Rec
š°
do you have a bunch of tabs open for articles youāre planning to read? how about a stack of proverbial New Yorkerās guilting you for not having read them yet? my advice, just read the article.
i had the Calvin Tomkins profile of Thelma Golden on my āto readā list for 11 months before i finally sat down to read it. it plagued me, the guilt of knowing i would deeply enjoy reading it and also the not knowing if or when i would carve out the time to read it. turns out, it was as good as i expected; gratifying and inspirational.
Bonus rec: if you donāt read the article itās also okay to close all those tabs and toss those old New Yorkers. youāre the boss, applesauce.
Double bonus rec: make PDFs of the āto readā articles and then treat them like theyāre assigned reading on a very cool syllabus you made for yourself. I got through a stack of articles on a recent flight that had once been tabs cluttering my browser!
i had the Calvin Tomkins profile of Thelma Golden on my āto readā list for 11 months before i finally sat down to read it. it plagued me, the guilt of knowing i would deeply enjoy reading it and also the not knowing if or when i would carve out the time to read it. turns out, it was as good as i expected; gratifying and inspirational.
Bonus rec: if you donāt read the article itās also okay to close all those tabs and toss those old New Yorkers. youāre the boss, applesauce.
Double bonus rec: make PDFs of the āto readā articles and then treat them like theyāre assigned reading on a very cool syllabus you made for yourself. I got through a stack of articles on a recent flight that had once been tabs cluttering my browser!
Feb 8, 2025
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āIām always worried that Iām not reading enough or not reading the right things. Creating a set of laws about how and what I read that has no relationship to my immediate impulses or desires helps me feel like Iām making progress through everything I want to absorb. For the past four years itās looked like this:
Iām always reading three books: one novel, one non-fiction book thatās mostly about information I want to learn about, and one collection of short stories or essays.
I read 50 pages of the novel. Then 50 pages of non-fiction. Then 50 pages of novel. Then 50 pages of the collection. Even if Iām really engrossed, I switch after 50 pages.
Maybe this sounds psychotic but it works for me and makes sure a more challenging read doesnāt bog me down.
I also have a system about when I read a book I just bought and when I read a book Iāve had for a long time and when I read a book thatās old and when I read a book that was written right nowā¦. yikes
Anything to keep the anxiety at bay
Iām always reading three books: one novel, one non-fiction book thatās mostly about information I want to learn about, and one collection of short stories or essays.
I read 50 pages of the novel. Then 50 pages of non-fiction. Then 50 pages of novel. Then 50 pages of the collection. Even if Iām really engrossed, I switch after 50 pages.
Maybe this sounds psychotic but it works for me and makes sure a more challenging read doesnāt bog me down.
I also have a system about when I read a book I just bought and when I read a book Iāve had for a long time and when I read a book thatās old and when I read a book that was written right nowā¦. yikes
Anything to keep the anxiety at bay
Jan 16, 2024
Rec
šAs someone who just got back into reading in the last couple of years, I totally understand the frustration of having free time, a shelf full of good books and yet somehow youāre never finishing them or even picking those sweeties up! Here are some tips that helped me be a better reader:
1. Get a Goodreads account and add your friends! While the app itself is pretty clunky, i still love it for getting back into reading because it lets you set goals for yourself, find new reads and more importantly see what your friends are reading (This last one helps me stay accountable, I donāt want my book nerd friends to catch me slacking). I also love being able to write reviews of the books Iāve read.
2. Instead of watching tv or scrolling before bed, read for at least 15 minutes every night. Iāve found this goal to be helpful because itās attainable, plus reading before bed helps me unplug and sleep better.
3. Start small with shorter or simpler books before building your way back up to longer ones. This was crucial for me coming off of a heavy scrolling/tik tok era when my attention span was especially shot.
1. Get a Goodreads account and add your friends! While the app itself is pretty clunky, i still love it for getting back into reading because it lets you set goals for yourself, find new reads and more importantly see what your friends are reading (This last one helps me stay accountable, I donāt want my book nerd friends to catch me slacking). I also love being able to write reviews of the books Iāve read.
2. Instead of watching tv or scrolling before bed, read for at least 15 minutes every night. Iāve found this goal to be helpful because itās attainable, plus reading before bed helps me unplug and sleep better.
3. Start small with shorter or simpler books before building your way back up to longer ones. This was crucial for me coming off of a heavy scrolling/tik tok era when my attention span was especially shot.
Jun 2, 2025
Rec
šµI want to be able to read books. Trust me, I do. It will help me get even better as a writer ā to cultivate my already strong ability. But it is increasingly hard for me to finish them. I am halfway through Moby Dick, and like fifty pages through Emma Clineās The Guest. Somehow, I can only finish The Jordan Rules, a spectacular book about Michael Jordan being a maniac and the quest for a championship by the 1990-1991 Bulls. (I highly recommend it. Sam Smith is a great sportswriter). For some reason, my brain doesnāt have enough discipline. My friend Naomi thinks āIām just a young man figuring out art and lifeā, but I want to be able to read. The infamous How Long Gone podcast believes that it is thirsty to read, and I honestly donāt disagree with Mr. Black and Mr. Stewart, but it is objectively a good thing to be able to read. Kanye didnāt read, and look what happened to him. He literally got dumber and more mentally ill as the years went on. So, I recommend fake reading. At least, the ten pages a day you read will allow you to feel like you read something. Articles arenāt enough: fake read a book, and youāll do your community service for a day.
@jayson
STAFF
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iāve been trying to articulate why i enjoy this space so much. yes, the UX is reminiscent of Tumblr and the early days of the internet. and thereās genuine sincerity and vulnerability on here that makes it feel really cozy and real, which i havenāt felt online in at least a decade.
but i think whatās undergirding my love of this space is how anti-capitalist it feels. most of the recs everyone shares are vibe-checks, quality of life shifts, meditations and offers, music and movies, just plain good art. i donāt feel compelled to buy anything when i come here. i feel excited and pumped to be a cheerleader, find connection, find common ground. and FWIW the recs iāve shared that have gotten the most traction are my suggestions for leading a less capitalistic / consumerist life (quitting Amazon, getting off of Spotify, building community to take care of you and your things).
all of this is to say, i love it here and i love you guys.
but i think whatās undergirding my love of this space is how anti-capitalist it feels. most of the recs everyone shares are vibe-checks, quality of life shifts, meditations and offers, music and movies, just plain good art. i donāt feel compelled to buy anything when i come here. i feel excited and pumped to be a cheerleader, find connection, find common ground. and FWIW the recs iāve shared that have gotten the most traction are my suggestions for leading a less capitalistic / consumerist life (quitting Amazon, getting off of Spotify, building community to take care of you and your things).
all of this is to say, i love it here and i love you guys.
Feb 7, 2025
Rec
hear me outāthis one might feel impossible, but i quit purchasing items on Amazon in 2018 and cancelled my GoodReads account shortly after.
i did some serious reflection and realized iād become super reliant upon, and frankly, quite used to the instant gratification of purchasing something and knowing iād have it within a day. thatās not normal. the labor practices, economics, and environmental impacts of getting what you want from the internet delivered quickly and right to your door are skewed. i was filling a void in myself with mindless purchases.
iām aware that they service a huge swath of the internet (Amazon Web Services), own Whole Foods and Abe Books, and will likely take over more businesses we like and rely on. weaning off and avoiding entirely is very very hard, but it can also be a measured decision. that said, i know that it is a privilege to abstain from Amazon. i am able bodied, i donāt have kids, i have access to a car, i live in an urban environment with access to a lot of stuff at my fingertips. but making the choice to break out of the Amazon loop has ultimately been better for my pocketbook and better for my relationship to these mega-tech-companies that have their fingers in everything.
in contrast, iām becoming more interested in alternate economies, like bartering and sharing. i love the idea of having commonly shared tools and items (tool libraries are very cool). we donāt need to own it all, we have each other.
interested in exploring more? the zine pictured below is a great start, and summarizes a much larger book by the same author on how to resist the leviathan that is Amazon.
i did some serious reflection and realized iād become super reliant upon, and frankly, quite used to the instant gratification of purchasing something and knowing iād have it within a day. thatās not normal. the labor practices, economics, and environmental impacts of getting what you want from the internet delivered quickly and right to your door are skewed. i was filling a void in myself with mindless purchases.
iām aware that they service a huge swath of the internet (Amazon Web Services), own Whole Foods and Abe Books, and will likely take over more businesses we like and rely on. weaning off and avoiding entirely is very very hard, but it can also be a measured decision. that said, i know that it is a privilege to abstain from Amazon. i am able bodied, i donāt have kids, i have access to a car, i live in an urban environment with access to a lot of stuff at my fingertips. but making the choice to break out of the Amazon loop has ultimately been better for my pocketbook and better for my relationship to these mega-tech-companies that have their fingers in everything.
in contrast, iām becoming more interested in alternate economies, like bartering and sharing. i love the idea of having commonly shared tools and items (tool libraries are very cool). we donāt need to own it all, we have each other.
interested in exploring more? the zine pictured below is a great start, and summarizes a much larger book by the same author on how to resist the leviathan that is Amazon.
Jan 22, 2025
Rec
i canceled my Spotify account over the summer and have spent the last few months rebuilding my digital music library on a refurbished iPod Touch. reading critiques of the app (and itās enshittification), i realized i wasnāt even sure of my own musical tastes and preferences. i had stopped picking for myself, stopped seeking out new music, ceasing to know how to choose what i wanted or articulate what i like.
breaking free from the algorithm has been such a joy! iām borrowing gobs of music from the library, rebuilding my old playlists, and consuming more music than i have in years. and better yet, my data isnāt being tracked by Spotify and i own whatās in my personal library. further, my receptors are more open when iām out in the world exposed to music, searching for recommendations in an organic way.
breaking free from the algorithm has been such a joy! iām borrowing gobs of music from the library, rebuilding my old playlists, and consuming more music than i have in years. and better yet, my data isnāt being tracked by Spotify and i own whatās in my personal library. further, my receptors are more open when iām out in the world exposed to music, searching for recommendations in an organic way.
Jan 16, 2025