Hey friends!
It’s the strange glowing cloud hanging above your apartment building, Sam Cote, here with another installment of Weekly Favorites! I rejoined social media last week and concluded, after a mind-numbing six hours of scrolling, that I was not ready to get back on the content train. That said, the blog lives on! Trying out this new layout (for SEO purposes). Let me know how it looks on your end!
Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin
I am currently reading Notes of a Crocadile by Qui Miaojin (translated by Bonnie Huie). Set in 1980’s Taipei, this book is a series of notebooks written by the protagonist, known only as Lazi. It is a queer coming of age story, with an eccentric cast of characters in the process of growing up in a country that hasn’t decided whether it tolerates or abhors them. This has been on my reading list for quite a long time, and finally found it at the library. I’m a bit over halfway through, and it’s slow going. There isn’t much overarching plot, so it hasn’t been a page-turner for me. That said, the prose is beautiful– all the credit to Bonnie Huie for adapting such gorgeous writing to English. Each scene’s delivery is detailed and visceral.
Cat Burns
I recently discovered Cat Burns, and have been loving her music. The tracks “People Pleaser” and “Home For My Heart” (with ArrDee) have been my favorites so far. I was looking for something new and energetic, and this fits the bill quite well.
Shadow and Bone: Season 2
I started watching Season 2 of Shadow and Bone, which is adapted from Leigh Bardugo’s books in the Grishaverse. The Shadow and Bone show incorporates the characters (and some plot elements) of Six of Crows, which also takes place in the Grishaverse. After watching Season 1 in 2021, I decided that reading the Shadow and Bone trilogy wasn’t in the cards for me. I gave Six of Crows a shot about a year ago and enjoyed it, which is giving me a bit more context going into this season of the show. My conclusions after the first two episodes are pretty similar to my thoughts on Season 1: I enjoyed them and I’m excited to keep watching, but I’m not expecting to be bowled over. I always have fun watching it, even if it’s not the best show I’ve ever seen– it doesn’t need to be.
Job Applications
I’m making job applications lately, and numerous versions of my résumé to go with them. My LinkedIn profile is also getting spruced up, which is boosting my confidence quite a bit.
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