{"id":2039,"date":"2025-12-30T19:12:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T03:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theamericancrawl.com\/?p=2039"},"modified":"2025-12-30T19:12:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T03:12:29","slug":"we-are-a-quiet-orchestra-and-we-are-playing-now-books-and-music-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theamericancrawl.com\/?p=2039","title":{"rendered":"“we are a quiet orchestra and we are playing now”: Books and Music in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I likely missed a handful, but\u2014for the 16th<\/sup> year in a row\u2014here is my annual reading and listening summary (as always here are my posts on books read in 2024<\/a>,\u00a02023<\/a>,\u00a02022<\/a>,\u00a02021<\/a>,\u00a02020<\/a>,\u00a02019<\/a>,\u00a02018<\/a>,\u00a02017<\/a>,\u00a02016<\/a>,\u00a02015<\/a>,\u00a02014<\/a>,\u00a02013<\/a>,\u00a02012<\/a>,\u00a02011<\/a>,\u00a02010<\/a>, and\u00a02009<\/a>):<\/p>\n

Books read in 202<\/em><\/strong>5<\/em><\/strong>: <\/em><\/strong>136<\/em><\/strong>
\nComics and graphic novels included in reading total: <\/em>4<\/em>
\nBooks of poetry included in reading total: <\/em>3<\/em>
\nBooks reread included in reading total: <\/em>8<\/em>
\nAcademic & Education related books included in reading total: <\/em>22<\/em>
\nLa Cuenta and immigration research related books included in total: <\/em>14<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I just finished the third book in Solvej Balle\u2019s On the Calculation of Volume<\/em><\/a> series and I. am. In. (Think French Groundhog Day but with nothing happening for most of the first two books.) I am excited for book four next year.
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My favorite non-fiction book of the year was Vauhini Vara\u2019s Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age<\/em><\/a>. If you have ever a) used the internet or b) known someone who has used the internet, you’d probably be interested in this book.<\/p>\n

In similar fashion, I read Jesse Singer’s There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster\u2014Who Profits and Who Pays the Price<\/em> <\/a>shortly after the Eaton Fire at the beginning of the year and it\u2019s been a guiding text for much of my thinking this year. I talked to Singer shortly before beginning the interviews that were reflected in the report linked here<\/a>; her perspective was invaluable.<\/p>\n

Novels that have stayed with me throughout the year include Laila Lalami’s The Dream Hotel <\/em><\/a>and Bruce Holsinger’s Culpability<\/em><\/a>, both very different reflections on our current relationship to AI, surveillance, and automation.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t read a ton of horror but loved Joe Hill\u2019s King Sorrow<\/em><\/a>. Pitch: a group of kids summon a dragon to deal with a bully and then deal with the lingering consequences.<\/p>\n

Nearly twenty years ago, I read an excerpt of Helen DeWitt and Ilya Gridneff’s Your Name Here<\/em><\/a> in an early issue of N+1<\/em><\/a>, promptly sent a few bucks to DeWitt via Paypal, and printed out a full PDF of the unreleased book. It\u2019s a strange feeling to see such an odd book out in the wild and finally commercially available.<\/p>\n

Did I mention that The Cost of Being Undocumented <\/em><\/a>was published earlier this year? Or that there is a free discussion guide<\/a> for it? Or that we publish weekly at La Cuenta<\/em><\/a> the stories, perspectives, and voices of members of the undocumented community? While this blog has not been updated in a year, I’m consistently sending out a weekly missive through\u00a0La Cuenta<\/em> every Thursday, join me over there.<\/p>\n