I hate journaling influencers. Why is everything all about aesthetics & not about writing? I saw a video of someone with a six journal ecosystem & they all look very pretty but it felt like there was more collaging than writing. Sure, do what you like but at what point does a journal become art?

I heard someone talking about a check off list and it took me a little to long to work out they didn’t say Chekhov list

You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue (translated by Natasha Wimmer) Part colonial dystopia & part hallucinatory fever dream. This explores the fall of Tenochtitlán in 1519, following the interactions of conquistador Hernán Cortés and Emperor Moctezuma. A fascinating literary historical fiction.

Book 2 of 2026: The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall A queer Classic that took me longer to read than expected; it was depressing but I think it was the anger that slowed me down. This is a semi autobiographical novel and while I had some issues with it, I think it was an important read.

My 2026 Manifesto…or maybe its judt my intentions www.knowledgelost.org/random/regul...

Here are what I consider the Best Albums of 2025 www.knowledgelost.org/music/best-a...

What We Can Know By Ian McEwan This was my first McEwan and I need to read more, I loved his writing style it reminds me of Julian Barnes in the way it has such beauty in the prose yet easy to read. I found myself wanting to go back and reread part one after I finished part two.

While there is a lot of themes playing out here, this might be the most accessible of the Woolf novels I’ve read. I found it interesting to see these four characters try to understand love and marriage. We have different classes, two men and two women all with ideas of what society expects of them.

On the Calculation of Volume III by Solvej Balle (translated by Sophie Hersi Smith & Jennifer Russell) It’s interesting how despite each book being about repeating the same day over and over, the books explores different ideas and concepts. Am I the only one that doesn’t trust Henry Dale?

My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin I adored this Australian classic; I am so glad to finally read it. Sybylla is such an interesting character & I know this is considered as autobiographical, it’s just we don’t get enough headstrong feminist women in fiction like this…& this was written in 1901

Loving ABC’s radio national’s Top 100 Books of the 21st Century. So far I’ve read 3 and loved them both (Middlesex, Piranesi and Lincoln in the Bardo)

Forget my birthday, I want to celebrate International Translation Day!

Yes I do have a spreadsheet tracking all new albums I’ve listened to this year.

I always wanted to learn Latin but this is the the words I expected to learn

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen Reading this I’m reminded how much I love reading classics and I should read more. This was funny and I really loved the gothic references, however I don’t think this is as good as Pride and Prejudice, but there will be more Jane Austen in my life…hopefully soon.

Rapture by Emily Maguire As much as I enjoyed this novel, I spent too much time wondering about the circumstances, who would want to become pope with so much to hide. It can’t be easy to do anything secretly when the entire world watches your every step.

Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán (translated by Sophie Hughes) I loved this novel and the perfect way to end #witmonth. It was so great to see a female protagonist in her 40s. This was an interesting look at class and the way the story unfolded kept me constantly thrilled.

Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías (trans. by Heather Cleary) I really like Trías‘s style, this book was a little haunting, tense and thrilling. This strange outbreak of toxic algae kind of feels very relevant (see the news from South Australia). I don’t think I’m a horror fan but I love literary horror.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman (translated by Neil Smith) The novel starts off well and I really enjoy it; but then it keeps going and going and going and I end up getting annoyed. The writing style just doesn’t work for me in novel form, this could have been a short story!

Happy International Lefthanders Day to all my fellow lefties

@jishy.com happy birthday

Counterattacks at Thirty by Sohn Won-Pyung (trans by Sean Lin Halbert) Witty & comical novel but what I really liked is the way the people around you influence your life views. There was a character turning ultra conservative because she had a child. However the main character became an anarchist

We Do Not Part by Han Kang (translated by E. Yaewon & Paige Aniyah Morris) I loved just how much this novel changes in part 2. The first part follows in an anxious rush but then part 2 turned into a trippy, psychological contemplation on life. A nightmare of a ride, one that needs to be experienced

Elegy, Southwest by Madeleine Watts This was a deeply existential look at climate change and a relationship but I still felt like it was such a struggle to read. I find it too much like an info dump more than a novel. Not really for me.

When I got up this morning I did not expect to see my life so concisely and cruelly summarised.

I’m excited to listening to the Triple J’s Hottest 100 of Australia Songs as part of the 50 year celebration of Triple J. My votes below

It’s International Self-Care Day…not sure why I’m at work

Fate?!? But that’s my job

Carrie by Stephen King Recently watched the Sissy Spacek adaptation in preparation for seeing the musical again. Thought I should finally read the original source material. The way this novel was written was interesting, impressive for a first novel but I am just never going to be a fan of King.

Nightshade by Michael Connelly Not sure if Connelly had been watching too much Death in Paradise because this feels like his take on that type of crime thriller. While this was so much fun to read, I wish it did explore the relationship between this detective and his superiors

Picking songs for the Hottest 100 of Australian songs was so hard. My long list was around 100 songs and I struggled to narrow it down to 10 votes

Nostalgic for my old iPod. I know my phone can play music but there is something about a device that doesn’t distract me with all these other apps

I’ve been slowly working through the 1001 albums list (only just past 50) but so far I found some new favourites. I’m using 1001albumsgenerator.com to randomly assign new albums every day (it pauses generating when I fall too far behind) but I enjoy discovering music. Below is some of my favs so far

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin Giovanni’s Room was an amazing exploration into an internal struggle. There is so many complex issues here; from sexuality, the social concept of morality, masculinity, alienation, and probably many others I missed.

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy While this was an interesting environmental thriller I spent most of the time wishing the characters used their words. It’s hard to enjoy a novel when you spend most of the time yelling at the book to talk to each other!

I’ve dug up a few old CD’s that aren’t on streaming services. I really miss physical media

Heart Lamp: Selected Stories by Banu Mushtaq (translated by Deepa Bhasthi) This was the winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize. A collection of loosely connected stories capturing the lives of every day woman and girls. This just wasn’t the style of book I enjoy, it was too gentle for me.

Melaleuca by Angie Faye Martin I really enjoyed this novel. I liked that the crime was just a way to talk about the social/racial injustice, the colonial impacts, the nepotism & intergenerational trauma. Australian outback noir is really become an interesting genre; I think this novel does it well.

I went overboard at the library

Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park I have found a new favourite novel. There is something about a post modernist satirical novel exploring the history of the division of Korea that appeals to me. This was so entertaining, education & funny. I’m not saying much because I’m working of a review

This Kingdom of Dust by David Dyer This was an interesting alternate history around the moon landing. It was so much fun but I am still not sure how I feel about the ending. I personally would have liked it more without the epilogue but I understand why it’s there.

Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix (translated by Helen Stevenson) This was not an easy read but this was well worth the read. This novel asks the world just how much empathy we really have. It’s harrowing and upsetting to reflect on our world and their views towards refugees

I have been nostalgic for physical media for a while and just saw this very wholesome documentary about an indie video store called Everything to Entertain You

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica (translated by Sarah Moses) I don’t think Bazterrica is for me, I never really “love” her novels. There are some interesting elements here about religion, cults and feminism all set in a dystopian world however, I feel like I’ve read better Gothic literature.

First Love by Ivan Turgenev (translated by Isaiah Berlin) Loved this novella, I really should read classics more frequently. The first love tale really explored how complex love can be; you have a young naive boy being thrown into complex matters of the heart, it’s a simple story told really well.

Call for the Dead by John Le Carré I thought I would start the George Smiley series, mainly because I want to try the one written by Nick Harkaway. This was so much fun and I love the more realistic espionage aspects here.

A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre (translated by Mark Hutchinson) I finished this a few days ago and still not sure how I feel. I didn’t like the narrator. He felt a little creepy; the way he described this woman. But the way mental health was written about, was the real highlight of the book.

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 2 by Beth Brower This series is such a delight, I love jumping into the world of St Crispian and seeing what Emma is up to. I am trying not to just into book 3 right away. The new neighbour Mr Pierce was wonderful even if I am a little suspicious of him

On the Calculation of Volume II by Solvej Balle (trans by Barbara J. Haveland) I desperately need book 3 after that ending! I went into this series with an expectation but Solvej Balle might have delivered some of the most interesting books I’ve read in a long time. Although I do hate cliffhangers.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells It like everyone has read this book, and with a new TV show coming I thought I’d give it a go. It’s an interesting concept. I expect humorous but didn’t find any, I spent more time wondering did murderbot speak and act like an android or someone neurodivergent.