Page 64, and finally a cat. Up until now it's been European dudes with varying amounts of money and morals.
Reviews and Comments
Returning here from a jaunt on an apparently down-for-the-third-time instance. Recent reviews were there and possibly lost; see this local list for a rundown of top recent reads: ramblingreaders.org/list/256/s/top-recents what's in it? mostly sapphic·witch·romance (pick two) and climate paranoia
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emmadilemma rated Before the Coffee Gets Cold: 5 stars
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
In a small back alley of Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more …
emmadilemma commented on Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics by Gregory J. Gbur
The question of how falling cats land on their feet has long intrigued humans. In …
emmadilemma rated Spellbook of the Lost and Found: 3 stars
Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Olive, Rose, Laurel, Ivy, Hazel, Rowan. Six teenagers, connected in ways they could never have imagined.
emmadilemma rated Life would be perfect if I lived in that house: 2 stars
A moving record of America’s great earthquake and fire: San Francisco, April 18, 1906
Spectacular record of San Francisco's Big One
3 stars
Remarkable black-and-white photographs of structures reduced to rubble by the temblor and subsequent fire. As a map geek, I would have liked more maps, but the endpapers are large maps of the shaken and burned area.
emmadilemma commented on The French Revolution by Ian Davidson
The French Revolution casts a long shadow, one that reaches into our own time and …
This bloke spent the first chapter arguing that the kids in the streets didn't matter, it was really old guys in boardrooms that effected change. I admit to shutting the book before giving him the chance to convince me.
emmadilemma commented on Surrender by Bono
…[I]n Surrender, it’s Bono who picks up the pen, writing for the first time about …
My library loan expired just as Bono was sitting in No 10 marvelling at the important people he knew and the import of the history he was witnessing. U2 have always been a cherished band for me. I returned the book before that could change.
emmadilemma commented on How to Resist Amazon and Why by Danny Caine
When a company’s workers are literally dying on the job, when their business model relies …
Hmm, same author has a book titled 'How to Protect Bookstores and Why', and I can't sort out whether it's largely the same book with a new cover.
emmadilemma reviewed Flying Blind by Peter Robison
Eye-opening
4 stars
A very good overview of Boeing's history particularly after its merger with McDonnell Douglas, which the author argues was a turning point from an engineering worldview to one of bean-counting. It chronicles the spinoff of engineering functions and the way the American FAA allowed Boeing to be its own regulator and inspector. It was written in the wake of the twin 737 Max tragedies, which are a primary focus, but the seeds are sown for all the bits falling out of the sky that we've seen of late.
emmadilemma rated The dream thieves: 4 stars
The dream thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven cycle -- book two)
Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater are awake, magic is swirling around Blue and The Raven boys and Ronan …
emmadilemma rated Wildsam Field Guides : San Francisco: 3 stars
emmadilemma reviewed Insight Guides Explore Los Angeles (Insight Explore Guides)
Decent entry in a small pool
3 stars
There aren't many travel books that focus specifically on L.A., and even fewer that offer anything at all for the traveller on foot. This one isn't bad and isn't expensive, though it does date from 2018 and hasn't been updated since Covid.
emmadilemma reviewed Mount Tamalpais Trails by Barry Spitz
The mountain is eternal, but trails change, and in his new book, Mount Tamalpais Trails, …
The only useful book I have for Mt. Tam
4 stars
This and a prior edition are the only books I've found to cover Mt. Tam properly, with detailed terrain and history discussions as well as clear maps. Printed on heavy, glossy stock, it's a bit heavy to carry on a major trek. But no other book I've found serves me as well.
I threw away most of my travel books from before the pandemic. This 2016 guide is one of the few I kept.