Joel Stainer

I recently connected with a board gaming group for the first time in years and its been such a blast. My wife and kids like board games as well but of a certain type. This group plays everything, including heavier longer games. Its been so much fun and renewed my love for it.

Wrapping up a pretty productive reading month for the first time since early summer. Some excellent reads (including a top 10 for me!)

Listened to The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern this week and was a little baffled by it. Wonderful prose but the story was a mess and the characters felt rather unchanging throughout. Not sure if The Night Circus is better but also not sure I want to risk it.

I appreciate the 1 hour episodes that @dodoborne.com does. I get it that I can break up longer episodes into chunks, but I like the psychological feeling of a complete episode being wrapped up in an hour or less.

Final book (on audiobook) of July is To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer. Very little good to say about this one. To think it won a Hugo over a book like The Lathe of Heaven is wild. I can't imagine circling back to more of his books unless they are a radical departure from this one.

From Farmer's 'To Your Scattered Bodies Go': "I wonder where those who are killed in the afterlife go? If we live long enough we might find out." How does that make any sense at all?

Wrapped up Lois McMaster Bujold's Paladin of Souls last night on audiobook. She is so great. Even though fantasy is not my preference, the characters in the story were different enough from the usual tales that I quite enjoyed it. Even her fantasy characters seem totally real to me. Well done.

A little mini book haul today to beef up my Post-apocalyptic and disaster collection. A Strugatsky chaser as well.

Wrapped up Speaker for the Dead on audiobook. Kind of an odd narration with a mix of speakers and weird music that cuts in at times. The book itself was enjoyable enough. Perhaps a little blunt in its messaging but I appreciated what was being told.

Another Lois McMaster Bujold completed. Falling Free is set before the usual books in the Vorkosigan series but is still a fun romp with some crunchy engineering bits for those who like it. Little guys take on the big guys type story. Enjoyed it.

As per my kids' request, finally wrapped up the Harry Potter series. Not bad, not great. Won't be watching the movies. Onto Speaker for the Dead on audiobook next, and Falling Free by Bujold in print.

Fun night of some Blood on the Clocktower. Gotta say, it's enjoyable but makes me feel a little bit old and slow!

Reading M John Harrison's 'The End of Everything' and so far quite enjoying it. However, I have a really important question. Why are there like a dozen blank pages at the back of the book? Is this some new publishing thing I am unaware of?

I managed to wrap up Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer today as well. I gave it as a gift to a graduating family member and wanted to read through a good chunk before doing so since I like to know what I am gifting. Beautiful, intelligent, challenging, wonderful book. Highly recommended.

Book club is tackling The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy this month. As I have read it multiple times, I am listening to the BBC radio show version this go round. First time and love it!

I have been on the hunt for a reasonably priced hardcopy first printing of The Dog Stars and it seems they do not exist. I don't imagine the movie is going to help this situation.

I must admit I really enjoy Lois McMaster Bujold's books so far. Barrayar is the second I have read and it was even better than Shards of Honor. Fairly straightforward but with characters to root for and enough drama and excitement to keep things moving nicely.

Gave me some tidbits to think on, but for a book that is on David Pringle's top 100 Science Fiction books, it felt very light on the SF side of things.

First audiobook of the month completed. Blake Crouch's Recursion, while containing some plot holes you can construct a building inside, and with a love story that was a bit too contrived for my tastes, was engaging, left me with some fun questions for our upcoming book club, and was a fun read.

Really struggled to wrap my head around Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. Seems like one I would get a lot more out of if I read it for academic purposes rather than to enjoy as a reading experience. Time for something a little lighter now!

The mommas may want to tear off your face but the babies sure are cute!

Lunch time walk at the Riverlot.

Very interested in seeing the Clarke shortlist tomorrow I've only read 10 of the winners, but I typically get on quite well with what is chosen (the only exception being Perdido Street which was an audiobook thing and needs another try).

Satisfying or disturbing to watch? 🤓

Kicking the month off with The Sound and the Fury in the mornings and Blake Crouch's Recursion through the day on audiobook.

Pre-orders are now open through mythicroadspress.com for all three upcoming titles! Check them out and reserve your copies here: www.mythicroadspress.com/bookshop/pre... ✨🥳🤩

The final read for May is 'All the Fiends of Hell' by Adam Nevill and it was a ride. Consumed it in about 2 sittings and thought it was great. Never read any of his horror before but this one appealed to my post-apocalyptic tastes.

Wrapped up Venemous Lumpsucker by @nedbeauman.bsky.social on audiobook today while doing yard work. Another Clarke award winner that I quite enjoyed. Both hilarious and dark and glad I spent time with it!

My monthly online book club veered WAY off the usual path by selecting 'How to Find a Nameless Fae' by AJ Lancaster, which will be my morning coffee read for the next little while. I typically do not enjoy "cozy" books (unless they are the cozy catastrophe style which is different).

Today's run will be accompanied by The Half Blood Prince. My (now adult) kids have wanted me to read/listen to the series for many years. I am certainly a bit burned out on it at this point, and the experience is impacted by the author in real life(as can often be the case). Will be glad to be done.

After Atlas by @emmanewman.bsky.social was fantastic. my first of her books and it was an entertaining and thoughtful read from start to finish. I was missing out. Likely would not have given it a shot without coming across the Starship Alexandria podcast which is also excellent. Go read it!

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is now complete. Cozy is not my thing and I was left feeling deeply uncomfortable with some of the decisions that were sort of hand waved away as fine at the end of the book that made the story feel a bit icky. Should be an interesting book club chat tonight.

Not Till We Are Lost by Dennis E Taylor (the fifth book in the Bobiverse series) on audiobook. Completed. Much of the same as the rest of the series. It doesnt ask much of the reader but is simple and enjoyable. A good 'in between' type book for when I want something to just have on while I am busy.

Thrift store find for $3.00. Oltre Mare. This game was a Mashup of Sushi Go, Settlers of Catan, and Bohnanza and was a lot of fun! More strategic than all 3 of them for sure. Will definitely play it again.

Wrapped up Greg Egan's short story collection 'Axiomatic' this morning. Superb. Hard pressed to think of a story collection I've enjoyed more. It was my first of his books and the experience of reading it felt like some of my first read throughs of Stephen King's short works. So glad I read it.

Just wrapped up Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Was unsure headed into it if it would be something I would enjoy but I really liked it overall. Contemplative and a celebration of people and the world. Not much of a plot but I didn't care.

Just completed The Works of Vermin. Bizarre and not enjoyable for me at all. One of those "I really dont get it it" books for me.

Tore through Red Mars on the last few days of vacation. It started slow but really enjoyed the ride by the end. Looking forward to the next two books at some point.

Vacation read #2 is A Clockwork Orange. Having some idea of the content (never seen the movie either) I had put this off for a long time but finally gave it a go. While it lived up to its reputation, I found it very readable and thoughtful in ways that surprised me. Glad I read it.

Today's beach read was another of Time's top 100, this time Falconer by John Cheever and oh boy was it a ride. Quite an interesting read but still unsure how to process it.

Week long vacation begun. 6 books packed. Can't wait!