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.
NEW SHORT STORY: “You’re Supposed to be a Big Girl, Virginia”. Go read it. I’ll wait.
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Oh hi! You’re here! Thank you.
I finally feel like I’m catching up with things on the website. I’ve actually got a couple of posts in draft status, ready to go for next week, and I’m suddenly not constantly feeling behind. It’s been a while.
New one for me: a publicist reached out to me and is sending me a physical ARC of the upcoming Laurie Sheck book to read and review.
I’ve had time to rework the newsletter a bit too. It’s always a work in progress. Does it work for you? Are there things you would like to see more or less of? Hit reply and let me know.
In other news:
Off the blog: links you shouldn’t miss
Into the Amazon: It has been a long time since a web project blew me away like this. Everything about it is brilliant.
Bony Knees is a new music mag founded by Eva Zhu, who’s written for Exclaim! and CBC Music, among others.
Neko Case is writing the Broadway adaptation of Thelma and Louise! That and more in this interview in The Creative Independent. (Her memoir is essential)
Your AI Lover Will Change You: Jaron Lanier is a smart guy, and this is the most interesting take on the whole ‘falling in love with AI’ thing yet. I’ve been thinking about it for days:
“Think of the cults, the divorce lawyers, the groupies, the scale of the cosmetics industry, the sports cars. Getting users to fall in love is easy. So easy it’s beneath our ambitions.”
The Gen X Career Meltdown is a beautifully designed glimpse into a terrifying future. AI will only accelerate this trend, and it’s going to affect everyone.
This Techcrunch interview with China Miéville is a good read about the nature and purpose of science fiction:
“It’s always about now. It’s always a reflection. It’s a kind of fever dream, and it’s always about its own sociological context. It’s always an expression of the anxieties of the now.”
Not bookish or music-ish, but this article about an 8lb dog on the lam for a year an a half just made my day.
There’s a new Naked Gun movie coming and the trailer made me cry with laughter
What got your attention this week? Got a hot take on something? Hit reply and let me know.
On the Blog
Reading:
A new short story from Kate Arnold of Dead Anyway: “You’re Supposed to be a Big Girl, Virginia”
Liars by Sarah Mancuso is incredible, and also very stressful
We Do Not Part by Han Kang is heavy, difficult and worth it
Elizabeth Costello by J.M. Coetzee didn’t do it for me
The Shortlist: 8 short stories. Start with Kate Arnold’s, already.
Got a short story? Send it my way
Listening:
Two quick non-streaming things you should absolutely click on:
Divine Creation by Houseguest and, uh, guests. It’s for a great cause too.
Truman Sinclair EP: It’s free, lo-fi, barely audible, and brilliant.
Music features this week:
The Setlist: standout tracks from Mount Palomar ft. Karla Chubb from SPRINTS, Goat Farm and sleepazoid.
It’s 34 songs, 122 minutes.
Listen on Apple Music or Spotify
What’s on your playlist? Send me your faves
Next Week
The new Stephen Graham Jones book, a cool graphic novel, and music from Velvetine, Cousines like Shit (c’mon!) and Lonnie Gunn, I think. Maybe Night Tapes?
What are you listening to these days? Send me your faves.
Thanks for being here.
-hugh
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