Welcome to the first installment of Largehearted Boy’s newsletter.
2022 has been a trainwreck. Roe vs. Wade overturned. A pandemic that never ends. Federal student loan aid in limbo. Inflation. Thankfully, the arts continue to thrive in the face of it all, and this year’s books and music have both entertained and informed a world in need of something beautiful.
What are your favorite books & albums of the year so far? Movies? Television? Theater? Cheese? Beer? Feel free to leave a comment!
When I’m not writing, music fills my ears and/or my mind. Below are my six favorite albums of the year so far, in alphabetical order by artist.
The songs on Aldous Harding’s Warm Chris album are spare, vulnerable, and unforgettably beautiful.
Angel Olsen’s Big Time is her most vulnerable album yet, its themes of love and loss ring out with honest clarity on every song.
Cola’s Deep In View is post-punk at 2022’s best, brought to you by former Ought members Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy.
My favorite album of the year so far, Horsegirl’s Versions of Modern Performance wears the band’s influences on its sleeves, but the band is growing artistically and musically with every new song.
Jeanines’ new album Don't Wait For A Sign sounds a bit like the Vivian Girls with the vocals more up in the mix and less distortion. So good.
At once both new and nostalgic, Mommas’ Household Name is the band’s most personal album yet.
I have read many, many books this year. Novels, poetry collections, essay collections, memoirs, cookbooks… So far, 2022 has been the year of the short story collection for me.
Below are my six favorite books of the year so far, listed alphabetically by title:
Kelsey Ronan's novel Chevy in the Hole is a stunning debut, a thought-provoking invocation of community, family, and love.
Elaine Hsieh Chou's Disorientation is an innovative campus novel, funny and incisive, and one of the best books of the year.
Rebecca Van Laer's inventive and engaging novella How to Adjust to the Dark is one of my favorite books of the year.
Morgan Talty's collection Night of the Living Rez features empathetic and unforgettable stories about Native American life. Filled with skillfully drawn portraits of individuals, friendships, love, family, and community, this is easily my favorite book of the year.
Jonathan Escoffery’s If I Survive You is a masterfully crafted collection of linked stories that explore themes of identity, race, and class delicately yet powerfully.
Sara Baume grounds her fiction in nature as well as anyone writing today. Her novel Seven Steeples is subtle, lush, and unique, one of the year's best books.
Links from the Ledger:
Will a global paper shortage affect U.S. elections this year?
Leslie Finn on the suppressed legacy of L7 and Babes in Toyland.
T-Bone Burnett’s CD-Vinyl hybrid for ultimate sound fidelity.
Have you played Spotify’s Heardle?
“Is Fernando A. Flores the Gabriel García Márquez of the Texas Borderlands? Or the Kurt Vonnegut?” Texas Monthly interviewed the author
“A lot of my feminist rage was born when I read The Bell Jar” - Tahmima Anam on books and reading
An excerpt from Monique Roffey’s novel The Mermaid of Black Conch (and her playlist for the book)