Welcome to Litsy!

My $14 used book haul from this weekend! Nothing like a used book to make me happy.❤️💗📚

My September TBR. Where should I begin? Decisions...decisions! 🍁 🎃 👻

I read this because someone gave me a copy. It is so depressing. How someone with no idea about foreign policy, trade, defence or even the basics of how government works can be the President of the United States just makes me mad and sad. Not to mention his lack of integrity or attention to detail. A White House staffer is quoted in the book as saying ‘We are in crazy town‘. That really sums it up for me.

Interesting and informative. If you are keeping up to date with the news and typically follow politics, then a lot of the stories told in this book were already familiar. However this book did have so much extra background dialogue that gave more depth and understanding of the campaign and first portion of Trump's presidency.

PJs, hot milk and the first of a pile of books ... Perfect Friday! Apt reading considering the wider world today. Not really putting my mind at rest, to be honest 🤷🏼‍♀️

Easy like a Sunday morning. Coffee, tales of Trump and a lay in. I always find Woodward‘s books easy to read and impeccably researched. ‘Wired‘ about John Belushi is one of my favourite nonfiction books. This one isn‘t disappointing. A very quick read.

It‘s cold outside ... I was going out for a run but might have an hour more reading in my toasty bedroom 🤣

Cheating on my current reads with this one ... after a toasty bath and now in my favourite pyjamas. The dreaded head cold won‘t win the day.

It's crazy to believe that I've read this and it isn't fiction. I can't believe we live in the 21st century and this is the president. It's so unbelievably sad, but I will continue to stay informed on everything. #votehimout #44 #2019

Look what I found in a local #bookstore in the old town district of #Hanoi, #Vietnam!

Starting this next on #overdrive #currentlyreading

Excellent!

#marchintothe70s

(Day 27 - #WhatAFoolBelieves)

This was another easy one for me. I‘m sorry if I get too political, but I‘m very passionate about what goes on in my country, and my head is often flooded with some of the negative aspects of it.

I went into this book skeptical. It had be hard to read (or write) about events of the recent past when we are still dealing with the aftermath. And in many cases we still don‘t know how it will have effected our world. This book was a hard read and did not make me feel better about our political situation. But it was interesting. Like a car crash. Hard to look Away.

Meanders a bit and offers few conclusion, but gives good insight into the political operations of the Trump White House provided you're happy to draw your own conclusions from the described circumstances. Read this right after Fire & Fury and thought the two went together nicely to provide both a personal and a political insight into the administration.

Ok I girded myself, closed my eyes during the section on election night, and dived in. It is well researched, factual, non- hystrionic account of the Trump White House up through early 2018- We end when Mueller is just about to gear up. I am glad I read this- I now have a better grasp on the players, the Trump decision- making “process”( we need a 6th grade teacher as Chief of Staff apparently or a nun with a ruler). I want the sequel- impeachment

This goes straight to lack of character, lack of empathy, lack of capable skills to do his job. A cowardly man who is willing to destroy the very foundations our country was build on, our democracy. Just to avoid being seen for what he truly is
A con, a cheat, a liar.
A creepy dictator in sheepskin.
A seal in a now bankrupt circus, who still cant balance a ball on his nose.
Review goodreads.com/overtheedge

#youresovain I bet you think this song is about you, you‘re so vain! #marchintothe70s

I struggled to get through this. I don‘t doubt Woodward‘s chops as a reporter, but his ability to tell a compelling story leaves a lot to be desired. Just an accounting of one damn thing after another. I learned that Trump does have a core — wanting to be strong and not be seen or treated as weak. Nothing else matters to him. Once you get that about him, his actions are comprehensible & predictable. Not sure he‘s evil so much as petty & deluded.

How can things be like they are portrayed in this book? The problem is that this makes Trump look very impulsive and reactionary. In the meantime he can formulate all the malevolent plans he desires.

After reading this I need some sort of happy picture. How about sunset in December?

I probably would have got more out of this book had I read it when it first came. It‘s been analyzed and over analyzed. Already old news.

About to go hear Bob Woodward at War Memorial Auditorium- I Fear I may not yet be ready to deep dive into the Trump white house but here I go!

I‘m reading the book slowly but I‘m still mesmerized by #libraryarchitecture . If anyone recalls me recently posting from Lawrence MA, this library is maybe ten minutes away in Methuen MA but may as well be an entire lifetime away.

End of the first quarter. Rams 0. Patriots 0. Commercials 0. #litsypartyofone

#litsypartyofone Yeah, I‘m watching from the midst of Patriots territory. Not that I care, as long as footballs are properly inflated.

BLECH! Trump and his administration come off sounding just as vulgar and ignorant as I already thought they all were. Though I wasn‘t shocked, I was caught off guard a few times at just how often his staff treated the president like a child, for example removing papers from his desk so he wouldn‘t sign away America‘s place in various trade deals against the advice of his cabinet. Glad I read it. The constant breaking news alerts make sense now.

1. 12F. It was 0F when I got to work. Who considers this habitable?
2. 90? 95? Just keep it under 110.
3. No idea, too cold though as always.
4. Whatever it is in the cafe. ☕️
5. See above. The anger warms me up. 😂

#hellothursday @wanderinglynn

This theme comes up few times, no matter how much data they present, no matter how many experts, or national security officials, or generals explain it...if he‘s believed it for years, they are just wrong.

And this part resonated as I‘m listening to the mock trials based on the #ShakespeareReadAlong plays we‘ve been reading....seriously having read about some of these Kings and their tirades, that‘s I huge statement.

Parts of this book are still resonating as we talk about shutdowns and DACA...

Just another book I‘m reading as a reason to post #brutalistlibrary buildings. This one is in Lawrence, MA. Anyone else fascinated by library architecture? I‘d love to see it! #libraryarchitecture #brutalism

Another part I found very interesting considering more recent developments:
In June 2017 MBS became the heir apparent, and MBN was removed from his positions
In November 2017 he was involved with the Jamal Khashoggi murder
Not to mention some pretty murky issues with Yemen and Qatar in there too.

So interesting that the family has friendships with and a back channel to MBS from the beginning.

So even from the very beginning, when none of it was being tied to him, and they are assuring him of that....this was his response.

Boy I feel OLD, I remember after 9-11 when they talked about how important human intelligence and sources were.

This book took me a VERY long time to get through....I pre-ordered it, started it as soon as I got it, read the first few chapters, put it down, and just couldn‘t bring myself to pick it up again... until last week. When the shutdown became the longest in history, and I thought I really should finish this book, try to glean some understanding of how we got here. Oddly it was much easier to read now, the current administration‘s emergency a day/..

The Trump Administration is like the Nixon Administration on meth.

Trump is an ally to no one. He‘ll gut anyone at anytime. He is erratic and shallow, displaying zero attention span. A writhing puppet to Fox News. A highly detailed gripping account!

Way behind on my reviews, so it's going to be a few posts in a review. Took this with a pinch of salt, I am no fan of Trump but I am not sure how accurate it is and I think historians are going to unravelling his presidency long after he's dead. Nevertheless, this was a gripping, terrifying read.

Recently I discovered that a Blinkist subscription comes with a Scribd subscription.

I didn't want to read Fear, but listening to the Blinkist version is doable.

I think I will use Blinkist for nonfiction books that i am interested in, but not interested enough to invest time for the whole book.

Do any of you use the service and how do you like it?

I was on board with most of this: Woodard certainly paints a revealing picture of an administration that is, if not surprising, one that fills in a lot of gaps in the news coverage. I had one big complaint though: too much dialogue. It's nothing if not colorful, but I feel like it distracts from the content of the discussions, which is more disturbing and where the conversation ought to be focused.

One person present said Mattis's message was clear: Stop fucking around with this. We're doing this because we've got to prevent World War III. This isn't some business gamble where if you happen to go bankrupt or whatever, it's not a big deal.
It seemed Mattis and others were at the end of their rope with the president. How are you possibly questioning these things that are obvious and so fundamental? (p 306)

Time for some wholesome breakfast while I review bookmarks on a decidedly unwholesome topic.

Great read but terrifying. Trump is an idiot

Finished this one during some #cozy #newyearsday reading while my dad practices his #solitaire skills

#politics #journalism #trump

#yearinreview #2018wrapup
Unfortunately these books were essential reading this year. They were often more helpful than the daily chaos he thrusts us into.
Fear & Russian Roulette are journalistic & well-supported.
Fire & Fury is more tabloid-ish, but all of it bears out thus far.
Unbelievable is a good refresher of the campaign.
Born Trump is illuminating.
If you can‘t take the daily news, try one of these to keep abreast of things.

Has it really been 2 years? Please don‘t make it 6 more.

Finally starting (a borrowed) copy of this. Not sure if I‘ll be able to finish it but we‘ll see. Also, Christmas gift socks 😁

Catching up on old reviews: Frightening & convincing. There's really not any new bombshells that haven't been revealed before or that the news has already covered but I really took to Woodward's descriptions of the players. I felt like I got to know the personalities and how they interacted with the other members of the administration but I dislike any moment in my life that makes me feel bad people I've come to loathe. That happened... a lot.

Christmas Eve Eve reading. I can‘t believe I‘m off work for an entire week!!! (That‘s my Dad snoozing in the background.)

Reading this book makes your head spin. Had to read it a few chapters at a time until today when I decided to power through it (didn‘t want to carry it into 2019 with me). Are there any surprises? Honestly, the current administration is a leaky sieve & so the book itself wasn‘t too surprising. It‘s Woodward so it‘s readable but, as I said, recommended in small doses. The chaos & dysfunction & dislike main players have for each other is exhausting.