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Deborah Furchtgott

@dfurchtgott.bsky.social
69 followers 29 following 273 posts

I love books. I write about them, I edit them, I even wrote a dissertation once! I review children's books over here: childrensbookroom.wordpress.com Also find the Children's Bookroom Instagram account: @childrensbookroom over there.

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Reposted by Deborah Furchtgott
Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 08/09/2025
At best he's a charlatan.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
(I just requested it from my library.)
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Ooooh I've never seen this one. I will look into it! Thank you.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
childrensbookroom.com/2025/06/19/q... A response to the speech for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration.
childrensbookroom.com
Quickly Clever, or Slowly Complex?
We, in the children’s literature world, and we, as readers of children’s literature, have lost something, and that something is the willingness to accept uncertainty. I might simply call it a loss …
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Honest to God, I have been known to wait until after daycare drop off to stop at the cafe on the way home so I could use the bathroom alone. I have two kids and four cats so there is NO WAY I'm allowed alone time.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
I'm listening to Alfred Brendel. Instead of bemoaning the fall of humanity and civilization, listen and think about what humans have accomplished in this world that is good. Then go do more of that in new and beautiful ways: music, literature, art, dance.
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Reposted by Deborah Furchtgott
Le Monde @lemonde.fr · 17/06/2025
Alfred Brendel, le pianiste qui tutoyait Beethoven et Schubert, est mort
lemonde.fr
Alfred Brendel, le pianiste qui tutoyait Beethoven et Schubert, est mort
Durant ses soixante ans de carrière, le musicien, qui fut aussi, à ses heures, peintre, poète et penseur, laisse en héritage Mozart, Beethoven et surtout Schubert, dont il fut le medium privilégié. Il est mort le 17 juin, à l’âge de 94 ans.
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Alexander S. Vindman @avindman.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
I’ve worked with Bridget. She was an excellent Ambassador. She served in the toughest assignment the U.S. Government had, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine during the war. She’s served America for decades and fought Trump’s absurd pro-Russian, anti-Ukraine actions. She will make a terrific Representative!
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
I was just about to go look this up in the OED! Delighted to read your explanation first.
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Reposted by Deborah Furchtgott
Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 06/06/2025
Weirdly, gallows started out as a Middle English plural a half millennium or so ago and then became its own singular. So sort of the opposite (or thereabouts) of pease being erroneously viewed as a plural and thus we got, via back-formation, pea. If you follow me. (I'm not sure I follow me.)
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Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 06/06/2025
I bet that a lot of people are irked at not being able to play GALLOW. 🐝
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Duchess Goldblatt @duchessgoldblatt.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Make a little fort inside your mind. Give no one the secret passcode. Read by flashlight. Pack a brown bag lunch. Maybe bring a piece of hard candy, for later.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
A post about Shirley Hughes, lost stuffies, and real books instead of realism. Link: childrensbookroom.com/2025/05/19/d...
childrensbookroom.com
Dogger and Mrrow
Both of my children found cats in a toy store. They looked to me like stuffed animals on a shelf, but my children, each of them as they were emerging from babyhood to toddlerhood, set eyes on a cat…
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
It's mind-boggling to me how so many pick at an entirely ok fringe when there's a glaring giant big burning hole in the middle of the damned tapestry that needs attention. "Was the fringe intentional, or should it have been hemmed?" Darlings, let's save this tapestry before the whole thing is lost.
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Boze Herrington, Library Owl @sketchesbyboze.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
The contempt that these folks have for the poor and under-privileged is galling. Yes, it is ethical to buy used books. Yes, it is ethical to borrow books from the library. Not everyone can afford to shop at Barnes & Noble, but everyone deserves the joy of reading.
screenshot of a NYT essay with the headline "Is It Ethical to Buy Used Books and Music?"
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Kat Howard @katwithsword.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
I have spots open in my editing calendar. I do primarily developmental edits on novels and novellas, and work with multiple genres. More info and answers to FAQs here: www.kathowardbooks.com/editing
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
I suddenly want to visit yours...
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👻madeline bOoOoOoOodent👻 @oldenoughtosay.com · 12/05/2025
hey fellow immigrants, what incalculable damage have YOU done to the UK? Personally I took an eligible bachelor off the marriage mart and then got a corgi
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Boze Herrington, Library Owl @sketchesbyboze.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
instead of faking intelligence by submitting machine-generated essays, I recommend faking intelligence the old-fashioned way: by showing a lively curiosity towards the world and improving your mind by extensive reading.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
It's so easy to get angry at people on the internet. It's so much harder to look into your local affordable housing initiatives and put time and effort into supporting them. A one room village church in rural Wales-- I've been to many of those. Very good access to sheep, I recall.
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Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 07/05/2025
If you don't want to write, don't write. It's not like there isn't enough perfectly dreadful, pointless writing written by people who are doing it all by themselves. (And I don't necessarily mean Ross Douthat, though of course I don't not mean him either.)
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Peter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
There is no law against a lot of what’s happening because it never occurred to anyone that someone might want to do it.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
SAME. Sharing enthusiasms is honest to God the best part of family life.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
I relate! The kids have had an impact on our obsessions, too. We've all gotten into the history of natural science after my daughter got so into marsupials and birds. And my tiny boy is the world's most ardent ballet fan, so I'm suddenly passionate about the history of ballet music now? It's so fun.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
I kept this open to remind myself to check, and I did, and to answer the question in my mind and no one else's: why yes, Victor Klemperer is indeed related to Otto Klemperer, the celebrated conductor. They were cousins.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
I love this, though, because here's the cool thing with that pattern: my close secondary interest is one where he knows a lot and never fails to find something really neat to tell me about. And it's the same in reverse. Kind of like puzzle pieces interlocking.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
Barbara McClintock was given the not at all easy task of illustrating the final complete manuscript left by Tomie dePaola-- dealing with the death of his beloved dog, Brontë. The real point is that you need this book and it's coming out soon. childrensbookroom.com/2025/04/28/w...
childrensbookroom.com
Where Are You, Brontë?
When Tomie dePaola died, he left behind a world of loss. When Tomie dePaola’s dog, Brontë, died, Brontë left behind a grieving Tomie. And, so, when Tomie died, he also left behind a manuscrip…
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Reposted by Deborah Furchtgott
Boze Herrington, Library Owl @sketchesbyboze.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
By the age of thirty you should have an all-consuming obsession with one era of history. If you haven’t yet developed a fixation on an historical era, one will be assigned to you shortly.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
My husband: Napoleonic Me: 12th century, sometimes 13th if I'm feeling super modern.
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Alexander S. Vindman @avindman.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Russia is conducting attacks in conjunction with U.S. pressure on Ukraine. It’s a coordinated effort. Trump’s accommodation drives Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian cities to compel Ukraine to capitulate. Trump may not realize… doesn’t care, but his embrace of Putin/Russia is fueling Russian attacks.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
@sketchesbyboze.bsky.social I think it was written for you when you were small, but just got published a bit too late.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
While I can't see either Abrams Books or Elisha Cooper here to tag them, this book is very very good and you should order it. childrensbookroom.com/2025/04/16/h...
childrensbookroom.com
Here Is a Book
There is a grand total of one thing that I don’t like about this book, which is that styling the title in writing is a little irritating. Here Is a Book is what makes most sense, but then you…
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👻madeline bOoOoOoOodent👻 @oldenoughtosay.com · 16/04/2025
sometimes when the world sucks, it can help to get out and *do* something
Me posing with a covered up image and the slogan Nazis NOT welcome
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Boze Herrington, Library Owl @sketchesbyboze.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
“Just calm down and let people enjoy chatgpt.” Sorry, no. I find it creepy that folks are treating a machine that mimics human speech as their friend / therapist. It is feeding you lies. It is destroying your thinking abilities. Shut it off. Talk to other humans. Go outside.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
I would simply like to alert @bcdreyer.social that the Wang Theatre in Boston is managed by the Boch Center which results in emails that you've received tickets to "Boch Center -Wang Theatre," a bit of style mixing that makes me blink.
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The Petersfield Bookshop @pfieldbookshop.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
And whilst we are in the realm of soft leather (now then!!) how about these not so often seen R. S. Stevenson titles with the Rene Mackintosh inspired flower designs in gilt and blindstamped onto the covers.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
(I wouldn't normally do this, but-- @katwithsword.bsky.social , I think this book will really appeal to you, so I would recommend giving it a go.)
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
This fine book is out today, and there's an event coming up at @booksofwonder.bsky.social ! I bet you can get a signed copy. childrensbookroom.com/2025/03/31/r... Note: it is really, really spectacular and you need this book. You just do. Trust me.
childrensbookroom.com
Run Away With Me
The book would have been perfect at any time, in any age. Despite the nicely labelled dates (example: Saturday, June 7, 1986), it doesn’t feel stuck on any day of any month of any year. And t…
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Thinking about fascism and totalitarianism through picture books, notably "The Wall," by Peter Sís , published by @fsgbooks.bsky.social . childrensbookroom.com/2025/03/25/b...
childrensbookroom.com
Back to The Wall
In November 2017, I wrote a not particularly good but, I recall, intensely felt post about The Wall by Peter Sís. I recall the fear and agitation of the time vividly, and, of course, not much has c…
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Reposted by Deborah Furchtgott
Guy Gavriel Kay @guygavrielkay.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
Enjoyed the linked essay/preface a lot, and was saddened by it, too.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
Ida wrote to Lucy about things being complicated sometimes. twentytwocupsoftea.wordpress.com/2025/03/20/i...
twentytwocupsoftea.wordpress.com
Ida, to Lucy: March 20
Dear Lucy, For you, it’s Lent, now, and for me, it’s right between Purim and Passover. Oh– excuse me while I go get mugs for tea. I need to decide, by the way, whether I’m n…
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
That statue of a young Artemis on the right is magnificent-- oh. Oh!
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
This is a good book you should all get: childrensbookroom.wordpress.com/2025/03/11/l...
childrensbookroom.wordpress.com
Let’s Be Bees
“I FOUND MY CALDECOTT PICK!” I shrieked on the way into my husband’s study and I think he was in a meeting but let’s pretend he wasn’t. I was excited. I had been a bit…
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Boze Herrington, Library Owl @sketchesbyboze.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
Reading about the insane numbers of books that ordinary working people used to read a hundred years ago feels like seeing pictures of the Pacific Ocean back when it teemed with whales. Hard to comprehend what we’ve lost.
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
It's entirely possible I got a wee bit ticked off: childrensbookroom.wordpress.com/2025/03/07/a... But, to be fair, Canadian books and Canadian book shops are always good. Pop along and get yourself some books. It's good for you.
childrensbookroom.wordpress.com
A World Tour of Beloved Book Shops: Part 2
I was going to move on from Canadian book shops after my first post focused exclusively on the wonderful book shops of Atlantic Canada, right over here. I want to talk about other book shops I love…
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
(Pssst @bcdreyer.social , for after you finish the Puccini marathon, maybe?)
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
Happy Maurice Ravel's 150th birthday! To celebrate, I'm listening to "Pavane pour une infante défunte" played by the Basque National Orchestra, the music played at Proust's funeral, because how else do you celebrate someone's birthday?
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Deborah Furchtgott @dfurchtgott.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Uri Shulevitz was one of the greats, and he created art for the last and the least. childrensbookroom.wordpress.com/2025/02/27/u...
childrensbookroom.wordpress.com
Uri Shulevitz: In Memoriam
I did not grow up with the usual Uri Shulevitz books: Snow, for example, I only saw when I was older. The book I associate most strongly with Uri Shulevitz is not his beautiful, Caldecott Medal win…
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Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 27/02/2025
Obviously I would prefer Ogles's, but I really must insist on George Santos–like, with an en dash.
"It'd be an exaggeration to say Rep. Andy Ogles' many false claims have reached George-Santos-like levels..."
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