Things Read In The Dark

Reading to survive & to thrive!

It’s been a minute. Hello to everyone checking out this page for the first time. Welcome to my world.

As usual, I’ve been reading a lot and I have a few choice apps that I use to read on because they’re the ones that bring me joy.

My favourite apps to read on are:

Apple Books

Reeden App

Libby

I’m a hardcore digital iPad/iPhone reader mainly because it helps me to stop scrolling on bs websites like IG that just contribute to internal violence, which we do not need to engage in. I have a Substack that I started up for my reading notes but I’m honestly just trying to get around the layout on there so I’ll kick it for awhile longer. Fuck, if it’s good enough for Frank Ocean, it’s good enough for me.

Anyway— what am I reading..

Lately, I’ve been reading A LOT of Clarice Lispector. I’m obsessed with her. Her mind is something else. It’s the interjections for me as well. She’s a trip. I’m currently reading Near to the Wild Heart and even tho I like it less than: both the Hour of the Star and A Breath of Life, it still hits

I’ve been reading this incredible work of weird girl fiction called Honey by this author Imani Thompson. If I’m keeping it a whole bean with you, I’m in love with it. The main character is giving Joe from You. She’s giving — ninjas don’t deserve to live and honestly— the weird girl rage inside is FEASTINGGGG.

Finally, I’ve also been working my way through Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih— it’s an NYRB, it slaps, it’s about a man who returns home to his village only to find a strange man there whose past is some bullshit. There’s a lot about the ways of colonialism of course, the story is told in a very lyrical and almost haunting sort of way. It’s brings about the same feelings as Cyprian Ekwensi’s work in me. Foreign and fascinating. Ekwensi’s work being way more sparkling tho.

Alright let’s talk music memoirs/biographies and also poetry collectionsssss—

Yo CALEB FEMIIIIII, bro! Sisterrrrr! His writing is so damn good. Like his writing is doing my head in innit. 🤣 okay but no for real — his poetry is beautiful, reflective of a real life that feels so similar to Rexdale to hoods in Toronto. His photography is giving Taking Myself Hostage. It’s hitting me because I relate to it, relate to the essence of it. It’s fantastic. I feel like I’m living in this book. There’s so much imagery that just works you know. It goes hard. I have so many poems that are just favourites out of this collection and I’m not even halfway

Monument — I’ve beeeen hearing about this book, one of my good friends read it and loved it. I’m reading it right now and it’s galvanizing my spirit and breaking my heart. It does feel like it’s a monument. So many questions are asked, I’m only at 22% in and she’s asking questions that got me asking questions as well! I been googling trying to learn her history as well!

Fab 5 Freddy is good, but I got a little sidetracked from it, so I went to Cosmic Music and I’ll tell you what. I have loved Alice Coltrane for years, one of the first YouTube videos I ever made talking about music back in 2010 was me talking about Alice Coltrane and how she got swagger jacked; and how incredibly influential she is as her own artist. Anyway, I just cracked this book. I’m very excited to read it.. the opening was fantastic so far. The author talks about their trip to India to go to their friend’s wedding and how they decided to visit the ashrams where Alice Coltrane was and then they put those things into context with the California wildfires; way more eloquently than I do here — anyway. It’s fire. The opening was fire and I’m excited to read more.

How have I been? I’ve been working hard. Reading. Doing all my jobs and due diligence. I fractured so many times trying to streamline. I realize now that if shit ain’t broke don’t fix it. Just keep going. Sometimes it’s hard to see that tho.

I’m quietly reading the Iliad as well. Real ones know I’m quietly reading a zillion books. I’m a mood reader we can’t help it. Still book clubbing, it’s one thing from the pandemic I’ll never give up, also I’ve met some of my best friends that way, so it’s whatever.

I’ll come back with more frequent updates and some notes on books finished, etc. Here’s a small list of finished books that I haven’t really put up on the GR yet.

I put some sweat stickers over some books I read privately that I ain’t finna talk about.

Haven’t reviewed the two poetry books in the top row. Haven’t reviewed full of myself, or Lindy West’s book just yet. Both of which were fantastic.

I loved the Godfather, haven’t reviewed that yet. The housemaid was iight. Haven’t done my Lispector’s yet.. will eventually get to it.

Anyway that’s mostly from the last month. I hope you’ve been enjoying your reads, whatever you’re reading and if you’re not reading— what the fuck are you waiting for. Oh snap— I almost forgot to say how Patriarchy Blues bitch!!! Whew. That was too good.

THIS WAS THE BEST THING I SEEN TODAY, enjoy.

Mood readers unite! I’m one of those people who will start a bunch of new books and keep switching between them all month seeing which ones I finish first and really lean into.

You can read the eventual reviews on these books when I post em every four weeks on GR. Find those here.

This month finds me reading:

I honestly know I shouldn’t be using the beast that is ChatGPT, but my book buddy Raymond turned me onto a question where I asked CGPT what authors I’m most like— and the response included Teju Cole. I’d never read any of his books before, and I was intrigued, we do enjoy the same things: humanity, art, photography, essays, deliberating the finer and more conflicting parts of life… so I copped this one, Black Paper, and got to reading.

This is a book of essays covering a variety of topics from art to geopolitics, etc. and how they intersect. So far the first essay was incredible and found me scrolling and parsing through the works of Caravaggio, I like to make notes while I read and I recognized that I never spent much time examining the works of Caravaggio, as much as I enjoy dark and macabre art and art history. I find religious paintings so fascinating and these were downright wildin’!

I obviously can’t sleep.

While reading this essay, After Caravaggio, I kept making notes about how men killed all these folks who are saints. Men have been fucked in the head since the beginning of time. There’s really no if ands or buts about it. In the words of Katatonia: there is a darknessssss coming.

Speaking of darkness, I’ve been in an explore the dark mindset kind of mood, so I’ve also been reading The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer. Just started it and have barely made a dent.

I skipped the most of the intro because Dave Eggars told me to come back to it later and just jump into it blind and you know what I’m deliberating my life choices right now because I have a feeling that this book is going to be deeply unsettling. It is what I wanted but fuck I’m not sure. I wanted to be unsettled, so here I am. I’m offering up my eye balls. Anyway, I’ll check in with y’all about it a bit later.

A few other things I’m reading this month:

Careless people by Sarah Wynn-Williams / I’m reading this out of following my curiosity, but honestly I hate this story and these people all the people described in this memoir so much, they also seem like waste niggas to me.

Lonely Crowds by Stephanie Wambugu / it’s hitting so far, but I’m also deeply curious about the mental health of the protagonist in this novel, so we’ll see

Yo it’s been a minute and I guess everyone is now on Substack and have abandoned Tumblr to the lames. LOL! That’s okay with me because the meek shall inherit the earth b.

It’s been awhile since I wrote here for real and I’m feeling like getting back into it, so I will.

I’m always reading reading reading! I never stop really and there’s so many great things to read and I wanna get back into talking about what they are.. etc.

Y’all know I am a very serious mood reader, and will just be reading anything I want at any time starting continuing abandoning returning to etc. That’s how it is over here on this side.

It’s January and I’ve read a bunch of random stuff already. I’m trying to stay away from ChatGPT in my life, but transparently I love its ability to randomly suggest books from publishers that I love so I do have a task set up on my gpt to give me one random book from either the penguin classics/modern classics, nyrb, two dollar radio and mawenzi house publishers to read each week and it’s been fun to see what it comes up with and get into reading it.

Currently, I’m reading:

This wasn’t a recommendation from gpt. This was from the bomb ass ytbr, Malissa. She put me on Turgenev last year and I really enjoyed First Loves, so I bought this last year and just decided to read it today.

I’m still tracking reads on GR, so if you miss the reviews visit: goodreads.com/nouseforaname

I have a lot of books I’m excited to read this year, including:

More Clarice Lespector

Kin by Tayari Jones

I’m also working though a few books as well:

_ Nicholas Boggs is killing this Baldwin biography, I’m honestly shooketh at how good it is and I’ve been reading it for months

_ East of Eden is crazyyyyyy, but very very good. Cathy is a maniac and I love Samuel.

_ Die N***** Die! Is fucking nuts but really important work about the outspoken leader of SNCC. It’s an important read.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/us/viola-fletcher-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Okay so I had so many thoughts reading this book so instead of writing a typical review, I’m just gonna copy paste my thoughts about this book here from my journal because why not-

Stream of consciousness

Distracted and yet super involved

They were really publishing anything back then it’s wild

On the brink of insanity but yet profound

Straddling the realms between life and death

Potentially gibberish

For fans of Wu-Tang, Shaolin shadowboxing, Jedi Mind Tricks especially the album The Psycho-social, Chemical, Biological, and Electro-magnetic Manipulation of Human Consiousness

Fascinating, repetitive, hypnotic, a chant, an incantation

Makes me wonder how she died / feels like su-c/de

Reminds me of The Sense of an Ending where the main character’s mom wondered if his friend died because he was too clever

How she actually died: <unknown to me>

Makes me wanna read more of her work

She’s talking about giving birth

To what — everything but most importantly herself?

This is also giving what i feel like morning pages would read like to someone who doesn’t know the person

Should I / should everyone publish their morning pages???

Feels like: 20 Minutes of Eye Gazing & White Noise Bliss - No Talking — https://youtu.be/MGXxcIU85f4

Radar — Earthling — https://open.spotify.com/album/5Z5uTgx4ywkaDqkBG9guOm?si=jNi-eYrvSCK_ZeAbh5-aXQ

The Psycho-social, Chemical, Biological, and Electro-magnetic Manipulation of Human Consiousness — Jedi Mind Tricks — https://open.spotify.com/album/0COYymkowrajQkjO3TGCxM?si=ZRm_ZaXLSce2M8Qc05KmLw

I Who Have Nothing — Jedi Mind Tricks

tapped in or high af ????

Lunch Read: Finally some justice is happening

Glad they got this guy the fuck out outta here. Enjoy your 7 years in the slammer, you fucking weirdo.

Currently Reading: Fatale

Yo, every time I see these dudes I get the willies. I really am enjoying reading this comic. Ed Brubaker is one of my favorites. The storyline is so good! And the art Chef’s Kiss! The panel below literally scared the fuck out of me.

Another dope comic tonight.. Currently reading Black Cloud