mastodon 4.7.3Reader, writer, traveler. Essays at robertbreen.com.
Day One is doubling down on AI journaling: https://dayoneapp.com/blog/introducing-day-one-silver-and-gold/
I've written thousands of entries in Day One, but despite their privacy assurances, I'm not enabling these features. Not yet.
These are the Wild West days of AI. Think carefully before you hand over your most private thoughts.
𝘖𝘯 𝘉𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘨 by Joyce Carol Oates ★★★☆☆
Oates is the least likely boxing writer imaginable -- and yet she's a genuine fan, like me, who fell for the sport watching fights with her dad. Her poetic take treats boxing as a kind of religion.
"The primary rule of the ring—to defend oneself at all times—is both a parody and a distillation of life."
<https://books.robertbreen.com/2025/11/01/on-boxing-by-joyce-carol-oates/>
Ah, Ralph Waldo Emerson — what a treasure. His wisdom is simple to understand, yet difficult to practice. Trust your own thoughts. Be yourself. Be present. 𝑆𝑒𝑙𝑓-𝑅𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑂𝑡h𝑒𝑟 𝐸𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑦𝑠 ★★★★★
https://books.robertbreen.com/2025/10/22/self-reliance-and-other-essays-by-ralph-waldo-emerson/
We’ve lived in Phoenix for four years now, but only recently put in a pool. It’s almost a necessity here in the summer months. The project finished just as a heat wave descended on the West Valley. What a perfect way to enjoy a slightly cooler evening with friends.
Finished reading: The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis 💙📚
A bleak science fiction tale from one of the 20th Century’s most under-appreciated novelists. ★★★☆☆
Full Review. https://micro.blog/books/9780795343025
❝ The way to greater confidence isn't to reassure ourselves of our own dignity; it's to live at peace with the inevitable nature of our ridiculousness. We are idiots now, we have been idiots in the past, and we will be idiots again in the future-and that is OK. There aren't any other available options for human beings.
https://books.robertbreen.com/2025/11/11/the-school-of-life-by-alain-de-botton/
"If you want to write, practice writing. Practice it for hours a day, not to come up with a story you can publish, but because you long to learn how to write well, because there is something that you alone can say."
— Ann Patchett, This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner ★★★★☆
Two timelines, one quietly devastating story. Stegner tested my patience across 500 pages, then rewarded it with a spectacular ending. This Pulitzer winner might just be his most enduring.
#Books #BookReview #LiteraryFiction #AmericanLiterature #ClassicLit
https://books.robertbreen.com/2025/11/03/angle-of-repose-by-wallace-stegner/
Finished reading: So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan 💙📚
One new story (and two reprints) from Claire Keegan, the master of compressing so much into so few words. Men behaving very badly ought to be the sub-title here. As with all of her stories, these will haunt you long after you finish. ★★★★☆
https://books.robertbreen.com/2026/03/29/so-late-in-the-day-by-claire-keegan/
Finished reading: Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed 💙📚
A wonderful collection of essays written by Cheryl Strayed as part of an advice column under the pseudonym “Dear Sugar.” Terrific, heartfelt advice on just about every aspect of life. I loved it. ★★★★★
Full Review. https://books.robertbreen.com/2026/03/24/tiny-beautiful-things-by-cheryl-strayed/
★ ‘Your Frustration Is the Product’:
Web ads have become awful and invasive. In his commentary, John Gruber shares that he uses uBlock Origin Lite in Safari for ad blocking in Safari.
I have avoided these apps until now. But this was a no-brainer. Free. One-click install.
Join the resistance! https://daringfireball.net/2026/03/your_frustration_is_the_product
These notebook excerpts from Robert Fulghum are so wise. Take a minute to absorb them all. Two of my favorites:
"You may never get all that you want – but you are free to want what you get."
"Opportunity knocks, but it doesn’t nag."
What a treasure. I’ve read most of these essays before, but never so deeply or with such illumination. Emerson's wisdom is simple to understand, yet difficult to practice in a world of popular opinion and distracted thinking. Trust in your own thoughts; be yourself; don’t try to impress or copy others; cherish your friends. Most of all: be present, here and now.
https://books.robertbreen.com/2025/10/22/self-reliance-and-other-essays-by-ralph-waldo-emerson/
A fun read for anyone with a passing interest in pool or gambling or gritty city life. Or if you’ve seen the movie with Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason.
https://books.robertbreen.com/2026/03/09/the-hustler-by-walter-tevis/
