Starting: The Complete Dick Tracy Volume 18: 1957-1959

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/44Nz669          (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Using Youtube Videos to Study Vietnamese in Context

Youtube Playlist----Quizlet Folder

* Basic Vietnamese Verbs--Quizlet

A few months back, I posted that I had once again gotten to a point on the Vietnamese Duolingo course where I couldn't remember all the vocabulary, and I was (once again) going to delete all my progress and start over from the beginning.

This is multiple times now that I've gotten to a point where I felt that I couldn't remember all the vocabulary Duolingo was throwing at me, and felt that I had no choice but to start over and try to be more thorough about learning the vocabulary.

But no matter how thorough I try to be, no matter how much I try to be systematic about reviewing and consolidating old vocabulary, sooner or later I always seem to get to a point in the Duolingo course where my brain just can't remember it all.

At the same time, since we've returned to the United States, my daughter has started studying Spanish at school, and I've been helping her study by reviewing the numbers in Spanish and simple Spanish greetings.

Now, I never actually formally studied Spanish in school.  I joined Spanish club in junior high school, but that was as far as I got.  So I pretty much only know the numbers and the simple greetings.  But what amazes me is that they've managed to stick in my head all these years, even though I haven't been using them during the past 20 plus years I've lived in Asia.  (One seldom finds it necessary to use Spanish in Vietnam).  And yet, I still remember them after all these years, but at the same time, I can't seem to remember the Vietnamese that I'm actually trying to study.

Why is that?

It occurs to me that the reason I remember my basic Spanish after all these years is for a couple reasons.  First of all, we practiced it orally.  (We began every session of Spanish club by reciting the greetings.)  And secondly, I had a context in which I associated that language.  I can still picture in my head the room where we had Spanish club, and where we recited those greetings.

By contrast, when I studied Vietnamese on Duolingo or quizlet, I was just typing words on a computer screen.  No wonder very little of it was going into my long term memory.

The more I thought about it, the more this also seemed to be true of the other languages I have learned.  I barely remember any of my high school Latin, but the bits that I do remember are mostly the Latin songs that we learned, and the Lord's Prayer in Latin, which we recited many times over in class.  (I attended Christian schools.)

As for my Japanese, since leaving Japan 15 years ago, I've forgotten much of the Japanese that I once knew.  But I still remember a lot of it.  And in part, I remember a lot of it because I can still remember bits of conversations I had in Japanese.  For example, I can remember a joke I made in Japanese that got a laugh at a party, or I can remember an important conversation I had with a Japanese friend that sticks in my mind, etc.  And recalling those conversations helps me to remember Japanese vocabulary.  

So, the lesson is obvious.  Language in context is memorable.  Practicing vocabulary on a computer screen is not memorable.

So, to that end, I've decided to supplement my language study on Duolingo by trying to memorize some clips of Vietnamese conversation that I can find on Youtube.

The idea is to listen to the videos every day (to get them really stuck into my head), while also using quizlet to practice both the individual vocabuarly from those videos, as well as the full sentences.  (F

The first video I'm doing in this series--Basic Vietnamese Verbs--actually doesn't fit this criteria exactly, because it's not a conversation.  However, I'm starting off with it for 3 reasons:

1) I started studying this video years ago, so I wanted to finish the job.

2) I thought it would be useful for me to learn all the basic Vietnamese verbs

3) The verbs are put into the context of sentences--so they are at least in some context.

For the subsequent videos I study on this project, I'll try to make sure that they are all conversations.

The Vicomte De Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas (3rd book in The Three Musketeers series): Book Review

Links to stuff mentioned:

* My review of The Three Musketeers: https://youtu.be/DoM0oQinn4o

* Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas: https://youtu.be/1oGMUQcqSeI

Here is the link to this book on Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2609/2609-h/2609-h.htm

This is part of my so-called "Scripted Review" series, in which I make a Youtube video based on an old blogpost.  For more information on what this is and why I'm doing it, see HERE: https://youtu.be/HgneyXvRI04  

and HERE: https://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2018/12/vlog-scripted-book-reviews-i-ramble-on.html

In this case, the old blog post is here: https://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-vicomte-de-bragelonne-by-alexandre.html

Related Playlists

Book Review Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7

The Classics Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x53EsuWSZ-z0uFGL_0Jl6F1&si=qOP4pXDJ2-VR0l2_

Scripted Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5BKcEIufNKlS58JHU_glyL&si=Pje0KQqIqOgWGGUI

Scripted Book Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x53WSp_2mGcDRHBR7ubQkDa&si=T_0QPBDOZqhqN-oa

2014 Reading List: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6Qz8okehoyhie5HTXe_LMx&si=LWfalvGt8PPorKr6

Alexander Dumas Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7LI1hd4Z_3B6GBQOzEzHQ4&si=Dtco1Ul-yNt1lsqM

The Three Musketeers Series Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5cJWECgHLTf8ncfhoRny9v&si=rHrLUohkSlBls9e_

Historical Fiction Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6aPjnfogXT4vyaZ6934DkU&si=0afTk-Frj6OZdImj

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

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Lynching of Mack Charles Parker--Interesting Random Facts

I'm rereading Black Like Me, and one of the points in the book is the "Parker lynch case"

At the shoe stand, Sterling did not give his usual cordial greeting. His eyes looked yellower than usual.

“You heard?” he asked. 

“No . . . I haven’t heard anything . . .” 

He told me the Mississippi jury refused to indict in the Parker lynch case. The news had spread over the quarter like a wave of acid. Everyone talked of it. Not since I was in Europe, when the Russo-German Pact of 1939 was signed, had I seen news spread such bitterness and despair. 

(This is from p.48-49, but the case also gets discussed a few more times later in the book.) 

Sounds like this case was a really big deal back in its day, but I never even heard of it.

It's strange.  You think that you learned all the major events in the Civil Rights Movement.  After all, I learned about Emmet Till,  The Murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner, The Scottsboro Boys, Medgar Evers, etc.  And I thought I knew it all.  But this is a reminder that there was a whole lot more stuff happening that never makes it into the history classroom--probably just because there's just way too much to talk about, so the teachers have to just choose a couple of cases to talk about, rather than try to include everything.

Anyway, if you (like me) had never heard of the Parker lynch case, you can read all about it on Wikipedia.  It's not pleasant reading, but it is American history.

Mack Charles Parker (May 20, 1936 – April 24, 1959) was a Black American victim of lynching in the United States. He had been accused of raping a pregnant white woman in northern Pearl River County, Mississippi. Three days before he was to stand trial, Parker was kidnapped from his jail cell in the Pearl River County Courthouse by a mob, beaten and shot. His body was found in the Pearl River, 20 miles west of Poplarville, 10 days later. Following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the men who killed him were released. Despite confessions, no one was ever indicted for the killing.^[1][2][3][4] Historian Howard Smead called the killing the "last classic lynching in America."^[5]

...etc.  Read the whole article for all the details.

Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas (The 2nd book in The Three Musketeers series): Book Review

Links to stuff mentioned:

* Revolutions Season 1: The English Revolution by Mike Duncan: https://youtu.be/yN1U42i0RnA

* Monarchy From the Middle Ages to Modernity by David Starkey: https://youtu.be/6Qe8C8LP1mM

* This Sceptred Isle Radio Show: https://youtu.be/9v3CkrEhEbY

* The Scarlet Pimpernel: https://youtu.be/JygsAsd0mMc

This is part of my so-called "Scripted Review" series, in which I make a Youtube video based on an old blogpost.  For more information on what this is and why I'm doing it, see HERE: https://youtu.be/HgneyXvRI04  

and HERE: https://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2018/12/vlog-scripted-book-reviews-i-ramble-on.html

In this case, the old blog post is here: https://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2013/11/twenty-years-after-by-alexandre-dumas.html

Related Playlists

Book Review Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7

The Classics Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x53EsuWSZ-z0uFGL_0Jl6F1&si=qOP4pXDJ2-VR0l2_

Scripted Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5BKcEIufNKlS58JHU_glyL&si=Pje0KQqIqOgWGGUI

Scripted Book Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x53WSp_2mGcDRHBR7ubQkDa&si=T_0QPBDOZqhqN-oa

2013 Reading List Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x71U4c9suM2hOQ2sBqH8kKx&si=OeWUjD8kJ50oqLvW

Alexander Dumas Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7LI1hd4Z_3B6GBQOzEzHQ4&si=Dtco1Ul-yNt1lsqM

The Three Musketeers Series Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5cJWECgHLTf8ncfhoRny9v&si=rHrLUohkSlBls9e_

Historical Fiction Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6aPjnfogXT4vyaZ6934DkU&si=0afTk-Frj6OZdImj

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lQCe7w           (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas: Book Review (and an Overview of the Whole Series) 

Links to stuff mentioned:

* The recent video on historical fiction from Steve Donoghue: https://youtu.be/i1uQfXMqR_Y?si=a4m7bBvs55ugSx59

* Revolutions Season 1: The English Revolution by Mike Duncan: https://youtu.be/yN1U42i0RnA

* Revolution of 1830 by Mike Duncan: https://youtu.be/z2GACNx1DTo

* War and Peace: https://youtu.be/jlfcb0dBrSg

This is part of my so-called "Scripted Review" series, in which I make a Youtube video based on an old blogpost.  For more information on what this is and why I'm doing it, see HERE: https://youtu.be/HgneyXvRI04  

and HERE: https://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2018/12/vlog-scripted-book-reviews-i-ramble-on.html

In this case, the old blog post is here: https://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-three-musketeers-by-alexandre-dumas.html

Related Playlists

Book Review Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7

The Classics Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x53EsuWSZ-z0uFGL_0Jl6F1&si=qOP4pXDJ2-VR0l2_

Scripted Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5BKcEIufNKlS58JHU_glyL&si=Pje0KQqIqOgWGGUI

Scripted Book Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x53WSp_2mGcDRHBR7ubQkDa&si=T_0QPBDOZqhqN-oa

2013 Reading List Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x71U4c9suM2hOQ2sBqH8kKx&si=OeWUjD8kJ50oqLvW

Alexander Dumas Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7LI1hd4Z_3B6GBQOzEzHQ4&si=Dtco1Ul-yNt1lsqM

The Three Musketeers Series Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5cJWECgHLTf8ncfhoRny9v&si=rHrLUohkSlBls9e_

Rereads Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5dMXnK5v4Yc7a8MF5p32Bx&si=WOUK-hGrycyoreLo

Classic Books Which are Fun and Painless to Read Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x4Ki1-6bkRjtQhszjn_lEwa&si=mn1-J0jUomUzyCNc

Historical Fiction Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6aPjnfogXT4vyaZ6934DkU&si=0afTk-Frj6OZdImj

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/44LjhNq           (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Shelly Swearingen and Steve Donoghue give their historical fiction recommendations for beginners.  

Should anyone need additional recommendations, check out my list (taken from this index here).  

Classified By Type

Based Strictly on Real Historical People and Events

300 Graphic Novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley ,

A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel,

Alexander the Great Trilogy by Mary Renault

--Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault 

--The Persian Boy by Mary Renault, 

--Funeral Games by Mary Renault,

Alexander the Great Trilogy by Valerio Massimo Manfredi,

--Alexander: Child of a Dream by Valerio Massimo Manfredi,

--Alexander: The Sands of Ammon by Valerio Massimo Manfredi,
--Alexander: The Ends of the Earth by Valerio Massimo Manfredi, 
An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris,
Becoming Madame Mao by Anchee Min

Cicero Trilogy by Robert Harris

--Imperium by Robert Harris

--Conspirata by Robert Harris,
--Dictator by Robert Harris,
Claudius the God by Robert Graves ,
King Richard III by William Shakespeare ,
The Last Card by Hans Hellmut Kirst ,
The Last Shogun by Ryotaro Shiba ,

Masters of Rome Series by Colleen McCullough
--Caesar by Colleen McCullough

--The October Horse by Colleen McCullough

Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg by Kate Evans, (*1)

Thomas Cromwell Trilogy by Hilary Mantel

--Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel ,

--Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel ,

--The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel
The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks ,

Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong translated by Moss Roberts, 

Tyrant by Valerio Massimo Manfredi,

(For my definition of historical fiction, see HERE)

Fictional Characters and Historical Figures are Mixed Together

Flashman Series by George MacDonald Fraser

--Tom Brown's Schooldays

--Flashman
--Royal Flash
--Flash for Freedom
--Flashman at the Charge
--Flashman in the Great Game
--Flashman's Lady
--Flashman and the Redskins
--Flashman and the Dragon
--Flashman and the Mountain of Light
--Flashman and the Angel of the Lord 
--Flashman and the Tiger
--Flashman on the March
--Mr American by George MacDonald Fraser
--Black Ajax by George MacDonald Fraser

Kidnapped and Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson

Ninety-Three by Victor Hugo

Pompeii by Robert Harris,

Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow

Rebels and Traitors by Lindsey Davis

Rosa by Jonathan Rabb

The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Butterfly in Amber by Kate Forsyth

The Three Musketeers Series by Alexander Dumas

--The Three Musketeers 

--Twenty Years After

--The Vicomte De Bragelonne

--Ten Years Later

--Louise de la Valliere

--The Man in the Iron Mask

The Voice of the People by Jean Vautrin

The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore

Tides of War by Steven Pressfield

To Kill a Tsar by Andrew Williams

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Set During Historical Events or Time Periods, But Mostly Fictional Characters

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles,

All Quiet On the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Gilgamesh the King by Robert Silverberg,

Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King

Man's Fate by Andre Malraux, 

Sweden by Matthew Turner

The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz

--Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz

--Palace of Desire by Naguib Mahfouz

--Sugar Street by Naguib Mahfouz

The Debacle by Emile Zola

The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng

The Gods Will Have Blood by Anatole France

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

The Map of Lost Memories by Kim Fay

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

The Time of the Dragons by Alice Ekert-Rotholz

Inspired by Real History

Bakunin, An Invention by Horst Bienek 

Beloved by Toni Morrison (inspired by Margaret Garner)

Buddha by Osamu Tezuka ,

-- Buddha, Vol. 1: Kapilavastu by Osamu Tezuka

-- Buddha, Vol. 2: The Four Encounters by Osamu Tezuka 

-- Buddha, Vol. 3: Devadatta by Osamu Tezuka

-- Buddha, Vol. 4: The Forest of Uruvela by Osamu Tezuka

-- Buddha, Vol. 5: Deer Park by Osamu Tezuka

-- Buddha, Vol. 6: Ananda by Osamu Tezuka

-- Buddha, Vol. 7: Prince Ajatasattu by Osamu Tezuka

-- Buddha, Vol. 8: Jetavana by Osamu Tezuka

Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en (inspired by Xuanzang)
The Book of Daniel by E.L. Doctorow (inspired by Michael Meeropol and Robert Meeropol)

Shogun by James Clavell (inspired by William Adams)

(See also: Mythology)

Alternative History

1632 by Eric Flint

Anno Dracula Series by Kim Newman

--Anno Dracula by Kim Newman

--Anno Dracula 1918: The Bloody Red Baron by Kim Newman

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

U.S.! By Chris Bachelder,

Classified by Subject

The Bible

King David

The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks ,

Ancient Greece

Persian Wars

300 Graphic Novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley ,

Peloponnesian War

Tides of War by Steven Pressfield

Tyrant by Valerio Massimo Manfredi,

Alexander the Great

Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault 

The Persian Boy by Mary Renault, 

Funeral Games by Mary Renault,

Alexander: Child of a Dream by Valerio Massimo Manfredi,

Alexander: The Sands of Ammon by Valerio Massimo Manfredi,
Alexander: The Ends of the Earth by Valerio Massimo Manfredi, 

Roman Empire

End of the Roman Republic

Imperium by Robert Harris

Conspirata by Robert Harris,
Dictator by Robert Harris,

Caesar by Colleen McCullough

The October Horse by Colleen McCullough

Julio-Claudian dynasty

Claudius the God by Robert Graves ,

Imperial Period

Pompeii by Robert Harris,

British History

War of the Roses

The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson

King Richard III by William Shakespeare ,

Tudors

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel ,

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel ,

The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

English Civil War

Rebels and Traitors by Lindsey Davis

The Butterfly in Amber by Kate Forsyth

Twenty Years After by Alexander Dumas

The Vicomte De Bragelonne by Alexander Dumas

British Empire

Flashman Series,

Kim by Rudyard Kipling,

Burmese Days by George Orwell,

A Passage to India by E.M. Forster,

Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz

French History

Louis XI

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

Louis XIII and Louis XIV

The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas

Twenty Years After by Alexander Dumas

The Vicomte De Bragelonne by Alexander Dumas

Ten Years Later by Alexander Dumas

Louise de la Valliere by Alexander Dumas

The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexander Dumas

The French Revolution

A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel,

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy,

Ninety-Three by Victor Hugo,

The Gods Will Have Blood by Anatole France

The Paris Commune

The Debacle by Emile Zola,

The Voice of the People by Jean Vautrin,

The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore,

The Insurrectionist by Jules Valles (possibly roman a clef memoirs)

Japanese History

Shogun Era

Shogun by James Clavell 

The Last Shogun by Ryotaro Shiba ,

World War II

The Last Card by Hans Hellmut Kirst ,

The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng

Student Movement 1960s

Sweden by Matthew Turner

(*1) Red Rosa is a graphic biography, but some scenes in the graphic biography are fictionalized, so as is the case with a lot of these comic book biographies, it's somewhere between history and historical fiction.

Historical Fiction Playlist HERE:

please do not mention a mainstream theatrical release in front of a parent. there is absolutely no way they have seen it and they will immediately feel depressed and alienated. you may as well ask them if they’ve been to a michelin starred restaurant in bali

— Ej Dickson (@ejdickson) July 20, 2025

...actually I don't mind if you mention it in front of me. But the past couple years, I have had some difficulty in getting some of my friends and co-workers to understand that I can't watch all of the new tv series they are recommending to me. I mean, yes, I do appreciate the recommendations. But you do realize there's no way I could possibly watch any of these, right?

A few months ago, I wrote why I am (mostly) going to avoid talking about Donald Trump on this blog.  

Freddie Deboer recently made the same point on his blog.  He is essentially saying the same thing I said, but much more eloquently, so I'll quote him:

...when it comes to Donald Trump, there is nothing I can say that will matter, not even a little bit.

That’s not some empty gesture of fatalism. It’s a recognition of reality. There’s already an immense and suffocating media ecosystem built entirely around Donald Trump, pro and con, left and right, earnest and cynical. The man is the gravitational center of modern American political discourse. He is the sun around which all else orbits. He has been analyzed, dissected, profiled, parodied, investigated, indicted, psychoanalyzed, lionized, and demonized to a degree that exceeds comprehension. Every possible critique of him has already been made, often in triplicate. His corruption, his cruelty, his incompetence, his shamelessness - all of it has been written a thousand times, often by people far more credentialed and connected in the world of partisan politics than I am. He and his reign are topics so saturated with analysis that there’s scarcely any rhetorical oxygen left to consume.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: Book Review

(Book Review--Rereads)

Started: July 13, 2025

(This is a reread.  As I mentioned in the video, I originally read it in high school, or rather had it read to me in high scholl.  But as this is my first time reviewing it on this blog, according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.)

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: Book Review

Related playlists: 

* Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

* Book Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=EJ7CG8iO9IouNaYY

* Rereads Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5dMXnK5v4Yc7a8MF5p32Bx&si=HJZkQ7gk8J-EXB9f

* Literature Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x4PjU8NX0_OGClFlA44DpdS&si=2x2pIzH3YCj-hcmI

* John Steinbeck Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5y2IZag5TiVWw-mQ78_EU5&si=v2IIGlcAO7H3ZAOg

Support this Blog:

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/44LNBpR            (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Starting: Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin    This is a reread.  I originally read it in high school.

Check out this book on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/4lXQJpw                   (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Marduk Prophecy translated by Benjamin R. Foster (from Before the Muses): Summary and Discussion

(Book Review--Blogging the Canon, Classics)

From my reading of Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature Edited by Benjamin R. Foster

Marduk Prophecy translated by Benjamin R. Foster (from Before the Muses): Summary and Discussion

Links to Stuff mentioned: 

* Starting: Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature Edited by Benjamin R. Foster: https://youtu.be/GntFy0nIRPA

* My review of the Enuma Elish: https://youtu.be/xSY_h8helQo

* Tukulti-Ninurta Epic: https://youtu.be/9Tsh1Cm05JM

* Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire by Eckart Frahm: Book Review: https://youtu.be/R8Igl5zP7iU

* Vaticinium ex eventu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaticinium_ex_eventu

* World History Encyclopedia: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/990/the-marduk-prophecy/

Related Playlists

* Classic Books Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x53EsuWSZ-z0uFGL_0Jl6F1&si=giDKwvKMzCWtXvzl

* Book Review Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=kiFeTonJJ3Ux5H1T

* Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

* Babylonian / Akkadian Literature Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5BtyzrSv3NMPA3VpzLIuq8&si=x0yeQPCkXyxtPCr4

* Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x4Cvg1Yw4LQyKEXIwDwo1m0&si=X6OZ7Ectw-fzHbCn

* Akkadian Literature: The Mature Period 1500-1000 BC Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x545tikwEDqcgD_qmFqtLUF&si=XlI2gaYNnh1HGPyf

I was able to read this book thanks to the Michigan statewide state-wide interlibrary loan service called MeLCat, which may be in danger thanks to a Presidential executive order.  If you, like me, enjoy using MeLCat, contact your local representatives and let them know. 

Support This Blog: 

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4k08VgZ            (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Grayson Volume 1: Agents of Spyral: Book Review

(Book Review--DC Comics)

Started: July 14, 2025

(This is my first time reading this book, so according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.) 

Grayson Volume 1: Agents of Spyral: Book Review 

Related Playlists:

Graphic Novel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6NMoYW6CBw6Qj_cqK8DIeb

DC Comics Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6kPikhXNalrSh9BnvzZi2f&si=4rAijTT4v9u_06q2

Book Review Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=EJ7CG8iO9IouNaYY

Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

Support this Blog:

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4f8kRfX        (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Started: The New Teen Titans Volume 10 by Marv Wolfman

Check out this book on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/4eX8W4v                   (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Started: Grayson Volume 1: Agents of Spyral 

Check out this book on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/4f8kRfX                   (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP Model (3rd Edition) by Jana J. Echevarria, MaryEllen J. Vogt, Deborah J. Short

(Book Review--Linguistics and TESOL)

Started: June 10, 2025

(This is my first time reading this book, so according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.)

Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP Model: Book Review

Links to things mentioned:

* MTTC English as a Second Language (126) Secrets Study Guide by Mometrix: https://youtu.be/_hO0v3WIdYM

* My review of the Celta: https://youtu.be/NLo8IXRiDYY

* My review of the Delta: https://youtu.be/blgSAv2amK0

Related Playlists: 

* Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

* Book Review Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7

* Books on Linguistics and TESOL Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5zyZvaYnc-TuZjDuX-txNS&si=OM-CROi6wukWFDyb

Support This Blog: 

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/44PZRpv         (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Started: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck     This is a reread.  Like most Americans, I originally read this book in high school.  (Actually the teacher read it aloud to us, so I guess I should say I listened to it.)  I've mentioned this book before on this blog here and here.

Check out this book on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/44LNBpR                   (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Countdown to Final Crisis Volume Two: Book Review

(Book Review--DC Comics)

Started: July 7, 2025

(This is my first time reading this book, so according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.)  

Countdown to Final Crisis Volume Two: Book Review

Links to stuff mentioned:

* Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman: https://youtu.be/dgWj1unFVlM

* Infinite Crisis by Greg Cox: https://youtu.be/PEpnqahMlC4

* 52: The Novel by Greg Cox: https://youtu.be/IQSjyBquaPI

I mentioned Linkara.  Here's an example of one of his Countdown videos: https://youtu.be/cqw6RA6ZsLw?si=B0LJMUinKCvVqsyV

I also mentioned Occasional uperheroine.  Here's an example of one of her Countdown blog posts: https://occasionalsuperheroine.blogspot.com/2008/06/no-seriously-let-me-get-this-straight.html

Related Playlists:

Graphic Novel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6NMoYW6CBw6Qj_cqK8DIeb

DC Comics Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6kPikhXNalrSh9BnvzZi2f&si=4rAijTT4v9u_06q2

Book Review Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=EJ7CG8iO9IouNaYY

Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

Support this Blog:

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4nDd0L2         (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Thorn: The Complete Proto-Bone College Strips 1982-1986 by Jeff Smith: Book Review

(Book Review--Bone Series)

Part of my Bone series reading project for this summer.

(This is my first time reading this book, so according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.)

Thorn: The Complete Proto-Bone College Strips 1982-1986 by Jeff Smith: Book Review

Playlists of all my Bone reviews: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5KLbFLyQFO6CTdp_XzdCbs&si=qswidW7z7fU1uvjr

Related Playlists: 

* Graphic Novel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6NMoYW6CBw6Qj_cqK8DIeb

* Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

* Book Review Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=EJ7CG8iO9IouNaYY

* Bone Series Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5KLbFLyQFO6CTdp_XzdCbs&si=qswidW7z7fU1uvjr

I was able to read this book thanks to the Michigan statewide state-wide interlibrary loan service called MeLCat, which may be in danger thanks to a Presidential executive order.  If you, like me, enjoy using MeLCat, contact your local representatives and let them know. 

Support this Blog:

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lIFkJZ             (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Started: Countdown to Final Crisis Volume Two

This book doesn't appear to be currently in stock at Amazon, but here is the link nonetheless: https://amzn.to/4nDd0L2      (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

The Newsroom: TV Series Review

Links to some of my previous reviews:

* Charlie Wilson's War: https://youtu.be/jXqVKItHkZ8

* The Social Network: https://youtu.be/gtmfvfuHYDY

* The Trial of the Chicago 7: https://youtu.be/YyRAXm3rIIY

This is part of my so-called "Scripted Review" series, in which I make a Youtube video based on an old blogpost.  For more information on what this is and why I'm doing it, see HERE:

https://youtu.be/HgneyXvRI04  

and HERE: https://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2018/12/vlog-scripted-book-reviews-i-ramble-on.html

In this case, the old blog post is here: https://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2013/11/television-addiction-part-4.html

This is also part of my Television Addiction series.  For my explanation of what the Television Addiction series is and why I'm doing it, see: https://youtu.be/T5CEQ9-35xA and http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2021/04/television-addiction-article-on.html

The original 2013 post reads: 

The Newsroom

          I mentioned a while back that I had been watching this show.

            I first started watching this show because it was recommended by the magazine Asia Life, one of the expat magazines out here in Cambodia.

            I was only a few episodes in before I started wondering what in the world the editors of Asia Life were thinking.  The show was so cheesy, and so contrived, and just…well, ridiculous really.

            (The AVclub has an episode by episode rundown of the show that do a very good job of highlighting all the ridiculous points about this show).

            And yet, despite all the problems with the show—despite the cheesy soap opera relationships, the contrived plot points, and the arrogant 20/20 hindsight smugly applied to every news event, I still found myself watching episode after episode.

            Aaron Sorkin may mess up a lot of things, but he still understands the mechanics of screenwriting very well.  Each episode may be terrible objectively if you focus on the plot, but Aaron Sorkin still knows how to keep the dialogue snappy and he knows how to keep the forward momentum of the story going.  So the show may be terrible, but it never really gets boring.  And, I have to confess that even while I was rolling my eyes at how cheesy the plot was, I still kept watching it.

            Also, if you’re a political junky, then all the political diatribes mixed-in with the soap opera drama is another guilty pleasure.  On several of the polemical speeches throughout the series, I think Sorkin did a very good job of sticking it to the Republican Party.

            Of course when Sorkin bashes causes I’m sympathetic to, like Occupy Wall Street, then I enjoy it a lot less, but I guess that’s just my liberal bias double-standard showing through. (I think actually there’s actually good case to be made for the strength of a grass roots bottom up leaderless movement.  But the straw-men Occupy Wall Street characters that Sorkin created were never able to give a good defense for this.)

Related Playlists:

Scripted Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5BKcEIufNKlS58JHU_glyL&si=Pje0KQqIqOgWGGUI

Television Addiction: Oh, the TV Shows I've Seen: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5dG-fZus5AmF1kQSDBfSDJ

Television Addiction Part 4: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7tGOeUw5E7xQBVO_DQ3xcn&si=lM1iMgfWSgaA3Bzf

TV Review Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6YpO1G45qHp2EEa5bGZLns

Aaron Sorkin Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Cj5VZ1egfFzrAUG2nFYLK&si=9HyCTBJiUUQ6Z8Ts

Support This Blog: 

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this series on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4kqIjpo          (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)