Hi friends. It’s been a while. I didn’t set myself a schedule, but this is a longer gap between newsletters than I’d anticipated. This is for a couple of reasons:
Terrible things were happening (and are still happening) in the world, and it didn’t seem like a newsletter about Wallace Stevens poetry or long books was important enough to take up space in people’s brains
I had a health setback at the beginning of October that demanded all of my extra attention for a while
I still feel unsure about it, but I’m writing this year-end reflection now because this is something I care about, not because the world has gotten better. Thanks for reading. If you haven’t already, consider subscribing to receive future writings:
It’s a strange year to reflect on. There were bright spots—my perfect cat, expeditions to the farmers’ market, phone calls with friends where I laughed so hard the back of my head started hurting. But mostly I’m looking forward, not backward.
2023 books
It was a low-volume reading year, so instead of a list of favorites I’m going to mention just one book that I loved: The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin.
Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward toward the light; but the laden traveler may never reach the end of it.
Someday I would love to write about the category of strange, dark sequels to heroic stories. Sequels that expose the underbellies of brighter worlds, that are nefarious and unsettling, surreal and dreamlike. They often expand on the themes of the original work in unexpected or subversive ways, heightened by the shifts in scene and tone. The Silver Chair and Majora’s Mask come to mind. The Tombs of Atuan is one of these, and I expect it will lurk in my mind and color my dreams, as the others have, for a long time.
2023 games and other media
I played a lot of Tears of the Kingdom this year. I’ve found 723 out of 1,000 Korok seeds and I might manage to find them all eventually. Having spent so much of this year indoors by necessity, I was that much more grateful for a huge, detailed open world game to immerse myself in.
My other favorite thing I played this year was Unpacking, a quiet and intimate little jewel of a game. The zen puzzles unpacking possessions into a new space were comforting and meditative, especially after navigating my own move to a new apartment.
My favorite show was Dimension 20: Mentopolis from this summer. I’ve never gotten into TTRPG shows before, but the homages to film noir and hardboiled detective stories in this hilarious standalone mystery series made it perfect listening material as I paced up and down the hallway of my apartment for my nightly walks.
in conclusion
I’m grateful for the support I’ve received from my loved ones this year. I’m grateful for Nintendo’s uncanny timing of game releases during periods of global and/or personal turmoil. And I’m looking to 2024 with hope.
Happy new year, all. Keep going.
I’d love to read what you have to say about dark sequels! The description was so vivid I’m adding these to my book list for 2024