Brad Johnson
@ahablives.bsky.social
A part of the Twitter Diaspora.
Also run East Bay Booksellers in Oakland, CA - @ebbooksellers.bsky.social
Also run East Bay Booksellers in Oakland, CA - @ebbooksellers.bsky.social
A little detour from the 80s tonight. My film tonight is Elaine May’s 1971 directorial debut, “A New Leaf.”
January 24, 2026 at 4:41 AM
A little detour from the 80s tonight. My film tonight is Elaine May’s 1971 directorial debut, “A New Leaf.”
Dig the amount of packaged care a $15 John Ruskin book received. (Being covered in plastic like this is grimly funny, considering the book is about the industrial degradation of the environment.)
January 24, 2026 at 4:34 AM
Dig the amount of packaged care a $15 John Ruskin book received. (Being covered in plastic like this is grimly funny, considering the book is about the industrial degradation of the environment.)
Reposted by Brad Johnson
I'm not one for false optimism. But what I witnessed today in Minneapolis was tremendous, both in scale and exuberance. It was a stunning answer to the federal assault on Minnesota, a show of solidarity that gives us something to hold on to during times that are unforgiving.
“Everybody Showed Up”: Stunning Crowds at Minnesota Day of Strike and Shutdown Against ICE
Extreme cold didn't stop the shutdown on Friday as some 100 faith leaders were arrested, residents stayed home from work, and an estimated 50,000 or more marched through downtown Minneapolis.
inthesetimes.com
January 24, 2026 at 12:42 AM
I'm not one for false optimism. But what I witnessed today in Minneapolis was tremendous, both in scale and exuberance. It was a stunning answer to the federal assault on Minnesota, a show of solidarity that gives us something to hold on to during times that are unforgiving.
Reposted by Brad Johnson
A coworker took this from her apartment. I haven't seen a crowd this size before. Maybe the first Women's March? But it was much much warmer that day. ICE OUT OF MINNESOTA!
January 23, 2026 at 11:19 PM
A coworker took this from her apartment. I haven't seen a crowd this size before. Maybe the first Women's March? But it was much much warmer that day. ICE OUT OF MINNESOTA!
Overbuying from the Spring DAP catalog will not in any way improve the greater situation, but I also don’t think it’ll hurt. So, I’m hitting Send.
January 23, 2026 at 2:46 AM
Overbuying from the Spring DAP catalog will not in any way improve the greater situation, but I also don’t think it’ll hurt. So, I’m hitting Send.
Awesome, another round of “chickening out” stupidity.
January 22, 2026 at 8:38 PM
Awesome, another round of “chickening out” stupidity.
I’d prefer to imagine an Adobe Acrobat that actually works.
January 22, 2026 at 6:11 PM
I’d prefer to imagine an Adobe Acrobat that actually works.
There’s no Hell horrible enough for these monsters.
January 22, 2026 at 5:24 AM
There’s no Hell horrible enough for these monsters.
Found my calling.
Calling all the PhDs I know to make monumental annoyances of themselves (and honestly, who better)
January 21, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Found my calling.
If you're taking European scoffs and anger about the US personally, and you're reading this, you very possibly need to get over yourself a little.
January 21, 2026 at 5:08 PM
If you're taking European scoffs and anger about the US personally, and you're reading this, you very possibly need to get over yourself a little.
Every time there's a new collective hope that maybe this time he's finally shed this mortal coil, I consider it a bit like me eating a big bowl of ice cream at 11pm. I know it will lead to some significant trouble for me later, but probably not so much that I'd have avoided it.
January 21, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Every time there's a new collective hope that maybe this time he's finally shed this mortal coil, I consider it a bit like me eating a big bowl of ice cream at 11pm. I know it will lead to some significant trouble for me later, but probably not so much that I'd have avoided it.
Tonight I tried to lighten the mood during dinner: “it’s kind of gratifying that should I die unexpectedly it’d be pretty inconvenient for at least a few people.”
January 21, 2026 at 3:09 AM
Tonight I tried to lighten the mood during dinner: “it’s kind of gratifying that should I die unexpectedly it’d be pretty inconvenient for at least a few people.”
A rule of history: the most spectacularly stupid people will (continually) wield the most power (stupidly).
January 20, 2026 at 3:52 AM
A rule of history: the most spectacularly stupid people will (continually) wield the most power (stupidly).
Tonight’s 80’s film: Cutter’s Way.
January 19, 2026 at 4:11 AM
Tonight’s 80’s film: Cutter’s Way.
Reposted by Brad Johnson
Look for the helpers
Alaska Art Student Arrested for Eating Another Student’s AI-Generated Art in Protest
A University of Alaska student was charged with a misdemeanor for eating another student's AI-generated art in protest.
www.artnews.com
January 18, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Look for the helpers
My kingdom for new books / analyses of Taiwan not written by Anglo dudes.
January 18, 2026 at 10:11 PM
My kingdom for new books / analyses of Taiwan not written by Anglo dudes.
Reposted by Brad Johnson
It's a pretty slow Sunday, & I'm trying to sell people on books that aren't even yet in the store. How's your day going?
E.g., www.pennpress.org/978151282790...
E.g., www.pennpress.org/978151282790...
Bonds of Secrecy – Penn Press
How beliefs about human and divine secrets informed medieval ideas about the mind and shaped the practices of literary interpretationsWhat did it mean to kee...
www.pennpress.org
January 18, 2026 at 9:18 PM
It's a pretty slow Sunday, & I'm trying to sell people on books that aren't even yet in the store. How's your day going?
E.g., www.pennpress.org/978151282790...
E.g., www.pennpress.org/978151282790...
Had a notion yesterday to create a Mortality section.
January 17, 2026 at 7:38 PM
Had a notion yesterday to create a Mortality section.
I dropped a set of fingernail clippers into the toilet this morning. How’s your day starting?
January 17, 2026 at 6:18 PM
I dropped a set of fingernail clippers into the toilet this morning. How’s your day starting?
Watched Alan Rudolph’s “Trouble In Mind,” and it was as bonkers as I was hoping. Divine’s performance was incredible.
January 17, 2026 at 7:58 AM
Watched Alan Rudolph’s “Trouble In Mind,” and it was as bonkers as I was hoping. Divine’s performance was incredible.
There’s not a 0% chance that K leaves me for Karl Ove Knausgaard tomorrow.
January 17, 2026 at 4:20 AM
There’s not a 0% chance that K leaves me for Karl Ove Knausgaard tomorrow.
I can confidently say that Liz’s response to whatever question you have for me will be clear and probably more thought through than I will manage.
sometimes I get very annoyed at people who come in and interact w/ me like I’m 14 and have no clue what’s happening and sometimes I’m like sure ok, let’s lean in to this. I was born today! Welcome to bookstore
January 16, 2026 at 3:53 AM
I can confidently say that Liz’s response to whatever question you have for me will be clear and probably more thought through than I will manage.
Lot of indies selling Charlie Kirk, huh?
The Independent Press Top 40 is a new list that celebrates “the distinctive voices that thrive in the indie publishing ecosystem.”
A new weekly top 40 list highlights bestselling indie books.
For as long as I can remember, a bestseller in the world of books has only referred to the Times’s list of top sellers, the reigning measuring stick of publishing success. But a new bestseller list…
buff.ly
January 15, 2026 at 6:04 PM
Lot of indies selling Charlie Kirk, huh?