Saturday Bag o’ Road Trip

Donna and I are once again scheduling separate spring vacations. She’s going to California in April to visit aunts & uncles, attend the annual Giustina family reunion, and see some friends. Her destinations are all in northern California, from the Bay Area north to Chico. Meanwhile I’m planning a May motorcycle trip with our son Gregory. We were originally going to […]

Thursday Bag o’ Wasteland

Donna hosted bridge last night. I had planned, as soon as I finished a post about aerial refueling, to go to the local cineplex and watch Get Out, but in the end I stayed home and watched MSNBC with the sound turned down low. Note to self: go see Get Out, it’s supposed to be good. […]

Home Alone

Fending for myself: Donna drove to Palm Springs to spend a few days with her sister and niece. Right after she left I heard one of the dogs howling. And she thinks they love me more than her! Since I had the TV to myself last night, I turned on Netflix to watch what must be the […]

Paul’s Book Reviews

“We are all part machine, Kaaro. Your phone is a polymer under the skin of your hand. You have a locator chip in your head.” —Tade Thompson, Rosewater Rosewater by Tade Thompson A Goodreads friend said this about “Rosewater”: “This book is one of those discoveries that not only is enjoyable for itself; it’s good […]

You Can’t Read That! Banned Book Review: The Confessions of Nat Turner

You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring banned book reviews and news roundups. YCRT! News Many Americans these days are engaged in protest. Reading in public, especially the reading of banned or challenged books, can also be an act of protest. Related: Using Banned Books to Teach Resistance. Not banning by any means, but […]

Paul’s Book Reviews: Vietnam, Old School SF, Radio Days, Tough Guys, Ghost Stories

“Page took the record that was playing on the turntable off without asking anybody and put on Jimi Hendrix: long tense organic guitar line that made him shiver like frantic electric ecstasy was shooting up from the carpet through his spine straight to the old pleasure center in his cream-cheese brain, shaking his head so […]

Trashy Novels, Trashier Opinions

There’s some bullshit meme making the Facebook rounds where you’re supposed to express unpopular non-political opinions. It’s a transparent attempt to get people to roll over and quit complaining about the tainted election of the second-place finisher, but okay, I’ll go along.