The Reading Stack — October 31, 2022
A Sedaris Favorite, Seth Rogen, Psychedelics, and the darkest book you'll read this year
Well, after six months of reading and not writing one of these, it feels like a ripe time to toss some books your way. It was a fairly hectic1 spring/summer and, though some of my favorite habits fell by the wayside, life would be miserable without books. I wrote less than ever these past months, but I’ve recently received the gift of brutal feedback. That always serves as a sweet little firebrand for how little I’ve accomplished and how much work lies ahead.
For now I just want to give thanks to you all for supporting me in one way or another. Sometimes, the amount of support I receive feels immature, and I’m just grateful to have so many people in my corner who want to see me succeed.
I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing and that feels special, so thank you.
And here we are, back to reading and reviewing as much as I can ✌️
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh (Fiction)
At a reading I attended last spring, David Sedaris said that Ottessa Moshfegh is one of his favorite living writers. This book is hard to describe. It’s main character is a twenty-something year old girl who is so severely depressed that she consciously decides to annihilate herself with sleep. Anything rather than confront the pain of living. It’s disturbing and anxiety provoking and terrifying, yet the tenor of her prose isn’t depressing or slow. It’s a fast and hilarious work of black comedy that will make you squint your eyes in discomfort, as if that could make you forget what you just read. I’m reminded, in a way, of David Foster Wallace when reading her—not necessarily in her prose but in the way she makes you feel while reading. Anyway, Sedaris was right to italicize her in his talk. My Year of Rest and Relaxation isn’t a beach read but might be a good one to investigate this fall.
Format: Worth a purchase on Audible, Kindle or Paperback
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Fiction)
This is not Ishiguro’s most famous book (though Dan and I discussed that on the podcast), but it might be his most entertaining. The story is told from the perspective of an Artificially Intelligent humanoid, who’s sole purpose is to serve her human, Josie, a severely ill teenager (for comparison, think Ex-Machina2 meets Bicentennial Man). Unlike many futuristic novels, this one is more literary than prototypical science-fiction (Ishiguro won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature.) He had me pondering philosophical and ethical problems in ways I never had before (gene editing, Artificial General Intelligence) and, in my opinion, that makes a novel worth the read.
Formats: Paperback—it’s a gorgeous book cover (though the audiobook is also performed well)
Yearbook by Seth Rogen (Memoir)
If you aren’t familiar with Seth Rogen, I’d skip this book. If you are, I highly recommend it. We burned through this while driving the Oregon/California coast and were sad when the 8 hour audiobook came to a close. To say Rogen has lived an interesting, outlandish, irreverent life is an understatement. To give a taste of the ridiculousness, Rogen went to the Magic Castle with Steve Wozniak (and is now banned for life). This memoir is a series of hilarious vignettes from Rogen’s Jewish upbringing in Vancouver, which ended up being inspiration for scenes in movies like Superbad, Knocked Up, and Pineapple Express. If you make it to the part where Kim Jong Un personally threatens and denounces him, you’ll never forget it. A short and fun read for most any adult.
Format: Audiobook — Rogen crushes the narration
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Non-fiction)
Rather than follow the traditional conventions of biography, Doris Kearns Goodwin (one of the greatest living historians) takes a mosaic-storytelling approach for Abraham Lincoln. This is the most detailed and dynamic portrait I’ve read of Lincoln, and she does so not by going deep into the man’s life, nor by quoting his friends and family, but by examining his rival relationships.3 She followed the men who campaigned for the same seat in the Senate, opposed his presidency, openly criticized his platforms. And after beating them all, what did Lincoln do? He appointed them to his cabinet, making them his closest personal advisors. Many people believe we live in a time of confirmation—that we can select and confirm our beliefs by curating our news and social media—yet I believe our wanting to confirm ideas and worldviews is nothing new. It's a factor of human nature.4 The fact that Lincoln decided to populate his cabinet with people who disagreed with him is a lesson I wish more politicians would absorb. Team of Rivals is a hefty read, but Doris Kearns Goodwin has had a fascinating life and resides, in my view, alongside Ruth-Bader-Ginsburg in the upper echelon of badass 21st century women.
Format: It’s a tome, so Audiobook or eBook hit the nail for me, though the hardcover might make a nice coffee-table decoration
Circe by Madeline Miller (Fiction)
You might recognize this sharp book cover from the airport or local bookstore, but it’s far more than just a pretty book jacket. The story follows a lesser-known witch named Circe, who is the black sheep of her family and has classically been viewed as a fairly ‘evil’ sorceress. Miller, however, saw something more in Circe’s tale. She was not a vindictive, spiteful, entrapping witch, but rather a woman who was unfairly discarded by her family, treated poorly by a cascade of self-righteous men, and overcame all those slights to become extremely capable and cunning. While I’ve always found Greek Mythology captivating, I do recognize that its antiquated language can sometimes be hard to read. Miller has a knack (and a track record) for taking a modern slant on ancient stories, telling them with relatable imagery and language.
Formats: Audiobook — the narrator is wonderful. That said, Miller’s prose is also excellent, so I took a hybrid Audio-eBook approach.
Empire of the Summer Moon by SC Gwynne (Non-fiction)
This book about the Comanche Tribe has gotten a lot of hype over the last few years, especially in male-centric circles. That’s not to say women wouldn’t appreciate it, however there’s something about the way Gwynne points a 4k camera so close to the bloody, egregious, truculent barbarity of the Comanche—Texas Ranger conflict that it seems to draw in more men than women. Turn a temporary blind eye to the barbarity, however, and one is absolutely stunned by the story of the Comanche Indians (there was a point where the tribe commanded a major stake of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and, of course, Texas). Despite their bow and arrows to western muskets and cannons, the Comanche were feared by everyone in town—Spaniards, French, Mexicans, and Americans alike. It’s a story of nightmarish detail, but Gwynne’s searing history was one of the more captivating non-fiction I’ve read.
Format: Paperback or Audiobook — it’s not too big, and nice to be able to refer to the maps and images
A Little History of Philosophy by Nigel Warburton (Non-fiction)
I hadn’t heard about the Little Histories series, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one and am going to pickup another Little History next year. In forty brief chapters Warburton travels from Socrates—who chose to die by hemlock rather than live on without free expression— to the father of capitalism, Adam Smith, to the 20th century’s Peter Singer—who asks some of the most haunting questions of our time. If you are curious for a wide-ranging primer on philosophy, I'd recommend it.
Format: Audiobook — the narrator has a delightful British accent.
This is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan
I’ve never done psychedelics, but it would be a lie if I told you i’m not curious. This book is Pollan’s second writing adventure in the psychoactive-substance space, now honing in on three mind altering, naturally occurring, substances—caffeine, mescaline (the root of LSD), and opium. If you are a coffee drinker, the section on caffeine will cowboy-kick the doors of your mind right open. While I found How To Change Your Mind a more organized and palatable read, its successor is yet another fascinating foray into the space.
Format: Audiobook — Pollan reads it himself and has a wonderful talent for narration, though this hardcover could also make a nice house decoration
A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain
I’m not going to say too much about this short audio-only novella because I’m worried I might ruin the reveal. All I can say is—go into this one without reading a synopsis. When I realized which historical figure this story is about was an awesome moment.
Format: Audiobook — there’s no print version, and the narrator is good.
Beginning our Day by the Abhayagiri Monastery
This book first crossed my radar while living in San Francisco in 2018. It’s a collection of teachings and reflections by the monks of a Buddhist monastery in Mendocino County, California. After discovering teachings from Thich Nhat Hanh and Ajahn Chah (Abhayagiri follows Chah’s teachings closely), I became fond of the Vietnamese and Thai schools of Buddhism. Something about its simplicity, humility, and the way it refuses to take itself too seriously. The most badass thing about this book is that the monastery doesn’t sell copies, but sends them out free to anyone who fills out the form. I carted volume one (there are two) from nightstand to nightstand all summer and came to cherish reading their 2-3 minute reflections each morning.
Format: Paperback — it’s free (though I encourage you to donate) and a gorgeous book.
A Gift of Love by Coretta Scott King
This might be the most electrifying non-fiction book I read this year. It’s a lightly edited collection of sermons and speeches given by Martin Luther King Jr in the years leading up to his assassination. Talk about chills, I’m getting gooseflesh right now just thinking about it. I’m in trite territory when I say it, but the man was as close to a saint as we’ve seen in recent times.
Format: Audiobook — unfortunately the narrator is not King himself, but the narrator captures his essence
Courage: the Joy of Living Dangerously by Osho
This Buddhist teacher has caught some (deserving) slack, but I wanted to find out for myself what he was about. Knowing that he was the ringleader of a sex scandal, it makes sense how much Osho spoke about the dominance of sexuality in mankind’s behaviors. It’s a bit jarring for a buddhist monk—who is supposed to have relinquished sex and romance—to speak so often and passionately on the body’s carnal pleasures, however there were a few moments that got me thinking. He is a strange and troubling figure, but his freudian-level fixation on sex generated some unique ideas.
Format: Rather than buy it, maybe pick this one up from the library :)
The Way of Chuang Tzu by Thomas Merton
I’d heard whispers of Thomas Merton, the famous Christian Mystic, for years but had never explored him first hand. Since this book is a recapitulation of a Chinese Philosopher, it still feels like I haven’t scraped the surface on Merton. However I do think his views implicitly come through here. Regardless, Chuang Tzu belongs alongside Sun Tzu, Lao Tzu, and—sigh—Confucius5 on the rostrum of great Chinese philosophers.
Format: Paperback — it’s a nice listen, but perhaps too short to spend a credit on for Audible
The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
After a bit of pushback, my mother convinced me to read this book. I’m not sure why I felt the resistance, perhaps because the book had been turned into an average rom-com. Boy am I glad I’m less stubborn than younger me, because this book was phenomenal. Set in England in the 1920s, The Painted Veil is narrated by the beautiful, yet love-starved Kitty Fane. Her adulterous affair is discovered by her husband, who then forces her to join him to the heart of a cholera epidemic in Hong Kong. Detached from high-society Britain, and in the midst of a harrowing and chaotic epidemic, Kitty transforms, awakening to a more mindful way of living and loving. Exquisitely written , the Painted Veil is a story about growth, change, and forgiveness.
Format: Paperback — short and sweet
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
For me, this was the year of Cormac McCarthy. I read and meditated on the way his fiction works more than any other novelist. Widely considered his best book, Blood Meridian is a true “epic.” Set in the west (as most of his work is) the book underscores the sheer brutality and violence which coincided with the westward march of America. It’s loosely on historical events around the Mexico-Texas border in the 1850s and follows the story of “The Kid”—a fourteen-year-old Tennesseean who falls into the genocidal world of American Indian extermination. Though a “western” McCarthy does a magnificent job of thwarting traditional Western stereotypes and forging a work of pure brilliance. Though it may be the darkest book you read this year, this one is a masterpiece.
Format: Paperback—McCarthy’s writing is just too good for anything else
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
As a Halloween episode for the podcast, Dan and I decided to re-read Mary Shelley’s seminal novel. Most of you know the book—the scientist whose creation becomes a monster—but it wasn’t until reading as an adult that I realized how hard-hitting and politically shrewd it is. Though only nineteen, Shelley had a strong and bold voice in a time where female writers were not taken seriously. So forceful that, when the novel circulated, writers and commentators alike fired acerbic and diminutive criticisms of the work, threatened by the young female talent. Daughter of a novelist and philosopher, it's no surprise that Shelley's first book is a stupendous discussion of feminism, race, ambition, alienation, motherhood, and more.
Format: Paperback or Audiobook — Print is classic, but the Audio is performed by Dan Stevens
Well that’s that folks—I hope I’ve given you a glance at what I’ve been reading and thinking about lately, and more importantly given you some a book or two to pickup (preferably from your nearest indie bookstore, but better to buy on Amazon than to not read at all). And if you come to love any of these books, don’t forget to gift or recommend it to another reader.
In my early twenties, I committed to a life filled with as many books as possible. It gets harder every year, but that still remains in the top tier of my priorities.
Books are magic. Learning is magic. And my biggest wish for 2023 is that you will treat your mind with the books it deserves.
—Thank you all again for reading, listening to the podcast, and for your support. As always reach out if there’s anything you need or for anything that I can be helpful.
Ciao for now ✌️
Jeremy
And extremely fun
An absolutely stupendous film if you haven’t seen it
And you all know I’m a bit of a Lincoln nerd
The need for confirmation reminds me of Daniel Kahneman’s System 1 thinking. Thinking Fast and Slow is another incredible book I will likely re-read in 2023.
I sigh because Confucianism can be extremely problematic, especially in the way it has run wild in modern China