Introducing Chris Via And Russell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     Let's get this over with first.  Girls, they are cute, but they are married, so off limits!  Just like me!

                                      Remember when I used to post book reviews on here?  I so want to get back to that, but not doing so has been a byproduct of the pandemic.  With David working from home, which I am still glad about, I have less time for the computer, naturally, so not as much time to write.  And some things--like books and Bitch Of The Week--have gone by the wayside.

                                        So, I have been scrolling YouTube looking at book vloggers.  The best of the best is Chris Via, and Russell, who are my Ying and Yang.  That's two sides of the same coin to you, dolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           Chris Via does a vlog called "Leaf By Leaf."  He specializes in books some of us are afraid to read--like "Gravity's Rainbow," which even I haven't tackled.  I related to him because I just recently finished a massive tome called "Abel And Cain," by Gregor Von Rizzori, and it almost did me in.  Well written, panoramic, but let me tell you--and I may be repeating myself, here--though half the length of Uwe Johnson's book "Anniversaries," I found Johnson's book to be preferable. But that's me.

                                             Chris really got my attention when he started talking about William Gaddis' 1955 novel, "The Recognitions," which has been staring at me on bookstore shelves for years, calling out to me to read it.  Now, I really want to, but I am so backed up with what I have in this apartment, I may not get to it till next year.  Every so often I get in the mood for a challenge--that is what reading "Abel And Cain" was all about.  My suggestion to you, darlings, is that, when overcome by this feeling, check with Chris.  I guarantee he will find you something challenging.

                                                Now, for Russell.

                                                His vlog is called "Ink and Paper Blog."  He makes videos too.  Both Chris and Russell, by the way, are Californians. Chris is in San Francisco, while Russell is somewhere in Northern California, whatever that means.  Hey, I am New York, here!

                                                    Rusell is gay, and proves that, yes, gay men actually read books, and take them seriously.  Thanks for that, Russell.  He is passionate, personable, and spot on with his ability to talk about books.  The only problem I have, and it may be geographical, is that while he does hit on some books I have read, or want to read, most of the time he talks about books I have never heard of.  Some he gets from publishers, or organizations like the National Book Awards.  Others are things I have never seen on the shelf in NYC.   Is it a California thing,  Russelll?  Because, while some of these books seem very intriguing, I am hard pressed to have heard of them or seen them in the bookstores of NYC which I frequent.

                                                       Nevertheless, both gentlemen are charming and informative, and I urge you to give each of them a try.  Meanwhile, I've got a lot of reading to do!

                                                         And I promise--PROMISE--to fully input my 2021 list.  I am past the halfway point, so I am getting there.

                                                          Stay tuned, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!