Some faves:
They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib. He's one of my absolute favorite writers. I'm listening to his new book, There's Always This Year, and I swear he just gets better.
I also liked The Pink Line: The World's Queer Frontiers by Mark Gevisser. Though I think it gets into a little appropriation from the author towards the end, it was an incredibly eye-opening book for me about the rich world of queerness and gender beyond the Western binary around the world.
Trouble Boys by Bob Mehr is THE account of The Replacements, and Mehr pulls no punches with recounting the band members' lowest points, even as it's clear how much he admires their artistry.
Feb 20, 2025
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ok I love nonfiction (love to learn) some of my favorites are:
- anything by mary roach — she writes books on different niche science fields & her books are so informative in an approachable way that doesn't feel condescending and her books are just so fun! and interesting! I don’t think I can pick a favorite
- marilyn johnson — she writes books about different careers, my favorite of hers is dead beat (about obituary writers) but I also love this book is overdue! (about librarians)
- mediocre by ijeoma oluo — looks at the historical patterns of white men grasping onto their power in american culture ,, truly incredible read
- white trash by nancy isenberg — this one is DENSE but it looks at the history of white poor people and pulls back the curtain of classism in america and how it ties into racism, sexism, etc etc,, if you wanted more reasons to hate any historical american heroes this one is for you !
- odd girls and twilight lovers by lillian faderman — lillian faderman is an incredible lesbian historian and this book is such a beautiful humanizing ode to lesbian history in the US with a lot of interviews of older queer women and it holds suuuch an important place in my heart
Jan 22, 2025
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i almost entirely read nonfiction! i have a few recs about them:
- a bunch on mostly US politics/history https://www.pi.fyi/rec/clxjclnab003q13919c2lwuku
- 5 nonfic books that “changed my perspective” https://www.pi.fyi/rec/clxih10h806h7c4qr5c3u9zwm
- other nonfiction books i have recommended on here: A Decolonial Feminism; Let This Radicalize You
Jul 5, 2024
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memoirs:
finding me - viola davis - she's truly had such an interesting life
wild - cheryl strayed - memoir about a women walking the pct and all about her crazy life that lef her to that point
crying in h mart - michelle zauner - about a musician coping with her mother's death
educated - tara westover - about a woman who grows up in fundamentalist mormon family
i'm glad my mom died - jennette mccurdy - about her childhood as an actor and her relationship w/ her mother
the glass castle - jeanette walls
the anthropocene reviewed - john green - he reviews aspects of human life and shares parts of his own very interesting life
just kids - patti smith - about her life as a musician in nyc
kitchen confidential - anthony bourdain
down the drain - julia fox
engaging non fiction;
- seconding the patrick radden keefe rec below - also his books empire of pain and the snakehead
- cultish - amanda montell - about the language that cults use
- so you've been publicly shamed - jon ronson
- slouching towards bethlehem - joan didion - sharply written essays mostly about 60s culture
books on art:
- ways of seeing - john berger
- funny weather: art in crisis - olivia laing
- notes on 'camp' - susan sontag
- the art thief - micharl finkel
books on food:
- small fires: an epic in the kitchen - rebecca may johnson
- chop suey nation - ann hui
- eating animals - jonathan safran foer
Nov 13, 2024
Top Recs from @StarlightGoose
Watching this video from Mina Le about the current state of social media, and I have to say, I've really been feeling a lot of nostalgia for the era of social media from 2010-2019 or so. It seemed like a totally different world. I think it's one of the reasons I found myself attracted to Pi.FYI--it reminded me of this now-halcyon era of the internet when it felt more like a cloud of folks sharing what they loved and kind of blogdumping, before the rise of rage-fueled algorithms and the consolidation of major social media outlets into the hands of 2-3 companies.
Feb 20, 2025
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I used to be a huge reader as a kid. I'd devour book after book, carting home a whole tote bag of books from the library well into high school. Then comes the part many of my peers have related to: you get older, you go to school, you start working. You only read for school, which makes reading not fun, and then you get a job, or maybe you're doing both, and the last thing you want to do is use your brain after a long day. Then ohp! Now you're living on your own, and there's all this housework, and who has time to sit down with a book when you're running around all day. Besides, why read a book when you can doomscroll? That's reading, right? Add a few dopamine-inducing algorithm factories to your routine, and next thing you know, it's been years since you finished an actual book.
But last year, I downloaded Kindle Unlimited to access a book I'd heard good things about....and was surprised at how easy it was to get through a book. There were so many recommendations. Then I realized that, for example, when I was in the waiting room or had 15 minutes to spare, instead of logging into Instagram, I could just....tap a different app and read a chapter or two of a book.
In 2024, I read 24 books. That's more than I have in literal years!
I've fallen in love with romance novels, and signed up for a service that lets me know when there's good deals on some of my other favorite genres. It's taken a while for my reading muscle to recover, but I've moved on to meatier nonfiction titles, as well.
Now, I will be clear that I do not like Amazon, and do my best to divest myself from it when possible. But the way I see it, for now, what e-books have done for helping me rediscover my love of reading adds a lot to my life. And I figure that if it helps me get through more justice-oriented, anti-capitalist literature, then I'm using the system to work against it. ;)
I'm just so glad I've found a way back into reading again!
Jan 29, 2025
Fun and frisky cover for when you want The Smiths but want to avoid Morrissey <3
Feb 20, 2025