Just when I thought this was devolving into just a roundup of books and music, a record-breaking heatwave came along and inspired a few new ideas. That means it’s It’s time for another look at what’s been lighting me up this week.
The heat wave, which saw our ‘feels like’ temperatures in Toronto rising to the mid-40s C (mid-110s F) was the most momentous event in my life this week. Living on the top floor of an old mid-rise building without air conditioning (and with eastern and southern exposure no less), heat can be a big problem. This week, two things stood out as real life-savers: chilly lake breezes and cold-steeped iced tea. Sunday, we went to Scarborough Bluffs before the crowds descended upon it and spent a few hours camped out with the most extreme and restorative hot-day breezes I remember. I’ve also discovered this year the wonders of cold-steeped iced tea. I tried it out as a desperate attempt to use up some tea that was getting old and it’s become one of my favourite things this summer, especially with a hint of mint and lemon to counter the bitterness of the tea.
My spiritual and morning reading time is still dedicated to study for my new series (finally started yesterday!), on the Parables of Jesus. I’ve been surprised by how much I’ve been getting out of the research, so I hope I can convey at least some of it to you all over the next couple months!
My normal reading continues to be a bit more of a slog. This week I read some big literary swings, with middling results. The big win was Emily St. James’ incredibly insightful exploration of different kinds of trans experiences, Woodworking (2025). Seriously, if you’re struggling to wrap your head around this issue that’s become a surprising cultural flashpoint of late, this is a wonderful place to start. Another five-star read for me was Philippe Besson’s In the Absence of Men (2007, transl. 2025), a lovely and gentle queer coming of age story set in the midst of the First World War.
Music-wise, I spent the week largely with the wonderful new HAIM album. But, Revelation by The Knocks and Dragonette is still getting a lot of play for me. These two are definitely making big plays for my album of the Summer, if not album of the year. This week’s big new release was Lorde’s new album, Virgin, and it was also very strong, as was the new Lauren Spencer Smith album (which was highly anticipated by me if not the world at large), so perhaps the 2025 curse has been broken!
These are a few of the things that have been keeping me going and brightening up my way this week. So what’s lighting you up?
Matthew Root 