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 get there (yet)
Hi! You’re here! Thank you.
We’re back in action.
I hooked up bookshop.org to the site - even though I can’t buy things from Bookshop in Canada, I can still be in their affiliate program. I’m still working things out, but I’ve got a couple lists up for my Fiction Essentials and Nonfiction Essentials, so if you’re looking to pick something up, consider perusing my recommendations. Purchases will either help keep my website online or (more likely) finance my crippling reading addiction.
Another cool thing is that you can connect your storefront to an indie bookseller who also gets a piece of each purchase. I picked the Broadside Bookshop - I’ve never been there but it’s run by Rosamond who is one of my favourite people on the internet.
It’s Bandcamp Friday - so if you’re thinking of buying some music or merch, today’s the day to do it. All the artists that I post about include links to Bandcamp.
I’ve made some changes to the way I’m going to come at this website now — you might notice that the homepage has changed some — after my whole identity crisis, I decided to step away from the whole magazine plan and just keep things small and genuine. There are other changes to come (aren’t there always!) but I was feeling a little stressed when writing about new releases (they usually come out on Fridays!) so I’m going to temper that a little.
Anything you wanna see on the site? Lay it on me. And now:
Off the blog: links you shouldn’t miss
A few good things to share today:
Maria Reva’s Endling is one of my fiction essentials. Turns out there’s another Endling by another author that’s strikingly similar. The common thread is the snail. From LitHub: How One Snail Inspired Two Novels on Two Different Continents
I wrote about two books this week that touch on real estate. The first, Stuck, I was annoyed by because it didn’t get into the financialization of housing from the last 20 years or so. The second book, Bad Company, did get into it. And then The Walrus published No One Wants to Buy a Condo, which articulates the issue on the ground in Toronto today.
The big Netflix thing of the moment is Unknown Caller. It’s a true crime documentary, it’s a quick and surprising watch. I found it left me with some questions though, and they were basically all answered by this piece in The Cut: Who Was Cyberbullying Kendra Licari’s Teen Daughter?
Last Sunday’s Pitchfork Review was of a Canadian record: The Tragically Hip’s Fully Completely, (9.4!) a record that I hated when it came out (I was too cool for that kind of music), but I’ve come to completely adore. In fact one song made my Personal Anthology:
Lastly, the most scathing book review you’ll read today, about some AI garbage that sounds like it was written by AI too: ‘The Cybernetic Society’ makes an unconvincing case for human-AI utopia:
Sometimes an era is graced with a gift — a book that is not merely deficient in the usual ways, not merely insipid or uninspired, but epochal in its ineptitude.
What got your attention this week? Got a hot take on something? Hit reply and let me know.
On the Blog
Reading:
In Stuck, the author argues that we’re not in a housing crisis, we’re in a mobility crisis. It’s a pretty good thesis that falls a bit short in execution.
Bad Company is catnip for me: stories of how private equity firms are basically the devil
A Body Made of Glass is a cultural history of hypochondria, it’s excellent, if a bit digressive.
The Shortlist: A beast of a shortlist today. There’s a nonfiction piece in there that’ll tear your heart out. Check it out.
Got a short story? Send it my way
Listening:
Three features this week:
TTSSFU has been a blog fave for a long time, and her new shoegaze/bedroom pop record is luscious production, warm melodies, and lyrics about trauma and revenge.
BE N!CE is a silly, political punk band that reminds me of recent blog fave Industry Standard. They’re a lot of fun and you should check them out.
Alexei Shishkin puts out records like he doesn’t have a choice. For his new one, he did the whole thing in four days. It’s Pavement-y indie goodness.
The Setlist: 2 hours of great music. Standout tracks from Laura Hickli, HANNAHBELLA and Total Wife.
Listen on Apple Music or Spotify.
What’s on your playlist? Send me your faves
Next week: So many new records to write about. Plus the Raymond Carver biography that’s been haunting my evenings. And a couple surprises.
Thanks for being here.
-hugh
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