About Finnish. Yes, that many cases.
Wiscon was, as they say here, interesting. I'm gonna be the butch and keep my own counsel.for now. Have to think a little harder. The Helsinki in 2017 party rocked, tho, and I hope my contribution led to one more person reading a good Finnish book. And maybe fire.
What happens if I commit to buying some books, feeling so self-satisfied about supporting local bookstore Uncle Hugo's? Of course. I must then stumble on cache upon cache of reviews of Books I Must Read Right Now.
A bio of Essex Hemphill and Michael Callen by Martin Duberman. Suddenly a million decent-sounding lesbian novels and poetry books. A reprint of Cheryl Clarke. A new Achy Obejas book, and it's poetry. A biography of a founder of the Lesbian Avengers. Oh, man... THIS. A bio of Donna Minkowitz that references Tolkein. A bio of Valerie Solanas that takes her seriously! Bio, bio, bio. A new novel by Michael Nava!! A ton of stuff I can't begin to link to or my wrist will fall off as it has been threatening to do... I feel like I made this post before, and in fact I did, about sff.
What is a butch to do but spend more time at work, racking up overtime, leaving less time to actually read these books. Isn't it enough that I just started Hild, which weighs more than my cat, with five other books and a Finnish language CD set also in process? Does it pay to fervently wish for a renaissance of lgbtaiqyaya... quiltbasgsoundstoomuchlikecarpetbaggerwhichwasgoodbutbadtooandanywayit'snotknownoutsidesffniches lit'r'ture? Of course not. We can't actually afford to need new books, much as we crave them. But nothing will stop us from devouring them, as soon as possible, nonetheless. Nonesuch. Nevermore. Quack. Quack. Duck, Duck... Gray Duck! Waaaaaaahhhh!!!!
Yes. It is definitely spring. At least there are (for now) free thrills, like Autostraddle... And Wiscon, which May showers usually bring.
A review of Troll: A Love Story (American title)/Not Before Sunset (British title, and apparently more literal translation) linked to this song with English subtitles , Päivänsäde ja Menninkäinen, sung by Tapio Rautavaara. Something like the sunlight fairy and the goblin. Here it is with Finnish subtitles, so you can sing along. This adds another layer to the book, as I prepare to reread. The wordplay in the book is fantastic, even in translation, and the play on "fairy," natch.
Really nice voice. Sadly, seeing any video on youtube makes me want to hear "What Does The Fox Sing?". My niece has warped my brain forever.
I just finished Antti Tuomainen's The Healer, which was an interesting mix of detective thriller and realistic apocalyptic SF. The novel reads as very poetic in the translation by Lola Rodgers, and apparently in the original Finnish, appropriately enough for the poet protagonist. But it really moves along too. Tapani is searching for his wife, a journalist who was investigating a serial murderer/environmental activist, who turns out to have ties to almost everyone Tapani turns to in his search. I want to say more, but later, it's long after sunset and this goblin must crawl into the cave.
I'm working my way through the Lethe Press Wilde Stories anthologies, too, after seeing their pretty covers on the library shelf next to a book I was looking for. So far some really good stories, even the Lovecraftian one. (As far as I can tell, Lovecraftian. Not my thing, and not always pulled off very well. But with a light touch, yeah.) Stories I had not read yet by Richard Bowes and Christopher Barzak, hard to resist. More later on those books as well...
I've been trying out new podcasts lately and have been impressed with KCRW's shows on the entertainment biz and national news. The show "To The Point" has interesting interviews with a range of participants and recently covered the farmworker organizing that's been going on.
The show discusses the Immokalee tomato pickers contracts with growers and,more recently, Walmart. It also discusses a study done about sexual exploitation of female migrant workers. Check it out.
