Best of 2024 (so far)

Photos

Books

  • Rebecca Makkai, I Have Some Questions for You: A Novel, 2023 (Set in a prestigious boarding school, the narrator, a former student turned podcast host, leads us through a masterfully constructed literary thriller. This thought-provoking exploration of the past's grip on the present intricately weaves themes of memory, identity, and justice into a compelling narrative.)

  • Peter Attia, Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, 2023 (For the super health conscious, well-known physician’s meticulously researched blueprint for extending both lifespan and healthspan through a synthesis of diet, exercise, and medical testing. Summary: eat less, sleep, exercise, meditate, get tested, and learn to read your test results.)

  • David McCloskey, Damascus Station, 2021 (Set in Damascus and penned by former CIA analyst David McCloskey, 'Damascus Station' follows CIA operative Sam Joseph as he goes deep undercover, navigating a labyrinth of lies and treachery in an attempt to undermine the Syrian regime. This gripping and suspenseful novel unravels amid the shadowy alleys and whispered conspiracies of a nation teetering on the edge.) Recommended

  • David McCloskey, Mascow X, 2023 (This taut thriller shadows CIA operative Sam Joseph as he penetrates the enigmatic world of Moscow, tangled in a high-stakes game of deceit and betrayal. As tensions rise, Joseph races against time, maneuvering through a deadly maze of intrigue that could reshape global alliances.)’

  • James Comey, Westport, 2024 (Nora Carleton, now general counsel at a hedge fund (loosely based on Bridgewater), becomes the prime suspect in her colleague's murder, compelling her to uncover the true perpetrator to clear her name.)

  • John Jeremiah Sullivan, Pulphead, 2011 (A collection of essays that blends cultural criticism with personal narrative, exploring American life through topics like music, literature, and history. Sullivan's writing is insightful and engaging, offering sharp observations on contemporary culture while drawing from his own experiences.) Recommended

Movies

Series

Music

Video Channels and Videos

Articles

  • Peter Schjeldahl, “The Art of Dying,” The New Yorker, December 16, 2019 (This poignant and reflective essay by renowned art critic Peter Schjeldahl offers a candid meditation on life, art, and mortality as he faces a terminal cancer diagnosis, weaving personal anecdotes with profound insights on the human experience.) Recommended 

  • Jon Baskin, "Conversion Experience: Terrence Malick’s 'To The Wonder'," The Las Angeles Review of Books, May 12, 2013 (“Malick’s films are lessons not only in what is knowable about human beings, but also in what is unknowable — we might say, what is wondrous — about them… As usual, Malick has presented us less with characters than with types... Neil is, in the words of the local priest, “the man who hesitates, who does nothing, who buries his talent in the earth...” He is not unlike us — watching and waiting dumbly in the dark… Such figures are generally men, alternately skeptical or idealistic, capable of being moved by love but not of sacrificing their fantasies of social acclaim for it… In conspicuous contrast to the never-ending movement of the female characters who orbit him, his most characteristic action is to stand and stare, as if watching the film of his own life… It is eerie, and sometimes frustrating, to observe him. Yet he represents, as Richard Brody has rightly noted, the American or Protestant spirit — what Max Weber described as the “spirit of capitalism” — pared down and stripped to its essentials. As he lumbers through Paris with Marina, we can see a muffled happiness in him, but it is a happiness never free from the worry of what such happiness may cost.”)

  • Andrea Peterson, “Dear Men, You’re Eating Too Much Meat American,” Wall Street Journal, September 08, 2024.  (American men are consuming about 40 ounces of meat, poultry, and eggs per week, or roughly 5.7 ounces per day, exceeding the recommended 28 to 33 ounces per week (4 to 4.7 ounces per day). This equates to men eating about 23 ounces of red and processed meat weekly, compared to the suggested limit. In practical terms, experts recommend limiting red meat intake to about one hamburger (4 ounces) a week or one 12-ounce steak a month. Opting for unprocessed meats over processed options can help reduce health risks like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.)

  • Robert P. George, “Princeton Professor’s Advice to Young Conservatives, The New York Times, September 22, 2024 (“Grievance identitarianism — be it of the left or the right — impedes the very thing a student is attending university to do: namely, think and learn….If most people on campus are saying pretty much the same thing about, say, marriage and sexuality, Ukraine, the Middle East, the economy, crime policy and policing or anything else, then whether you are conservative or progressive, you should be asking: What is to be said on the other side? After all, one doesn’t learn to think critically and evaluate ideas if one is awash in familiar and comforting perspectives. It is only by allowing one’s self to be challenged that one learns to be discerning.”)

  • Katie Roiph, “Why Is Everyone ‘Sober-ish’ All of a Sudden?,” The Wall Street Journal, November 21, 2024 (The rise of the "sober-ish" lifestyle reflects a growing trend of people moderating their alcohol consumption in response to health warnings and a desire for clarity and well-being. While this shift has curtailed long, boozy nights and introduced new social etiquette, it has also led to more intentional drinking and, at times, surprisingly fulfilling interactions.)

Twitter

Websites

  • https://timeline.lerandom.art/

  • https://www.reddit.com/r/copypasta/ (Example: “The name "Grapefruit" is unacceptable… Grape is already a fruit. Grapefruits taste nothing like grapes, and even if they did, it's completely stupid and unnecessarily confusing to name a fruit after another fruit and think it'll be fine to distinguish between them by just adding "fruit" to the end.... Doesn't change anything, it's still completely stupid... Just make an original word for christ sake. Also fuck ‘eggplant.’”)