It’s been a while, Dear Readers, and I’d apologize but I’m not really sorry - I’ve decided that this is my newsletter and I can use it to spout off about what I want, when I want.
I am behind on reading lists for the last few months. I don’t feel like typing them out, so here’s a link to my StoryGraph for your perusal, should you so desire.
I’ve felt like I’m in a reading slump all year - I made a goal of slowing my pace after last year’s obsessive binge, and I’ve done that, but not entirely intentionally. Some of it is that nothing so far has really sucked me in the way some of last year’s new releases did. We were gifted Martyr!, Beautyland, and James all in January of last year. What a year!
That said, I did read Clam Down over the last few days and it’s now in the lead for best thing I’ve read this year. I thought it was a really interesting example of creative nonfiction slash memoir, and her use of the clam gave me a bit of the alienation from humanity vibe that I liked so much in Beautyland. I also learned stuff about mollusks!
In other news, I decided to start an in-person book club. Our first pick was Heartwood, which turned out to be a bit more of a thriller than I thought it would be, but not in a bad way. Reading something plot-driven did make me realized how vibey most of the stuff I read is. Stuff happening all the time? Novel!1 There was a certain part of the book that ended up giving me an unexpected punch to the gut, which I have learned is part of what grief is - one minute, a plot point is revealed and the next you have to go sit quietly with Big Feels.
I have also been really into writing letters lately. I read Syme’s Letter Writer, which is an absolute delight of a book, and decided that I will do my part to revive snail mail. I’ve acquired a few pen pals, but I’m in the market for more, so make yourself known if you would like for a human being to bring some paper from another actual human being to your door2. Take that, AI.
I’ve been listening to baseball on the radio again after a roughly 10 year hiatus and, guys, the Red Sox are really not good. Even though it is often frustrating, listening again has been like coming home. In my absence a lot of the game has changed. The National League has the DH! Catchers and pitchers use a gadget to communicate instead of finger signs! There’s a pitch clock! I’m not sure I approve but I do have to admit the games are a bit faster paced. I will spare you a rant about how baseball is not supposed to be a game of the clock, that long periods of relative inactivity should be appreciated, etc., ad nauseum.
One thing that has been occupying my brain space lately is a mindset of scarcity when it comes to time. There are things I need to do, like work and sleep and exercise, and things that I want to do, like read and watch TV with M. and Pippin (no prestige television allowed!) and listen to baseball and take up journaling and and, and productivity culture makes me feel like I’m lazy for not getting it all in - like I just need to optimize my life. Of course, productivity culture doesn’t value leisure, only labor as a commodity.
Here’s a semi-related recommendation: Over at
, my colleague John has been writing an interesting series about time, which I’ve found very compelling partly because time is a very interesting concept to me and partly because I appreciate a good fall down a rabbit hole. He may yet convince me to give up my Apple Watch, though I really value the sleep tracking feature and also, if you didn’t record it, did you really exercise? Food for thought.Hard swerve alert!
I’ll end with another thing that’s been rolling around in the dustbin of my brain, and I’d love to hear your thoughts: Is there any ethical use of generative AI?
nyuk, nyuk
The postal service is a marvel, even as it is bashed and torn apart by nefarious players. Also, have you seen all the cool stamps they have?