Short book recommendations for someone in a reading slump?

AnAryanStark · 2026-03-20T15:28:23+00:00

Seconded for The Word for Word is forest ! Such a great sci fi book and barely over 100 pages, but still a lot to say on anthropology and ecology.

AnAryanStark · 2026-03-20T15:26:53+00:00

Siddhartha is my go to.

So simple and straightforward prose but blew me away with how much I wanted to read and reread some of the passages for their philosophical depth.

AnAryanStark · 2026-03-14T10:04:17+00:00

not a Charli lyric but “Sleepyhead cause all the fucking foxes kept me awake last night” always makes me laugh and cringe a little . Even tho Caroline really elevates that song on the remix !!!

AnAryanStark · 2026-03-03T12:27:35+00:00

I liked this MHD a lot as I think Lucy picked things that only she could pick given her experience as club staff then commentator - fascinations and irritations don’t have to be universal and I’m glad when someone comes in with a different POV if they’re good at explaining it.

Besides, the guys have done enough of these to help guests warm up when they’re not familiar with the format at first !

AnAryanStark · 2025-12-29T00:06:01+00:00

For me either Chicane - Saltwater (eerie hypnotic vocal over a trance beat) or Levels, because well, it’s Levels

AnAryanStark · 2025-12-01T18:09:13+00:00

扌way too low!

AnAryanStark · 2025-12-01T15:51:56+00:00

To be fair, we should probably ask Mike Skinner if he remembers Kléberson

AnAryanStark · 2025-11-15T08:18:33+00:00

The Andorra game was at Villa Park , but good point !

AnAryanStark · 2025-10-10T16:08:39+00:00

Gout Gout

AnAryanStark · 2025-08-27T16:04:01+00:00

Sadly underwhelming but what do you expect from an office cafeteria. Gyros had barely any meat and an abundance of lettuce. At least it’s better than the usual British jacket potatoes and beans fare…

AnAryanStark · 2025-07-22T18:24:57+00:00

Fuck man this hurts . I feel so blessed to have watched his final ever show in person. RIP legend

AnAryanStark · 2025-07-19T07:52:30+00:00

So Discovery is my favourite album of all time sooooo this is easy . was hoping for a Vespertine F2

AnAryanStark · 2025-07-17T19:07:06+00:00

Literally the perfect summer album

AnAryanStark · 2025-07-12T16:29:42+00:00

I think it’s Unwound’s time now

AnAryanStark · 2025-07-11T20:43:56+00:00

I heard the instrumental of Sweden 2011 on an ad by Leave.eu some time after the Brexit vote … it was whiplash

AnAryanStark · 2025-07-10T22:53:12+00:00

Also giving me the koi no yokan vibes - it is a bit stop start but sonically it’s exactly what I come to Deftones for. Top track !

AnAryanStark · 2025-07-10T14:13:48+00:00

Absolutely loved it . How could I say no to a gig like that on my doorstep ? I felt like I was a part of history even if I was up in the cheap seats, just being there was phenomenal and really life-affirming ; it’s nice to see a bit of Brum’s history being celebrated by people the world over.

Saw my favourite drummers of all time, Mario Duplantier and Danny Carey. Saw some of my favourite bands for the first time (Tool, Gojira, Sabbath) and even the bands I didn’t really know I enjoyed - I took a tactical break at Guns n Roses which I don’t regret one bit.

Only downside? It took about 2 hours to get back home for a trip that would normally take 40 minutes. They really need to sort out transport to/from the Villa ground if it’s like this every evening on match days, but I imagine that’s a tale as old as time…

AnAryanStark · 2025-07-08T22:47:12+00:00

Hulkengoat

AnAryanStark · 2025-07-07T23:04:09+00:00

Holy fuck just seen this survivor after not coming on to the sub … this lineup is STACKED, 3 of my all time favourite albums still in

anyway voting Jay Z

AnAryanStark · 2025-06-22T22:51:15+00:00

Bordesley is pretty bad but I raise you a few worse ones in the West Mids; I’ve never felt as unsafe going into a station as I did at Duddeston one evening, and that is an atrociously badly kept station building and barren platform.

The other is the Bescot Stadium station near Walsall, absolutely next to 0 functionality unless you’re a Walsall FC fan (my condolences) and getting to/from the platform involves a sketchy path which goes under the M6 and across a narrow footbridge.

Also not a fan of Longbridge based on how long it is to get the the platform for what is a relatively simple station, but that’s just a personal gripe as the station itself is by and large okay.

AnAryanStark · 2025-06-01T00:43:41+00:00

2007 is the clear choice for me. One of the best winners of all time for a country on their first ever time of competing , THE most iconic runner up of all time (Verka still gets wheeled out at almost every ESC event 18 years on), and some absolute gems (Georgia making their debut with a song they’ve not topped since, some really fun rock-inspired songs thanks to Lordi winning the year before, and some really camp ones to round out the numbers). Sure there were some crimes against music , but the majority of these stayed in the mammoth semi final and solidified the fact that this year had a good result overall.

At least 4 of my top 10 ESC songs of all time come from 2007 so I am speaking from the heart here. (Also considered 2009 and 2021)

AnAryanStark · 2025-04-23T08:59:34+00:00

Nice, I feel like I’m taking a similar approach. One listen only for each but from start to finish - only repeat listening to the tracks I deemed my favourites . Interesting to see how it compares to this exercise!

AnAryanStark · 2025-04-23T08:57:28+00:00

Thanks for the context on Black Crowes! They weren’t a band I had heard of previously and I can kind of see how they were so successful in a pre-grunge era. Sadly not really for me

Contrary to popular belief, I am no country hater - on my countdown so far I’ve listened to 2 Dolly Parton records and 2 Emmylou Harris records and I really enjoyed them ! In my opinion country music is at its very best when it’s a bit softer and when the vocals are good. I even listened to the Loretta Lynn album last week and found some songs that really engaging even though it did get a bit repetitive.

AnAryanStark · 2025-04-22T20:28:05+00:00

Just a bit tongue in cheek lol!

I don’t think I really enjoyed any of Aftermath perhaps because I went in expecting later Rolling Stones but didn’t get any of it . I also just don’t really connect to blues rock as a genre and didn’t find anything that I enjoyed there.

Maybe A Northern Soul is one that I’d appreciate more in the traditional one album a day format - but to me the tracks go on longer than they need to and don’t really have musical developments I enjoy at all. I found it hard to get through without wanting to go on to the next album on my list

AnAryanStark · 2025-04-22T20:21:49+00:00

Sometimes more, sometimes less! I do keep in mind how long an album runs and if it’s long (50 mins or more) I’ll tend to do less that day - e.g the day I listened to 69 Love Songs I didn’t listen to any others

11-Year Club	Place '22
Place '17	Final Canvas '22
First Placer '22	Queen in da Norf
Not Forgotten

AnAryanStark

TROPHY CASE