News and Mood Can Change Reading Choices

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Rating: five fingers but not even one star. (Photo of Donald Trump by Win McNamee/Getty Images.)

What’s happening in the news and/or in our personal lives can affect the kind of fiction we read — temporarily, at least.

In my case, I’ve been beyond saddened by the election of far-right dictator wannabe Donald Trump as U.S. President in November 2024, his appalling appointments and actions since taking office last month, and the spineless “bending of the knee” to Trump by almost all of his fellow Republicans, some Democrats, a number of media outlets, many large corporations, and so on. Makes me sick.

Plus I’ve been dealing for months with a serious family medical matter, and with my 12th-grade daughter’s positive-but-stressful college odyssey (applications, financial-aid forms, campus visits, etc.).

So, while I usually “consume” a mix of popular fiction and more-challenging literary fiction, I’ve been leaning toward the former in recent months as I seek a mental break whenever possible. For instance, I’ve read a lot of Elin Hilderbrand — whose ultra-appealing books are very readable even as they still often deal with some heavy stuff.

After polishing off six Hilderbrand novels in a row the past few weeks — The Island and Silver Girl were my favorites — I thought I’d try to dip my toe once more into reading something of greater difficulty: Precious Bane by Mary Webb, whose prose is really impressive yet rather a slog to get through with its dialect and other complexities. But I gave up on the highly regarded 1924 book not far into it, which I don’t think would have happened if I were in a different state of mind.

I made a library trip the day I’m writing this (February 13) and vowed to try again to mix things up. Two of the six novels I borrowed did fill the Hilderbrand bucket (it’s nice when one “discovers” an author well into her or his career, which can mean many books to catch up on) but I also took out Colson Whitehead’s intense The Nickel Boys as well as Colorless Tsukuru and His Years of Pilgrimage by renowned literary-fiction writer Haruki Murakami.

The other two of the six will probably fall somewhere between “readable” and heavy: Kate Quinn’s The Rose Code and Val McDermid’s Out of Bounds, the latter an installment of the excellent series starring Scottish cold-case detective Karen Pirie. As for Quinn, I thought her war-soaked The Alice Network and The Huntress were terrific.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to soon return to my love of novels that contain only some escapism. If not soon, eventually. 🙂

In the meantime, I’m also frequently reading the news to stay informed about the Trump administration, but those stories are so painful that I tend to skim them rather than absorb every word.

Getting back to the topic of novels, whenever there’s a villainous character in one I’m reading, I now think of Donald Trump, his toady vice president JD Vance, the administration’s cartoonishly evil unelected advisor Elon Musk (richest man in the world), and others in Trump’s orbit. Trump and his ilk are a bunch of white supremacists who are also misogynist and anti-LGBTQ+, want to make the rich richer, want to shred the social-safety net for the non-rich, are profoundly corrupt, etc. At least I deleted my account last year on the Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter) and will never buy a Tesla as long as Musk owns that electric-vehicle company.

Do your reading choices change because of your mood, things happening in your life, and the political situation in your country/the world?

Misty the cat says: “Last night was a mix of snow, rain, and broccoli. Well, maybe two of those three.”

My comedic 2024 book — the part-factual/part-fictional/not-a-children’s-work Misty the Cat…Unleashed — is described and can be purchased on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle. It’s feline-narrated! (And Misty says Amazon reviews are welcome. 🙂 )

This 90-second promo video for my book features a talking cat: 🙂

I’m also the author of a 2017 literary-trivia book…

…and a 2012 memoir that focuses on cartooning and more.

In addition to this weekly blog, I write the 2003-started/award-winning “Montclairvoyant” topical-humor column every Thursday for Montclair Local. The latest piece — covering topics such as the fate of a 121-year-old firehouse — is here.

118 thoughts on “News and Mood Can Change Reading Choices”

  2. i am not interested in WWII novels anymore. And I will never read a book like from author Louise Penny who has Israel as the good guys and the heros. That trope is dead.

    m

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    • Thank you for the comment. I love many World War II novels, but there does seem to be so many of them that it could make a person want to read something else. And, yes, Israel as “the good guys” is certainly no longer credible after the Netanyahu government’s brutally disproportionate genocide of countless innocent Palestinian civilians following Hamas’ horrible 10/7/23 attack.

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  4. Megalonane outsiders only get elected when the traditional political elite isn’t delivering. They’ve got their wake up call when he was elected first time and thought it would blow over after he was defeated, so they returned to business as usual. And then he came back with a revenge. What we are experiencing right now is the bankruptcy of the US political system of representation. It has to be rethought or it will disappear into an abyss of oligarchs and chaos. I believe it’s time to break up the US and get rid of the federal level all together. A political mastodont like this is doomed to evolve towards a dictatorship or extinction. What we have right now is a couple of billionaires and autocrats turning the political scene into a Jurassic Parc.

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    • Thank you, Shaharee! Yes, when the traditional political elite isn’t delivering, things happen. There was a chance (in 2016 and 2020) to elect someone (Bernie Sanders) who would try to make significant progressive change that would have helped the vast majority of people, but the elites of the Democratic Party (beholden to wealthy donors who didn’t like Sanders’ views) rigged the primaries against him. So, enough voters seeking radical change instead went to the far right to get it.

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      • The rise of the extreme right ideologies is a worldwide phenomenon. What I see is the end phase of the democratic model of representation. Either we have to reinvent the ways that citizens can weigh upon the political decision process or we will slide into some kind of Orwellian dictatorship. There is also something wrong with a system that allows 2% of its citizens to control 90 % of a nation’s wealth. That too has to be addressed.

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  6. Hi Dave, I’m looking for a escape, I don’t know if that’s the change in my reading choices, but I check the heading to see if the end the war in Ukraine… my brother has joined the army and you can see why my dreams are even stronger to stop the mass destruction

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    • Thank you for the comment, Milena. I can see why reading about the war in Ukraine is must reading for you. The very best of luck to your brother; that is very serious stuff. 😦 That horrible war really does need to end, and I hope on fair terms for Ukraine despite Trump now seemingly taking Russia’s/Putin’s side even though Ukraine was the country that got invaded.

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  8. Dear Dave,

    Now that you bring it up, your recently (fairly?)elected dictator has me completely off my schedule, which was already hap hazard.

    I didn’t realize over a week went by, until I saw your comment on my Tissot post.

    Every day, I can hardly wait until after dinner when I go away into my art and sewing (now that my hand is healed). Zen escapism at its finest.

    My reading is a dichotomy right now. “Oathbreakers’ Guild” by D. Wallace Peach (fantasy+) and “Sexual Harassment” by Merril D. Smith (a reference book of great research and intellect -talk about THICK reading).

    I recently finished “While the Bombs Fell” by Robbie Cheadle) & will post about it soon.

    There is this not politician, who is becoming a politician (Mark Carney). He’s running to replace Trudeau. He has been dubbed by the “nontrump” global community as the antitrump.

    Here’s hoping!

    (I really x@!*&%? your dictator)

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    • Thank you, Resa! Yes, autocrats can throw us off our schedule. They need to stop messing with Google Calendar…

      Being creative does get one’s mind in a better place. After dinner sounds like a great time for you!

      You’ve definitely been doing interesting, wide-ranging reading of several terrific authors/WordPress bloggers.

      If someone is the non-Trump or the anti-Trump, that is in their favor. I hate “my” dictator, too. 😦

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  9. Hi Dave, I read based on my moods too. Elin Hilderbrand and Colson Whitehead are two favorites, along with Jodi Picoult, Kristen Hannah, and Ruth Ware. I also enjoy romance if they’re not too sappy and good suspense. I agree with all you said about politics, in fact, I’m feeling uneasy now after watching the news tonight. We’re watching less, but I think we’ll have to really scale back. Scary and distressing, to say the least. Anyway, I’m sorry to hear about the medical issues, but I hope things get better very soon. Take care and happy reading.

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  10. I have to say the best parts about your blog Dave are what you are reading and/or have read as well as what your followers are reading and have read. I think we are all suffering from ptsd which contributes to other maladies. re the whole systems theory. Consequently, for my own mental and spiritual heath I have been reading the Tao Te Ching again which is my go-to for times like these as much as other writers are my go-to for connecting to the dilemmas of the heart. So for now I”m going to “Be like water”– Sending you some positive energy Dave. Susi

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  11. HI Dave, I am so sorry to hear about the ongoing medical crisis in your family. I have the same with my father. We are at least seeing the correct doctor at last on Friday for a 4 hour appointment and set of tests. When I am stressed like now, with work and dad, not to mention the state of the world, I also avoid heavy literature. I can’t focus on it. I also go for books of a lighter nature and am currently reading a mystery by Dan Antion.

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  12. Dave, your blog felt incredibly timely—almost as if you captured the very pulse of the people. Lately, I’ve noticed that my reading choices are deeply influenced by the world around me.
    Eight years ago, an insidious strangeness descended upon Los Angeles, leaving chaos, pain, and confusion in its wake. Then, for four years, it seemed to vanish—only to return now with a vengeance, more frightening than ever. Lately, I find myself drawn back to Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and thought-provoking reads like “Misty the cat unleashed.” In Misty’s words, I discover a grounded, kind soul—something the world feels in desperate need of right now.

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    • Thank you, Carolyn! I appreciate the very kind words about Misty and “his” book. 🙂

      I hear you — reading is definitely influenced by external things along with our internal preferences.

      Trump’s return — which didn’t have to happen if there had been more courageous Republicans, a faster-moving/less-cautious Democratic attorney general (Merrick Garland), etc. — is indeed frightening. I can see finding some solace with the classics: such as Austen and Shakespeare, as you noted. 🙂

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  13. Reading is indeed a great escape when we need it. I’m glad to hear you are enjoying Elin Hilderbrand so much! I’m due to pick out a few more of hers myself, I actually haven’t read either of the ones you mentioned here, so I’ll have to get over to the library soon! It would be a great escape from the miserable cold we’re going through. And I will be very interested to hear what you think of the Rose Code. Happy reading.

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    • Thank you, M.B.! I appreciate you recommending Elin Hilderbrand! I’ve now read about a dozen of her novels in less than a year. 😯 And I look forward to belatedly returning to Kate Quinn after finding her “The Alice Network” and “The Huntress” to be so good. And, yes, amid bad political news and more, it’s been a pretty darn cold winter, too. Ugh.

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  14. An excellent post, Dave – one that prompted a great deal of insightful discussion. I believe that the selection of books we gravitate towards does reflects our individual experiences and the societal context in which we live. Personal circumstances, such as our upbringing, education, and life challenges, shape our interests and preferences in literature. Without question, the political climate and dismay at societal issues can significantly influence our reading choice. Our book choices serve as a mirror, reflecting not only our personal journeys but also the broader societal dynamics at play.

    Right now, I am reading “The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity” by Julia Cameron, a recommendation from my sister Sarah. For years, I hesitated to pick it up, but now it feels like the perfect moment to explore its insights. The themes of creativity and self-discovery resonate deeply with me at this stage in my life, and I’m looking forward to see how the exercises and ideas presented in the book will influence my creative journey.

    I believe that in the times of uncertainty, reading is a safe haven.

    One of my favourite Maya Angelou quotes is about reading:

    “When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.”

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    • Thank you, Rebecca! Eloquent comment, and I loved the quotes from Maya Angelou…and from you: “I believe that in the times of uncertainty, reading is a safe haven.” Wonderful, and I agree.

      Yes, what’s happening in the world and in our lives can’t help but affect what we read. If there ever comes a time when almost everything is going well on Planet Earth (unlikely, but we can dream 🙂 ), I can just imagine the challenging books I’d add to my reading list. Heck, I might even tackle James Joyce’s “Ulysses.” (If that novel was running for a touchdown and I was playing defense.)

      Good luck with your “The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity” reading!

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  15. Hi Dave,

    I’m wondering if you stuck another daughter that I don’t know about in between Maggie and Maria? Coz I know Maggie has finished school and NO WAY is Maria about to finish high school. Because if she’s that old, that must mean that I’m… nope, not doing that maths. I was 30 something when I found your first blog, and that was only a year or two ago so I’m still 30 something. Right?

    Maths that I can do? 1434 days until 20 January 2029. I refuse to contemplate what it might mean if I’m counting down to that date for no reason.

    After the November election I limited how much news I looked at. Once a week is enough for me to keep up with what’s going on. More than enough to know it’s all bad. It’s an election year for us too and I fear that it’s going to go incredibly right (there needs to be a better work for politicians who are just so wrong). Between that and the U.S. and Gaza and Ukraine, I just can’t.

    Through Covid I found that I struggled with having enough concentration to read until a friend gifted me the absolutely perfect “We Have Always Lived in the Castle”. It was short and easy to read and just a delight to spend some time with those crazy but loveable mass murderers 😊 I’ll always be grateful to my friend for giving me back my reading mojo.

    I hope you’re not feeling too guilty about not reading ‘serious’ stuff. There’s really no point reading if you’re not enjoying it. And if that means short books, or popular fiction, or comic books, then go for it. It’s only for another 1434 days. If you’re really struggling then I’d suggest reading “Jane Eyre”. She’s so calm and so sure of herself that I guarantee she’ll make you feel better about the world. And spoiler – she gets a happy ending ❤️

    I hope your medical matters have a good outcome. And I hope that Misty is looking after you. 🐈😽

    Sue

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    • Thank you, Sue! That’s quite a seriocomic comment, and I greatly enjoyed it. 🙂

      Yes, time is going WAY too fast. I started this WordPress blog when Maria was 6, and, before that, started writing about books for The Huffington Post when Maria was…3. Yikes! But, yes, you’re still 30-something. 🙂

      SO much bad news this decade — Covid, Trump, the election of other right-wing politicians in other countries, the genocide in Gaza, etc. Ugh, ugh, ugh.

      I also found “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” to be a very memorable read. (I must have read it after you recommended it.) Shirley Jackson was such a quirky writer. And I wouldn’t mind rereading “Jane Eyre” at some point. I’ve read it maybe five times (?) but not for at least a dozen years.

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      • Definitely due for a re-read then. I understand the guilt of that when there are so many new books. But we definitely all need some comfort every now and then.

        In my year of re-reads I recently read that Jackson story and I think it was even better the second time around. And I’ve found that the re-reads to quicker than first timers if that helps with the guilt at all?

        I cannot believe Maria was that young when I first ‘met’ you! If she’s not careful she’ll catch up to me. Especially since I don’t plan on leaving my 30s. Thanks for the confirmation. 🤣

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        • I haven’t quite found the time or desire to do any rereads the past few years, Sue, but at some point…

          Rereading favorite novels is indeed a source of comfort, and you’re right that one can often reread faster than one does a first read.

          I WILL reread my grocery list before I go food shopping today… 🙂

          The weather around here also hasn’t left the 30s for a while. 😂 (Fahrenheit, that is. 🙂 )

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  16. Its no wonder our reading choices turn to fantasy and lighter reading I listen and watch scared and open mouthed from afar and wonder when this madness will stop…However thankyou to everyone who has recommended some great reading choices(in your comments) Dave…

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  17. Since Covid, about all I’ve been able to read is poetry and (like Dan) non-fiction though instead of history I read about mythology or nature science. But since Trump was re-elected I feel the need to read mysteries–I finished the Jackson Brodie books and am back to the Ruth Galloway series I began a long time ago. And baseball season is about to start, another good distraction…

    College is so expensive now! I hope you get the financial package of your dreams…

    And sending best for those who need healing. (K)

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    • Thank you, memadtwo! Yes, changes in reading habits often go back to Covid, and Trump’s 2024 election was another shock to the system. I can see how reading mysteries would be a good way to stop thinking about him for a while. (Speaking of mysteries, it’s a mystery why the vile Trump is popular with enough people to get returned to the White House.)

      College is indeed astonishingly expensive. 😦 I appreciate the financial-package wishes!

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  18. I’m sorry to hear about the medical issues you are dealing with. Regarding your daughter’s challenge, we’ve been through that and I would suggest that there is light at the end of the tunnel. As for escaping the news, I’ve been reading the same kind of books, but I’ve shifted more toward non-fiction. I find that at a time when we aren’t necessarily hearing the truth about what is and what was, I want to learn for myself a broader slice of history. One of the things that I find scary and hopeful is that we’ve been through times likes the ones in which we’re living, before. Scary because it makes me thing that as a species, we are flawed. Hopeful because I see how time and time again, we’ve risen above the flaws. This too shall pass – I think.

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    • Thank you, Dan!

      Yes, looking forward to when the college quest is resolved. 🙂 This is my second go-round; my older daughter went through the college-application process 18 years ago. Sort of the same experience, but now things are virtually all online while there was still some paper stuff in 2006-7.

      Great to hear that you’re reading some nonfiction, including history. Books like that can be excellent for fact-based learning at a time when we have a government that is in many ways fact-free.

      So true that the U.S. has gone through awful times before and that things eventually improved. Like you, I hope that “arc” will repeat itself, but it’s certainly grim at the moment.

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      • The History Channel has been rerunning it’s “The Men Who Made America” series, including how they bought elections. Our current president (in his former career) was an “expert” on the episode about J.P. Morgan. First saying that “you had to be ruthless” then changing “ruthless” to “smart” – I think he was right the first time.

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  19. Good morning Dave, I temporarily stopped reading fiction this week. I met a fellow Filipina blogger here and I am so engrossed with her poems, she sent me 2 books lately. Proud to say she was five times on Amazon bestseller list. I read The Rose Codeand Alice Network before. Two such engrossing books.😍

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  20. I’m sorry to hear about the family medical matter, and I hope the family member is improving. You make a great point about the helpfulness of fiction when you need a break from stresses in the world. It was Covid for a while, and now it’s Trump. Mostly, I gravitate toward lighter, easier books in stressful times. But sometimes I want a more challenging book to take up more of my focus. I hope you enjoy reading the books that you borrowed from the library!

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    • Thank you, Dave! Yes, Covid was another time when escapist fiction was of some help. (I read all of Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” series back then, and loved it.) Of course, Covid and Trump had some connection; he did a mostly incompetent job dealing with the pandemic during his first term.

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  21. A great blog as usual, Dave, although regrettable that social circumstances prompted you to write it – and that they’ve interferred with your usual reading habits. Sorry to hear too that you’re having to deal with personal problems at the same time – may they soon be resolved to your satisfaction. As to the subject of the blog: I hadn’t thought about current affairs influencing my reading choices, although if I think it through it’s very likely. I’ve today blogged my review of ‘Liars and Thieves’ by D. Wallace Peach, which I read despite not being a lover of fantasy stories. Give what’s going on politics-wise, on both sides of the pond and elsewhere, I can see why they’re so popular – why not escape into another world completely, when that in which we live is so absolutely unsatifactory? I also understand the value of lighter reading, at times when there’s too much going on in my personal realm and I don’t have the application to read the ‘heavier’ books which I prefer. It’s been that way for me recently, and although I’ve downloaded samples of two more serious books this last week I’ve been unable to give them the attention they deserve, and returned them without buying the entire book. I’m sure I’ll go back to them, when things settle on the personal front, but for now it’s reading which doesn’t require so much application. I live in hopes that circumstances will change at some time soon so that we can all concentrate on deeper, more thought-provoking texts alongside the lighter entertainment which takes our mind off the troubles which surround us. Have a good week. 🙂

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  22. I can appreciate your need for escapist reading. My escapist genres are murder mysteries and spy thrillers. Go figure 🙂 Not surprisingly, I haven’t read any books by the authors mentioned.
    I hope that your daughter finds the college that’s the perfect match for her growth and goals. Best wishes in dealing with your serious family medical matter ❤

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    • Thank you, Rosaliene! Murder mysteries and spy thrillers can definitely be escapist reading, even as those books have a certain amount of carnage. I’m enjoying Val McDermid’s crime novel “Out of Bounds” (mentioned in my post).

      Another kind of escapist reading I’d like to experience this spring would be a letter offering a large financial-aid package to the college of my daughter’s choice. 🙂

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  23. Books are an escape, this we know. We need an escape from the Villans: Musk, Rump, his Press secretary this Caroline Leavitt woman (mean girl with the cross around the neck as a prop, my opinion)-a Christian who maligns all immigrants as illegal aliens, maligns LGBTQ++Once they start on one group they are after us all. So much for being compassionate, many who are religious may pretend that they do care of others. I found it personally appalling they sent the other dark Villan Vance to Dachau, a concentration camp, I come from ancestors who died in Treblinka, how this vile Vance says he is grateful to have gone to Dachau? What kind of word is this to use? how about ” I wish I did not have to be here.” Its maddening.

    Escape in book, get away from politics. Hildebrand is on my list, Silver Girl recommended by my spin instructor as well. I just finished Nickel Boys, I am starting the memoir by the late and great Debbie Reynolds, kindly lent to me. I will watch SNLs 50th this eve, we need to laugh, read books as an escape from our reality that our Democracy is being eroded. We maybe on the cusp of a Constitutional crisis. Rump is on a rampage, American carnage, in just a few weeks, an embarrassment, he is destroying our relationships with Allies, he does not read but will have a Presidential library, he is pushing 80, we will be rid of him in a few years but the damage to our country is not going away, cannot be erased. Let’s hope for the Judicial courts, State, Appellate, I am not just about Supreme Court. if we do not have a system of checks and balances, we are doomed.

    Michele

    E&P Way back

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    • Thank you, Michele! Great, impassioned comment, with many elements. Yes, while most of the Trump-administration villains are (white) men, there are some women, too, including the sickening Press Secretary you mentioned.

      Indeed — a whole bunch of Christians in the administration who are very un-Christ-like. Mean, mean, mean.

      And — ugh — JD Vance’s trip and fascist remarks that really kind of minimized the memory of the Holocaust. Disgusting. Vance is only 40; unfortunately he’s going to be around for a long time.

      The Trump administration is one huge Constitutional crisis, and they’re happy to put the wrecking ball to that 18th-century document.

      “Silver Girl” is VERY worth reading, and I have no doubt that I’ll find the sure-to-be-painful “The Nickel Boys” compelling.

      Enjoy the “Saturday Night Live” 50th-anniversary special tonight! I think the show (which I see via clips on YouTube) is still very funny.

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  24. I love your observations, Dave. Escaping into something treasured and beloved is my go-to…I’m reading Watership Down yet again…and I can guess why. Tyranny and politics in the rabbit world is better than inhuman nonsense around us at the moment? 💔

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  25. My reading choices also change based on my mood, the events of my life and the political situation not only in Italy but in the entire world
    At the moment I am a bit down so I only dedicate myself to readings that are not too demanding or oppressive

    As for the two people you mentioned, who try to stick their noses also into our Italian affairs (is it because our prime minister is friends with both of them?) every time I think about them I become even more depressed

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  27. I’ve always read for escapism, Dave, though I do read some dark or sad stories as part of that. I can’t watch the news anymore, and like you, I just read the headlines. That’s about all I can take of reality. It’s just too upsetting. It makes me panic and want to flee the country.

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    • Thank you, Diana! I hear you about reading for escapism. A very good reason to read! And, as I think you might be saying, even heavier novels can be escapist in their way — for one thing, the best ones can be so absorbing (even if depressing) that they sweep us away from our own lives into the author’s imaginative world.

      Just reading the headlines when trying to keep up with the current atrocious news is a healthy approach.

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    • I would rather not think about Trump, Elon Musk, Putin, and all those dreadful people, although it’s better to have a little glimpse in the proper news (the BBC World) from time to time, I think.

      Interesting that I have just read down, and several people now prefer lighter and funnier books, but not for me. I have just finished ‘The Bone Wall’ by D. Wallace Peach (dear Diana). A great book but very dark. Very happy to read dystopian stuff for me.

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      • Thank you, Chris! If a dark book is great, well, it’s worth reading even in dark times. One advantage is that we know stuff in a dystopian novel is fiction, unlike the dystopian stuff in real life (which can of course “inspire” some of the content in dystopian novels).

        I’d also rather not think about Trump, Elon Musk, Putin, etc. Their personas and actions make it difficult to tune them out. 😦

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      • It is very very dark, Chris. Not one funny scene in it, I think. I like dark reads in general – they do a good job of capturing my attention. And honestly, reality right now is worse because it’s not just words on a page. Thank you so much for reading. Huge hugs.

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  28. I think your subject of this week is absolutely pertinent, Dave, and while reading about China I came across a sentence by Confucius, which says something like: to think about something without learning anything is dangerous and learning without reflecting is without any sense.
    At the moment I am reading David Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, because I wanted to better understand the American society and I have to admit that I have trouble bearing some of the situations.You recommended me this book some time ago!! I keep my fingers crossed for you and your family.

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    • Thank you, Martina!

      Great words from Confucius — words Trump and his allies unfortunately don’t follow. 😦

      “Demon Copperhead” is indeed a painful novel to read in various ways, but I think it’s one of Barbara Kingsolver’s best. And she’s written some terrific books!

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  32. Hi Dave and fellow book lovers! I have also taken refuge in lighter and more escapist books since November, including (dare I confess?) re-reading and taking comfort in several of my favorite Regency romances by Georgette Heyer. But not completely. Liz Moore’s THE GOD OF THE WOODS is not a light mystery, but it’s excellent, and I’ve read it since Christmas.

    As for the news, I am determined to do what I can to counteract the terrible things I see happening in the US, and to do that I have to know what they are, which means I have to read the news. But like you, Dave, I find what’s going on so upsetting that I keep skimming articles about the firing of important federal employees and the destruction of research institutes instead of reading in depth.

    The most cheerful news article I’ve read in months was about the New York prosecutor Danielle Sassoon, a Republican, quitting her job rather than allowing Trump’s Justice Department to force her to drop the case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. If only more people had such backbone.

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    • Thank you, Kim! Taking refuge in lighter reading (and rereading) is definitely one way to cope. (I enjoyed Georgette Heyer’s work when I tried it a few months ago. 🙂 )

      And you’re so right that one has to keep up with the news in order to know enough to take action in whatever small or larger way one chooses.

      Last but not least, I also greatly admire what Danielle Sassoon did. As you note, I wish she wasn’t a rarity among Republicans in not spinelessly capitulating to Trump and Trumpism.

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  33. My reading choices vary with what is available on my shelves, as well as books that remind me of previous eras, both fiction and non-fiction of a particular era. The other day, I picked up “The Waste Makers” by Vance Packard, a 1960 treatise on the intentional creation of waste by a post-WWII America. The US had to manufacture needs, because the post-war economy had lots of returning service people whose old jobs had been replaced by machines. Technological innovation had not kept up with the influx of manpower, so incremental hanges to old products were marketed as new. Thus wehave the variations in clothing styles, the mantra of “buy, buy, buy” to support “the economy” and the “throwaway” generation.
    Now we are seeing a growth of the return of old beliefs in conservation, but in a new context still geared to separating people from their money.

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