I finished Cultish by Amanda Montell. The first half was the most interesting, even if it was nothing new for me, where she discussed the rhetoric of charismatic leaders (though she never called them that.) The second half was more tenuous, the chapter about MLMs was interesting, being a non Mormon Utahn, it explained a hella lot about family, friends and co-workers or mine. Ultimately the book fell flat due to an over abundance of anecdotal “evidence” and a lack of synthesis.
Finished The Measure, although it did turn into a big pile of mush. I should have known better when I saw the blurb saying it was perfect for book clubs. 
Finished Robert Crais’ Sunset Express, started Indigo Slam.
Dont Burn This Country. Its by a Dave Rubin. Its totally conservative, yet hes gay.
He’s also a charlatan. Dave Rubin’s meltdown over the 2020 election was hilarious. It was a mask off moment in the sense he finally stopped the pretence of claiming to be a liberal and on the left even though he was more pro-Trump than lots of people who are proudly conservative and on the right. There were blog posts by him back in the 2000s supporting republicans which was proof enough that it was all BS.
Anyway I have completed A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz which was a really fun detective story. It turned out it was book 3 in a series but it read fine as a standalone in the sense I didn’t have to stop because of a lack of context. I will go back to the start now. What is cool about this is Anthony Horowitz wrote himself in as a character who essentially ends up as the sidekick in solving the crime. Something different and a nice quirk.
Still enjoying Brian Cox’s actor’s-memoir Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, and I’m now rereading Mr. Revere and I by Robert Lawson, a fun kid’s book written as if by Paul Revere’s horse, a former British infantry officer’s mount. Lawson’s line drawings are, as always, excellent, and go well with the text.
I really enjoyed Mr. Revere and I.
Finished The Little Bookroom, by Eleanor Farjeon, which I liked, although some of her material did not age well. The best story is “The Miracle of the Poor Island.”
Now I’m reading The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou, which is one of her autobiographies.
Ah, good! Have you also seen I Discover Columbus (supposedly written by the explorer’s parrot), Ben and Me (by the mouse which gave Franklin all his best ideas) and Captain Kidd’s Cat (by the rum-loving pirate’s cat who accompanies Kidd on his last voyage)? I like them all, but I’m particularly fond of CKC, which, for awhile in my teens, I re-read practically every summer.
I’ve read all but the Columbus one. I really enjoyed Ben and Me and Mr Revere and I but Captain Kidd’s Cat ramped up my anxiety since I knew about the nasty end Capt. Kidd came to.
Gotcha.
Yesterday I finished the audiobook of Brian Cox’s memoir Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, narrated by the author in his classic Scottish growl. Lots of great stories about the British stage since the Sixties. Lots of names shamelessly but entertainingly dropped of the movie stars with whom he’s worked (from Laurence Olivier to Steven Seagal, from Spike Lee to Matt Damon, from Brad Pitt to Vanessa Redgrave, etc.), too, but a disappointingly short chapter on his recent turn on HBO’s Succession as a ruthless media tycoon.
Next up: Stephen King’s novel The Dead Zone, which I read years ago and liked. This is the audiobook, read (very well so far) by James Franco.
The Dead Zone is a good one, although like The Stand, gets a little too close to our current reality sometimes!
Started today on The Passengers by John Marrs, a thriller about a bunch of people all trapped in self-driving cars that are going to KILL THEM.
I reread The Stand early on during COVID. I also was going through a ton of cannabis. Not a good idea. I’d read for an hour, then look at the news and get confused.
I read The Dead Zone again a few years before COVID hit; still holds up pretty well. My favorite Kings are that book, and 'Salem’s Lot, Misery, Firestarter and The Dead Zone. I like his early short-story collections a lot, too.
I’ve read Ben and Me, but not the others. I may read them at some point.
Finished The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou, which was powerful.
Now I’m reading The Corner That Held Them, by Sylvia Townsend Warner.
If you only read one, make it Captain Kidd’s Cat. Very, very good stuff.
Ohhh! I have that on audiobook! I need to give it a listen!
I’ll go easy on spoilers. 
Thank you! 
The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: Steve Brusatte
A comprehensive history of class Mammalia, from 300 million years ago, when we split off from the reptiles, right up to the present day, where I just spent twenty minutes watching a social media video of goats jumping over a puddle.
Very well-written informative, with lots of photos and illustrations. Makes me find interesting things I would have never thought were interesting, like the evolution of the jaw.
Highly recommended.