Howdy! I’m Nate. This is my personal blog: notes on books, public lands, the Internet, and whatever I’m thinking about.
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I don’t usually read best-selling political books of the moment. They feel too tied to whatever news cycle is happening right now, and I’d rather read something that has aged a bit.
But it feels like we’re at a genuine inflection point in American politics. The party coalitions that formed in the late 60s and early 70s—now going on 50 years old—are breaking down.
Consolations is a collection of short essays and poems. Each entry is just a page or two—a few hundred words at most. But Whyte packs an incredible amount of meaning into that small space.
I picked this book up after hearing the author interviewed on a podcast — and by “picked up” I mean it was on sale on Amazon and seemed worth a quick read.
A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Religious Violence…so far.
I picked up The Discourses by Epictetus from Standard Ebooks, then ended up buying the print Penguin edition as well. Stoic philosophy has had waves of popularity over the years, and I love that the most recent wave has brought a blossoming of new translations, resources, and accessible texts.
A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Urban-Rural Divides…so far.
The core premise is straightforward: humans create stories and frameworks that aren’t literally true, but are still incredibly useful. Not useful in a “white lie” kind of way. Useful in a “this is how civilization actually functions” kind of way.
A Roundup of My Favorite Philosophical Novels…so far.
I’ve found that printed travel books do something that no algorithm can – they help you discover places you don’t know that you don’t know.
Definitely one of the most underrated National Parks. There is not a lot of tourist infrastructure, but my goodness, it is wild, scenic, and alive.
Spring in Georgia brings azalea and dogwood blooms. They never get old.
A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Urban Wildlife…so far.
I picked up America’s Great Forest Trails by Tim Palmer after seeing it on a shelf at my local bookstore. It’s a coffee table reference book highlighting America’s great forest trails—of which we have thousands and thousands of miles.
A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Modern Africa…so far.
A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Personal Identity…so far.
No filters, no edits. Taken with a Pixel 7a.
A Roundup of My Favorite Haruki Murakami Novels…so far.
Fascinating business case study -> https://davidoks.blog/p/why-japanese-companies-do-so-many
Lassen Volcanic National Park was hit pretty hard by the Dixie Fire of 2021. We got to visit in Summer 2025 and saw not only how the land was recovering, but also how much it still impacted the Park after 4 years.
Lassen Volcanic National Park has all the types of volcanoes within its boundaries. It’s really cool! And Cinder Cone is one type that’s a lot more climbable than the others. It’s tough but straightforward. The volcano is also highly symmetrical and surrounded by the Fantastic Lava Beds!
