Photo from The Great Empty by The New York Times. When adults talk about 9/11, they say that they remember exactly where they were and what they were doing. They say that everybody that was alive has a 9/11 story, they say that the generation before had JFK's assassination and that the generation before that… Continue reading Five friends, five coronavirus diaries
Goodreads If you don't like non-fiction, you might like Malcolm Gladwell's books. They're psychology books that turn experiments and anecdotes into arguments for why the world works the way does--but in ways that slightly turn your view of the world upside down. There are people who love him, and then there are people who give… Continue reading My notes on Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers
Right now I'm reading The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson. It's a detailed chronicle of Winston Churchill and Great Britain from 1940 to 1941. During those two years, Londoners suffered the extreme anxiety and danger of regular, destructive bombing from the Germans. When I chose this book as my Book of the Month… Continue reading When times seems bad, read about a time that was even worse
If I had to defend why stories matter, I would first be exasperated and in disbelief unto the highest degree that I would even need to. Then I would say: It's because they let you see into somebody else's world through somebody else's eyes who most likely thinks, feels, and believes differently than you do.… Continue reading What I read in February // mini-reviews
When I search for questions to ask friends, all the lists seem to overlap in their interesting but mostly impractical suggestions. For example, the first one I saw on Google was: "Do you think you're brave?" They're the type of question that is temperature-sensitive. They only work best at certain times and in certain places.… Continue reading Interesting questions to ask your friends
I've listened to way more music this year than I have in the past, and this is most likely due to a certain collaborative playlist on Spotify. The assignment of adding five new songs each Sunday means that I have to do music discovering on my own. AKA I listen to my Discover Weekly and… Continue reading Four albums I’ve listened to repeatedly this year
Theoretically speaking, the line between life as an only child and life with siblings should be thick and distinct. In real life, when government laws force over a decade of time between you and your older sister, the line dwindles from Sharpie to pencil. In 1990, my sister was born into a China under strict… Continue reading The one thing I needed to hear
