Ever since moving to Massachusetts, I constantly complain about the winter. It’s too long, running for a solid six months from November through April. It’s bitterly cold, with temperatures dipping into negative territory - in Fahrenheit - every January and February. Shoveling snow is literally a pain in the backside even if you use a snowblower, and that too one which obstinately refuses to turn its head when you need it.

And yet. And yet there are some days when you stand near the window overlooking your backyard, cuppa in hand, stunned.

I know I will keep complaining about winter, about the cold, the frigid air. But I am also thankful for moments like these which I do not want to ever take for granted.

Alright, on to this week’s books and binges!

You already know what Enshittification is about - the title is pretty much self-explanatory. Cory Doctorow talks about how almost all tech platforms deteriorate over time: first, they are good to their users. Next, they throw users under the bus to bring in business customers. Third, they throw those customers under the bus to make a ton of money for themselves. He provides examples from all the companies you can think of (Facebook, Amazon, Google), and walks through the process with data and examples to back up his theory. Unlike a lot of other books though, he provides a couple of ways to solve this problem, through the right of exit and the end-to-end principle. The book is oriented towards (or perhaps against) the tech industry, but I would wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone. You do not need a tech background to feel angry as you read, and a teeny bit hopeful as you finish.

So, about the French. I use the term loosely, as some of these folks are not, strictly speaking, of French origin, though their most famous films have been in the language. I have not come close to watching their entire filmography but I have absolutely loved the ones I’ve seen of Truffaut, Renoir, Melville, Varda, Tati, and our homme du jour, Godard. I’d actually watched the American remake of Breathless (Richard Gere) before I watched the original (Belmondo). And since you might ask, no, please don’t bother. The French New Wave (or Nouvelle Vague, as you might have guessed), emerged in the 50s and was championed by some of these auteurs, stemming from the magazine Cahiers du Cinéma.

All this to say that the Richard Linklater creation Nouvelle Vague on Netflix is an ode to these movies. It’s a lovely, fun film about film. About art. About Godard for sure, but also about creating something totally new, going against established norms and expectations. It’s shot similar to the movies of that era, in black and white and in French. I watched the entire film with a big stupid smile on my face, in love with the movies all over again. Highly recommended.

I grew up on a diet of all genres, but one that I enjoyed the most was pulp. You know, books written by folks like John D McDonald, Elmore Leonard, Ed McBain, Robert B Parker, and if you go back a bit more, Jim Thompson. They usually have covers with fonts like the one below, and feature all the usual noir elements - a woman (sultry), a man (hard boiled), and a twisty, winding, often incomprehensible plot (unimportant).

The Lowdown is in the same vein, with a dash of humor thrown in. It features an incredible Ethan Hawke playing a “truthstorian” in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a white man who cares (the worst type, according to a few characters in the show). Its plot takes several twists and turns, people aren’t who they seem (but of course), and you are not quite sure if every loose thread was wrapped up at the end. But you enjoyed the ride. Recommended.

Have a great week!