Nevada by Imogen Binnie

Read Nevada by Imogen Binnie ( )

Maria Griffiths is almost thirty and works at a used bookstore in New York City while trying to stay true to her punk values. She’s in love with her bike but not with her girlfriend, Steph. She takes random pills and drinks more than is good for her, but doesn’t inject anything except, when she remembers, estrogen, because she’s trans. Everything is mostly fine until Maria and Steph break up, sending Maria into a tailspin, and then onto a cross-country trek in the car she steals from Steph. She ends up in the backwater town of Star City, Nevada, where she meets James, who is probably but not certainly trans, and who reminds Maria of her younger self. As Maria finds herself in the awkward position of trans role model, she realizes that she could become James’s savior–or his downfall.

I understand why Nevada is a classic, alright? I really do. It’s messy and unapologetic and the story is good and it explains things without feeling like a lecture and yes, it captures lots of trans experiences. Or, well, transfeminine experiences? I felt like many pieces of the description could apply to me, but Imogen…

Age of the City

Read Age of the City: Why Our Future Will be Won Or Lost Together ( )

In this book, Professor Goldin and Tom Lee-Devlin show why making our societies fairer, more cohesive and sustainable must start with our cities. Globalization and technological change have concentrated wealth into a small number of booming metropolises, leaving many smaller cities and towns behind and feeding populist resentment. Yet even within seemingly thriving cities like London or San Francisco, the gap between the haves and have-nots continues to widen and our retreat into online worlds tears away at our social fabric. Meanwhile, pandemics and climate change pose existential threats to our increasingly urban world.

Felt rushed and superficial in some parts, some others were better. A frustrating read because many very interesting things are said but stay on the superficial level; a good read nonetheless, not too US-centric. Mes notes de lecture en français sont ici.

Liked Designing Mastodon’s reply safety features by Sam Gold (lickability.com)

Lickability has been Mastodon’s design partner since 2021, when we helped design their first-party iOS app (and more recently, their Android app). In 1.0 for each of those apps, there have been the expected safety features — mute, block, and report. But those are very direct and technical tools. Don’t get us wrong, those features are critical to having some level of safety on any online platform. But their reach is limited to what you see, which, by definition, puts the onus on the person who needs it. If someone is bothering you, you’re required to block or mute them.

Refuse to choose!

Read Refuse to Choose!: Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams by Barbara Sher ( )

Don’t know what to do with your life? Drawn to so many things that you can’t choose just one? New York Times best-selling author Barbara Sher has the answer–do EVERYTHING!

This didn’t age very well in parts, but I enjoy the sheer optimism and positivity of it. I am definitely a Scanner-Type but I think I’m doing pretty well making the most it, which means I wasn’t the target audience for this self help book aimed at very confused and desperate people. There were still…