Things I Loved in October and Looking Ahead
Monthly Digest | October 2024
Hello, I’m Tiffany, your local town hermit. Welcome to my fellowship—a haven where you’re free to talk about taboo subjects you can’t anywhere else. Upgrade for full access.
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Dear Inklings,
This month was rough. For those new here, these monthly digests include:
a round-up of everything I published
7 recommendations of books, articles, films/TV shows, or anything else I think you might also enjoy
With patrons, I share personal life and writing updates, and any special announcements I may have.
For Everyone
Lord of the Rings Challenge
For Patrons
Fiction
(* indicates a reread/rewatch)
📖 Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice, 1991)*. Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles was my guilty pleasure throughout high school and college, when vampires were all the rage. I related all too well to Anne’s broody, lonely vampires desperate for connection. Her glorious writing, filled with rich and sensory detail, instilled in me a love for her world and characters. Still does.
📖 A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (Holly Jackson, 2021). It’s difficult to find a nice, easy read that doesn’t simultaneously rot the brain. I enjoyed this one, even though I’ve already seen the show before. The dialogue, characters, and writing are cute and believable. While there are heavy subjects of murder, drugs, and sexual assault, the book handled them with care.
🛒 The best cozy throw blanket I’ve found (Amazon). Confession: I have way too many throw blankets. It’s a problem—one my husband has been trying to cure me of for years. Alas, I added this one to my collection this year, and it’s a new favourite. It’s lightweight but warm and cosy. Perfect for the upcoming gloomy season.
💻 Proton Mail. One might call me paranoid about data and technology in general. But with the real threat of identity theft and data leaks, I don’t think I’m paranoid. Proton Mail is based in Switzerland, which has one of the strictest privacy laws in the world. Emails are end-to-end encrypted, and not even Protonmail can access them. We switched over this month, and are loving it so far!
📺 Smile 2 (Parker Finn, 2024). Did you like the first “Smile”? I did. The second one was made with a much higher budget, a stellar cast, and an ending that went all-out, batshit insane. I always consider it a win when a horror movie can make M jump in his seat, which this one did, several times. :D However, I did appreciate the first film for its more interesting exploration on trauma and isolation. My friendly advice is to watch both and decide for yourself.
🗞️ “contractually asian” (
, 2024). This gorgeously written essay on the tensions of growing up with immigrant parents and all the expectations and hopes you carry as a result of that fate. “Remember: Your parents gave up everything for a better life, so don’t get confused and start wishing for a happier one.” A thought-provoking read about what it means to break free.🗞️ “The online Crucible: Who gets to have a byline and who has to get burned” (
, 2024). I loved this essay. It draws attention to the privilege of signing one’s real name to their work—one I’ve only done recently, as many of you know. I’ve shared about why I hid behind pseudonyms before, but the answer is even deeper and more layered than I’ve revealed. A name attached to a public persona can be a dangerous thing, especially in this increasingly toxic Internet environment, where nuance and context are so often disregarded, and a person’s past can be dredged up as proof of their “evil.” Because god forbid anyone be allowed to be fully human.
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