📚 Books & Movies
- The ending of this book is, perhaps, one of the most impressive endings I have ever read and far surpassed my expectations.
- More than usual, this book invited people to ask “what are you reading?” I am not sure if it’s the book cover, the title, or something unusual in how engaged I was in the book, but I noticed right away that people were curious about this one. It’s a good conversation starter, which makes me like it more.
- Wish: Ethan Hawke
- Predict: Michael B. Jordan
- Wish: Benicio Del Toro
- Predict: Stellan Skarsgaard
- Wish: Renate Reinsve
- Predict: Emma Stone
- Wish: Teyana Taylor
- Predict: Teyana Taylor
- Wish: Marty Supreme
- Predict: Marty Supreme
- Wish: Sentimental Value
- Predict: F1
- Wish: Sinners
- Predict: F1
- Wish: Sinners
- Predict: KPop Demon Hunters
- Wish: Ryan Coogler
- Predict: Ryan Coogler
- Wish: Sentimental Value
- Predict: Sentimental Value
- Wish: One Battle After Another
- Predict: Train Dreams
- Wish: One Battle After Another
- Predict: One Battle After Another
- The Lottery (1941) by Shirley Jackson
- On Murder Considered As One of the Fine Arts (1827) by Thomas De Quincey
- The Tribal Rite of the Strombergs (2013) by Simon Rich
- The Left Right Game (2017) by Reddit No Sleep
- A Grimm Night On Central Park South (2025) by Bradley Andrews
Finished reading: The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin 📚
A seminal work in anarchist theory. You simply can’t fault the heart and goodwill that imbues these pages. It is striking to me how strong the bond between hopefulness and revolution (as opposed to anger and rebellion) is prominent.
Much of the book, unfortunately is very dated. Predictions and commentary on many of the countries (and socialism in general) did not pan out well. However, I found the chapter on division of labor to be one of the best and most useful things I’ve read in a long time, reminding me why I am reading this in this field in the first place. I feel armed and equipped with new insights that more than repay the price of reading. A necessary counteractive to the capitalist and commercial-driven education I get in my MBA.
Finished reading: Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte 📚
Rejection is an achievement of modern writing. It is an entirely contemporary work that still manages to be thoughtful, deep, and more than funny enough to leave you defenseless. That being said, it is also a deeply uncomfortable book, filled with characters that I know, that I hate, that I pity, and that I see myself in. It seems to me that most authors that try to tackle the consequences of terminal onliness fail by making the technology central. Tulathimutte keeps humanity at the core, even when traversing the strange, the cringe, the uncomfortable, the crude, and the perverse. I want to write a longer post about this book, but only after I talk about it with more people and process the experience that reading this book was. If you have read it, please hmu.
What I will say is this:
🎥 Re: Oscar predictions.
It’s important to note that Phoenician Scheme was not nominated for any awards. It really saddens me how Wes Anderson, one of our most positive & consistent artists, is taken for granted of late. Also, I have yet to see The Secret Agent, which may alter my predictions.
🎥 Oscar nominations for 2026 are out now. I released my favorite films of 2025 list a couple weeks ago, with a small addendum after seeing Sentimental Value. This is tough, but here is my wish and prediction list for some of the major categories:
Actor in a Leading Role:
Actor in a Supporting Role:
Actress in a Leading Role:
Actress in a Supporting Role:
Cinematography
Film Editing
Sound
Original Song
Directing:
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
Best Picture:
📚 Books for Q1:
📚 I love having friends who read because they make end-of-year roundups that become my going-to-read pile. From Pynchon to Faulkner to Tulathimute, here is a good list from a great friend: Xander Paul’s Roundup.
🎥 The folks at The Big Picture podcast argue in a recent episode that the movie of the century (so far) is The Social Network. I was skeptical at first, but the subject material alone makes it a good argument. I gotta ponder this one…
📚 Three gentle & insightful essays about resolutions, goals, and rhythms from Hayley Nahman:
I think the concepts really square with my experience and help temper the common excesses of productivity culture.
Watched: Sentimental Value 🎥
Well, this movie done messed up my whole “Best Of” films list for 2025. Easily taking the #3 or #4 spot. This film is true art. The best pure drama film I have seen in a long time. Watched on a flight to West Coast and it was still amazing.
🎥 Casey Neistat’s latest video about this young man with Cerebral Palsy running the NYC Marathon is so encouraging, heartwarming, and dignifying. It’s worth the 9-minute watch. Disclaimer: you may want to grab a tissue.
📚 My quick, low-stakes review on Scott Galloway’s latest book Notes on Being A Man // bradley-andrews.com
📚 An adorable and seasonally appropriate poem from my current read, Frank O’Hara’s Meditations in an Emergency:
Watched: Eternity 🎥
See my low-stakes and spoiler-free review here // bradley-andrews.com
📚 Recently procured seasonal reading
📚 Book Review: New Teeth by Simon Rich // bradley-andrews.com
📚 Book Review: PLAYFUL by Cas Holman // bradley-andrews.com
I am an unwavering advocate of Cas Holman and her life project. Was grateful to get and read this book.
📚 Book Review: Without Feathers by Woody Allen // bradley-andrews.com
📚 Let’s goooooooo
📚 I am officially hooked on humor writing. I cannot believe that I have never explored the genre before, but diving into it now feels as significant (and as exciting!) as stumbling into philosophy was as a teenager.
Came across this classic from Woody Allen today that is an absolute must read.
📚 It’s Halloween y’all. Here are some good short stories appropriate for the holiday that you can read right now: