#Book Of The Day

[the-local-library-witch]

Book of the day! “Entangled Life” by Merlin Sheldrake. This is a personal favorite of mine. It’s an amazing exploration into the the world of mycology and they way fungi effect our everyday lives. Well worth the read! (Fun fact, his brother Cosmo makes great music and they made a song by recording the electrical impulses passing through oyster mushrooms.)

[ohtheylovetolietoyou]

the saddest part to me was that what i always wanted was a dad who would love me as i was—somebody who would say, “i just love you. you could do anything right now. i’d still love you with unconditional love.”— Britney Spears, The Woman In Me

[raffaellopalandri]

Book of the Day - Meditations

Today’s Book of the Day is Meditations, written by Marcus Aurelius from 161 to 180. Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the Five Good Emperors (the others were Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius), and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace, calm, and stability for the…

[redsamuraiii]

Book Recommendation : JAPAN JOURNEYS

Unlike today where you can post countless travel photos on social media for all to see, in Edo Period Japan, people share pictures of beautiful travel destinations via woodblock art.

After years of civil wars and restrictions on individual mobility, travel became a popular leisure activity in Japan, thanks to the development of a network of well built and fairly safe roads.

Like today, traveling provides opportunities to experience culinary and cultural specialties. This enjoyment was reflected vividly in woodblock prints for those who did not get to travel.

These prints were sold or displayed at marketplaces or festivals where people get to see beautiful sceneries of places they had never been to before, which encouraged more to travel.

The historic views of Japan have been preserved over the generations, offering a fascinating perspective on familiar locations for tourists both domestic and foreign today.

In this book, art historian, Andreas Marks, has gathered a selection of detailed woodblock prints depicting scenic spots and cultural icons that still delight visitors today in Japan.

You’ll see what places like Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo looked like in the 19th century. And you’ll be surprised to see how the temples and castles look the same but not the background.

Buildings and architectures that have withstood the test of time, being rebuilt or preserved from Edo Period till today, which makes Japan one of the most unique travel destinations.

A pleasant read for travel and Japan enthusiasts who love photography and art. As each woodblock print has a story of its own through the eyes of the Japanese artists.

[lacksofpaint]

[dearcelene]

[forewordreviewsmag]

Even when she was a small child in the early 1980s, in Copenhagen, Marie Arleth Skov was fascinated by the look of punks. In this installment of #ForewordThisWeek, she's here to regale us with a few stories about those punksters of the recent past!

Check back with us every week for these great interviews with indie authors.

[ariannaisbooked]

coffee of the day & current read ✨

I had to get my first sugar cookie iced latte of the season this morning! It was just as delicious as I remembered them being.

Avon Books approved me for an ARC of The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur earlier this week. I couldn’t help but start it right away! I did not expect to receive an early copy but I’m currently obsessed 😍

[moodymeangirl]

my annotations in Woolf’s Selected Short Stories

[afulltimenerd]

Books are very ornamental things to have about.

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

[endusviolence]

Rowling isn't denying holocaust. She just pointed out that burning of transgender health books is a lie as that form of cosmetic surgery didn't exist. But of course you knew that already, didn't you?

I was thinking I'd probably see one of you! You're wrong :) Let's review the history a bit, shall we?

In this case, what we're talking about is the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, or in English, The Institute of Sexology. This Institute was founded and headed by a gay Jewish sexologist named Magnus Hirschfeld. It was founded in July of 1919 as the first sexology research clinic in the world, and was run as a private, non-profit clinic. Hirschfeld and the researchers who worked there would give out consultations, medical advice, and even treatments for free to their poorer clientele, as well as give thousands of lectures and build a unique library full of books on gender, sexuality, and eroticism. Of course, being a gay man, Hirschfeld focused a lot on the gay community and proving that homosexuality was natural and could not be "cured".

Hirschfeld was unique in his time because he believed that nobody's gender was either one or the other. Rather, he contended that everyone is a mixture of both male and female, with every individual having their own unique mix of traits.

This leads into the Institute's work with transgender patients. Hirschfeld was actually the one to coin the term "transsexual" in 1923, though this word didn't become popular phrasing until 30 years later when Harry Benjamin began expanding his research (I'll just be shortening it to trans for this brief overview.) For the Institute, their revolutionary work with gay men eventually began to attract other members of the LGBTA+, including of course trans people.

Contrary to what Anon says, sex reassignment surgery was first tested in 1912. It'd already being used on humans throughout Europe during the 1920's by the time a doctor at the Institute named Ludwig Levy-Lenz began performing it on patients in 1931. Hirschfeld was at first opposed, but he came around quickly because it lowered the rate of suicide among their trans patients. Not only was reassignment performed at the Institute, but both facial feminization and facial masculization surgery were also done.

The Institute employed some of these patients, gave them therapy to help with other issues, even gave some of the mentioned surgeries for free to this who could not afford it! They spoke out on their behalf to the public, even getting Berlin police to help them create "transvestite passes" to allow people to dress however they wanted without the threat of being arrested. They worked together to fight the law, including trying to strike down Paragraph 175, which made it illegal to be homosexual. The picture below is from their holiday party, Magnus Hirschfeld being the gentleman on the right with the fabulous mustache. Many of the other people in this photo are transgender.

[Image ID: A black and white photo of a group of people. Some are smiling at the camera, others have serious expressions. Either way, they all seem to be happy. On the right side, an older gentleman in glasses- Magnus Hirschfeld- is sitting. He has short hair and a bushy mustache. He is resting one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of him. His other hand is being held by a person to his left. Another person to his right is holding his shoulder.]

There was always push back against the Institute, especially from conservatives who saw all of this as a bad thing. But conservatism can't stop progress without destroying it. They weren't willing to go that far for a good while. It all ended in March of 1933, when a new Chancellor was elected. The Nazis did not like homosexuals for several reasons. Chief among them, we break the boundaries of "normal" society. Shortly after the election, on May 6th, the book burnings began. The Jewish, gay, and obviously liberal Magnus Hirschfeld and his library of boundary-breaking literature was one of the very first targets. Thankfully, Hirschfeld was spared by virtue of being in Paris at the time (he would die in 1935, before the Nazis were able to invade France). His library wasn't so lucky.

This famous picture of the book burnings was taken after the Institute of Sexology had been raided. That's their books. Literature on so much about sexuality, eroticism, and gender, yes including their new work on trans people. This is the trans community's Alexandria. We're incredibly lucky that enough of it survived for Harry Benjamin and everyone who came after him was able to build on the Institute's work.

[Image ID: A black and white photo of the May Nazi book burning of the Institute of Sexology's library. A soldier, back facing the camera, is throwing a stack of books into the fire. In the background of the right side, a crowd is watching.]

As the Holocaust went on, the homosexuals of Germany became a targeted group. This did include transgender people, no matter what you say. To deny this reality is Holocaust denial. JK Rowling and everyone else who tries to pretend like this isn't reality is participating in that evil. You're agreeing with the Nazis.

But of course, you knew that already, didn't you?

Edit: Added image IDs. I apologize to those using screen readers for forgetting them. Please reblog this version instead.

[the-local-library-witch]

Book of the day! “Soil” by Camille T. Dungy. This is my current read! This book is about how when the author, a poet, moved to Fort Collins, there were restrictions on what you could grow in your yard. The book follows her journey to change the rules and her life through diversity. Amazing read 🌻

[ohtheylovetolietoyou]

‘𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥, 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐲.’ —𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐟 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬.

[raffaellopalandri]

Book of the Day - Norse Mythology

Today’s Book of the Day is Norse Mythology written by Neil Gaiman in 2017 and published by Norton & Company. Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman is a worldwide renowned prolific English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, and graphic novels. He has written hugely successful novels such as Good Omens, Stardust, Anansi Boys, American Gods, and Coraline. During his career, he won numerous…

[savagegood]