Hey Nick --- What a great start to the day. I feel the same way about books, e-books, and audiobooks as you described. I started reading "Project Hail Mary" earlier this year, but had borrowed a digital copy from my library and just kept getting distracted. I'll check out the audiobook, because that's how I enjoyed The Martian and expect to find the same enjoyment with this piece. Thanks for the suggestion!
Audiobooks are fun because they allow me to multitask a bit, listening while I knit, garden, paint, sweep, wash dishes, etc. I find my mind wandering at times, regardless of the format, thinking about all the other "tasks" I "should" be completing instead of making my way through a good book. And I also agree with your sentiment about paper books --- there's something magical about holding the thoughts and words of the author in your hand, flipping through the chapters, dogearing pages that resonate. Something tangible, holding thoughts that are intangible. Magic.
My dream outside of healthcare is to open my own shop, a book/coffee/snack shop, thrift/consignment, I don't know yet. I just like the idea of a well-curated selection of books, highlighting local voices and makers, but also stories that resonate with me as an earthling. And somehow weaving in support and collaboration with folks in the community (support groups, lending closets, healthcare navigation and Q&A). A gathering place, to nurture our spirits, and lift up hard working humans to help folks see that we're all in this together. I see so many needs, it's hard to narrow it down and focus my energy on something feasible.
Leading to my question: Could you share what you learned in the process of opening Offerman Woodshop or Would Works? Any suggestions for aspiring people with or without means to open a business? I have ZERO business know-how, but am interested in learning as I look 5 years into the future.
Thank you for these entertaining posts! I like how you mentioned "preposition", I'll be sure not to end a sentence with it.
Hi Nick! This is Maren, in Frankfurt. What a wonderful recording. (It also a beautiful image of you and your beloved, by the way, doing puzzles and listening to audio books. Awwwww.) Any-hoo: It looks like the narrator of "Hail Mary" is Ray Porter, and he seems to have narrated a long list of audio books. (It would be great if he hears your shout out! What a compliment.) I never thought about listening to audio books based on the narrator, but that may be a great approach to discovering new works.
A good narrator makes the audiobook! I'm torn between listening to a great performer, and hearing the author read their own writing. Depends on the book --- like I prefer an autobiography or non-fiction in the voice of the writer, but fiction I like better with an entertaining or well-spoken narrator. So many options!!
A favorite that I was absolutely moved by was Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass" --- her passion for the care of our planet SINGS in the reading of her book. So beautiful, bittersweet, and magical.
That book has been on my to-read list for much too long. I must get to it - and hear the audio version. What a wonderful recommendation, Jessie! Thank you for sharing that.
It's time!! I picked up/put down the book itself so many times, but the audiobook just CAPTURED me. I could hear the passion in her voice, and her concern for our unsustainable modern ways of life.
It’s Ricky from Easthampton, Massachusetts catching up on substacks here in my own time zone of Wednesday. I’m not sure if you go back and read comments on previous posts but I’ll just comment on this and ask my same question, which pertains to the lifestyle I’ve chosen to live.
I always read a lot but gave it up when it put me to sleep. Fast forward to the pandemic and my former job that gave me lots of downtime in which to read again. Paper books! I did, however fall for audiobooks due to Sarah Vowel’s voice, so I listened to Assassination Vacation. That led to a few others. I did listen to, and read along, at the same time, Rickie Lee Jones’. Last Chance Texaco and found that the audiobook contained things the physical book could not. She sang and extrapolated in the audio version and that made it quite interesting. Currently I’m reading Brother Johnson, mostly because I was lucky enough to have his sister, Mrs.Anderson, who penned the book, as a client in the aforementioned job.
My question, which is how I have chosen to life my life from here on out since being fired and retired, is: Have you ever considered ditching it all and becoming a full time nomad?
Love to you and Megan,
Ricky
PS a previous comment mentioned joy at seeing you and Megan together. I wondered if that was she in the window.
What's your favorite Cloud Cult song? Grant from Northbrook, IL
I unfortunately don't read nearly as much as I would like, but I did cut through all 3 of the Andy Weir books during a recent vacation. The Martian was very, very good, I would consider Artemis a solid sophomore effort and still very enjoyable, but Project Hail Mary is just a complete masterpiece.
I completely agree that audio book vs written word is just two completely different worlds. But on the subject of paper vs electric... I have a habit that has become something of a running joke between my wife and I. Every time we go on a vacation or a trip, I pack a physical book, with ever intention to saver it. These are often either large omnibuses (like the complete works of Jules Verne, or the Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) or something completely nerdy, technical, and still quite large (like The Gorgeon Brothers on Boat Construction, The Art of Computer Programming, or Skills for Taming The Wild). I will never read the packed book, but think of something else, usually in the airport or even on the plane, pick it up on Kindle, and storm through it. So, I guess paper for sentimentality, but eBook for fickle convenience.
You tossed the bait of a P.G. Wodehouse book, so I'll bite: if you have the chance, would you rather play Bertie or Jeeves? Or both, using some sort of tricky digital jujitsu to insert you as both characters?
Dave from St Paul here. Paper books for me, just like'em that way. Do you think that anything, good, bad, or otherwise, happens to the creative process/juisces when folks move to centers of activity for their creative art? Thinking about Guy Clark moving to Nashville from Texas, you moving to LA from Illinois. Roots seem important, and may not be lost, but juice is important too, like when you are with others who do the same thing and support each other. You don't just do your thing in LA, so do you get a different feeling when you are working somewhere else? Do you want to own a radio station once purchased by Charles Kuralt? "End of the Road" WELY in Ely, MN? Just askin'.
Hey Nick --- What a great start to the day. I feel the same way about books, e-books, and audiobooks as you described. I started reading "Project Hail Mary" earlier this year, but had borrowed a digital copy from my library and just kept getting distracted. I'll check out the audiobook, because that's how I enjoyed The Martian and expect to find the same enjoyment with this piece. Thanks for the suggestion!
Audiobooks are fun because they allow me to multitask a bit, listening while I knit, garden, paint, sweep, wash dishes, etc. I find my mind wandering at times, regardless of the format, thinking about all the other "tasks" I "should" be completing instead of making my way through a good book. And I also agree with your sentiment about paper books --- there's something magical about holding the thoughts and words of the author in your hand, flipping through the chapters, dogearing pages that resonate. Something tangible, holding thoughts that are intangible. Magic.
My dream outside of healthcare is to open my own shop, a book/coffee/snack shop, thrift/consignment, I don't know yet. I just like the idea of a well-curated selection of books, highlighting local voices and makers, but also stories that resonate with me as an earthling. And somehow weaving in support and collaboration with folks in the community (support groups, lending closets, healthcare navigation and Q&A). A gathering place, to nurture our spirits, and lift up hard working humans to help folks see that we're all in this together. I see so many needs, it's hard to narrow it down and focus my energy on something feasible.
Leading to my question: Could you share what you learned in the process of opening Offerman Woodshop or Would Works? Any suggestions for aspiring people with or without means to open a business? I have ZERO business know-how, but am interested in learning as I look 5 years into the future.
Thank you for these entertaining posts! I like how you mentioned "preposition", I'll be sure not to end a sentence with it.
Jessie Hammersmith
Lombard, IL
Being read a book puts me to sleep before my bedtime, but reading a book keeps me up past it.
🤔
Make of that what you will.
Hi Nick! This is Maren, in Frankfurt. What a wonderful recording. (It also a beautiful image of you and your beloved, by the way, doing puzzles and listening to audio books. Awwwww.) Any-hoo: It looks like the narrator of "Hail Mary" is Ray Porter, and he seems to have narrated a long list of audio books. (It would be great if he hears your shout out! What a compliment.) I never thought about listening to audio books based on the narrator, but that may be a great approach to discovering new works.
A good narrator makes the audiobook! I'm torn between listening to a great performer, and hearing the author read their own writing. Depends on the book --- like I prefer an autobiography or non-fiction in the voice of the writer, but fiction I like better with an entertaining or well-spoken narrator. So many options!!
A favorite that I was absolutely moved by was Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass" --- her passion for the care of our planet SINGS in the reading of her book. So beautiful, bittersweet, and magical.
That book has been on my to-read list for much too long. I must get to it - and hear the audio version. What a wonderful recommendation, Jessie! Thank you for sharing that.
It's time!! I picked up/put down the book itself so many times, but the audiobook just CAPTURED me. I could hear the passion in her voice, and her concern for our unsustainable modern ways of life.
I can really recommend the Iain M. Banks audiobooks. They’re all read by Peter Kenny who clearly enjoys his job! 😊
Hi again Nick,
It’s Ricky from Easthampton, Massachusetts catching up on substacks here in my own time zone of Wednesday. I’m not sure if you go back and read comments on previous posts but I’ll just comment on this and ask my same question, which pertains to the lifestyle I’ve chosen to live.
I always read a lot but gave it up when it put me to sleep. Fast forward to the pandemic and my former job that gave me lots of downtime in which to read again. Paper books! I did, however fall for audiobooks due to Sarah Vowel’s voice, so I listened to Assassination Vacation. That led to a few others. I did listen to, and read along, at the same time, Rickie Lee Jones’. Last Chance Texaco and found that the audiobook contained things the physical book could not. She sang and extrapolated in the audio version and that made it quite interesting. Currently I’m reading Brother Johnson, mostly because I was lucky enough to have his sister, Mrs.Anderson, who penned the book, as a client in the aforementioned job.
My question, which is how I have chosen to life my life from here on out since being fired and retired, is: Have you ever considered ditching it all and becoming a full time nomad?
Love to you and Megan,
Ricky
PS a previous comment mentioned joy at seeing you and Megan together. I wondered if that was she in the window.
They can make books out of recycled used TP.
What's your favorite Cloud Cult song? Grant from Northbrook, IL
I unfortunately don't read nearly as much as I would like, but I did cut through all 3 of the Andy Weir books during a recent vacation. The Martian was very, very good, I would consider Artemis a solid sophomore effort and still very enjoyable, but Project Hail Mary is just a complete masterpiece.
I completely agree that audio book vs written word is just two completely different worlds. But on the subject of paper vs electric... I have a habit that has become something of a running joke between my wife and I. Every time we go on a vacation or a trip, I pack a physical book, with ever intention to saver it. These are often either large omnibuses (like the complete works of Jules Verne, or the Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) or something completely nerdy, technical, and still quite large (like The Gorgeon Brothers on Boat Construction, The Art of Computer Programming, or Skills for Taming The Wild). I will never read the packed book, but think of something else, usually in the airport or even on the plane, pick it up on Kindle, and storm through it. So, I guess paper for sentimentality, but eBook for fickle convenience.
Nick-
You tossed the bait of a P.G. Wodehouse book, so I'll bite: if you have the chance, would you rather play Bertie or Jeeves? Or both, using some sort of tricky digital jujitsu to insert you as both characters?
Dana Dreibelbis
Princeton, NJ by way of Dryville, PA
p.s. paper books, yes, of course!
Dave from St Paul here. Paper books for me, just like'em that way. Do you think that anything, good, bad, or otherwise, happens to the creative process/juisces when folks move to centers of activity for their creative art? Thinking about Guy Clark moving to Nashville from Texas, you moving to LA from Illinois. Roots seem important, and may not be lost, but juice is important too, like when you are with others who do the same thing and support each other. You don't just do your thing in LA, so do you get a different feeling when you are working somewhere else? Do you want to own a radio station once purchased by Charles Kuralt? "End of the Road" WELY in Ely, MN? Just askin'.
Dear Nick,
Who is your favorite pro wrestler?
-Shane from Milwaukie, OR