Gap quarter thoughts

Ten weeks go by quickly no matter what you're doing, don't they? I've spent the past 2.5 months ambling about at home, attempting to do everything aforementioned in my pre-gap quarter post, and suddenly we're approaching Thanksgiving and this very strange seven-week winter break before 2021.

Here's everything I did this quarter! This post will essentially be broken down into two parts:

1. A list of all the books I read and short notes on each one

2. Everything else I did (I realize these distinctions could be improved, but alas)

Books!

I read 15 books over the past ten weeks! (I'm very proud.) I read them on Libby (an audiobook app), probably both legal and illegal PDFs from the Internet, and very rarely, from a physical copy. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (format: audiobook): This is an epistolary novel (AKA written in letters) about a female author who goes to the island of Guernsey and writes about the German occupation of the island during WWII. There's also a love story involving a rich fiancé and a humble and book-loving islander. What's not to love? You could also check out the movie adaptation on Netflix, although I'm a firm believer that books are always better than their movie counterparts.

2. Alexander Hamilton, Ron Chernow (format: physical): Very long, which is understandable given how long-winded its main character was in real life. It was really cool to see how many words were taken directly from the biography and used in the musical! Similarly, I've watched the musical at least three times since it came out. I need to watch it a fourth time.

3. The Rise of Kyoshi, Michael Dante DiMartino (format: online): This is actually a novel! I have read a few of the ATLA comics too, but this was a full-fledged chapter book about how Kyoshi discovered she was the Avatar. I love anything in the ATLA universe, and this was no exception. I need to read the sequel.

4. The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss (format: online): This was actually a reread, since I first read it in middle school after a writing camp. What an absolutely fantastic book. I'll recommend it time and time again whenever someone asks for fantasy reading material. Like the last one, I need to find and read the sequels.

5. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (format: audiobook): This book reminded me of Educated by Tara Westover in that it was a memoir about the author's childhood. A strange, arguably dysfunctional, and highly irregular childhood. It has a mostly happy ending, but parts of it were sad enough that I had to switch from my audiobook app to more upbeat music while running. It was heart-wrenching though, and wonderfully written.

6. Know My Name, Chanel Miller (format: online): I think this book is pretty well-known among Stanford students, but for those unfamiliar, it tells the story of Miller's rape and court battles with Brock Turner, the Stanford student who raped and assaulted her in 2016. It was difficult to read. The subject matter and its emotional impact forced me to take breaks often, but I felt it was necessary to hear this story in its entirety. Of all the books in this list, I hope you read this one. I'll even send you the full copy, if you want.

7. Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing and Hope, Karamo Brown (format: audiobook): I started reading this immediately after Stanford Speaker's Bureau's event with Karamo. He's such an inspiring and uplifting person to talk and listen to, and he was extremely honest about his experiences in being an abuser in relationships, struggling with drugs, and becoming a father at an early age. If you love Queer Eye as much as I do, I would also recommend Tan France's memoir which I read over the summer; it's called Naturally Tan: A Memoir.

8. And the Mountains Echoed, Khaled Hosseini (format: online): Khaled Hosseini is one of my favorite authors, and I've read The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. This one is about two siblings who are forced apart at a young age and who grow up to live very different lives. The younger sister Pari quickly forgets her previous life, while her older brother Abdullah always remembers her. It covers continents, eras, and multiple different lives, and like everything Hosseini writes, it's a brilliant read.

9. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, Mason Currey (format: online): This was a very cute and interesting book! As you might've guessed from the title, it talks about the daily rituals and habits of famous artists...and boy, do they vary. Did you know Stravinsky never composed unless he was sure no one could hear him, and he would stand on his head if he ever got stuck? This book is where you learn things like this! I have an unofficial list of the books I want on my ideal bookshelf when I'm older, and this book definitely makes it.

10. Zoo, or Letters Not About Love, Viktor Shklovsky (format: online): Ahh Viktor Shklovsky. The only part of ITALIC I still remember. This book was recommended by my professor Ryan Tacata after I turned in my final project filled with angsty love and depression poems, and I'm a big fan! The premise of the book is that Shklovsky is writing letters to the woman he loves, but he isn't allowed to mention love in any of them. As such, it's riddled with metaphors and painfully light-hearted mentions of the weather and other trivialities before he bursts and says something beautiful like this:

"Forgive me, Alya, that the word "love" has again crept blatantly into my letter. I am tired of not writing about love...Set my words free, Alya, so that they can come to you like dogs to their master and curl up at your feet...How I want simply to describe objects as if literature never existed; that way one could write literarily."

Like...come on. That's poetic as heck.

(For some reason, the formatting for the numbers is forcing me to go back to 1 instead of 11, so just add 10 to the numbers you see. We're 2/3 of the way done with the books I've read, I promise. So, we forge ahead.)

1. Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory: Stories, Raphael Bob-Waksberg (format: online): This book was filled with short stories about people being flawed and hurtful, yet deserving of love. I want to reread it soon, and absorb the words a little better than I did the first time around.

2. This Is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (format: physical): My very very very cool friend Ana surprise mailed me this book for my birthday!! And it is AMAZING. I've read it twice in the past two days. This is also an epistolary novel, and it centers around two time travellers on opposite sides of a war, each trying to guarantee a future for their side's existence. There's intricate world building for such a short novel, and the letters...if such poetic words can exist in a sci-fi world where people braid and unbraid strands of time, I wouldn't be mad about technology going that far.

3. home body, Rupi Kaur (format: physical): I pre-ordered this book for my birthday, and it's Kaur's third poetry collection! I've read both her previous ones, and I own the sun and her flowers, so I was super duper excited to have this as well. I speed read through it in about half an hour, so I'm going to reread it again in the next few days.

4. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy (format: physical): I'm cheating a bit. I haven't *finished* this one yet, but I am past 1000 pages, and it's 1300 pages in total. So, I think I deserve to include it. I've tried to read this...four times now? I've always been intimidated by the long Russian names, the sheer length of the book, and all the allusions to other Russian authors and literature that I haven't read. However! I have persevered, setting myself the manageable goal of 30 pages a day, and have spent the past month slowly chipping away at it. It's definitely been worth it. Also, imagine my delight when Shklovsky referenced specific passages and characters from War and Peace...and I KNEW THEM. He also alluded to Anna Karenina, which I read last summer. Huh. Maybe I have read more Russian literature than I thought.

5. Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction, David Sheff (format: audiobook): This is what I'm currently listening to right now, and I think it deserves a spot on my ideal bookshelf too. Sheff talks about his son's battle with meth addiction, and it's heartbreakingly nostalgic to hear him recount his son's childhood, from first being tickled to meeting his younger siblings and proudly telling his parents about his time at school. Knowing about his eventual descent into drug addiction makes it all the more devastating to read. On a brighter note, it's been surprising and hopeful for me to hear about how good he is as parenting, how he never gives up on his son despite being pushed away, and how his first instinct is always to protect and help. His words come from a place of love and understanding, and he always listens before judging. It's a powerful story to read, and a brave one to write.

Phew, that's all of them! That was a lot to read. Maybe get some water, a snack, or take a quick nap? I'll see you in a few.

...and everything else.

Welcome back! So this is going to be a pretty...disorganized list of things I did that I'm proud of, some memories, some pictures, you know. The like.

• Arts & Life articles: As promised in my pre-gap quarter post, I wrote things! For The Daily! They're all book reviews (so I guess I can add two more books to the list above!) I've linked them below, in case you're interested:

Exploring female friendship and love in 'The Bookweaver's Daughter'

Spooky reads for Halloween in quarantine

'It started with joy': Monica Sok talks poetry, embracing heritage in art collection

I've also written another book review for Clues to the Universe, which is a debut novel from a Stanford senior that'll come out in January. I'm also planning to do an interview with her, which will probably come out then too.Yay!

• I learned how to use Final Cut Pro! Editing videos takes a long time. I made this video which I'm terrified to share with you!! But dang it, it took at least a week to edit and I actually put time into making a cool thumbnail. So, watch if you want. I will definitely not be offended (relieved, more like) if you don't.

• I started running and have actually (to my surprise, more than anyone else's) kept up with it! I'm on Week 7 of the eight-week program, and I can run for 25 minutes without stopping now! Combined with some warm-up and cool-down walks, that's like...2.7 miles! I have absolutely no reference for what good or bad times are for running, but I'm proud of it. Running for five minutes used to completely tire me out, so it's progress, and I'll take it.

My mom and I go to fun places to run on the weekends. Look at this cool rock!

• I started watching The Great British Baking Show on Netflix. I love it! I'm on season 3.

• I voted for the first time! Go request your absentee ballots for the Senate run-offs in January, my Georgia friends ;) (Actually though. I've literally linked it so you can request it right now).

• I became less conscious with taking self-timer photos, although it still embarrasses me to say that. My reasoning is that since no one sees me when I dress up, I take photos to compensate and show people online. The need to be validated comes through even in quarantine, it seems.

Case in point. The last one isn't a self-timer photo though, that's my mom at work.

• Speaking of my mom, I've also been hanging out with her way more than I did ever before! Look at all these cute pictures we took together!

Top left: Panera picnic; top right: Cafe Intermezzo at Avalon; bottom left: Brasstown Bald; bottom right: Whole Foods

• I dyed my hair for the first time! It's way more prominent in this picture than real life, I think, but I'm very happy with it :)

• And lastly, I celebrated my 19th birthday at home! 'Twas very fun, and I felt very loved. However, I do hope next year won't be a quarantine birthday too.

Even though I'm very grateful I was able to take a gap quarter, I do miss taking classes and feeling like I'm learning and growing. There's something about the quarter system at Stanford that makes me feel like I'm pushing myself to my maximum capacity — and I usually am, since I burn out before the quarter ends — and I miss that feeling. I'm well-rested, relatively mentally healthy, and excited to challenge myself in the more traditionally academic ways again.

Well, it'll be another seven weeks or so until that actually happens. Till then, enjoy your Thanksgiving/winter breaks! You deserve a rest from all the studying and Zoom classes, and if you didn't partake in those this quarter, you deserve a break too. Anyone living in this strange and scary year deserves a break, really.

See ya sometime in the near or far future,

Ellie