BOOK TAGS
[classic][epic][fiction][history][non-fiction][psychology][russia]
FILM TAGS
[break-up][dark comedy][drama][dystopian][folk][germany][horror][kitsch][new england][period piece][psycholgical]
[queer][sci-fi][supernatural][17th century]
MUSIC TAGS
[folk rock][gothic rock][psyambient][singer-songwriter]
[singer-songwriter][folk rock][gothic rock]
31 AUG 2026 | beautiful as a singer-songwriter album about loss and relationships
but lacks the typical edge of wolfe's other albums. it's worth listening to but left
me wanting more or different.
[psyambient]
30 AUG 2026 | field recordings meet the ambient hum of a garden in this self-released
EP by Oakland-based musician Sulah Jordan and various accompanying musicians. bug sounds,
frog croaks, lullying guitars, trilling sax, and meditative vocals. listened to this on tidal
with OTE headphones while taking the metro after a day at the acropolis, played it thrice
[drama][psychological][queer]
23 AUG 2026 | The film is based on a play by Lillian Hellman which is based on a true story of two Scottish schoolteachers (Marianne
Woods and Jane Pirie) who were accused of lesbianism by their students in 1810. I've been increasingly satisfied by scenes with the
deep focus technique and the uncanny sensation of seeing more than you should or normally would. Lesbian-themed films tend to leave
a bitter taste in my mouth as they tend to coincide with tragedy but this movie was bittersweet. The ending left me yearning for a
different fate and what's more sapphic than that?
[dystopian][kitsch][sci-fi]
22 AUG 2026 | Every time I introduce myself to a man over 50 years old they mention this film so I figured I'd finally watch it. It
was like Lord of the Flies meets The Jetsons meets disco.
[non-fiction][psychology]
21 AUG 2026 | I'm trying to work on my issues with co-dependence and was recommended this book. It fell into the trapping of trying to
be easy to understand but by doing that missing out on the necessary nuance. It wasn't a great read but I'm glad I read it.
[classic][epic][fiction][history][russia]
21 AUG 2026 | This epic was originally published in its full-length book format in Russia in 1869. The version I read was the 1968 Signet
Classics edition translated by Ann Dunnigan. The book is written within the literary realism and historical fiction traditions and follows
a cast of characters, mostly Russian nobility, during the Napoleonic Wars from 1805 to 1820. This version did not include French-to-English
translations which was a disappointment given that 2% of the novel is written in French.
[dark comedy][drama][psychological]
19 AUG 2026 | Elizebteh Taylor and Richard Burton play Martha and George, a couple whose shared love is the game of identifying and proding
at the vulnerabilities of others and obfuscating their own. Elizabeth Taylor gained 30 lbs for the role. The film was shot on black and white
film at Smith College in Northhampton, Massachusetts (and uses deep focus, my fave). As is the purpose of this film, it reminded me of people
in my early childhood who were erratic and played the same games and the patterns I repeated before therapy. A very cathartic watch and some
of the best acting I've seen. It's a movie from a play written by Edward Albee and reads like a play
[folk][horror][new england][period piece][witches][17th century]
14 AUG 2026 | A historically accurate, heavily researched film by one of my favorite directors starring Anya Taylor-Joy. If you have the time,
please watch this 7.5 hour video essay that details the context of the film.
Filmed primarily in Ontario, Canada with some of the opening scenes shot in Massachusettes.
[break-up][germany][horror][supernatural]
13 AUG 2026 | One of my favorite films. Third re-watch. The miscarriage scene is gutting.
[gothic][horror][queer][vampire]
12 AUG 2026 | This novel has been on my list for years as it's considered a "lesbian classic". I'm not sure whether
I like the association between parasitic vampirism and lesbianism...yet any piece of art that focuses on attraction
between women feels like it has merit. This was like the sapphic Dracula-lite (I understand this was written before
Dracula but I understand why Dracula gets all the attention, it has much more world and character-building).
[avante garde][drama][horror][queer][vignettes]
11 AUG 2026 | I was about to sit down and write a review when I found
this article by Barry Levitt which says it all perfectly. This film follows three vignettes -- Hero, Horror, and Homo -- all of which
relate back to the queer experience, particularly how queerness is regarded by others. The film balances the queer experiences of
alienating peripheries (i.e., Richie Beacon's story being told only by others), AIDS moral and misinformational panic (e.g., Dr.
Grave's contagion), the grotesque taboo (i.e., spit, piss, shit, pus), and yearning and sensuality (e.g., John's hand hovering
over Jack's sleeping body). This was a phenomenal queer film that matched the gritty reality of queer lives while nailing
down a core message -- homosexuality is beautiful source of pride.[Me and who: "Haynes is gay,[67][68][69] and identifies
as irreligious.[70] After living in New York City for more than a decade, Haynes moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2002.[4][71]
He has been in a relationship with Bryan O'Keefe, an archival producer, since 2002.[72]"]
[british][drama][romance]
10 AUG 2026 | I watched this on recommendation from Copacetic who said it had "a lot of tension and a tragic ending".
A truly depressing tale of "romance" on the basis of bodies and power and little else.
[classic][epistolary][horror][thriller][vampire]
9 AUG 2026 | This Gothic horror novel was first published in the UK in 1897 by Irish author Bram Stoker.
The audiobook was narrated by Tavia Gilbert and J.P. Guimont. The story is told through a series of letters,
diary entries, and newspaper articles set in late 19th century Transylvania (modern-day Romania) and England.
I was highly critical of the book for the first half but by the second half I was enthralled by the story. My
feelings are quite complicated regarding the writing of women and gender-based expectations though.
[besties book club][epistolary][fiction]
30 JUL 2026 | This has been a popular book in local bookstores in 2026 and was a hit for book club. It was American author
Virginia Evans's first published novel. The story is told through a series of letters between Annapolis, Mayland-based
retired lawyer protagonist Sybil Van Antwerp and the relationships that comprise her life. Bones' recommended this book
to their MotherBone due to its themes on aging, blindness, and adoption.
[ambient][avant-garde][jazz]
28 JUL 2026 | I listen to these guys every once in a while. Today, this album put me in a meditative state as I was
trying to make a list of 50 things that occupied my mind today using my beloved slate gray Zebra Sarasa Clip 05 gel pen
on an 8"x8" college lined paper from a black OfficeMax 1 subject notebook manufactured in 2006.
[avant-garde][jazz]
26 JUL 2026 | With only two instruments, Akinmusire's trumpet and Halvorson's guitar (and technically vocals on the
jarring third? track), the tone of this album made the skin on my back prickle with a sensation akin to anxiety while
the emotional feel ranged from numbing blues to contemplative to rocking pleasure (*note: no NSFW content was harmed in
the making.
[fantasy][fiction][horror][sci-fi]
23 JUL 2026 | This print edition contains the first three books in the Southern Reach series -- Annihilation,
Authority, and Acceptance. The book series follows the scientists and government agencies attempting to understand Area
X, a "preternatural" pristine landscape of horrors. According to
an article in the Tallahassee Democrat, VanderMeer was inspired by St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge near St. Marks,
Florida. The novel explores current issues like climate change through an eerie and well-built world. I really enjoyed
the characters and the world-building. However, I wish I had taken a break between books because VanderMeers persistent
repetition of certain words and phrases (e.g., "preternatural") which grated on me. Also the sex scenes were so weird to
me but maybe that's a me problem. Recommended to me by Tony Pizza.
[anthropology][philosophy][technology][theory]
22 JUL 2026 | This book explores humanity's shift from analog to digital technology and how this
impacts the way we think and exist. Hassan, professor of Media and Communication at the University
of Melbourne, draws heavily on Canadian media theorist
Marshall McLuhan to assert that technology and humans experience a co-evolution whereby one influences
the other. Hassan focuses on major technological inventions (e.g., written language, printing press, Jacquard
loom) to introduce the reader to major theories and thinkers in this area of study. This text made me crave
more theory, more history, and more understanding of human-technology interactions.
[dark comedy][fantasy][satire][workplace]
10 JUL 2026 | Finally I am watching a Boots Riley film and it is exceeding all expectations (and my expectations
were high). This was an utter joy and terror to watch. It's non-stop, creative, aesethtic, and highly policical --
all the best things.
[besties book club][classic][fiction]
30 JUN 2026 | Read by Martin Jarvis with an excellent narration. Oh to be a disgusting bug hated by all who must go to work!
[besties book club][fiction][short stories]
28 JUN 2026 | This is the second story I've read by Keegan. She is skilled in communicating a rich
tale with few words. The short story follows a young girl as she spends the summer with a kind
older couple.
[action][anime][sci-fi]
20 JUN 2026 | I had the pleasure of watching this at the Sie in Denver and it blew me away. Katie and I now describe our
lives in two distinct eras: B.R. (Before Redline) and A.R. (After Redline). This was truly perfect from animation to
storyline, script, sound, acting, color, etc. It’s like Grand Theft Auto meets But I’m A Cheerleader and is set in space.
[comedy][drama]
18 JUN 2026 | One of those movies you'd watch with your mom but kinda enjoy while watching it.
[drama][fantasy][romance][teen][vampire]
16 JUN 2026 | I've been rewatching the series with Jordy, this is her first time watching it.
The ending is truly one of the worst endingings of a movie I've ever watched. This is the
worst film and yet I enjoy watching it.
[folk][horror][supernatural][witches]
14 JUN 2026 | I didn't care for this film. It felt disjointed, like it was trying to reach as wide an
audience as possible but had nothing to say for itself. I cannot grasp why they would design the
floating AK-47 in the sky--until that scene I had understood the story to be an allegory for
school shootings and mass violence against children but by the end of the film I was sure that the
director had no intention of making political points.
[drama][germany][musical][period piece][romance][tragedy]
13 JUN 2026 |
[colorado][drama][horror][psychological]
8 JUN 2026 |
[classic][russian]
30 MAY 2026 |
[biography][canada][docudrama][period piece][workplace]
24 MAY 2026 |
[comedy][horror]
20 MAY 2026 |
[comedy][parody][slapstick]
18 MAY 2026 |
[canada][comedy][mockumentary][power of friendship][sci-fi]
16 MAY 2026 |
[comedy][drama][workplace]
14 MAY 2026 |
[memoir][queer][theory]
8 MAY 2026 |
[queer][theory]
29 APR 2026 |
[besties book club][sci-fi]
25 APR 2026 |
[AIDS crisis][documentary][history][queer]
20 APR 2026 | I watched this for some essays I'm writing on the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. and I would highly recommend for
anyone looking to learn more. It's limited in its scope but still impactful.
[feminist][non-fiction][queer][theory]
17 APR 2026 | I'm bored by literature that doesn't feel challenging yet nearly incapable of reading something as dense as this. This was
the closest I've been to understanding this book and it was my second time reading it for the Queer Theories class I'm in. The more we
talk about it the less I'm confident in my understanding. The take-away is that gender is a performance and this performance is something
that is habituated, lived-- it's not putting on one outfit, it's who you are over the collective moments of your life.
[besties book club][fiction]
30 MAR 2026 | I enjoyed reading this but it was in that dead-pan style that seems to be saying more than it is. The
people hated it in book club. It made me hate them-- sorry not everyone is a "good person", do you really think you are?
What even is good? Dark dark dark thoughts
[fiction][queer][young adult fiction]
25 MAR 2026 | A sweet easy read meant for children. I am getting tired of easy read. I'm getting tired of staying in the realm of the
understandable, controllable, and pleasant.
[japan][poetry][young adult fiction]
15 FEB 2026 | I hate books written by adults from the perspective of a child. I hated this book but had to read
it for the Violence and Trauma class I'm in.
[non-fiction][psychology]
10 FEB 2026 | I read this for the violence and trauma class I'm taking. I've read it before but it's been years. It's shockingly
lacking nuance and yet a seminal text...in 2014....
[biography][documentary][queer]
30 JAN 2026 | This documentary follows the artwork of queer artists Barbara Hammer, Eileen Myles, Black Quantum Futurism,
Moor Mother, and Dynasty Handbag / Jibz Cameron.
[documentary][fashion][queer]
16 JAN 2026 | An interesting snap in time of what certain sub-populations of the lesbian community were wearing and
the roles they fell into.