Books! Music! Things!

some recs

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It has been a week! I’ve really been loving the cooler weather here in southern Wisconsin. It feels like we’re getting an actual spring for once!

I’m slated to start a new medication soon and I’m terrified (more about that maybe at some point). Starting new meds is always extra tough for me with my sensory stuff. I’m crossing my fingers and toes that it goes well and that it’s not traumatizing. Thankfully, Occupational Therapy continues to do wonders for me. In other news, I’m just extra annoyed every time I log into Instagram. I can’t stand the weird gatekeeping I’m seeing around deathwork. I can’t stand seeing people’s greed on full display. I can’t stand a lot of it, so I’m trying to spend less time on there (at least on my main account).

In this week’s newsletter, I’m sharing some media I’ve been consuming (and enjoying) as well as some sensory tools/techniques I’ve been using in Occupational Therapy. Let me know if you enjoy this kind of thing, please!

BOOKS

I was trying to read 55 books this year, but that’s just not going to happen, so now I’m back down to 50. Here are some I’ve read this year so far:

• Patchwork Dolls (2026) - Ysabelle Cheung

  • a debut story collection dealing with identity, technology, and so much more

• My Dreadful Body (translation 2026) - Egana Djabbarova

  • a debut “coming of age” novel about an Azerbaijani woman and her mysterious health issues

• The God of the Woods (2024) - Liz Moore

  • SO GOOD! A teenager vanishes and her younger brother disappeared decades previously, both from the summer camp that their family owns and operates

• Even the Good Girls Will Cry: A ‘90s Rock Memoir (2026) - Melissa Auf der Maur

  • I wrote about some of my issues with this book here, but overall, it was an entertaining read—I think any elder millennial will enjoy it

• Darkrooms (2026) - Rebecca Hannigan

  • another disappearance mystery in a small Irish town—a bit slow to start, but I really liked it

• A Very Cold Winter (translation 2026) - Fausta Cialente

  • set in post-war Milan, a novel about a woman and her family

MUSIC

1. TÄRA - “Mezzaluna” (really been into this rad Palestinian-Italian singer

2. Ecca Vandal - “Bleach” (she’s just so fucking cool and I love her moves)

   3. The Rentals - “It’s Time to Come Home” (not a new song, but a song I cried a lot to in January!

   4. Emma Ruth Rundle - “Real Big Sky” (also not a new song, but one I cried a lot to!)

   5. ROSALÍA - “Divinize” (it’s just so pretty)

   6. Future Islands - “Find Love” (so fun!)

THINGS

• Vibrating Peanut Massage Ball

  • my OT recommended this to me and I love it. I use it for lymphatic draining (just placing it on a specific lymph for a bit) or also I just hold it to my chest and the vibration is calming

• Still Point Inducer™

  • my acupuncturist recommended this. I often have tight/tender occipital lobes, and this can help release that

• Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Ball Pair

  • my OT recommended these to help me feel my breath. I place one on my side (down from my armpit) and breathe and it allows me to feel the side of my diaphragm.