Favorite books read in 2019 (part one of two)

To Those Who Were Our First Gods, by Nickole Brown
A breathtaking, sharp little collection of poems on the "complex, interdependent, and often fraught relationship between human and non-human animals."

Educated, by Tara Westover
I thought I would find this memoir absorbing for its rather sensational premise (her upbringing an off-the-grid, survivalist, fundamentalist family, and what followed), but I was as gripped by the author's graceful prose and reflectiveness. Took me all of one day to finish, I think. Stressful at times!

(Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love, by Brooke Erin Duffy
A sociological study of fashion blogging. WOW, this was super interesting and only a little bit dry.

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas
I watched the movie first and liked it, and then read the book, which is as likable and much more masterful. What a rich and intelligent young adult novel.

Are You Girls Traveling Alone? by Marilyn Murphy
Delightful, engaging, and delightfully logical essays on a variety of lesbian feminist topics, previously published as columns in a lesbian newsletter.

Journey to Zelindar, by Diana Rivers
A vivid fantasy novel about a separatist female society outside a brutal patriarchal country, and a woman who escapes to live in it.

The Underground River, by Martha Conway
A historical novel about a seamstress on a steamboat theater who stumbles into working on the Underground Railroad. It built up quietly and then swiftly sucked me in in the second half.

Of lights, night, and early morning

In winter, night photography becomes less of a whim and more of a...must. First photo: don't miss the moon. Last photo: I woke (I wake early) to a strangely diffuse white glow outside - a magical overnight fog had had a most interesting transformative effect on the light of the street lamps.

Happy New Year, you all.

Gratitudes + things that are making me happy

• Animal rights reading (although I seem now to have misplaced the book in question, 60% of my way through it...)

• Bibliopedestrianism - both the practice and the word

• Gentle yoga videos

• Anniversary plans

• Singing with friends

• Blog comments

• Pared-down Twitter (I shaved away most of my follows and followers)

• No Instagram anymore

• Being the girlfriend of a grad student who is currently done with finals!

• Flannel sheets

• Short work weeks

• Doing my best at work, and my best getting better

• Bouquets of what's actually growing in December in Northern California (currently: marigolds, eucalyptus, fir, and some other things I can't name)

• A break from Hebrew classes, and plans to fill it in with Hebrew-language movies

• Weekend breakfast the way my girlfriend's grandparents have it: tomato-cucumber-green onion salad, and cheese on bread

• Call the Midwife

Farmers' market still life

With night falling early, my farmers' market takes place partly after dark now. Most of the farms illuminate their produce with strings of lights hanging from their canopies; this one simply put their lights on top of their produce. I loved the effect - an uncalculated but striking display that looked like the old masters would have turned it into a painting.

Autumn fog walk

This is the beach I grew up with, and this is the type of beach I grew up thinking of as normal - gray, cool, dangerous to swim at, and sweetly melancholy in appearance.

Walking on this cool morning, bundled up, I chatted on the phone with my dad and then simply kept myself company with song and camera. As the sun gradually brightened the fog, I was struck by how the color of the sky melded into that of the water's shine.

Thank you to the gulls and sanderlings for making the beach even more enchanting, and thanks to the surfers for making me feel extra warm by comparison.