How. The heck. Had I *NOT* heard of this book before!?

    This book is excellent. Excellent. So good that it gets a full post, rather than a blurb on my "What Am I Reading" page. Usually when someone hands me a fantasy or sci-fi novel & tells me it's a classic, I take that to mean it's a well-written piece of fiction that was either a first in popularizing, or considered a gold standard in terms of portraying, a beloved concept (e.g. "Ender's Game" in terms of war as a game). But this book is nothing short of literature. And that's where I've categorized it in my home library, on the shelf next to other pieces of literature.

And in case you're wondering, yes, I do re-arrange my books every time a new keeper is added to the shelves.  Because "Canticle For Leibowitz" BELONGS between "Handmaid's Tale" & "Paradise Lost."  Trust me.

    I wish I could have read this as part of a college course so I could discuss it in depth. Marvelously written. Rich symbolism. Deep reflection of the human experience, with no holds barred. And this writer obviously knew Catholicism, so it goes far, far beyond the usual tropes. In the nature of true literature, it is not tied to the era in which it was written (1960's), & does not come across as dated...

    ...except for one small detail: the lack of female characters. As a cis-gender woman I crave that perspective & when it's not there, I feel the lack of it.  It's like seeing a rainbow in the sky that's missing a color. Or a recipe that doesn't include salt. The two or three females who show up in this novel are accents only, not real characters. However, "Canticle" primarily takes place in a Catholic monastery: by definition a male space. For that reason the lack of women didn't detract from the brilliance of the novel. (Although in my perfect world, N.K. Jemisin would do some fan-fiction & grace this metaphorical crown with some diamonds.) 

    To summarize, if you are a sci-fi person & haven't read this book before, you should.  If you are a sci-fi writer & you haven't read this book before, you should!*  And I will be recommending this book to people who appreciate good literature, even if they're not sci-fi fans.

*Also if you're writing sci-fi and NOT reading the genre, knock it off, you hack!

     If you've been kind to enough to try following me on social media, you may have noticed that I'm...not.  Very social.  On social media.  I kind of suck at it, to be honest.  There's just so many things I'd rather be doing with my time (like writing, reading, cooking, & eating--which just happen to be the main topics of this blog!).  But I'm also aware that I'm missing out on opportunities to stay abreast of topics that fascinate me, people who inspire me, & cool networking.  So it's been my intention to up my game.  Or at least get more consistent on something as basic as Facebook.

    Then, Zuckerberg did his stupid.

    I've always had hesitancies around social media for personal values reasons, but I've been persuaded to overlook them in the past.  Now, however, with fact checking (what there was of it) being officially removed from Facebook, I'm done.  I'm off.  I will be keeping my page because I don't want anybody else to take my name & impersonate me, but I will neither be looking at it nor contributing to it.

    I am going onto Bluesky.  Which means now I have to stumble my ignoramus self through learning THAT platform, so don't expect a whole lot for awhile.  Really, look at this blog, & if you want to know what I'm reading check me out on Good Reads.  Some day, I will even get my website up.

    And now, because I feel like it, here is a picture of the dessert I made for Christmas: