Gord’s Comments (group member since Apr 06, 2017)

Gord’s comments from the Vampires, Weres and Fae! group.

Enjoy your time off, it sounds well deserved.

I know specialty products can be expensive but holy smokes my mind is blown right now. For two 2.75 ounce tubes of sealant we needed it cost us just shy of $100. This is non-conductive sealant for electrical connections and used only in particular applications. I'm so glad I couldn't actually find the 8 ounce can of it here in Canada.

I'm about a third of the way into The Maltese Falcon and oh man is this a book of it's time. The age of this one is really showing in pretty much every facet of it the book. The slang, the setting, the character archetypes, everything just screams its age. I'm not hating it but I'm not loving it either. Part of my problem is that this is a story type I know kind of well so a lot of this feels predictable but I have to remember that this came before a lot of what I know. The other thing I'm kind of struggling with is the MC, Mr. Sam Spade (even the name screams its age). I know that he is the stereotypical archetype for his character but I can't help viewing him as a piece of shit. There is nothing redeeming about him.

The one thing that is helping me through this book is that I am listening to a "Hollywood Theater of the Ear" version. Basically it's just another version of a Graphic Audio with full voice acting and sounds effects. There are some odd decisions made with this but overall it's pulling me in and helping with the story.

With how slow work is currently is it super hard to find that reason to get moving in the morning. I already feel myself slipping into vacation mode and my vacation doesn't start for another three weeks. It also doesn't help that basically everyone I normally chat with to help the day along is off today. I could stay home to read (not an option) or I could go outside into the cold windy day, walk for an hour, spend the day trying to look busy, and then walk another hour home. One of those options sounds a lot more appealing to the other one.

Time for another update and it's not a nice one. This was not the greatest week of reading.

Halloween Frost -3 Stars
Not a lot to really say about this novella. It's a short, 30ish pages, story about Gwen going out on Halloween and running into a monster. There is not a lot here really. It was a quick, entertaining read.

The Outsiders -3 Stars
Hot spicy take of the day, this book was alright. Now I feel like I need to put a whole lot of context on that statement. This was an impressive book when you consider that it was written by someone who was 15-16 years old. The big emotional scenes did indeed hit like a truck and I found myself near to tears a few times in this book. It was all the stuff between those big emotional scenes. Don't get me wrong they weren't bad but they weren't all that that and a bag of chips either. Some of the messages are still relevant but I feel that this book is a tad dated at this time. I also never read the book or watched the movie when I was younger so I don't have that emotional attachment that others did. It was an interesting read that I don't regret reading.

The Deep End -3 Stars (more like 2.5)
Here is where things start to go off the rails for me. I needed a book set in Kansas City and I figured I can't really go wrong with a murder mystery and I was partially right. The murder mystery part of the book was alright, it was just everything around the mystery that just didn't click with me. The MC was a Kansas City socialite who's life revolved around gossip and the country club. Right out that gate this is not exactly my cup of tea. Old white ladies sitting around looking down their noses at everyone who also isn't an old white lady and in their small circle of socially acceptable friends. When appearances are more important that any shred of basic human decency. It just grates against me worse than nails on a chalkboard. There was a scene where our MC saves a man who the killer had tried to murder. Her mother saw her as a disappointment because she was seen by the neighbors in the house of a man early in the morning that wasn't her husband. She saved a man but none of that matters because you made the family look bad. That kind of mindset is just disgusting. Any way, enough ranting about the country club weirdos. This book was also trying to crowbar in this weird love triangle between the MC, her lawyer (that mother hired), and the lead police investigator. For the most part the MC was focused on her daughter, what was happening in her life, etc. Then there were these weird scenes where it felt like the entire book just jumped genres because why not. The MC and her lawyer would be alone in the kitchen, the lawyer would get up, come around behind her, put his hands on her shoulders. I swear I could hear cheesy romance music playing somewhere as she would suddenly become fixated on his muscles, his lips, etc, etc. It was just so weird and out of place. That and the fact that the main love interests are basically the last people she should be showing any interest in at all during the investigation of her husbands death. A fair bit of the book involved kinks and a sex club and the views of these sort of things was rather negative, shocking considering the crowd I know. It just got tiring to hear this constant string of negativity because someone wanted to use a blindfold or what not. This last point is a weird nitpick but once I noticed it I couldn't avoid it. This book loved to end its chapters in a certain way. A lot of chapters loved to end with a line like "today was the worst day of my life but tomorrow decided to prove me wrong" or "I decide to ignore the letter as surely it wasn't important but I was very wrong". Maybe it was because I already wasn't vibing with this book and this was just one more thing but this got on my nerves every time it happened. Needless to say I will not be continuing with this series.

The Infinite and the Divine -DNF
I picked this up for a book club and I was rather stoked for this one. This book is set in the Warhammer 40K universe and it's one of those fandoms that intrigue me. The problem is that it's not an easy thing to get into as the lore is vast and deep. That is basically my problem with this book. Nothing was explained, you were tossed into this book with the expectation that you already knew the characters, their race, and their history. I got through four chapters or about 17-18% before I threw in the towel. I was lost and bored. After all that book I still couldn't tell you which character on the cover was which as no one was described. It was just this is so and so the archivist or this is so and so the farseer. Obviously this book is popular amongst those that know the lore but for a newbie like me I was just bored.

Gunsmith Cats Revised Edition Volume 2 -4 Stars
The one shining star this week. After the first one I was a bit hesitant to continue on with this series but after reading this volume I'm glad that I did. There is still some uncomfortable elements with Minnie but a lot of this book was focused on a new villain for Rally and that character was Goldie. She was an enforcer for the Mob and had arrived from Italy to sort out the mess that was the local scene. Goldie just felt like that perfectly evil foil for our MC. Rally might bend the rules but she is that essentially good character doing the right thing. Goldie on the other hand is just a bad person with no limits to the depth of her depravity. Watching these two clash was just fun as Goldie wasn't just some dumb gun toting brute. She was smart and twisted and had our hero on the ropes for most of the book. I'm really looking forward to the next book in this series.

Now, what is next...

The Maltese Falcon
The Laughing Corpse
The Maltese Falcon is the last one I need to finish up the Classics genre for the month. Since it's a short book I'll be starting The Laughing Corpse right afterwards.

A Half-Baked Murder
Shadows in Death
I always joked that you can find a cozy mystery setting for anything you can thing of. A Half-Baked Murder is a cozy mystery where the MC bakes cannabis treats. For premise alone I had to snag this one. After is more In Death which I feel like I need right now.

That was my first DNF in a very long time and I feel a bit bad about dumping it. It was something I was super interested in but after only four chapters I was lost and bored.

Summary of my day:

Work for a few minutes, accidentally release my inner ogre and snap a bolt for the first time in years.

Wait several hours to get a replacement bolt.

Finish assembling the unit to discover of the critical components is too short.

Back to waiting, probably until Monday.

Can I go home yet?

And that is a prime example of why I never want to get rid of my desk at work. We sold some controls to a customer and these are odd controls that we don't use very often. I could probably count on one hand the number of times I've used them in ten years. The customer comes in to pick it up, looks at the part, and immediately goes "how do I use this". My brain immediately panics, I don't remember these things, plus I've got a customer nearby asking questions. On my desk, from the last time I used them, I jotted down some notes on what ports are for what. Tweaked it a little for their application, double checked that my idea worked, showed the customer, and he is on his way happy as can be. This old metal desk is never allowed to leave me.

Belles wrote: "I read that way way way back in junior high. Are you liking it? Why did you decide to pick it up? "

I only started it so it's a bit early to call yet. Right now I feel like I'm getting a whole lot of characters thrown at me. I picked it up because I'm working on a genre challenge where each month it's a different genre we have to read. This month is Classics and I had to pick one from a Listopia list. It was near the top, I recognized the name, and it wasn't a reread with a wait list 6+ months long. I'm vaguely aware of the book in the pop culture sphere so I decided to give it a whirl.

I've finished another book and now I'm thinking of getting a walk in. Maybe hit up the library when I'm out. I'm debating between hitting Starbucks or A&W when I'm out for a treat. Then when I get home it's time to tackle another hard book. I've got to get The Outsiders finished.

Just me having a moment

(view spoiler)[
I a bit anxious right now. Or at least that's what I feel is the best way to describe it. This is my fourth day off and I was doing fine this morning until I noticed the time. Then suddenly it was this feeling of doing something wrong and missing out. I should be at work right now. I've potentially got things coming in today, there might be new orders coming down that need to be dealt with, I've got my first meeting in 30 minutes and another one 30 minutes after that. That by doing nothing or doing my own thing I am doing something wrong. I sometimes feel a bit anxious having a weekday off when others don't but man this is the hardest I've been hit in a while. I just showered, did some tidying up, and now I'm trying to relax again but I keep looking at the time and wondering what is going on at work. (hide spoiler)]

I'm torn between being a responsible adult and a lazy slob today. I could just take the day to make it four days of solid reading or I could be responsible. Go out for my walk, tidy things up, etc, etc, etc.

Getting talked over or not letting me join in the conversation is such an annoyance. I'll try one or two times to join in but once it continues to happen I'll just "retreat" and essentially clock out of the conversation.

Alright, I'm a bit late but here is my weekly update. Consider this your early warning, this week ended with a fair bit of emotional damage and I'll be talking about some of that. For now let's start with the lighter side of my reading.

Kiss of Frost -4 Stars
This book started out a little rocky with the main character dancing on that TSTL line as she tries to ignore all these threats against her life. Once things got rolling though this book was very entertaining. I did bump my rating up and that might be me just getting soft in my old age but I enjoy this series and the ending of this was good.

Domestication -4 Stars
This was a book that I got on a whim and it was better then it had any right to be. The name of this series is Battle Mage Farmer and as you can guess from that title it's about this super powerful person retiring to this quiet life out in the country to become a farmer. He has limitations though with these things called "Doom Points". If he cuts loose and uses his power to hurt others he gains doom points which hurries the arrival of the apocalypse. If he does good things he looses doom points. That is a super simplified explanation of this system. Now he knows nothing about farming and is gifted a run down old farm. This first book is about him getting his farm up and running with two people living on his farm while dealing with bandits, adventurers, and the looming apocalypse. There was a shocking amount of world building in this book and a pleasant blend of slice of life elements, action elements, and adventure elements. Combine all of that with a narrator who had a nice voice to listen to and this book was just a blast.

Days of Love at Seagull Villa, Vol. 1 -4 Stars
Days of Love at Seagull Villa, Vol. 2 -4 Stars
Days of Love at Seagull Villa Vol. 3 -4 Stars
I read this a couple years back as a fan translation and was stoked to see that my library had the official English version. This was a feel good read with a super sweet romance. I'm still not the biggest fan of the ending and the redemption it brought but I can live with it.

Yu-Gi-Oh! (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 12: Includes Vols. 34, 35 & 36 -4 Stars
My journey with this series is nearly complete and we are learning more and more about the Egyptian magic aspect of this series.

The Great Cleric (Manga) Vol. 3 -4 Stars
More training, more world building, more fun.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Volume 10 -4 Stars
More TMNT shenanigans. A lot of this book takes place in Dimension X rounding up/protecting witnesses to finally put Krang in prison for the rest of his life. There was a pleasant twist at the end of this story line and an interesting set up for what is coming next.

Now for the emotional damage stuff

Berserk Deluxe Edition Volume 13 -5 Stars
The short version of this is that I loved it. It's Berserk, that should come as no surprise at all. This volume was all new material for me and it just kicked off all these memories and emotions. There were actions in this book that are working towards resolving some real long standing story lines. This is also the second last collection of the author's work before he passed. This of course brought up memories of finding out about his passing, how I found this series some 20 years ago in Japan, what this series has meant to me over the years and my journey with this story. The whole Japan thing also brought up memories of my ex-wife who passed earlier this year. The whole reason I was in Japan to start with was because of her. This just led to a whole lot of emotions and memories getting stirred up. Combine that with everything that was happening in the book and my emotional ties to that and I was a wee bit of a hot mess by the end of all of this.

The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale -5 Stars
Yup, after Berserk I followed it up with this comic. For those that might not have heard of this before this is a comic about the Holocaust. The author is the son of two Polish Jews who survived the whole horrifying experience and it's attempt at documenting what his parents experienced. Needless to say this book was incredibly heavy. I've been aware of this comic for a while but due to the heavy subject matter I've just kind of avoided it. This month it lined up perfectly for some challenges and I decided to rip the band-aid off. I knew it was going to be getting into some pretty serious subject matter but man there were sections in this book that just destroyed me. This book didn't just document the experiences of the Holocaust but what life was like for the author growing up with two parents who survived what they had. Being compared to brother he never knew, having his mother commit suicide, and this sense of guilt for never being able to understand what his parents had lived through.

What am I reading next? No clue, I have another day of this week and a stack from the library. What I can tell you is right now I want something light and fluffy to read. Something to just reset my emotional scales and make me feel a bit better.

I'm reading The Complete Maus and, yup, as I thought, heavy. I will definitely need something light and fluffy after this.

LMAO Sounds like me right now. I've got three audiobooks with about 14 hours of listen time total left(one is nearly done), five manga/comic omnibus editions, five normal manga/comic volumes, four novels, and a novella. Every time I think I'm getting close to catching up I get hit with another wave of stuff.

Three more hours until my long weekend and I can't wait. I know it's only four days and I probably shouldn't be as excited as I am but it feels like a lifetime since I've had a break from work. I have no plans outside of plenty of naps and reading.

Brittany wrote: "Always so freaky when it happens in front of you like that. Glad it seems everyone is okay."

That was my first time seeing one first hand. I've seen near misses, I've heard accidents happen, and I've seen the aftermath of an accident but it was the first time seeing one in front of me.

Brittany wrote: "That is so frustrating Gord"

Hopefully a nice helpful librarian can help me out and I don't get one of the "I don't know" crew. I'm dealing with the ILL side and they have been super helpful in the past so I'm feeling lucky.

Well, that was an "interesting" start to the day. I was nearly at work or the start of detour for Starbucks, when I got to witness a car accident in front of me. I was maybe at best a quarter of a block away from an intersection when the light turned yellow. One car going straight through and one truck turning left through the intersection both figure they could make it through and just committed to it. The truck nearly got through before the car smashed into it. The truck was popped into the air and turned 90 degrees but still able to move. The car was just toast. The passenger front end was just gone and that car was only moving with the help of a tow truck. Everyone seemed fine, the driver of the truck was out and checking out the driver of the car immediately. The intersection was just a debris field of car parts.