It's the only Amor Towles book I've read so far, but people do seem to talk about him as one of the greatest to ever do it. I cried several times at this one, and it is incredibly expansive given the restriction of the main character being stuck in one place for the whole book. I won't say more than that.
Dec 30, 2024
Related Recs
He’s my favorite contemporary author because he clearly has a good grasp of classical literature and its history, which means he can take inspiration from it and weave it into something more modern
If you’re ever going to read his work I suggest starting with A Gentleman in Moscow
Apr 23, 2024
📕
Towles has quickly become one of my favorite authors. This year I’ve read A Gentleman in Moscow, Rules of Civility, and now this short story. This one’s pretty different from the other 2. While Moscow and Civility both have a calm/relaxing “everyday life” tone to them, even during the more hectic scenes, this one reads a bit more fast paced and frantic. The story explores gene manipulation and basically “nudging” your child into a future of your choice. To avoid spoilers on such a short read, I won’t go into more detail on the plot but it’s a reeaal fun and quick read.
Nov 26, 2020
📚
The GBAT (greatest book of all time)
All Tolstoy's stuff is great, but he really transcends all art with this one. It's just so majestically and painstakingly human.
He makes the ineffable effable. Like staring into the face of god, prepare to be awestruck.
Feb 18, 2024
Top Recs from @theclack
The perfect lil snack for when you don’t want a big snack
Apr 3, 2024
Here it is, folks! Volume I of what could very well be a continuous project. Thank you so much to everyone that submitted - I smiled the entire time I was putting this together. It's best listened to with headphones ☺️
Liner Notes:
This collection of field recordings is a collaborative effort with users of PI.FYI, each of which recorded their own pieces. It features audio from all over the world and exhibits eclectic moments from London Underground commutes to cuckoo bird calls in Dhaka to the sounds of a century-old American diner.
Online communities like PI.FYI often represent a diverse set of people, places, and experiences, but together, the submissions form a living collage that highlights the commonalities of modern life - a unifying message for such a tumultuous time. The first track features all of the sounds played at once in an attempt to create an audio snapshot of an online community but in their offline lives.
The individual recordings are unedited except for minor gain and compression adjustments for consistency across the collection.
Mar 29, 2025
