Good stuff right here. Thank you!

Another prime book review by Thirty West’s @josephedwinhaeger.bsky.social Take a ride on THE EL: A NOVEL by @tvayyyy.bsky.social out now through your favorite bookseller. open.substack.com/pub/thirtywe...

I still love the Mariners.

TURKEY WATCH 2025: I saw 12 turkeys today.

@josephedwinhaeger.bsky.social will always be my movie buddy. Joe just gets me. #moviebros #bringbackEMD

Okay, hunky shirtless guy who was building up a nice sweat as you ran past me on the trail. Sure, you've got Hollywood abs and a chest I could iron my fanciest dress shirt on, but this goblin (in both sight and smell) has a question for you: How the fuck do you smell so good?

On my bike ride this morning a wasp flew unobstructed — missed my lips, my teeth, my tongue — and hit me directly in the back of the throat. I don’t even know if the little bastard stung me. All my happiness is gone.

This is @josephedwinhaeger.bsky.social coded

It’s #FridayReads time! Let’s boost all signals. Repost this and let us know what to repost for you. I’m trying to get a new contract, so every copy counts. Oh, and this Stoker/Locus finalist is almost half off! Go ahead, share what you love! www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316...

Ten best movies of the 21st century. I might make a tweak here or there, but this is a pretty solid list for me.

What's this? A new poetry chapbook? From me??? Dive into some existential dread with me while we do our best to live in a world where war is just around the corner. I lub you! bottlecap.press/products/enj... Save more with the Bottlecap Press buy 2 get 1 sale. Use code BTGO.

New little free library just dropped.

The average American has three friends.

Okay, this is hilarious #mariners #theonewhogotaway #formermariner

This is one of those books that the further into it I got the slower I read. I wanted to stretch it out and really enjoy the story as it unfolded. Wonderful writing.

Thirty West at full power in National Poetry Month 🔋 Ready for you with books, chaps, and zines. Let’s have fun at PrintPhilly! 10-4 ~~~~~

@josephedwinhaeger.bsky.social returns to Afterimages with another book review. A Hundred Years and a Day by Tomoka Shibasaki, translated by Polly Barton. If this book isn't in your cart now, idk what to tell ya. It exists below: thirtywest.substack.com/p/the-simpli...

Common Side Effects has one of the strongest first seasons that I’ve ever seen. Damn good show.

Have you grown yourself a mustache? Have you ordered Kyle’s new book?

Yeah, you might be good at writing and handsome and have a lot of friends and people who love you, but do you have a fan club with hand-made shirts?

What an absolute stunner.

I’ve thought about doing it in the past, but I think I’m going to actually try to make 2025 the year of big books. Current TBR roster: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Chabon Anna Karenina by Tolstoy 1Q84 by Murakami Jerusalem by Moore Wanderers by Wendig

I haven’t watched everything, but here are my top five movies of 2024. The movies I liked, I really liked, but overall felt like it was a down year – that might just be me. 1. A Real Pain 2. We Live in Time 3. Spaceman 4. The Wild Robot 5. Monkey Man

Dementus’s speech at the end of Furiosa saved it from 3 stars and bumped it up to 4. The idea of never-ending and ever-evolving grief nails it and I really brought the whole movie home.

Finally finished Atlanta today. I took my sweet time because I wanted to savor it. This was a special show and we’re lucky to have it.

For some reason, nothing makes me feel my mortality more than looking at year-by-year photos of the Beatles.

STRINGS landed on the Idependent Book Review’s best reads of 2024! Check it out: independentbookreview.com/2024/12/04/t...

One thing that I love about IDLES is how none of them look like they should be in a band with one another.

Last five concerts (most recent going back): 1: Hayes Noble / Puddy Knife 2: Red Hot Chili Peppers 3: IDLES 4: Alice In Chains 5: Foo Fighters

I just finished up with I Saw the TV Glow and there’s so much here that I like, but overall it didn’t quite click for me. It’s funny because I can’t point to anything in particular because I loved the writing and the look of it.

What are you guys watching, listening to, and reading this weekend?

Fantastically paced and, IMO, the story is cooked to perfection. It’d be easy to over write this one, but they found a good balance. Artwork is top notch too.

Most books should be written this honestly.

For the afternoon crowd

I was on the inimitable Another Fucking Writing Podcast and, if I do say so myself, it’s a pretty good conversation. Check it out! open.spotify.com/episode/3eon... podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

Happy 9th to us, Thirty West

Junji’s a master of horror. There are some creepy ones here.

Gorgeous artwork and a compelling story about Death getting fired. Hit me in the feels at the end.

There’s a lot happening in this book where seemingly nothing happens.

Sometimes I’m afraid I take myself too seriously. That I try to be too serious of a person. Maybe I need more fart jokes in my life. More fart jokes at my expense.

What’s your favorite movie? Use a gif.

I watched A REAL PAIN last night and man, it blew me away. I’ve been an Eisenberg fan for a while (specifically his writing after BREAM GIVES ME HICCUPS) and now I can’t wait to see him make more movies. Also—is Kieran Culkin solidly in the category of my generation’s best actors? Yes.

Sub Pop picking up The Gits catalog (with plans to release it all) is the exact news I needed to hear this week.

The Threads and Bluesky divide sure feels akin to HDDVD and BluRay back when they came out in the early aughts. I don’t know which is which though.

Did I go too hard promo’ing my shit on here to start? Probably. Let’s cool it off for the moment. What happened this week: I’m in the middle of a game jam (lotta fun), I interviewed Max Brallier (The Last Kids on Earth series) for my local bookstore at an in-person event, and I saw some turkeys.

Just now on my morning walk I saw sixteen — COUNT ‘EM 16 — turkeys. One of them was in a tree.

All setup at Sigal Museum for the last day of @eastonbookfestival Happy to debut our last 2 authors of 2024 @kristintenor.bsky.social & @gardnerdorton.bsky.social Let’s have some fall fun!

Thrilled to be a part of this amazing press and in the company of these incredible writers.

@josephedwinhaeger.bsky.social returns to Afterimages once again. A rare month with 2 book reviews, read this keen review of Tyler Dempsey’s novel, Will We All Still See Each Other Afterward. Check it out now. 🛏️ open.substack.com/pub/thirtywe...

Pick up STRINGS today! #SadDadFiction www.amazon.com/Strings-Jose...