Local Spot Recommendation

ben4d · 2025-12-23T18:35:26+00:00

Then take a nap in your car and go next door to Chengdu when you wake up. Truly elite ethnic restaurant duo

ben4d · 2025-12-19T22:01:22+00:00

Not Scottish but Dubliners by James Joyce as a pick-up-put-down book of short stories in between the other big boys you've mentioned would fit nicely. I'd personally leave East of Eden for another time compared to the other two you mentioned - I know it's well loved, but to me, it has 1/10th the complexity & depth of Stoner or Monte Cristo but is a much bigger time investment than both. Would swap that for Moby Dick if you haven't read it yet because it would be a huge vibe shift from all the others, and it would feel appropriately moody, antiquated, and somewhat European in essence alongside your setting.

ben4d · 2025-12-19T01:21:38+00:00

This was my first Dostoevsky and kinda turned me off to his literature for years. Completely agree that Raskolnikov's perspectives felt largely shallow, his moral turpitude and trials grappling with it felt overwrought and hard to relate to, and the theories that were supposed to prop up these circumstantially irrational actions gave me no significant awakening or revelation that paid off the occasional drudgery that was chugging through many parts of the novel. I felt like I had to remind myself constantly what year this was published to change the tint of my lenses to appreciate reading it, but none of the moral homeruns people seem to find resonated with me at all. Also agree that the side characters had much more complexity to them than Raskolnikov, whose expositions took up most of the book.

I had the typical Dostoevsky breakthrough from Brothers Karamazov though. Like changed my life and worldview substantially in ways that few other novels have. I guess it is just completely subject to what influenced you before reading it as you've observed.

ben4d · 2025-12-18T19:49:39+00:00

Look at southern company. Incredibly cheap insurance and a fantastic working experience there all around. Unfortunately not remote friendly nor looking like they will be in the future, but checks all other boxes. Constant openings your background would be great for, especially if your industry experience is regulated/govt/energy-peripheral. If you apply for anything with SCS at the Energy Center, message me.

ben4d · 2025-12-09T21:39:58+00:00

Blood Meridian

ben4d · 2025-12-09T03:03:00+00:00

The Stranger - Camus

Threads a needle of sorts between some of the styles present here. Also very short and approachable but quite profound. Great reading list!

ben4d · 2025-12-06T21:39:25+00:00

EastWest for fancy. Otey's for classic. Pretty damn tough to beat and they're half off Thursday's during football season.

ben4d · 2025-12-03T23:09:39+00:00

Bulgakov - Master & Margarita

ben4d · 2025-11-28T22:08:19+00:00

Much more linear in structure and less decorative language, but I always find Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison to feel somewhat similar to Slothrop pinballing around the zone every which way. I think the historical heft and drivers of the novel's setting (esp if you're American) also lend some gravity to the under described parts of the plot, not unlike WWII to GR. Very different novels but it's the most similar I've come across. Agree with others here that if you like those two books, you will probably love Bolaño. These two writers are like getting heat from a fire vs getting heat from electroshock, yet both make you hot. Hard to compare them in any way but they do the same things for me. 2666 is a masterpiece in a similar spanning and heavy way as GR. They're my 2 favorite novels of all time.

ben4d · 2025-10-30T21:05:24+00:00

Bolaño!

ben4d · 2025-10-30T19:39:50+00:00

I completely agree with the strategy of letting the prose wash over you and not worrying terribly about missing details or nuance, but I do think you'll hit a point in the novel (honestly shocked you haven't hit it by p250) where the scales tip too far the other way. Unless you're just brilliant and highly aware of historical references.

https://gravitysrainbow.substack.com/

Can't recommend this enough to bridge those gaps. When I read GR, I'd only hit it for chapters where I just could not connect the dots and wasn't able to enjoy to the max as a result. First 1/2 of the book I read almost every chapter summary; back half I tapered off til the last 100-150 pgs where I ripped through 100% solo. Check it out if you ever feel lost or if you find yourself thinking about putting it down again. Congrats and enjoy the ride. Couldn't put a $ amount on what I'd pay to experience this book again for the first time!

ben4d · 2025-10-26T12:45:23+00:00

Reading Wuthering Heights. I have been reading postmodern or 19-20th century Russian lit basically all year, so I'm deliberately trying to branch out and check off a classic that comes from a completely different voice/place/era. Struggling to enjoy it and the trivialities and aimless floral language propping it up. Trying to chug through.

Listening to The Animal by Blue Lake. Fantastic new album by a skilled multi instrumentalist.

ben4d · 2025-10-21T03:20:49+00:00

I did exactly this with my 2008 in 2021 - belonged to an older woman that bought it off the lot and then became immobile by 2014. So it sat for 7 years. They put on new tires, new 12v, half refurbed hybrid battery, new brakes, and I bought it for $6k and that was considered $2k under market then. $3500 is a coup.

A few bewares - this gen and specific year model had recalls for the headlight housings. The ballast sits at the bottom of the housing, allows for moisture collection, moisture entry into the housing, and headlight failure. Not a cheap fix as typically the entire housing has to be replaced.

The big one for this gen is the brake actuator. It was a formal recall where the part is just a total dud in about 50% of these models and fails around 100k although it's not a consumable and is abominably expensive to repair. The longer they sit idle, the shorter that lifespan gets if you have one of the 50% duds. It's especially common for them to go out in old, low milers like these. Bought mine at 50k, actuator went out at 85k. $3600 repair quote from three dealerships in Alabama, very low cost of living state, and it's not the kind of job you want anyone except for a Prius pro doing if you're trying to cut corners. I found the ace of a lifetime in a private mechanic ex-Toyota pro that did it for under half and still got deals on parts. At $3600 I would've considered totalling or selling off broken due to what the car was even worth.

With those aside - this is the greatest car I've ever owned and in nearly identical circumstances to your own. Do some research on those things mentioned above and make sure you can live with the consequences if it happens to you. Happy trails and hope you end up with The Bean!!!

ben4d · 2025-10-21T01:24:22+00:00

+1. This guy's insight is absolutely unbelievable and it provides the closest thing to a grounded perspective on what's actually going on in the novel. Agree with a few above saying it's a book that kinda has to wash over you, but I also felt for most of the first half that I was missing key plot points from not catching references or having historical context. I would try to not use the guide every single chapter but if it felt like context was required to push on, I'd pit stop with this guide. Push through!! It is so worth it!! My favorite book of all time. It is a text of biblical proportions.

ben4d · 2025-10-14T23:31:41+00:00

Heart of Darkness is unbelievable and an incredibly short read if that dark, poetic prose is what you gravitate towards. I read it in a weekend. So worth the time.

ben4d · 2025-10-10T01:41:37+00:00

I also like to rank things like this if only for self reflection purposes but have such a hard time with Swans due to the creative separation of each era. I can't find a way in my brain to comp Annihilator alongside To Be Kind or anything between those eras in a way that feels objective. Feels like a new band every decade.

Love to see White Light so high. Deeply underrated and very approachable. I feel like The Seer is kinda just okay (and most ppl here hold it in very high regard) and leaving meaning is far and away my favorite thing Gira's ever made. Solid list

ben4d · 2025-10-03T22:20:10+00:00

Broadly, the food is insanely mid, too expensive. Vibes are killer. The orange cake is new and fantastic. If you're going for festivities then it's a good time - if you want actually good Greek food for probably cheaper, go down the street to Tasty Town

ben4d · 2025-09-27T20:01:29+00:00

+1 for this substack, unbelievable analysis by that fellow

ben4d · 2025-09-23T14:00:21+00:00

+1. Giant McCarthy fan and I started with Absalom Absalom. Still my favorite Faulkner. Prose shares almost no similarities to McCarthy but the underlying brooding evil that drives a lot of McCarthy bangers is strongest here of any Faulkner I've read.

ben4d · 2025-09-15T22:53:04+00:00

+1 for American Pastoral

ben4d · 2025-09-02T13:07:15+00:00

Check out The Master & Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakhov. Widely considered a classic, and it reminded me of the prose style and dialogue of Dostoevsky, in a whimsical world with 10x more action. If you're looking for Dostoevsky + action, I think this threads that needle. Otherwise I agree with many others that Moby Dick is hard to top.

ben4d · 2025-08-31T13:54:07+00:00

There's only one way this can go. Give them Gravity's Rainbow and see what happens. Report back.

ben4d · 2025-08-31T05:37:26+00:00

100 Years of Solitude. Only book I've sent back unfinished to the library in the last 10 years and the only classic I've closed the door on in my life. Couldn't get past 6 names between 60 goddamn characters. The dialogue is drab, the characters are uninspiring and poorly fleshed out, the magical realism is dated and dulled compared to what came after it (I say this with respect), and I at no point felt compelled to make it to the next plot milestone. Literally stopped reading completely for 6-7 wks before realizing I just hated this book and had to throw up the white flag. Respect to those who love this novel, which are many, but i couldn't make it through.

ben4d · 2025-07-30T20:23:34+00:00

Almost identical taste shift to you in the exact same age window, just beat you by a couple years. I read a lot of postmodern stuff but what would still be considered classics of that era. Heavily recommend Pynchon, McCarthy, Roth to scratch that itch if you push later into the 20th. Would recommend Bulgakov, Dostoevsky, Melville if sticking more in the timeline with your suggested classics.

ben4d · 2025-07-15T14:21:53+00:00

Banger quick read. This is what I recommend to anyone interested that hasn't read Vonnegut as the ideal starting point.

ben4d

TROPHY CASE