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I've seen recent self-flagellation over reading fiction, particularly fantasy and romance, in these times. @charliejane@wandering.shop is having none of it. We shouldn't either.

The language is that of a young woman writing in her journal. The chapters are short, as is the book. Yet it manages to remind the reader of climate change, of class unfairness, of where the revenge motive leads. It starts with a girl on a bridge who sees nothing before her, and ends with that girl earning her future.

A comment in the translator's postscript. It is sadly true everywhere I look.

@kingrat hmm, yeah. hard questions all—only the ISBN really identifies any of that and it only maps to a specific edition, without knowing how to group with other editions of the same book, much less author. and since not every server has all books all the time, different people importing and modifying could make a real mess.

@kingrat why is federation so haphazard on bookwyrm? do you know if this is a design flaw or a feature?

how does anyone reading this book get a reference to agent 99 (looks in glass) oh

The Far Side is even more surreal and cerebral than I had remembered. I pulled this book off my shelf looking the "cows standing in front of trees, smoking" cartoon, but there are lots of (presumably scientific) in-jokes whose references I don't get. Maybe I did once.

An attractive review of magical texts through the ages, from papyrus to illuminated manuscripts to artifacts produced for modern entertainment properties. Presents magical texts in the fashion of a typical art-history review, without in-depth focus in any particular era.

This is a good book for web devs or security folks to backfill or enhance their knowledge. You need to already understand each covered topic; none of the chapters will get you off the ground floor of any subject, and the book is hampered by editing errors, especially in acronyms, that will confuse those who don't already know what the author meant.

"A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical" is exactly what you're getting here, and if you missed the reference, "Changed for Good" is a key song from the musical Wicked. Initially panned by critics as entertainment for screaming teenage girls, Wicked overcame the slights of the critic world - most of whom are basically the opposite demographic from teenage girls.

Ms. Wolf uses that arc of critical reception to illustrate musical theater's journey as a whole. A bit strident in places, with a couple of head-shaking moments that weren't so egregious that I remember them, Changed for Good is the only book I've come across to approach musical theater from the female POV.