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Or, Interregnum
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My birthday is in a month’s time! You can find my birthday wishlist here and any and all gifts will be appreciated 🙂
(I’m also open to surprises; as long as it’s not a surprise party.)
Reader,
Do you also feel like the time between Christmas and New Year’s is almost a blur? This week’s entry is an attempt to “account” for this time.
One of the things I’ve been trying to do over the last few years is to create rituals that I can come back to. Some of the ones I’ve enjoyed this year have been Sunday Cinema, World Cinema Wednesdays and picking up a physical book for at least 1 hour a day. Mixed results with all, but a good time all round.
With that in mind, I have traditionally spent Christmas Day on grass away from home. This year, recovering from the weight of interacting with the criminal justice system on Christmas Eve, I stayed home and relaxed. I’m grateful for YB, who threw down on the day. Such a gift to have great meals with wonderful company.
I started using Daylio, a daily tracking app, earlier this quarter and one of my goals is to walk every day. We took postprandial walks every day and I (don’t judge me!) went to walk and shop at Sarit Centre on the 27th. No points for guessing what I got (new folks: I got magic painting books at Text Book Centre!) and I bumped into a familiar face from KMS book sales with whom I had a great conversation. I also spent some time at a resto writing out some self care plans for 2025 (because all that we have is our souls; as this year has proven) on that day and I feel almost excited (?) to be entering a new year.
Yesterday, I hosted my first Filmtravaganza (if you’re wondering about the daily walk, I did it indoors with 2kg weights, thank you very much). The vision was for folks to bring snacks and contribute a film to the mix. We watched 3 of the films on the list - Gattaca (1997), How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (2024) & Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) - and I hope to watch the last one before my new year (i.e. before my birthday on 30/1/2025). This year has been a huge foray into hosting on my part and it’s made me realise how much I enjoy it and I hope to make a potluck like yesterday’s an annual event.
On the whole, lots of films, lots of books, and lots of walks. I hope you enjoyed/ are enjoying this time and Happy New Year!
Quick news/ things that may be of interest:
Sign up for the Reading Group discussing Abolish Rent: How Tenants Can End the Housing Crisis by Tracy Rosenthal and Leonardo Vilchis here. Join me if you can (The 1pm Eastern time (UTC−5) slot on Sunday would work for someone in my zone (UTC+3), imo)
Subscribe to my WhatsApp channel for texts I find while I spend time online
If you’re in the Global North and would be open to engaging in the North-South solidarity that is sharing a library card, please email or message me so we can figure things out. Thank you!
2025 Public Domain Day Remix Contest: The Internet Archive is Looking For Creative Short Films Made By You!
Links to Reading Lists, Free Books, Book Recs, Book-related Items in this document
Since Elon seems to want (some of) us gone, I’m trying to post more often on Bluesky. Follow me there if you’re on it!
The Queer Liberation Library 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
My friend Agnes Waruguru’s show What the water left behind at Circle Art Gallery closes this week. Please see it if you can!
You can send me books, postcards, letters, and assorted items via PO Box 102439, Jamia Posta 00101, Nairobi, Kenya
I have finished five books since I last wrote to you (reviews up on Fable, still on Goodreads): a hybrid read of The Bard and the Book: How the First Folio Saved the Plays of William Shakespeare from Oblivion by Ann Bausum (illustrated by Marta Sevilla | e-book & audiobook; narrated by Sean Patrick Hopkins & the author), a hybrid read of Skye Falling by Mia McKenzie (e-book & audiobook; narrated by Bahni Turpin), a hybrid read of Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech by Brian Merchant (e-book & audiobook; narrated by Eric Jason Martin), How Do We Know We're Doing It Right?: Essays on Modern Life by Pandora Sykes (hardback) and Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It by Richard V. Reeves (e-book & audiobook; narrated by the author).
As ever, please write back to me and tell me what books you’re reading or looking forward to reading — it’s always a great time talking about books.
Thank you for reading 🙂
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Enjoy the week ahead and have a lovely time reading. Talk to you soon!