A Book, An Album, A Thought
Edition Number One
Welcome to a new series!
Each month, I’ll be sharing a recommendation for one book, one album and share one thought. Each section is short and sweet, hoping to pique your interest.
Book: Prophet Song
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch absolutely wrecked me. It tells the story of a mother fighting to keep her family together as Dublin falls under an authoritarian regime and into civil war. It’s fiction, but also it isn’t.
The writing is a gripping stream of consciousness story that envelops, quickly and completely.
I read it in 2023 and it felt like a warning. I couldn’t put it down.
I recently read it again and it felt like a scream. I could barely summon the courage for the final chapters again. It’s that gripping.
Album: Improvement Movement
I keep coming back to Slump by Improvement Movement. Every song is catchy on the surface, with an undercurrent of complicated composition that rewards repeated listeners. Just when you think you know where a song is headed, it pivots. Right when you settle there, it comes back to the theme. The lyrics are all heartfelt and harmonized beautifully. I can’t get enough.
I recommend the deluxe version here because there’s a second set of live versions of everything, just in case you doubted how talented these dudes from Atlanta are. Yes, they can do it live.
Thought: Dumb Phones in the Zeitgeist
Continuing with my thoughts about logging off, there seems to be something brewing about embracing dumb phones again. Where does that balance fit into a modern world? Is it just nostalgia for a simpler time?
I’ve loved reading Dan Sheenan’s Dumb Phone Diaries and this Substack Post about finding balance by letting your phone die. I’m still wrestling with phone addiction myself, though I’ve found more time for books and music lately.
I think deleting addictive apps from your phone and moving back to intentional time on the computer strikes a decent balance. It’s somehow socially acceptable to stare at our phones but a computer somehow breaks that spell for me.
If any of these resonate with you, let me know! I’d love to hear suggestions of books and albums from you too.
I will definitely read this book. I’m currently reading The Small but Mighty. Highly recommend if you haven’t read it. It is about the suffrage movement and definitely a great read.
Well done, my son. I’ve read several good books while in FL this winter. I highly recommend, “All The Colors of the Dark,” by Chris Whitaker. It’s a missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each. It’s about what lurks in the shadows of obsession and the blinding light of hope. Great characters and vivid writing.