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Townie Dump M
CC Free townie dump. Includes at least 1 option for each outfit category, traits, aspirations, pronouns, skills, a sexuality, jobs or enrolled in college, and some likes and dislikes.
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Default eyes + skin see my resources.
I am so proud of my self for using the cheese hair. @yooniesim I did it!
#random townies#sims 4 townies#ts4 townies#townies#townie#townie dump#simblr#ts4 cc free#cc free townies#cc free#ts4 no cc#cheesehair#ts4 cheesehair#trans woman
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HI CAS! 😁 it’s that time of month again… 🎄🎅❄️☃️ are you a christmas music enjoyer? what’s your november reading looked like? what are the final books you’ll read in 2023? any wintery vibes these are all important questions
I always think I've become indifferent to if not completely turned off by christmas music but just last weekend my coffee shop was playing 'christmas (baby please come home)' n I was like hell yeah this song rules...... & one time my crabby hater coworker put on springsteen's 'santa claus is comin to town' for me + that was such a kodak Magic Of Christmas moment for me I was like wait the grinch really does have a soul.... im a sporadic xmas music enjoyer merely by happenstance 🧘♀️ + my november reads were magical!!!
Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag
wanted to pair this with Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection by Julia Kristeva as a brief little study on representing/projecting and relating to terror but this one was so apt that I thought it'd be best standing alone and allowed to sink in for the month. really interesting/important points about the origins of the 24 hour news cycle + "the CNN effect" + a mass desensitization to the suffering of others, disheartening but necessary things to understand especially now when every feed is so casually interspersed with it. and ofc Sontag is just so graceful with her framing of ideas that I think this is quite an accessible read to those who've never ventured into philosophy/theory
Manila Noir edited by Jessica Hagedorn
MILF (MAN I LOVE FILIPINOS)!!! learning that I maybe love crime fiction? or maybe specifically written by Filipinos bc the Philippines is kinda the perfect place for so many intersections/dissections of class and power and exploitation and all the things that make crime/mystery so juicy to me. the selection here was so strong, I think I ended up shelving something by each of the contributors I could find english translations for. so many women too which rules x10000. also saw that this is part of a series of 'noir' collected works based around a specific area (like SF, Brooklyn, Mumbai, Istanbul, etc) which I think is a super cool concept and I can't wait to track down the others. think this is gonna have to be a noirvember tradition
With my Dog Eyes by Hilda Hilst
read this in one sitting before a wedding so it's admittedly a bit of a blur/I didn't get to sit with it as much as I should have bc Hilst's prose is so dizzying (in a good way!!!) but I've asked for one of her translated works for xmas so I'll defo be giving that one my full + stoic attention 🧘♀️ I can vaguely remember the shape of the story but what most sticks out to me when reflecting is really specific phrases... the gold of your name — an armless embrace of you — sado-slippery I’m sweating and laughing... I'm empty of anything good. Full of the absurd.... just really gorgeous syntax and images and I can see why Hilst + Lispector's styles are compared so often
Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction edited by Sabrina Chap
admittedly wanted to hate this from the very start with Amanda Palmer's intro ugh like I braced myself for this to be some corny contrived #AngryWomenInArt but I ended up adoring this and hating myself for my initial haterisms.... women in art is actually so real..... really great + diverse selection of artists (I was worried this would be overwhelming white + cis + het but luckily it wasn't!) and it honestly didn't even occur to me to read this as like a guide on how to work through/with creativity, but rather glimpses into other artists' processes and journeys with their own creativity (I initially picked this up for Eileen Myles I think). so personal and honest and inspiring because of that intimacy and honesty. felt good when I recognized some of the other names too, but ofc added a bunch to my TBR as well. made me miss rookiemag and generally a time when feminism didn't seem so glazed in layers of girlboss irony + terfism real bad </3
Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan
MILF PT. 2!!! another Filipino crime fiction win.. I did see the reveal coming the moment the character was introduced but all the build-up made it worth it. I loved that no form of power was safe from criticism—sleazy priests/prominent figures from the church, useless police, sensationalist media, mayors blind to the true needs of their community, the smaller and smaller circles (hehe) of unchecked trauma and abuse, the ways these all tie together to inevitably harm those without a voice or pedestal.. does such a great job shining a light on the hypocrisy and corruption of it all which isn't specific to the Philippines but from the few Filipino works I've read, it really does feel like a reoccurring core theme. with such a vengeance too! watched the movie adaptation last night which cut out a lot of the good/necessary stuff in my opinion but the vibes + casting were spot on so it was just cool to see the gritty world come to life in that way
Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
BONK this was everything to me like exactly the kind of writing I've been aching for since I was a teenager........ a similar blissful dizziness that I felt reading Hilst — gorgeous sensual painfully moving prose, it's wild to me that a work of fiction could hold this much introspection, each character's state of mind so crystal clearly expressed you can't help but feel a little lost in it. and this is her first book??? I'm thrilled just thinking about how she could possibly hone her craft in later works, I'm so excited to see for myself. this is a sidebar but I pretty much lost all my steam for creative/fiction writing during the pandemic and randomly pushed myself to get back into it in october and between this + Hilst's book I rly do feel more inspired than ever..,. crazy what some beautiful & dreamy sentences can do to you!!
i DONT want to prematurely toot any horns but I think I may actually reach my original reading goal of 50 books this year? just started the last book (Something Wicked This Way Comes) in the 'dark boyhood' trio I planned with my friend and it's going by super fast (probably because it's a childrens book basically LOL) and then I checked out Nana vol 1 & 2 bc I found out my library randomly has them (despite never having anything else I'm ever looking for... like ok) and I usually whiz through graphic novels. I think I may read Powers of Horror as mentioned earlier to balance out the fiction, and I downloaded a few free books by Palestinian authors from here (free to download til Dec 5th) so I'll choose from one of those.. maybe end the year with some poetry, all of which isn't necessarily wintery but simply reading my lil book w a hot drink is cozy enough <3
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it’s that time of year again… 🎄🎅🎉🎊 no. the highlights of your 2023 media consumption of course! just like last year, i want to know your top 5 films, books, tv shows, songs/albums, pop culture moments if that’s your thing, and as a bonus: any favourite personal moment/achievement in the last year? new to you, new in release, either works! can’t wait to see your response and wishing you a happy new year! 😁🩷
imo !! (happy belated birthday💗)
I'll alternate between top 3s and 5s.
MUSIC🎧🎶
I quite literally listened to my spotify wrapped 22 for this entire year but some highlights came from demi's album
substance
skin of my teeth
eat me
classics that have appeared in multiple spotify wraps
top 5+: lemon baby and boyfriend by maasho, close the door by weston estate, honey by kehlani, fools by madison beer, 505 by arctic monkeys, motivation by normani, since u been gone by kelly clarkson.
BOOKS📖
stay with me by ayọ̀bámi adébáyọ̀ - this is currently my favorite book and probably will be for a long time. the story is fascinating, the characters are solid, well thought out, and developed. their flaws and problematic behavior make them feel real. a lot of things are unexpected but always have a purpose I thoroughly enjoyed this book and need my own copy asap.
seven days in june by tia williams - I understand the hype for this book, and I'm so glad to have read it. it made me want to read more romance. I have my qualms with some formatting decisions but at the end of the day solid solid book/story/characters.
three women by lisa taddeo - a lot of people need to read this book.
honorable mentions: american spy by lauren wilkinson, brokeback mountain by annie proulx, he started it by samantha downing, truths I never told you by kelly rimmer
PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS🧘🏽♀️🩷
got the job :)
managing my mental illnesses!
knitted two scarves
boxing is fun
yoga is fun too
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it’s that time of year again… 🎄🎅🎉🎊 no. the highlights of your 2023 media consumption of course! just like last year, i want to know your top 5 films, books, tv shows, songs/albums, pop culture moments if that’s your thing, and as a bonus: any favourite personal moment/achievement in the last year? new to you, new in release, either works! can’t wait to see your response and wishing you a happy new year! 😁🩷
HEY!!! I'm adding media I've loved this year wether it was released this year or not if thats ok but most of these did in fact release during 2023
long paragraph..,,
top 5 films
Beau is afraid - absolute favorite 2023 movie, Ari Aster will never fail to get into the depths of my brain in such beautiful and traumatising ways...it was truly a ride - watched it twice in the span of a week because the itch inside couldn't stop itching god it was so good, it felt like a dream and a nightmare and god knows how bad i love things that feel like dreams and nightmares, the mystery of what it means to "dream"
Talk to me - YES!!!! great horror!!!!! BEST montage scene of the year (yes. that scene with Le Monde song) great great great rhythm it felt like 2000s horror. simple main plot doesn't always mean its gonna be predictable or boring, LOVE a good "not so original" idea when its greatly made and this is the perfect example! classic horror is so back
Infinity pool - insane. loved every second of this. original premise, critic message, GREAT cast, sick visuals...Mia Goth the actress that you are
M3GAN - camp! not much else to say really. watched it a couple times during the year it's just become a personal comfort movie i just love that doll shes everything to me
Pearl - yeah I watched this way too late.........for an A24 horror enjoyer.... sorry father for i have sinned. Rewired my brain chemistry, changed my life forever, did irreversible damage on my psyche etc. Beautiful splendind wonderful i CAN'T wait for maxxxine
top ¿? shows
haven't watched many remarkable shows but there we go with my little ranking...
Severance - incredible visuals, incredible storyline, amazing concept overall, can't wait for season 2
Better Call Saul - this show is all I breathe and Im genuinely worried that I won't be able to like a show as much as I like bcs - fav show i've ever watched, genuinely
La Mesías - best 2023 spanish show.............i love shows i love media i love art. when i watch things like this i feel so honored i'm able to witness such things for so little payment like. this isnt worth a suscription i feel like i owe more for letting me see such thing. i feel like im a voyeur when i encounter media that's so carefully made, with so much taste and eye for detail...like i shouldn't be allowed to watch through my laptop screen in my bedroom . just wow if you have the chance and find a sub version i can't recommend it enough
that was my top 2023, other shows ive watched...just rewatched the office, currently rewatching breaking bad, I think you should leave...
top 5 albums/songs
Desire, I want to turn into you - Caroline Polachek - so ethereal, so dreamy, feels like a movie and like when you fall in love and start noticing things you usually never paid attention to - the beauty of your hometown, your lover's hands or how their smile folds in certain ways when they see you, even how you perceive yourself differently
fav track - either I believe or butterfly net
Fanfare - Dorian Electra - from one extreme to the other..complete chaos and noise and I'm soooooo seated for it! such a complete album with 0 skips, always gonna love a fame themed record that talks about things that aren't relatable at all and gotta love the pop culture moments aswell, they're always so campy yet manage to be deep at times i love an unserious but self aware king what can i say!
fav track - wanna be a star
American Gurl - Kilo Kish - oh i love love this album i love the sound of it, the videogame vibe...every single song is so addictive I'll be minding my business and a random song from this album will pop into my head
fav track - no apology!
Preacher's Daughter - Ethel Cain - well this was certainly something it literally felt like a horror movie and of course I'm so here for it. terrifying, disgusting, sent shivers down my spine the first time I heard it on full length...and still does when I do. such a great album and def one of the best ones ive ever heard, top 5 for sure
fav track - family tree
Ultraviolence - Lana del Rey - yeah i'm 10 years late and thank god I am bc only god knows the irreversible damage this would have done to teenager me
fav track - florida kilos
2023 personal highlights
started the year doing a really nice trip that somehow helped me clear thoughts about my future
I got accepted into the masters degree I wanted which also gave me the chance to meet so many cool people and make so many good friends <3
I've been able to draw soooooooo much - my arm is doing sooo much better
got a tattoo I really wanted! got that flash design in my mind for a while and it's finally on me
this year was so hard for me and my family and it was such a challenge. I'm so proud we could manage through it all, and hopefully this year is easier on us
thanks so much for the ask Imo! sorry I wrote a lot and half of it it's just nonsense though!! I wish you a happy new year <333
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it’s that time of year again… 🎄🎅🎉🎊 no. the highlights of your 2023 media consumption of course! just like last year, i want to know your top 5 films, books, tv shows, songs/albums, pop culture moments if that’s your thing, and as a bonus: any favourite personal moment/achievement in the last year? new to you, new in release, either works! can’t wait to see your response and wishing you a happy new year! 😁🩷
yay!! i was so excited to receive this in my inbox again this year 💖 overall i feel like i consumed less media than last year? but here's a roundup of some of my favorite things this year:
movies
so most of the movies i really really enjoyed this year didn't actually come out this year lol but i really enjoyed:
skinamarink - i love horror and while this one might be too much of a slowburn for people, it really filled me with dread so yay!
birdman (or the unexpected virtue of ignorance) - i'd been meaning to get around to this one for a while and finally did! totally worth it. the writing and acting: immaculate!
stop making sense - one thing about me is i will enjoy a music doc. the energy in this is so so wonderful. i love david byrne, i love talking heads. left the theatre in a great mood
saltburn - a controversial pick probably. but i had fun! don't really care for the criticisms that it fails at being class critique. it's about being a little pathetic freak and wanting to crawl into someone else's skin for me.
crash (the cronenberg one) - another one i'd been meaning to get around to for a while. i've seen most of cronenberg's stuff and i deeply deeply enjoyed this one. it's about sex, it's about violence, it's about desire, it's about all the weird things the human body can do. i love cronenberg and this one was perfect to me. mwah!
music
crash (charli xcx) - i know, i'm a little late. i listened to this religiously this year. having seen cronenberg's crash this year also added a little extra flavor. obsessed. love it. several songs are on my spotify on repeat as we speak.
this is why (paramore) - ahh so much fun! i love paramore, love getting a new paramore album. the remix album is great too. i also got to see them this year and had a blast! paramore was the first concert i ever went to so getting to see them again is full circle for meee.
desire, i want to turn into you (caroline polachek) - fun!! i do prefer pang but i had fun!
skylight (pinegrove) - sleepy, twangy indie album. i enjoyed! it was soothing this year.
joy as an act of resistance (idles) - the opposite of a sleepy, twangy album! i'm hoping to catch idles in the new year since they're stopping in town :)
tv
not a great tv year for me tbh
succession - succession my beloved! banger of a final season. it will go down in the annals of my favorite tv shows for the rest of all time. kendall roy you will always be famous.
adventure time - revisiting adventure time for the first time in forever. it's fun, it's sweet, i have a soft spot for it. i'm on its final season but have yet to finished because i'm emotionally attached at this point.
video games
baldur's gate - all i've done with my time lately is play baldur's gate. eat, sleep, breathe baldur's gate. i have not touched my sims in months because i have no space but for baldur's gate on my computer. finally got a ps5 and immediately got baldur's gate so that i can finally play it properly because my mac can only barely run it!!! i'm emotionally attached to my little tiefling cleric. i am already fantasizing about my next playthrough.
top me moment!
lol as for personal successes this year: i got a fellowship with a really well-recognized poetry organization in my city that i have so much love for and that truly does so much good work for our community. i have been slowly working my way through the ranks. i started as a mentee last year, taught some poetry classes for them, and this year helped run their month-long festival, and am now working directly with them to help plan their month-long festival for next year. it feels so aligned with the kind of career i'd like to have in my life. next goal is to hopefully lock-in some kind of permanent position with them once my fellowship is over. hopefully i will have good news about that in next years wrap up! thanks again for asking this, i truly get a kick out of it!!
#ahhh i can't help but write an essay#i wish i had consumed more media this year but genuinely felt like i didn't have much i was interested in?#i think potentially the writer's strike and actor's strikes may have had some influence on that#anyway thanks again for asking imo 💖#cheesehair#yearly roundup
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it’s that time of year again… 🎄🎅🎉🎊 no. the highlights of your 2023 media consumption of course! just like last year, i want to know your top 5 films, books, tv shows, songs/albums, pop culture moments if that’s your thing, and as a bonus: any favourite personal moment/achievement in the last year? new to you, new in release, either works! can’t wait to see your response and wishing you a happy new year! 😁🩷
omg hiii imo <333333333 <33333333 and happy birthday!
hmmmm let's see
i have no sense of time i don't remember what was this year or last let's just combine a bunch of stuff i really need to actually start using letterboxd and goodreads and stop forgetting they exist (new years resolution)
the batman still counts...... (it actually is still the movie i watched the most this year and i have not enjoyed it an ounce less 😌)
the riddler: year one comic ended this year!! very good very Thought Provoking for a riddler head....
read the girls by emma cline this year because boy did i miss that bandwagon that book came out almost 8 years ago. idk i think back then i read the opening preview online and thought it sucked (which the beginning DOES suck omg i was RIGHT) so i never read it, but i actually liked it a lot once you get past that part! it's stuck with me hard for some reason, and i think has influenced some of what i created this year
ruby sparks. paul dano i would do anything for you
ok. the ballad of jack and rose (2005). hear me out. everyone fucking hates this movie. but i think everyone should have a "no one gets this movie but me and that's ok" movie and i think i found mine this year with this one (don't watch it it's probably not worth it)
does the penguin teaser count.....because i remember screaming at the top of my lungs in my car to that one. i am excited for that. a bit
became obsessed w this song spotify wrapped was a lie this was my song of the year
did some writing i'm proud of! i've posted a lot of it, but some parts aren't ready to be posted 😌 but i'm really excited for when it's time. i don't think it was an extremely transformative year of my writing style and ability (that was last year), but i think i just held firm and continued to write stuff i like!
i restarted my blog and my villareals!!!!!!! i've wanted to do this version of the story for so long and i'm really pleased with it and i think it was a really good idea that didn't completely blow up in my face! phew
is it too early to count two-headed lamb as an achievement of the year. i don't think so i think it slaps 👁
#goodreads is for the want to read button and the want to read button only#so when i walk into a bookstore i don't get overwhelmed lol#cheesehair#ask
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!!!NOT A WCIF!!!!
hiiii <3 big ask big answer is what i'm expecting would LOVE to know your top 5/faves across various media that are new(in release or just new to you) this year! so: shows, movies, games, books, songs/albums, new artists you've discovered etc
HI IMO 🫶 happy bday btwwww!!!!! heres my top five seven of this year in no particular order 😈
LAUREL HELL by mitski (2022)
one thing about me is that i LOVE mitski... i've been waiting for the new album ever since working for the knife dropped in 2021 and she did not disappoint literally so many of the songs were SO relatable and applicable to my life its safe to say she carried me thru early 2022... heat lightning and should've been me are my two fav songs from the album but literally the whole thing is no skips for me
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE directed by daniel kwan and daniel scheinert (2022)
no bcos i walked into this movie hearing so many good things about it i was kind of worried ab it being underwhelming to my expectations But It Was Not. it made me bawl the first time i watched it highkey 🤭 something about the specific flavour of parental... disappointment?? love??? it was beautifully crafted and stephanie hsu's performance to me was unforgettable im probably going to go watch her entire portfolio ive watched the vid below like 10 times
youtube
MOB PSYCHO 100 from one and studio bones (2016-2022)
jort recommended this show to me and i finally bit the bullet and watched it in may... ITS SO BEAUTIFUL. IT JUST. clenches fist idkkk this show just is stunning on so many levels visually its my fav anime i think??? so many frames that will live in my head forever... also the nature of the narrative about Kindness without the like framework of whether its "deserved" or you're worthy of giving or receiving it really spoke to me. hats off to jort for this i'm rlly glad i got to start it while the show was airing
youtube
SMITHEREENS by joji (2022)
unfortunately i am genuinely a joji fan so i was super hyped for this album... he's got such a melancholy(?) tone to his music that rlly speaks to me i think if i seriously made music i would probably want to emulate that if even a little. my only criticism is i wished the album was longer HDKSHSK die for you and 1am freestyle r my favourite songs from it
NOPE directed by jordan peele (2022)
what hasn't already been said about this movie. IT'S SO GOOD. i love my horror movies but i will freely admit that like 80% of the films in the entire genre are just objectively Bad especially american made horror movies 🤭 jordan peele completely sidesteps that issue and nope has to be my fav of his works so far i think. it has layers like an onion i'm still thinking about it like months after watching it... mr peele already had a fan in me for life but this solidifies it
youtube
ANDOR created by tony gilroy (2022-?)
okay hear me out i know its star wars (👎) and thus my opinion on the franchise has generally been biased but this show literally knocked my ass into the water it was so unexpectedly good? and not good in a pitying oh at least x character from x series made a cameo NO the show like knew exactly what it was trying to say and said it beautifully. diego lunas performance was genuinely so moving i highly recommend everyone even if u havent watched star wars!! u dont need like all the context just watch a new hope and rogue one after the show? maybe
youtube
ICYMI by eden (2022)
finishing off with my personal fav artist of all tiiime 🥰🥰🥰 ive been literally obsessed with his music the second i found it so i was waiting patiently for this album for ages. no skip ass album i just fucking love his music it feels like im levitating it feels like my soul is being read. if i made music and it had even a sliver of this albums energy i'd die a happy man. i literally listened to nothing but it for like a week straight i think. my fav songs from it are balling and closer 2
#TYSM IMO i love talking so talk i goddamn will-#the fact that no books made it on here um 🤭 in my anti intellectualism era ig IDK okay nothing rlly spoke to me this year...#night sky with exit wounds by ocean vuong almost got on here but i capped it at 7 because its my fav number#and also i havent like finished processing it either i need a month for that HAHAH#ask#reply#cheesehair
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wcif you winning at mario kart?
trick question haha
just u wait imo. one day .
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hi kurt! just noticed you’d deactivated :( simblr is hell i hope you’re ok!
hi!! i’m ok simblr just didn’t make me happy anymore 💜💜💜 hope you’re well!! 💚💚💚
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i loved reading burnt sugar please answer when you’ve finished with your thoughts 🤭😁
hiii imo, i finished it a couple of days ago, and judging by the reviews i’ve seen, we might be the only two ppl who loved itgjsjfjn.. it took me a lil while to get used to her writing style in the beginning but my goodness avni doshi has a way with words like i found myself stopping at some sentences and going, “ohhh..” (like "I wonder if, when I'm old and frail and can see the shape of my end in front of me, I will still be waiting for the future to roll in." WOAH) it’s also incredible how many topics the book addressed in just over 200 pages?? yet it never felt rushed??
i saw a comment about how nothing much happens in the book but i actually rly liked that it's basically a recollection of memories antara has the burden of remembering for two people, and the melting pot of emotions arising from that drive the narrative. but yeah! i'm glad i picked it up bc i was just like, "oh! fraught mother-daughter relationship? let's see.." when i read the blurb, and i ended up liking it a lot :')
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hiiii <3 big ask big answer is what i'm expecting would LOVE to know your top 5/faves across various media that are new(in release or just new to you) this year! so: shows, movies, games, books, songs/albums, new artists you've discovered etc
you can also vn me this would love a jaye podcast episode expecting the bear to be no. 1 as the only show rec of mine you watched
ur so annoying...
the bear (love her, adore her and i was planning to watch before u recc'd!)
abbott elementary (quinta brunson YOU will always be famous)
renaissance (capped at no. 3 for the lack of visuals)
everything, everywhere, all at once (I cried for 45mins my mommy issues are insane u know this)
crash deluxe album (charli is not a good woman but that album is one of the greatest of all time and one of my top 3 gigs!)
bonus: I actually read like 11 books this year but almost none of them are released cos I read them for work...but I've read some things!
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tech support era babe?
I THINK SO 💀
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cutting it soo close to the wire oopsie but i'm here!! 2023 is out, 2024 is in. also in: your december reading update? did you hit 50 books read? what are your 2024 reading goals, anything that suprised you about your 2023 reading other than falling in love with Dennis Cooper?
I read 12 books last month man it was a blur!!
ok there's just too many for me to indulge in any rambling so I'm gonna try and keep things short n sweet
Nana Vol. 1-3 by Ai Yazawa - I was never really into manga growing up but this is like exactly the type of story and style I wanna wrap myself up in always!! so much fun!! the rumors are true, I love a roommate story!!! I read each one in a single sitting so I wanna pace myself thru the rest of the series so that I don't spoil + finish it all at once </3
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury - honestly not as fantastical as I was expecting for some reason but it reminded me of Coraline which was fun! I could see Neil Gaiman getting inspo from this (edit: literally just looked it up and yes Gaiman indeed cites him as a direct influence yup yup)
Out of Time by Samira Azzam - something almost Steinbeck-like in these vignettes of everyday life in a very culturally-specific way that I really enjoy. really insightful introduction that mentioned how although most her stories didn't explicitly mention Palestine, they still were recognizable as a Palestinian existence + therefore shaped a sort of Palestinian consciousness for readers that were often blocked from accessing their own culture in academic settings
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - I can't believe it took me this long to read something by Toni Morrison / that I never read her in any English classes?? like she seems so foundational to the grand scheme of American literature.... ridiculous! so phenomenal and gripping and darker than I expected. not just an engrossing story but also a really intentional and haunting use of language that really sinks you into that world/shifting perspectives
Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat - this is like the only Palestinian book my local library has (shameful!) so I checked it out on a whim and was so surprised at what an amazing memoir this is!!! touching and vibrant and left me so eager to read her follow-up memoir based around her teenage years. I feel like this is a great introduction to Palestinian literature in general bc while it does (obviously) tie in the history and reality of occupation, the amount of love & detail given to the everyday things - merely going to school or playing with her brothers - was so enlightening and relatable
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris - the first/main story, SantaLand Diaries, is still one of my favorites - I love stories about odd jobs + boy does Sedaris have so many tales to tell about those!! reread this in one sitting before I sent it off to a friend who seems to find herself in a new odd job each year so I figured she'd resonate
Gaza in Crisis and On Palestine by Noam Chomsky & Ilan Pappé, edited by Frank Barat - 2 separate books but I'll talk about them together since they're companion pieces. surprisingly accessible, probably due to the format of essays mixed with interviews. On Palestine echoed a lot of the sentiments of Gaza in Crisis so I'd recommend On Palestine for a sort of "updated" version (and in my opinion, more thorough). a good stepping stone for some of the meatier/more history-dense books on my TBR
Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel - yknow the thing about recipe bloggers who will intersperse their super personal life story into the recipe? this is like a whole book of that it's kinda iconic... honestly a little juvenile and ridiculous at times but I had a fun + have made hot chocolate every single day since reading this which literally wasn't even one of the recipes included/the title itself comes from like 1 short part towards the end but still... Ms. Esquivel's impact... the movie adaptation was really well done too, captured the magical realism surprisingly well without making things look hokey + Man I just love food in film!!!
Good Sense & the Faithless by Michelle T. Clinton - beautiful sexy thoughtful angry hopeful healing.... I really love her and I'm glad I ended the year with this!!
YES I surpassed by goal which honestly did surprise me bc if you recall I sliced my 50 down to 36 a few months ago because 50 didn't seem feasible at the time, but I guess the lesson is to never underestimate winter reading!! still I'm playing it safe and declaring 40 as my 2024 goal... for now.... a few weeks ago I made a little reading syllabus for the year where each month is a different theme (except for january + august to give myself some time to get the wiggles/impulsive reads out ya know) and I mostly sourced from books I already own or books in my TBR so I'm really excited to have more structure to my reads + actually get through some of the books in my ever-growing TBR!! shameful and embarrassing that it's nearly at 1k books like GOD just READ them, woman!!! I think I'm also surprised at how many graphic novel collections I read (3!) which maybe shouldn't be that surprising bc I always have a good time with graphic novels but I think these particular reads opened the door to a buncha different authors and artists and literary circles which ofc I'm always grateful for! yay reading!!
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hiiii <3 big ask big answer is what i'm expecting would LOVE to know your top 5/faves across various media that are new(in release or just new to you) this year! so: shows, movies, games, books, songs/albums, new artists you've discovered etc
tv shows:
the bear; you already know bc you put me and like a dozen other people on to this show lol - the chaos, the vulnerability, the rawness idk it's very realistic while being dramatic and comedic I'd like to see syd and carmy on my screen very soon <3
the endgame!! I watched it on hulu this summer and spent the last week trying to figure out what it was called. just figured it out and wouldn't answer this ask before I did. they cancelled the show after one season (and it's not on hulu anymore) but it's perfection nonetheless. storyline and plot is there. the characters are developed. two women go from enemies to acquaintances bc if they don't work together the us will quite literally fall apart (one is a prisoner and the other an fbi agent lolol). that sounds romantic but it's not. it's good stuff.
books:
do not go gently by judith smith-levin is intense and graphic, but the plot is there, the characters are decent, and I'm only including this book bc I was startled by the time I finished reading. I was stuck in the best way possible.
sugar by bernice l. mcfadden is sad and happy and hopeful. I have the sequel (this bitter earth) on my bookshelf simply bc sugar ended on such a good cliffhanger. it wasn't lazy or like the author just tossed it at the end, it was intriguing and woven throughout the story so well. I love all the characters involved no matter how annoying they are bc they felt so real.
movies:
a woman under the infulence - a movie I had to watch for a film class but didn't regret it and it immediately came to mind when you sent me this! focuses completely on a woman and her journey with her unnamed mental illness. it's raw, maybe a bit too raw, it felt more like a documentary of sorts, and I wanted to hug mabel and her kids throughout it </3
ty imo!!! this was fun :-)
#<3#asks#cheesehair#I haven't listened to a lot of music this year :/#idk#sort of want to consume more good media#good shows films books#yeah
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i'm actually cracking up that you're 3 posts deep about this we have to get this resolved! include cc in your builds downloads!!!
imo i'm going through the horrors
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hiiii <3 big ask big answer is what i'm expecting would LOVE to know your top 5/faves across various media that are new(in release or just new to you) this year! so: shows, movies, games, books, songs/albums, new artists you've discovered etc
hi!!! you don't know how excited i got to see this pop up in my inbox, i love talking about things i love so thank you <333 i hope you don't mind that this will be super long lol 😭
shows
severance - okay so i have to start off with severance because it is THE BEST show i saw this year, i've begged everyone i know to watch it. i encourage you to watch it if you haven't! it has such an exciting premise (what if you have no recollection of who you are at work, and the work version of yourself has no idea who you are outside of work, and you had to reconcile those two people?) it's such a juicy concept that explores the way jobs take advantage of workers, in an amazing sci-fi setting. also from a totally nerdy perspective, the retro-futurist aesthetic of it is amazing like the set designers really created an immaculate setting. it's a great story of found family, it has mystery, it has twists. i watched it twice all the way through! when i finished it the first time i was in despair at the thought of having to wait for its second season.
andor - euuugh i hesitate to put a star wars show here because as much as i love star wars, the shows for the most part suck so bad. but i loved andor so so much. i was genuinely surprised week to week at how every single episode was crafted beautifully and kept me engaged. i was pleased at how unapologetically it holds a mirror to the evils of fascism and white supremacy and colonization. it's definitely not without its flaws but as a star wars fans it's everything that star wars should be. it's so clear that the people involved in its creation are passionate about the story they're telling.
and in an attempt to not make you read an essay about every show i liked, some other faves were: interview with the vampire and ted lasso, and technically not new to me this year but i have to say succession my forever love <3
movies
nope - i love horror, i love movies, i am so scared of aliens lol. this movie was so amazing for so many reasons. but among one of my biggest reasons for loving nope is that it feels like the kind of movie only someone who loves movies can make. it's so clear jordan peele loves movies, and so much about nope feels like a love letter to the making of movies, which i'm sure is a weird takeaway but it was one of my takeaways regardless. the story, acting, sound design were fantastic. i had so much fun watching it.
everything, everywhere, all at once - there's so much to say about this one. i love when the whole point is that yes, we are just stupid little humans trying to connect. i love reckless optimism. as someone with immigrant parents, a lot resonated with me. and the visuals were incredible. i love that it's goofy and over the top and poignant and that it balances all those things so beautifully.
meet me in the bathroom - i love documentaries!!! and music so much! this was such a fun look at the explosion of rock music in new york city during the early aughts. it's the kind of movie that makes you want to convince your friends to start a terrible punk band with you immediately after watching.
other faves: thoroughbreds, street gang: how we got to sesame street, and lake mungo (a slow-burn documentary style horror movie that genuinely freaked me out, and i don't scare easy!)
games
i didn't really play many new games this year, mostly just revisited some old ones. but i have to insist that disco elysium is the best game i've played in recent memory. i played it for the first time last year. it's brilliant. the writing is incredible, the characters are incredible, the voice acting is incredible. i would try to explain what makes it so great, but it really is the kind of thing you have to experience for yourself. and i highly encourage you do!
books
i feel like i read so many great books this year among them:
the only good indians by stephen graham jones - a group of friends are haunted by a mistake they made in their youth. it's great psychological horror and commentary on the native american experience
crying in h-mart by michelle zauner - michelle zauner's memoir on reconnecting with her culture after her mother's death. it also gives really great insight on japanese breakfast's discography. it made me cry a ton!
the final revival of opal and nev by dawnie walton - a fictional oral history of a black punk rock musician. it's fun, it's emotional, the writing is great and the characters really suck you in. i think it's also a great read if you're someone who's into music
lost boy by christina henry - this one shocked me with how much i ended up liking it. it's an imagining of captain hook's origin story, which didn't sound initially appealing to me, but it was so beautifully written, devastating, and even horrific at times. the affection that jamie (who becomes captain hook) has for the other lost boys is just really tender and sweet. this is one of the most recent books i read this year and it quickly became one of my favorites!
music
you've been reading for so long now, i'll try to keep this concise:
songs: mujeres by y la bamba (i only heard this song for the first time a few months ago and it got to my 8th spot on my spotify wrapped!! the drums are incredible, the lyrics are fun, i just love listening to it) la combi versace by rosalia, pattern doubt by young jesus, hertz by amyl and the sniffers, good times by genesis owusu, back to oz by sufjan stevens, should've been me by mitski, and so so so many more
albums: in the aeroplane over the sea by neutral milk hotel, fever to tell by yeah yeah yeahs, laurel hell by mitski, jubilee by japanese breakfast, sable by japanese breakfast (i don't think i ever listened to this album all the way through but the first couple of songs are perfect to listen to while i'm working on writing)
#okay sorry to put you through this essay lol#but thank you for asking <3#i'd love to hear from you about your faves this year#this was fun!!!!#also fun fact i also follow you from my simblr lmao#cheesehair#val talks
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