Motley Kamuka

Spoilers in my review. The Second Murder by Denise Mina is pretty good. You can still make more reality of having gay people and competent women, social awareness. I find it richer to rewrite things with a modern sensibility. There’s still a feel of Marlowe.  Kittens only cabaret, men aren't invited. Putting Marlowe in the club and uncomfortable is genius. She makes a female PI, sort of like Enola Holmes. I really enjoyed Lidia Poet on Netflix. Putting people back into history that were present. The whole world is there, not just a slimmed down version. People are brave enough to proudly proclaim their twisted prejudices nowadays, but in the America I grew up in, they were slightly ashamed and hid their negative and narrow views. I really liked Shelly Parker-Chan's book She Who Became The Sun, writing transgender experience into ancient China historical novel. Good writers don't make it feel programmatic, pushed it, it feels balanced, and accurate. Makes me want to see the...

I try to focus on one book and push my way through it. I have side books when one book becomes tedious. I also read soccer and Buddhism and poetry, I guess I would call them category books for when I want soccer, Buddhism or poetry. Today I have a day off and I thought to read all the books I'm reading in my bedside pile, and write about them. The Great White Bard by Farah Karim-Cooper: Race and Shakespeare is a much needed topic. I wrote a review of the beginning of the book on my Shakespeare blog . I find the idea that racism doesn't exist quite offensive. I've learned about the slave trade by Englishmen who got knighthoods during Shakespeare's life. I found out that Kant cited Hume in favor of white supremacy. It's a personal book as well, and she discusses being a Pakistani heritage woman, grew up in America, went to college in England, and trying to get into English academic world was not easy. Kukai: Major Works  translated by Toshito S. Hakeda. This professo...