Weekend Reads v. 16.8.2024
Is anyone else struggling to stay motivated as the lazy days of summer press on? I want to lounge around all day like a kid on summer break! Never mind the fact that for many students, summer break is devastatingly over by now. May this little collection of interesting finds from around the web give you a bit of a break from whatever you find yourself doing this weekend.
I’m not sure why, but I found this article about a Finnish designer, kidney-shaped swimming pools, and skateboarding to be fascinating.
On Melrose Avenue, there is a luxury hotel for cats.
Ah, the magic a brick phone could perform in the 1980’s.
A journalist sent a group of kids off on a camping trip without any smartphones or adults. The results were thrilling:
“[B]y simply eliminating adults, even something as familiar as camping becomes thrilling,” Decca wrote. “What difference, I ask, would it have made had I taken their Tube, sat in another carriage on the train, and camped nearby in my own tent? Jake looks horrified. ‘I would have hated it.’ Through clenched teeth, ‘Hated every single second.’”
“Don’t you see?” says Albie earnestly. “The dream thing for people our age is to go camping and just have fun without parents. The no-adult aspect is literally the dream to us.”
They packed up the car efficiently this time.
“All the hapless childish idiocy that worried me when they were planning the trip…has vanished. In under 36 unsupervised hours, they appear to have grown up by about two years.”
Nick Cave shared encouraging words about holding onto hopefulness in a turbulent time. Read here or watch here.
My Friend Brigette may have found the perfect duvet cover, and it’s only $25. “It’s held up really well in the wash and is very soft.”
Wonk alert! This conversation is on the long side, but it felt like I was a fly on the wall while two of my favorite writers – Louise Perry and Paul Kingsnorth – discussed quite heavy topics. They talk about modernity, Paul’s journey from environmentalism to Orthodox Christianity, and the pretense of the sustainability of the industrial economy. Told you it was wonky! (if you prefer podcasts, you can listen on the platform of your choice)
Daydreaming about the Cotswolds. See also: this gorgeous collection of photos from the region.
I’ve used an Amazon affiliate link in this post. If you choose to make a purchase, thank you kindly!