to (hopefully) be read/watched/played/etc.

fiction

  • Adulthood Rites by Octavia Butler
    • because I really enjoyed the first book in the trilogy, Dawn.
  • Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh
    • because I've heard that her worldbuilding is extremely detailed and grounded, and this particular novel of hers won the Hugo. Plus, it's a space opera and military science fiction, both of which I'd like to read more of.
  • Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
    • because it's apparently peak "literary" fantasy and has about a billion FOOTNOTES.
  • Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    • because a dear friend recommended that I read it and I'm kind of developing an interest in Russian philosophical fiction.
  • The Island of the Day Before by Umberto Eco
    • because even though I lack the knowledge required to understand half of the references in any book written by Umberto Eco, they are still extremely neat and send me down Wikipedia rabbit holes.
  • Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
    • because I'm studying French and would like to read more French literature, really enjoy the musical, and am a sucker for random digressions (in case it wasn't already obvious).
  • Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
    • because it's a space opera that does funky things with gender, apparently.
  • The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin
    • because it came up in a paper I read last semester for a research project and deals with a couple of themes that I find interesting in science fiction (colonialism, environmentalism, other things) and also Le Guin is cool.
  • Post Captain by Patrick O'Brian
    • because even though the naval jargon in Master and Commander was sometimes incomprehensible, the characters were extremely compelling and hilarious and besides, that's why encyclopedias exist.
  • Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo
    • because while I still don't fully understand the movie, it was interesting and I can probably process what was happening better in words (and also the plot is expanded).
  • Bound to Violence by Yambo Ouologuem
    • because it influenced The Most Secret Memory of Men, one of my favorite books from last year.
  • The Overstory by Richard Powers
    • because I'd like to read more fiction with a focus on the environment/environmentalism, plus I'm reading another book by Powers right now and realyl enjoying it.

nonfiction

  • Staying with the Trouble by Donna Haraway
    • because it was recommended to me by a professor as a book that explores topics that I'm curious about, primarily relating to non-anthropocentricism and the environment.
  • Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadtler
    • because an acquaintance of mine as having elements of fusing math and philosophy (though more broadly, the book is about cognitive science), and I once took a class discussing those together and thought it was really neat but haven't yet had the chance to study it again.
  • Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
    • because it has repeatedly come up in conversations about environments and knowledge.
  • Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
    • because this was also recommended to me by a professor in relation to a question about non-anthropocentrism and the enviroment (plus fungi are really neat and I want to know more about them).

movies + shows

  • Wakfu
    • because it's a French language animated fantasy show aimed (at least, initially) at a younger demographic, so it's probably a good choice for learning to comprehend spoken French.

games

  • Dead Cells
    • because I've learned that I really like metroidvanias, and I know that this one also has roguelike elements and I've still never played a roguelike and would like to.
  • Disco Elysium
    • because... well, at this point, I'm not even sure what actually drew my interest anymore, but I did play for a little bit on my friend's computer and thought it was neat... so many options.
  • Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
    • because it's Castlevania, origin of the "-vania" in "metroidvania" and multiple friends of mine really, really, really like Soma Cruz.
  • Hollow Knight: Silksong
    • because (assuming it eventually comes out) Hollow Knight is one of my favorite video games.
  • Pokemon White 2
    • because I'm currently playing Pokemon Black and having a blast!
  • Umurangi Generation
    • because I have never played a photography-centric game before and that seems fun, plus I'm fond of social commentary through speculative narratives (although I do not know specifics in this particular case, since I'm trying to keep it a surprise for my self). Also recommended by a friend.

other

  • The Feynman Lectures on Physics by Richard Feynman
    • because I finally know enough math to understand introductory physics, but have neither the time or desire to take it as a class at my college.