I don't know what it is about Anne Carson, but she has this way of writing poetry/sentences that make me want to cry. The latest, from "H of H Playbook":

"I'm not saying move back towards life, I'm saying the future isn't elsewhere."

Also, this was my first time watching Beyoncé live and what a show she puts on. At one point she was flying around in a car and got so close to us. I get the album a lot better after seeing how she presented it.

When your academic twin knows you all too well and gives you the best (early) birthday gifts to keep you from losing your marbles during exam season @bofosusomuah.bsky.social

"All these books and not a single snack for me" - Jonah, probably

Went to a free screening of Blue Velvet but then @bofosusomuah.bsky.social had to rescue me because it started snowing out of the blue and I got stranded.

For a special issue of Full Stop on "Postcolonial Cities," I have an essay about growing up in Tirana and seeing the city of my childhood disappear because of an unfettered construction boom - and the literature that helped me make sense of it all.

Found out about a summer fellowship decision right as I was passing my favorite bookstore, so I had to celebrate. I will say that buying two hardbacks is not easy on a grad student's wallet, but everything to support the profession

I have a friend who runs a shelter in Albania and I helped her bring a blind dog to the US where she will have a forever family. I have known this dog for 24 hours and I cried when I said goodbye at JFK. Never beating the Pisces allegations.

Favorite part about starting a new year: new Hobonichi planner to set up.

Stealing this from my Twitter account but the three best books I read (or re-read) this year

International flight home got cancelled. Booked a new one which got delayed multiple times. Took me 24 hours to get home, and immediately got sick. Happy holidays to me! But least, I did get approved for an early copy of Madeleine Thien's new book 🤷‍♀️

Had a good Saturday: Met this beautiful sheep disguised as a dog and my @sublunary.bsky.social purchases arrived!

Exam readings: piling up.
Writing: not done.
How I spent my evening: finally binge reading "Say Nothing." I guess you were all right, it's fantastic.

She received appropriate compensation for the humiliation I put her through

I already have a very well-loved copy of Jennifer Croft's translation of Flights by Olga Tokarczuk, but I had to buy the Fitzcarraldo first decade edition. This book changed so much for me - for one, it was the first year I covered the Booker International for Asymptote 🥲

Ended up on the New York Review of Books' website while looking for the source for a quote... help, I'm in danger.

Here's one to get us going

The thing with Simone Weil is that you read her and say to yourself "I don't think I can take this seriously" and then she hits you with the most beautiful line and you find yourself questioning everything and wanting to convert to Christianity.

Saw a great performance of Ernaux's A Girl Story (tr. A. Strayer) while in Paris. By having 3 different actresses play Annie at different stages of her life, Costa really captured Ernaux's challenge with this story: how can you understand your past self, when time makes you a stranger to yourself?