Austin Whitehead

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne. The cozy fantasy genre has been like a warm blanket to me over the past couple years. No story too cheesy and no bookshop too quaint. Just an escape to a far off world where powerful people just want to run a quiet shop and be good neighbors.

Evicted by Matthew Desmond. This book was heavy, so heavy that I could only read a chapter at a time. It's also important, expertly written, and will sit with me for a long time. I wish the epilogue was an entire other book of solutions and i wish we lived in a less cruel world.

Palace for the People by Eric Klinenberg. This has been a great balance of optimism and I've savored every page as I've read it, aptly, in parks and in libraries and on transit. Give people places to come together. It's as important now as it ever was.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. I knew it was going in, but this book is heavy. many climate dystopia books actually feel quasi-eutopian (i.e. imagining survival) and i guess i could make that argument here, but it feels like a world thats too close & a hope thats too dim

The City We Became by N.K. Jemison. I've been told this is a strange introduction to Jemison, but I enjoyed this book. It felt a little like a marvel movie for nerdy woke urbanists. Over-the-top? Yep. Cheesy at times? Extra. Fun to read? An absolute blast.

The idea of modern day city gods is 🤌

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. Another kuang book that captivated me. God the second half of this book is dark and graphic though. And knowing that the genocidal descriptions are based on historic events made them that much tougher to read. I'll read the rest of this series but need a second.

How to Blow Up a Pipeline by Andreas Malm. An exploration of the ethics of property sabotage as advocacy that felt like an appropriate read for the 50th anniversary of the monkey wrench gang. Enjoyable and quick read for a heavy topic. Related substack: open.substack.com/pub/landdesk...

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. The Chapel Hill setting sucked me in quick, but this was an engrossing read and people without a NC connection would still enjoy it. UNC always had a magical feel and Deonn makes it come alive in a really compelling and intuitive way. Can't wait to read more of the series

Assata by Assata Shakur. Reading about 20th century resistance has been grounding for me. The problems we face in today's era are huge, but I think they're less unique than we often pretend they are. Couldn't help but think about the parallels with cop city activists labeled as terrorists.

Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind by Molly Mcghee. The kind of world that gives you a pit in your stomach. I could not put it down. May capitalism never come for our literal dreams.

City of Quartz by Mike Davis. This felt so relevant today and gave context to LA and western cities. Parts are dry and dense af and parts are all-time 🤯 prose. The scope is crazy broad and yet very specific. People will start talking to you if they see you read this - sparked good stranger convos.

The Vacationers by Emma Straub. This book was fine. Peak beach read enjoyable for killing time on a plane/on vacay. The book equivalent of a tv show you'd have on while doing something else.

Acts of Service by Lillian Fishman. A more explicit and marginally more queer Sally Rooney with shittier characters. It was a quick read and had some moments of great prose, but I didn't love the book. All 3 characters were shortchanged and lacked some depth. I don't regret reading it though.

Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico. A cautionary tale of moving through life strictly as consumers of and/or merchants of culture. The vignettes are beautiful and detailed and familiar and unsettling.

Coyote America by Dan Flores. A broad history of Coyote the symbol and animal that was super fun to read. It feels like coyote's story, one of persistence and adaptation through persecution and drastic change, is a relevant story for us today.

I just got word that this federal transportation grant was terminated today, despite us removing the word "climate" from the title. The moral of the story? Obeying orders doesn't keep you safe with this administration.

The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin. Been wanting to read her but didnt knownwhere to start. Came across this in a used bookstore in nyc. Quick stories, several memorable enough to stay w me for a while. A cool sampling of the breadth of her work and makes me want to read more Le Guin

Another spring week in slc

Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. I wanted this book to be 2x as long and offer a much more nuanced take than it did. I am pro-"abundance" and an ezra klein fan, but this book doesn't give the context needed to have productive conversations around how to make gov work better for ALL of us.

There are artists that i like listening to, but are so good live I'll never miss a live show:
@remiwolf.music-social.com.ap.brid.gy (@ the union tonight)
Devendra Banhart
Daisy the Great
Caroline Rose (7/12 @ kilby)
Liz Cooper
to name a few.

Totally forgot that when the pollution is from other states it isnt bad for you /s

Delusions + Grandeur by Mark Sundeen. Delusion/Grandeur is a great way to connect these stories. All of us "dreamers in the new west" are delusional to a point. And all aspiring to grandness or inspired by grandness or just existing in it. Mark shows both sides for all of his subjects and himself.

Pageboy by Elliot Page. I'm not a big celebrity memoir person, but this book was fantastic. Always nice to learn that someone you held up on such a pedestal as a teen is as cool as they seem: an icon of our generation.

Can't imagine a better day in nyc than biking around and listening to 99% invisible's power broker breakdown 99percentinvisible.org/club/

When you really think about it, the Williamsburg bridge is like parleys trail bridge of nyc (protected path next to transit, east/west connections, crazy entry/exits)

Weekend in nyc

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang. The 2nd of Kuang's book that I just could not put down. Kuang can write across genres so well, I kept waiting for the book to slip into magical realism. June is such a perfectly hateable character she feels like she should've had a chapter in Tulathimutte's Rejection.

Two in the Far North by Margaret E. Murie. I have been slowly reading this book forever. It's full of slow beautiful nature prose. I especially enjoyed the 1st chapters about growing up in and exploring Alaska in the early 20th century. Started on kindle but couldn't resist buying this copy on ebay

Some fav stickers spotted around recently

Some happy snapshots from a week in SLC: Turn out against state overreach on our city streets on sb195, free intro to sewing class at @slcpl.bsky.social, low rider bike show, and a sunset from memory grove.