everybody I can't wait for the next fun tidbit post to share this because I'm too amused.

In the Soviet Union, censorship was often lighter for translated works, meaning a lot of overtly queer texts were translated directly into the vernacular without changes. In many cases, the regime employed "interpretive censorship" instead, where they basically said "yeah this is HETEROSEXUAL. NOTHING QUEER GOING ON HERE." Sappho was published with an introduction insisting that Sappho was straight.

Source: Brian James Baer, ‘Translating queer texts in Soviet Russia: A case study in productive censorship’ (2011) 4(1) Translation Studies 21.

(edited for a typo)

AND ITS IN ALL THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR ABDUL IN MICHIGAN FUCK YOU AIPAC FUCK YOU DTE FUCK YOU CONSUMERS ENERGY FUCK EVERY SINGLE CORPORATION THAT WASTED THEIR MONEY ON TV ADS FOR HALEY "israel comes to me in my dreams" STEVENS THIS IS THE PEOPLE'S DEMOCRACY LETS FUCKING GO MICHIGANDERS WE DID THIS

Since joining PB I feel like I've not been giving out as many 5 stars. I think in part this is because of the .5 rating system, so I have a lot of 4.5 rated books that I really really enjoyed and loved but I just felt like one tiny, small change might have made it an undeniable masterpiece for me. There's space for me to go: LOVED this! My enjoyment just wasn't 200% like a 5 star would be.

But I also think it's because of the forums😂 There's so much fantastic analysis and lots of different perspectives and I am soaking it all up. This both helps me articulate my latent feelings that I might not have explored fully before, or that I just couldn't rationalise. And then it also shows me different critiques and praises I wouldn't think of on my own. There's lots of new ideas and processes contributing to my reading process now that I think I've become a bit stingy with my 5 stars. But that doesn't mean I'm enjoying books less, or not reading favourites. I've just become more critical and discerning when quantifying my experience.

Has PB changed how you rate and/or interact with books? Or just generally how has PB impacted your reading habits?

💜📚💜📚

Generally speaking, women are more likely to have reading as a hobby than men. Why do you think that is? I know we've also (at least in the US) seen a flip where college graduates are more likely to be women. It definitely has something to do with how women and men are socialized, how early education is treated, etc. I don't think men and boys are out here getting shamed for having reading as a hobby- but maybe they are?

The little moments in each chapter where Aoyama looks fondly at Chi-chan (sees bright lights, gets dizzy, windy breezes, etc) can be seen as endearing and representative of sapphic love: the build up of emotions, the yearning, the slow burn, the unpacking one’s unfamiliar feelings.

On the surface many of their interactions and dynamic can be seen as: “wow! witty banter and shared meals between two sapphics yay!” — yet, there is an unmistakeable power imbalance. Though things may be more nuanced than just “colonizer vs colonized” or “employer vs employee” all of these identities are irrefutable and serve as the base of this relationship.

Chi-chan only lets her guard down with Aoyama in very specific instances, and I think this is rightfully so. I’m also not sure if Aoyama is realizing how many lines she has / may be crossing with her privilege and status in relation to Chi-chan.

Falling in love and/or creating an intimate relationship with your oppressor/employer is … I don’t have the proper words to complete that thought, but I hope it continues to be interrogated in the story.

The little moments in each chapter where Aoyama looks fondly at Chi-chan (sees bright lights, gets dizzy, windy breezes, etc) can be seen as endearing and representative of sapphic love: the build up of emotions, the yearning, the slow burn, the unpacking one’s unfamiliar feelings.

On the surface many of their interactions and dynamic can be seen as: “wow! witty banter and shared meals between two sapphics yay!” — yet, there is an unmistakeable power imbalance. Though things may be more nuanced than just “colonizer vs colonized” or “employer vs employee” all of these identities are irrefutable and serve as the base of this relationship.

Chi-chan only lets her guard down with Aoyama in very specific instances, and I think this is rightfully so. I’m also not sure if Aoyama is realizing how many lines she has / may be crossing with her privilege and status in relation to Chi-chan.

Falling in love and/or creating an intimate relationship with your oppressor/employer is … I don’t have the proper words to complete that thought, but I hope it continues to be interrogated in the story.

Oh no! Pagebound has had a glitch and all your My Taste books have been replaced with the exact opposite. What (up to 5) books would be displayed to show who you aren’t as a reader? These aren’t necessarily your least favorites, but books that are the opposite of who you are as a reader. Books you would not be found reading because it’s not to your taste.

My Anti-Taste

• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
• Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
• The Shining by Stephen King
• Haunting Adeline by HD Carlton

Anyone else's week a total crap shoot even though it's only Tuesday? I'm going to blame it on library patrons being extra sassy since it's so hot out. Stay cool everyone.