Books
No, not that kind of stoner. This is a cult classic by John Williams (no, not that John Williams, this John (Edward) Williams).
Silliness aside, Stoner is one of those slow-paced, carefully written books that are also (somehow) easy to read. I slowed down to savor scenes while my mind craved whatever was contained in the following line.
The novel follows William Stoner, an academic lifer, as he ages and navigates love, family, place, and the politics of his English department in the early 1900s.
On a heavier note, I read this book following some significant losses in my life, and the story of William Stoner helped me find a little bit of peace in that area.
This book tackles family trauma and time travel in a format I’ve yet to read.
After recommending “This Time Tomorrow” (a mostly fictional time-travel auto-biography) to Jacob Threadgill, he sent this book back to me. We were on a Time Travel kick last year.
I’m not going to attempt to preview the plot or format other than to say it’s inventive, exciting, fast, sad, funny, and thought-provoking.
Cool Note: E. M. Tran is a University of Mississippi MFA grad 🎓. That program attracts some great writers.
Boxers and its sequel, Saints, follows Bao as he grows up and joins the Boxer Rebellion in 1899. Saints follows a young British girl on her journey to the same ending.
There are currently two high-profile wars being conducted based on a history of hatred and oppression of other people groups. This book tells that story through the eyes of a child. It shows how community, storytelling, and religion can raise a kid to die for the beliefs most of us find so baffling.
And it’s a comic, so it tells the story economically.
You may know Fredrik Backman from A Man Called Ove or Anxious People (or maybe just from his cool book covers).
But he also writes straight-bangers about hockey and small-town politics—two of my greatest, deepest, and earliest loves.
Start with Beartown (excellent) before reading Us Against You (even better). I’m reading Winners right now, the third in the series. I’m having just as much fun as with the first two, even though they deal with some heavy shit.
I told Riley Manning I was in a reading slump. He sent me The Mars Room. It got me out of the slump.
Like all the books Riley and I read together, the Mars Room is surreal. And it’s so so so so good.
The book takes place mainly in a women’s prison, but it also spends a great deal of time in the main character’s mind, blending reality and internal narrative in a very spooky and interesting way. I could easily imagine David Lynch doing an adaptation.
Movies
This documentary mostly plays like a straightforward, behind-the-scenes making-of-the-album film. But Isbell’s wife is in his band, and she gets tired of his bullshit pretty regularly, to the point that she sits him down and makes him grapple with some heady ideas like:
- What does it mean to create?
- Do you have to put yourself into the shit to write about the shit?
- Is it okay to admit that creative work is draining?
- Do artists have to be assholes to the people they love?
- Do the people they love think they’re being assholes because they just don’t get it?
Anyway, it’s great if you like craft, songwriting, live music, and shots of kids playing with chickens.
Have you ever sobbed in a movie theater full of kids?
The Iron Claw is about brothers and wrestling. I’m the oldest of three boys and a wrestling fan (so, duh, I liked it).
DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU PLAN TO SEE THIS MOVIE AND HAVEN’T!
The movie starts with Zac Efron’s character (Kevin Von Erich) saying, “I love my brothers.”
In the end, when his young sons ask why he’s crying, he says, “I used to be a brother, and now I’m not anymore.”
I’m crying as I type this. I woke up thinking about this a few nights ago. It’s heavy, and I’ll be thinking about it (and my brothers) for a while.
Games
My son, Shep, and I played the first Unravel at the beginning of the year and had a blast taking turns as we worked through the puzzles. You’re a little yarn person alone running through the countryside. It’s peaceful, a little sad, contemplative, and gorgeous.
Then we bought Unravel 2, which features two little yarn people connected by their spools. You have to work together and use the connection to solve the new puzzles.
Music
What a record. Jenny seems to have shaken off a bad couple of years and a bad relationship.
Like a shot of good luck I got a puppy and a truck If you feel like giving up Shut up Get a puppy and a truck
This record plays out like personal and political essays supported by facts and great bass lines.
Killer Mike has been doing some big, cool things in real life. This record is a reflection on a lot of the big ideas behind big actions.his
It feels like Petey wrote the song “The Freedom to F**k Of” about me. I’ve had every single one of these thoughts, just never quite this eloquently.
TV
What can I say about The Last of Us that hasn’t been said? Before you turn on an episode of this show, know it will make you think about love, loss, and hope. And it’s going to make you hurt emotionally.
But, if you choose to go on the journey, listen to the accompanying podcast in which Troy Baker (the guy who voices Joel in the game) interviews Craig Mason (executive producer/writer) and Neil Druckmann (writer and video game writer/director) after each episode of the show.
Wrestling
2023 will be remembered as a year of resurgence for wrestling. Not everyone likes wrestling, but I love it. It’s storytelling. It’s acrobatics. It’s controlled violence. But it’s also unpredictable.
And there are new developments:
- The growth of a second national wrestling company created a “free agency market” in the wrestling world, which has put an increased focus on indie wrestling companies, much like in “real” sports.
- AEW more than doubled its number of premium live events, and they were all incredible displays of athleticism.
- Thanks to all the excitement around the rest of the industry, WWE writers and athletes performed at the highest level since the days when Stone Cold, Triple H, and Undertaker were in the ring.
- Also, Vince McMahon has left the building (good riddance), and Triple H has taken the reigns in the writer’s room.
- Willow Nightengale had a killer year, and I think she’s my favorite wrestler right now.
Did I mention I love hockey yet? Shoresy is a hilarious comedy about a bottom-of-the-barrel pro-am team fighting to keep the doors open and ice on the floor.
But mostly, it captures the real beauty, sweetness, and good-hearted chirping I’ve encountered returning to the game this year.
Jessica Williams and Harrison Ford in an Apple TV dramedy about therapy? Sign me up.
This cast rules. They turn in incredible performances, and the writing is lovely.
Podcasts
A scammer in New York pulled a scam. But he goofed. He scammed a bunch of reporters.
Being fat in a straight-sized world is tough. Big Ron takes on his life as a fat man and talks to fat people, finding joy and meaning in their bodies. As a heavyweight track star, this show meant a lot to me.
If you like stories about small-town politics and shady weed dealers, boy howdy do I have a pod for you.
Dr. Becky’s kind and science-backed approach to parenting is such a relief. She’s given me something to hold onto while I try to parent my kids in a stodgy Dallas, Texas suburb. To be clear, I identify with Fort Worth, but a few of these parents are real Dallas wannabes, and that’s the problem.
