Where Eagles Dare
Ins and outs for the new year.
There is an icon living close to me. You might mistake her for a regular woman at first, but you would be disabused of that notion rather quickly. This woman is a runner, and she is dedicated. She always looks close to death but runs like she’s got a meeting with the devil she refuses to miss.
She’s most active in the neighborhood across the river from mine, and her route takes her across the bridge onto my streets. I can’t say with any certainty the distances she runs, because I don’t know exactly where she begins, but I know she’s running at least a 10k every time I see her out.
One day, my husband and I were at a local brewery on her route, enjoying the summer afternoon. I saw her running on the opposite side of the street past the brewery, and as I go to point her out to Mark (we’d seen her a few times before at that point), she starts to scream, “I AIN’T NO GODDAMN SON OF A BITCH!”
Some might have been alarmed by this, but I knew exactly what this was. She was listening to “Where Eagles Dare” by the Misfits. If I was impressed with her before, I was in love with her after. This was clearly a person who had reached a breaking point and was making excellent use of their productive rage. She will always remain iconic to me as a symbol of determined action and self-respect, regardless of what actually drove her to scream along with Danzig while furiously running on public sidewalks.
“Where Eagles Dare” is a perfect anthem for 2025. The Misfits tends to be an entirely unserious punk band, but my interpretation of this song is deeper than perhaps they should get credit for. To me it feels like raging against an uncaring and even brutal government, specifically the United States’ government, and the absolute refusal to have your humanity taken away from you despite the horrors. It’s that defiance, that desire to claim oneself, that I see in this woman and that I want for myself in 2025.
I feel a rage and frustration at both internal and external factors affecting my life, including my relationship to books and reading. I don’t think I’m alone in this. I see people realizing the power they have (even if it’s small) to alter their own lives. Folks are talking about low/no buy years, engaging more in face-to-face community activities, and changing how they use the internet and social media. People seem ready to make lifestyle changes to better align with their values.
I’m not going to go into detail about my own specific bookish goals for this year, but instead I’ll offer an ins/outs list of my personal goals to give you an idea of the direction I’m headed.
IN:
Physical book journals, junk journals, and commonplace books
Mood reading
Reading the books you already own
Going to bookish activities at your public library (book club, book speed dating, author talks, book sales)
Treating yourself to nice bookshelves
Buddy reads and reading parties with your besties
Going to author events and book conventions
More reviewing!
Agency…this goes for every aspect of life
OUT:
Reading tracking apps
Thoughtlessly purchasing stacks of books that you unhaul without reading (we’re consuming thoughtfully this year)
Stressful reading goals
Spending hours on BookTok and BookTube instead of reading
Finishing books that aren’t working (embrace the DNF)
Allowing AI anywhere close to the reading, writing, art making experience (I will not be enabling this with my personal choices)
Inevitability…again, this goes for every aspect of life
I’m so excited to read this year. Reading and books give me so much joy, but I need to engage with them on my own terms. I ain’t no goddamn son of a bitch, and neither are you. Don’t let our late-stage capitalist society obsessed with overconsumption ruin the things you love. Enjoy a picture of my perfect cat.
