Monday Malarkey

Recent arrivals (top to bottom):

• The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hanna Arendt
• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
• Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
• The Dude Diet by Serena Wolf

All of these were purchases. I finally managed to find some of the titles about racism that I've been looking for (Just Mercy, Stamped from the Beginning). Two more are on their way or will be shortly. The book on totalitarianism is one I've been thinking about getting for several years. It's not only thick but dense, so it will not be a quick read, I'm sure, but I'm looking forward to it. I have some similar titles that might take priority. I'm a moody reader, so who knows what I'll end up reading first. How Democracies Die has been sitting here for quite a while. 

The Dude Diet is a book we checked out from our local library a couple years ago and really liked, although I think we only tried 2 dishes. I copied the recipe that we most loved and then we made it a few times and . . . sigh . . . no idea where it disappeared to (it's a chicken shawarma recipe). We've tried other recipes online and they just weren't as good so, yes, I mostly bought this book for one recipe but I've flipped through it and I'm sure there's more we'll enjoy. 

Books finished since last Malarkey:

• Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby
• The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

As I'm typing, I haven't actually finished The Jane Austen Society but I'm close. Wow, No Thank You was such a fun read. I hope to get that reviewed, this week. 

Currently reading:

• Nothing

I don't know what I'll be starting after The Jane Austen Society. I have, I think, 3 or 4 remaining ARCs so I'll probably be choosing from the ARC pile but The Jane Austen Society and Bubble Kisses (children's book) are my last remaining scheduled review books so if I feel like inserting a choice from my personal library when I'm done with TJAS, I will. 

Last week's posts:

• Miscellaneous photographs (photos with brief descriptions)
• Minis: The Malady of Death by Duras, Talkative Man by Narayan, All Systems Red by Wells, and Jacob the Baker by benShea (mini book reviews)
• Fiona Friday - Gaze (cat photo)

In other news:

We did get around to turning on Coriolanus (a free streaming from the National Theatre) but it was late on the last night available and I was too tired to focus. I had to keep asking Husband what was going on. The people were hungry. Someone was rebelling. Tom Hiddleston got into a fight. It just felt like a lot of people were yelling at me in a foreign language. You have to pay attention to Shakespeare to get what's going on and I kept drifting off, thinking of what I needed to do the next day or whatever. I took a couple of photos off the screen, turned it off, and went to bed. Would I go to the theatre to see it? Oh, absolutely. And, in truth, when I'm paying money for a ticket to a stage production, I'm definitely paying attention to what's going on, sleepy or not. It wasn't Tom's fault I was inattentive. This week's production is The Madness of King George. Fingers crossed we get to it in time. We've been waiting till the last minute and that's a bad, bad idea.

I got my second Covid haircut at home on Friday. And, when I say that, a "Covid haircut" is not a one-time thing. I cut the length and then hack away at it for days, trying to shape it based on what I've observed of how my hair magician layers my hair. It's . . . not great-looking, ever, when I cut my own hair but I used to do it all the time when I was young and broke so I can cope with not going to a stylist till there's a vaccine. This time, I asked Huz to cut the length for me. In hindsight, I probably should have had him do it when my hair was dry. My hair is naturally curly and when wet it curls into little ringlets. If you cut straight across, you're not cutting a straight line. You have to pull down on it with a comb to cut it straight and it isn't easy. I neglected to tell him that. The fix-it job was something. I have very short hair, now. That's OK, though, because it's getting hot and humid. This is a good time for short hair.

I read an excellent article about Covid, this week, and before you roll your eyes and walk away, it had something important in it that I haven't seen elsewhere. That is the fact that scientists don't yet know what quantity of Covid antibodies is protective (will keep you from getting it again). Apparently, the level of antibodies people have can vary dramatically. So, please keep wearing your masks, even if you think you've had Covid. Most of my friends who are convinced they had it (whether they were tested or not) admit they've given up wearing masks. I know masks are miserable to wear, especially in the heat, but the more of us that wear them, the quicker we'll get the virus under control and be able to live a slightly more normal life while we wait for a vaccine or herd immunity or both. The article said the most important thing to remember is "time and dose". The longer you're around people, the higher the dose of virus that you get from someone who has it, the more likely you'll get sick.

A note: One friend said she's come close to passing out from wearing a mask twice and I find that I have a little trouble breathing with a mask on, although when I first had to wear a mask, I wore the only thing we had at the time -- a dust mask from the hardware store that we found in the garage. It was by far the worst. I found fabric with a filter works better for me. But, because of the time and dose concept, I think it's fine to pull the mask away from your face briefly if you begin to feel faint. It's good to know that if you have Covid and don't know it, you're less likely to give it to someone if you keep that mask on and only pull it away if you're desperate. I actually walk slower when wearing a mask. That seems to help.

Stay safe, wash your hands, wear a mask, avoid exposing yourself as much as possible. We have to be careful not to become complacent. Live long and prosper.


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