User Profile

pootriarch

pootriarch@sfba.club

Joined 2 months ago

mostly sapphic·witch·romance (pick two) and, in mentally calmer times, climate paranoia

formerly : emmadilemma@ramblingreaders

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pootriarch's books

Currently Reading

Andrey Taranov: Guide de conversation Français-Néerlandais et dictionnaire concis de 1500 mots (EBook, Français language, 2017, T&P Books Publishing)

Compact phrase book with IPA pronunciations

A small, inexpensive book, organized by situational themes, of common Dutch phrases relative to their representation in French.

Two things made this stand out: Some common phrases, like "exit" or "where is?", appear in multiple sections so that you don't have to flip around guessing where to find the part that you should "already know." And the pronunciation guides use the International Phonetic Alphabet; this is important to me as Dutch uses phonemes from (at least) English, French, and German. Most guides try to approximate the pronunciation in the reader's tongue, with varying (but generally low) levels of success. IPA removes that ambiguity, at the cost of needing to understand IPA itself.

Paul Yamazaki: Reading the Room (Paperback, 2024, Ode Books)

When I walk into Three Lives in New York, or other stores in San Francisco like Green Arcade or Green Apple, or on the rare chance I get to go to Seminary Co-op in Chicago, my eye gravitates to two things: one, the thing that I'm not familiar with and, two, something I may be very familiar with but now see in a new context. It's all about developing a conversation between the books.

Reading the Room by  (Page 1 - 2)

In which the City Lights bookseller name-checks my beloved Green Arcade, which survived lockdown only to close soon after.

Gregory J. Gbur: Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics (2019, Yale University Press)

The question of how falling cats land on their feet has long intrigued humans. In …

Physics 2, Felines 1

Less a view of falling cats through a science lens, this is more of a survey science course seen through cat eyes. Most of the sciences are touched on: Newtonian physics, darkroom chemistry, anatomy and physiology, quantum mechanics.

There's a tremendous amount of history; my eyes glazed over from all the Important Old White Guys. It's worth flipping through if you like science, particularly if you like cats. It's a less compelling read if you just wanted to understand the cat trick.

[Reposted from old instance due to failed import]

Sydney J. Shields: The Honey Witch (Paperback, 2024, Orbit) No rating

The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to …

i like this book, it's cozy without being too slow. but there's a thing that keeps happening whose cause seems really clear. if the main characters figure it out 50 pages ago, there's no story. but how did they not figure it out? or will it be the mother of all red herrings?

Alexandria Bellefleur: Written in the Stars (Paperback, 2020, HarperCollins Publishers)

With nods to Bridget Jones and Pride and Prejudice, a charming #ownvoices queer rom-com …

My inner monologue meets its match

I'm not a gorgeous actuarial lesbian, but I've got the stick-in-the-mud bit down. Reading the chapters written in Darcy's voice is like seeing my internal monologue put to paper. That rabbit hole she leaps into is one that I've peered into a lot.

Another book for which I'm absolutely not the target audience, but acts as a sunnier, happier alternate universe. Who wouldn't want more of those?

[This review was made some time ago on another instance and is reposted as it failed to migrate.]

Becky Albertalli: Imogen, Obviously (2023, HarperCollins Publishers Limited)

Imogen Scott has questions…

Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s …

On permanent record

I read this some time ago, quietly gave it five stars, and slipped out the side door. I still am not in a position to explain my reasoning, but the hardback is nestled between I Kissed Shara Wheeler and One Last Stop.

[This review is from some time ago, but is being added because it failed to import from the old instance.]

Joseph Menn: Cult of the Dead Cow (Paperback, 2019)

The shocking untold story of the elite secret society of hackers fighting to protect our …

Systems evolve into chaotic mush

Much of this book is fascinating, if you're a geek old enough to remember BBSes. As hacker groups go, Cult of the Dead Cow was likely among the most ethical. But the handful of brilliant fools ended up solidly in the establishment — at Facebook and Yahoo, at DOD and the NSA, or at firms contracting for them. It's so common as to seem inevitable: an idea that starts in a garage ends up monetizing by spreading hate or spying on you.

[This review originally was published on another instance and was lost during migration.]

Gretchen McCulloch: Because Internet (Paperback, 2020, Penguin Publishing Group)

Because Internet is for anyone who's ever puzzled over how to punctuate a text message …

Fun, open-minded, mind-opening

A great, breezy read on internet language history and culture, from stopping people SHOUTING ON USENET to the lolcat bible. With an important message: Language isn't static; it's not passed down from elders to children, but grown collectively, with each generation taking it in a new direction. This is not corruption. It's evolution.

[This review originally was published on another instance and was lost during migration.]