I’m about 1/3 of the way through Mary Karr’s ‘Lit’ and feeling inspired to write, write, write. Just finished Andre Dubus III’s ‘Townie’ and up next? Maybe Confederacy of Dunces or Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat. My tsundoku, fiction and non-fiction, is strong these days.
Kev, Mayflies is brilliant and highly recommend it.
I've just finished The Guest by Emma Cline. Highly recommend that and her previous novel, The Girls, and her collection of short stories, Daddy. She's my favorite US writer right now.
I've been re-reading a bunch of Zadie Smith.
Currently reading the brilliant but depressing Ministry Of The Future
Next up are the Succession scripts and Party Lines: Dance Music and the Making of Modern Britain by Ed Gillett
Ultimate dad book: “Longitude” by Dava Sobel. A quick fascinating read about a singularly driven inventor who spent decades solving the ancient problem of timekeeping at sea. Fending off rivals in pursuit of a kind of mercantile era X Prize, the inventor eventually perfects his prototype - a seafaring timepiece with gears made of wood.
Someone in the TNF community on Geneva recommended Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. I picked it up and it was, indeed, a great read! A very helpful resource for anyone looking to change their relationship with technology. I’m currently working on my digital detox and spending more present time with my kids.
After finishing Digital Minimalism, I’m reading Bottoms Up And The Devil Speaks. So far, so good.
Me and kids love myths, I'm reading Circe, which gives so much psychological depth to that myth. One I'm passing on to both my kids (14&11). I've got Stray Reflections to dip in and out of (collections of philosophy and literature about living a good life). And can't wait to start Citizens by Jon Alexander - about how we're conditioned to act as consumers, and when we do, we make more individualistic, selfish choices. but when we're primed to see ourselves as citizens, we act with more character and for the collective good.
I’m reading the Horus Heresy Warhammer Novels, a Sci-Fi series called The Frontiers Saga by Ryk Brown and A Short History on Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.
Working on John Ortlund's "The Life You've Always Wanted," Hugh Howey's "The Silo Saga Omnibus," and just started Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone's "This Is How You Lose the Time War."
Recently finished Reza Aslan's "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth," which was very interesting, but many of the author's views had me doing a fair bit of side research to flesh out alternative takes and sort out where I ought land. But maybe there's some real merit to that in itself.
A few weeks ago, I muscled thru Craig A. Falconer's 3-book "The Earthburst Saga," but found the writing full of excess shoe leather and key plot points that hinged on eye-rolling silly stuff. Something I'd read made me think this would be cut from the same cloth as Weir's "The Martian," and it did want to be, but alas, was definitely not.
Andre Gonzalez's "Wealth of Time" was an interesting premise that moved along quickly, but was ultimately quite a letdown. The author cites Stephen King as a prominent influence and sure enough, there were lots of similarities between this and King's better, but still muddy and lewd "11/22/63" - and that's not a complement.
I need at least one uninterrupted half hour for me to even consider opening a book. Unfortunately that is rare right now, so my reading list is short. Finished DeLillo's White Noise (but we have cancelled Netflix so no movie yet).
Currently reading Alone Rewinding: 23 Years of Fatherhood and Music by Jonah Matranga (of many bands like Far, New End Original, and onelinedrawing). One of my favorite artists, so it has been a joy reading his perspective.
Next up is The Number Ones by Tom Breihan, based on his Stereogum column where he is reviewing every Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper since 1958 (the column is somewhere around 2010 currently and churning along).
It's been a couple of years where I haven't read as much for pleasure, but I just got a lot out of working through Why I am Not a Buddhist by Evan Thompson. Can't say I liked it all that much, tbh. But it was still a really interesting opportunity to think through some topics that interest me.
I’m on my 40th book of the year (I read a lot), My Struggle: Book 3 - Boyhood by Karl Ove Knausgaard. I hope to get through all six books by the end of the year and am spacing them out. I’ve got quite the Tsundoku going (two of them actually) and am looking forward to:
I’m currently working my way through “Outlive” by Peter Attia, now in my mid thirties I’m looking to not only keep in shape but hopefully soften the blow of some of the metabolic issues that run in my family.
Also, Picking out summer recipes from “Grains for every season” by Joshua McFadden.
Waiting for my turn for “Built to move” by Kelly and Juliet Starett at the library
The book that shook me the most this year was A Short Stay in Hell by Steven Peck. Surprisingly, that hell is not an endless loop of Cocomelon videos. Worse. It's a library.
Open Thread: Summer Reading
I’m always reading something by Ryan Holiday. Currently reading a page a day of The Daily Dad. Band of Brothers is my main read right now.
I’m about 1/3 of the way through Mary Karr’s ‘Lit’ and feeling inspired to write, write, write. Just finished Andre Dubus III’s ‘Townie’ and up next? Maybe Confederacy of Dunces or Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat. My tsundoku, fiction and non-fiction, is strong these days.
Kev, Mayflies is brilliant and highly recommend it.
I've just finished The Guest by Emma Cline. Highly recommend that and her previous novel, The Girls, and her collection of short stories, Daddy. She's my favorite US writer right now.
I've been re-reading a bunch of Zadie Smith.
Currently reading the brilliant but depressing Ministry Of The Future
Next up are the Succession scripts and Party Lines: Dance Music and the Making of Modern Britain by Ed Gillett
Ultimate dad book: “Longitude” by Dava Sobel. A quick fascinating read about a singularly driven inventor who spent decades solving the ancient problem of timekeeping at sea. Fending off rivals in pursuit of a kind of mercantile era X Prize, the inventor eventually perfects his prototype - a seafaring timepiece with gears made of wood.
i just polished off Jesus Son in one day, a collection of stories by Denis Johnson and it was invigorating to say the least.
Someone in the TNF community on Geneva recommended Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. I picked it up and it was, indeed, a great read! A very helpful resource for anyone looking to change their relationship with technology. I’m currently working on my digital detox and spending more present time with my kids.
After finishing Digital Minimalism, I’m reading Bottoms Up And The Devil Speaks. So far, so good.
Me and kids love myths, I'm reading Circe, which gives so much psychological depth to that myth. One I'm passing on to both my kids (14&11). I've got Stray Reflections to dip in and out of (collections of philosophy and literature about living a good life). And can't wait to start Citizens by Jon Alexander - about how we're conditioned to act as consumers, and when we do, we make more individualistic, selfish choices. but when we're primed to see ourselves as citizens, we act with more character and for the collective good.
I’m reading the Horus Heresy Warhammer Novels, a Sci-Fi series called The Frontiers Saga by Ryk Brown and A Short History on Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.
I jump around a lot...
Working on John Ortlund's "The Life You've Always Wanted," Hugh Howey's "The Silo Saga Omnibus," and just started Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone's "This Is How You Lose the Time War."
Recently finished Reza Aslan's "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth," which was very interesting, but many of the author's views had me doing a fair bit of side research to flesh out alternative takes and sort out where I ought land. But maybe there's some real merit to that in itself.
A few weeks ago, I muscled thru Craig A. Falconer's 3-book "The Earthburst Saga," but found the writing full of excess shoe leather and key plot points that hinged on eye-rolling silly stuff. Something I'd read made me think this would be cut from the same cloth as Weir's "The Martian," and it did want to be, but alas, was definitely not.
Andre Gonzalez's "Wealth of Time" was an interesting premise that moved along quickly, but was ultimately quite a letdown. The author cites Stephen King as a prominent influence and sure enough, there were lots of similarities between this and King's better, but still muddy and lewd "11/22/63" - and that's not a complement.
I need at least one uninterrupted half hour for me to even consider opening a book. Unfortunately that is rare right now, so my reading list is short. Finished DeLillo's White Noise (but we have cancelled Netflix so no movie yet).
Currently reading Alone Rewinding: 23 Years of Fatherhood and Music by Jonah Matranga (of many bands like Far, New End Original, and onelinedrawing). One of my favorite artists, so it has been a joy reading his perspective.
Next up is The Number Ones by Tom Breihan, based on his Stereogum column where he is reviewing every Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper since 1958 (the column is somewhere around 2010 currently and churning along).
It's been a couple of years where I haven't read as much for pleasure, but I just got a lot out of working through Why I am Not a Buddhist by Evan Thompson. Can't say I liked it all that much, tbh. But it was still a really interesting opportunity to think through some topics that interest me.
I’m on my 40th book of the year (I read a lot), My Struggle: Book 3 - Boyhood by Karl Ove Knausgaard. I hope to get through all six books by the end of the year and am spacing them out. I’ve got quite the Tsundoku going (two of them actually) and am looking forward to:
-Joan Didion’s ‘60s and 70s
-Our Kids by Putnam
-how to raise an adult
-iGen
-everything all at once by Steph Catudal
-who’s raising the kids?
I’m currently working my way through “Outlive” by Peter Attia, now in my mid thirties I’m looking to not only keep in shape but hopefully soften the blow of some of the metabolic issues that run in my family.
Also, Picking out summer recipes from “Grains for every season” by Joshua McFadden.
Waiting for my turn for “Built to move” by Kelly and Juliet Starett at the library
The book that shook me the most this year was A Short Stay in Hell by Steven Peck. Surprisingly, that hell is not an endless loop of Cocomelon videos. Worse. It's a library.
It's "only" 104 hellish pages.
Recently finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, and was not expecting to get misty-eyed reading hard sci-fi.
We listened to the audiobook of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith over a month ago and I'm still thinking about it. Highly recommend.
Now I'm reading Inland by Téa Obreht on paper. Fascinating characters trying to survive a drought and other challenges.