Mike > Recent Status Updates

The LOTR is even more charming than I remembered. Last time I read it was in 4th & 5th grade, before I had a knowledge of the history of mythology, the heroes journey, or Tolkien's amazing world building. It was fun then, it is delightful now.

Addictive. This book is addictive.

Thoroughly entertaining balance of prose, plot, & character development. I love how the techniques used in magic is compared to that of storytelling. Slight of hand & misdirection works similarly to how the storyteller leaves out information. Both lead up to an entertaining reveal, a new interpretation of the facts presented, and new questions to ponder.

A gripping journalistic look into why Black men make up 6% of our population but nearly 40% of those murdered.

Shout out to Spencer forgiving me such a wonderfully written novel.

One of my favorite scenes from all the Hitchhikers novels is where Dent is being chased by the creature he has accidentally killed numerous times. It keeps being reincarnated, and Dent keeps accidentally killing it. Usually with reincarnation you can't remember your last life, but by the third time Dent killed him it seemed all too familiar. Comedic genius.

Fascinating

Fascinating. From explaining how "the word" was translated from the Greek "logos" meaning & the inherent logic in the universe, which is divinely inspired, and how this changes the interpretation of "God said let there be light, and there was light", to putting into historical perspective how the worshippers of Yahweh believed in archangels, cherubim, seraphim, and nephilim, this book is fascinating.

I can't fit into this short update how much this book is helping me understand how to interweave theme, character, and plot into a more emotionally impactful story.

The plot, themes, and historical perspective is pretty cool, but I'd like more inner monologue and emotional struggle to balance it out.

This was the first novel I ever read. At age 8 my father gave me a copy for my birthday. I reading it felt like a conversation with a charming old man. Now, returning to it 23 years later, I am loving it. The character development is still charming, but now the witticisms & double entendres make me smile or laugh out loud.

I'm audio booking this bad boy via the Overdrive app because I wanted to return to one of my favorite comedic novelists: Douglas Adams. Listening to Martin Freeman read this nonsensical gem, I'm laughing out loud just as much as I did the first time I read the book when I was a teenager.

I love this book. It is helping me up the ante with the way I interweave character development, plot, theme, symbolism, and moral argument within a narrative.

The property of a lady - not good or bad.
The living daylights - one of my favorites, with an excellent plot twist and strong characters.
700 in New York - fun, mostly Bond's musings on how hard it is to get tasty good food in NY where the norm is canned and fast food.

The Hildebrand Rarity - solid practical plot regarding illegal poaching ethics. Discussion of women in abusive relationships hasn't aged as well as the rest of the story.
Octopussy - I enjoy the naturalistic references in all the shorts. They way they're implemented in Octopussy gives one of the most satisfying conclusions of all the stories.

1) From a View to a Kill - slow plot, interesting inner monologue from Bond.
2) For Your Eyes Only - more adventurous, interesting locations, comedic flirtations between characters.
3) Quantum of Solace - interesting drama
4) Risico - my favorite by far. Excellent adventure, manipulative characters, plot twist, and witty dialogue.

This book feels like two separate books. The first is a history of Jewish culture from the Roman Empire to present day, especially covering immigration to the America's. The second is a kidnap action thriller.

So far it delivers the elegant prose & slow unwinding of plot and character that's to be expected from a classic gothic tale. What sets it apart from others within the genre is it's strong sense of 3rd person limited point of view leading characters to draw starkly different conclusions from the same information. A fascinating foreshadowing of what would become a norm for future novels.

The first two shorts are practical with a mostly serious tone sprinkled with a few witty jokes.

Still not sure how I feel about this one. Pro's: world building and sci-fi elements are very practical and interesting, making them fascinating to think about. Con's: the delivery is so bitingly cynical I can only handle it in small doses or it puts me in a bad mood.

My first venture into Brazilian Graphic Novels. So far it's trippy, quirky, beautiful, and interesting.

This is the story my soul needed. Beautiful prose, atmospheric, spooky but fun. It's been a while since I had a good classic style horror to since my teeth into.