![]() ![]() The road to unfreedom, as Snyder sees it, is one that runs right over the Enlightenment faith in reason and the reasonableness of others - the very underpinning, that is, of our institutions and values. ![]() In his chilling “Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin,” Snyder explored the ghastly consequences of tyranny and the breakdown of human values and norms in the center of Europe. Worse, we are prepared to deny the humanity and rights of others. We are living in dangerous times, Timothy Snyder argues forcefully and eloquently in his new book, “The Road to Unfreedom.” Too many of us, leaders and followers, are irresponsible, rejecting ideas that don’t fit our preconceptions, refusing discussion and rejecting compromise. ![]() We don’t like the parallels between the West then and now: the rise of intolerant nationalist right-wing parties the loss of faith in democratic institutions and the longing for a strong leader the demonization of minorities like Jews or Muslims or the unwillingness or inability of democracies to work together. Historians of the first half of the 20th century take little pleasure in today’s renewed interest in their subject. THE ROAD TO UNFREEDOM Russia, Europe, America By Timothy Snyder 359 pp. ![]()
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![]() The young Rossettis were brought up in a unique environment where progressive politics and artistic creativity were of the highest value.Ĭhristina Rossetti (1830-1894) blazed an early trail – her poetry was first published when she was just 16 years old. The Rossettis were first-generation Londoners: their father was an Italian freedom-fighter and poet, and their mother was a scholar, also from an Italian family. How did the Rossettis kick-start this influential way of life among artists back in Victorian Britain? And how do wombats come into the picture? It begins with the unconventional family household. ![]() That involves conventional gender roles, conservative attitudes towards love, traditional family values, conformity in dress, and the repression of sensual pleasure. At its heart, bohemianism is an assault on any value perceived to be middle-class. Its counter-cultural swagger is integral to the devil-may-care attitude of performers like Patti Smith and the 1975's Matty Healy, the outré fashion of David Bowie and Lady Gaga, and the hedonism of Keith Richards and Kate Moss. The bohemian spirit of outlandish fashion and excessive behaviour is central to modern-day music, design, clothing, and art. ![]() Originating as a derogatory term for Roma travellers in France, the term has since been used to define individuals of unconventional behaviour and experimental fashion choices: those who mischief the rules of society and soar towards adventure, and expressive freedoms. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Once again, Joyce Johnson brings to life a mythic bohemian world where art is everything and life is as full of intensity and risk as the bold sweep of a painters brush across a canvas. Tom, both tender and volatile, draws Joanna into the unwinnable struggle against the forces that drive him toward death. But its undermined by Toms harrowing past-his fatherless childhood, his wartime experiences, and most of all, the loss of the two children he left behind in Florida, along with the powerful red, white, and black paintings he will never set eyes on again. Rather than another brief collision, their relationship is the profound and ecstatic love each had longed to find. ![]() Then, at yet another party, a painter named Tom Murphy walks up to her. About the Book From the award-winning author of Minor Characters comes a haunting novel about the persistence of love and the sustaining and destabilizing power of memories In the vibrant downtown Manhattan art world of the 1960s, where men and women collide in lucky and unlucky convergences, a series of love affairs has left Joanna Gold, a young photographer, feeling numbed. ![]() ![]() ![]() Never one to shirk a challenge David tells us: “I was sitting in the audience thinking, ‘I could do that!’ He began work on “On the Trail Of William Wallace” the very next day and when it was published it burst into the top ten best sellers in its first week & so began David’s life as an author. ![]() Is the pen mightier than the sword? In modern times it would seem most definitely and David was our mightiest and most skilled of warrior poets and we should treat him with the same reverence as the heroes of our past without question.ĭavid was a very accomplished author and historian with many books and TV credits to his name but he didn’t put pen to paper until after attending a lecture by Dr Elspeth King, who suggested that someone should write a book listing where Scotland’s Wallace-related sites were. Most of Scotland’s favourite sons fought with claymore, axe and sword, David did it with pen and paper. Being Scottish we’ve all heard the phrase from Braveheart “and they fought like warrior poets”, but unlike Wallace, who fought and died by the sword, David was that mystical warrior poet mounted on his Harley motorcycle rather than a trusty steed so much so that he was known as the “Biker Historian”. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I’ve read through most of his short stories and purchased most of his novellas, something I don’t do for just anyone these days. Djèlí Clark is one of those authors that’s on my ‘to watch’ list. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.Īlongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city - or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. ![]() Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. ![]() Djèlí Clark returns to his popular alternate Cairo universe for his fantasy novel debut, A Master of DjinnĬairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer. ![]() ![]() ![]() And then tomorrow they’ll remind me what that word means again. Oh, yeah, I’ll remember that for the next two or 3 hours. But is it when two souls combine or something? No, it’s when the love that you share for someone is reciprocated back in equal amounts. ![]() What’s up, buddy? You’ve already said the word Reed of his name to me before, and this was yesterday, and I still don’t remember what it means. ![]() And who would have thunk I’d find it here with you, Keith. Welcome, readers, to the Buddy Book Club 2022 edition in 2021. They also welcome Steph from as the first guest of the program!Īll right. The Buddies tackle many of the subjects that lead to failed marriages: anniversary gifts, phone stealing, face-blindness, and what you throw first (or kick) in a game of RPC/Roshambo. The Buddies kick off 2022 with Alice Feeney’s winter-mystery-thriller Rocks Paper Scissor. ![]() ![]() ![]() This is Not My Home by Eugenia Yoh and Vivienne Chang (January 24th, 2023).Chloe’s Lunar New Year by Lily LaMotte and Michelle Lee (January 3rd, 2023).How We Say I Love You by Nicole Chen and Lenny Wen.Kai the Dancing Butterfly by Crystal Z.Let’s Do Everything and Nothing by Julia Kuo.Amah Faraway by Margaret Chiu Greanias and Tracy Subisak.Eyes that Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ha and Dung Ho.Eyes that Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho and Dung Ho.I Dream of Popo by Livia Blackburne and Julia Kuo.The Magic Brush: A Story of Love, Family, and Chinese Characters by Kat Yeh and Huy Voun Lee.A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin.Last Updated: December 18th, 2022 Picture Books You can check out my post index for interviews with Taiwanese authors and other Taiwanese bookish posts. I’ve attached my review of a book where applicable.) (Disclaimer: Inclusion in the list does not constitute an endorsement of the book. Title hyperlinks lead to the Goodreads pages for those respective books. ![]() ![]() Here’s a list of some English-language books, both fiction and nonfiction, for varying age groups, that a) focus on Taiwan, b) feature Taiwanese people/characters (including diaspora), and/or c) are written by Taiwanese/diasporic Taiwanese authors. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Lunar Chronicles Cooler Bag by not a huge fan of the design but a useable item.This months spoiler art was really nice and the information contained in the booklet was detailed enough to know what you are recieving.īook: Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff it has an exclusive illumicrate cover which is Pink and matching sprayed edges this edition is signed by both authors and a letter from them is included.This book is a YA Sci-fi adventure, with an average goodreads rating of 4.24. The Spoiler cards have changed, they now have theme art and come in a booklet format, Whereas before they were just a card with the standard illumicrate logo on them. ![]() The packaging is a bright yellow design with the illumicrate logo on it. Illumicrate has recently moved from a quarterly to a monthly box I have previously reviewed Illumicrate boxes so refer to earlier reviews for prices and shipping etc. ![]() ![]() ![]() It all sounds pretty dull and monotonous but what makes this exciting is that George isn't just any old professor living the American Dream, oh no, he's so detached from the banal normality of the world that he's almost outside of his own body at times. We join George Falconer just at the moment he awakes from sleep and witness his innermost thoughts as he goes about a typical day. If you've ever wanted to know what goes on inside someone's mind you'll love this short novel, first published back in 1964. Summary: A beautifully crafted story of an outsider who through the intimacy of the narrative becomes a firm insider with the reader. ![]() ![]() ![]() Considered as a complete body of work, these poems shed light on Ocean Vuong's preoccupation with the body as both a site of potential and trauma, the weight of past war and abuse that constantly weighs on those affected by these experiences, the interlocking of the mythical and the personal, the conflicting and intersectional identities that LGBTQ+ people of color must straddle in America, the tensions between migration and citizenship, and the ways in which individuals connect to or diverge from their parents. ![]() In total, the collection is comprised of 35 poems, and it is split into three full sections, as well as a fourth section containing only the collection's first poem, "Threshold." This Note addresses a representative sample of 16 poems at length, but because many of the poems' themes connect, repeat, and intersect in important ways, every poem in the collection will be addressed. ![]() This ClassicNote focuses on the poems contained in Ocean Vuong's collection Night Sky with Exit Wounds (2016). ![]() |