Books Lately

Currently
The Essential Dylan Thomas, Dylan Thomas
First time reading do not go gentle into that good night without it being on a tattoo or quote-list.

Barbarian Days, William Finnegan
Incredible autobiographical portrait of surfing, literature, the 60s and 70s, and the pain of bildungsromaning.

The Cicada and the Bird, Christopher Tricker
An outsider's translation of The Zhuangzi (my favorite philosopher). More bold takes on what the Zhuangzi means than most translations, but the author gets a little caught up in ego swirls and eddies in several places.

Recently
Malcolm X, Manning Marable
One of the best biographies I've read (leaving The Power Broker aside, of course). A high school history teacher of mine constantly emphasized "the complexity of the issue" and this book gets deep into Malcolm X's complexity and transformations.

A Full Life, Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter recently elected to stop receiving hospital care and is currently in hospice. A friend of my father-in-law is working on a monument-park to the 39th President of the United States, so it was time to pick up his autobiography. Very interesting guy who couldn't have been more unlucky in the months leading up to his failed re-election campaign.

The Sympathizer, Viet Than Nguyen
Extraordinary story of the Vietnam War and its aftermath. The Quiet American should never be read without this book as mouthwash. 

Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe
Another complexity of the issue opus, this time about the 20th century troubles in Northern Ireland.

Jesus and John Wayne, Kristin Kobes du Mez
Illuminated the contemporary culture of conservatism. A beautiful extension of the work of American Nations.

Ulysses, James Joyce
Finally finally made it to the end. Didn't follow it easily, but this thing is jammed with some of the best turns of phrase in English.

Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon
Whoa, so that's what Infinite Jest's grandfather did in the 1940s. Exceptional book.

Saving Time, Jenny Odell
Time is confusing. Guilt is confusing. Culpability is confusing. Justice is confusing. Catastrophes are confusing. Ignorance is confusing. Anger is confusing. Time is confusing.

Rules, Lorraine Daston
Lorraine Daston is one of the few authors who write well about nature and the strange, invented dichotomy between us and it (Alan Levinovitz does too). Rules is a romp around history's interesting rules, rulebreakers, and rules of thumb.

The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge, Rainer Maria Rilke
Every poet should write at least one novel.

Strong Towns, Charles L. Marohn Jr.
Compelling case for American cities to make less infrastructure, balance their budgets, and let people build cheap buildings and upgrade them over time.

Dr. No, Percival Edwards
One of the most creative and fun books I've read. Nothing else to add.

Die Wise, Stephen Jenkinson
While Jenkinson has more productive things to say than most polemicists about the death industry, his spiritual elegies about dying leave a copper taste in the mouth when paired with a general hatred for western medicine and a preference for indigenous practices. Worth reading nonetheless to attempt to become more thoughtful about our society's death phobia.

Of Sound Mind, Nina Kraus
So many interesting things about sound and hearing in this book. I have a new criteria for places to live: a lack of noise. Also a refreshed commitment to what is apparently healthy living hobby: the piano.