40
Reader,
I last wrote to you two days ago so this almost feels excessive but then if I don’t this will no longer be a newsletter that goes out at 1830 EAT on Mondays, the thing it aspires to be. So I’m listening to the Cool Jazz channel on JAZZRADIO.com as we try to make something of the Pomodoro.
On my walk today, I started listening to The Revenge of Power: How Autocrats Are Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century by Moisés Naím (narrated by Larry Herron, whose voice I really like) which I mentioned in #38 and so far so good. It’s in a curious conversation with the audiobook I listened to yesterday - Home/Land: A Memoir of Departure and Return by Rebecca Mead - which pivots on the author’s departure (escape?) from the USA to her native England when Trump is voted in. It got me thinking about which people have the freedom to move, to escape, and who thinks this is a freedom that should be available to them. After Naím’s mention of Michael Gove’s statement that “...the people in this country have had enough of experts with organisations with acronyms saying that they know what is best and getting it consistently wrong”, I saw a lady along the road look at me strangely because I’d reacted audibly - which people (mis)trust experts, who gets to be an expert, and what does that mean for society etc etc. Can you tell I’m really enjoying this book (as much as one can enjoy an exploration of autocratic moves)?
Also finished over the weekend: Outlawed by Anna North, which left me with some mixed feelings. When (key word!) I get back to BookTube and finally get up to speed with the books I’ve read (more than one, bar the 2 weeks lost to the election-related book slump); I know I’ll have a few things to say. It’s good to feel something about literature again; like putting my head up after being underwater for hours.
As always, please write back to me and tell me what books you’re reading or looking forward to reading this week — it’s always a great time talking about books.
Enjoy the rest of the week and have a lovely time reading. Talk to you soon!