Recently

Reading

On a whim over the holidays I decided to read My Brilliant Friend after hearing so many good things over the years. I get why it's so adored: the prose is very spare and the plot is pretty straightforward yet it's very immersive. A page-turner but also a meditation on friendship and class.

Like Alex Ross, I felt the urge to watch Tarkovsky's films during the pandemic (although for me it was my first foray). I've only managed to see Andrei Rublev and Stalker but both are phenomenal. The Bell section in Rublev was one of the more memorable and moving parts of a film I've seen in a long time. Ross writes beautifully about his experience rewatching those films during the pandemic.

Watching

Nomadland was great although I don't think it quite lived up to the hype. It was aesthetically beautiful and Frances McDormand was great as usual. As were the rest of the not-professional-actor actors. I think I would have liked it more if more attention had been paid to motives of the characters and also the practicalities of living like they do.

Listening

I love this track from Buck Meek from Big Thief. It has me looking forward to summer and swimming in rivers. If there were more piano played like this on the rest of the album, I think I'd enjoy it a bit more.