Welcome to another edition of "Reading about the reading life" here at The
Itinerant Librarian. This is where I collect stories about reading and
the reading life. Basically, these are items related to reading, maybe
writing and literacy, that I find interesting and think my four readers
might find interesting as well with a little commentary. As with other
features I do on this blog, I do it when I have time or feel like it.
Comments are always welcome (within reason).
- Via Believer magazine, an account of an independent bookseller during these Hard Times of pandemic.
- As much as I try to stay away from the politics, once in a while they sneak into my news feeds, so here are a couple of stories related to books and politics:
- For those acting as if the GOP's overall fuckery is a new thing, well, it is not. Books about Trump have become an industry in these Hard Times, including books connecting him to the GOP's descent into outright evil. This article from LitHub discusses various books showing how the GOP has long been gone the deep end before Trump.
- Speaking of the Trump book industry, Carlos Lozada at The Atlantic did a very brave thing: he looked at 150 books on Trump and their effect on Americans. Lozada, author of the book What Were We Thinking, is certainly braver than I am. No way I would want to read 150 books on Trump's presidency. The thing about this is we do not need another book to tell us that the GOP is and has been the right wing extremist party of bigots, misogynists, Dominionist Christians, homophobes, xenophobes, and other assorted willfully ignorant selfish assholes. The signs have been there, and the party has been quite proud to embrace those "values" in their platform. Not to let Democrats off the hook since they have pretty much become Republican Lite, but that is another whole set of books.
- Here is a cute story about a used bookstore that also serves as a senior cat sanctuary. Story via WTXL in Tallahassee, Florida.
- In possible dream jobs, this barefoot bookseller job out in the Maldives sounds good. Via Patch.com.
- Meanwhile, also via Patch.com, a Salem, MA bookstore has decided to open on weekends by appointment only due to fuckbagels refusing to wear masks in these pandemic times. I do not think they went far enough. May as well just do by appointment all week for the sake of safety, but then again, I am not the store owner.
- A possible positive of the pandemic is that people stuck at home due to lockdowns, isolations, and/or quarantines may be doing more cooking at home, or at least attempting it. For folks who need a little help, they may want to get a cookbook or two. The Dallas Observer has a suggestion: find cookbooks you can borrow and try out at your local library. Libraries in these times still offer services ranging from being open to curbside service, plus they often also offer e-books and other resources you can access online. So feel free to check out the offerings of your local public library.
- Via Libropatas (Spanish language), a look at a new trend in these coronavirus times: binge reading.
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