Random Tag Tuesday: Hallotober Tag

Tags

Fall, Halloween, October, Random Tag Tuesday

Dusting off another one of my favorite prompts, it is time to welcome back Random Tag Tuesday!  For those that don’t remember, the name of this series is a throwback to my college days when Tuesdays were the day for, well, random adventures.  It should come as no surprise that this week I am taking on a very timely tag about one of my favorite times of year.

What’s your favorite thing about October?

It’s a combination of the weather and outdoor activities.  Between the cooling temperatures and beautiful foliage how could you not want to go outside this time of year?  Walks in the woods and visits to farms are particular favorites.

Are you a big celebrator of Halloween?

Yes!  Pre-child my wife and I would meet up with friends in Salem, MA to wander about town (in costume of course) and attend various events.  Post-child things have calmed down a little bit, but we do still decorate and find family activities to take part in.

What’s your favorite horror movie?

So I’ll let you all in on a not so well kept secret: I don’t really like horror movies!

Would you rather a cozy night in watching horrors or a big night out in a costume?

In case you couldn’t figure it out from the last two questions: a big night out!  Halloween is probably the one night out of the year I’d pick that.

Which has been your most favorite costume to date?

I have a particular affinity towards my Mega Man hoodie, but I think my steampunk ensemble is probably the best overall.

Bobbing for apples or pin the hat on the witch?

I’m not sure I’ve actually ever bobbed for apples, so maybe that.

How do you celebrate Halloween?

These days it’s all about showing the kid a good time.  Be it children’s party, trick or treating, or dressing up as Rainbow Dash I’m in it for him.

What’s your least favorite horror?

Gore.  It’s not for me and probably why I’m not that into horror movies.

Do you have a favorite trick or treating memory?

I have so many good memories of this that’s hard to really choose one.  My vivid memory of being terrified of my neighbors house as a small child is up there, as is the time as a teenager I almost got a police wagon ride.  (That latter story is much more innocent than it sounds – my friends and I were playing football in a park when someone drove by and set off a whole lot of fireworks.  Neighbors must have called the cops, but luckily they realized it wasn’t us pretty quickly.  “Cancel the wagon” was a popular refrain for a few weeks after that.)

What’s your favorite thing about Halloween?

The feeling of fun and adventure.  If you’re in the right spot with the right people there’s just an awesome energy about the evening.  It’s something I’ve just felt at every age, though not always in the same way.

Scary costume or Silly costume?

I suppose my costumes are more on the silly end of that spectrum, but I don’t think I’d necessarily call them that.

What’s your favorite Halloween candy?

Peanut butter cups, in whatever shape they may come in.  Basically whatever delivers chocolate and peanut butter to my face.

What is your favorite haunted attraction or location?

It has long been the downtown area of Salem, MA (which I am pretty fond of at other times too) so I am kind of bummed out we won’t be visiting it at all this season.  I just don’t want anything to do with crowds, especially with a young child to keep track of.  I am looking forward to attending the Jack-o’-lantern Spectacular at the Rhode Island Zoo which is becoming a new tradition.

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Random Tag Tuesday: The Stuck at Home Book Tag

Tags

Blog Life, Book Tag, Quarantine, Random Tag Tuesday, Reading

Time again for Random Tag Tuesday!  This one seems appropriate since, well, we’re stuck at home.

What Are You Currently Reading?

The Traitor Baru Cormorant, by Seth Dickinson.  Don’t want to say too much about this yet, but I am really enjoying it so far.  Should be posting a review soon(ish).

What’s Your Favourite Can’t Leave The House Activity?

Taking time to relax and do whatever I want at that particular moment.  Quarantine hasn’t provided me with any extra free time and has perhaps even reduced that already precious commodity so I’ve come to really value the quiet moments.

A Book I’ve Been Meaning To Read Forever

I’ve always wanted to start Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series but never have.  By all accounts it sounds like something I’d enjoy, but I’m just wary of the length and worry it’s been built up too much for me at this point.

An Intimidating Book On Your TBR

I don’t think I have any that fit this prompt.  They’re all books I actually want to read, though the order I get to them will depend on what’s going on in my life when I’m looking for a book.

Top 3 Priority Books On Your TBR

I don’t have any priorities at the moment, but once they become available (hopefully this year), the next books in the Mistborn and The Expanse series will be read immediately.

Recommend A Short Book

The Black God’s Drums, by P. Djeli Clark.  An amazing and captivating fantasy/historical fiction novella that captures the feel and magic of one of my favorite cities, New Orleans.

Recommend A Long Book

Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson.  The 1,008 page beginning of the Stormlight Archive, an ambitious series that takes place within the author’s Cosmere universe and is slated to run for ten books.  It’s an amazing series full of great stories and amazing characters, but it sure looks like it’s going to be a long one.  For good measure, the follow-up novels have been getting progressively longer, checking in at 1490 and 1652 pages, respectively.

Something You’d Love To Do While Stuck At Home

Clean and organize.  I haven’t made as much headway here as I would have liked while stuck inside.

What Do You Plan On Reading Next?

I actually don’t know.  I have a vague list, but it’s really going to depend on what my mood is when I’m ready to pick up another book.

Random Tag Tuesday: The Wanderlust Book Tag

Tags

Blog Life, Book Tag, Final Fantasy, Random Tag Tuesday, Reading, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction

I think most of us have been feeling a bit cooped up lately, so it’s probably pretty easy to imagine why I felt inspired to finally take on this particular tag.  Since I haven’t done one of these in a while, I’ll remind everyone that the name of this series is a throwback to my college days when Tuesdays were the day for, well, random adventures.  Please note that most of the tags I cover under this heading come from my backlog notes and that I am terrible about keeping track of where I find them. As such, I probably will rarely, if ever, tag anyone.  It is not personal.

Secrets and Lies: A Book Set in a Sleepy Small Town

Highway of the Damned, by Nick Mamatas and Brian Keene.  This mashup homage to Hunter S. Thompson and Lovecraftian horror spends a lot of time in the fictional city of Arkham, MA, a place that certainly has its share of secrets.

Salt and Sand: A Book with a Beach-side Community

Lagoon, by Nnedi Okorafor.  Set in Lagos, Nigeria the city is changed forever when extraterrestrials land off the coast and make first contact with both humanity and the creatures of the sea.

Here There be Dragons: A Book with a Voyage on the High Seas

Towing Jehovah, by James Morrow.  God has died and it’s up to disgraced Captain Anthony Van Horn to haul the massive corpse across the Atlantic Ocean to its final resting place in an Arctic iceberg before rot sets in and the press finds out.

Tread lightly: A Book Set Down a Murky River or a Jungle

Everfair, by Nisi Shawl.  A steampunk-inspired alternate history in which European socialists, American abolitionists, and an African warlord enter into an uneasy alliance to overthrow the forces of King Leopold II and establish a new nation in the former Belgian Congo.

Frozen Wastes: A Book Book with a Frost-bitten Atmosphere

The Terror, by Dan Simmons.  Another historical fiction, this one follows the doomed crew of the John Franklin Discovery Service Expedition as their ships get trapped in the Arctic ice and a supernatural force begins hunting the crew.

The Boonies: A Book with Rough or Isolated Terrain

2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson.  A good deal of the action here takes place on Mercury and Venus, which despite human settlements remain rather inhospitable places.

Hinterlands and Cowboys: A book with a Western-esque Setting

The Alloy of Law, by Brandon Sanderson.  The first book in the Second Era Mistborn novels, civilization on the planet Scadriel has advanced to roughly that of the late 19th century United States.  The main character, Wax, is a frontier lawman who definitely gives this story a Western vibe.

Look lively: A Book Set Across Sweeping Desert Sands

Dune, by Frank Herbert.  Obviously.

Wild and Untamed: A Book Set in the Heart of the Woods

A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson.  Humorist Bill Bryson hikes the Appalachian Trail, imparting plenty of fun facts and humorous observations along the way.

Wildest Dreams: A Whimsical Book Shrouded in Magic

The Hobbit, by J.R.R Tolkien.  While it does have some serious themes, I always think of this book as being rather whimsical at heart.

Random Tag Tuesday: Make Your Own Fictional Christmas Squad Tag

Tags

Becky Chambers, Blog Life, Book Tag, Christmas, Dune, Kim Stanley Robinson, Stormlight Archive

Welcome to another not so random edition of Random Tag Tuesday!  Christmas is right around the corner now and upon finding this tag I knew exactly what I had to do.

The Gift Giver

Kaladin Stormblessed (Oathbringer, by Brandon Sanderson): I chose Kaladin mostly on account of the amusing and rather unconventional gift he gives a certain character for her wedding.  I definitely appreciate a fun gift giver!

The Scrooge

Bellonda (Chapterhouse Dune, by Frank Herbert): The Bene Gesserit are a pretty rigid lot to begin with, but Bellonda strove to be even moreso, vigilantly confronting any perceived deviations from her vision of the Sisterhood’s orthodoxy.  This stern woman would most definitely be a scrooge and at best would only tolerate celebrations as a means of manipulating people.

The Tree Decorator

Swan Er Hong (2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson): Decorating a Christmas tree might seem a bit mundane for Swan following her gigs turning asteroids into spaceships, designing landscapes on Mercury, and extreme body modifications/performance art, but I bet she could do something absolutely amazing.  Perhaps even genetically modify a tree of her own while she was at it.

The Excitable Christmas Enthusiast

Lift (Edgedancer, by Brandon Sanderson): Lift would very much embrace the Christmas/Holiday season.  While I think she’d like presents just fine, for her the food is where it would really be at.  I could easily imagine her hitting up several feasts and bakeries before gleefully making a night out of visiting people’s homes for the thrill of sampling Santa’s cookies.

The Games Master

Orhan (Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City, by KJ Parker): I could see Orhan having a lot of fun in this role.  He is incredibly cunning, is great at alternately irritating and motivating people, and is an engineering genius.  He might go heavy on the puzzle games, but I bet they’d be amazing!

The One Who’s Been in their Pyjamas All Day

Kizzy Shao (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers): She’s either hung over/strung out of from the Christmas Eve party or just happy to enjoy some done town with people close to her, but either way she’s my nominee here.

The One Who Dressed up as Santa

Freya (Aurora, by Kim Stanley Robinson): I picked Freya in large part because, well, I got stuck here.  In her time on the colony ship, however, she did display a strong interest in befriending her fellow travelers and participating in the various communities aboard the ship.  Perhaps it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch then to imagine her dressing up as Santa for the kids.

Random Tag Tuesday: The Joy of Christmas Book Tag

Tags

Becky Chambers, Blog Life, Book Tag, Brandon Sanderson, Dan Simmons, Dune, Frank Herbert, Mistborn, Random Tag Tuesday, Stormlight Archive

It’s December already and in my family that means Christmas is coming!  To get my blog all caught up in the spirit of the season, my random tags for the rest of the month are going to be a little less random and more focused on the upcoming holiday.

Anticipation: The Christmas excitement is real, what book release(s) are you most anticipating?

Mistborn: The Lost Metal.  The fourth and final book in the second era Mistborn series, this one has been tragically delayed in its release.

Christmas Songs & Carols: What book or author can you not help but sing its praises?

I’ve gotten to be a big fan of Kim Stanley Robinson in the last year or so.  I am fascinated by how real and scientifically grounded his visions of the future are and am likewise in love with his politics and environmental awareness.

Gingerbread Houses: What book or series has wonderful world building?

I never intend for these things to go so heavily in favor of one author or series, but Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive is the obvious choice here.  I’m thousands of pages in and still in awe of all this world has to offer.

A Christmas Carol: Favorite classic or one that you want to read?

I’ve been flirting with the idea of re-reading Dante’s Inferno for a little while now.  It probably says something about me (or perhaps the author/society) that I have little desire to reread Purgatory or Paradise.

Christmas Sweets: What book would you love to receive for Christmas?

Since this is my wish list, I would say something from a series I love that would also look good on my shelf.  Maybe a nicely bound collection of books from say the Dune, Hyperion, or Stormlight Archive series.

Candles in the Window: What book gives you that warm fuzzy feeling?

Warm and fuzzy isn’t really the type of book I tend to read, but most recently Long Way to a Small, Angry Star certainly fit this description.

Christmas Trees & Decorations: What are some of your favorite book covers?

Hyperion, Dan Simmons

I’ve found this image captivating ever since I first came across the book while working in my local library twenty or so years ago:

Source: https://preview.tinyurl.com/vgf75ln

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72, Hunter S. Thompson

Sadly this satirical poster created by a Democratic activist to satirize the re-election campaign of Richard Nixon now seems like a mainstream Republican ad campaign:

Source: https://preview.tinyurl.com/qlptsyk

 

Random Tag Tuesday: The Playlist Book Tag (Part 2)

Tags

Brandon Sanderson, Cypress Hill, Ernest Cline, Fear Factory, Imperial Radch, Janes Addiction, Last Emperor, Mistborn, Music, Playlist, Playlist Book Tag, Random Tag Tuesday, The Expanse, Yoko Kanno

Random Tag Tuesday is a feature I came up with in order to mix things up a bit.  The name is a throwback to my college days when Tuesdays were the day for, well, random adventures.  For my blog, it will mean that on any given Tuesday I’ll tackle one of the many tags I always wanted to write about but never got around to.  Please note that most of these will come from my backlog notes and that I am terrible about keeping track of where I find these. As such, I probably will rarely, if ever, tag anyone.  It is not personal.

If you happen to look back to my Part 1 of my Playlist Tag, you’ll see that this was one I really wanted to explore further.  Now that I’ve better organized my music I am ready to do another installment.  As a quick refresher, my goal here is to listen to five songs at random and then associate them with a book or character I’ve read.  As always, a big thank you to the video posters!

Lithium Flower, Scott Matthew/Yoko Kanno: Breq (Imperial Radch Series, by Ann Leckie)

And is she really human?

She’s just so something new

A waking lithium flower

Just about to bloom

I smell lithium now

Smelling lithium now

This song immediately made me think of Brew given “her” rather unique existence as a former Justice of Toren auxiliary.  She also has some common ground with Major Motoko Kusanagi, for whom the song was originally written.  Apparently the full version isn’t available on YouTube, but can be found here.

Been Caught Stealing, Jane’s Addiction: Wayne (Mistborn, Era 2, by Bradon Sanderson)

I’ve been caught stealing

Once when I was 5

I enjoy stealing

It’s just as simple as that

Well, it’s just a simple fact

When I want something,

I don’t want to pay for it

I walk right through the door

Walk right through the door

So technically Wayne doesn’t steal things necessarily, but most people he comes across don’t appreciate his enthusiasm for making unannounced trades of whatever he may have on him for things he likes more.

Secret Wars, Part One, Last Emperor – Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline

What if I had the/power to gather/all of my favorite emcees

With the illest comic book characters/and they became arch enemies?

Inconceivable? Unbelievable? Yet as wild as it seems

The Emperor and Stan Lee would coach the two opposing teams

The off the wall fun provided by this track’s constant name dropping of comic book characters and hip hop artists makes me thing of the pop culture mashup that was Ready Player One.  This track is serious fun thanks to both the lyrical content and Last Emperor’s superb voice acting.  Notable battles include Professor X vs. KRS-One, Dr. Octopus vs. Busta Rhymes, Lauren Hill vs. Storm, and Das Fx vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Zero Signal, Fear Factory: Shallan Davar (The Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson)

So withdrawn and feeling numb

Watching life come all undone

Growing fear, a human grace

A drowning mind in a dark embrace

While Shallan is one of my favorite characters from this world, she certainly hits some very dark places for a variety of reasons.  As for the song, I just love its energy despite some rather bleak lyrics.  It makes want to get up and move.

Hand on tha Pump, Cypress Hill: Amos Burton (The Expanse)

Thinkin’ like a peace smoke, comin’ on a homicide

You talkin’ shit, tryna take me for a ride

I’m not a bad guy, but I’m the funky feel

Finger on the trigger with my hands upon the steel

To find a character from my recent reads that best embodies a casual, almost gleeful embrace of street violence it’s Amos Burton.  Sure he has some redeeming qualities and is absolutely a guy you want on your side, he is also a highly efficient killer shaped by a very rough upbringing.

Random Tag Tuesday: The Playlist Book Tag (Part One)

Tags

Blog Life, Book Tag, Brandon Sanderson, Cosmere, Grand Funk Railroad, Led Zepplin, Music, N.K. Jemisin, Playlist Book Tag, Random Tag Tuesday, The Seatbelts

Random Tag Tuesday is a feature I came up with in order to mix things up a bit.  The name is a throwback to my college days when Tuesdays were the day for, well, random adventures.  For my blog, it will mean that on any given Tuesday I’ll tackle one of the many tags I always wanted to write about but never got around to.  Please note that most of these will come from my backlog notes and that I am terrible about keeping track of where I find these. As such, I probably will rarely, if ever, tag anyone.  It is not personal.

I’ve been looking for time to have fun with this tag for months now.  All you have to do is set a playlist to random and pair whatever songs come up with a book or character.  It’s intended to get gut reactions, so I image some choices are going to make a lot of sense while others might seem rather random.  To confess, I don’t really use Pandora or Spotify all that much and my personal library has been in a state of disarray since Winamp stopped being a thing so what came up for me was not quite as random or thorough as I might have wished.  As such, I‘m going to call this post Part One and revisit this tag again in the near future when I’m a bit more organized and can come up with some deeper cuts and more variety!

Gotta Knock a Little Harder, The Seatbelts – Kaladin Stormblessed

“Happiness is just a word to me

And it might of meant a thing or two

If I had known the difference

Emptiness, a lonely parody

And my life, another smokin’ gun

A sign of my indifference”

Part of the soundtrack to the legendary anime series Cowboy Bebop, this song is a beautifully performed journey of someone’s attempt at escaping from the depths of depression.  My first thought here went to Kaladin from Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive novels since his personal struggles with depression make up such a key part of the story thus far.

Gimmie Shelter (Live – 1971), Grand Funk Railroad: Words of Radiance, Brandon Sanderson

“Ooo, a storm is threatenin’, my very life today

If I don’t get some shelter, oh I’m gonna’ fade away

War children, it’s just a shot away, it’s just a shot away

War children, it’s just a shot away, it’s just a shot away”

I hate to double dip into the same universe right off the bat, but this is just too good a fit not to.  When an ancient enemy returns and unleashes the powerful Everstorm upon Roshar at the end of Words of Radiance, it is a signal that the main conflict of the series is getting started.  As for the song itself, I absolutely love the raw power and energy of this cover and daresay it surpasses the original version.  It also makes the literary tie-in feel that much more appropriate.

When the Levee Breaks, Led Zeppelin – Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints, in the City Beneath the Still Waters, by N.K. Jemisin

“If it keeps on rainin’, levee’s goin’ to break

If it keeps on rainin’, levee’s goin’ to break

When the levee breaks I’ll have no place to stay

Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan

Lord mean old levee taught me to weep and moan

It’s got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home”

This was another obvious one for me. If ever N.K. Jemison’s short story about one man’s battle again a timeless evil in Katrina-ravaged streets of New Orleans is put to screen, this song absolutely needs to be featured in the adaptation. It’s bluesy laments cast a hypnotic, almost otherwordly trance over the listener that would provide the perfect backdrop to the story.

Stay tuned for Part Two!

Random Tag Tuesday: 2019 Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

Tags

Book Tag, Books, Random Tag Tuesday, Reading

Random Tag Tuesday is a new feature I wanted to try out just to mix things up a bit.  The name is a throwback to my college days when Tuesdays were the day for, well, random adventures.  For my blog, it will mean that on any given Tuesday I’ll tackle one of the many tags I always wanted to write about but never got around to.  Please note that most of these will come from my backlog notes and that I am terrible about keeping track of where I find these. As such, I probably will rarely, if ever, tag anyone.  It is not personal.

Since we’re still right around mid-year, this is probably going to be one of the least random tags I post under this header.  I do seem to be a couple of weeks late to this party, though, so I guess I have that going for me.  Either way, a tag felt like a nice, fun way to ease back into things after the holiday.

1. Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2019

I’ve actually been really lucky in all my selections this year so this is kind of a tough call.  The two clearly at the top list for me are 2312, Kim Stanley Robinson and Circe, by Madeline Miller.  The former was sci-fi at its absolute best, offering up a wondrous view of the future that mixed compelling scientific theory, political intrigue, environmental awareness, and told a gripping story.  The latter was a powerhouse story that provided a very moving and personal view of mythology that really flips the script on some popular stories.

2. Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far

The Dark Forest, by Liu Cixin.  The follow-up to one of my favorite novels from 2018, this one took the story of alien first contact and impending conflict to new heights with plenty of thought provoking scientific and social dilemmas.

3. A New Release You Haven’t Read Yet But Want To

Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City, by K.J. Parker.  I’ve seen some very positive initial reviews and both the title and concept sound absolutely fascinating.

4. Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of 2019

This had been Mistborn: The Lost Metal, but unfortunately I found out recently that’s been delayed a bit.  I’m not sure I’m up enough on upcoming releases to have a second choice here.

5. Biggest Disappointment

My biggest disappointments this year have been rather minor thus far.  I’ll call this story a toss up between Brandon Sanderson’s Warbreaker and the People’s Future of the United States compilation that I just finished.  Warbreaker, despite its importance, just felt hastily put together and incomplete while the People’s Future felt a bit uneven with just as many hits as misses.

6. Best Surprise

Tough call, but probably Luo Ji’s plan to fight the Trisolarians in The Dark Forest.  I won’t ruin the surprise!

7. Favorite New Author

N.K. Jemisin.  She’s more of a new to me author since she’s been writing for several years now, but I’ve read quite a few of her short stories recently and have been very impressed.  They’ve made me think, they’ve made me angry, they’ve me laugh, and they’ve made me hungry and I am absolutely ready for more.  Photo courtesy of nkjemisin.com and photographer Laura Hanifind.

8. Newest Fictional Crush

I don’t usually have these and this year, so far, is no different.

9. New Favorite Character

Hard to pick just one since no one in particular has stood out above the rest yet.  Some of my favorites so far include Anthony Dey Craze from Lagoon, Swan Er Hong from 2312, and Circe.

10. A Book that Made You Cry

I haven’t had one of these this year.  I guess Circe probably came the closest though, as some of the parts about the fears associated with parenthood really struck a chord with me.

11. A Book that Made You Happy

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers.  While I didn’t love it unequivocally, there’s no denying that this was a feel good story.

12. Favorite Book to Movie Adaptation

I don’t really watch movies anymore so I couldn’t tell.  I am cautiously optimistic that the latest Dune reboot will good, though.

13. Favorite Review That You’ve Written

Probably my review of How Long ’til Black Future Month.  I just had a lot of fun with that book and enjoyed the challenge of picking only 5 or 6 of the short stories from it for the review.

14. Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought This Year

I haven’t bought any books this year!  Favorite cover goes to Circe.  I just really like the style.

14. Books You Need to Read by the End of the Year

In no particular order, I’d like to read the aforementioned Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City, get started on Brandon Sanderson’s White Sands comics, and read at least one more Kim Stanley Robinson novel.

Random Tag Tuesday: The Book Addiction Tag

Tags

Blog Life, Book Tag, Books, Random Tag Tuesday, Reading

Random Tag Tuesday is a new feature I wanted to try out just to mix things up a bit.  The name is a throwback to my college days when Tuesdays were the day for, well, random adventures.  For my blog, it will mean that on any given Tuesday I’ll tackle one of the many tags I always wanted to write about but never got around to.  Please note that most of these will come from my backlog notes and that I am terrible about keeping track of where I find these. As such, I probably will rarely, if ever, tag anyone.  It is not personal.

This next tag has been kicking around on my list for a while now, and it seemed rather timely since I’m in the middle of a reading spree!

What is the longest amount of time you can comfortably go without picking up a book?

I usually start feeling it if I go more than two or three days in a row without a book.  I don’t often get to read on weekends, so by the time I get on the train to work Monday morning I am ready read!

How many books do you carry on your person (or kindle) at any one time?

I rarely, if ever, have a physical book on me these days and if I do it is the one that I am currently reading.  There’s probably hundreds on my kindle, though many of them are on there only because I share the account with my wife.  Sometimes to great benefit, others to my great amusement.

Do you keep every book you buy/receive or are you happy to pass them on to make space for more?

After a recent, and major, decluttering effort we’ve actually trimmed down our hoard of books rather significantly the last few years.  All were either given away via Facebook marketplace or donated locally. As such, we don’t really buy that many physical books anymore and the majority of my reading comes from the library.

How long would you spend in a bookshop on a standard visit?

Depends on the circumstances of my visit.  I probably could spend hours in a shop of sufficient size and quality, though usually it’s more like 30 minutes, or whatever the attention span of my son is on that particular day.

How much time per day do you actually spend reading?

I believe the only appropriate answer here is not nearly enough!  I average about an hour a day on a typical week.

Where does the task ‘picking up a book’ appear on your daily to-do list?

It is an essential part of my morning and afternoon transit routine.

How many books do you reckon you own in total (including e-books).

Easily hundreds.  Most are in electronic form.

Approximately how often do you bring up books in conversation?

Depends on who I’m talking to.  At least one or two times a week I guess, though to be fair I am an extremely quiet person.

What is the biggest book (page count) you have finished reading?

Probably Oathbringer, by Brandon Sanderson.  Official page count is 1,248.

Is there a book you had to get your hands on against all odds i.e searching bookshops, online digging etc?

I don’t think there has been, actually.

A book you struggled to finish but refused to DNF?

Armada, by Ernest Cline.  It felt like an almost insultingly patronizing cash-in on nostalgia and derivative of the more interesting Ready Player One.

What are 3 of your main book goals for 2019?

1. Get caught up on or complete some the series I am in the middle of.
2. Read and review 25 books.  It’s a humble yet realistic number for myself.
3. Make a plan for tackling, or at least organizing, my TBR list.

Have you ever had the privilege of converting someone into a reader (maybe via inspiration or incessant nagging)?

No.  I don’t feel the need to force anyone into something, though most people I know read plenty anyway.

Describe what books mean to you in five words?

A healthy escape from reality.

 

Random Tag Tuesday: The Gamer Tag

Tags

Civilization, Mega Man, NES, Nintendo, Random Tag Tuesday, Tags, Video Games

Random Tag Tuesday is a new feature I wanted to try out just to mix things up a bit.  The name is a throwback to my college days when Tuesdays were the day for, well, random adventures.  For my blog, it will mean that on any given Tuesday I’ll tackle one of the many tags I always wanted to write about but never got around to.  Please note that most of these will come from my backlog notes and that I am terrible about keeping track of where I find these. As such, I probably will rarely, if ever, tag anyone.  It is not personal.

My first tag in this series is one I show up on my blogroll a few weeks ago and couldn’t resist filling it out for fun.  I don’t think it’s fair to call myself a ‘gamer’ any more (life and other priorities have kind of gotten in the way of that), but I still have a certain fondness for video games that will never die.

Questions:

What is your all-time favorite video game?  I’m never good with these all-time favorite questions.  So many games have filled this spot for me at various points in my life.  Titles like Mega Man 3, Civilization IV, Medieval Total War II (Stainless Steel Mod), X-Wing, Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, Tekken 5, and Skyrim all come to mind as potential answers.  It’s too hard for me to separate them from their time and place for me to pick just one.

What is your current favorite video game? Skyrim.

Source: https://cdn.gamer-network.net/2015/usgamer/skyrimdragon.jpg

What is your favorite video game genre? I’m partial to adventure, RPG, and strategy games.

How long have you been playing video games? 30+ years.  Wow that makes me feel old!

What’s the first game you ever played? I want to say Choplifter on PC.  I don’t know for sure it was the first, but it is one of the earliest releases I remember making an impression on me.  Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, Q-Bert, and Windows Solitaire are also in the running.

Source: https://www.c64-wiki.com/images/thumb/5/51/Choplifter-titel.png/300px-Choplifter-titel.png

What game have you clocked the most hours into? It’s probably either Civilization II, Civilization IV, Medieval: Total War II, or Skyrim.  I have no way of knowing many hours I devoted to the first two and I am too afraid to look at my Steam stats to find out about the last two.

What’s your longest gaming session? About 14 hours.  I was maybe a couple of years out of college and really into Civilization IV.  I started playing one evening, one thing lead to another, and at around 3:30 AM I decided that I might as well just keep on playing until it was time to go to work.  Damn those Viking invasions!

Source: https://forums.civfanatics.com/attachments/civ4screenshot0038-jpg.489002/

Who is your favorite game developer?  I can’t say that I have one currently.  I do, however, have some very fond memories of many Konami and Lucas Arts releases.

Who is your favorite hero character from a game? Mega Man!

Source: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c9/26/f8/c926f862b0a7311c9c324920760f1562.png

Who is your favorite villain? I’m bad at these favorite questions and can’t say that I have one.

Who is your most hated character of any game? The Cherubs from Toe Jam & Earl.  There’s probably a more worthy choice out there, but these guys were made to be annoying (and I still remember them 20 or so years later).  Lalalaaa…

What gaming systems do you own? PlayStation 3, Sega Genesis, Game Boy Advance, and an “enhanced” NES Classic.  I suppose my desktop PC counts here as well. Most games these days I either play on my computer or the NES Classic.

What was your first game system? Original NES.  I got one for Christmas when I was probably 5 or so and was super into it all the way through college.

Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/NES-Console-Set.jpg/220px-NES-Console-Set.jpg

What’s your favorite gaming system and why? For game quality and practicality I’d say my PC.  For nostalgia I’d say NES.

Do you prefer to play guy characters, or girl characters? Depends on the game.  When its an option, I usually model characters after myself.  In a fighting game or something like that I go with whoever’s move list works best for me.

Have you ever been to a gaming convention? Technically no.  I’ve been to plenty of cons dedicated to steampunk, science-fiction, horror, baseball cards, or geekdom in general but none of them were video game specific.  I have gone to some of those dressed as Mega Man though!

What’s your best memory of a video game?  Going to an arcade for a friend’s birthday and four of us teaming up to beat the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade Game.  I’m sure I’ve done more impressive gaming-related things since, but it’s hard to beat that feeling of accomplishment as a kid.

Source: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gC1njgfJqy0/hqdefault.jpg

What’s your worst memory of a video game? Any time a game crashed on me I guess.  From scrambled pixels to blue screens of death to scratched discs, I’ve seen it all over the years and it absolutely sucks to lose your place in a game due to technical difficulties.  Beyond that though, despite cursing at many a screen over the years, I can’t say that I associate anything truly bad with a video game.

Which video game character do you see yourself as, or if you had to be represented by a video game character, who would it be? You’d think I’d have an amazing, bad-ass answer to this one, but I’m not sure that I do.  Kind of an anti-climactic way to end this, but there you have it.

PS: Special shout out to all the folks I grabbed my images from.  Thank you!