Welcome to another issue of Open Tabs, where I share the media I’ve been consuming recently, and links for your enjoyment!
I know we’re all way over 2023 and ready to focus on 2024, but I didn’t want to miss out on sharing some of the media I consumed at the end of the year.
Maybe doing these every 2 months isn’t the best system, but I can’t bring myself to keep up with it every month, and I don’t want this to be the ONLY thing I send out.
I’m hoping to get back into long book reviews/essays etc. soon too. I always find things fall apart in the second half of the year, and it becomes difficult for me to keep up with writing, but I’ve got some ideas to explore!
Reading
On Literary Empathy and the Performative Reading of Palestinian Authors by Etaf Rum (Literary Hub)
Two Months by Palestinian Youth Movement (New Inquiry)
Has It Ever Been Harder to Make a Living as an Author? by Kate Dwyer (Esquire)
Doppelgänger (excerpts) by Naomi Klein — Klein and her publisher made some chapter excerpts from her recent release (specifically the ones about Israel/Palestine) available to read for free.
Sally Rooney and Isabella Hammad on the Israel-Palestine
Conflict(the Guardian)
Watching
Everything I Know About Love — I’m not sure if Dolly Alderton’s books are quite to my taste, but I really liked the TV adaptation of Everything I Know About Love. I did try listening to the book on audio, but I didn’t get very far into it. I might read one of her novels though.
Weaponizing Victimhood (Khadija Mbowe)
Why We Secretly Want the World to End (Zoe Bee)
Listening
My Spotify Wrapped 2023, if you’re curious
I’ve become obsessed with Sleigh Bells’ album Texis.
Another Pick Me Up, I’m Scared episode—this one about The MOVE Bombings. Coincidentally, not long after listening to this, I read The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis, which used this event as inspiration for some of the storyline.
So No One Wants to Read Anymore (High Brow podcast)
Grenada: Nobody’s Backyard (Throughline podcast)
Googling
political prisoners
Saint Monday
Krasue
Books on My Radar
Magus: the Art of Magic from Faustus to Agrippa by Anthony Grafton
The Age of Magical Overthinking by Amanda Montell
Poor Things by Alasdair Gray
On the Beach by Nevil Shute
Wild and Distant Seas by Tara Karr Roberts
Other
Season: a Letter to the Future — I’m really not a gamer, but I have started to really appreciate the art, sound design, and storytelling aspects of this medium, so I sometimes watch other people play the games, and this one went well with my recent post, Notes on Hope.
Julie Wolfe, an artist whose work I’ve really been into lately.
Thanks for reading today’s issue of Empty Head. More book reviews and essays are coming soon, so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t yet, and share with anyone who might like these roundups.
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