Josh Mauthe
@clydeumney.bsky.social
English teacher, bibliophile, cinephile, amateur but enthusiastic critic. Father, husband, he/him. Fighting the good fight in the South. Reviews at clydeumney.wordpress.com.
To all my family members who have wanted to discuss ChatGPT with me this weekend:
- Yes, it sucks in the classroom.
- Yes, it’s REALLY disheartening on many levels.
- No, I do not absolve you for using it (see attached image).
- Please do not ask me to approve of your decision to use it.
- Yes, it sucks in the classroom.
- Yes, it’s REALLY disheartening on many levels.
- No, I do not absolve you for using it (see attached image).
- Please do not ask me to approve of your decision to use it.
November 28, 2025 at 2:03 AM
To all my family members who have wanted to discuss ChatGPT with me this weekend:
- Yes, it sucks in the classroom.
- Yes, it’s REALLY disheartening on many levels.
- No, I do not absolve you for using it (see attached image).
- Please do not ask me to approve of your decision to use it.
- Yes, it sucks in the classroom.
- Yes, it’s REALLY disheartening on many levels.
- No, I do not absolve you for using it (see attached image).
- Please do not ask me to approve of your decision to use it.
I feel like this artist changed SOMETHING about Prince, but I just can’t put my finger on it…
November 15, 2025 at 7:54 PM
I feel like this artist changed SOMETHING about Prince, but I just can’t put my finger on it…
Hey, it worked for me!
September 23, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Hey, it worked for me!
I don’t want to cast aspersions on the county that the TN State Fair is in, but they apparently had to relabel all of the signs in the parking lot because they spelled the word “hazard” like…well, “Hazzard.” Like the Duke boys.
August 23, 2025 at 2:07 AM
I don’t want to cast aspersions on the county that the TN State Fair is in, but they apparently had to relabel all of the signs in the parking lot because they spelled the word “hazard” like…well, “Hazzard.” Like the Duke boys.
Rarely have two words upset me as much as this.
June 27, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Rarely have two words upset me as much as this.
Just to join in the trend. Hard omissions here (that I have a ballot without the Coens feels wrong), but this is a good mix of "movies that genuinely moved me" and "oh, that's right, movies can do ANYTHING." (Not in order here, other than that THE FLORIDA PROJECT would be #1.)
June 24, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Just to join in the trend. Hard omissions here (that I have a ballot without the Coens feels wrong), but this is a good mix of "movies that genuinely moved me" and "oh, that's right, movies can do ANYTHING." (Not in order here, other than that THE FLORIDA PROJECT would be #1.)
The best encapsulation of much of BlueSky:
May 27, 2025 at 3:27 PM
The best encapsulation of much of BlueSky:
“You there, boy! What day is this?”
“Today? Why, it’s new Stephen King day, sir!”
“Today? Why, it’s new Stephen King day, sir!”
May 27, 2025 at 2:14 PM
“You there, boy! What day is this?”
“Today? Why, it’s new Stephen King day, sir!”
“Today? Why, it’s new Stephen King day, sir!”
It’s that time of year.
December 11, 2024 at 2:53 PM
It’s that time of year.
#FridayRead - Did not expect to love this as much as I am. A bit of Joe Abercrombie here, but ultimately its sense of humor and fun makes it stand out from that, following a group of aging heroes as they reunite to save their leader’s daughter. Great fantasy, great adventure, great FUN. 💙📚
November 15, 2024 at 3:13 PM
#FridayRead - Did not expect to love this as much as I am. A bit of Joe Abercrombie here, but ultimately its sense of humor and fun makes it stand out from that, following a group of aging heroes as they reunite to save their leader’s daughter. Great fantasy, great adventure, great FUN. 💙📚
#FridayRead - Been waiting a while for a new “Cutter” book, and so far, this delivers. It’s not quite on par with THE TROOP or LITTLE HEAVEN, but it’s hitting its stride as it goes, and we are plunging into nightmare territory now. If you’re squicked out by bugs, this one may not be for you… 📚💙
November 1, 2024 at 1:13 PM
#FridayRead - Been waiting a while for a new “Cutter” book, and so far, this delivers. It’s not quite on par with THE TROOP or LITTLE HEAVEN, but it’s hitting its stride as it goes, and we are plunging into nightmare territory now. If you’re squicked out by bugs, this one may not be for you… 📚💙
#FridayRead - A new John Connolly is always a day 1 purchase for me, and this shows no signs of making me regret that. The first story is a gift to bibliophiles, but as ever, the selling point here is his beautiful, evocative prose, which balances humor, dread, and deep emotion effortlessly. 📚💙
October 25, 2024 at 2:50 PM
#FridayRead - A new John Connolly is always a day 1 purchase for me, and this shows no signs of making me regret that. The first story is a gift to bibliophiles, but as ever, the selling point here is his beautiful, evocative prose, which balances humor, dread, and deep emotion effortlessly. 📚💙
#FridayRead - What the doctor ordered. A bit noir, a bit horror, a bit dark humor, but all of it works for me. Stark is a great antihero, combining world-weariness & wry wit in his narration, and this world of severed heads, young vampires, & fallen angels is a rich one that defies expectations. 📚💙
October 18, 2024 at 3:01 PM
#FridayRead - What the doctor ordered. A bit noir, a bit horror, a bit dark humor, but all of it works for me. Stark is a great antihero, combining world-weariness & wry wit in his narration, and this world of severed heads, young vampires, & fallen angels is a rich one that defies expectations. 📚💙
#FridayRead - Rereading this for the first time in decades, and it’s even better than I remember. Such an assured, confident second novel - the ambition to write about a whole town pays off, turning a retelling of DRACULA into something richer (and willing to go darker). A tense, gripping read. 📚💙
October 11, 2024 at 2:38 PM
#FridayRead - Rereading this for the first time in decades, and it’s even better than I remember. Such an assured, confident second novel - the ambition to write about a whole town pays off, turning a retelling of DRACULA into something richer (and willing to go darker). A tense, gripping read. 📚💙
#FridayRead - A barrio noir that starts pitch black and gets worse from there as noir becomes horror. Lean and relentless, and the slow unraveling of things is truly unsettling - I have a feeling this is going to get BAD. (Also, I dig the blend of Spanish and English here a lot.) 📚💙
October 4, 2024 at 2:04 PM
#FridayRead - A barrio noir that starts pitch black and gets worse from there as noir becomes horror. Lean and relentless, and the slow unraveling of things is truly unsettling - I have a feeling this is going to get BAD. (Also, I dig the blend of Spanish and English here a lot.) 📚💙
#FridayRead - Been putting this off for years because it means I have no more Discworld left, but @rincewind.run's daily quotes made me realize it was time. The hook for the story feels like it only underlines that this is the end of the era, but I'm so glad to be back here with Tiffany again. 📚💙
September 27, 2024 at 3:05 PM
#FridayRead - Been putting this off for years because it means I have no more Discworld left, but @rincewind.run's daily quotes made me realize it was time. The hook for the story feels like it only underlines that this is the end of the era, but I'm so glad to be back here with Tiffany again. 📚💙
#FridayRead - My first Murakami; it's compelling and fascinating, but also deeply strange; I am 2/3 of the way through this 1200 page saga and I'm still a little unsure what this book IS, really. But I'm undeniably drawn in; I just can't get a sense of its shape just yet. 📚💙
September 20, 2024 at 1:05 PM
#FridayRead - My first Murakami; it's compelling and fascinating, but also deeply strange; I am 2/3 of the way through this 1200 page saga and I'm still a little unsure what this book IS, really. But I'm undeniably drawn in; I just can't get a sense of its shape just yet. 📚💙
#FridayRead - I will never argue that King was wrong in his assessment of Katzenbach's dialogue, but I still have a lot of fun with his books. This a great little cat-and-mouse game between two teenagers and a group of serial killers they provoked, and the result is a wonderfully nasty time. 📚💙
September 13, 2024 at 5:03 PM
#FridayRead - I will never argue that King was wrong in his assessment of Katzenbach's dialogue, but I still have a lot of fun with his books. This a great little cat-and-mouse game between two teenagers and a group of serial killers they provoked, and the result is a wonderfully nasty time. 📚💙
#FridayRead - I really loved THE NIGHT CIRCUS, but somehow didn't realize that it had been more than a decade since I started wondering what Morgenstern would do next. Only about 10% in, but this is lovely so far - a delicate mixture of vignettes slowly adding up to something far more complex. 📚💙
September 6, 2024 at 7:34 PM
#FridayRead - I really loved THE NIGHT CIRCUS, but somehow didn't realize that it had been more than a decade since I started wondering what Morgenstern would do next. Only about 10% in, but this is lovely so far - a delicate mixture of vignettes slowly adding up to something far more complex. 📚💙
That being said, someone shared this, and it’s made me laugh very hard.
September 2, 2024 at 7:24 PM
That being said, someone shared this, and it’s made me laugh very hard.
#FridayRead - My only real exposure to THE WITCHER is playing THE WILD HUNT, which I loved; always been curious to see where it started. TLW is essentially a collection of short stories, capturing that sense of "wandering hunter dealing a MOTW situation" that I enjoyed in WIII. Solid read so far. 📚💙
August 30, 2024 at 3:31 PM
#FridayRead - My only real exposure to THE WITCHER is playing THE WILD HUNT, which I loved; always been curious to see where it started. TLW is essentially a collection of short stories, capturing that sense of "wandering hunter dealing a MOTW situation" that I enjoyed in WIII. Solid read so far. 📚💙
#FridayReads: I've read and enjoyed a lot of Lippman, but this is my first dive into the Tess Monaghan books. This is undeniably a debut, with some attendant bumpiness, but it's incredibly *fun*, with a great protagonist who's flawed, funny, interesting, and fun to read. Had a blast with it. 📚💙
August 23, 2024 at 2:49 PM
#FridayReads: I've read and enjoyed a lot of Lippman, but this is my first dive into the Tess Monaghan books. This is undeniably a debut, with some attendant bumpiness, but it's incredibly *fun*, with a great protagonist who's flawed, funny, interesting, and fun to read. Had a blast with it. 📚💙
#FridayRead - Much lighter and popcorn-adjacent than I expected, but that makes sense coming from a man most known for thrillers. The tale of the building of the cathedral is compelling, and the various players - and the slowly evolving/revealing connections between them - draw you in. 📚💙
August 16, 2024 at 4:48 PM
#FridayRead - Much lighter and popcorn-adjacent than I expected, but that makes sense coming from a man most known for thrillers. The tale of the building of the cathedral is compelling, and the various players - and the slowly evolving/revealing connections between them - draw you in. 📚💙