Another week has flown by. What has been lighting me up lately?
I’ve been pretty laser-focused lately on my writing for the blog, since the Parables series has involved a lot of research. This means I’ve been engaged and learning about things I care a lot about, which is pretty much me at my happiest. But it also means I’ve been a bit boring of late!
Aside from research stuff, my reading week was good but strange, featuring two unexpected trends: books in translation (4/7 books), and creepy/Gothic books (4/7 books). Highlights were Vanishing World, by Sayaka Murata (2015, translated from Japanese 2025); Strange Houses, by Utetksu (2021, translated from Japanese 2025); and Vlad, by Carlos Fuentes (2010, translated from Spanish 2012).
With last ‘New Music Friday’ falling on an American holiday, it was slim pickings’ for new music last week. The good news is that I’ve had the recent albums from HAIM (I quit) and Lorde (Virgin) in heavy rotation of late, the first big albums of the year I can say that about. More good news is that yesterday was a great day for new music, especially from new-to-me artists. Highlights of the day were The Fastest Time of our Lives, by Fly by Midnight, and The Wrong Side of 25, by Grace Adams. (On a related note: We need a moratorium on new artists named Grace/Gracie.)
What’s been lighting you up this week?
Matthew Root 