Book suggestion.... The Correspondent is fantastic. Advice: While you're in this rut, don't pick up books you think you *should* read. I LOVE YOUR WRITING!
Thanks so much, Jean! That’s very kind. And The Correspondent is maybe my favorite novel I read in the last calendar year, so I’m right there with you. Just so, so, so good.
In a world with an abundance of choice, it can be freeing to restore the friction of limitation. My wife and I made a rule that on beach trips we only play board games the house comes with. Same vibe.
The Director by Daniel Kehlmann has stuck with me for weeks. Happy reading!
My neighbor, a very good reader, loves John Williams and has also recommended this, so I should get on it. And then my wife loved Marriage at Sea, so another great call. All going on the list!
2 movies -- Hilarious Irish film, Hard Times, on Prime. I just lucked into it, and I can't understand why it hasn't gotten promoted on HuffPost, etc. . And, of course, Bull Durham, which you can never watch too many times.
1 book -- The Church of Baseball: The Making of Bull Durham. Trust me, you WILL finish it.
I've also been in a reading rut with my brain properly social-mediaified. I've found short stories to be the great equalizer. I can commit to 50 pages and then another and then another. Really enjoyed The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu. Recommended to me by someone I was trying to impress, so it felt twice as important.
The Hare, a book recommended to me by my sister, Kate
Two films, both Vietnamese, I saw recently,
Ky Nam Inn, set in the 1980s in post-war Saigon, Vietnam, filmed in technicolor, giving the film an unparalleled luminosity we rarely see. Past Lives (2023) is the other. Not sure either is available for streaming yet.
Loved your reading list. Between you and Joan, I’m set for life!
Reading your story this morning warmed this retired librarian’s heart. I loved picturing you sitting on the back deck reading so many of your AirBnb’s collection. But I’m also a great believer in not feeling guilty about failing to finish any particular book. I cannot begin to count the number of times I’ve done just that. You are right that personal recommendations are the best—especially if the person knows you well. So although it sounds pretty intense, give Bobby’s recommendation a try when you’re in the mood for intense. He must have chosen it for you for a reason. And now I think I will head to my local library to find a copy of anything by Sloane Crosley!
Ok good to know on Larson! I got probably 90 pages into Devil in the White City and was enjoying. I think we own Dead Wake, too, so I can line that up.
And I also love The Biggest Bluff. I’ve played poker since I was a kid (my dad was a merchant marine and played a ton of cards on the ships, then passed it down). And for my brain, her breaking down poker hands as narratives instead of math problems was so compelling. Just a brilliant writer/thinker.
I somehow knew you'd love that book. Great writer, and so many lessons that extend beyond poker!
If you've not read Larson, he's unlike any nonfiction writer I know of. His books read like a fiction narrative, but with footnotes and citations, and he always juxtaposes two concurrent stories to paint a fuller picture of the time and place.
Having lived in Chicago, and studied American History, I had seen old photos of the "white city" but never knew the story behind it or why it was all gone. That made Larson's account especially wonderful.
I mean just do an image search for 1893 Columbian exposition.
Slow to get to this Jesse because of travels. First, of course, you should read my book, The World Crisis and International Law -- The Knowledge Economy and the Battle for the Future (Cambridge University Press 2023). It is not targeted at academics but is published by an academic press. You can get the electronic version at https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/world-crisis-and-international-law/world-crisis-and-international-law/6485B411DAEB08AD731216CA00A850B4; the dead tree version is way too expensive, typical of academic publishers. Other great books I've read recently are Martin Booth, Golden Boy: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood (2004) ( remarkable account of Hong Kong in the early 1950s); Tom Junod, In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man: A Memoir (2026) (account of problematic fatherhood). I thought Say Nothing was amazing, so I am surprised that you are averse to it.
Your buddy Bobby was right. Read it.
Thank you, Jan.
Book suggestion.... The Correspondent is fantastic. Advice: While you're in this rut, don't pick up books you think you *should* read. I LOVE YOUR WRITING!
Thanks so much, Jean! That’s very kind. And The Correspondent is maybe my favorite novel I read in the last calendar year, so I’m right there with you. Just so, so, so good.
In a world with an abundance of choice, it can be freeing to restore the friction of limitation. My wife and I made a rule that on beach trips we only play board games the house comes with. Same vibe.
The Director by Daniel Kehlmann has stuck with me for weeks. Happy reading!
Few book recs:
- “Stoner” by John Williams
- “Boom Town” by Sam Anderson
- “Marriage at Sea” by Sophie Elmhirst
Boom Town is one of my favorite books.
My neighbor, a very good reader, loves John Williams and has also recommended this, so I should get on it. And then my wife loved Marriage at Sea, so another great call. All going on the list!
Looks like you’ve read a lot of the same books as me…but here are a couple of books I’ve enjoyed recently.
- The Shock of the Light - Lori Inglis Hall
- Daisy Jones & The Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Anything by Anthony Horowitz (Foyle’s War)
Thanks, Carol! And great to hear from you here as always!
2 movies -- Hilarious Irish film, Hard Times, on Prime. I just lucked into it, and I can't understand why it hasn't gotten promoted on HuffPost, etc. . And, of course, Bull Durham, which you can never watch too many times.
1 book -- The Church of Baseball: The Making of Bull Durham. Trust me, you WILL finish it.
Maybe my favorite sports movie, so I’ll definitely have to check out the book! And I’ll put Hard Times on the list for sure
I've also been in a reading rut with my brain properly social-mediaified. I've found short stories to be the great equalizer. I can commit to 50 pages and then another and then another. Really enjoyed The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu. Recommended to me by someone I was trying to impress, so it felt twice as important.
Going on the list! And cannot wait to read your latest
Hi, Jessie,
Three suggestions:
The Hare, a book recommended to me by my sister, Kate
Two films, both Vietnamese, I saw recently,
Ky Nam Inn, set in the 1980s in post-war Saigon, Vietnam, filmed in technicolor, giving the film an unparalleled luminosity we rarely see. Past Lives (2023) is the other. Not sure either is available for streaming yet.
Loved your reading list. Between you and Joan, I’m set for life!
Thanks for this Margaret! I’ve seen Past Lives, which was great, but the rest is totally new for me! Can’t wait to check it all out
Read the Calamity Club.
Thank you, mother
Nice read, thanks and good luck! Keep gong!
Thanks a lot, Michael! Hope you’re well!
claire keegan
I have read Small Things Like These (loved) and Foster (liked). I believe we have Antarctica lying around somewhere so I’ll put it on the list
Reading your story this morning warmed this retired librarian’s heart. I loved picturing you sitting on the back deck reading so many of your AirBnb’s collection. But I’m also a great believer in not feeling guilty about failing to finish any particular book. I cannot begin to count the number of times I’ve done just that. You are right that personal recommendations are the best—especially if the person knows you well. So although it sounds pretty intense, give Bobby’s recommendation a try when you’re in the mood for intense. He must have chosen it for you for a reason. And now I think I will head to my local library to find a copy of anything by Sloane Crosley!
I think you’re so right about this, I need to read Say Nothing stat!
And also thanks for the kind words, as always. It’s great to hear from you
Finish Devil in the White City.
Then read his book Dead Wake.
And my favorite nonfiction sports/life book of the last decade: The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova
Ok good to know on Larson! I got probably 90 pages into Devil in the White City and was enjoying. I think we own Dead Wake, too, so I can line that up.
And I also love The Biggest Bluff. I’ve played poker since I was a kid (my dad was a merchant marine and played a ton of cards on the ships, then passed it down). And for my brain, her breaking down poker hands as narratives instead of math problems was so compelling. Just a brilliant writer/thinker.
I somehow knew you'd love that book. Great writer, and so many lessons that extend beyond poker!
If you've not read Larson, he's unlike any nonfiction writer I know of. His books read like a fiction narrative, but with footnotes and citations, and he always juxtaposes two concurrent stories to paint a fuller picture of the time and place.
Having lived in Chicago, and studied American History, I had seen old photos of the "white city" but never knew the story behind it or why it was all gone. That made Larson's account especially wonderful.
I mean just do an image search for 1893 Columbian exposition.
Slow to get to this Jesse because of travels. First, of course, you should read my book, The World Crisis and International Law -- The Knowledge Economy and the Battle for the Future (Cambridge University Press 2023). It is not targeted at academics but is published by an academic press. You can get the electronic version at https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/world-crisis-and-international-law/world-crisis-and-international-law/6485B411DAEB08AD731216CA00A850B4; the dead tree version is way too expensive, typical of academic publishers. Other great books I've read recently are Martin Booth, Golden Boy: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood (2004) ( remarkable account of Hong Kong in the early 1950s); Tom Junod, In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man: A Memoir (2026) (account of problematic fatherhood). I thought Say Nothing was amazing, so I am surprised that you are averse to it.