An American Civil War spy drama ("epic" but I'm not so sure about that) that kicks off at a Passover seder? Sure, why not. It's timely, that's for sure. The writing is a a little choppy, and the main character seems to be a bit of a schlub, but I think I'll stick with it. #FridayReads #AmReading #Books #Bookstodon #Audiobooks #Fiction #History #CivilWar #Mazeldon @bookstodon
I've reread: The Automatic Detective by A Lee Martinez
Futuristic Noir Satire.
This is a very American story about a corrupt city of the future that exploits the poor and disenfranchised
It takes a stubborn ex-military robot on a temporary visa to take on the hard boiled detective role and expose the festering boil at the top of the pyramid.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/3876c440-785a-4a01-9383-444e9ead43fc
@bookstodon @audiobooks
#ScienceFiction #humor #satire #bookstodon #AudioBooks
Food
Good night! #3GoodThings
1. Managed to close all my fitness rings and get in my 10K steps despite glucose battles.
2. Did a little loom knitting this afternoon while listening to an audio book.
3. Splurge for breakfast this morning and had ham on biscuits. 
Sleep well and may your dreams be out of this world. 
#GoodNight #Fitness #Audiobooks #LoomKnitting
Listened recently to THE WITCH OF MARACOOR (2023) - Gregory Maguire
Listening to JEWISH SPACE LASERS: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories (2023) - Mike Rothschild
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/733925/jewish-space-lasers-by-mike-rothschild/
if you have "audible premium plus", the following books are currently available for free:
* "They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45" by Milton Mayer (currently listening to this one. it's very good; i highly recommend it)
* "The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy" by David Graeber
* "Sister Outsider" by Audre Lorde
* "How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States" by Daniel Immerwahr (about US territories and other "not states")
* "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa" by Walter Rodney
* "Necropolitics" by Achille Mbembe
* "Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition" by Cedric J. Robinson
* "Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison" by Michel Foucault
So yeah. This REALLY pisses me off! I have friends who work for the #MaineStateLibrary. Grrrrr....
Maine State Library issues layoffs, cites inability to access federal funding
The Maine State Library announced Wednesday 13 staff members, whose positions are supported by federal funding, were laid off.
April 9, 2025
"The Maine State Library announced layoffs on Wednesday, citing an ongoing inability to access federal funding.
"The announcement comes after President Donald #Trump signed an executive order in March deeming the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) 'unnecessary' and slated to be dismantled, later placing the entire agency's staff on administrative leave.
"The Maine State Library said in a news release that IMLS funding represents 30 percent of its annual budget and has not received any communication from IMLS on if or when funding might be restored.
"The state library said it last received funds from its 2025 federal award advance through the IMLS on March 24.
"Thirteen employees whose positions are supported by federal funding have been laid off, the state library said. Those employees represent approximately 30 percent of Maine State Library staff.
"The Maine State Library said the layoffs could be rescinded if funding is restored.
"Starting on Thursday, the Maine State Library will close for a two-week reorganization period where its location at 242 State St. in Augusta will not be open to the public.
"'Losing access to this Federal funding harms Maine residents and will have negative consequences in communities across the state," Maine State Librarian #LoriFisher said in the release. 'Despite these significant cuts, the Maine State Library remains committed to advancing the mission of libraries in Maine and to serving every library patron to the best of our ability.'
"In 2024, the Maine State Library says it received $1,526,754 from the #IMLS Library Services and Technology Act Grants to States program which supports services including #HighSpeedInternet for public libraries; #InterlibraryLoans, #EBooks, and #audiobooks; services for #VisuallyImpaired patrons; and professional development for library staff.
"The library says it is continuing to evaluate the range of impacts on library services from the funding cuts and hopes to provide further updates as they become available.
"Following Trump's executive order, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey joined 20 other attorneys general in a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from dismantling a handful of agencies, including the IMLS."
I’m only 2 hours in but I have started the audiobook for Lord of the Rings Return of the King, read by Andy Serkis. While the whole series of books are great, Fellowship of the Ring by far has to be my favorite.
Good night! #3GoodThings
1. My purple band for my Apple watch arrived! Now I’m all purply! 
2. I finished The Quilter’s Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini and hubs and I finished Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates. Dead of Winter was a good book but I had the killer figured out very early into the book.
3. It was cold today but so beautifully sunny.
Sleep well and may your dreams take you to the stars! #GoodNight #AudioBooks
Good morning! Wishing you all a beautiful day filled with sunshine, love, laughter, high energy and positivity. I plan on doing a load of laundry today, I have to! Other than the usual chores, I’ll listen to more of The Quilter’s Apprentice and maybe read some Braille later.
Be kind to yourself and those around you, hug tight those you love most and smile, you are loved and appreciated! #GoodMorning #Positivity #Braille #AudioBooks
Heya #neurodivergent friends, what's your experience with #audiobooks? Do you have any tips on the how and when?
I got into podcasts two years ago, for walks around the city and workouts but several shows have slowed down or paused due to *wave hands around* and I'm out of backlog. Wondering whether I should try out audiobook as I start a new treadmill routine.
My main concern is about the attention it might require: I often read pages with my eyes but not my brain, and have to re-read pages. Does that happen with #ADHD and audiobooks too?
Listening to WABI SABI: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life (2018) - Beth Kempton
Celebrate National Library Week in the USA (April 6-12, 2025): when you donate $15 or more to a public library (or ALA), you’ll receive a Libro.fm audiobook credit!
I've finished: When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory
There is something very compelling about: When We Were Real.
Despite the almost contemporary world, the speculative nature of the setting permeates every aspect of the novel. It is not just a veneer.
Daryl Gregory also made me care about every character and their struggle, even the annoying ones.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/7b790c05-280f-4cf2-834b-b9dc3b2eb743
@bookstodon @audiobooks
#ScienceFiction #SFF #bookstodon #AudioBooks
𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮:
Many libraries have eBooks and audiobooks for loan to your favorite reading device! Why are you paying money to Audible or Kindle or Nook when you can borrow and read or listen for free? Save some money and read and listen more! Talk to your librarian about their approach!
Good night! #3GoodThings
1. Got the slow cooker chicken pot pie made today and it was delicious. And we have leftovers for the next few not so-warm days. 
2. Didn’t manage to exercise because of glucose levels again but still managed to close all my fitness rings today.
3. Started listening to the first Elm Creek Quilters novels, The Quilter’s Apprentice. I’ve listened to these books before but more books have been published so I decided to start at the beginning and read them all. 
Sleep well and may your dreams be out of this world. #GoodNight #AudioBooks #SlowCooker #Fitness
Did you know? Listening to audiobooks can be as immersive as reading. What’s your take? Participate in the discussion about audiobooks vs. traditional reading: https://2tonwaffle.forum/topic/65/audiobooks-count/8
Starred listening to Picks and Shovels by @pluralistic last night while crafting with my wife. We usually also fall asleep to a book and she asked me to not play it while we drifted off, because if I did she would not be able to, it is that good. Wil Wheaton is great, as always.
Audible is having a 2 for 1 sale.
Great books that are included in the sale include:
The Space Between worlds by Micaiah Johnson
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers:
Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik
Video review of Last Chance to Save the world by Beth Revis. This is a fun snappy rom com set in space. Beautiful cover, Audio has great narration. #audiobooks #bookstadon #videoreview https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2E918LT/
