Bookshelf
Fiction
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The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
What can I say, legendary for a reason. If you haven't read it, it's not very long. I'm always surprised by pieces of beautiful prose between the humour writing: "a dark and sullen sky hung heavy with the ancient light of livid swollen stars". I prefer this series as a 'trilogy in four parts' because I think the books kind of drop off after that.
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Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Jeanette Winterson
THE coming of age lesbian novel. It's been a while since I read this so i can't say anything too precise, but it definitely left a big impact on me. My A-Level English lecturer said she thinks every woman should read it... so take it from her.
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Tales from Outer Suburbia, Shaun Tan
Shaun Tan was 100% my favourite artist as a teenager. This is a collection of surreal and fantastical illustrated short stories/comics(?) which I need to read again!!!
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Bluebeard, Kurt Vonnegut
It's been a while since I've read it and I've been meaning to read more Vonnegut in general, he's such a kind writer. The main thing I took away from this was how gentle and kind he is to the reader. Something special about this book is how everything you read he's already told you, it's a really interesting experience. Kurt Vonnegut hold me in the palm of your hand and tell me a story...
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Mort, Terry Pratchett
I looove Terry Pratchett!!! Mort was the first Discworld novel I read, and I think the Death series is a really good entrypoint to Discworld. Funny and human and beautifully written, always.
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A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket
Children's series that everyone's heard of, but I think they have such a special and interesting atmosphere. Stylistically was anyone doing it like Daniel Handler? I'd love to read more books with the same feeling but I just don't think they exist.
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House of Leaves, Mark Z Danielewski
I'm well aware that this is a pretentious book to like but when I read it at 17 I became so obsessed I centred my A-Level art project around analysing its symbology. IT CHANGED ME. Experimental architectural horror.
Nonfiction
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Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Carlo Rovelli
Someone on Goodreads described this (derisively) as a book that would really impress arts graduates. You know what Brian you're right!! I read it as an arts student and cried 3 separate times because the world is so beautiful!!
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19 Ways of Looking at Wang Wei, Eliot Weinberger
20+ translations of a single 4-line poem, really interesting and fun to read, I think it builds you up well to make your own opinions of each one even if you don't know much about the subject. A fun game to play is to read this with someone else and guess what Weinberger is going to think about each translation, sometimes he just hates a poem with so much unexpected fury. Also the more ways version is so essential for the insight into catty translator drama.
Poetry
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Past Lives, Future Bodies, Kristin Chang
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Madness, Sam Sax
Comics
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Ripples, Wai Wai Pang
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You & a Bike & a Road, Eleanor Davis
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My Favourite Thing is Monsters, Emil Ferris
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1776 What Football Will Look Like in the Future, Jon Bois
I would call this an experimental multimedia webcomic. Speculative fiction which looks at humanity through the lense of sports - which doesn't even begin to describe it. Funny, interesting, very cool use of media, and really touching. If you were ever a Homestuck enjoyer you will find some of the best aspects of it in this story (in my opinion). You can read it here.
Art and Design
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Framed Ink, Marcos Mateu-Mestre
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80's Girly Design Collection, Yukacinnamon
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Children’s Advertising in the Showa Era, Takanobu Okoshi
Boardgames
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Cribbage
Maybe controversial to put a card game first in my boardgame section but cribbage is truely the game of all time. Good to play on the train if you have a cribbage board app on your phone or something. I don't know why it's so addictive but I'm in a 40+ game heated battle with Alex rn.
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King of Tokyo
Mostly play this in the unrecommended 2-player mode on boardgamearena but I LOVE it. Lots of different 'types' of games come out each time because of the variety of ways to win.
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Star Realms
Very fun and replayable 2 player deck building game! Pretty small as games go, it's a fat wodge of cards but nothing too crazy. We bought some expansions but never comprehended them.
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Brändi Dog
AKA Tok (kind of). One of those Ludo-type games but you play in a pair and moves are more strategic - rather than random dice rolls you are dealt a hand of cards and use them to move. Very simple and creates lots of fun situations and dynamics. Played this (as Tok) on boardgamearena with friends countless times.
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The Crew
Collaborative trick taking card game. You work through a narrative with the challenge of the games increasing as you go. Played this one with the lockdown 2021 gang so it has a place in my heart as something which we desperately clung to for sanity. It's also just really good.
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Gin Rummy
Another game for a standard deck of cards. This was the game of lockdown 2020 - I was studying abroad and our block of erasmus students played it constantly. It was also during games of this I learnt how to riffle shuffle - the most useful thing I learnt abroad. But anyway. I strongly insist that this is the best member of the Gin family despite not really playing many of them. Also I think a Gin Rummy sports anime would be sick.