The Prelinger Library in San Francisco, California

I've never heard of the The Prelinger Library before watching the above video found on YouTube. The above video is very short.

Since I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, I'd like to visit this library some day.

Below os more from The Prelinger Library from there about page:

The Prelinger Library is an independent research library located in San Francisco’s South-of-Market neighborhood. It is open to anyone for research, reading, inspiration, and reuse.

The library is primarily a collection of 19th and 20th century historical ephemera, periodicals, maps, and books, most published in the United States. Much of the collection is image-rich, and in the public domain. The library specializes in material that is not commonly found in other public libraries. Read more about the collection here.

The library was co-founded in 2004 by Megan Prelinger and Rick Prelinger. Read more about our history here. It is also part of a community of local and international artists, writers, activists, and other makers. It is visited by as many as a thousand people every year. Many of these people, and many organizations and institutions, have contributed to the library and helped to make it what it is. Read more about our community here.

Have you visited any libraries recently?

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Bookish Quote of the Day!!!

 

AI Companies Are Buying and Destroying Antique Books!

 This is horrifying news via Forbes!! Checkout this very short YouTube video.

The Wave by Morton Rhue (aka Todd Strasser)

I can't remember now where I first learned about The Wave by Morton Rhue (aka Todd Strasser). Maybe from another book blogger?? Anyway, I've had The Wave on my reading wishlist for quite a while and decided that this month was going to be the one for reading this novel.

The Wave is a young adult novel based on real life events that take place at a high school in Palo Alto, California back in 1969. The fact that this novel is based on real life event and the captivating synopsis are what initially captured my attention enough to want to read The Wave.

Since I'm currently having a complex regional pain syndrome (crps) flare up, I used Google Gemini to help me flush out some of the finer points of this book as follows below:

A Chilling Study in Groupthink: Review of The Wave by Morton Rhue

Morton Rhue’s 1981 novel The Wave (a pen name for Todd Strasser) remains one of the most stark, accessible explorations of how totalitarianism develops within a society. Based on Ron Jones’s real-life 1967 "Third Wave" classroom experiment at a California high school, the story serves as a haunting answer to a timeless question: How could ordinary people allow something like Nazi Germany to happen?

Premise & Plot

When history teacher Ben Ross shows his high school class documentary footage of Holocaust concentration camps, his students react with disbelief. They insist that the average German citizen could not possibly have stood by while millions were murdered. Intrigued and slightly frustrated by their skepticism, Ross decides to launch an unannounced classroom experiment.

He introduces strict discipline, snappy salutes, and unifying slogans: "Strength Through Discipline, Strength Through Community, Strength Through Action." He dubs the movement "The Wave."

What begins as an engaging pedagogical tool quickly spirals out of control:

• Instant Belonging: Outsiders and victims of bullying, like student Robert Billings, suddenly find status and equality within the group.

• Enforced Conformity: The movement rapidly spreads beyond the history classroom. Dissenters—most notably Laurie Saunders, the student newspaper editor—are ostracized, threatened, and labeled as traitors.

• Loss of Control: Ben Ross himself becomes intoxicated by the absolute authority and order he commands, delaying the end of the experiment even as violence begins to leak into the school hallways.

Key Themes

Theme	How It Manifests in the Book
Conformity vs. Individuality	Students willingly trade personal critical thinking for the security and comfort of belonging to a collective.
The Appeal of Fascism	Rhue demonstrates that authoritarian systems do not begin with obvious cruelty; they begin with order, pride, and shared purpose.
Power Dynamics	Ben Ross highlights how authority easily corrupts even well-meaning leaders who believe they remain in control.

Strengths & Weaknesses

• Strengths: The pacing is rapid and taut. At under 150 pages, it reads with the urgency of a thriller. The psychological shift of the students feels disturbingly believable, demonstrating how quickly human beings succumb to tribalism when offered structure and inclusion.

• Weaknesses: Written primarily as young adult literature, the prose is straightforward and occasionally sparse. Character development takes a back seat to the central psychological experiment, making some interactions feel somewhat functional rather than deeply nuanced.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Wave by Morton Rhue (aka Todd Strasser) I found on Amazon's website:

The Wave is based on a true incident that occurred in a high school history class in Palo Alto, California, in 1969.

The powerful forces of group pressure that pervaded many historic movements such as Nazism are recreated in the classroom when history teacher Ben Ross introduces a "new" system to his students. And before long "The Wave", with its rules of "strength through discipline, community, and action," sweeps from the classroom through the entire school. And as most of the students join the movement, Laurie Saunders and David Collins recognize the frightening momentum of "The Wave" and realize they must stop it before it's too late.

I am giving The Wave by Morton Rhue (aka Todd Strasser) a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

 

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

I listened to the unabridged audio version of What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher, which is well narrated by Avi Roque. I'd had this horror/fantasy novella on my reading wishlist for a while. I'm glad I finally listened to What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher as it was really good. 

What Moves the Dead is a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's, The Fall of the House of Usher. What Moves the Dead is also the first novella in the 'Sworn Soldier' series. If you enjoy reading books and novellas that fall into the horror and fantasy genres and are also into a retelling of a classic story, then this book may be for you. The storyline, plot, and characters are fun! This book is most definitely worth the hype.

Below is the publisher's summary for What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher found on the Goodreads website:

From the award-winning author of The Twisted Ones comes a gripping and atmospheric retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher."

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.

I'm giving What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars. 

Until my next post, happy reading!

New to Us Little Free Library in San Juan Bautista, California

 On our way home from Soledad, California, my husband and I stopped off in San Juan Bautista, California with the goal of visiting the San Juan Bautista Mission. 

Unfortunately, the San Juan Bautista Mission was packed with people. So, we decided to take a pass and visit the San Juan Bautista Mission another time.

On our way out of town, we found a Little Free Library outside Vertigo Coffee Roasters. This Little Free Library is cute!

New to Me Little Free Life in Soledad, California

 

This past Friday through Sunday, my husband and I spent time at the Inn at the Pinnacles in Soledad, California. The Inn at the Pinnacles is a luxury bed and breakfast set on a vineyard and is located about a ten to fifteen minute drive from the west entrance to the Pinnacles National Park. It was our first visit time staying at the Inn at the Pinnacles. We truly enjoyed our relaxing stay at there and hope to make another visit in the future. 

The primary purpose of our visit was to attend a stargazing event hosted at the Inn at the Pinnacles. We were able to view the night sky both Friday and Saturday using a telescope. Wine and cheese happy hours were offered both nights and a delicious, homemade Mexican dinner on Saturday evening. And, of course, delicious breakfasts during our stay too. 

On our way to the Inn at the Pinnacles, we visited one of the 21 California Missions in Soledad. The Soledad Mission was a small, but quaint mission. We enjoyed our visit there.

On our way home, we dropped off a couple of books at a Little Free Library in Soledad.

How was your weekend?

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Bookish Quote of the Day!!