My new reading nook in 2023
Favorite books
Our Wives Under the Sea, Julia Armfield, 2022
I can’t tell you how many times I gushed about this his quietly terrifying deep-sea horror this year.
The Seep, Chana Porter, 2020
Read in one transformative sitting. Because grief is HAPPY MEMORIES HAPPY MEMORIES HAPPY MEMORIES
Open Throat, Henry Hoke, 2023
This novel narrated by a queer mountain lion living below the Hollywood sign totally lived up to the hype. Oh my heart!
Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta, James Hannaham, 2022
My favorite audiobook of the year by far. Once I got used to it, the dual narration was both entertaining and wrenching.
I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes from the End of the World, Kai Cheng Thom, 2019
My top nonfiction and poetry of the year. Sometimes a book comes into your life right when you need it, and this was it for me.
The Boy with a Bird in His Chest, Emme Lund, 2022
Everything I love about The Perks of Being a Wallflower but with a fabulist twist
I read 51 books this year, just barely exceeding my goal of 50. Granted I got there with a multitude of graphic novels, poetry collections, and novellas. My audiobooks listening also remained steady this year, largely thanks to long drives back and forth while moving across state.
My reading in 2023 included titles for the Trans Rights Readathon, books snatched at my very first AWP (the Bookfair is so overwhelming!), and books from author talks and book group events. I also read quite a bit based on personal recommendations from fellow writers. Plugging back into the literary world after Covid isolation really shaped my reading in a way that felt good.
One of my 2023 reading resolutions last year was to find a new comics series. While that didn’t happen, I was very happy to dive back into Saga (Volume 10) after a years-long hiatus. I also read so many graphic novels thanks to the wondrous collection at my new local library in Northampton.
Favorite movies
Mutt (2023)
Finally got to the Wicked Queer Film Fest in Boston to see this gem. I related to this movie in so many ways, and to see it in a physical space with other queer and trans viewers was a highlight of my year.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022)
I can’t put my finger on why this documentary about Nan Goldin was so compelling. I came away both inspired and enlightened about the Sackler family’s influence in the opioid crisis and in the art world.
Nimona (2023)
So charming! I read and loved the graphic novel years ago and was so happy that the movie did the story justice.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
How can a movie be both so ridiculous and heartbreaking at the same time?
Overall I watched 28 movies this year, up from 23 in 2022. Four of the movies were in-theaters—yay! I jumped full-hearted into the Barbenheimer phenomena, dressing in pink and black for the respective films (I’ll just say I enjoyed Barbie way more than Oppenheimer).
Outside of the theater, I watched quite a few movies by myself. Don’t ask me why I decided that Watership Down (1978) should be the first film I watch alone in my new apartment. Terrifying. However I did go to a 9 to 5 (1980) viewing party on 9/5 which was a fun time!
In 2023, I also embraced rewatching movies, which is something I don’t do often. I watched some favorites like Lady Bird and Parasite, figuring if I can’t remember why I liked them so much, they’re probably worth revisiting to jog my memory and enjoy a second time.
I also watched some pretty terrible movies this year, including The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)—probably one of the worst films I’ve ever seen to conclusion. Sorry Bowie. In a different genre of awful, the new Super Mario Brothers Movie had zero plot. Why? I don’t know, but sometimes it’s worth watching bad movies to better appreciate the good ones, right? Sure.
Favorite TV shows
So, uh, I didn’t really watch much TV this year. Not intentionally. After three years of TV-watching during the pandemic, I think I was maybe just burnt out of that format?
However I did watch Jury Duty, and that gave me a lot of joy, so I’ll pick that as my singular favorite.
Ironically, I impulse-bought my first very own TV this year in November. My TV-watching habits haven’t changed all that much because of it. But movies are a whole lot more enjoyable than on my itty laptop screen!
Reading and watching intentions for 2024
I’m replacing a lot of my yearly resolutions with intentions in an effort to be less rigid and hard on myself. Like in recent years, I have a Goodreads goal of reading 50 books. Outside of that, I might just see what the year brings.
I do plan to continue seeking out books mostly by queer/trans authors. Partially because I’m selfish and that’s what I want to read, and partially because it’s a particularly sucky, scary time to be a Q/T author in the U.S. Because of gatekeeping and other systemic nonsense, I’m learning more and more that I have to depend on word-of-mouth recommendations, local bookstores, and queer-catered media to find the books I want to read. The Seep and The Boy with the Bird in His Chest are two examples of 2023 faves that came to me via word of mouth.
Similarly with film, it kills me that an amazing movie like Mutt would’ve likely never crossed my path if I hadn’t gone to a local queer film festival. So more broadly, I intend to fine-tune my “radar” for finding new media by Q/T creators, which is to say hone my sources for finding books and movies that likely aren’t getting mainstream attention. Whether that’s keeping a pulse on what’s playing at queer film fests or what’s coming out from smaller publishers known to support Q/T authors, or just continuing to ask for recommendations and connecting with community.
Also, I feel like I say this every year, but I really do want to go out to the movies more this year (Covid levels permitting)! 2023 reminded me just how much I love going to the movie theater. And I now live near two theaters—one indie, one chain—that both have reasonably priced tickets. I now have no excuse to not go more often.