the yak occidental

Here we are at the end of 2022, time to have one last look at all the books I've read this year! High Wages by Dorothy Whipple Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia  Guard Your Daughters by Diana Tutton  The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura The Bird’s Nest by Shirley Jackson Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi (re-read) St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves: Stories by Karen Russell (re-read) Consolations by David Whyte If Nuns Ruled the World: Ten Sisters on a Mission by Jo Piazza The Upside of Stress: Why Stress is Good For You and How to Get Good At It by Kelly McGonigal, PhD My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok (re-read) Return of The Trickster by Eden Robinson Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol by Mallory O’Meara The Invention of Miracles: Language, Power, and Alexander Graham Bell’s Quest to End Deafness by Katie Booth  The Opposite House by Helen Oyeyemi (re-read) Washington Black by Esi Edugyan Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Bos...

Here is a selection of memorable quotes from I'm Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya. I’ve also witnessed gay men grabbing women’s breasts many times on the dance floor. When asked to stop, some have responded “Don’t worry, I’m gay. I'm not into girls.” […] Where is the line between supposed “playful touching” and grabbing women’s body parts as manifestation of hatred, if not exclusion? Why is this different or more acceptable than violence enacted by straight men? [...] This is because queerness is associated with freedom from boundaries. Thus, any boundary is inherently un-queer. p.35 Despite my fears, I have often wished for male friends, a symptom of my enduring desire for kindness from men. p.43-44 Even worse, I’m afraid of the necessity of eliciting pity in order to generate concern or to galvanize change. p.59 Why is my humanity only seen or cared about when I share the ways in which I have been victimized and violated? p.61 The pressure to be “good” is not exclusive to one g...

Here are my favourite songs from 2022! Best of 2022 track list: Outta Time by Orville Peck Lone Ranger by Juliana Riolino Judy by Jenn Grant  On Your Way (Felix Song) by Anaïs Mitchell Star Stuff by Luna Li Belinda says by Alvvays No Paradise by Santigold T-shirt by Dragonette Selfish Soul by Sudan Archives Western Wind by Carly Rae Jepsen No Ego by Magi Merlin Cracker Island (feat. Thundercat) by Gorillaz Tooth and Nail by Skye Wallace The Only Heartbreaker by Mitski Don't Trip by Aquakulture Quicksand by Hatchie Giovanni by Bronswick Bigger Love by Milk and Bone Use Me by Valerie June Dawn by Mormor Reputations by Sister Ray October passed me by by girl in red Never Get To Love You by Connie Constance Hamptons City Cowboy by Lowell Heavy by Nuela Charles Imaginary Love by Jully Black Don't Be So Hard on Your Own Beauty by yeule Made of Gold by Ibeyi and Pa Salieu Prester John by Animal Collective What Feels Like Eternity by Metric midnight sun by Nilüfer Yanya

A couple years ago I made a list of some of my favourite festive shows. Here are a few more! Spencer (2021) There was a lot of buzz around this one, and thanks to a recommendation by my dear CS, I can say I'm onboard with the hype and have a new holiday favourite! A little bit eerie, a little bit surreal and yes, an excellent performance from Kristen Stewart, this is an imagining about Princess Diana at a Christmas with the British royal family. Make sure you read the content warnings before watching this one! Ordeal by Innocence (2018) If you're in Canada, you can watch this Agatha Christie mini series adaptation for free on CBC Gem! The premise: Christmas 1954. Wealthy philanthropist Rachel Argyll is murdered at her family estate Sunny Point. Rachel and her husband have five children, one of whom is accused of her murder. I think the cast is fantastic and it's told through suspenseful flashbacks. Anna Karenina (2012) Though not a Christmas movie at all, the first half p...

This year's Winter playlist is my most Christmas-y one yet! Normally they're a bit more secular, there have just been a lot of good Christmas songs coming out lately! WINTER 2022 track list 1. So Much Wine cover by Phoebe Bridgers 2. O Holy Night by Flower Face 3. December by Basia Bulat 4. Cozy Christmas by Molly Burch 5. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas by Caveboy 6. Where You At Santa? by Reeny Smith 7. Parfait Noel by Couer de pirate 8. Good News by Sister Ray 9. Blue Christmas by Andrea Ramolo I have been making winter playlists annually since 2015. Read more  here .  2015  winter playlist  2016  winter playlist 2017  winter playlist 2018  winter playlist 2020  winter playlist  2021 winter playlist 

  Aaron's voice soared, naked, clear, but unsure of its strength [...] The others rose a beat later and clustered his tinsel call, and I felt December coming with footsteps that shook the pavements, and all Decembers before, and the way that, at midnight Mass, Christmas sometimes seems so sad to me, a giant bedecked with crosses and stars and berries and robins frozen to death. from The Opposite House by Helen Oyeyemi