Links To Click: September 8, 2023
Gather 'round and let me tell you about the Modest Mouse.
This week went from upper 90s to the low 70s and all of the routines during the school year are moving back into place. It feels good for the first time in a long time, and even if it is temporary, living in it while it is here is nice. Ballet class started up again this week and at some point, I’ll talk about how fun it is to take up a new hobby for no reason other than to do just that.
Let’s get to the links this week. I didn’t do a whole lot of non-book reading because of the holiday, so this is pretty short.
My Writing This Week
Over on , this week’s book censorship news, as well as a look at an easy change that libraries and schools can include in their collection policies to strengthen them.
A look at the very real possibility that Samuels Public Library in Front Royal, Virginia, could close thanks to book banners.
For last week, I looked at the increasing costs of books over the last five years.
What I Consumed This Week
I do like the matcha Kit Kats and enjoyed this look at why flavored Kit Kats are not widely available in the US.
Maia Kobabe on writing the most banned book in America.
Voucher proposals might be losing in state legislature, but public schools are still losing. The right might lose some battles, but they are winning the war they themselves created.
This piece on how America’s mental health crisis continues to grow despite how widespread therapy is hit me in a lot of tender places. I’ve spent the last week for my class in crisis counseling talking about the importance of “self care,” and every time I have to spend any time on this topic in counseling school, I become pretty annoyed that we’re expected to self-care our way out of systemic issues. Baby, a walk every day does not put food on my table, and I am one of the lucky ones.
I enjoyed this episode of the History of the 90s Podcast all about music videos banned from television.
It’s Modest Mouse season, y’all. You may or may not know they are my favorite, but they are–and if you’re like “where do I begin with a band who has been doing this for 30 years?,” maybe you’d like the Bandsplain episode on them. Bandsplain used to play the full songs during their shows, but they had to stop for some reason (even though that was the whole selling point of doing a show like this from Spotify). You’ll get snippets of the tunes and yes, the episode is 2 hours long.
You could cut right to the chase, though, and go for their perfectly fall album Building Nothing Out of Something. If you want more dance vibes, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. More radio friendly (which isn’t a knock–we love a versatile band!), go for Good News for People Who Love Bad News. “I need an album that is surprisingly positive amid our current hellscape”: The Golden Casket.
I’m listening to a few other things on repeat right now, too, including Noah Kahan’s Stick Season, Donovan Woods’s discography, and Blondshell’s awesome self-titled album. The “new to me album every week” project I’ve tried this year has been on a little pause between summer/fall, but if you’re looking for experiencing a wide range of new music, my playlist for that is here.
Thanks for being here. Stay well & see you Sunday.