a deal despite the impression they are trying to give. I was expecting a bit more blood and mayhem. </li><li><i>VICE</i> reports that 2023 is the <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/7kxqkb/2023-the-year-animals-fought-back" target="_blank">year animals fought back</a>. For starters, recall those orcas sinking yachts. Go #TeamOrca. </li><li>Religion news: </li><ul><li><i>Religion News</i> has their <a href="https://religionnews.com/2023/12/16/2023-freedom-of-thought-report-the-year-in-religion-news/" target="_blank">top stories of 2023</a>. They also highlight Humanists International Freedom of Thought <a href="https://humanists.international/2023/12/humanists-on-the-front-line-of-democracies-globally-new-report-shows/#:~:text=Launching%20today%2C%20the%20Freedom%20of,non%2Dreligious%20around%20the%20world." target="_blank">Report</a> for 2023. </li><li><i>The Other Sarah McLaughlin</i> writes on "<a href="https://sarahemclaugh.substack.com/p/2023-this-year-in-blasphemy" target="_blank">2023: This Year in Blasphemy</a>." A lot of religious fuckery happened, and this post looks at it month by month. </li></ul><li> Not a good year for driverless cars as <i>Quartz</i> highlights "<a href="https://qz.com/a-timeline-of-all-the-ways-driverless-vehicles-failed-i-1851104020" target="_blank">12 of the biggest failures</a>" in that industry.</li><li>In pop culture, video games, and other media,<i> Kotaku</i> has their "<a href="https://kotaku.com/top-kotaku-stories-2023-dark-and-darker-tlou-funko-1851107467" target="_blank">10 Biggest Stories of 2023</a>." Among the highlights something about unintended vaginas in a video game and Pinkerton detectives raiding a YouTuber's home over some trading cards. </li><li>More in tech and media, <i>The Verge</i> has <a href="https://www.theverge.com/24006441/2023-best-worst-gadgets-entertainment-social">their year in review</a> also. </li><li>Guttmacher Institute looks at <a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/2023/12/state-policy-trends-2023-first-full-year-roe-fell-tumultuous-year-abortion-and-other" target="_blank">state policy trends in 2023</a>, especially in light of the Roe v. Wade overturn. </li><li>Interested in business research? Harvard Business School's Working Knowledge has their <a href="https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/10-most-popular-articles-of-2023">10 most popular stories</a>. Naturally, there is some stuff on AI, but also other things such as time management. </li><li>Speaking of AI, <i>Business Insider</i> has a pretty big list of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-ai-100-2023-the-people-who-make-ai-intelligent-2023-10" target="_blank">top names in AI</a> for the year. <br /></li><li>In spirits and alcohol, <i>Spirits Business</i> lists their<a href="https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2023/12/top-news-stories-of-2023/" target="_blank"> top news stories of the year</a>. Among the highlights were vodka and other spirits boycotts, lawsuits, and tequila keeps on growing. </li><li>The most downloaded iPhone app in 2023? Tech Crunch <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/12/temu-was-the-most-downloaded-iphone-app-in-the-u-s-in-2023/" target="_blank">reports</a> it was Temu the shopping app. </li><li>Internet Archive reports on the works<a href="https://blog.archive.org/2023/01/01/welcoming-1927-to-the-public-domain/" target="_blank"> joining the public domain</a> in 2023. </li><li>Closely related, in the sense of things publicly available, <i>Public Domain Review</i> lists <a href="https://publicdomainreview.org/blog/2023/12/top-10-most-read-pieces-from-2023/" target="_blank">their top 10</a> most read pieces for 2023. If you like curious and interesting things, such as gin drinking, sex magic, and ether dreams, this may be a list for you. <br /></li><li>UPI highlights the <a href="https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2023/12/18/celebrity-deaths-matthew-perry-tina-turner/4111702403063/" target="_blank">celebrities that died</a> in 2023. Among those we lost are Tina Turner, Tony Bennett, Jimmy Buffett, and Gina Lollobrigida, who was 95 at her passing. </li><li>2023 featured some lies, misinformation, and bullshit from politicians and public figures, and FactCheck.org has their list of "<a href="https://www.factcheck.org/2023/12/the-whoppers-of-2023/" target="_blank">The Whoppers of 2023</a>." </li><li>Want something a bit different to read? <i>The Reprobate</i> has a list of their <a href="https://reprobatepress.com/2023/12/30/the-reprobates-hottest-hits-of-2023/" target="_blank">10 hottest hits </a>for 2023. </li><li><i>Torrent Freak</i> also has a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/2023-in-review-rarbg-zoro-z-library-flawless-iptv-and-ai-231231/" target="_blank">list for 2023 in review</a> of stories they covered. </li><li>On a bit of library trivia, Overdrive, a service libraries often offer for e-books and other online media, reports<a href="https://company.overdrive.com/2024/01/04/libraries-achieve-record-breaking-circulation-of-digital-media-in-2023/" target="_blank"> a very good year</a> in terms of circulating items in libraries. <br /></li></ul><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> Predictions for 2024</span></b></p><p>Predictions was a new category I added to this post last year. People love to make all kinds of predictions about new year, and I found quite a few. This year I am breaking this down into trends, you know the pundits, experts, and gurus who tell us what to expect, and into esoterica where we look at things like astrology, Tarot, and other esoteric ways to predict what will happen. </p><p>Trends: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Axios</i> looks at <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/11/world-economy-threat-geopolitics-2024" target="_blank">geopolitical threats</a> as the biggest issue for the economy for 2024. They are highlighting a report where they ask investors and other financial analysts what they worry about for the next year. </li><li>For<a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/collection/predictions-2024/" target="_blank"> journalism</a>, Nieman Lab offers predictions for 2024. </li><li>HBS Working Knowledge has their <a href="https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/10-trends-to-watch-in-2024" target="_blank">10 Trends to Watch Out For</a>. This is for the business folks mostly but also for those of us just paying attention and trying to stay informed. A couple of these may be a little questionable. </li><li>Meanwhile, for higher education, <i>Higher Ed Dive</i> offers <a href="https://www.highereddive.com/news/7-higher-education-trends-to-watch-in-2024/703769/" target="_blank">7 trends to watch </a>for in 2024.</li><li><a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/01/food-trends-2024-dining-buckwheat-coffee-halloumi-pickles-tiktok" target="_blank">Food trends</a>? <i>Axios</i> has you covered there too. Get ready for things like pickles, Korean food, and camel milk among other things. </li><li>In the end, the best warning may well come from that comedy sage Lewis Black, who looks back at what he is grateful about 2023 and warns that 2024 will suck. That about <a href="https://youtu.be/4bi3YyQEnVU?si=5AUL7pyAsgihWBKL" target="_blank">sums it up</a>. (YouTube video). <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/lewis-black-warns-that-2024-is-really-going-to-suck" target="_blank">Hat tip</a> to <i>Daily Beast</i>. <br /> </li></ul><p> Predictions and looking at the future:</p><p style="text-align: center;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5Gnm3OKT5X4eBNhCYnpl-EU0jy9pQLkTxlT-vOYAulwyt-rWkCbgDGTPhrs1BSIhaTJaXfA5Al5bfLZDAhcn6QnfF_XwGkCeAizeuBydA0GarMZx0NzyweGKQvjHqUjd4wfNqyQmBajVKiXycF9UjrrW88NO9q_gDo_KX6CePeam9JA5coI/s1600/cat%20with%20crystal%20ball.jpg" width="188" /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Very often, news organizations ask a psychic to weigh in on how the new year may come along. </li><ul><li> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/jan/03/donald-trump-psychic-jesse-watters-fox-news" target="_blank">Fox News brought in a psychic</a> who drew Tarot cards, including drawing a one card (Five of Cups) for the Pendejo In Chief. The outlook was not good for him. Story via <i>The Guardian</i>.<br /></li><li>Meanwhile, Baba Vanga, a Bulgarian blind mystic often known as the "Nostradamus of the Balkans" made <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/11/28/lifestyle/blind-mystic-baba-vangas-7-predictions-for-2024-putin-assassination-cancer-cure-disasters-more/" target="_blank">some predictions</a>. Story via <i>The New York Post</i>. Oh, I should mention that she died over 25 years ago or so, but apparently she made a bunch of predictions before her death, including a few for 2024. There is a bit of everything here. </li></ul><li>In astrology.</li><ul><li><i>Yoga Journal</i> presents "<a href="https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/astrology/astrology-2024/" target="_blank">The Most Important Astrological Dates of 2024</a> and What They Mean to You." For example, there are four eclipses listed for 2024. </li><li><i>Pure Wow</i> also has an <a href="https://www.purewow.com/wellness/2024-astrology-predictions" target="_blank">astrology report</a> for 2024. This offers five major themes and then a snapshot by Zodiac sign. </li></ul><li>Into numerology?<i> Om Times</i> has your <a href="https://omtimes.com/2023/12/numerology-forecast-personal-year-2024/" target="_blank">numerology forecast</a>. </li><li>Interested in Tarot?</li><ul><li><i>Om Times</i> also has a <a href="https://omtimes.com/2023/12/tarotscope-2024-for-each-zodiac-sign/" target="_blank">Tarotscope for 2024</a>. This offers a look through Tarot at every Zodiac sign, drawing a card for each sign with interpretation for general advice, love, work, and finances. I will just say the card they drew for me is pretty spot on. </li><li><i>The Wild Hunt</i> presents a <a href="https://wildhunt.org/2023/12/a-look-ahead-tarot-prospectus-for-2024.html" target="_blank">Tarot Prospectus for 2024</a>. They select a single card for every month of the year. An interesting detail is that they use a card from a different deck every month. </li><li>Finally, I did a <a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.wordpress.com/2023/12/31/a-tarot-spread-for-new-year-2024/" target="_blank">small Tarot spread for 2024</a>. This is a small reading from me to my few readers and the community at large. Feel free to check it out. <br /></li></ul></ul><div><p>If you made it this far, thank you for reading and stopping by. I hope 2024 is a good year for you despite some of the predictions and outlooks. May you find abundance, prosperity, peace, and love in the year ahead. Paz y amor. </p><p> <br /></p></div>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-58712466575193520282024-01-12T08:34:00.037-05:002024-01-12T08:34:00.156-05:00Book Review: Donald Duck: The Black Pearls of Tabu Yama<p>Carl Banks (author and artist), <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/1023524638" target="_blank"><i>Walt Disney's Donald Duck: "The Black Pearls of Tabu Yama."</i></a> Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics, 2018. ISBN: 9781683961239. <br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: comics and graphic novels</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subgenre: retro, vintage, Disney comics</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: hardcover</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: Berea branch, Madison County (KY) Public Library <br /></div><p> </p><p>This volume is part of <i>The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library</i> from Fantagraphics; this series collects his Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comics from the 1940s and 1950s. Though the stories are being published in order, the compilation volumes are not. This one is volume 19 of the series. The stories stand alone, so you can read them in any order. This volume features the title story, "The Black Pearls of Tabu Yama" and thirteen other stories. The volume also includes: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Story notes by various contributors that provide some additional commentary on the stories.</li><li>Carl Barks: Life Among the Ducks. A biographical note on the author. </li><li>List of contributors.</li><li>Where did these stories first appear? A note when the stories were first published. </li></ul><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJBnLaDzNqHmGv2B43i5IeAcO-vlAjXuaA3xV34p4sEjHHb_elz0eTS8qnKkg75k5x-qBFtfMXIl8fd_AUexTIRUrbrOJJwG5lsMUybaO0CJwuI52cohabtHWerC32dVR7Ai5CtGXCZKXgNRmU0PJw-LduhiWimSnUr4fzoxXGQQUj1QkbIgbmg/s179/Donald%20Duck%20Black%20Pearls%20of%20Tabu%20Yama%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="140" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJBnLaDzNqHmGv2B43i5IeAcO-vlAjXuaA3xV34p4sEjHHb_elz0eTS8qnKkg75k5x-qBFtfMXIl8fd_AUexTIRUrbrOJJwG5lsMUybaO0CJwuI52cohabtHWerC32dVR7Ai5CtGXCZKXgNRmU0PJw-LduhiWimSnUr4fzoxXGQQUj1QkbIgbmg/s1600/Donald%20Duck%20Black%20Pearls%20of%20Tabu%20Yama%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>The stories in this volume are fun and silly at times. They are entertaining and take us back to simple times. For some readers, there may be an image or stereotype that does not hold well today, but remember these are tales of their time. Donald Duck and his nephews are hard workers, but things don't always work out as planned. However, we usually get a happy ending and there is a good amount of good humor. <p></p><p>The comics are a light and easy read. The comics are published in color. Some of the stories are better than others, but they overall make a good package. I really liked this volume. </p><p>I do recommend this volume for all libraries that collect comics and graphic novels. This edition is a nice hardback with some good extras that are informative about the time when the comics came out. Fantagraphics is doing a good labor of love publishing these. In a time when so many comics feel a need to be dark, moody, edgy, and/or depressing, it is nice to read some comics with simple humor and written just to make readers happy and smile for a while. </p><p>4 out of 5 stars. </p><p> <br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528992.post-51683583881666390842024-01-05T08:52:00.041-05:002024-01-05T12:31:05.530-05:00Book Review: Batman/Spawn: the Deluxe Edition<p>Various authors, <i><a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/1352248355" target="_blank">Batman/Spawn: the Deluxe Edition</a></i>. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, 2023. ISBN: 9781779522818. <br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: graphic novels and comics</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subgenre: DC Comics, Image Comics, Batman, Spawn, superheroes, antiheroes, retrospective</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: Hardcover</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: Eastside Branch, Lexington (KY) Public Library <br /></div><p> </p><p>This volume is a compilation of three Batman and Spawn crossover stories. The volume includes the following: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Batman/Spawn #1</i> (2022).</li><li><i>Batman/Spawn: War Devil #1</i> (1994).</li><li><i>Spawn/Batman #1</i> (1994). </li><li>Behind the Capes: Pinups, variant covers and extras.</li></ul><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYTJLB18S_xnBEnGS3FgpthFBat_bn6pUDsXInj-S2n78-w4Li0KFBoO6ZyG7K1x-gTouD4wFxTsPIdGiF33YWCojN6OKGb4BkMcRR_KCp6FBzNo8JeSlzUltk9GDATCG9VaT2TAMPXUBzlmGglt4hpIRt1VDqW1L2S4fhLpKSuUPgqhSvTc-7g/s218/Batman%20Spawn%20deluxe%20edition%20cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="140" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYTJLB18S_xnBEnGS3FgpthFBat_bn6pUDsXInj-S2n78-w4Li0KFBoO6ZyG7K1x-gTouD4wFxTsPIdGiF33YWCojN6OKGb4BkMcRR_KCp6FBzNo8JeSlzUltk9GDATCG9VaT2TAMPXUBzlmGglt4hpIRt1VDqW1L2S4fhLpKSuUPgqhSvTc-7g/s1600/Batman%20Spawn%20deluxe%20edition%20cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>To be honest, this volume is very light in substance. It is really three single first issues. The other half of the volume is the extras. Without the extras, this would be a seriously light volume. If you are a completist and a fan of both characters, you may want to acquire this for your collection as it is a nice hardback in terms of production quality and aesthetics. Casual readers are better off borrowing it. <p></p><p>The best part of the comics is the art. We get a look at the 1990s and today. It is interesting to see how the characters are depicted by different artists. The stories, however, are a bit underwhelming. The third story in the volume, written by Frank Miller, is the weakest. Batman and Spawn spend an awful lot of time in the story bickering like bratty children. How they manage to unite to get anything done with their petty attitudes is a bit of a miracle. This does not feel like Miller's best writing. The rivalry just seems forced. At times Batman is just a dick for no other reason than to be a dick. The War Devil story may be the best of the lot, with the new story in the middle in terms of ranking. </p><p>Overall this book was OK. The concept is great, but the stories and writing leave much to be desired. I would say this is an optional selection for libraries with graphic novel collections. For completion, if libraries already have strong Batman and/or Spawn collections, then consider acquiring it. I am not buying it for our library unless requested. </p><p>2 out of 5 stars. </p><p><br /></p>A. Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446685621376561207noreply@blogger.com0