Reading is for Fags (So I Do It a Lot)
I have a lot of reccommended reads scattered about this website, so I figured it'd be nice to consolidate them here.
Mainly essays and articles, sorted by subject. There is definitely some overlap between subjects but I sorted them as best I could, lol
HEAVY warnings for... Everything. Sex, Gore, Drugs, you name it.
Braiding Sweetgrass
THE seminal work on connecting personally with your local and global ecology. Doesn't require any real prior knowledge of anything to read. Absolutely life changing.
Beyond Pine Cones: An Introduction to Gymnosperms
An extremely accessible beginner's guide to gymnosperms!!
The Extraordinary Lives of Coast Redwoods
This article doesn't go into too much depth but it gives a fantastic glimpse at the enormity of the world's tallest trees. I appreciate how personal this article feels.
We Need a Greener Way to Die
A really great beginner's article into the alternatives to cremation and embalming. If you're interested in exploring the subject, Caitlin Doughty's youtube channel has a significant portion dedicated to discussing it.
It's Time to Rip Up Your Lawn and Replace it with Something You Don't Have to Mow
Another cursory look at a subject I've read too many resources to name. Check out Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't for further info.
Did You Know Tomatoes Hate Cucumbers? Secrets of Companion Planting
PLANTS AS PROTEST: Guerrilla Gardening and Its Role in Urban Environmentalism
The Urbanite's Guide to Guerrilla Gardening
This one's behind a damn paywall (very counterculture of you, Medium. very punk.) Here's the work around.
Guerrilla Gardening and Its Popularity
This one's a great resource on getting started on the GG for the upstart urban gardener.
How “Wilderness” Was Invented Without Indigenous Peoples
This is SUCH a good article about how people (cough-theUSforestservice-cough) mistakenly seem to equate "nature" to "lack of people".
Biology is Not as Hierarchical as Most Textbooks Paint It
Great article shining a light on how capitalist social hierarchies skew scientific understanding of the funtionings of cell biology and the natural world as a whole. Really good read if you're going into any social or scientific field really.
Tough Perennials for Dry Shade
Plant recommendations for the side of the building you don't feel like watering. Unfortunately lacking in west coast natives but they still look nice and none listed are invasives (at least in CA).
Things to Do for Biodiversity That Don't Involve Planting
Keystone Plants by Ecoregion
FANTASTIC resource to give you ideas about your native garden. Each option lists numbers of caterpillars that use a plant as a host species as well as the number of specialized pollinators for each. Strongly urge you to plant at least one species listed for your region.
Dracula
MY BOY DRAC! I would've linked the annotated edition but I couldn't find it in free ebook form. Rip.
Carmilla
LESBIANS!!!!!!!!!!!
The Black Vampyre: Legend of St. Domingo
This one actually pre-dates both Carmilla AND Dracula, and features a unique insight into vampirism from the life of a black man from the Dominican Republic. My only complaint is that the foreward in this edition is too long, but you can just scroll past it and read the story starting on page 16.
Varney, the Vampyre (The Feast of Blood)
This is one I actually haven't read! It's a penny dreadful series from 1845-47 that was apparently quite popular in its day.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
This is one I've had rotting in my files for years, unable to bring myself to pick one and read. Mayhaps you will find better use for it.
The Brothers Karamazov
Currently reading this one! Slowly. But surely.
The Count of Monte Cristo
This book and a few of its early film adaptions are some of my fav works of fiction ever. LOVE me some pettiness and revenge.
The Divine Comedy
The autism hit me hard on this one. I read Inferno and Paradiso over the course of a summer because the imagery was so juicy, but also because it's a very illuminating work that will show you EXACTLY where modern christian ideas of Literal Physical heaven and hell come from.
Leaves of Grass
Essential reading for the late 19th century dandy to signal other men you're a faggot of the highest calibre. Incidentally also a lovely collection of poetry.
Moby Dick
NAME a more iconic opening paragraph. Okay don't actually but this is a childhood favorite of mine.
The Prince and the Pauper
I have this on my reading list because I'm a lifelong fan of the 2004 Barbie adaptation. Will it hold a candle? I'll let you know when I get there.
The Book of Kells (c.800 A.D., digitization)
Cadavers in Pearls: Meet the Anatomical Venus
Not erotica in the traditional sense, but anatomical venuses (venusi? veni?) are sexy so here we are.
Fucking Trans Women (Zine)
Informative, erotic, and heartfelt. All in all, essential reading for those curious about the experience of, well... It's in the title.
Blood Sisters: Leather Dykes and Sadomasochism (Documentary)
Absolutely essential viewing for the kinky lesbian. WILL change your entire life. Warnings for graphic depictions of injury, bondage, and consentual non-con. Frankly if you're not into the kink scene I'd maybe avoid this one.
Masc Sapphics in Books (Compilation)
A wonderful jumping off point if you're looking for masc lesbians in fiction! Each listing has a neat categorization: author and their race, the book's genre, the masc characters in question, their identities, races, and their importance to their story. It's so nice :) (a lot of these are romance and erotica, so this goes here)
The Wound of Christ, The Mouth of Hell; Appropriations and Inversions of Female Anatomy in the Later Middle Ages
Do you like to draw parallels between pussy and christ's side wound? So did people in the middle ages! Here's an academic text about the phenomenon. It probably won't get you off but it will open your eyes to the raunchier side of christian iconography.
SugarButch
THE blog to go to for queer erotica, kink, bdsm, and more! Sinclair Sexsmith's work is really phenomenal, but definitely read (or listen!) when you're alone.
Set in Stone: Butch on Butch Erotica
This one's on my reading list! It's an anthology of about 20 short stories that I can't wait to delve into.
Rather than link each individual video I've saved, I'm going to embed my youtube playlists for both media analysis and miscellaneous video essays. Take a look around, play a few for background audio while you're gaming, do what'cha gotta do.
These are mainly articles and pieces ABOUT cooking, or the chemistry behind it. I don't have many recipes linked here for a few reasons, chief among them being I HATE recipe websites. All mine come from a 1994 McCormic cookbook that has been worn down to a nub. I only look up recipes online as a last ditch.
Minimum Safe Cooking Temperatures (USDA chart)
Unless you've got it absolutely memorized, print this out, write it down, post it SOMEWHERE in your kitchen. It will save you many a food poisoning adventure. Also, get a thermometer probe. (Note that some places' minimum poultry temp is 170°F instead of 165°F)
Baked Chicken Wings that are Actually Crispy? Just Add Baking Soda
When It Comes to Curd, Lemon is Just the Beginning
How Cream of Tartar Helped Invent Modern Baking
Food Timeline: Food History Research Service
An awesome look into the history of food across the world! The glimpses are cursory, but they're a wonderful jumping off point for further research.
Food That Makes You Gay
AMAZING article that highlights the changing societal perception of sexuality and gender, while pointing out how food has been at the forefront of the anxieties around these topics for white cishet men for centuries.
How to Carve a Chicken Like an Adult
Edible Native Plants for the California Home Garden
List of Food Plants Native to the Americas (Wikipedia)
Use this Wikipedia list as a jumping-off point for further research, don't just go around putting shit in your mouth.
How to Eat Acorns
My favorite forage food! I wish I had this website when I first tried making acorn meal LOL. Their format is very easy to follow and is helpful for absolute beginners.
The New York War Crimes: "All the Consent That's Fit to Manufacture"
A no-holds barred parody/deconstruction of the horrific way the New York Times enables American imperialist war crimes and consistently misleads the public. Pick an article and go, they're all phenomenal.
Anti-Colonial Research Library (Web Library)
Excellent research tool for decolonization, indigenous sovereignty, and ethics in modern-day capitalism.
Liberation Library: Social Justice Resources for Beginners (Notion Site)
I've only gotten to read a few resources from here, but they're so well organized and easy to find I'm going to be coming back for a while. Check out the rest of the categories on here as well if you're not interested in the social justice ones, there are lots to choose from!
Not Just Putin: Why the American Right Falls in Love with Dictators
A good read to help mentally reconcile some of the batshit craziness coming from the Republican party lately.
Slut City Journal: Issue #1 (Zine)
Honestly this could go into many of the above categories, but it's got a lot of focus on practical community building, anarchy, and metal music. Into sociology it goes. (Genuinely fantastic zine though, even if you don't live in Utah this is a great read)
Stone Butch Blues
I only ever got halfway through this (sorry Leslie Feinberg) but it's genuinely world-changing. I reccommend it to everyone I can.
The Autobiography of Malcom X
I went into this without a clue who Malcom X was, and after reading it really highlighted every single racial inequality I'd ever previously ignored. It's astounding how resonant it is a half-century later.
The Seven Stages of Gun Violence
Stonekettle's essay here provides such a quick, to-the-point solution to mass tragedy after mass tragedy. It's astounding how easily bipartisan this essay is. I reccommend this to republican acquaintances a lot.
Caring Too Much. That's the Curse of the Working Class
A Practical Utopian's Guide to the Coming Collapse
I couldn't say a lot about David Graeber's essays that hasn't already been said, but this essay in particular is SO good it hurts.
The Wretched of the Earth
Essential reading for those interested in the interplay between class and race under capitalism.
The Mohawk Warrior Society: A Handbook on Sovereignty and Survival
A really great look into the AIM movement of the 70s and its lasting impacts across the US and Canada today.
Fuck Your "Magic" Antisemitism: A Lesser Key to the Appropriation of Jewish Magic and Mysticism
This is a really great no-holds-barred zine about New Age mysticism and it's (frankly horrific) problem with cultural appropriation and erasure, especially in relation to Christian occultism and Jewish beliefs.
Squeamishness Around Meat is Embedded Into the English Language
I have such a fascination with cultural attitudes towards meat.
I am NOT an Animal; Mortality Salience, Disgust, and the Human Denial of Creatureliness
The World Cannot Afford the Rich
Great article about how the rich are literal leeches on society and the environment as a whole.
Your Harry Potter Addiction is Funding Transphobia
We're Building a Dystopia Just to Make People Click on Ads (Ted Talks)
Great Ted Talk about persuasion advertising and the infrastructure of digital targeted ads taking over the wider internet, affecting social movements and political landscapes.
The Forgotten Trans History of the Wild West
The 2010s Have Broken Our Sense of Time
MAUS 1 and MAUS 2 (Google drive PDF links)
Maus by Art Spiegelman is one of the essential reads on the holocaust. I was introduced to these graphic novels in high school and I realized that a lot of folks didn't have the privelage; so, here you go. They're very accessable and shed some insights on attitudes around the holocaust and its survivors (and the generational trauma that still effects their families) that go unexamined in culture at large. Of all the reads I've listed here, this is probably the most important one if you haven't read it already.
The Chernobyl Story (Imgur Gallery)
Incredibly detailed and insightful play-by-play on the Chernobyl disaster with photos, from the author of Chernobyl 1: 23:40. Please heed the warnings for graphic depictions of injury.
Dhaka Muslin: The Ancient Fabric That No One Knows How to Make
An absolutely fascinating look at the history and process behind an ancient fabric so fine you could pull a bolt of it through a wedding ring, and the efforts behind its resurrection.
How John Coltrane’s ‘My Favorite Things’ Changed American Music
A moving piece about an incredibly moving piece of music history.
The Black Grrrls Riot Ignored
Great look into the Riot Grrrl movement and how alt scenes tend towards racial exclusion no matter how counterculture they think they are.
Bad People: Irredeemable Individuals & Structural Incentives
LIFE CHANGING READ RIGHT HERE. This essay covered so many questions I had about the blind spots of American leftism and its trend towards hyperindividualism, and how even radically changing society as a whole will never get rid of "bad people". It's so good.
The End of Policing
A deep dive into the phrase "All Cops Are Bastards"; what it means, why we say it, and what society will look like without gun-toting thugs with savior complexes.
To Change Everything: An Anarchist Appeal
I Hate Strong Female Characters
Who Actually Gets to "Escape" Into Fandom?
Concrete: The Most Destructive Material on Earth
Why Nuclear Energy is Not the Solution to the Climate Crisis
No Gods, No Masters: A History of Anarchism (Documentary)
A slightly flawed but still very informative and entertaining documentary series, dubbed from original french.
The Bad Politics of Bad Posture
Interesting read about posture and the mess of societal expectations that come with it. Shrimp posturers rejoice! Slouch to freedom!
Transgender Liberation: A Movement Whose Time Has Come
The Question of Palestine
An insanely insightful read into the history of Palestine and its relationship with colonialism throughout the west. Give it a read if you've got questions about how the current genocide came to be.
Homesteading and White Supremacy
Here’s What Indigenous Cultural Appropriation in Wellness Culture Looks Like
Why We Mask: It's Not Just a Cold (free Zine download)
Fantastic up-to-date covid info zine with really great illustrations to boot! Links to a free download on itch.io.
From Yosemite to Bear's Ears: Erasing Native Americans from US National Parks
The Truth About Emmett Till Wasn't in Your History Book
The Yellow Wallpaper
Great piece of psychological horror right here. Can't reccommend enough.
When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry
If you're a fan of really moving poetry, this anthology is for you. Give it a read if you've got a few bucks to spare.
NPR: Reading the Game: Red Dead Redemption 2
A wonderful review of my favorite game, Red Dead 2. Not a fiction book, but eh. It's going here for now.
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
LeGuin's famous horrific moral quandry! This is a piece of literature like no other, AND it's only a few pages long!
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
EVIL ROBOTS! GIVE IT UP FOR EVIL ROBOTS FOLKS! This is the tumblr sexyman computer "hate" monologue you've heard about.
2001: A Space Odyssey (full book series)
This is the other tumblr sexyman computer you've heard about. In all seriousness, this is a series of hard scifi novels that explore the idea that humanity's evolution was helped along by a mysterious alien race and humanity's quest to follow them into the infinite. It's such a fantastic series. The book and movie were made in tandem, so there's a lot they have in common, but the few divestments the first book takes I really love.
I don't have a lot of ebooks here, as unfortunately I'm allergic to reading longform books on a screen. Give me good ol' paper any day. I will be adding more as I find them, however, so keep an eye out.