Firestorm Books in Asheville, N.C., has devised a clever plan to help kids trapped in the censorial state of Florida. Last winter, Firestorm was offered more than 22,000 diverse books that had been pulled from Duval County Public Schools. Despite the logistical challenge, the bookseller jumped at the chance to rescue these Florida books from destruction. A statement on the store’s website says, “That’s 11,000 pounds of titles that right-wing politicians and small-minded school administrators conspired to keep out of the hands of young folks.”
Not for long. Firestorm has just launched “Banned Books Back!” It’s a bold project to ship those titles for free back to kids who want them. Children, parents, teachers and librarians in Florida can request picture books or chapter books (start here).
But fighting tax-engorged prigs isn’t cheap. The store is trying to raise $30,000 for postage, packaging supplies, labor and storage (make a donation).
Thanks to The Washington Post book critic, Ron Charles, for bringing this to my attention viathe Book Club Newsletter.
Some bail after a couple of sentences. Others slog through to the bitter end.
Like a lot of great ideas, Nancy Pearl’s “Rule of 50” arrived in a flash. The librarian and best-selling author was fielding questions on a public radio show when a woman called in and explained she wasn’t enjoying the book she was reading but felt guilty about abandoning it.
“And then it just came to me,” Pearl says over the phone from her home in the Pacific Northwest. “I said, give the book 50 pages and if, at the bottom of page 50, all you care about is who the murderer is or who marries whom, turn to the last page, and then stop reading.”
Librarians in at least three states are asking the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to intervene after they were fired for refusing to ban books.
If you grew up a bookworm, or maybe even a social outcast, Mychal Threets, a Bay Area librarian who has become a social media star, knows what that’s like.
And his mission is to make the library — and the digital world — a better place for everyone.
Interesting article in The Washington Post! Includes a way to check your neighborhood, “Are birds disappearing in your city?“
My grandson got to have fun in the snow! It’s only snowed once since he was born, and he was too young to appreciate it. January’s snowfall was fun times for Jonah!
As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.
Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
Comments Off on BookBitch Diary: February 1, 2024 | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
A first-time author lost her book deal Monday after readers and fellow authors accused her of creating fake Goodreads accounts and repeatedly trying to sabotage other writers’ books through negative reviews.
Static electricity builds up on beans during grinding, creating mess and waste. Scientists have a simple solution.
Other News
Just for fun…
The Washington Post offered up “hand curated, inspired life stories” and I loved them. The news is so tragic, day after day, and I find these stories truly uplifting (obviously, WAPO knows I love animals!) I hope you enjoy these as well.
My son and his family came to visit over the holidays. Jonah, my grandson, will be three years old in March, and it seemed like a good time for his first trip to Disneyworld! We spent Christmas day in the Magic Kingdom, which was truly magical. It probably helped that it was a rainy day; the rain kept a lot of people away. We primarily stuck to Fantasyland, and my son and daughter-in-law did a great job preparing him. It cost a not-so-small fortune, but it was my birthday gift – I do not need any more stuff, but creating a beautiful memory like this is priceless, as far as I’m concerned. We stuck to rides we thought he would like; It’s a Small World (he knows all the words to the song!) Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid, Winnie the Pooh, the train ride around the park, and his first movie, the 3D Mickey’s PhilharMagic. A good time was had by all!
As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.
Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
Comments Off on BookBitch Diary: January 1, 2024 | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
MY EXPERIENCE WITH BOSS & PLANET AUDIO & SOUND STORM LABS CAR AUDIO PRODUCTS
It’s not often that I use this space to complain about a product I purchased, but I am making an exception here because they sell such bad products. I spent almost $200 on a new car radio, and I’ve had too many years’ worth of aggravation with it. Boss Audio, Sound Storm Labs & Planet Audio are the same company. They make inexpensive car stereos. Inexpensive is a comparative term. For a librarian, that $200 is a lot of money. But inexpensive shouldn’t mean the product doesn’t work.
So here’s the story. A few years ago, I purchased this: BOSS Audio BVCP9685A Apple Carplay Android Auto Car Multimedia Player – Double Din Car Stereo, 6.75 Inch LCD Touchscreen Monitor, Bluetooth, MP3 Player, USB Port, A/V Input, Am/FM Car Radio. They no longer make this model as far as I can tell, but it had decent reviews and it didn’t cost a ton. It was installed, and everything worked pretty well except the radio. We were only able to get one FM station, but since I rarely listen to the radio, no big deal.
If you are not familiar, Apple Carplay means the radio basically uses your phone for everything. Siri is available to make phone calls, for instance. My apps, like Overcast, which I use for podcasts, and Spotify show up on the screen. Google Maps and Apple Maps are there. It’s a touchscreen, incredibly easy to use, especially while driving. I can stop at a light and switch from one to the other or ask Siri to do it. It read me my texts, and I could dictate a response. It seemed like a good thing.
The day after it was installed, there was no sound. No radio, no podcasts, no maps, no Spotify. Everything looked like it was working, but there was literally dead silence in the car. The next day it worked again. Then it didn’t. After two weeks of this insanity, I contacted Amazon, where it was purchased, and arranged for a warranty return and replacement. Easy peasy.
A few weeks later, the new radio was installed. It worked for a while, but the same problem kept happening. I would be listening to a podcast, and the sound would just cut out. Or the map would stop speaking, which certainly isn’t ideal as I have a terrible sense of direction. I put up with it for months, and finally, it just dropped dead altogether. That was in June, so I contacted the company directly since Amazon doesn’t care about anything 30 days past your purchase.
The radio came with a one year warranty, but they extend that to three years if you purchase through Amazon. So I wasn’t really worried about it other than it was super annoying to have the same problem happen on two different, albeit the same model, radios. It didn’t take a genius to realize that perhaps a different model would be better.
The customer support from Boss Audio, someone named Christian Hill, contacted me and asked for receipts and so forth. I explained that I didn’t want another obviously badly designed radio, and asked for another model. They suggested a radio made by SoundStorm, but the reviews all mentioned the same issues. He then sent me a list to choose from. I picked the model that didn’t mention those issues in the reviews, but they wanted another couple of hundred dollars for that one. Not sure why he offered it other than to upsell me? Finally, they told me which models I could actually choose from without having to pay anything more. One didn’t really have any reviews, so I figured no reviews are better than bad reviews, and I selected the Planet Audio model.
Christian stopped contacting me, but someone named Candice Peterson did. She’s wasn’t very nice, to say the least. They told me the warranty didn’t cover uninstalling or reinstalling, so it was on me. They also charged me $20 for shipping their POS back. A few weeks later, the new radio arrived. And guess what.
This was the worst one of the bunch. The sound worked, but only on the podcasts, Spotify, and the radio. The radio even got several stations, which would have been nice had I wanted to listen to the radio, but I did not. What didn’t work? The phone. The maps. Siri. Major, major issues for me. What is the point of offering Apple Carplay if most of the features don’t work?
So here was my dilemma. I’ve been putting up with it, but it’s super annoying. I have to unplug from the radio to use the phone or maps, completely defeating its purpose. If I can’t use the phone hands-free, I don’t need this. Do I want to pay someone to uninstall and reinstall another new radio from this company that is bound to be another piece of shit? Hell no.
I wanted my money back. I was done with the company and all the crap they sell under different names, like Boss Audio, Planet Audio, and Sound Storm Labs. They are all the same junk. I emailed their customer support and asked for a refund. I was not hopeful, especially as the immediate response was just a form letter asking for a copy of my receipt so they could replace it with another of their horrible radios. Their customer service is apparently run by a bot.
They have all these companies, and they keep changing the model numbers. The models I had are no longer available. The same crappy radios are available though, just with different numbers. You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but I ain’t no fool, and I’m done.
Follow up: As I suspected!
Hello Stacy,
We apologize for the inconvenience your new unit has given you. We would be happy to replace or upgrade your unit; however, refunds are only available via the original vendor from whom you made your purchase.
Thank you
Frank
I have long agreed that the very definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result. I’m not insane, I’m angry. And they know full well that Amazon doesn’t get involved with refunds more than 30 days after purchase. So they replaced it yet again, with a different, updated model. Again, return shipping was on me, as was the removal of the unit and installation of the new one.
It’s been a couple of years now. This newer one works sometimes, and it’s the best I can expect at this point, so I just live with it. Sound still cuts out regularly. Sometimes the maps work, sometimes they don’t. Same with all the other features. If I had extra money, I’d just replace it, but at this point, it’s an old car, and I don’t want to invest any more money into it. When it works, great. When it doesn’t, I manage without it.
I should have waited and saved some more money to get a decent Apple Carplay radio. I’m putting this out here, hoping someone will learn from my mistake! My mother always told me that sometimes cheap is expensive, and expensive is cheap. As usual, she was right.
Consider yourself warned. You’re welcome.
Comments Off on Consumer Alert: Car Audio Systems | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
How did we get to the end of 2023 so quickly??? I like to take this time to say thank you to all my readers. I post several times a month and sometimes it feels like I’m sending my thoughts out into the void – I don’t really know who is reading or if anyone really is. But I am too opinionated to keep thoughts about books to myself. Especially when I love a book, then I want everyone to read it!
Thank you to everyone who reads my thoughts, gets notified every time I post, and subscribes to my woefully neglected newsletter. Thank you for your comments, your emails, for reaching out in whatever way works best for you. I love hearing from you all!
Whatever you celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season filled with laughter, love, and of course, good books! See you in 2024!
Best Books of the Year!
I’m working on my list and hope to have it posted by mid-month. I think there may be some surprises – well, I’m surprised at some of the books I enjoyed most this year, so maybe you will be too. I’d love to hear about your favorites, so please feel free to leave a comment! Meanwhile, here are a few lists to get you started:
Regular readers will recognize the name Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen fame. I am a long time fan, and have introduced her to many of my friends, relatives, and readers. My friend Nora was one, and she became as big a fan as I am! When my daughter-in-law was pregnant a few years ago, I mentioned her blog to my son, specifically her recipe for Broccoli Slaw (which I’ve mentioned here before) because I remember reading her blog post about it in which she mentions how she was eating it every day while she was pregnant. He made it for his wife, she loved it, and they’ve both been fans ever since.
A couple of months ago, my son sent me a link to vote on which South Florida city Deb Perelman would visit on her upcoming book tour. The choices were Boca Raton (where I live) or Palm Beach Gardens, about an hour north of me. PBG was way ahead in the poll, and it stayed that way. Then I forgot about it. I do subscribe to Deb’s newsletter, but I don’t always read it the second it appears. Luckily for me, my friend Nora does. She texted and asked if I wanted to go to see her in PBG for a book signing and a Thanksgiving cooking class. We signed up immediately. It was $50 per person for the cooking class and that included a copy of her latest book, Smitten Kitchen Keepers.
I already had a copy of the cookbook, courtesy of her publisher, but I checked with my son to see if he thought my daughter-in-law would like a signed copy. He thought she’d be into it, so I was happy to do that for her (one Hanukkah gift down!) A day or two later, we found out that the cooking class was sold out – actually, all the cooking classes on this leg of her tour were sold out! Nora had already purchased several copies of the cookbook for herself and some family members, but none had been signed, so she was delighted to get a signed copy.
Deb partnered with Williams Sonoma for this Thanksgiving tour. Williams Sonoma served us some sort of pomegranate drink and a piece of pie while we waited for Deb, both of which I assume were made from the cookbook, and both were appreciated! I didn’t know Williams Sonoma did cooking classes, and it turns out they do not. It was more of a demo than a cooking class, as Deb was the only one cooking. She demoed turkey gravy and her pie crust, and best of all, she was as chatty and friendly as I always imagined she would be. She is just like she is in her videos. She encouraged questions and was kind and super friendly to everyone.
Nora and I had a blast until we were told we needed to get to the back of the line for the book signing. All the people who didn’t sign up for the cooking demo were already in line for the book signing by the time we were ready for that. Williams Sonoma is not a bookstore, but still, I would think they would have been savvy enough to know that the people who paid extra for the cooking demo should have been able to get their books signed without going to the end of the line. But we did it anyway – actually, Nora waited in line while I rested my knee (I’ve been having some knee issues since walking up a steep hill in NY a few weeks ago), and standing on it for more than an hour was about my limit. I rested for fifteen minutes or so and got back in line.
Deb signed the book for my daughter-in-law, and when I mentioned the broccoli slaw story and that she was pregnant again and having a lot of morning sickness, she recommended freshly made lemonade with seltzer. I think she was on to something – my daughter-in-law had mentioned that sour gummies were helpful, and she loves seltzer, so that lemonade sounded like a win to me. And Williams Sonoma was kind enough to mail the book for me! It was a really fun time and made this Thanksgiving special.
Other News
I spent a few days in New York last month visiting my kids. My daughter came with me, and we left my husband at home to take care of the cat. My beautiful Loki is 15 years old and is having some serious health issues. My daughter and I headed up north for her first autumn! We saw some gorgeous trees but surprisingly, a lot of the trees were still green. It was colder than I expected – it went down to 38 our last morning there.
I love spending time with my grandson. I don’t get to see him often enough – if it was up to me, I’d move next door to them! But that is an impossibility, so I do the best I can (a lot of tears are involved.) Even though airfare is manageable, NYC has recently banned all Airbnb, VRBO, etc.; shockingly, hotel prices have skyrocketed. We usually stay at the Sheraton in downtown Brooklyn, as it is a half-mile walk to my son’s apartment, so very convenient. Their rates have gone from the ridiculous, averaging about $350/night, to completely unaffordable at over $500/night. I don’t know how I’m going to manage that. If anyone has a spare bedroom or couch in the NYC or Brooklyn area and wouldn’t mind a couple of people crashing there, I’d be eternally grateful!
Fort Greene Park
As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.
Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
Comments Off on BookBitch Diary: December 1, 2023 | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
Patton Oswalt posted this on Twitter, and it really resonated with me.
I feel like I’ve watched Israel under siege for most of my life. I was a child during the Six-Day War in 1967. I was a young teen during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when, inconceivably, Israel was attacked on the most sacred holiday of the year. I’ve lived through many, many Arab-Israeli peace talks. There has been a sort of armed truce in the area for many years, with terrorist martyrs blowing themselves up fairly regularly. But this latest attack from Hamas has me reeling, as does the Israeli response.
I am sickened by how the Israelis treat the Palestinians, but we have to differentiate between those Palestinians trying to live their lives peaceably under the most horrific conditions, with Hamas, a terrorist group with only two goals: destroy the country of Israel and kill all the Jews, with little to no regard for the repercussions that will affect the majority of Palestinians who are not part of Hamas. It’s an untenable situation with no discernible way out. It is heartbreaking for everyone involved and everyone watching from afar.
The Digital Public Library of America and public libraries in New York, Brooklyn, Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle have launched programs to ensure that young people can get online access to frequently banned books no matter what political hellscape they’re currently stuck in. Raise the alarm and spread the word.
The due date tucked inside the book of fiction was Oct. 11, 1933
Joanie Wheeler Morgan found “Youth and Other Stories” by Joseph Conrad among her stepfather’s belongings and realized it was an overdue library book from Larchmont Public Library in Westchester County, N.Y. (Larchmont Public Library)
Seafood is prone to fast spoilage and carries special food safety concerns, especially when eaten raw. Our advice will help you get the health benefits of fish and shellfish while reducing the risks. (From Consumer Reports, courtesy of The Washington Post.)
A writer spends eight days exploring the world of British farmhouse cheeses, from London to the West Country, where a good Cheddar rules the day.
A member of the herd at Manor Farm in North Cadbury, England, where cheesemaker Jamie Montgomery makes his Cheddar.Credit…Jeremie Souteyrat for The New York Times
Other News
My grandson is bilingual; he speaks both English and Spanish and also speaks a bit of Hebrew. I did not realize how well he understands and speaks Spanish. He’s 2 1/2 now, and while I don’t speak Spanish, I was blown away by this video of him conversing with his nanny, Maria (who is such a gift!)
My husband loves carving pumpkins, but he stopped doing it once my kids were adults. This year, he decided to surprise my grandson long distance – he found a Daniel Tiger drawing on PBS Kids, and printed it out. Then he did his magic. We FaceTimed while he was working on it; here are the results!
BONUS: a free, 30 day guest pass to The Athletic to the first five readers who claim it! If you are into sports (or know someone who is,) I hope you’ll check it out!
As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.
Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
I grew up on Long Island, New York. This is what fall looked like. It was often too cold, but always beautiful. Autumn in South Florida may be a few degrees cooler than summer – 88 instead of 95. The leaves don’t change. The palm trees keep their palm fronds and coconuts.
Autumn in Miami
For most of the country, fall promises cooler weather. For us in South Florida, fall promises the worst of hurricane season, followed by slightly cooler, more temperate weather. But it’s the hurricanes that have always been the problem.
When you are sitting smack dab in the middle of most hurricane routes, you tend to spend quite a bit of time keeping an eye on things. The past few years, the storms seem to be hitting the Gulf coast rather than the Atlantic coast. Or if they are hitting the Atlantic coast, they have been problems for the states north of Florida. Maine was in the eye of Hurricane Lee just a few weeks ago! One of my good friends moved to Maine from Florida almost 20 years ago. Trust me, she never once thought about a hurricane following her there. But that is the weather we live with now. Everything we once knew? Not so much anymore.
Even more disturbing are the water shortages worldwide. There are countries shooting at each other over water rights. Iran and Afghanistan. Haiti and Santo Domingo. And then there is America, and the fight over the Colorado River. There may not have been shots fired here, but there is fighting.
I love the New York Times Cooking App. They have great recipes, lots of videos, people like you and me post comments, most of which are incredibly helpful, and best of all, you can ask questions of the staff and they will get back to you pretty quickly.
Freebie P.S.A. coming your way! New York Times Cooking is offering a free trial right now. Previously, the Cooking app was available to subscribers only, but for a limited time, you can access any recipe via the app at no cost. (I cannot emphasize enough how big a deal this is!) Just download the NYT Cooking app to start your free trial: iOS users can download the app here, while Android users can use this link.
Last month, I wrote about the beautiful tinned fish stores in Portugal. Now, the New York Times is writing about the beautiful tinned fish store in Times Square in New York City!
Eating an early meal in the new time zone and avoiding a meal late the night before could mean two fewer days of jet lag, a mathematical model showed
Other News
A few weeks ago, we had a pretty bad scare with my cat, Loki. We’ve noticed over the past several months that he occasionally gets tremors. They only last a few seconds, and he is pretty old – he’ll be 15 on Nov. 1 (that’s 76 in human years!) But then, a few weeks ago, it got more serious. He let out this really loud, low-pitched meow, one that we rarely hear from him, but when we do, he’s usually in pain. My husband and I ran and found him lying on the floor near the litter box. He was lying in a pool of urine and couldn’t move. We crouched there with him, he looked into my eyes, and I petted his head. It felt like hours, but probably just a few minutes later, he stood up. I cleaned him up as best as I could – I didn’t want to give him additional trauma by bathing him, and he spent the next little while cleaning himself. He seemed perfectly fine after that, but it scared me badly.
waiting for his turkey dinner
Our vet was out of town (this happened over the Labor Day weekend,) but I was able to bring him in that Tuesday. He did a pretty thorough examination and didn’t find anything wrong. Heart and lungs were clear, no protrusions or growths anywhere. No weight loss. He wanted to know if he was able to see me, to focus, or if his eyes were shifting around or closed while it was happening. He said to keep an eye on him for the next month, and if it happened again to try and video it, especially his eyes, and to get a urine sample. It’s been a month, and I’ve seen a few seconds of tremors one time, and that’s it.
The vet thinks it may be a brain tumor. He said he could x-ray him, but an MRI is the best. There are two machines in South Florida, and it would cost $2000. So I asked what would happen if he did have a brain tumor – could it be surgically removed? How would that affect his quality of life? He said if it was him, he wouldn’t do it. He wouldn’t do the x-ray, and he wouldn’t do the MRI. He wouldn’t put an old cat through the trauma of it all, especially surgery that may or may not extend his life or even help in any way. It was discouraging, but I appreciated his candor.
nap time
I love my vet; he has been practicing medicine for decades, and he really cares about his patients. He caused quite an uproar around here about twenty years ago or so. The local newspaper, The Sun-Sentinel, did a feature story on him. He said that animals, especially those that stay indoors like our cat, do not need annual exams. Then he really poured fuel on the fire; he said they don’t need annual rabies vaccines, either. He started giving his patients rabies vaccines in their tails instead of their thighs. Why? There were way too many incidents of cancer at the injection site. He didn’t want to amputate another animal’s leg. It wouldn’t be as big a loss if they got cancer in their tail.
watching the football game
Around that same time, the pharmaceutical companies had come out with two, three, and five-year rabies vaccines at two, three, and five times the price. Except each of those vials contained the exact same dose of the vaccine. He was furious, and he called them out. He called out every vet in town that was selling them. He said that vets insist on annual visits and vaccines for one reason only: to make money. As you can imagine, he was none too popular among his peers. He had that article blown up, and it hangs on the wall in his waiting room.
Loki is the first purebred cat we’ve ever had. I wrote the breeder and asked for his medical history. I was delighted to find out that he has real longevity in his gene pool. His dad lived to be 21, and died of pancreatitis. His mom had recently passed at 18, of old age. The breeder said she got slower and slower, slept more, and ate less. Never seemed to be in any pain, though. She also said there was no history of brain tumors in any of her cats. She shared a lot about his family, and it was all reassuring, so we are hoping for the best.
Loki is a very special cat. He is just as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. He has brought me and my family so much joy in his years with us. Most days, when I get home from work, he is sitting in the sidelight window, waiting for me. He sleeps between my husband and me during most of the night. He naps on my bed all day, hiding under it if we make too much noise and disturb him. Sometimes he lies under there with his head in my husband’s sneaker. When he’s had enough napping, he hangs out with us. He lays on the hassock with his head on my ankle, or on the arm of the oversized chair my husband prefers, cuddled up with him.
He is the world’s pickiest eater – he turns his nose up some days at the food he previously devoured. When I make a turkey, he becomes my shadow, not leaving my side until he gets his. The only times he ever seems inclined to jump on the counter is when I make a turkey or sponge cake. Yep, something about that cake just makes his nose quiver.
When my grandson comes to visit, Loki hides. Not because Jonah is rough with him; he’s actually been incredibly gentle. But as Loki has gotten older, he doesn’t want to be bothered by anyone; he just wants to get his 18-20 hours of sleep in and be left alone. That said, he occasionally would wander by, and Jonah would be so happy! When we Facetime with him, he always asks for Loki. If he’s not around, we say Jonah, where’s Loki? And he says, he’s hiding. That little boy understands.
As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.
Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
Comments Off on BookBitch Diary: October 1, 2023 | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
My daughter got me watching Gilmore Girls when she was in middle school. We missed the first couple of seasons, which I didn’t realize at the time, and watched it sporadically. Several years ago, as streaming became a thing, I found them on Netflix and started watching from the beginning. The show had been rather abruptly canceled, so the creators of the show, the Paladinos, never got the ending they wanted. Then came the reboot, which I also watched – my friend Caitlin had a viewing party, which was so much fun! I even made homemade pop-tarts for the event.
Since I’m letting that secret out, here’s the other: I have two shows that are my guilty pleasure – I watch the entire run of Gilmore Girls, then watch the entire run of The West Wing, another show I didn’t watch when it aired the first time around. A co-worker pestered me into watching – she had the whole series on DVD, and I fell in love with Aaron Sorkin. I’ve watched everything the man has written, and I’ve watched Sports Night and The Newsroom several times, and The American President, the forerunner to The West Wing, more times than I can count. But The West Wing & Gilmore Girls remain in constant rotation.
I’ve watched all the Palladinos’ shows that I know about, too: Bunheads was terrific but short lived, and I loved The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, too. One of the things I like about rewatching shows is that I don’t have to pay as close attention; I can read while I watch, always a bonus for me. I’ve been rewatching shows that I love for as long as I can remember – I watched I Love Lucy over and over throughout my childhood and even some years into adulthood. And I still watch an episode now and then, especially when I want to cheer myself up. I’ve always credited that amazing cast with getting me through my parents’ divorce.
Are there any shows you watch over and over?
The thing that I don’t understand is how emotionally invested I am with these shows. You would think after watching the President get shot over and over on TWW I’d be immune to it, but no, I still cry at that episode and several others. I’ve tried watching other shows that the stars of these shows moved on to with limited success; I loved a few, gave up on the rest.
I totally bought into this little Gilmore Girls gift from Wirecutter at the New York Times, and agree with their reasoning. If you are a fan of the show, let me know what you think!
Using ChatGPT’s guidance, the Mason City Community School District removed 19 titles—including Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Toni Morrison’s Beloved—from its library shelves. But there is another truth: Educators who must comply with vague laws about “age-appropriate” books with “descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act” have only so many options.
Food News
Stop Trying to Convince Me Tinned Fish Is the Height of Luxury
Can we all admit that tinned fish is just okay?
This article made me laugh! When my husband and I were in Portugal in April, we noticed a lot of tinned fish. Entire aisles of supermarkets were filled with the little tins. And my personal favorite, a chain of touristy tinned fish stores that were incredibly beautiful; their design was based on the world’s most beautiful library at the University of Coimbra. Can you tell which is which??
Hint: In the center photo, those gold brick-looking things are actually cans of tuna packed in olive oil with gold leaf! Those were the most expensive in the store, around € 20. The fish in the supermarket was much less expensive; that’s how I knew this was a tourist trap. The cheapest cans in this fancy store were about €4, which was about the same price as the most expensive cans in the supermarket! Then again, I didn’t see any cans with gold leaf there, but I didn’t look very hard.
In the photo on the right, you can see books wrapping around the wall into the ceiling. Those were trompe l’oeil, painted to look like a library. It was an interesting store for sure. And thanks to Eater, I guess my trip to Portugal was on trend.
LibraryTinned Fish StoreTinned Fish StoreThe view of the University of Coimbra from our hotel; the library is at the top
Apparently, the library was used as inspiration for some of the scenes in the Harry Potter movies. The students at the university wear a uniform of – wait for it – long black robes! They are not mandatory, but it seems most students wear them.
Other News
My kids came to visit a few weeks ago. My grandson, Jonah, is almost 2 1/2 years old and loves to help in the kitchen. We made chocolate chip cookies, and he truly did help! I had everything measured out and ready to go for him. He cracked the eggs and helped me put them in the mixing bowl. He dumped the sugars, flour, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips in next (and blew my mind when he told me we need flour and baking soda to make cookies!) Then, he helped scoop out the cookie dough. He got a few chocolate chips as a “chef snack” for helping.
A few days later, he helped make the frosting for my daughter’s birthday cake and carefully placed confetti on top. But the funniest thing was he found this giant “dinosaur egg” in with the toys I keep for him. He immediately ran to the counter to crack the egg! Then he surprised himself by putting it back together without any help. We had so much fun together!
As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.
Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
Comments Off on BookBitch Diary: September 1, 2023 | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
Welcome to the sweltering summer. Where I live, in South Florida, the temperatures have been staying in the 90’s, with a “feels like” hovering in the low 100s. But we have it better than most of the country where people are suffering from the hottest summer on record; everything here is air-conditioned. I go from my air-conditioned house to my air-conditioned car to my air-conditioned job to the air-conditioned supermarket, etc. You get the idea. (Just keeping my fingers crossed that we don’t get hit by any hurricanes this year and lose power and that precious A/C!) Arizona is probably similarly air-conditioned as well as parts of Texas, but most of the country is not.
Deaths from heat are becoming more common, and personally, I am still reeling from Governor Abbot (Texas) signing a new law that says employers no longer have to schedule water breaks for their employees who work outdoors. It’s even hotter in Texas than in Florida, and depriving workers of scheduled water breaks will surely lead to more deaths. Turns out Texas is not alone — from The Washington Post:
A worker in Houston digs fence post holes in late June during a historic heat wave in Texas. (David J. Phillip/AP)
“As the planet records some of its highest average temperatures, workers have barely any legal protections from extreme heat.”
And let’s not forget about the flooding in the northeast, the fires burning through Canada that are polluting the air along our northern borders, the landslides in California, and who knows what’s next.
Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins in the 1964 film “My Fair Lady.” “As a working-class kid I daydreamed about owning Henry Higgins’s library,” Michael Dirda writes. “While I’ll never have that wonderful room, I now have the books.” (Mary Evans/Ronald Grant Archive/Everett Collection)
Michael Dirda shares 29 of his rules for reading. They are not hard and fast.
This one spoke to me:
“Typeface troubles: My heart sinks when I see a desirable book printed in eye-strainingly small type. Publishers must imagine that only eagles will read it.”
A few months earlier, a handful of residents had begun demanding the removal of certain books in the children’s section of Warren County’s only public library. Most of the titles involved LGBTQ+ themes. Powered by support from conservative media, the group persuaded the county’s Board of Supervisors in June to withhold 75 percent of the library’s funding until something was done to address the complaints…moving books around will have to be enough. Banning them — removing books that the library’s trained professionals have determined to be in the interest of even a small number of people in the community — that can’t happen.
Schneider, G. S. (2023, July 23). Public libraries are the latest front in culture war battle over books. The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/46Y88Yu
By Nicole A. Cooke, 24 Jul 2023 (This time it’s personal!)
They now need to learn how to plan for safety and legally protect themselves.
Despite misconceptions and stereotypes – ranging from what librarians Gretchen Keer and Andrew Carlos have described as the “middle-aged, bun-wearing, comfortably shod, shushing librarian” to the “sexy librarian … and the hipster or tattooed librarian” – library professionals are more than book jockeys, and they do more than read at story time.
They are experts in classification, pedagogy, data science, social media, disinformation, [I’m adding misinformation,] health sciences, music, art, media literacy and, yes, storytelling.
And right now, librarians are taking on an old role. They are defending the rights of readers and writers in the battles raging across the U.S. over censorship, book challenges and book bans. Continue reading…
Food News
I hadn’t heard of this type of “fruit ice cream” until I read this article about it. From what I can tell, it is not being sold in South Florida, where I live. There is a machine that mixes frozen fruit into vanilla ice cream, then dipsenses it in a swirl. I love ice cream, and this sounds intriguing. If you’ve tried it, please let me know in the comments!
We are getting ready for a visit from my son and his family – I can’t wait! We usually go up to NY to see them in the summer, and while airfare between South Florida & NYC is still pretty decent, the rates at hotels in the area have gone through the roof! We usually stay at the Brooklyn Sheraton, as it’s only a half a mile from their apartment. We paid about $900 for a week two summers ago, $500 for three nights last summer, but this summer, they want $800+ for three nights. It’s a nice hotel, but there’s nothing special or fancy about it to warrant those kinds of rates. They are not alone though; travel expenses this summer have risen dramatically. I kept seeing articles like this one but was hoping for the best – I am the eternal optimist! Sadly, my optimism here has crashed and burned.
My grandson turned two-years-old in March and can no longer be called a baby – he is a little boy, through and through. He loves playing outside on the playground, reading books, helping whoever is cooking, and palling around with his best friend, Ollie.
Jonah & Ollie
Cooling off!
Jonah loves his books!
A personal note: I moved from working in a public library (for almost 18 years!) to an academic one four years ago, and I’ve never regretted it. There are things (and people) I miss from my old job, but my new one has been fulfilling and brings me happiness most days. August 4 is looming, however – that is my current library director’s last day at Lynn University. Amy Filiatreau is moving to the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA, to start leading their library with the fall semester, and they are incredibly lucky to get her.
I understand why she is leaving, but nonetheless, I am so sad about it. I have had a few good bosses in my life, but only two I can say who became good friends (looking at you, Ron Block!) and Amy. Amy is brilliant, empathetic, and kind, and it is such a rarity to work for someone that I respect and admire so much. With that comes fear for the future. Change is always difficult, but Amy and her amazing staff made my transition to Lynn easy. I wish that for her in her new position. Meanwhile, there will be a search for a new library director here at Lynn, and I am hoping for the best – Amy set the standard, and, it is, frankly, impossibly high.
As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.
Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
If you are a reader, and I’m guessing that’s how you got here, then you are probably aware that the book banning that is going on in this country has reached epidemic proportions, much worse than the McCarthy era of the 1950s and the Reagan resurgence in the 1980s. As a librarian, watching what is happening all over this country, especially in my state of Florida, taking award-winning books away from children and threatening teachers and librarians with prison, is just sickening.
If you believe that everyone should have access to books that interest them and that parents should make the decisions about what is appropriate reading material for their own children and not for everyone else’s children, then I hope you’ll read this Freedom to Read statement and sign on. Thank you.
The Freedom to Read Statement
Seventy years ago, leaders from across the literary world joined together in writing to condemn attacks on free expression. The statement at the heart of that endeavor, the Freedom to Read Statement, was authored by the American Library Association and Association of American Publishers over a period of several days. It begins with this timeless observation:
The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack.
A resurgence of attacks on the freedom to read again threatens our democracy. Calls for book bans, the adoption of unconstitutional legislation, and campaigns to criminalize the work of librarians, teachers, booksellers and other individuals for distributing materials protected by the First Amendment threaten our fundamental liberties.
Recognizing that the battle to preserve our freedoms is as old as the freedoms themselves, the American Library Association and the Association of American Publishers have reconvened on this 70th Anniversary of the Freedom to Read statement to reaffirm its timeless message, joined by the Authors Guild and American Booksellers Association. Together, we recommit to the proposition that the freedom to read is essential to our democracy and the birthright of all persons regardless of their beliefs or political persuasion.
Prime Day is coming! Lots of great bargains heading our way. Reminder: Customers can only participate in Prime Day if they are Prime members! So try it free for 30 days…
Grab a Kindle! I followed Wirecutter‘s advice and got the “Kindle Paperwhite Kids” last year on Prime Day – it’s the same Kindle as the adults, but it comes with a nice black case/cover, a longer warranty, and no ads! And it’s 44% off; the price is down from $159.99 to $89.99! The storage of 8 GB is probably more than enough for anyone. I have over 6000 books on mine and have never had a problem adding more. (I have recently made it a habit to remove the download of the book as I finish reading it, just in case!)
I still have the World Book set my mom bought when I was in elementary school. My kids occasionally used it for homework. Most of the information is still good; how much has the information on the polio vaccine or the Revolutionary War changed? I’m sure quite a bit is outdated or ignores contributions by women or people of color – one can only hope this latest edition is more diverse and inclusive.
At this point, I keep it more for its sentimental value than anything else, plus no one wants it. You can find ads for free encyclopedias on NextDoor, Facebook Marketplace, etc., but no one really wants them, even for free. When I worked at the public library, people often donated encyclopedias and other old, moldy, mildewed books that went straight into the dumpster.
My personal favorite was in a phone call I took from a woman who had recently lost her husband. He had been a physician, and she wanted to donate his medical books, most from the 1930s. We respectfully declined.
The public library in my area does purchase a new set of print encyclopedias every year or two and houses them in the children’s section. They keep the previous edition on hand – the older set could be checked out, but the latest edition could only be used in the library. All of this is leading up to this article:
I just bought the only physical encyclopedia still in print, and I regret nothing: The still-updated World Book Encyclopedia is my antidote to the information apocalypse.
The Saga Over Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Russian Novel” Has an Uncomfortable Lesson—and It’s Not for Her
By Imogen West-Knights, Slate
Gilbert, or her publishers, or both, has decided not to go ahead with publication after all. When the book went up on Goodreads, it was flooded with one-star reviews from people who could not have read it yet. “While Ukrainians are dying from russian terrorists, famous authors are writing books about them and romanticizing these bastards,” one commenter wrote. There are 532 such reviews as of this writing.
Need a recipe in a snap to make your summer produce shine? From June 21 – August 15, text a fruit or vegetable emoji to 361-COOK-NYT (361-266-5698) and receive free recipes from New York Times Cooking! This summer, New York Times Cooking is bringing home cooks inspiration around beloved summer produce and more, with a Recipe Emoji Line. From June 21– August 15, text any fruit or vegetable emoji to 361-COOK-NYT. In return, texters will receive a delicious free recipe, and will be guided to continue texting emojis for more free recipes. My only caveat is I haven’t found an emoji for the odd fruits or vegetables that show up in farm shares or co-ops, like dragonfruit, daikon, or kohlrabi!
Fun fact: As a New York Times Cooking subscriber, I’m entitled to gift two free recipes to friends and family (or my readers) each month. Please let me know if you are not a subscriber and would love a specific recipe from the NYT. I’m happy to share! For this month, I’ll share two of my favorites:
Serendipity is a funny thing. Did you watch the TV series “Modern Family?” You still can on Hulu. I recently ran across one of my favorite quotes from the show, which led me to think about it more than I have in years. I loved that show for most of the years it was on, starting with what I affectionately think of as the Lion King episode. (“Pilot,” Season 1, Episode 1):
ABC. (2009, September 24). Lion King Moment 9-23 – Modern Family. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/1aSzTVrP5FQ
Another memorable episode is also from Season 1, “Phil Gets an iPad,” (episode 19.) Watching it at the time felt like watching a commercial for the newly released Apple iPad, but in hindsight, it was almost prescient – Phil says, “oh, who’s ready for the first day of the rest of their lives!” Yep, I’m pretty sure a lot of lives were changed by the iPad. I know mine was. And in a weird coincidence, I now work at a university that is an Apple/iPad school. So maybe not a commercial but more a glimpse of things to come?
Modern Family Clips. (2020, September 7). Modern Family 1×19 – Phil gets an iPad [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/rkbgDtNGv3o
What started me on this topic was the quote I mentioned earlier. It’s from a conversation between Haley, the not-quite-bright daughter, and Alex, her much brighter sister:
Alex: Can you drop me off at the library?
Haley: Sorry. I’m meeting some friends at that coffee shop on Lake.
Alex: You mean the one next to the library?
Haley: That’s a library? I thought it was a church for a religion that didn’t allow makeup.
Corrigan, P., Walsh, B., & Wrubel, B. (Writers). Case, R. (Director). (2014, April 30.) Sleeper. (Season 5, Episode 21.) [TV series episode]. In Levitan, S. & Lloyd, C. (Executive Producers) Modern Family. 20th Century Fox
Now I know a lot of librarians took offense at that. I’m not sure why, to be perfectly honest. Maybe it hit a little too close to home? Since I’m one of the minority librarians who does wear makeup but have rarely worked with or seen many other librarians who do, I knew it to be mostly true and, therefore, funny. Even the younger generation of librarians coming up in the profession are not prone to wearing makeup. I have to add that the librarians I currently work with are pretty evenly divided, some wear makeup, some don’t, but all look professional. That has not always been my experience.
I hate to generalize, but I’ve been to several major librarian conferences over the years, like the American Library Association Annual Conferences, Public Library Annual Conferences, and local ones, like those sponsored by the Florida Library Association and the Southeast Florida Library Information Network (SEFLIN.) I’ve also done presentations at these and for library systems like the Palm Beach County Library System, the New York Library Association, the Kansas Library Association, and other groups. In other words, I have witnessed thousands of librarians – sans makeup.
It’s hard to see, but that is a tattoo of a piece of hard candy behind the ear of this young librarian in a bun!
Added bonus: there is always a booth or two at these conferences selling book/library-themed clothing or cat-themed clothing and accessories, and they usually have lines of librarians waiting to buy them. Buns and bobs are seen throughout the conference. Cardigans galore (I love them!) Glasses! Lots and lots of librarians in buns, cardigans, and glasses. All I’m saying is that stereotypes become stereotypes for a reason.
Does wearing makeup have any impact on a librarian’s work? Absolutely not. Most librarians love to help people find good information, which is more important now than ever, especially with the advent of generative AI and the misinformation and disinformation that is so easily spread. As Neil Gaiman said,
“Google can bring you back 100,000 answers; a librarian can bring you back the right one.”
Did you know that archivists are generally also librarians? They are a subspecialty of the Masters in Library and Information Science or Masters in Information Science degrees. There are also certificate and degree programs in archiving. I mention this because the National Archive has been in the news lately. When Trump was indicted in Miami in the Classified Documents Inquiry, a colleague said, “This is what happens when you fuck with archivists!”
Well said.
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.
Posted by Stacy Alesi 
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 