I have so many things to be grateful and thankful for!
I am grateful for my health, family, friends, home, my blog followers, and all the things I take for granted on a daily basis.
I hope your Thanksgiving holiday is filled with joy, peace, a delicious meal, and you are surrounded by those you love.
Below is the summary for Common Sense by Thomas Paine from Chirp's website:
The explosive essay that sparked a revolution. When Common Sense hit the streets in 1776, it ignited the American colonies like never before. With bold, plain-spoken language, Thomas Paine challenged the authority of the British monarchy and made the urgent case for American independence. More than just a political argument, this short but powerful work gave everyday people the words to demand freedom—and the courage to fight for it. Radical, rebellious, and razor-sharp, Common Sense remains a landmark of political writing. Its message still resonates today: real change begins when ordinary people dare to speak truth to power.
I am giving Common Sense by Thomas Paine a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.
Until my next post, happy reading!!
Earlier this month, I attended an Alta Live virtual event featuring Ishmael Reed in conversation with Will Hearst. It was an excellent and engaging interview. Ishmael Reed has lead a very colorful life.
The primary focus of this Alta Live event was the discussion of Ishmael Reed's newest book, Blind Persistence.
Blind Persistence was published on November 1, 2025 and is an anthology.
I read Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin thirty years ago for the first time in college for a Russian literature course I'd enrolled. I have a BA in Russian language and taking a elective in the form of a Russian literature was part of earning my degree.
I wasn't a huge fan of this iconic Russian classic at the time. It wasn't that I disliked Eugene Onegin when I first read it. It's just that sometimes when you're required to read something for a college course, it isn't something that one ends up truly enjoying or appreciating at the time.
So, thirty years later I decided to give Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin another look with fresh eyes and a new perspective. Maybe, I thought to myself, I'd enjoy this novel more now than in my twenties.
What did I love about Eugene Onegin? It's entirely written in verse (aka poetry), which I found to be unique. Eugene Onegin covers the topics of love, regret, and the consequences of neglecting what truly matters.
Alexander Pushkin is widely considered to be Russia's greatest writer and also the founder of modern Russian literature. I also learned from Google that Alexander Pushkin is often compared to William Shakespeare. Pushkin mastered multiple genres.
Although, I enjoyed listening to the unabridged audio version of Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin, I wouldn't say I loved this Russian classic novel. I'm not sure if it was due to the translation itself, as translating a novel in verse is difficult to do I would imagine. Or if it's simply due to the fact that a novel in verse isn't my thing.
Below is the summary for Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin from Chirp's website:
In this timeless Russian classic, the charismatic but aloof Eugene Onegin rejects love, friendship, and opportunity in favor of cynicism and self-isolation. When he returns to his rural estate, he crosses paths with the idealistic Tatyana, who falls deeply in love with him. But Onegin’s cold dismissal of her leads to a tragic sequence of events that changes all their lives. With sharp wit and vivid characters, Eugene Onegin is a rich exploration of love, regret, and the consequences of neglecting what truly matters.
I am giving Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.
Until my next post, happy reading!
The “Outlander” universe, in which a time-traveling British nurse finds adventure and romance with an 18th-century Scottish warrior, is coming to Aggieland.
The best-selling book series author, Dr. Diana Gabaldon, has selected Texas A&M University’s Cushing Memorial Library and Archives as the permanent home for her literary papers, notes and memorabilia from the historical science fiction, adventure-romance series and its hit streaming adaptation.
The collection will capture the evolution of Gabaldon’s storytelling and offer a glimpse into how her 1991 debut novel “Outlander” grew into a global phenomenon spanning novels, companion works and a long-running television adaptation.
“The acquisition of a collection of this magnitude marks a pivotal moment in the growth of our Libraries’ collections,” said Julie Mosbo Ballestro, university librarian and assistant provost. “We have long admired Diana’s contributions to the field, and we are eager to integrate her work into our Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection that ranks among the finest in the world.”
What I didn't know, until reading the above article, is that Texas A & M has a rich science fiction tradition! Click on the link to read the full story.
I listened to the unabridged version of The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes, which is nicely narrated by Anne Hancock.
The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes is a short story and a work of historical fiction set in London, England.
Marie Belloc Lowndes is a new to me author. I was drawn to The Lodger, because it is about Jack the Ripper. I am fascinated by Jack the Ripper's true identity. Who really was Jack the Ripper? Marie Belloc Lowndes gives us a fictional look at who he might have been.
Below is the publisher's summary for The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes from Chirp's website:
According to legend, in 1910, Marie Belloc Lowndes attended a London dinner party where a guest told her that his mother’s butler and cook claimed they had once rented rooms to Jack the Ripper, the notorious mass murderer. The idea for “The Lodger” was born.
Mr. and Mrs. Bunting have sunk their savings into their house with plans to let rooms. But no lodgers have materialized, and they are on the verge of penury when, one foggy night, a knock on the door brings Mr. Sleuth, an unassuming gentleman whose needs are perfectly suited to the suite of rooms the Buntings have to rent.
Gradually, relief turns into suspicion, then dread, as Mrs. Bunting notices their savior’s strange habits are not mere eccentricities. When his late-night forays seem to coincide with the lurid headlines her husband reads to her about the grisly murders in London, she slowly realizes she may be harboring a monster. And if he’s discovered, it will mean ruin for the Buntings.
This is the original 1911 short story. Jack the Ripper’s identity was never discovered but “The Lodger” offers a tantalizing possibility that has entertained and intrigued readers for more than a century.
I am giving The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.
Until my next post, happy reading!
We Had to Remove This Post highlights the impact of social media in general and the working conditions of social media content moderators, which feels like an important topic to examine.
The fictional employees featured in We Had to Remove This Post watch videos during their shifts at a company named Hexa. During their shifts, employees decide whether the videos they watch are allowed to be posted online or are taken down due to the video's content.
The employees view some pretty horrific things while watching these videos. Over time, the employees seem to be effected by post-traumatic stress disorder due to watching videos during their shifts. Some of the employees turn to alcohol and drug use/consumption to cope with stress caused by viewing the views, some deal with insomnia or other sleep disturbances/issues due to watching these videos, and some display other disturbing behaviors.
We Had To Remove This Post is told through the point of view of Kayleigh. Kayleigh works at Hexa and so does her girlfriend, Sigrid. The focus is on Kayleigh's time at Hexa, how working at Hexa effects her negatively, how the work effects Sigrid and their relationship, and the effects on other employees too.
I think the author does a fantastic job describing the horrors of being a social media content moderator for such a social media company! I cannot imagine watching horrific video after video after video for hour after hour after hour over weeks and months. It must wreak havoc on one's psyche.
As much as the author does a fabulous job in describing the horrors of being a social media content moderator, it was all too much. Plus, parts of this novella were boring and felt disjointed. Maybe this is because We Had to Remove This Post is a translated work?
Below is the publisher's summary for We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets from Amazon's website:
Kayleigh needs money. That’s why she takes a job as a content moderator for a social media platform whose name she isn’t allowed to mention. Her job: reviewing offensive videos and pictures, rants and conspiracy theories, and deciding which need to be removed. It’s grueling work. Kayleigh and her colleagues spend all day watching horrors and hate on their screens, evaluating them with the platform’s ever-changing terms of service while a supervisor sits behind them, timing and scoring their assessments. Yet Kayleigh finds a group of friends, even a new love—and, somehow, the job starts to feel okay.
But when her colleagues begin to break down; when Sigrid, her new girlfriend, grows increasingly distant and fragile; when her friends start espousing the very conspiracy theories they’re meant to be evaluating; Kayleigh begins to wonder if the job may be too much for them. She’s still totally fine, though—or is she?
I am giving We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.
Until my next post, happy reading!!
I'm a bit late with this post in celebrating Native American Heritage Month!!
I recently discovered an article on Good Housekeeping Magazine's website titled, 32 Best Books by Native American and Indigenous Authors to Add to Your Bookshelf by Sarah Vincent and Lizz Schumer.
I've read and reviewed The Sentence by Louise Erdrich (I truly enjoyed this one), Heart Berries by Therese Marie Mailhot (I didn't enjoy this one), and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (I loved this one!). All three of these were mentioned in the Good Housekeeping article.
I have There, There by Tommy Orange, To The Moon & Back by Eliana Ramage, The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters, Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty, Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo, and Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer on my reading wishlist.
Have you read any of the books listed in the Good Housekeeping article? If so, which ones and what did you think of them?
I recently ordered the 'Goodnight Moon' literary postage stamps. They are really cute in person! I am looking forward to using them.
I really like it when the United States Postal Service creates literary themed postage stamps and hope they create more stamps with a literary theme in the near future.
