Matt Thibault

I’ve been on social media much less and Bluesky’s long thread functionality is giving me conniptions so I’m just going to share my Fable account, follow me there to see what I’m reading going forward. I’ll post something at the end of the year.

fable.co/matt-thibaul...

Interrupting a social media hiatus to say that DC is a safe place, a safe city, and a great place to call home. What’s happening is a nightmare and a clear reason why DC needs statehood, NOW.

A copy of "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil" by V.E. Schwab.

"Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil" by V.E. Schwab

Book 32/40

The Schwabster cooked with this one. I love a slow burn of a book, vampires and constant mental machinations. I don't mind sitting inside someone's brain for a good chunk of time, so this book hit me well. I really liked it a lot.

If you like this weather you were engineered in a lab

My favorite season has always been winter, even though I grew up on the Canadian border in Upstate NY’s infamous North Country. Living in DC has only further convinced me I’m right, what the fuck do you MEAN it’s 80 degrees with 80% humidity?????

A cover of "Steppenwolf" by Herman Hesse.

"Steppenwolf" by Herman Hesse

Book 31/40

Hesse referred to this novel as the one that was more "violently misunderstood" than any of his other work. I can see why. Much of the book revolves around looking glasses --- it is clever in that the reader sees themself, in some way, shape or form.

All of you gloating about the Texas floods because they happened in Trump country want to believe that it can’t happen to you. But it can, and likely will, and when it does, other people will fall all over themselves to figure out reasons why *you* had it coming and they don’t

A List of Nearly Everything in the Senate G.O.P. Bill, and How Much It Would Cost or Save The legislation includes tax cuts as well as big cuts to Medicaid, food benefits and other programs, and it would add more than $3 trillion to the national debt.

Here is a list of nearly every provision in the domestic policy bill nearing a vote by Senate Republicans, and how much it would cost or save Americans.

A cover of "The Black Company" by Glen Cook.

"The Black Company" by Glen Cook

Book 30/40

The Black Company is a really interesting read --- I DNF'd it a long time ago, but came back to it and was much more receptive to the story this time. It became a lot more interesting once I realized I was reading Annals excerpts, written by Croaker.

I feel so ill

Schrodinger’s Law is also a gem

Congrats! Looking forward to your continued work 💪

The way people are talking about shit like free buses like it's dekulakization has me more convinced than ever that you could never get the idea of libraries off the ground today

“Gaming is dead” “I miss how gaming USED to be” “There are no good games anymore”

You were just a kid. That’s it. Everything is magical when you’re a kid.

The cover of "October" by China Miéville.

"October" by China Miéville

Book 29/40

The story of the Russian Revolution and the people who powered it, for all their stumbles, foibles, mistakes and strokes of pure luck. I was taken by how a revolution can spring from something as simple as a brutal mistake, and as powerful as solidarity.

Journalist searched and detained at US airport CBP searched an Australian journalist’s phone. He noted he was questioned over materials in his blog, social media posts, and reporting

🚨 ATTN: Journalists crossing through a U.S. border 🚨

Alongside @eff.org, we now have an extensive guide on preparing your devices for travel through a U.S. border, including a digital security checklist and additional resources.

Read, bookmark and share:

I *also* finished this book, got to the end yesterday. Might be one of the best books I’ve read all year.

Take care of yourselves and each other. This is not final. And we certainly have a say in how we react as a nation.

I've neglected the book thread these past two months. It's since been updated. What an exceptionally tiring saga, but I'm now caught up, and incidentally, am going to blow through my goal of 40 books. Might even hit 60!

The cover of "Martyr!" by Kaveh Akbar.

"Martyr!" by Kaveh Akbar

Book 28/40

A powerful, beautiful book on the pursuit of the meaning of life, and the push to make art that "means something," whatever that entails. This might be one of my favorite books of the year, beautiful in the ways that matter. There is no dead air in this book.

The cover of "Working" by Robert Caro.

"Working" by Robert Caro

Book 27/40

Caro is a master of his craft, and probably one of the greatest living biographers on the planet. I'm also reading The Power Broker (god DAMN it's a behemoth), and as a journalist, I feel like I see interviewing, writing, crafting a story in a new light.

The cover of "The Only Good Indians" by Stephen Graham Jones.

"The Only Good Indians" by @sgj.bsky.social

Book 26/40

Another excellent book from SGJ, who is becoming one of my favorite authors. The way the book wove the four friends lives together was poignant, along with one throughline --- does trying to do better for ourselves really fix past actions?

The cover of "Small Things Like These" by Claire Keegan.

"Small Things Like These" by Claire Keegan

Book 25/40

A small but mighty book about what a normal, everyday man in Ireland feels he must do in order to do right by his family and the people he's surrounded by. I was struck by the sheer force of the writing. I highly recommend everyone read it.

One cover of "Othello" by William Shakespeare.

"Othello" by William Shakespeare

Book 24/40

A vengeful subordinate sabotages Othello, war hero of Venice, and ruins his personal and professional life in a coordinated, ruthless plot. Shakespeare is always a good read, and I really liked this. Up there with Macbeth and Hamlet for me.

The cover of "The Tainted Cup" by Robert Jackson Bennett.

"The Tainted Cup" by Robert Jackson Bennett

Book 23/40

Roots explode outward from spores planted within a man's chest. An imperial investigation occurs, with Dinios Kol in the middle of it all. A mystery in a high fantasy setting, complete with big sea monsters. A fun read for mystery buffs.

The cover of "Thinning Blood: A memoir of family, myth and identity" by Leah Myers.

"Thinning Blood" by Leah Myers.

Book 22/40

One woman's look into generations of her family as she grapples with being one of the last members of the Jamestown S'klallam Tribe due to its strict blood quantum laws. I appreciated Myers' weaving of personal and familial history throughout.

A cover of "The Coin" by Yasmin Zaher.

"The Coin" by Yasmin Zaher

Book 21/40

A wealthy Palestinian immigrant and schoolteacher slowly loses her mind, becomes involved in a scheme to sell Birkin bags and fights for her own personal world. I was impressed by how Zaher tackled so many things at once. Exceptional book.

"I asked ChatGPT" "I asked Grok" ok well I asked Gandalf and he said he has not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm

The cruelty of this is, genuinely, staggering. This is a policy that saves virtually no money whatsoever whose success is measured in the number of children it kills.

🚨By a 6–3 vote, the Supreme Court UPHOLDS Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors, concluding that it does NOT discriminate on the basis of sex, is not subject to heightened scrutiny, and survives rational basis review. All three liberals dissent. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...