Café Quito: 'pub' thread for general discussions Showing 801-850 of 1,427

[WndyJW]

I keep calling it One Sky Day, dropping the first word all together, so Popisho it is for me.

[WndyJW]

The US lost a national treasure today: Betty White died 3 weeks before her 100th birthday. To die at 99 having been happy, healthy, wealthy, and loved by millions is not tragic, but she will mourned by all of America.

[Alwynne]

Oh no, I love Betty White, she was wonderful, a brilliant comedian.

[WndyJW]

I thought at first it was a hoax because she has been in the news and social media a lot lately with everyone talking about her 100th birthday coming up on January 17th. It sucks.

[Paul]

It even made the last national news of the night here, just before midnight.

[WndyJW]

I’m not surprised. She was sooo beloved and venerated here. Betty White and Dolly Parton are two of America’s very favorite people.

[Paul]

Rather oddly The Golden Girls was one of those rare occassions when the UK decided to remake a US show with British actors/setting (usually it is the other way round). It was a disaster.

[Alwynne]

Her career was revived by her appearances on 'Saturday Night Live' and she started to attract a new generation of fans, and she also did really well with 'Hot in Cleveland'.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

I confess I have no idea who she is but anyone that can unite Democrats and Republicans (increasingly the USA feels like two separate countries) in appreciation must be a good thing.

[Alwynne]

I'm not sure she ever declared her political allegiances but she supported Obama, and was an activist for LGBTQ rights and animal welfare.

[WndyJW]

Right! She was smarter than Istros. One can tell from the people and organizations she supported what her politics would be. Decades ago, I think in the 1950s, Betty had a black male dancer on her variety show, she was criticized for having him on the show, her response was to have him on more often.

I never saw her on Hot in Cleveland, it was not a show that interested me at all.

(GY, what you said about the US is almost literally true and if it wasn’t for my real fear that we face another civil war I would comment more about it.)

[Robert]

I only know her from the Golden Girls - I can claim to have watched every episode twice - i first saw them in Canada then when the series ended, I moved to Malta, the local tv station just bought the rights and I rewatched the whole series, except they were shown daily so it was over in three months

[Tracy]

I loved her activism, her humor and her comedic timing. She is a national treasure, along with Dolly, Carol Burnett, and the late Great Cicely Tyson. Strong women who use their powers for good.

[WndyJW]

Don’t ask me how my internet search for the bogomils took me down a Sinead O’Conner rabbit hole… did everyone but me know that Joseph O'Connor, author of Shadowplay, is the brother of Sinead O’Conner?

[Tom]

Is this the right thread for book recommendations? I'm in a funk and just need the right book to pull me out of it. My job is super stressful right now and now that I have a 3-month old son, I suddenly feel so much added pressure to make sure I remain successful and grow my earnings potential. But at the same time I'm worn down by the lack of human interaction I've experienced over the last couple years. I'm at my best when I'm around friends and socializing and just enjoying the company of others. I love my wife and son more than anything, but I think the lack of external interaction is wearing on me.

I just feel like I'm in this existential funk where I keep thinking about the meaning of life, and questions like: why am I working so hard? what kind of world is my child going to inherit? how many hours do I have left to live and why should I be spending so many of them doing things I don't enjoy? what is the endgame? is there a better way? is the rest of my working life going to be this constant struggle to save enough to retire and actually enjoy myself? am I going to run out of time?

Anyways, not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but I'm just in a funk. What books would you recommend? I don't even know if I need something uplifting or depressing. I just know that my mood is often influenced by what I'm reading and I need something to get my head right.

[Henk]

While reading your comment I really thought of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy for some reason, just some fun and satire, but that’s just my two cents. Seems like a really stressful period, best of luck and happy reading!

[Tracy]

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is a quick and humorous read. It’s nonfiction, and may give you a chuckle or two.

I hope I’m not overstepping, but please contact your physician or a support network if your funk continues. And please, please call someone if your feelings start to spiral (this number may help if you feel hopeless: 800-273-8255). This pandemic has sucked serious balls, and you’re not alone!

[Tom]

Tracy wrote: "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is a quick and humorous read. It’s nonfiction, and may give you a chuckle or two.

I hope I’m not overstepping, but please contact your physi..."

No worries, Tracy. I think I probably sounded more depressed than I meant to in my post last night. Just a little bit of a funk and life stress and work stress. Thank you for your thoughtful recommendation though.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

How about something by Ronan Hession

[Lark]

Tom wrote: "Is this the right thread for book recommendations?..."

Just a stab at this, since I don't know you, but these are all books I re-read whenever I need a delightful diversion:

The Exploits and Adventures of Brigadier Gerard
Three Men in a Boat
The Wind in the Willows (my everlasting go-to favorite when in this mood)
Persuasion
The Once and Future King
City
Watership Down

also i go to great classic middle-grade fiction, like

Half Magic and the rest of this series by Edward Eager, or

The Fledgling and the rest of the Hall Family Chronicles by Jane Langton.

[Emmeline]

I also reread childhood favourites, and Daphne Du Maurier, in these conditions. And classic mysteries.

I don't know if your job qualifies, but Bullshit Jobs: A Theory migh be worth a ragey read.

Or A Life's Work, because 3 month olds can be a royal pain, however beloved, and it never hurts to air those feelings for a bit.

Courage!

[Marc]

This might seem like a somewhat random list, Tom, but I think they all carry either a sense of humor about life or a sense of wonder. Hope one of the many great recs on this thread works for you. (I would also read whatever I was personally reading at the time aloud to our son when he was that age---to this day, my voice still puts him to sleep!)
- Lanny (Max Porter)
- Candide (Voltaire)
- If on a Winter's Night a Traveler (Italo Calvino)
- Harold and the Purple Crayon (Crockett Johnson)
- Gilead (Marilynne Robinson)

[WndyJW]

I second Lanny, and Leonard and Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession will make you feel good about people.
For a fun romp Some Rise By Sin; if you like a good historical fiction story, The Gallows Pole will transport you to Yorkshire in the 18th century, I loved it; as an extrovert you might enjoy The Green Man, I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did, it’s quite funny.

There is a lot talk about supporting new mothers, as there should be, but new fathers deal with huge life changes and new responsibilities, and I don’t think dads always get the societal support they need.

It doesn’t help that there is a lot of ugliness and uncertainty in the US right now. I think a lot of Americans are fighting a sinking depression. Until you feel better avoid the news!

[WndyJW]

I went to The Book Loft, a well know bookstore in Ohio, with 32 rooms of books. I was hoping to find some good undies or some sort of gem, I bought Lauren Geoff’s Matrix, which is easily found anywhere.
The best part was the Children’s section, far more “middle reader” books than Barnes & Noble, but nothing special for grownups.

[Alwynne]

Strange place to buy your undies! Does undies mean the same thing in the U.S. as it does here?

[WndyJW]

Ha! Ha! They did have interesting socks and t-shirts, but no good undies. Yes, they are the same thing in the US.

[Tom]

Thank you all for the recommendations! I'll check them out.

[WndyJW]

I wish we had a What Are You Reading Now thread so we could comment on books we’re reading that we feel are worthy of comment.

I’m going to devote March to The Odyssey and try to read Ulysses with the Reading the 20th Century group. I only have 3 books left for RofC so I’ll read them when they arrive, but the rest of my month will be devoted to Odysseus and Leopold and Molly Bloom, Stephen Dedalus, and Buck Mulligan. Wish me luck.

[David]

Godspeed, Wendy.

[Emmeline]

It sounds a great way to pass a month, Wendy. I read Ulysses over ten months in 2018. I suffered through it a bit at the time, but have really positive memories of the experience now. Coincidentally I was pregnant with my middle child at the way through and even read the maternity ward chapter on the maternity ward. ;-) Her name appears in the Circe chapter (along with most words in the English language I think!)

[Jibran]

https://twitter.com/maitreyabhakal/st...

Oprah removes Tolstoy's War and Peace from her book club.

You couldn't make that up!!

Unfortunately, this is quite symptomatic of the hysteria against everything to do with Russia in the wake of the war in Ukraine.

[Sam]

Jibran wrote: "https://twitter.com/maitreyabhakal/st...

Oprah removes Tolstoy's War and Peace from her book club.

You couldn't make that up!!

Unfortunately, this is quite symptomatic of t..."

Or symptomatic of of how people try to capitalize on situations to gain attention or publicity. The connection between a century and a half novel in the public domain from monarchist Russia that would only be remembered by living individuals over 100 is a pretty big stretch of the imagination for even the most ignorant of people.

[WndyJW]

This has to be a joke. Did you read this in The Onion? For what reason would Oprah cancel Tolstoy?!

I think it was a joke. It look like Oprah is suspending her book club for awhile though, but not because of Russia.

[Lee]

That’d be kind of like banning Noam Chomsky because you want to make a statement against American warmongering, given Tolstoy’s philosophy.

[WndyJW]

Right! I tried to find evidence that War and Peace was removed and it’s not to be found.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

It was as you guessed political satire Wendy

[WndyJW]

I thought so. Sadly, there is news so outrageous one’s first reaction is that it can’t be true, then it turns out it is, like a high school banning Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History because of nudity, so it’s easy to see why many thought Oprah dropping War and Peace might be true.

[Paul]

Has to be said there has been a lot of sharing of fake stories during this conflict. This one was a joke taken seriously but some are misinformation. I'd be very careful of sharing anything that's not verified.

This was a good article - including stories called out as fakes which were actually true (ie the #fakenews was fake):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/60554910

[WndyJW]

Yes, sharing stories before verifying them, sharing memes, and “venting” on social media do nothing but add to the discord. I say this as someone who did plenty of venting on FB during TFG’s 4 yrs in office.

[Jibran]

With everything going on in the news and on social media, I wouldn't be surprised if it were true. But I'm glad it's not!

My apologies for not verifying it before posting.

[Sam]

The comment you made about that fake news stories was accurate however, and I'd stand by my alternative opinion. Just substitute verified news stories on calls for the banning of Russian vodkas, despite the companies being Russian in name only, which was what I thought of when I read the remark. Anyone remember the call to rename "french fries," "freedom fries?" Much more insidious, is the similar and various demonizations of China, which, IMO, is partially responsible for their stating the U.S. represents more of a threat than Russia, despite sharing a border with Russia, a country, now violating a shared border.

[WndyJW]

No need to apologize, Jibran, that rumor was benign. I meant rumors about politicians, world leaders, political parties, the topics that send people into a rage.

[Tommi]

Apologies to the few individuals whose private messages I’ve ignored apparently since May 2021. I accidentally clicked my inbox here and found several lovely messages from months ago. The email notifications seem to go to an old email address and I never click the inbox icon here on Goodreads, which is a really bad habit of mine and I ought to change that. Just wanted to ease my bad conscience by writing this before I get to replying!

[WndyJW]

A guy I work with is part of the Diversity team and asked me for a book about women’s empowerment, a book that speaks to women’s right to abortion and combatting misogyny, but not too much about political processes. I can’t think of a book. Does anyone have suggestions?

[David]

Is it for a book club at work?

[Henk]

WndyJW wrote: "A guy I work with is part of the Diversity team and asked me for a book about women’s empowerment, a book that speaks to women’s right to abortion and combatting misogyny, but not too much about po..."

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is Korean but certainly fits the bill!

[Alwynne]

WndyJW wrote: "A guy I work with is part of the Diversity team and asked me for a book about women’s empowerment, a book that speaks to women’s right to abortion and combatting misogyny, but not too much about po..."

Some possiblities here Wndy

https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainm...

[Alwynne]

You could also suggest he looks for articles on reproductive rights/reproductive justice:

https://bostonreview.net/reading-list...

https://www.blackwomenradicals.com/bl...

[Paul]

Elena Knows could be interesting, albeit arguably treatment of the elderly is the main thing

[WndyJW]

Thanks for all the suggestions. He brought up Margaret Atwood, I told him she wrote a sequel to A Handmaids Tale. He liked that, but I will tell him about all of these.