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 4 of 2026

Title: An Unspeakable Crime
Author: Elaine Marie Alphin
Published: 2010
Format: Hardback
Date Started: 1/11/2026
Date Finished: 1/11/2026
Days to read: 1

I’m fascinated by the tragic story of Leo Frank and the Atlanta pencil factory murder, so picking this up was a no brainer. This book was written for a YA audience, so it was a fast read, and I love that it included photos and newspaper clippings to help bring the story to life.

Book 3 of 2026

Title: Earthlings
Author: Sayaka Murata
Published: 2018
Format: eBook
Date Started: 01/08/26
Date Finished: 01/08/26
Days to read: 3

OK, I was NOT prepared for where this book ended up, even though ‘Horror’ was right there in the tags. It was so fucked up that I can’t in good conscience recommend it to anyone, but I can’t stop thinking about it.

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!