42
Why forty-two? Perhaps because it hints at finality while offering none. Or because it falls at that curious threshold, too many to carry in memory, too few to slip into disorder. This is not a ranking, and it is never complete. It is a revolving set of books, recordings, films, and other artifacts, kept not for their acclaim but because they left a trace. Some marked a season, or a place. Others, a first encounter, or a threshold. Now and again I return to them. I remove one, add another. Like the number itself, the list is not a thing but an invention, a placeholder for what remains long enough to return to.
Books
A Civil Action, Jonathan Harr, 1995
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, Bill Bryson, 1997
A Year in Provence, Peter Mayle, 2001
American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road, Nick Bilton, 2017
The Art of Dying, Peter Schjeldahl, 2019
Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, 1957
Balthazar, Lawrence Durrell, 1958
The Black Pill, Elle Reeve, 2024
Bluets, Maggie Nelson, 2009
Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe, 1987
Catch-22, Joseph Heller, 1961
The Cartel, Don Winslow, 2015
The Collected Short Stories, W. Somerset Maugham, 1963
The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen, 2001
The End of the Affair, Graham Greene, 1951
The Executioner’s Song, Norman Mailer, 1979
The Fall, Albert Camus, 1956
The Forever War, Dexter Filkins, 2008
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, 1818
Gone Girl: A Novel, Gillian Flynn, 2012;
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925
Horizon, Barry Lopez, 2019
The Hot Zone, Richard Preston, 1994
Independence Day, Richard Ford, 1995
Integral Spirituality, Ken Wilber, 2006
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain, 2000
Mating, Norman Rush, 1991
Mindfulness in Plain English, Bhante Gunaratana, 1994
Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow, 1986
Quiet, Susan Cain, 2012
Ready Player One, Ernest Cline, 2011
The Razor’s Edge, W. Somerset Maugham, 1944
The Sheltering Sky, Paul Bowles, 1949
Shogun, James Clavell, 1975
Solaris, Stanislaw Lem, 1961
Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli, 2000
Stella Maris, Cormac McCarthy, 2022
The Stand, Stephen King, 1978
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, John le Carré, 1963
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera, 1984
The Word is Murder (Series), Anthony Horowitz, 2017
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig, 1974
Movies (21st Century)
A Good Year, 2006
A Prayer Before Dawn, 2017 (violent)
American Sniper, 2014
Arrival, 2016
Atomic Blonde, 2017
Before Sunrise (trilogy), 1995–2013
Birdman, 2014
Blade Runner 2049, 2017
Casino Royale, 2006
The Diving Bell & Butterfly, 2007
Drive, 2011
Eastern Promises, 2007
End of Watch, 2012
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004
Ex Machina, 2014
Hell or High Water, 2016
Her, 2013
Knight of Cups, 2015
The Killer, 2023
Layer Cake, 2004
Lost in Translation, 2003
Mad Max: Fury Road, 2015
Margin Call, 2011
Moneyball, 2011
My Octopus Teacher, 2020
No Country for Old Men, 2007
Oldboy, 2005
Perfect Sense, 2011
Phantom Thread, 2017
The Prestige, 2006
Secretary, 2002
Sicario, 2015
The Social Network, 2010
Southpaw, 2015
Spy Game, 2001
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, 2006
The Tree of Life, 2011
Up, 2009
Whiplash, 2013
The Wrestler, 2008
Zero Dark Thirty, 2012
Zodiac, 2007A Good Year, 2006
Movies (20th Century)
12 Angry Men, 1957
After Hours, 1985
Alien, 1979
All the President’s Men, 1976
Amadeus, 1984
Apocalypse Now, 1979
Blade Runner, 1982
The Blues Brothers, 1980
Bottle Rocket, 1996
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1969
Casino, 1995
Charade, 1963
Chinatown, 1974
Dog Day Afternoon, 1975
The Empire Strikes Back, 1980
Eyes Wide Shut, 1999
Fight Club, 1999
Full Metal Jacket, 1987
The Game, 1997
Goodfellas, 1990
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, 1966
Heat, 1995
The Insider, 1999
In the Mood for Love, 2000
Jaws, 1975
The Killing Fields, 1984
L.A. Confidential, 1997
Magnolia, 1999
The Matrix, 1999
Narc, 2002
Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981
Raising Arizona, 1987
Risky Business, 1983
Rocky, 1976
Rope, 1948
Saturday Night Fever, 1977
The Silence of the Lambs, 1991
The Thin Red Line, 1998
The Thing, 1982
The Usual Suspects, 1995
Three Colors: Red, 1994
Wings of Desire, 1987
Music
Balmorhea, The Wind (Live from Marfa), 2022
Beck, Sea Change, 2002
Ben Harper, Fight for Your Mind, 1995
Billie Eilish, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, 2019
Billy Joel, The Stranger, 1977
Bob Marley and the Wailers, Legend, 1984
Cocteau Twins, Heaven or Las Vegas, 1990
Coldplay, Parachutes, 2000
The Cure, Disintegration, 1989
David Sylvian, Secrets of the Beehive, 1987
Dire Straits, Dire Straits, 1978
Eagles, Hotel California, 1976
Elton John, Honky Château, 1972
Explosions in the Sky, The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place, 2003
Frank Ocean, Blonde, 2016
INXS, Kick, 1992
John Barry, Out of Africa, 1982
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, 1963
John Mayer, Born & Raised, 2012
Journey, Infinity, 1979
KC & The Sunshine Band, Part 3, 1976
Led Zeppelin, IV / Zoso, 1971
Lenny Kravitz, Mama Said, 1991
Mac Miller, Circles, 2020
Max Richter, Sleep, 2015
Michael Kiwanuka, Love & Hate, 2016
Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, 1959
Moby, Live Ambient Improvised Recordings, Vol. 1, 2020
Natalie Merchant, Tiger Lily, 1995
New Order, Power, Corruption and Lies, 1983
Pearl Jam, Ten, 1991
Radiohead, The Bends, 1995
Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tony Takitani, 2007
Sade, Love Deluxe, 1992
Seal, Human Being, 1998
Steely Dan, Aja, 1977
The Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness, 1995
Supertramp, Even in the Quietest Moments, 1977
U2, Unforgettable Fire, 1984
Wilco, Wilco, 2009
Willie Nelson, Stardust, 1978
The xx, xx, 2009
Poems
Ask Me – William Stafford
Because She Would Ask Me Why I Loved Her – Christopher Brennan
Bluets – Maggie Nelson
Brownacre – Monica Youn
Caught – Kay Ryan
Crush – Ada Limon
"D" – Charles Bukowski
Date Night – John Kenney
Don’t Do That – Stephen Dunn
[Even in Kyoto] – Kobayashi Issa
Fiction – Mark Strand
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos – Tim Donnelly
Getting It Right – Matthew Dickman
Goat – John Kinsella
Head, Heart – Lydia Davis
Hope – Kay Ryan
I Sat in the Sun – Jane Hirshfield
The Invitation – Oriah Mountain Dreamer
It Was Like This: You Were Happy – Jane Hirshfield
The Man with Many Pens – Jonathan Wells
Mirror – Mark Strand
Neither Here Nor There – W.S. Merwin
No Warning No Reason – Michael Ryan
The Old Poet, Dying – August Kleinzahler
One Flew Over the Machine Shop – Fred Voss
Orgy – John Kenney
The Piano Player Explains Himself – Allen Grossman
Poem for Everyman – John Woods
Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note – Amiri Baraka
Private Equity – Sophie Cabot Black
Ray – Hayden Carruth
Realism – Beth Bachmann
Shopping for Pomegranates at Wal-Mart on New Year’s Day – Campbell McGrath
Some Say – Maureen N. McLane
The Straightforward Mermaid – Matthea Harvey
Table Talk – Billy Collins
[Untitled] ("Even after all this time...") – Daniel Ladinsky
Unlimited Soup and Salad – Timothy Donnelly
What Do Women Want? – Kim Addonizio
What Is There Beyond Knowing – Mary Oliver
What That Moon Language – Hafiz
Wild, Wild – Mary Oliver
Youtube Channels
A24:: Official channel of the independent film studio behind Everything Everywhere All At Once, Uncut Gems, and other modern classics. Shares trailers, features, and interviews.
AiTelly. Original 3D engineering animations from scratch. Visualizes complex technical concepts with clarity and precision. Ideal for STEM students, educators, and curious minds interested in how machines work.
Artificial Cheese: The official home of TK-42Greg, a helmet-cam-wearing stormtrooper with bizarre assignments and an eye for the absurd. (Good use of AI.)
Big Think: Expert-led educational content from thought leaders across disciplines. Offers quick, idea-driven videos on science, philosophy, psychology, and more.
Blogothèque: Captures raw, intimate live musical performances. Known for the Take Away Shows, where artists perform acoustically in spontaneous urban settings.
Bon Appétit: Test kitchen recipes, cooking techniques, and food culture from one of the internet’s most recognized culinary brands.
Bryan Johnson: Entrepreneur and biohacker documenting his intense anti-aging project, Project Blueprint. Focuses on longevity and optimization through science and data.
CinemaStix: Independent film criticism and video essays that focus on classic and popular cinema. Created by Danny Boyd. Recommended
Drumeo: Comprehensive drum education platform featuring top drummers, tutorials, and breakdowns of legendary performances.
Eater: Food and restaurant channel offering documentaries, reviews, and deep dives into global dining culture and culinary trends.
Elephants in Rooms – Ken LaCorte: Tackles controversial or overlooked political topics with directness. Hosted by Ken LaCorte, a former Fox News executive.
Enes Yilmazer: Real estate videographer showcasing some of the most extravagant homes, yachts, and luxury experiences around the world.
Flick Connection: Movie recommendation and review channel focused on helping viewers find underrated films on Netflix, Prime, and other streaming platforms.
Gilly and Keeves: Sketch comedy channel known for bold, absurdist humor. Creators of The Special and other original sketches with a dark edge.
GoPro: Showcases immersive, action-driven footage from GoPro cameras. Includes adventure sports, travel, and user-submitted experiences.
Great Art Explained: James Payne offers 15-minute deep dives into the meaning and context behind iconic artworks and artists.
Jack Thompson Coaching: Fitness channel focused on strength, mobility, and pain-free training using FASCIA-based methods.
Jared Henderson: Philosophy-focused channel with modern reflections on life, meaning, and culture, presented through stylized visual essays.
Kerry Tarnow: Every dream of owning a tiny home? Covers manufactured housing with tips, walkthroughs, and experiences.
Like Stories of Old: Video essays exploring the boundary between philosophy, storytelling, and personal meaning, often through film and myth. Recommended
Like Stories Untold: A secondary channel offering movie reviews and essays that fall outside the thematic structure of the main channel.
Mark Manson: Life advice from the author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**. Includes animated explainers and commentary.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL): Official NASA channel sharing videos from JPL, including missions, tech demos, and planetary exploration.
Nicklas Rossner: (For running.) Performance and injury-prevention advice from a former triathlete and physiotherapist working with elite athletes.
NPR Music: Home of Tiny Desk Concerts and live music sessions. Features a wide variety of artists and genres, with high production value.
OPEN SPACE: Focuses on architecture, design, and preservation. Highlights intentional spaces and sustainable development. Recommended
Petrolicious: Celebrates the design and legacy of classic cars. Combines storytelling with high-end automotive cinematography.
Proper Honest Tech: Down-to-earth tech reviews and gear guides, focused on usefulness and simplicity without hype.
Prudent Reviews: Consumer product review channel that compares home goods to find the best options through testing and research.
Sean Dalton: Travel photographer sharing his work and life in Southeast Asia, with a focus on photography tips and visual storytelling.
The Art of Photography: Photography channel run by Ted Forbes. Covers history, technique, and gear with a focus on the visual and creative process.
The Film Loner: Low-key channel sharing reviews and commentary on films, often with an introspective and personal slant.
The Midlife Synthesist: Music and synth channel featuring jam sessions, creative inspiration, and musings on musical life.
The Moment: Creative work spanning film, audio, and design. Projects often center around mood, texture, and tone.
The New York Times: Official NYT channel featuring documentaries, reporting, interviews, and long-form journalism across global topics.
The New Yorker: Signature mix of literary journalism, fiction, political commentary, and culture, adapted into video.
The School of Life: Psychological philosophy and self-understanding, delivered through elegant animation and carefully scripted lessons.
Thomas Flight: Film essays and media analysis focused on cinematic technique, editing, and the storytelling choices behind visual media. Recommended
Undecided with Matt Ferrell: Explores how emerging tech like solar, EVs, and smart grids impact the future. Explained through a designer’s perspective.
VICE News: Hard-edged journalism and on-the-ground reporting. Focuses on global conflict, social issues, and political controversy.
Vox: Explainer journalism covering politics, culture, science, and policy. Known for visual storytelling and clarity.
YBS Youngbloods: Ocean adventure channel centered around free diving, fishing, and remote survival. Part thrill-seeking, part nature doc. Recommended