Author Archives: Sung Woo

1 Out of 8, 9 Out of 10

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A pleasant surprise to learn that Lines was one of only eight novels that one of my favorite reviewers, Julia Kastner, reviewed last year that received a rating of 9 out of 10. Woohoo!!

Of course, there were three books she reviewed that got 10 out of 10, but let’s not go there. Obviously those books are perfect and they can revel in their perfection. I’m quite happy to bask in the almost-perfectness of my fifth novel.

Check out her whole list — lots of good books there, including big-time bestseller Braiding Sweetgrass. She also names a handful of honorable mentions.

best of 2024: year’s end

Best Songs of 2024

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Here’s a list of my top songs for this year, in an order that might be surprisingly mixable. These are not necessarily from 2024; I just happened to have heard them in the last twelve months.

  1. Weak in Your Light, by Nation of Language on Strange Disciple
  2. Glass, Concrete & Stone, by David Byrne on Grown Backwards
  3. My Babe, by Spoon on Lucifer on the Sofa
  4. Pink Pony Club, by Chappell Roan on The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
  5. Hot to Go!, by Chappell Roan on The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
  6. The Feeling You Get, by Empire of the Sun on Ask That God
  7. Femininomenon, by Chappell Roan on The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
  8. Always/Never, by STRFKR on Parallel Realms
  9. Southern Storms, by Heavy Weighs the King on A Star in the Sky
  10. Twenty-Five, by Lake Street Dive on Good Together
  11. Turn the Lights Back on, by Billy Joel
  12. 365, by Waxahatchee on Tigers Blood
  13. The Nineties, by Kate Hudson on Glorious
  14. Escapism, by Raye on My 21st Century Blues (SNL, April 6, 2024)
  15. Wake Up, by Imagine Dragons on LOOM
  16. Red Wine Supernova, by Chappell Roan on The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
  17. My Kink Is Karma, by Chappell Roan on The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
  18. Worth It, by Raye on My 21st Century Blues (SNL, April 6, 2024)
  19. Please Please Please, by Sabrina Carpenter on Short n’ Sweet
  20. Change Nothing, by I Nine on Heavy Weighs the King
  21. Kaleidoscope, by Chappell Roan on The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

Six by Chappell Roan here, for an album that actually came out last year. Her debut was one for the ages. Some miscellaneous notes:

  1. Saw Spoon in concert in Montreal — first concert I attended since the pandemic. Won’t be the last.
  2. How about Billy Joel putting out his first new song in decades? And did you catch the AI-infused video? Pretty amazing all around.
  3. So there’s a band named I Nine here, whose first album is titled Heavy Weighs the King. And there’s a band named Heavy Weighs the King. None of this is a coincidence, and their story can be seen via Rick Beato.
  4. Between Chappell Roan, I Nine/Heavy Weighs the King, and Waxahatchee, the three ladies here have some serious belting power. And while Kate Hudson may not have the same vocal strength, her entire album is excellent — I hope she keeps going with this musical side gig of hers.

Dream Chasers and Eccentrics Podcast: Ep. 72, Author Sung J Woo, “Lines”

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I had the great pleasure to talk to Paul Trammell, who helms the Dream Chasers and Eccentrics podcast — please have a listen!

We talk about New York City (where Lines takes place), how he got started writing, Stephen King’s books, other books we love, his inspiration for the novel, developing characters, creativity, writing technique, his muse, the novel, the ending, his MFA, and more.

https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics