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As an avid book collector who has mentioned a love for books multiple times in this newsletter, I would be remiss not to mention some recent acquisitions, all highly recommended:Arthur Jafa âA Series of Utterly Improbable, Yet Extraordinary RenditionsâJacob Holdt âAmerican PicturesââBlack Flag, Larger then Life, Memorabilia 1979-86âRichard Prince âCowboyââFree Jazz Communism: Archie Sheep-Bill Dixon Quartet at the 8th World Festival of Youth and Students in Helsinki 1962âKara Walker âA Black Hole is Everything A Star Longs to BeâMike Kelley âThree ProjectsâMark Fisher âThe Weird and The Eerieâ
Related Recs
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đPartially adhd, partially the fact that all the library holds have a habit of coming in at the same time.
Loved and Missed - Susie Boyt. Short British novel with a strange and sardonic voice unlike anything Iâve read before.
What will the world look like whwn all the water leaves us - Laura van den Berg. Ethereal short stories with a running thread of the monstrous. Pretty sure I got that rec here so thank you if youâre responsible for this!
Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver. Was super skeptical about this but so many people have recommended it at this point I gotta start.
Hella Town - Mitchell Schwarzer. Recent history of the planning and development of Oakland. I whip this out every time Iâm over there, but can really only get into the groove in situ, so probably wonât crack it again until Iâm back.
Loved and Missed - Susie Boyt. Short British novel with a strange and sardonic voice unlike anything Iâve read before.
What will the world look like whwn all the water leaves us - Laura van den Berg. Ethereal short stories with a running thread of the monstrous. Pretty sure I got that rec here so thank you if youâre responsible for this!
Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver. Was super skeptical about this but so many people have recommended it at this point I gotta start.
Hella Town - Mitchell Schwarzer. Recent history of the planning and development of Oakland. I whip this out every time Iâm over there, but can really only get into the groove in situ, so probably wonât crack it again until Iâm back.
Jul 17, 2024
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đThe staples, oh and thereâs a new Nancy collection put out by NYRB if you want to go freaky old school
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đThe Sluts - Dennis Cooper
not a novella but I read it in one night so maybe that counts. i have never forgotten it and i will always recommend it.
No One Belongs Here More Than You - Miranda July
whimsical/surreal/funny/heartbreaking short stories by an incredible artist.
Confabulations - John Berger
a collection of discursive essays and observations from an incredible mind. Also rec Ways of Seeing.
:)
Confabulations - John Berger
a collection of discursive essays and observations from an incredible mind. Also rec Ways of Seeing.
:)
Jan 1, 2025
Top Recs from @jason-s.
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I spent years destroying my body and so now I try to work double time taking care of it. Self care is key. I go through these phases where I read dozens of âBest ofâ lists for skin products and toiletries. There is some link there between the complete self-debasement of my past and wanting to experience the bliss of fancy salves, lotions, creams, and oils but this is my first time ever analyzing it. What I do know is that out of all the skin care products Iâve tried nothing compares to Everyday Oil. As they say, âeveryday, all overâ. I particularly like using it in my hair. It smells great and its from Black Mountain, NCâŚshouts out Ray Johnson.
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đI was very late to learning about the visionary brilliance of Octavia Butler. I embarrassingly had never heard of her even though the local ICA had an entire outward facing wall wrapped with her image and a quote. Sometimes tunnel vision can really lead you astray so itâs always best to be searching with an open mind. Iâve had a hard time with reading since quarantine, I think it has something to do with an exorbitant amount of screen time destroying what was left of my spreading diminished attention span. I trudged through book after book this past year not being able to sink my teeth into anything until I found Parable of the Sower. This book has made me fall in love with reading again. Instead of rewatching the Sopranos for the millionth time, I look forward to my time each day with the bookâs chronicler, Lauren Olamina, and her Earthseed musings. A novel fraught with dystopia that feels more like todayâs news than the science fiction label it got when published in 1993. I havenât finished it quite yet, but I have been telling everyone they should read it, truly inspiring and makes me want to approach each day with more empathy and hope no matter how much despair we are hit with each day. God is Change.
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đI love books and can be quite obsessive when it comes to collecting them. Jesse Pearson who I believe did a lot of cool stuff with Vice or at least I think that is how I became familiar with his work started putting out Apology Magazine some years ago. A magazine that combines all the things I love with contributions from a lot of artists I greatly admire, how could it get any better? Well, the podcast extension of the Apology empire is hands down my favorite podcast, sorry Acid Horizon. In each episode, Pearson, who is a fellow book freak, talks with a friend of his about the books they love and the books they are reading. 1-2 hours of book talk with brilliant people like Eileen Myles, Hamilton Morris, and Will Oldham, then Jesse puts up show notes that gives you plenty to fill you Abebooks cart with.