Notes on reading/watching/listening (1/8/24)

Wheatfield with Crows by Van Gogh

Hey, it’s cold in NYC and we’re back to work and everything is going, except we’re freezing and I had some weird 40-year old person pains which means I haven’t hit the gym as much, which means I’ve been reading and watching, let’s go:

Reading

When I got home from my Christmas trip, with a few days left in the year that was 2024, I finished Honor Levy’s book, “My First Book.”

They all felt more like essays, some creative choices, I wouldn’t say they’re narrative-focused, more like ruminations with random character names, still some great stuff style wise, especially in using the digital lingua-franca of the zoomers, feels like a book I would’ve made fun of 15 years ago, but now I’m “enlightened” by it

I mentioned I bought the book “The Bee Sting” by Paul Murray over the break at the Athens, GA Barnes & Noble, and I’m really loving it, I even read it at lunch today at the office and on the bus, it’s one of those “generational” books, much like the previously mentioned “Wellness” by Nathan Hill. I’d throw in “The Corrections” and books of that ilk, if that’s your thing—multiple POVs on the same situation or generational trauma if you want to go that far. I’m into these books right now, so if you have any recs along those lines, lmk

Watching:

• Started the 2nd season of The Sopranos but gave it up for Squid Game, Season 2 which has been great, but of course disorienting and morally ambiguous, but that’s the point. I took a break the other night, it messes with your to binge those too hard

Listening:

• One of my fav music critics is Ian Cohen of the Indiecast podcast, but also he writes and reviews music

• He had 2 articles this week where I’m mining lots of new stuff:

  • Best emo albums of 2024

  • Overlooked indie albums of 2024

• The Hellp has been a big favorite so far

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Josh Spilker