i am that alien matter

lesbian. confused linguist. writer.

[aloneholy]

leslie. she/her. 27.

also lurking at: @lyuricheva (mostly pathologic/black sails/misc scifi) / @morganadismay (arthuriana)

current writing project(s): @surgeonshell + @nervousandaccuratesilence

ao3 mrcogito / quinever

film tag | reading | tv tag |

[aloneholy]

6. and 18. for the asks :)

6. what books have you read in the last month?

i have actually been in the most horrid reading slump since the semester ended but i am slowly beginning to read things for thesis, so have begun mark fisher's the weird and the eerie (chapter on mullholland drive and inland empire), and i have two books that are glaring at me from my to-read list: the obscene bird of night by josé donoso, which i've been meaning to read for a year now, and endling by maria reva, a bizarre-sounding book which has intrigued me in a bookshop. one of these days i will remember how to parse letters

18. do you like historical books? which time period?

yes, i do actually! i'm actually not very picky with time periods at all as long as the book speaks to me. i love an odd/unusual take on history, e.g. i found confessions of the fox by jordy rosenberg really refreshing and fun (17th century) and i really enjoyed keiichiro hirano's bizarre take on a medieval horror story, eclipse, as well. i think as long as its a little new in some compelling way, it's very likely i will Like a historical novel :))

[niqvassieart]

little owls and cow parsley, may 2026.

[aloneholy]

8 and 9!!

8. what is the first book you remember reading yourself?

oh my, what an interesting question. i'm actually ... not sure. i read a lot as a kid but the chronology of what was first kind of eludes me. it would have been something silly and whimsical like, idk, the moomin books. i know the books i was Fixated on very strongly as a kid were peter pan and then bridge to terabithia which explains a devastating amount of things about me - but that was later, when i was like 7-8ish. mysterious business, memories

9. when do you tend to read most?

usually in transit, especially on trains. these days, whenever a) i have to (deadlines, my beautiful tormentor) or b) i have the time (not enough!). ideally, before bed, as i have done as a child, but the nefarious screen ever lurks...

[aloneholy]

number 2 for the books ask!

perfect question because it changes all the time! i think every year my response is slightly different. but as of now, in no particular order: 

another country, james baldwin

solaris, stanisław lem

nightwood, djuna barnes

ficciones (and all other short fiction by), jorge luis borges

autobiography of red, anne carson

but at the same time, i am lying. because so many others as well, these are just the ones i have spent a lot of time thinking about recently.

[sxpositive]

book asks:

book you’ve reread the most times?

top 5 books of all time?

what is your favourite genre?

what sections of a bookstore do you browse?

where do you buy books?

what books have you read in the last month?

is there a series/book that got you into reading?

what is the first book you remember reading yourself?

when do you tend to read most?

do you have a guilty fav?

what non-fiction books do you like if any?

did you enjoy any compulsory high school readings?

do you have a goodreads?

do you ever mark/dog ear books you own?

recommend and review a book.

how many books have you read this year?

top 5 children’s books?

do you like historical books? which time period?

most disliked popular books?

what are things you look for in a book?

[sailermoon]

james baldwin was so right when he said “the children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality.”

[surumarssi]

I think my ideal job would be video game guard npc. just walking around some hallways and going "Huh?? ......must have been rats." when I hear something. Standing around with a coworker repeating the same dialogue back and forth.

[freakoutgirl]

"all you ever do is complain" that's not true. I also resent.

[freakoutgirl]

and love..........

[mummer]

tony kushner on pretentiousness 🖤

[vethox]

Le rayon vert, dir. Éric Rohmer, 1986

[canwriteitbetterthanueverfeltit]

hey, tag this with a food people get really upset about you not liking

[horsegirl]

case for a world increasingly devoid of true forms

[nathanielthecurious]

academic writing these days is always like “be/longing” “re-membering” “(under)standing”

[hangsawoman]

shirley jackson’s self portrait, 1942

[s1ck0]

marie léon

[aloneholy]

ive always been stumped by the “do you dream in this or that language” bc my dreams are primarily visual and on top of that i think it’s both…. but i finally had a dream today that i am certain 100% was both polish & english bc i was moving to an apartment and it turned out someone else was “sharing” the room assigned to me and i was (in polish) saying I Cannot do This… i am not a starving undergrad i Have a Job (im sure it was in polish bc i used the word zawód meaning like. profession. craft. which … doubtful but w/e). but then i also remember saying “are you shitting me” out loud in english