Dear Critters,
I hope this newsletter finds you well. Or that it finds you with your face to the wind, clothes billowing behind you, sun sparkling on your skin, mind an endless loop of Enya’s most liberating tracks. Or maybe it doesn’t find you at all, and you’re still navigating a way back to the feeling of security in a new season of life.
I realized the last Crit was in November… Since then, I have read so many books, watched so many shows and movies, and had surprisingly few critical thoughts. Kidding! There is no room for a lack of critical thought in 2025. But let’s get into some of the things I’ve been up to over the last few months, in a different order than usual.
Critiques
Books
Here are all the books I’ve read since November 2024, most of them in 2025. This year, I began to use Spotify audiobooks a lot more, which has enabled me to cover more ground on non-fiction books since they essentially become podcasts. I won’t leave too many notes on these since the list is long, but I care most about sharing my books over sharing other random stuff from my life.
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah: Absolutely must-read. Violent and depressing, but incredible and enthralling and so well-written. Necessary critiques on the prison industrial complex and sports.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler: Another must-read. Glad I finally got to read this duology from Octavia Butler. I was struck by how closely Butler read our society and reflected our future back onto us. It’s not too far from what our future may be, so it is a little bit of a spooky read.
White Teeth by Zadie Smith: Not a must-read, despite what I’ve heard. It's initially extremely captivating. Smith’s voice is unique, as are all the details of the book. I do find myself thinking about people and stories in the book sometimes. But it was a little too thick to wade through at times.
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai: Somewhere between a must-read and a read-at-your-own-risk. I liked the main story and its characters, but could have done without the secondary line, I think. When I flipped over the last page, I could only put my hand to my mouth and started sobbing.
James by Percival Everett: Somewhere between a must-read and a not-for-everyone. It was the pick for a book club at work, and we all agreed that we really liked it. It was a great story, easily a great American story. I probably could have gotten more out of it on a second read-through and more knowledge of Huck Finn.
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall-Kimmerer (Audiobook): Loved this. Hope it wasn’t pushed on her by publishers or otherwise to crank out another book.
Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler: Another Butler banger, but harder to read than the first and not my fave of the two.
Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks (Audiobook): A must-read for anyone who is scared of feminism/feminists or has never really looked into it deeply. It was a great primer, but I wouldn’t recommend it *now* for more advanced human rights and theory folks. It was written in 2000, and it lacks inclusion of contemporary attitudes and whatever wave of feminism we’re currently in. But it does provide an excellent base of knowledge.
Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino” by Hector Tobar: I would say this is a must-read for Latinos or anyone who knows someone with Latin descent. Which is pretty much everyone. It resonated deeply with my own thoughts, with the writing style I want to emulate in my own work, and I think I closed the book with tears in my eyes.
Human Acts by Han Kang: A read-at-your-own-risk, but the writing is a reward itself. So good, dark, and so necessary.
Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity in this Crisis (And the Next) by Dean Spade (Audiobook): Wish I could say this was a must-read, and maybe if I hadn’t done the audiobook, maybe it would be (charts are hard for audiobooks). I wanted lots of tangible steps, real-world examples, and entry-level skills, and I’d say it gave that.
Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis (Audiobook): A classic, must-read. What the hell are we doing as a society to allow prisons to continue devastating so many lives and our chances of a kind society?
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray: An incredible array of perspectives, and Murray’s skill as a writer shines through each. I loved how each turn of character perspective built out the story, and unravelled a new series of unfortunate events. It was a little too long for me.
Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks (Audiobook): Okay, easily a must-read. Completely changed my perspective on the way we use and theorize education in this country. I’m coming into my grad program with a clearer sense of what kind of instructor I want to be and what I want to impart on my students in the future.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin: Slightly confusing at first, but once things settle a bit, oh boy is it good. Its dark, challenging, and entirely unlike any other fantasty/sci-fi series I’ve read. This goes for the other two in the trilogy (below).
A Room with a View by E.M. Forster: Joined a reading group at the Center for Fiction about defining personhood/womanhood. This was the first read, which was a re-read for me. I loved it more the second time, and the movie was delightfully weird in its own way.
The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin: Again, I loved this trilogy and the second book a lot.
The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin: My favorite of the trilogy, which is apparently an unpopular opinion. I thought the ending was perfect; the world was built out in ways I’d been waiting for it to. I already miss the books.
All Fours by Miranda July: The second read in my CFF reading group, and one I’d watched from afar after hearing so many differing and intense opinions. Is it a book I’d recommend to everyone? Probably not. Was it one of the most bizarre and concerning yet addictive and occasionally validating books? For me, yeah, kinda.
Digital Media
I’m going to be honest: There's way too much to share here for it to be productive for me to write and for you to read.
Yes, I’m still watching RHONY (Real Housewives of New York) at such an excruciatingly slow pace my nail tech is fed up with me. I cannot watch more than like 4 episodes in a row before the Spirit of Scary Island possesses me. I cannot in good faith order a Pinot Grigio ever again. And I’m only on season 6.
Foods
In the last six months, I have finally come to the natural acceptance that occurs in one's mid to late 20s that I simply cannot sustain a lifestyle of fancy dinners once a week or even once a month. I’m going to grad school and need to save money so that I can eat during it. And also, there’s a recession coming. I haven’t been making reservations at high-end places I found on the Resy Climbing list or that I saw recommended by Grub Street. Simple pleasures will have to do.
Miolin Bakery: One chilly Saturday morning in mid-March, Scott and I expanded beyond our usual radius to try a new bakery, Miolin. Y’all – It was so good, I would be there every morning if I could.
chocolate hazelnut croissant, cinnamon roll, and one devilishly good raspberry croissant Brooklyn High-Low: My birthday was ages ago, but it’s worth mentioning that I spent one part of that weekend having a beautiful little afternoon tea lunch at Brooklyn High-Low. This was my first fancy tea experience, and I totally understand the hype.
two towers of endless goodies Barbalu: I’m not the most consistent person (I know you know, because you should have read this months ago), but if there’s one thing I will almost always do, it's order the mushroom pasta. Barbalu’s mushroom pasta blew me away, and I’ve been craving that high for a while now.
my mushroom heaven, scott's pork ragu heaven Butcher’s Daughter: A local vegetarian restaurant with two locations, Butcher’s Daughter is solid veg food, but nothing I’d typically write here about. But I’ve been thinking about this chip ‘n dip happy hour deal since literally November. It changed my life.
There was hummus on the table too, but I honestly only remember this lentil caviar, herbed creme fraiche, and truffle chip wonder. Rhode Island: Scott and I drove out to Rhode Island for my birthday weekend. We bopped around Providence and Newport, and some places in between. One of our more memorable meals was at the Matunuck Oyster Bar. I remember this place partly because I fell prey to the classic New England trap of trying to pronounce a town name without looking it up beforehand (Hint: It’s not Mat-uh-nuck, it’s Mah-too-nuck). The food was worth the faux pas.
Lobster bisque, oystahs, fish n beans n greens, and a rich scallop pasta Smorgasburg: The best parts of the year in our area of Brooklyn are spring, summer, and fall. There is a low likelihood that the weekly Smorgasburg food festival in Prospect Park, which runs in the spring, summer, and fall, causes this. A low likelihood, but not none.
Coconut-crusted shrimp banh mi. I adore banh mi.
Other crap
Grad school is the big one, but y’all already know that now.
I’m running a 10k this month! It’ll be the longest distance I’ve run and raced since my hip injury and healing journey in 2023-24. This return to running challenges me and unlocks parts of myself I haven’t seen in a long time. Running both requires and treats a small strand of neurotocism. I enjoy hanging in the balance.
Critical Thought
I sincerely hope you will believe me when I say I have been trying harder to check back in with the state of the world, and because of that, it’s much harder to write this section in this newsletter. My thoughts have jumped around from our country's obvious decline into open fascism and soon-to-be dictatorship to the cultural trends that inject this decline into our relationships and very brain chemistry. I’m filled with despair that the current government is systematically destroying so many sources of joy and love in this world: Queer and trans rights, environmental protections and stunning natural landscapes, the free and open study of history and humanities, and the ultimate goal of building a world where Black and Brown people are not targeted for simply existing. That’s not all-inclusive. I’m not capable of or interested in going through the laundry list of human rights violations and violent, hateful rhetoric that is filling our ears from every direction these days. There is no shortage of things to despair about. But there will always be a way to resist despair. There will always be a way to fight back against the sources of despair. We do it through educating ourselves, even when it's a crime. We do it through standing, physically, in the way of despair, screaming at its face. We do it with a snarl and a sneer of defiance. We do it through each other – arms linked, dreaming first. I hope wherever you are, you fill your life with resistance and defiance to the idea that we can only survive by rolling over.
Crit Pic
Every Crit holds a piece of my heart. This one, the Black-Footed Ferret, will soon hold an even bigger piece of my heart, as I will hold space on its natural lands soon (this is a not-so-subtle hint of where we’re moving next, if you don’t know). Once or twice thought extinct due to agriculture expansion and prairie-dog extermination efforts (fuck the history of this country and westward expansion), this charming little bandit remains endangered and under careful monitoring by animal conservationists. I want nothing more for it to flourish again, to see its black mask and gloved paws scurry amongst rocks with whatever its latest treasure it's stolen away.
Okay, that’s all I’ve got for this week’s Crit Corner! If you made it to the bottom, you have my sincere gratitude. Like, subscribe, leave a comment, whatever else YouTubers say. I hope you enjoyed the ride.
I hope your 10k went/goes well! thank you for sharing, as always! I read parable of the sower for book club and I thought it was well worth spending time with but I have not had the strength to read parable of the talents yet.