Illya Starikov
Bookmarked Books 📚
So many books, so little time.
The following are my favorite books I’ve read. I’ve added them here in the hopes you might like some of them too. For a full list, check out my Goodreads.
Fiction
- The Harry Potter series 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- And Then There Were None
- The Great Gatsby
- Treasure Island
Non-Fiction
- Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine
- American Prometheus
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
- I'm Glad My Mom Died
- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
- The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking
- The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine
- Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
- The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives
- Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love
- How Google Works
- The Theory of Poker: A Professional Poker Player Teaches You How To Think Like One
Textbooks
- New Year’s Day Новий Рік January 1
- Unity Day January 16
- Cyborg Remembrance Day January 20
- Mourning Day of the Beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine February 24
- International Women’s Day Міжнародний жіночий день March 8
- Labour Day День праці May 1
- Easter
- Second World War Remembrance Day May 7
- Victory Day (over Nazism in World War II) День пам'яті та перемоги над нацизмом у Другій світовій війні May 8
- Trinity (Pentecost) Трійця
- Constitution Day День Конституції України June 28
- Statehood Day День Української Державності July 15
- Flag Day August 23
- Independence Day of Ukraine День Незалежності України August 24
- Day of Knowledge September 1
- Ukraine Defender Day День захисників і захисниць України October 1
- Teacher’s Day October 2
- Holodomor Memorial Day Final Saturday of November
- Armed Forces of Ukraine Day December 6
- Christmas Різдво Христове December 25
The following are films about the 2014 invasion-present day war. Viewer discretion advised.
Directly from Ukraine
- ETNODIM
- Aviatsiya Halychyny
- Shkoura
- Sleeper (women only)
- O.TAJE (women only)
Support Ukraine directly
Non-Fiction
- The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine Serhii Plokhy
- The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History Serhii Plokhy
- Red Famine Anne Applebaum.
- Bloodlands
- Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know
- Voices of Chernobyl
- Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster
Fiction
- Death and the Penguin Andrey Kurkov
- I Will Die in a Foreign Land
Cookbooks
Birthday February 3rd, 2019
Nicknames велика свиня, Bubs, Mal, Chunky Monkey, Stench Under The Bench, Fatness BellyQueen
Likes
- Food
- Belly rubs
- Being alone with you
Dislikes
- Not getting food
- Being picked up
- Petting in ears
Favorite Spots
- Under the main bed
- In the main bedroom closet
- Under blankets on the couch/bed
Birthday May 3rd, 2011
Nicknames Mr. Bodie, Bad Cat, Orange Cat
Bodie came into my life after my partner’s parents retired. They asked if we wanted him, and we said “Of course”.
At first, it was not an easy transition. He didn’t get along with Mallory. He gets upset in the middle of the night and cries. He gets upset in the middle of the day and cries.
But now he is an integral part of this family.
Likes
- Sous-vide meats, chicken, steak, etc.
- Being near people
- Being outside
- Back scratches and cuddles
- Play time with the chaser toys
- Thinking about quantum electrodynamics
Dislikes
- Not getting his way
- Being alone
Favorite Spots
- On blankets
- On the couch, on the arm rest
- In the living room cat tree/perch
I hate this time of year.
There is a strange part of me deep down that knows it’s time. Time to mourn. Time to have anxiety. Time to feel not in control.
2022 was the worst year in many of our lives. Every year I do my best to pull myself together, bit my bit. And I largely succeed, until February.
Every February I start feeling in control, but come March I’m in a much worse place. It’s a force that drags me under and keeps me there.
Now that 2.24 has passed, I find myself picking up the pieces. Like last year. Like the year before.