Tootfinder

A lucky find in my local #book store: the anthology "Flight or Fright" with new and classic stories to work on your fear of flying.
#reading

Just finished Kageki Shoujo volume 3 by Kumiko Saiki, and figured I might as well post about it even though I'll be reading it for a while more.
My library has a great selection of manga, so sometimes I check one out at random when I'm waiting for next volumes of the series I really love (With Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama is top of my list right now). I was expecting Kageki to be more of a classic shoujo manga, but it's actually hardly focused on romance at all, and the deep background on Japanese theater traditions is a lot of fun to learn about along with the drama of the different characters.
#AmReading #ReadingNow

Read the second of the Murder Bot novellas by Martha Wells, Artificial Condition.
Our hacked security droid takes a job looking after more idiots in order to get a ride to investigate his missing memories.
And they get into trouble of course.
Enjoyed it more than the first one. The ship intelligence he teams up with sure does have a lot of ability for an auto-pilot. The Secunit's sarcasm and reluctant disdain of his charges seems better written and deepening.
#reading #books #murderBot

Just finished "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas. In an unusual twist of fate, I had read "Concrete Rose" earlier, which gave me a rich backstory to relate things to. "The Hate U Give" is really good, but I found the resolution of King's arc slightly disappointing, even though the ending was strong. It's definitely not my place to judge Thomas' perspective here, but I do think that the book's broad popularity including among more liberal audiences probably stems at least in part from the way it allows a "the cops have issues but are ultimately-necessary/sometimes-positive" reading that undermines the strength of the core message.
In the end I like Concrete Rose better, but they're both great and I'll be putting Thomas' other books on my to-read list.
#AmReading #ReadingNow

Nice thoughtful article on modern literacies
"The choice isn’t between books and screens. The choice is between intentional design and profitable chaos. Between habitats that cultivate human potential and platforms that extract human attention"
What we think is a decline in literacy is a design problem
#literacy #design #reading

Very interesting podcast episode on how Mississippi public schools are improving reading ability. One tactic that surprised me was the use of "coaches" who sit in on lessons and correct a teacher's pronunciation (e.g., tortoise) on the spot. #mississippi #reading #teaching #education #podcast #nytimes #pronunciation https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/10/podcasts/the-daily/mississippi-schools-test-scores.html