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BreadAndCircuses

BreadAndCircuses@bookwyrm.social

Joined 2 years, 7 months ago

I’m male, he/him, hetero, strongly supporting LGBTQ rights, also a baby boomer, born at 312 PPM 🌏, with a passion for the climate and the environment, and finally I'm a United Statesian, although I’ve traveled extensively for work and lived in Europe (mostly Hungary) for several years.

In the past, our rulers gave us "bread and circuses." Now we get fast food and apps. But it's basically the same — distraction from what's REALLY happening.

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reviewed Our Biggest Experiment by Alice Bell

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Alice Bell: Our Biggest Experiment (2021, Counterpoint Press)

Review of 'Our Biggest Experiment' on 'Goodreads'

Our Biggest Experiment was, for me, a big disappointment. Although this is a thorough and well-researched history, the author's seemingly casual attitude about the climate crisis is baffling. Does 'journalistic integrity' require her to shun any sense of urgency? And given all that she knows, and that we know, about both the severity of the issue we face and the documented evidence of oil industry obfuscation, why is there no outrage? I just don't get it.

reviewed Strike Zone. by Jim Bouton

Jim Bouton: Strike Zone. (1995, Signet Books)

Review of 'Strike Zone.' on 'Goodreads'

It's not very realistic or believable, the repeated flashbacks are annoying, and some of the in-game scenes, surprisingly, don't ring true. BUT — I actually enjoyed the book, because it's funny, suspenseful, and heck, it's about baseball, which I love.
3.5★

reviewed Galaxias by Stephen Baxter

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Stephen Baxter: Galaxias (2021, Orion Publishing Group, Limited)

Review of 'Galaxias' on 'Goodreads'

We have a grand concept, a BIG IDEA, a different take on First Contact and the Fermi Paradox. That’s the good part.

The bad part is that after an interesting opening, we have to slog through page after page, chapter after chapter of talking, talking, and more talking. A bunch of people we never come to care about just sitting around talking. Almost nothing ever seems to happen. And when something finally does happen, we don’t actually see it. We are told about it. This book does a whole lot of telling and very little showing.

My other objection is the way the climate crisis is casually waved aside with a few facile suggestions of carbon-capture trees. Would that it were so easy in real life. There’s no mention at all of ocean acidification and almost nothing about species depletion or loss of biodiversity. I suppose the author just …