Austin Whitehead
@slcaustin.bsky.social
NC to SLC. bikes of all kinds, outdoor industry, trail running, data storytelling, transit, new urbanism, local politics, etc. Figuring it out as I go. He/his
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki. I went into this book blind and enjoyed the genre bends and ridiculousness of it all. This still manages to be a cozy read while dealing with heavy issues, though it didn't quite have the world building or character development that i really wanted from it.
November 21, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki. I went into this book blind and enjoyed the genre bends and ridiculousness of it all. This still manages to be a cozy read while dealing with heavy issues, though it didn't quite have the world building or character development that i really wanted from it.
Everyday Eutopia by Kristen R. Ghodsee. A survey of eutopian visions, exploring their merits and shortcomings. Also a compelling case for dreaming a little bigger and thinking outside the box when organizing our lives.
October 27, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Everyday Eutopia by Kristen R. Ghodsee. A survey of eutopian visions, exploring their merits and shortcomings. Also a compelling case for dreaming a little bigger and thinking outside the box when organizing our lives.
I Love You, but I've Chosen Darkness by Claire Vay Watkins. I went into this blind and mostly bc gold fame citrus had a wait on Libby. While pitched as fiction, the commonalities with her real life made this so much darker and more interesting. Still processing and will think about it for a while.
October 17, 2025 at 11:05 PM
I Love You, but I've Chosen Darkness by Claire Vay Watkins. I went into this blind and mostly bc gold fame citrus had a wait on Libby. While pitched as fiction, the commonalities with her real life made this so much darker and more interesting. Still processing and will think about it for a while.
Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne. The cozy fantasy genre has been like a warm blanket to me over the past couple years. No story too cheesy and no bookshop too quaint. Just an escape to a far off world where powerful people just want to run a quiet shop and be good neighbors.
September 25, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne. The cozy fantasy genre has been like a warm blanket to me over the past couple years. No story too cheesy and no bookshop too quaint. Just an escape to a far off world where powerful people just want to run a quiet shop and be good neighbors.
Evicted by Matthew Desmond. This book was heavy, so heavy that I could only read a chapter at a time. It's also important, expertly written, and will sit with me for a long time. I wish the epilogue was an entire other book of solutions and i wish we lived in a less cruel world.
September 18, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Evicted by Matthew Desmond. This book was heavy, so heavy that I could only read a chapter at a time. It's also important, expertly written, and will sit with me for a long time. I wish the epilogue was an entire other book of solutions and i wish we lived in a less cruel world.
Palace for the People by Eric Klinenberg. This has been a great balance of optimism and I've savored every page as I've read it, aptly, in parks and in libraries and on transit. Give people places to come together. It's as important now as it ever was.
September 11, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Palace for the People by Eric Klinenberg. This has been a great balance of optimism and I've savored every page as I've read it, aptly, in parks and in libraries and on transit. Give people places to come together. It's as important now as it ever was.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. I knew it was going in, but this book is heavy. many climate dystopia books actually feel quasi-eutopian (i.e. imagining survival) and i guess i could make that argument here, but it feels like a world thats too close & a hope thats too dim
August 23, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. I knew it was going in, but this book is heavy. many climate dystopia books actually feel quasi-eutopian (i.e. imagining survival) and i guess i could make that argument here, but it feels like a world thats too close & a hope thats too dim
The City We Became by N.K. Jemison. I've been told this is a strange introduction to Jemison, but I enjoyed this book. It felt a little like a marvel movie for nerdy woke urbanists. Over-the-top? Yep. Cheesy at times? Extra. Fun to read? An absolute blast.
The idea of modern day city gods is 🤌
The idea of modern day city gods is 🤌
August 13, 2025 at 4:22 PM
The City We Became by N.K. Jemison. I've been told this is a strange introduction to Jemison, but I enjoyed this book. It felt a little like a marvel movie for nerdy woke urbanists. Over-the-top? Yep. Cheesy at times? Extra. Fun to read? An absolute blast.
The idea of modern day city gods is 🤌
The idea of modern day city gods is 🤌
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. Another kuang book that captivated me. God the second half of this book is dark and graphic though. And knowing that the genocidal descriptions are based on historic events made them that much tougher to read. I'll read the rest of this series but need a second.
August 13, 2025 at 4:12 PM
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. Another kuang book that captivated me. God the second half of this book is dark and graphic though. And knowing that the genocidal descriptions are based on historic events made them that much tougher to read. I'll read the rest of this series but need a second.
How to Blow Up a Pipeline by Andreas Malm. An exploration of the ethics of property sabotage as advocacy that felt like an appropriate read for the 50th anniversary of the monkey wrench gang. Enjoyable and quick read for a heavy topic. Related substack: open.substack.com/pub/landdesk...
August 13, 2025 at 4:08 PM
How to Blow Up a Pipeline by Andreas Malm. An exploration of the ethics of property sabotage as advocacy that felt like an appropriate read for the 50th anniversary of the monkey wrench gang. Enjoyable and quick read for a heavy topic. Related substack: open.substack.com/pub/landdesk...
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. The Chapel Hill setting sucked me in quick, but this was an engrossing read and people without a NC connection would still enjoy it. UNC always had a magical feel and Deonn makes it come alive in a really compelling and intuitive way. Can't wait to read more of the series
July 19, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. The Chapel Hill setting sucked me in quick, but this was an engrossing read and people without a NC connection would still enjoy it. UNC always had a magical feel and Deonn makes it come alive in a really compelling and intuitive way. Can't wait to read more of the series
Assata by Assata Shakur. Reading about 20th century resistance has been grounding for me. The problems we face in today's era are huge, but I think they're less unique than we often pretend they are. Couldn't help but think about the parallels with cop city activists labeled as terrorists.
June 26, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Assata by Assata Shakur. Reading about 20th century resistance has been grounding for me. The problems we face in today's era are huge, but I think they're less unique than we often pretend they are. Couldn't help but think about the parallels with cop city activists labeled as terrorists.
Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind by Molly Mcghee. The kind of world that gives you a pit in your stomach. I could not put it down. May capitalism never come for our literal dreams.
June 23, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind by Molly Mcghee. The kind of world that gives you a pit in your stomach. I could not put it down. May capitalism never come for our literal dreams.
City of Quartz by Mike Davis. This felt so relevant today and gave context to LA and western cities. Parts are dry and dense af and parts are all-time 🤯 prose. The scope is crazy broad and yet very specific. People will start talking to you if they see you read this - sparked good stranger convos.
June 18, 2025 at 12:20 AM
City of Quartz by Mike Davis. This felt so relevant today and gave context to LA and western cities. Parts are dry and dense af and parts are all-time 🤯 prose. The scope is crazy broad and yet very specific. People will start talking to you if they see you read this - sparked good stranger convos.
The Vacationers by Emma Straub. This book was fine. Peak beach read enjoyable for killing time on a plane/on vacay. The book equivalent of a tv show you'd have on while doing something else.
May 24, 2025 at 9:55 PM
The Vacationers by Emma Straub. This book was fine. Peak beach read enjoyable for killing time on a plane/on vacay. The book equivalent of a tv show you'd have on while doing something else.
Acts of Service by Lillian Fishman. A more explicit and marginally more queer Sally Rooney with shittier characters. It was a quick read and had some moments of great prose, but I didn't love the book. All 3 characters were shortchanged and lacked some depth. I don't regret reading it though.
May 16, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Acts of Service by Lillian Fishman. A more explicit and marginally more queer Sally Rooney with shittier characters. It was a quick read and had some moments of great prose, but I didn't love the book. All 3 characters were shortchanged and lacked some depth. I don't regret reading it though.
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico. A cautionary tale of moving through life strictly as consumers of and/or merchants of culture. The vignettes are beautiful and detailed and familiar and unsettling.
May 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico. A cautionary tale of moving through life strictly as consumers of and/or merchants of culture. The vignettes are beautiful and detailed and familiar and unsettling.
Coyote America by Dan Flores. A broad history of Coyote the symbol and animal that was super fun to read. It feels like coyote's story, one of persistence and adaptation through persecution and drastic change, is a relevant story for us today.
May 8, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Coyote America by Dan Flores. A broad history of Coyote the symbol and animal that was super fun to read. It feels like coyote's story, one of persistence and adaptation through persecution and drastic change, is a relevant story for us today.
The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin. Been wanting to read her but didnt knownwhere to start. Came across this in a used bookstore in nyc. Quick stories, several memorable enough to stay w me for a while. A cool sampling of the breadth of her work and makes me want to read more Le Guin
May 2, 2025 at 2:38 AM
The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin. Been wanting to read her but didnt knownwhere to start. Came across this in a used bookstore in nyc. Quick stories, several memorable enough to stay w me for a while. A cool sampling of the breadth of her work and makes me want to read more Le Guin
Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. I wanted this book to be 2x as long and offer a much more nuanced take than it did. I am pro-"abundance" and an ezra klein fan, but this book doesn't give the context needed to have productive conversations around how to make gov work better for ALL of us.
April 10, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. I wanted this book to be 2x as long and offer a much more nuanced take than it did. I am pro-"abundance" and an ezra klein fan, but this book doesn't give the context needed to have productive conversations around how to make gov work better for ALL of us.
Totally forgot that when the pollution is from other states it isnt bad for you /s
April 9, 2025 at 4:46 AM
Totally forgot that when the pollution is from other states it isnt bad for you /s
Delusions + Grandeur by Mark Sundeen. Delusion/Grandeur is a great way to connect these stories. All of us "dreamers in the new west" are delusional to a point. And all aspiring to grandness or inspired by grandness or just existing in it. Mark shows both sides for all of his subjects and himself.
March 29, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Delusions + Grandeur by Mark Sundeen. Delusion/Grandeur is a great way to connect these stories. All of us "dreamers in the new west" are delusional to a point. And all aspiring to grandness or inspired by grandness or just existing in it. Mark shows both sides for all of his subjects and himself.