EntropicalVacation

For SF, I recommend anything by Becky Chambers. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is the first of her Wayfarers series.

Enjoy what you enjoy—life’s too short and there are too many other books out there to waste time on what you don’t enjoy! I have no qualms about not finishing a book, no matter how far along I’ve gotten. I’ve been known to skip to the last chapter or last few pages just to see how it ends, then move on.

On the other hand, for books that you have to read (for school, e.g.) set a goal of X pages per day, and reward yourself when you make the goal. I also find it helps to read more interactively: take notes, argue with the author, think about what you read and whether it’s total b.s. or whether there was anything, however small, of value in it.

I love Becky Chambers. Psalm for the Wild Built was one of my favorites from 2022.

Dutch House was one of my favorite reads from 2022.

I actually split between reading and listening to the audiobook. It was long either way! I didn’t care for it as much as I thought I would. The first part took me a while to get into, I loved the second part, but after

In very roughly descending order:

Auē by Becky Manawatu

Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson

Open Throat by Henry Hoke‬‬

Autumn by ‪Ali Smith‬

A Tale for the Time Being by ‪Ruth Ozeki‬

Home by ‪Toni Morrison‬

Gnomon by ‪Nick Harkaway

Space Opera by ‪Catherynne M. Valente‬

The Book of M by ‪Peng Shepherd‬

The Book of Strange New Things by ‪Michel Faber

The Overstory by ‪Richard Powers

The Door by ‪Magda Szabó‬

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by ‪Gabrielle Zevin‬

Central Illinoisan here, and I’m pretty sure the half of Illinois south of the Mason-Dixon Line is the South, not the Midwest.

I hadn’t thought about it, but it sounds like a fun idea, so I’ve checked out The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers, a horror classic that’s been on my to-read list for a while: “a collection of spine-tingling horror stories that are woven together by a fictional play called The King in Yellow.”

This is pretty much my process too, except I’m not so organized as to have an expenses spreadsheet.

Most of my savings is in IRAs, which are mostly invested in Vanguard index funds. I try to keep about what I’d need to live on for a year in short-term investments and high-yield savings, any extra in some longer-term investments. I have a couple of CDs, some T bills, an I bond, some stocks. I’ve been shifting money around lately depending on where the best interest rates are.

Bread Savings has a 4.88% rate (5% APY) right now, no fees. The T bills have rates between about 5.3% and 5.5%. Right now, even 4-week T bills have rates over 5%.

Cosmos by Carl Sagan. A little dated, but a classic. Sagan’s enthusiasm for his subject is inspirational.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Part memoir, part reflections on how to repair humanity’s relationship with the natural world. The author is a botanist and a Potawatomi, and brings both perspectives to her work.

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green. Thoughtful, heartfelt observations of humanity and its effects on the planet and the other beings that live on it, from a kind, decent, engaged, and nevertheless hopeful person.

The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery. Really more personal reflections on octopuses the author has known and loved than an objective look at consciousness, but the tales are very moving.

TheColor Purple by Alice Walker, I presume.