Whose house is of glass
Glasshouses. They combine three things I love: plants, architecture, and being indoors. Recently I was in Asheville, NC with family, and my mom and I visited Biltmore. I had a ball, naturally--love a grand house--but aside from a couple pieces of furniture I liked, all of the photos I snapped while I was there were inside the conservatory.
The Biltmore conservatory is riotous--my favourite kind. I live in a little house and I find that it suits me; I don't need a lot of room. But I would like a conservatory, i think. To fill with plants and sit inside and have the best of the indoors and the out.
Being in a glasshouse reminded me of India Hobson and Magnus Edmondson's stellar work photographing glasshouses all over the world (they filled a book with the photos). Here are a couple of my favourite glasshouse shots of theirs:
The Royal Botanic Garden, Melbourne
Castle Ashby Orangery, Northamptonshire
The Kibble Palace, Glasgow Botanic Gardens
Now that I know that backyard greenhouse kits exist, I have a new life goal to someday have a little glass house of my own.
dog thing
mixed media
good reads: Subtle Blood by KJ Charles: The third book in the Will Darling Adventures came out and boy was it worth waiting for. I've been reading KJ Charles for years now, and this trilogy really feels like a culmination of her development as a writer over those years--in particular compared to her only other trilogy which follows the same pair of characters, A Charm of Magpies. Anyway, I loved it and found the end to the mystery and the conclusion of Will and Kim's circling of one another extremely satisfying. Two disasters who deserve one another, in the best way.
"Gitl Schneiderman Learns to Live With Her In-Laws" by Rebecca Fraimow. This is both a good read and a good listen. Becca's short fiction is so good, and this story is first-person epistolary with a very strong voice, so it works fantastically as an audio piece. If you've ever though "what if Tam Lin was gay and Jewish?" this story is for you.
good music: NEW SLEIGH BELLS SINGLE
good film: MANY. I have returned to the cinema with a vengence. One of the things I missed most during lockdown was the ability to go to the cinema and see a big dumb action movie twenty feet tall. So I did that, taking in Snake Eyes with a friend. It was big, it was dumb, it was perfect.
The Green Knight: After 16 months of waiting, I was finally able to see The Green Knight, which was as gorgeous and surreal as promised. I'm so glad I was able to take it in in a cinema--and a huge historic movie palace to boot--because it wouldn't have been half the experience otherwise. A rumination on the value of honor with an incredible performance from Dev Patel. I loved it.
Jungle Cruise: I expected to love this while also finding it very stupid, but it was extremely charming! The Mummy meets The African Queen.
good tv: My mom introduced me to Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries over the holidays, and as a die-hard fan of the OG Miss Fisher, I was prepared to be disappointed. In fact, I was charmed. Season 2 just finished up and I had a lovely time with it. Just like Miss Fisher dug into the 1920s aesthetic, Ms. Fisher goes for the 1960s. A feast for the eyes and the brain.
my good friend Ted Lasso is back and I am so happy.
good game: Disco Elysium: My tendency with games is to find my way to them years after everyone else has played them, but when suddenly a half dozen of my friends started talking about Disco Elysium, I decided I didn't want to be left out of the conversation. I love it. I've played it twice through now. Disco is a unique game--part point-and-click, part dice-roller, part detective simulator--and it pulls it all off with panache. You are Harry du Bois, a detective who has successfully killed your memory with booze and who now has to piece together your life and the world you live in AND solve a murder mystery. With you is Kim Kitsuragi, a lieutenant from another precinct who is stuck with you, and a whole lot of voices in your head. I cannot recommend this game highly enough.
I also played Oxenfree, a delightful little spooky horror game about ghosts and radio signals.
Lastly
A couple personal notes (as if this newsletter was not already entirely personal):
First, I've emerged from the toughest school term I am likely to have and finally have the energy and brain space to make my podcast again, so--new podcast episode!
Second, I have added a paid option to this newsletter, to help support my freelance efforts while I am still working part-time and finishing school. It is entirely optional and pay-what-you-want; if you do nothing, you will receive this newsletter. If you opt to enable a paid subscription (which you can do by going to the main subscription page and putting your email in again), you will also continue to get this newsletter. There will be no missives hidden behind a paywall, just the option to support me financially if you have the means and would like to. No pressure either way! I appreciate everyone who is interested in reading my thoughts.