Luke > Recent Status Updates

This chapter was the best part of the book so far. It almost read like a self contained short story on its own. The case seemed to be progressing (even though I know it’s not going to be solved, crazy how riveting it still is) only for Bucky to end up causing some very fucked up shit to happen. I really need to lock in and read this more consistently, it’s a fantastic book.

It’s been a little while since I sat down and really read, so I’m having some trouble remembering who all of the side characters are, but otherwise this book is awesome. So dark and seedy but riveting. I’m so tempted to google the real details of the case but I don’t know how much Ellroy took from history and how much he made up, so I can’t risk ruining it for myself.

I don’t understand why anybody ever wants to become a cop. Especially in 1940s Los Angeles. It’s hard enough reading a book about the depraved shit these detectives have to witness, why would anybody ever willfully sign up for it? ACAB btw

So glad I didn’t live in 1940s Los Angeles. Everyone was such an asshole back then, not just the cops. The details of the infamous titular murder are laid out in gruesome, meticulous detail, but I’m much more interested in the two main characters than I am in the case

This book is awesome. Bucky and Blanchard are such interesting characters, and the 1940s L.A. setting is so darkly immersive

Some of the hard boiled language takes me a bit to decipher, but otherwise this has the makings of a book that I can really get lost in. It also just feels great to start something new

I’m so close to the end, I never thought I’d get this far

This shit is so good, my brain is so bad

I WILL finish this book before August ends. It’s been months. I only have like 100 pages left. When I started it, the Knicks weren’t even nba champions yet

On page 462, I finally learned why the series is called Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn

I’m starting to see why people call a song of ice and fire a rip off of this series

Feels so good to finally be back in the reading mindset. This book is so fucking good and I’m mad that I’ve ignored it for so long. Unfortunately I am going away tomorrow for a few days so my brain may immediately reset again and I may fall out of reading mode. But hopefully that doesn’t happen!

Holy shit I haven’t read anything in 3.7 trillion years. I almost forgot how. Idk what’s up with my brain. But I’m gonna finish this and I’m gonna finish the other two books I’m reading.

TWO MORE WINS! LETS GO KNICKS! This chapter was amazing, it was all about Earl Monroe and his trade request from the Baltimore Bullets to the Knicks. It talks a lot about the sacrifices he had to make to play in New York, and how even though he helped to win a championship in 73, it might not have been the right move for his career and his legacy.

Later today, the New York Knicks are playing in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. I never thought I’d see the day where I got to utter those words. I feel so confident that they’re going to win. I see so much of this current team in the pages of this book, so many similarities with the 70s teams that brought 2 titles to the city. In Brunson we trust, Amelo 🙏

This chapter was mainly about Game 7 of the ‘70 Finals, when Willis Reed famously walked out of the tunnel, but Araton also included a number of anecdotes from notable fans and media members who where in the building, like Spike Lee and Marv Albert. Araton also mentions how he, like myself, grew up in West Brighton. He also talks a lot about the politics of the time, and how the Knicks helped the city heal.

This chapter was mainly about the first few games of the 1970 NBA finals, including the historic and dramatic game 5, which I had never really heard much about before. The captain, and league MVP Willis Reed went down with an injury, and then the rest of the Knicks basically invented “small ball” to neutralize Wilt Chamberlain, and they won a thrilling comeback in front of a lively Garden crowd.

This chapter was mainly about the celebrity fans that went to the garden, and the Knicks fervor that united the city as the team marched their way to a championship. It reminds me a lot of how it feels now on this magical playoff run. I’ve got goosebumps. Also, Araton interviewed Woody Allen for this, that definitely hasn’t aged well. Glad that freak isn’t going to games anymore.

This chapter was mainly about Dick Barnett, the oft-overlooked starting guard on the 1970 championship team. This book is almost 15 years old, so at the time Araton was questioning why a player as accomplished as Barnett was not in the hall of fame. But he was finally inducted a few years ago, and I remember Clyde Frazier breaking the news in the middle of a Knicks broadcast right before it was made public.

The first section of the book talks about the origins of the key players on the ‘70 Knicks, and I’ve already learned so much about Clyde, Willis, and the rest. Araton is frequently present in the stories and he fills each page with so much information. He also talks a lot about the political environment of the late 60s and its impact on the NBA, which I find fascinating, especially compared to the modern day.

I have to quickly put the other books I’m reading on a mini hiatus, because the Knicks are going to the NBA finals for the first time since I was 2.5 years old, and it’s all I can think about, so I decided to start reading this. It’s about the 70s Knicks, the only period in which the franchise ever won it all (hopefully that changes in the next couple weeks), and the first two chapters were great. Go Knicks!!!

Read a full chapter for the first time in weeks. This book is so good. Let’s go Knicks.

Now that I have a full week before the next Knicks game, I think it’s finally time to get my brain into reading mode again. Especially because this book is so good that every time I read a few pages I think to myself “damn, I wish I was still reading as frequently as I was back in February and March”. The goal is to finish this by the end of the month (I will fail this goal).

I’m not giving up on my other book and will probably keep reading that one more frequently, but I needed to start this to help my Reader’s Block. Rob Cesternino is my favorite survivor player of all time and I have loved his podcast for so many years, so I was very excited when I heard he wrote a book. It’s a shame I couldn’t meet him and get it signed, but I’m enjoying it a lot so far.

The human brain is an enigma. Like a month ago, reading 20 pages felt like such a small, quick task. Now, it feels much more arduous and like it takes twice as long. This book rocks btw.

Slowly getting back to my quicker reading pace. This book is getting so goddamn good, and the story just keeps building all of these different layers. Williams reintroduces characters from earlier that I completely forgot about but they’re clearly very important, and the world is so expansive that I’m still having a little trouble keeping track of all the geography and sub-cultures. I am excited to read more.

I can feel my brain finally starting to normalize and get back in the reading mood again. In this chapter Simon (the protagonist) met a Funny Little Guy in the woods, so I know that means it’s about to get even better. Hopefully I return to my pre-Boston reading pace soon, but sleeping earlier definitely makes that tough.

So I have barely been reading ever since I got back from my trip to Boston, but I gotta get back in the reading mindset cause this book is getting so damn good. I hate his my brain just decides to do this sometimes. I need to lock in.

This is slowly but surely building up to something. Or to many things. It seems like Tad (what a cool name Tad is) is planting the seeds of a million different threads and I can’t wait to see where they all lead. A lot of places I haven’t got the hang of and names I don’t know how to pronounce, but I’m having a great time.

I’ve wanted to read this fantasy series for a few years, so I figured now was the time to get into it after I finished my Tolkien deep dive. Apparently these books were a big inspiration on George R.R. Martin’s song of ice and fire, and I know very little about the story. It starts at a slow pace, which I expected and don’t mind, and the world and characters have been set up very well. I’m excited to read on