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Jason Kottke

Writer of kottke.org, a personal blog of "fine hypertext products" published since 1998 and supported by its members.

5 books on the record · 27 Jan 2012 – 26 Nov 2025

The bar next to each date shows how long ago it was said: 6d is days, 4yr is years.

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Awakening Your Ikigai by Ken Mogi

Awakening Your Ikigai by Ken Mogi. Perhaps a little over-simplifying when it comes to Japanese culture, but I appreciated the message of having a purpose. (B)

on kottke.org · 26 Nov 2025

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Deacon King Kong by James McBride

Deacon King Kong by James McBride. This was my first time reading anything by McBride and maybe I have a new favorite author? I love everything about this story and the way he tells it. (A+)

on kottke.org · 26 Nov 2025

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In Praise of Shadows by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki

In Praise of Shadows by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki. Read this book about Japanese aesthetics while visiting Japan — it provided an interesting context. (B+)

on kottke.org · 26 Nov 2025

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Shopkeeping by Peter Miller

Shopkeeping by Peter Miller. This was recommended from a couple of different vectors — pretty sure one was Robin Sloan. Lots of resonance to my work here and how I think about it (and want to think about it). (A-)

on kottke.org · 26 Nov 2025

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Proust Was a Neuroscientist by Jonah Lehrer

My white desk doesn't work so well with the optical mouse, so for some dumb reason I'm using a 242-page book called Proust Was a Neuroscientist by Jonah Lehrer as a mousepad.

on usesthis.com · 27 Jan 2012

Everything Jason Kottke recommends — not just books — on rcmnd →

That little bar

It says how long ago something was said, so you can tell last month from 2014 without doing the arithmetic. Full and green is recent; it drains and cools as the date gets older, and empties completely at about 6 years.

A striped bar means the date itself is an estimate — the source did not carry an exact one. An entry with no date at all gets no bar.