[Last While In Books] I Guess I Have A Podcast, Now

The state of the world isn’t really an excuse for not having blogged for nearly a month, but it’s all I got. Grr. Argh. Politics!

(No but seriously it remains awful please let’s all take care of ourselves and others and read good books as often as we can)

In any case, I have actually been hard at work on a few things. One I can’t tell you about for a while, but the other…

• So I guess I have a podcast, now! I scripted, edited, and recorded this premiere episode all on my own and…eh. Definitely a learning curve in play here. I’ve been attempting to podcast for a while so this is the result of forcing myself to just get started. I’m looking forward to doing more and getting better at rambling about books around a topic. [Spotify]
• Nanowrimo, the novel writing challenge that recently became synonymous with AI-induced ableism and grooming minors, is shutting down. I’m sorry to see them go out like this. [The Guardian]
• Did y’all watch the season finale of season 3 of The White Lotus? Because I did and my feelings are still hurt! If you, like me, were surprised to find that the show about mean, nasty rich people on stressful vacations isn’t based on a book, you may be interested in this list of books that are similar. [Town and Country]
• If you, like me, are also a bit unimpressed with the way the Thai characters were used mostly as foils in the show (poor Pornchai!), you might be interested in reading the work of Duanwad Pimwana, the first Thai woman writer to have her work translated into English. Her short story collection Arid Dreams is a series of vignettes about the lives of ordinary, mostly working-class Thais. [Bookshop]
• George Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue has become the ALA’s most challenged book, deposing Maia Kobabe’s graphic novel Gender Queer from its dubious place of dishonor. All Boys Aren’t Blue has another honor–it’s the subject of the only guest review on this site, written by a very dear and well-read friend of mine. I also reviewed Gender Queer some time ago. In true EQR fashion, I was fine with the gender talk but very concerned about the lack of childhood bathing. Check out both reviews, and keep reading banned and challenged books. As our creepy Uncle Stephen (King) once said, they’re where the good stuff is. [NPR]
• Speaking of banned and challenged books, some of the most eloquent discussions about the topic are coming from very unlikely places. I like how thorough and matter of fact The Good Men Project’s take on the topic is. [The Good Men Project]

That’s this week’s diverse bookish news updates, fellow readers. As always, thank you for reading and if you’re interested in these books, check out the Equal Opportunity Bookshop. Anything you purchase at that link, or any link on this site, will earn us a commission. Now, go read something good. Peace!