Phil > Recent Status Updates

Always love a good pop culture book, especially about favorite bands. Hope this one doesn’t disappoint!

Picked up a copy that jumped into my hands after visiting a great bookstore today. Won’t read it straight through as it offers too much thought to digest quicky, but plan to savor the menu of offerings over the coming months.

So college basketball season is back and I often like to read topically. Also, I’m trying to clear old books off the home shelf in a never ending effort at clutter reduction. Plus this game was epic and I can remember exactly where I was and who was with me when it played out. Good times!

Please. Don’t. Judge. Captivated the other day by two fave pop culture icons - Stephen Colbert & Robert Plant - slip into youthful, joyful discussion over a shared love for J.R.R. Tolkien & thought, “Hmm, I remember slogging through his books as a teen trying to keep up with my peers…” and so, here I am at 58, loving a return to an innocent mind rereading (listening to) & loving a global classic. Wow...who knew?!

This is a really good mystery novel!

26 hours in this audiobook….

Time to reread (or rereread?) a classic.

I, unapologetically, cannot resist memoirs from music Gods.

This book is really good.

Banged out of half this one on a scheduled four hour direct flight yesterday to Boston that morphed into an 8 hour slog as we were diverted to Charlotte for a personnel change before continuing on. Fortunately I had this wildly entertaining book to keep my travel frustration level at a minimum. Author is quite the raconteur & dishes some sweet tea about growing up under the shadow of his gay father, Dominick Dunne.

US Open accompaniment.

Very interesting but very lengthy & info packed historical overview of the growth of Christianity from the centuries before Jesus up into the current day. But I’m only 1/3 of the way through & need a break. Reads like a university 101 history textbook Recommend approaching it in chunks rather fhan trying to bang it out in a few days.

My abbreviated version would simply read “Don’t be a jerk.”

Going into this one thinking it will offer an insightful counter balance to the Oppenheimer mania of the day

Halfway through and scant mention of the titular Vermeer theft. Is this book some sort of wind up? Imagine if Jaws still had no shark appearances at the halfway point….

Wow….this one is wild and dishes Hollywood dirt like an oversized dump truck. I can’t read it fast enough.

Headed to Savannah next week so….

Good one! Finally around to reading it after steady run of audiobooks…

Beach reading mode unlocked…

Need to read this one to remain "au courant" in Austin social circle conversations....

Need a break from 19th century books & this new release look to be in my wheelhouse as I do enjoy stories about regular people & try my best to shut off any internal monologue when spoken to and actively listen. Even if the commentary coming my way is ridiculous I usually indulge the speaker anyway as a contribution of goodwill to others in a world where screaming with ears closed has become normalized behavior.

Needing a break from the 19th century and this one looks to be in my wheelhouse as I do enjoy stories about regular people and try my best to shut off any internal monologue as they talk in order to actively listen. Even if I think their commentary is ridiculous I usually indulge them anyway as a contribution of goodwill to others in a world where screaming with ears closed has become normalized behavior.

Needing a break from the 19th century and this one looks to be in my wheelhouse as I do enjoy stories about regular people and actually enjoy listening to people. Even if I think their commentary is ridiculous I indulge them anyway and consider it a contribution of good will to others in a world where screaming with ears closed has become normalized behavior.

Sticking with the 19th century, but moving across the Channel. Recently watched a movie adaption and loved it, so doubling down now on the enjoyment by reading the book.

Lengthy, but excellent.

Once you get sucked into 19th century French novels it’s surprisingly hard to change lanes...

Still stuck in the French 19th century....