October 2020 media
Some more recommendations. Maybe I’ll make this a monthly habit!
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Maria Dahvana Headley’s Beowulf: This is the wildest translation of anything I’ve ever read. Social media latched onto the opening “Hwæt” getting translated as “Bro!”, but if anything that example undersells how audacious this thing is. I’m not even sure what to compare it to—maybe Emily Wilson’s Odyssey translation mixed with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton? In any case, I thought it worked amazingly well and read it through in a single sitting.
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The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV: The latest English release in my favorite RPG series landed a couple of days ago, and I’ve been living in there ever since. It’s been pure comfort food for me so far, even as I do the same sorts of quests and fight the same sorts of enemies for the ninth time. I understand the back half of the game is somewhat divisive, but I expect I’ll play less next month because of NaNoWriMo so it might take me a while to get there.
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Ayano Kaneko: I first heard of this singer-songwriter last month when a video of her playing at Izu Studio appeared in my YouTube recommendations. I was a fan after the first song and bought the album as soon as I finished watching. I’ve been listening to that a bunch this month and it’s held up, though part of me still prefers how pitchy she gets on the loud notes in that live video. I’m excited to dive deeper into her discography.