Tom G
@sweezysarmy
Books, Film, Sounds, NYC-DSA, Fulham FC / Ajax Mostly I just drift
64/ Dooneen, Keith Ridgway Strange but brilliant but strange. Not entirely sure what I just read but I liked it!
63/ Swell, Son Bo-Mi Really great, original, and surprising stories from a new-to-me South Korean writer that makes me think of Murakami or even Aira as reference points.
62/ Taiwan Travelogue, Yáng Shuāng-zǐ A beautiful, nuanced book. Worth the attn/hype.
61/ The Abyss, Jeyamohan Thought I’d love this but I didn’t. The copy sure was enticing! (Did not finish)
60/ Freyja, Margret Ann Thors Icelandic crime thriller. Fast paced, lots of turns and surprises. Not really my thing but thought it’d be worth going down a new road.
59. Ultramarine, Mariette Navarro Short, minimal and mysterious French novel. Mostly didn’t stick for me.
58/ The Wall, Marlen Haushofer Interesting novel that introduces a premise that suggests dark/dystopian only for it to become far more Walden Pond living-deliberately in nature. Didn’t love it but glad I read it.
57/ Wellwater, Karen Solie Magnificent collection from a new to me poet. Solie is so patient and insightful, I keep finishing a poem and immediately reading it a 2nd and 3rd time. Really nice!
56/ North Sun, Ethan Rutherford Not the book I was expecting and all the better for it. Astounding novel I’m going to spend some time wrapping my head around.
55/ Of Cattle and Men, Ana Paula Maia The surreal violence makes me think of another brilliant Brazilian artist, but filmmaker, Mendonça Filho. The violence is layered and seemingly nobody or anything is free from it. Strange and beautiful.
54/ Angel Down, Daniel Kraus Holy smokes. Starts at 100mph and ends there. Some of the most poetic, graphic depictions of violence I’ve even encountered. Wild book!
52/ Fight Night, Miriam Toews I love Toews and finally getting to this. She creates such lovable, memorable characters. She also pulls off comedy as well as anyone I can think of.
51/ The Murmuration, Carlos Labbé In the spirit of the World Cup, this one is basically one half of a World Cup semifinal being narrated (Chile v Brazil) while class warfare is happening simultaneously in a luxury box.
50/ We Live Here Now, CD Rose My intro to Rose. Will read more. A strange, dreamlike book, with a series of stories/vignettes that are loosely connected but share a theme of disappearance.
49/ The Summer Book, Tove Jansson Seasonally appropriate. Had been on the shelf for a while (years??) but had yet to read it. Sweet vignettes that avoid cheap sentiment revolving around a young girl and her grandmother over a summer on a Finnish island.
One of the best parts about 2026 is getting to vote for @dianaforqueens.com 3 (three!) times…
48/ The Sellout, Paul Beatty So outrageous and over the top, I can’t remember when I last read satire at this level. Incredible.
47/ Seascraper, Benjamin Wood Short, and minimal in scope, but very well done.