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Plus lots of links to other good stuff that didn’t (yet)Too much? Not enough? Let me know what you think.

Hi! You’re here! Thank you.

The end of a long week, and the end of a project that’s been making lots of long weeks. So it might not be surprising that the playlist is a little lower-key than usual. I did manage to get to the Boojums/Bug Club show on Tuesday night, and it was a ton of fun. If you get a chance to see The Bug Club, even if you don’t much care for the music, they are absolutely stunning live. I’m not sure I’ve seen a band with that much energy.

You should read the Neko Case memoir, even if you don’t know her music. It’s like a better, nonfiction Daisy Jones and the Six. Wilder than fiction, and full of sentences that’ll stop you cold.

Also: Big news! Got a new short story I’m running next week. It’s by a name that regular readers will recognize, too. Can’t wait to share it with you. I almost hustled it out yesterday but decided to take time to write a proper introduction. Look for it next Thursday.

In other news:

Apropos of nothing

Here’s a list of graphic novels about authoritarianism. I’ve read a couple of these and you might have too. I plan to read the others. No reason.

Read Loved and Missed, dammit

It’s one of the best fiction books I’ve ever read. LitHub agrees. Pick it up.

More issues for Meta

This Careless People memoir seems to be an ongoing problem for Zuck and friends. They’re going to be hauled in front of Congress. Again. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch.

Strange Types

This is a lovely story about typewriter nerds. I have a friend who is a typewriter nerd. No, wait, I have two. That’s strange. I don’t think they know each other. Maybe I should introduce them.

The A24 of ________

This is an interesting story about Simon & Schuster trying to do something different. Sean Manning sounds like an interesting and ambitious guy, I’ll be watching to see what they publish.

Neil Postman lives on

This is a good piece in Slate about the lasting appeal of Neil Postman. If you haven’t read Amusing Ourselves to Death, you should pick it up. I read it a long time ago, and re-read it recently, and it really is insightful. In the same vein: Nicholas Carr

Reading:

Listen: Read the Neko Case memoir. I don’t care if you don’t know who she is, but if that’s the case, then you should address that too.

The Scaachi Koul memoir was good, but not great. It’s like the third divorce memoir I’ve read this month though, so maybe fatigue has something to do with it.

The Laura van den Berg book I Hold a Wolf by the Ears was exactly what I thought would her novel State of Paradise should have been: wacky, big-idea sci-fi/horrors short stories. It’s great.

I also read Gliff by Ali Smith, but I don’t recommend it.

The stories on the Shortlist are also kinda heavy. The one that stands out to me in the moment I’m writing this is The Life of the Mother.

Listening:

Some great music this week, The Bug Club and The Boojums were excellent live, and Other Half’s last record and new single are essential. I’m trying something out — this idea of Hot Streak, a feature for a band with almost no coverage yet, but a few killer singles. The Boojums post was the first of those, but I think I have a few more in the queue.

The Setlist features standout tracks from blog faves Sex Week, and new discoveries St. Duke (that’s very Strokes-y) and a very strange single from Fierce Shook and Peng Weng

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Hit the red button below to dig in. It’s 28 songs, 94 minutes. Apple Music or Spotify

Get the playlists

Who knows? New records this week: girlpuppy, Snapped Ankles, Better Joy, The Orchestra (for Now) and Bellzzz, plus a really interesting looking compilation records from Halocene Trance.

Thanks for being here.

-hugh

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