Work Zen

Here's your daily dose of zen, and my current work playlist (this video, in the background, all day long).
The windchimes remind me of my grama's house.....

Book 50 of 2026

Title: Metamorphosis
Author: Franz Kafka, translated by Susan Bernovsky
Published: 1915
Format: eBook
Date Started: 7/21/26
Date Finished: 7/22/26
Days to read: 2

After 20 plus years of singing snippets of the Franz Kafka rock opera from Home Movies (see below), I finally decided to read the book that inspired it. It was a quick read and not nearly as dense as I always assumed it would be. 

If this is your first time reading this, and you read this specific translation, skip the forward (it gave everything away) and go back to it at the end.

East Bay to Sacramento Library Run

Ariana Grande live in Oakland

Angine de Poitrine

If you told me that I'd become obsessed with a French-Canadian, polka-dotted, microtonal looping math rock band, I probably would have looked at you funny.

But I AM obsessed with a French-Canadian, polka-dotted, microtonal looping math rock band. It's sooooo good.

Book 2 of 2026

Title: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 6
Author: Beth Brower
Published: 2022
Format: Audiobook
Date Started: 01/05/2026
Date Finished: 01/09/2026
Days to read: 5

OMG, this one had me SHRIEKING in my car by the end. I didn’t think I could love these stories more... but they just keep getting better and better.

Book 1 of 2026

Title: The Bear and the Nightingale
Author: Katherine Arden
Published: 2017
Format: Paperback
Date Started: 01/01/2026
Date Finished: 01/07/2026
Days to read: 7

A gift from my friend Allison!
A dreamy tale set in 1300's Russia, where Orthodox Christian ideology intersects with ancient folklore. I felt cold just reading it - I would not survive a Russian winter - but I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy!

10 years of Kiva Loans

In 2015, I set up a recurring deposit for $25 a month to KIVA, and used the money to make a micro loan each month!

I stopped adding money after 14 months, but  I've re-loaned my $350 over and over as it's paid back, making 150 $25 loans for a total of $3750 in loans over the past 10 years! I specifically choose loans to women, usually ones looking to start or improve their businesses (including one woman here in San Jose, and one in Oakland!)

I love seeing how an amount that is mostly insignificant to me can make a huge difference to a woman who has trouble accessing traditional loans, giving her independence and a way to support herself and her family.

If this sounds like something you might want to do, click the link, sign up, and make a loan!  😉

https://www.kiva.org/invitedby/jillian6528

Book 30 of 2025

Title: Vera Wong's Giude for Snooping (On a Dead Man)
Author: Jesse Q Sutanto
Published: 2025
Format: eBook
Date Started: 4/29/2025
Date Finished: 5/8/2025
Days to read: 10

It was so fun to revisit SF Chinatown and Vera again! This is a great follow up to Vera’s first story, with an all new crime to solve and a new cast of characters, but with the same message of how being in community is healing. I also was surprised to learn that the author based it on her family’s personal experience with a scammer. I hope there’s more Vera books coming!

Book 29 of 2025

Title: Sunrise on the Reaping
Author: Suzanne Collins
Published: 2025
Format: Audiobook
Date Started: 4/29/25
Date Finished: 5/5/25
Days to read: 7

It was ‘fun’ to return to the world of Panem for another Hunger Games prequel - this time, Haymitch’s games. Although I don’t think state sanctioned child murder is actually fun... but this was a good book! Learning about why Haymitch ended up the way he did was tragic, and I loved all the connections between the prequel (Songbirds and Snakes) and the original Trilogy.

It's my favorite day!

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Book 28 of 2025

Title: Britt-Marie Was Here
Author: Fredrik Backman
Published: 2014
Format: eBook
Date Started: 4/25/25
Date Finished: 4/29/25
Days to read: 5

This book was a heartwarming tale of a woman during a massive change in her life. Britt-Marie is insufferable, but as you get to know her, you begin to see why she is the way she is. I’m a big fan of Fredrik Backman’s writing style and he did such a wonderful job of bringing all the characters to life. Can’t wait to read more of his books (there are several on my TBR list)!

Book 27 of 2025

Title: Madhouse at the End of the Earth
Author: Julian Sancton
Published: 2021
Format: Audiobook
Date Started: 4/15/25
Date Finished: 4/24/25
Days to read: 10

My first audiobook of the year! This is a WILD true story about an 1897 excursion from Belgium to Antarctica, where the ship got suck in ice for a FULL YEAR. Impeccably researched, and beautifully written, it details all the difficulties, ingenious solutions, and the eventual work of freeing themselves and escaping Antarctica.  It’s amazing to see what humans can endure!

Hiromi's Sonicwonder!

Last night Adam and I had a date night to Santa Cruz! We went to Betty Burgers for dinner (yum!), got Lemon Drop cookies at Pacific Cookie Company, and the went to Kuumbwa to see Hiromi's Sonicwonder!

I discovered Hiromi on youtube a number of years ago, and was an instant fan. She's truly a jazz virtuoso, but when she plays piano, you can just see the JOY radiating out of her.

I never thought I'd get to see her live, but this was my SECOND time - after seeing her at Yoshi's in Oakland back in 2023. 

The show was amazing! I can't wait to see her play live again next time she comes around!

Book 26 of 2025

Title: The Mermaid of Black Conch
Author: Monique Roffey
Published: 2022
Format: eBook
Date Started: 4/16/25
Date Finished: 4/22/25
Days to read: 7

I’m on a bit of an ocean themed book kick right now! This was a gorgeous story of a lonely mermaid and her interactions with people on a small Caribbean island in the 1970's. The writing was really beautiful and I liked the multiple POV’s. It gave me ‘The Last Unicorn’ vibes... IYKYK.