I didn’t get much out of this collection of poems except for “Allen v Farrow.” At least I think I did anyway. My approach to reading poetry is either I get it or I don’t. It’s more often that I don’t.

I picked up this book because the author is half Vietnamese half American. She writes about her whiteness as well as her Asian part. Though I didn’t understand much of her poems the first read. I might need to revisit them.

This book released in 2015 when digital devices, such as iPads, started to take off. Reading it almost a decade later, it is has become out of touch. I am done catching up with the A Book Apart series.

As a visual designer, I have not ventured into voice-command territory. So’s book is a perfect primer into voice interface design. From inclusivity to diversity to accessibility to usability, this book will help make your site ready for voice-friendly design.

Before reading Higgins’s book, I didn’t realize how much thoughts, strategies, and decisions go into the onboarding process. Thankfully, Higgins explains, illustrates and walks us through designing a successful onboarding experience. A recommended read for digital product designers.

Damn, Fox’s poetry collection is dark as fuck. Here’s a piece titled “i’m not sure that god agrees”:

There was a time
when i had never
heard a man call me
stupid
pathetic
bitch
cunt
slut
idiot
and there was also a time
when i had never
felt a man’s hands
hit me
suffocate me
or throw me to the ground
but now
if one of these things
hasn’t happened
by wednesday
i consider it a miracle

Here’s another piece titled “the book of mary magdalene”:

it hurts
to see how i’ve
betrayed myself
trying to save
the souls of men
who do not want
to be saved
it hurts to see
how my legacy
will only rest
in the space
between my legs

The typesetting and the illustrations are beautiful.

This book of poetry is heartbreaking yet beautiful. Sin is so good with words. Here are a few examples:

it’s hard to enjoy the sun
when there’s a storm
growing in your chest

you can’t nurture a rock
you don’t water a stone
no amount of love
will soften the heart
of a person
who doesn’t intend
to love you

when you’ve
been in pain
for years
“it gets better”
sounds like a lie

the more you ignore the wound
the wider it grows, the deeper it gets

We were supposed to be a team, but you treated me
like a competition.

Quietly noticing everything. Saying nothing is so
fucking painful.

people rarely see your wounds
and despite the pain, you feel
you spend most days forcing a smile

you’re toxic
I have to stop
breathing you in

what was once
sweet to taste
is now bitter fruit

forever is something we say
but it’s never what we do

tired of handing roses
to the person
who treats me like weeds

the way I choose a person
sometimes I think
I’m attracted to loneliness

the people who hurt you
are teaching you who to avoid

your relationship spoiled a long time ago. Why do you insist on keeping something past its expiration date?

When it comes to content, I am pretty clueless. Content design is new to me. Even after reading this book, I don’t quite get it. I have always been a visual designer first. For content, I just want to blog. That’s it. I have no content strategy.

Tom Greenwood has demonstrated in his book that creating sustainable websites isn’t hard or impossible. In fact, it’s the opposite. If you have been following best practices in web design and development, such as prioritizing progressive enhancement, performance, security, and accessibility, you are already making sustainable webpages. Furthermore, Greenwood delves into the server side for sustainability including hosting, caching, and optimizing. Sustainable Web Design is an essential read for web professionals as well as web hobbyists.

Quyển sách gồm 56 bài viết về Hà Nội của nhà văn Nguyễn Ngọc Tiến. Bài đầu viết về “Tiếng Hà ‘Lội’” đầy thú vị với một chút lịch sử chữ Việt. Bài thứ hai viết về ma tình Vũ Thị Tý. Còn phần nhiều là viết về những địa điểm đặc sắc của Hà Nội. Tiếc rằng tôi không biết gì về những nơi mà nhà văn diễn tả nên cũng không mấy có cảm giác khi đọc. Những ai ở Hà Nội chắc chắn sẽ thích thú và cảm thấy gần gũi hơn.