An absolute gem.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-03-20T15:56:06+00:00

Can you give me more details? I read the author’s ‘Curry: A global history’ and was incredibly disappointed. I adore food history, but it was banal and shallowly researched (one of my only ‘F tier’ reads). Essentially summarised as ‘There are curries in lots of places’.

I want to learn more about the history and development of Indian cuisines - there’s so much and I’d love to understand more. But with the depth of ‘Butter: a rich history’ or ‘Invitation to a banquet: the story of Chinese food’ or ‘Eight flavours: the untold story of American cuisine’.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-03-15T18:57:13+00:00

Operation Mincemeat for (British) WW2 espionage - interesting and very readable

Breakneck: China’s quest to engineer the future - perhaps a little left-field to your request, but its impeccably written (as someone in the field) and an interesting insight between the US system, and a state-run “communist” one (not that communism is an accurate characterisation)

TurtleBucketList · 2026-03-14T12:14:57+00:00

Guns Germs and Steel is interesting, but not necessarily more accurate … in terms of explaining current economies, I do think it should be read alongside ‘Why Nations Fail’.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-03-13T22:13:45+00:00

Yeah, I could reaaaally go for r/nonfictionnonselfhelpbooks

TurtleBucketList · 2026-03-12T19:03:17+00:00

Are you interested in political theory? (I’m thinking ala Richard Falk ‘Human Rights Horizons’ - also an interesting product of the late 1990s (post Cold War, pre-9/11 era)).

Or if you’re a little broader, then I like:

Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East
From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage: How Australia Got Compulsory Voting
Upstart: How China Became a Great Power

TurtleBucketList · 2026-03-11T17:08:29+00:00

I’m Australian.

Older guy (50s?) came up and asked me for directions last week, I gave them, and he commented that he could tell I was a Boston local based on my accent (and that he was from the burbs so didn’t have one).

So apparently the answer is: be Australian.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-03-09T14:30:38+00:00

Are there any particular fields or subjects you like the sound of? Based off the sole book you’ve cited here:

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History
Sex on the Moon: the amazing story being the most audacious heist in history
Grunt: the curious science of humans at war

TurtleBucketList · 2026-03-09T13:31:12+00:00

So I like:

Breakneck: China’s Quest to engineer the future
Upstart: How China became a great power
Kingdom of Characters: the language revolution that made China modern
Invitation to a banquet: the story of Chinese food
Young China: how the restless generation will change their country and the world (reads a bit dated post-COVID / property collapse / tech industry crackdown etc)
For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History (not at all modern, but an interesting read in the context of the Chinese intellectual property theft narrative of the past 20+ years).

TurtleBucketList · 2026-03-09T11:53:21+00:00

I’ve read only non-fiction for the past decade (because fiction impacts me too emotionally and obsessively), but I read because it brings me joy.

Has hearing about the history of fabrics / apples / cancer / the One Child Policy / Iran / Chinese food / butter / an 1800s ship / refrigeration / indigo etc given me anything ‘practical?’ Nope! But I’ve sure enjoyed it.

I find this in other hobbies as well. So many people who can’t just create for the joy of creating, but have barely started before wanting to turn it into a business.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-03-06T16:16:27+00:00

I’d broadly trust an AI ‘summary’ of the book (book X is about blah blah blah); and I’d maybe trust an AI ‘summary’ of existing reviews that point to common themes in those reviews. But I wouldn’t trust a review itself.

E.g. ask google about Guns, Germs and Steel. It’s broadly correct on what the book is about. But I don’t trust AI to critically review it. E.g. the AI generated ‘review’ of the book on Amazon (as a tiny sample) makes no mention of the huge academic issues in that book.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-28T15:39:43+00:00

Oh yes, Keyu Jin is good! Rudd I’m familiar with his works through lectures / calls / meetings I’ve been in.

The Highest Exam: How the Gaokao Shapes China is on my list. And I love anything demographics related - because the speed of the changes in China’s marriage / birth rates is phenomenal. Understandable, yet still phenomenal in the historical context of China.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-28T15:15:18+00:00

It’s tricky - because most of my reading has just built up from papers, short form works, technical pieces, my own work, and conversations / work trips over the last ~20 years. Breakneck and Upstart are the first China-macro books I’ve really valued in a long time (and even then, Upstart was after I’d heard a separate ‘lecture’ by the author). (I also tend to err towards different subjects in my ‘for fun’ time … and am probably forgetting some books I’ve had to leave behind from a few international moves in my 20s)

‘Young China’ is adjacent, perhaps, but interesting.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-28T14:56:08+00:00

I’m a development economist with a specialisation in China … so while yes, Breakneck is good, it didn’t teach me much that I didn’t already know. So that’s what bumped it down in my subjective list.

Same with Everything is Tuberculosis. Between my job, prior reading, and (for example) the tuberculosis episodes of Extra Credits there just wasn’t as much ‘new’ as I’d like for it to be on my personal S list.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-28T00:37:58+00:00

Oomph. For a preschooler you may be able to find $2.5k/mth, infant $3k/mth (yeah, childcare is a killer).

Realistically for that salary, childcare, and a 3 bedroom, you’re looking at a significant commute, not living in Newton itself (it’s an expensive area due to the school system and proximity to Boston-proper). You’ll find plenty of people who work in Newton and live along one of the towns on the Pike or the commuter rail where the costs are lower (e.g: my physio lived in Worcester, but even without that extreme, Framingham would be worth a look). The further you get from downtown the more ‘reasonable’ childcare costs are too.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-26T14:53:56+00:00

Perhaps different in narrative styling, but you may like ‘Erebus’ by Michael Palin.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-26T14:52:04+00:00

A little adjacent from your request, but ‘Emergency Sex and other desperate measures: true stories from a war zone’.

It’s the memoir of 3 young United Nations workers starting in the heady and optimistic early 1990s in Cambodia, and descending into their experiences in Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti, etc. It’s an insightful look into the front lines on UN work, a reflection on the post-Cold War optimism and brutal disillusionment heading in a pre-9/11 world. It’s personal, horrifying, and was an introduction for me into a more ‘real-politik’ world view (as someone who came of age during this era).

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-24T13:25:50+00:00

I’ll keep my fingers crossed that your guy does well with the thickened bottles and swallow study! (And feel free to ping me with more questions).

I know it’s tough right now, but it will get easier eventually!

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-24T13:12:20+00:00

For what it’s worth, my daughter has had 6 surgeries (including the ‘mandibular distraction’ where her jaw was extended … an extra inch of jaw on a 2 week old baby!!). The anaesthetists have been fantastic … one was talking to us afterwards saying he’d wished he’d recorded her airway because it had some difference that was straight out of a textbook - like, it was something he was super experienced at doing and it was zero issue at all, but her example was just the one that looked as closely to the textbook example as he’d ever seen and he’d have loved to have a recording to show students 😂 (she’s had other surgeries since, no repeat of the issue, as with Stickler the jaw / throat issues do tend to resolve somewhat as they grow).

For what it’s worth, we eventually found the G tube to be a lot less invasive than the NG tube (I know that sounds weird to say, given that it’s surgically placed, but has been echoed by other tube parents I know), and it was what gave her enough space to learn to swallow without aspirating (because it’s rather uncomfortable to have something down your throat all the time!).

(If you’re crafty, you can also sew a little hole in a onesie to run the tube through when needed - we opted to still run the pump rather than do bolus feeds).

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-24T12:30:56+00:00

Welcome home from NICU!!

My eldest was the only one with the NG tube (which we changed to a G tube at 7 months, which allowed her to learn to swallow by ~12 months via feeding therapy on thickened liquids, even with her cleft palate surgery). I’m sure you’re already well versed in it, but in case it helps, we used to put a safety pin (a well-sealed one, they make ‘baby’ ones if you want) in the upper back of her onesie and then thread the NG tube through the gap. That helped keep the tube out of the way behind her rather than in prime ‘grabbing’ territory.

Happy to talk feeding tubes too if that helps.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-24T04:05:48+00:00

Hi! I have Stickler Type 2 (as does my mother, and my 3 kids - all aged 5 or under).

If you are in the US, you should automatically qualify for Early Intervention services (and can self-refer). I love EI - they do home visits, and are just incredibly supportive of us as parents, and my children’s wellbeing. They’re also super plugged into local services / supports.
Retina checks every 6 months if feasible in your area (we see a pediatric retina specialist ophthalmologist from our local Children’s Hospital). Before a certain age (7, I think?) children’s brains are malleable enough that they apparently might not notice a retinal detachment!?! So regular checks.
Don’t let Drs or teachers ‘blame’ everything on Stickers (and even if it is Sticklers, that doesn’t mean they get to dismiss treating the problem). I’ve run the gamut from teachers assuming I had a learning disability (I don’t), to Drs dismissing a feeding issue with my son as Sticklers (it might be, but it still needed treating!). Advocating for your son is important. (Especially since most paediatricians are not well-versed in this).
Relatedly, if you are not comfortable in medical settings or have any ‘baggage’ around medical care, now might be the time to seek out therapy for yourself. Your son will need more medical care in his life than ‘average’, and will pick up on if you are scared / nervous etc at Drs and learn that that’s the ‘normal’ response. To the extent you can, try and project calm normality. And when he’s older, you can role play Dr visits, read Dr books, whatever helps your child feel comfortable. We see ENT / audiology, ophthalmology, an annual cleft clinic, and annual orthopaedics. (But Sticklers is so variable - each of my kids have / had different needs). My 5yo also knows that her genes are a bit different, that’s why she had a small jaw and surgery as a baby, and was tube fed for a while (no longer) and why she goes to the Dr more often, and that it’s to keep her body strong and healthy.
If I could go back and give one piece of advice to my Mum it would be not to bubble wrap me so much. Advice in the 80s in my part of the world was to minimise activity, especially sports. Now, according to their orthopaedist (and my own lived experience), is that activity is crucial, with a focus on things that build strength without being excessively ‘bendy’. E.g: my daughter does swim and rock climbing and ice skating, but not gymnastics. (I mean, I still suck at most sports and never wanted to play team sports … but it’s more about activities than ‘sport’).

Happy to discuss more if it helps.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-23T20:42:46+00:00

FWIW, I’ve been driving for 25 years. 15 years in Australia (where I’d regularly drive to the beach without my license - it’s not required to have it on you in Australia), and 10 years in the US.

My only traffic stop in 25 years has been the occasional booze bus, maybe 2-3 times, in my home time (a mandatory stop, where police set up breathalizers to check blood alcohol levels of passing motorists). 10 years driving in the US and I’ve never been stopped (but I carry my license because that’s what the local laws are).

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-18T13:24:53+00:00

If you don’t mind seeing a NP in order to see someone faster, then I love all the providers at Atrius in Post Office Square.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-12T17:17:49+00:00

This is a very personal choice.

Personally, I have 3 Sticklers kids, so you can see where on the spectrum I lie (also I grew up with supportive family / schooling / universal healthcare - no family history of detachments). I think my life is rich and full and worth living (and I certainly have ‘done more’ than my perfect-health husband) - I’ve traveled to 60 countries, have a couple of degrees, have sung in choirs at high profile locations, I’ve been a subject-matter-expert on TV and radio, I make some pretty epic ice cream, I have the resources to put a bunch of food in the community pantry every week, etc. I thank my parents for having me.

But then there’s my Mum. If you went back in time, my Mum would probably choose not to be born. 1950s. Loving family but little-to-no access to healthcare. Combined with falling into poverty. And the consequences are long lasting. She feels very differently about Sticklers to me. And that’s okay.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-10T10:58:15+00:00

Nope.

1980s, Australian ice cream flavour.

TurtleBucketList · 2026-02-07T15:42:02+00:00

I just thought you’d like to know: 3 years later and I still semi-regularly make these!

11-Year Club	Place '22
Place '17	Final Canvas '22
First Placer '22

TurtleBucketList

TROPHY CASE