Friday's Five ✋ #430
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
Happy Friday! ☀️
Hello from a slow slow week at home in Vienna. Loved the quiet and slow routines of this week: long breakfasts and play time as a family, then a walk, a good workout, some cooking followed by slow night listening to audiobooks. I am finding out about myself that I seem to have cracked the audiobook nut. For many years I could not focus on audiobooks. I either fell asleep or my thoughts veered off. Since two weeks, audiobooks have (temporarily) replaced podcasts and tv series at night.
What I’m reading 📖
On the lookout for new books, I checked the shortlist and winner of this year’s Booker Prize. In the past I’ve had good reading experiences following the winner of the award so I gave David Szalay’s prize-winning novel Flesh a go. And oh wow, what a reading (in this case: listening) experience this was. At first, I was surprised and slightly confused by the bone-dry and emotionless way the main character speaks. Then I got frustrated about it and about half-way into the story, he won me over. I guess the most-written sentence in this book is ““Ok.”–he said.” More about the book.
What I’m listening to 🎧
In 2003, I visited New York with two friends. We roamed the city, checked out stores, and were handed the first issue of a new magazine. That magazine was called Vice. In the magazine, they mentioned that Vice also runs a store or a pop-up stores somewhere in the city. We ventured there to check it out. Coming into the store, there was an outlet with vinyl records of just one band: The Stills. If I recall correctly, Vice also released this album and it was their first (and only?) release. I listened to it in the store on headphone and immediately fell in love at the first beat. The opening track Lola Stars and Stripes is still a big song for me. I even play the beat and intro in my head as a way to fall asleep. Check it out:
What I’m watching 📺
HBO is coming out with the third installation of the Game of Thrones franchise. After House of Dragons and Game of Thrones, on Sunday the season premiere of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms goes online. From what I am reading, this series will be more stripped down and human. Watch the trailer.
What I’m thinking about 🧠
“In a world filled with noise, how do we listen to the truth within us?” – from Flesh by David Szalay
What else?! 💯
This week I showed my daughter my record player. We had it hidden in a corner during her time as a baby and this week, it received a prominent place in our living room and we spent all week listening to records in the mornings and afternoons. I love watching her face when she is mesmerised by the needle hitting the vinyl, the record rotating, and the music playing.
Thanks for reading, have a great weekend!
David
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love this image of your daughter!