May 2026//Archive #16
More solitude less internet.
Hello, it’s been two months since my last post. I skipped my April reading Archive and, unfortunately, have stepped away from the Reading The Body book club. After the loss of our beloved dog Hero at the end of April, I had no desire to be online, choosing instead to spend my time caring for and supporting Hero through his final days. Thank you to those of you who reached out, it meant to the world to us.
During those two months, I’ve thought a lot about how I want to spend my time, and being online writing “perfect” wrap-ups hasn’t been one of them. Through grief, I have read more, spent time rescuing snails in the yard, been on a trip to the Hill Country, hiking, visiting dinosaur tracks, reading on a balcony (without being bitten by mosquitoes), and completed a puzzle with my partner, and overall have felt happier despite a heaviness that I know will never go away.
All of this to say, I still enjoy creating in this space, but I want it to take up way less of my brain and energy. For now, I am saying goodbye to Reading The Body book club and writing shorter, more expoloratory end of the month archives (no long paragraphs, more simple personal thoughts, and other media/images). I hope to post other fun things throughout, but I am not holding myself to any standard of productivity. I hope you will stick around!
Here are the books I read in May, in the order I read them.
Offseason by Avigayl Sharp, I didn’t love this novel, unfortnately characters were flat, and while intentionally written to be unlikable, I found myself unable to connect enough to enjoy their unlikability.
Ugliness by Moshtari Hilal is an exceptional memoir about “ugliness” and the history and cultural standards for who is considered beautiful and whose bodies warrant worth in the world. What role does our physical appearance play in our body’s rights?
Transcription by Ben Lerner, an extremely buzzy book that I enjoyed but wasn’t wowed by. I did find it to be the best “Covid-19” novel written thus far. Touching at moments and at times too clever as though Lerner was winking at me the entire time, asking, “Did you see that?”
Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton, Loved! May gets it, this is for anyone who wants to take life slowly, observes the sky a lot, and all the small things living under it.
On the Calculation of Volume IV by Solvej Balle, translated by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell. Volumes I and II are still my favorites in the series thus far. However, I breezed through this volume while sitting outside on a balcony overlooking the Hill Country, listening to birds chirping, bugs buzzing, and the occasional pitter-patter of rain on leaves. Just when you think Balle has hit a wall, the last ten pages throw you for a loop, and I’m eagerly anticipating where Volume V will go.
Fancy Work by Alice Hattrick (digital ARC), I loved Ill Feelings by Alice Hattrick when I first read it, and look forward to a reread someday. I want to recommend this book to anyone in love with craft, especially the fiber arts, and exploring its queer history as well as illness through making.
Thank you for being here! I hope you will stick around for these changes! Tell about your May in reading and any other small moments of solitude or observation you would like to share!