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What I read

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle (completed September 4): Very disappointing. I think this was marketed as an adult book? which is bewildering because it read very YA and very juvenile. Lots of telling over showing. Tingle rushed tons of plot development and everything in the last two-thirds of the book happened at a break-neck pace. Read like a first draft.

Antigone by Jean Anouilh (completed September 5, read in French): A reread for me, I originally read it as a high school assignment. I really enjoy this retelling of Sophocles, and in general I find scripts in French much easier to read than prose. I'm not sure if there's an English translation, or what it's quality may be.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (completed September 24): I hadn't intended to reread this and The Lord of the Rings this year, but I couldn't sleep one night and turned on the Rob Inglis audiobook to help me fall asleep (it worked very well). I didn't get a ton out of this reread, since I only just read The Annotated Hobbit a year or two ago, so there hasn't been enough time for me to forget and read this one with new eyes.

Currently reading: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien; Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell; Ubik by Philip K. Dick; Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges.

What I watched

Fruits Basket (completed September 12): A rewatch while I was between One Piece arcs. I first read Fruits Basket when I was in middle school (too young?) and I loved watching it when it was airing. It was wonderful to watch the whole thing back to back.

Currently watching: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End; One Piece (Fishman Island Arc); JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Season 1).

What I listened to

A rarely included category, but I went on a road trip that was about 10 hours total and listened to some music.

Hold the Girl by Rina Sawayama (2022): I love this album, it was my second time listening all the way through. If you're queer and haven't heard it, you should. "Frankenstein" is my favorite but "Send My Love to John" makes me cry.

Act 3: The Dying of Self by Mon Rovia (2024): Good EP, I probably didn't listen to this one closely enough. Generally I like Mon Rovia although I don't listen to him frequently. No one favorite from these five songs.

Unreal Unearth: Unaired by Hozier (2024): Can't have a music marathon without some Hozier. My millionth time listening to this album, probably. Maybe this is my favorite of his three albums, maybe it's recency bias. Impossible to pick a favorite song, or to even whittle a list down to three or four.

AM by the Arctic Monkeys (2013): A nostalgia pick—I've never really liked their other albums, but AM is one of my favorite music albums, period. Favorite is, perhaps, "No. 1 Party Anthem", but I think all the songs are of pretty similar quality.

Revolver by the Beatles (1966): Another nostalgia listen, as it's been a long, long time since the Beatles were my main special interest. This is probably my favorite of their albums, and my favorite song on this listen was "Yellow Submarine".

Parachutes by Coldplay (2000): A few months ago I listened to all of Coldplay's music and liked it, overall. I like their later stuff significantly less than their early stuff, and mostly just listen to a few selects songs. "Yellow" is my favorite.

Multitude by Stromae (2022): Stromae has a habit of dropping top tier albums and then disappearing for years and I truly appreciate him for that. My favorite from this album is "Santé".

Montgomery Ricky by Ricky Montgomery (2016): I feel bad because the artist has said this album isn't really the music he's making now, but after some TikTok famous songs it's what's popular…but I do feel like this is a really good, fun album, and I'm not as big a fan of his newer music. I think the songs on this album are mostly equal quality, but maybe like "Line Without a Hook" the best.

Evolve by Phish (2024): I wouldn't have known about this album except that it ended up on a Spotify Blend playlist because a friend listened to it. It was my first listen, but had a nostalgic feel to it, which is maybe expected. My favorite song was "A Wave of Hope".

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