Welcome Distractions
New music, book reviews, short stories and more from blog this week
Plus lots of links to other good stuff that didn’t (yet)Too much? Not enough? Let me know what you think.
Hello! You’re here! Thank you.
Big news: By the time you’re reading this, the website may have hit a milestone: sometime this weekend, Turn & Work will have had more traffic in 2025 (so far) than in all of 2024. Thanks for being a part of it. Big things coming!
This weekend I’m going to visit my childhood home for the last time before my mom sells it and moves to an apartment. I’m not sure how that’s going to feel, to be honest. I’ve moved enough in my adult life that I don’t develop attachment to physical places, but this is different.
It relates to the short stories this week. All but one of them are about reinvention in one form or another: moving on from someone who takes you for granted, finding (or losing) God unexpectedly, or trying your best to be someone new.
It’s also touched on in the new(ish) series Long Bright River (you should read the book too). Among the many themes the story addresses is being an adult in the place you grew up, and the ghosts that stalk you when you do.
It’s strange to think that there will be a time when I have no reason to visit my hometown. I’m already conflicted about that: So much of me has been shaped by that place, and I’ll carry it with me forever. Also, it’s a very depressing place to visit. It’s a dead-end town just barely holding on, and I often see people I love that never made it out.
Anyway. Lots of mixed feelings headed into the weekend.
In other news:
Off the blog: links you shouldn’t miss
LitHub is 10, and there are some truly mind-boggling statistics from the founder.
The Booker Prize shortlist was announced, you can read excerpts from each nominee here. I’m mostly done with Perfection, and (spoiler alert) it’s aptly named. Watch for it next week.
FT had an interesting piece about How The Great Gatsby (which turns 100 this year, woo) explains today’s America:
Fitzgerald was writing a socially realistic novel about the people he saw in the world around him — he knew many men like Tom, rich, entitled and stupid. A century later they are still here, searching for ideologies to justify their dominance. Many of them now run the US.
Blog fave Untitled (halo) had a KEXP this week and it’s worth your time (the last song especially). The band is so nervous, it’s adorable. Check it out:
This NYT piece on Tracy Chapman is excellent. Her debut record is perfect.
I liked this piece on BlueSky’s boss. I also like BlueSky, and think it’s potentially the basis for a whole new web experience.
This video of Rick Beato exploring AI music creation tools is worth watching, courtesy of OG blog pal Kat Koan (who I’m trying to talk into writing a piece about AI and music):
Lastly, did you hear about the dire wolf being brought back from extinction? It was kinda not true (and probably impossible), but a heck of a win for the PR team.
What got your attention this week? Got a hot take on something? Hit reply and let me know.
On the Blog
Reading:
The new Stephen Graham Jones book is essential. It’s about an American atrocity and how it echoes throughout history. And vampires. It’s brilliant.
Adrian Tomine’s Killing and Dying is like Raymond Carver stories in graphic form. Very good.
Vengeance is Mine was not for me.
The Shortlist: Eight short stories, seven of them about people undergoing transformation (in different ways). I’d recommend Chameleon, but I’m recommending all of ‘em, so read them all.
Got a short story? Send it my way
Listening:
Music features this week:
Hiqpy is the latest #DutchIndie band on the site, with one song out and a bunch of live performances that’ll spellbind you.
Housewife is a Toronto indie artist whose songwriting is clever and unforgettable
Cousines Like Shit - - just click the link. I can’t describe it in a bullet point
Night Tapes makes trip-hop-dream-pop and they just keep getting better.
The Setlist: standout tracks from Francis Kelly, Scott Evil and Leela Rosa. Plus the usual indie rock, alt-pop, electronic whatever.
It’s XX songs, XX minutes.
Listen on Apple Music or Spotify
What’s on your playlist? Send me your faves
I’m hoping for a feature on a new #DutchIndie artist I’ve been really enjoying lately, but a few things need to work out to make that happen.
Thanks for being here.
-hugh
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