april favorites & safari tabs
everything i loved in april. and also the safari tabs i had open all month.
Starting a new series where I talk about things I loved that month [reads, watches, listens, purchases, and eats], along with the Safari tabs I had open on my phone. I usually keep every tab open on my phone and then clean it out on the last day of each month. I keep ones that I check regularly, like my Substack dashboard, apartment shuttle schedule, or magazine homepages. I dislike aimless clutter so I always clear out the rest, but I thought posting them on here would be a nice way to round up each month and immortalize what I was doing or looking at for those 30 days.
I finally feel like I’m returning to a point of normalcy after going through the wringer for two months straight (hence my absence and dearth of posts on here). April was a good starting point for that—a spring clean of my life. I turned twenty five, spent the first five minutes of it on a playground swing absolutely hammered, visited one of my best friends for two weeks, started doing Sunday crosswords again, bought an overabundance of books, ate so many almond croissants, and planned all of my posts for the remainder of spring leading into summer. It feels good to have some semblance of a routine again, and I’m so excited about all of my posts for the next few months.
I always feel innately connected to spring. The air smells sweet, lazy breezes bathed in warm sunlight, everything feels grounded and stable for once, and I adore all the flower trees in full bloom.
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april favorites
READS
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
A haunting dystopian novel that I could not put down. It’s a difficult read—incredibly heavy and filled me with the same sort of dread that I felt while reading The Handmaid’s Tale. An exploration of the irony of freedom, isolation, and what it means to be human without knowing how to be human.
Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali
Just as incredible as everyone says. It was such a stunning study in emotion, seeped in yearning and the complications of relationships. Missed opportunities and vestiges of ‘what ifs’ haunt the narrator at every corner. Romantic, tragic, beautiful prose that runs past your eyes and through your brain like the clearest water.
Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson
A heartbreaking meditation on loving despite and loving because. This broke my heart into pieces and I was moved to tears. This book has some of the best writing I’ve ever read and the line, ‘Why is the measure of love loss?’ is going to stay with me for a long time.
Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor
I have yet to find a New York Review Book classic that I dislike. One of my favorite things about NYRB classics is that they find and publish underrated classic gems that have fallen through the cracks as decades pass. Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont is such a heartwarming portrayal of life, exploring themes of loneliness, aging, and the heartbreak that comes with aging.
WATCHES
House (1977)
I watched this very tipsy at my friend’s house and dare I say it was better that way than watching it sober? Every frame is incredible and so campy and I was utterly entranced the whole time. It’s such a unique exploration of grief and girlhood with layers upon layers, and I can confidently say that I had never seen anything like it.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
This isn’t a new watch by any means (more like sixth), but I need to include it in my favorites every time I watch it. I feel like chewing glass every time the motorcycle jump scene and the heart grab comes up because why not me.