A couple of weeks ago, the New York Times notified me that it was stopping its Virus newsletter. Things had normalized, more or less. Jonathan Wolfe said,
The acute phase of the pandemic has faded in much of the world, and many of us have tried to pick up the pieces and move on. We promise to return to your inbox if the pandemic takes a sharp turn. But, for now, this is goodbye.
Wolfe, J. (2023, January 25). A farewell, for now. New York Times.
On June 1st, 2021 I transitioned my Coronavirus Diary to Cerebration. What can I say, I truly am the eternal optimist. That spring had been good, the virus seemed to be abating. But boy, was I wrong! It came roaring back that fall and I switched it back. But now it seems like the time has finally come to put it to rest. I mean, if it’s good enough for the NYT, it’s good enough for me. So my ramblings on the first of the month will now be called the BookBitch Diary. Welcome!
Book News
Unbanning Books: LJ’s 2023 Librarians of the Year
In 2022 Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned Team began providing free ebook access to teens and young adults nationwide, defying rising book challenges across the country
Sorry, Twitter, but Florida’s war on books is no joke. Ron DeSantis wants to keep kids from reading
In Florida schools, every book is considered too “dangerous” until the censors have combed it over
Why You Should Always Put a Used Book in the Freezer Before Reading It
How to clean old books to get rid of dust, dirt, and grime
TikTok Figured Out an Easy Way to Recommend Books. The Results Were Dubious.
#EnemiesToLovers. #OnlyOneBed. #TheChosenOne. Is picking books by trope too easy?
Death of the narrator? Apple unveils suite of AI-voiced audiobooks
Exclusive: tech firm quietly launches new audiobook catalogue narrated by AI – but move expected to spark backlash
Food News
Have you seen The Menu? It’s a shocker! I was a little hesitant to watch it since it’s been classified in some places as horror, but I think it is more suspense/thriller than horror and I really enjoyed it. You can stream it on HBO Max if you are a subscriber, or rent/buy it from most streaming apps like Apple TV or Amazon Prime. Highly recommend!
Other News
Alec Baldwin was recently charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. It seemed so improbable to me that an actor handed a prop would be held liable, yet here we are. Farhad Manjoo wrote an opinion piece that I thought was compelling and important, so I’m sharing it here. It boils down to this: always ask for a lawyer, and do not talk to the police under any circumstances.
As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.
Thanks to The New York Times for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 