Welcome to Litsy!

I love it when my husband recommends a book because I know if it was good enough to hold his attention, it must be REALLY good. So this one is getting added to my TBR…

A powerful, important read.

“If someone does want to take a step back from their extreme beliefs, to re-examine them or eventually dis-engage, one of the most productive things we can do is make it safe for them to change their minds.
"We need to reassure people that there are ways for them to come back," he said. "They have a role to play in warning others about the dangers of getting sucked in." 

https://apple.news/AH18wJlI_T7ioYDjB-W4pPA

I‘ve been following Canada Reads for a few years and always want to read the chosen books, so I figured this year was the perfect time to start. I read We Have Always Been Here (2020 winner) in early July and am happily waiting for the rest to come in from the library. I‘m looking forward to finishing the books and watching the discussions!

Overall, the stories are less than subtle & often fairly didactic. In “Unauthorized Bread,” Wye gives an impromptu 2 page tutorial on public-key cryptography. In “Model Minority,” Lois delivers a 2.5 page rant about racial bias in predictive policing. While didactic, there are certainly people who will find it more palatable to learn these concepts via fiction, which they might not otherwise seek out. Full review: https://wp.me/p2P6GA-5fJ

If you‘re not familiar with #CanadaReads, every year the CBC hosts a game show where five famous Canadians each pick a book to defend, and then engage in a week of debates. One book is eliminated each day until the last one is crowned the winner of Canada‘s annual title fight This year they are looking for the “one book to bring Canada into focus.” Day One review and recap: https://wp.me/p2P6GA-5fJ

Love the Saved by the Bell reference.

A really great read! 4 novellas that are astute satires of very real issues, 4/5 stars.

Full review: https://reneereadsbooks.wordpress.com/2020/03/16/book-review-radicalized-by-cory...

☹

#CanadaReads2020.

I was able to get and read 4 of the 5 books for #CanadaReads2020. I was very surprised to find that I like Radicalized, a collection of 4 short stories, the best. I don't usually care for short story anthologies. There wasn't anything cheerful in this year's reads.
@NataliePatalie

Can't believe I have two panned books in the #CanadaReads2020 series. I suspect this is one of those times where expectations influence opinions. The theme for Canada Reads this year is “one book to bring Canada into focus“, but this book is SO America-centric I just can't see it.

Image from author's website here:
https://craphound.com/radicalized-full/2019/12/05/radicalized-is-one-of-the-cbcs...

Only 10 pages in...i fear this is this going to be another one of those cautionary tales about the evils of technology. Sigh.

Buses crashes happen every freaking day. Humans are terrible, awful, horrible drivers. #of fatalities from car accidents is heart-breakingly high.

I‘ll take my chances with a hackable robot driver over an unreliable human any time.

These four novellas are topical, and I admire how Doctorow focuses more on ideas than answers, but the book never sparked for me. I don‘t feel like I got anything different out of it than I would‘ve from related news articles. It‘s worth reading, but not worth rushing out for.

I read it for Canada Reads, and I‘m also disappointed at its specifically American framework. This is NOT the book to “bring Canada into focus,” as per this year‘s theme.

1. The Children Act, Son of a Trickster, The Song of Hiawatha
2. Knitting
3. Radicalized or From the Ashes

@rachelsbrittain #weekendreads

Bit of a crowded #weeklyforecast here.

To the left: primary reads. I‘ll definitely finish PUT ME BACK TOGETHER, then read either RADICALIZED or WITCHMARK, then start whichever I didn‘t chose before. I might finish all three; I might not.

To the right: an assortment of short story collections, essay anthologies, comics omnibi, poetry, and 800-year-old historical sagas I intend to keep picking away at in the coming week but probably won‘t finish.

Library haul! I got two from the Canada Reads shortlist, a longlist title I still want to read, André Alexis‘s short story collection, what I think is the most recent volume of TO YOUR ETERNITY, and Talia Hibbert‘s latest.

Social activism, technology & the economy are the main concerns of these near-future stories. Predictive policing; price-gouging enabled by digital rights legislation; unjust health insurance practices; survivalism versus community: these are topics that matter. What‘s even better is that the issues don‘t overshadow the reading pleasure. Each of the four novellas in this #audiobook is expertly performed by a different narrator. #CanadianAuthor

If there was one thing that would motivate Canadians, it was the sense that American politics were so screwed up that they made Canada shine by comparison.
#CanadianAuthor

I like Doctorow, but his books leave me with an exaggerated opinion of what I can do. “Of course I can make my own 3D printer” I end up thinking “That kid in Little Brother did it in weekend, with twine.” Luckily, this is a collection of short stories, so I finished Unauthorized Bread (about propriety software sticking it to the poor) before I tried jailbreaking anything.

Started this one today. Sounds really good and has all the stuff I like.