The Curse of Amazon Audible
This year wasn’t just the year I read the most books, it was also the year I listened to the most audio books. Most of these I read through Amazon’s Audible program, as it handles a lot of professional audiobooks as well as books for more indie titles by authors who are just starting out or whose writing styles might be enjoyable to me yet not have caught on to the mainstream yet. There’s a lot of great stories to listen to here, and I can’t help but recommend them… even as I struggle every month to cancel. It’s a tricky thing. Let me explain. Disclosure: the above is an…
I Stole a Poetry Book (and Never Did Anything Good With It)
Disclosure: The above link is an Amazon Affiliate link. I may receive compensation if a purchase is made through the link. I have this copy of a book called “The Practice of Poetry.” It was first published in 1992, but mine is “A QUILL/HARPERRESOURCE edition” that was published in 2001. I am not sure how I got my hands on it but at this point I’m 100% sure I stole it. However, this being the case, I would have done so back around 2001 to early 2002, so the statute of limitations is up. That being said, I’m not sure exactly how I stole it. I think I borrowed it…
You Should All Read a Book by Kris Schnee
Note: this editorial contains several affiliate links. If a purchase is made through it, in theory I get a kickback. This year I read more works of fiction than I had in the entire 8 years prior (source books for games not included.) This was in many ways a good thing. I was able to experience the worlds of several different indie authors, see what made them work, and see what stories they were looking to tell. One of those authors was Kris Schnee, whose stories of a near-future world where people’s brains can get scanned into several competing sandbox-style game worlds continues to keep me coming back for more.…
Review: Days of Old Works qar***
Note: the link above is an affiliate link. If you were to make a purchase from it, I would in theory receive a kickback or commission. I prefer to keep things positive on this blog. It isn’t easy, of course, and as a result of this sometimes I go weeks without even posting. I’m going to continue to keep it positive as I review this $9, 5 page booklet that I bought solely because of the seizure-inducing cover. This is a Lovecraftian mystery that just settles under the skin and makes a person wonder “why?” I fell for it, of course, paying the fee. In return, I expected to be…
The Trenchcoat
A light melody of trombone and French horn lingered with the smell of coffee and the taste of nostalgia. I carefully sipped at my chai, allowing my lips to disarm the heat inside the drink before allowing the liquid to flow down my dry throat. I was just another nobody, mingling with other characters in the bookstore-slash-coffee shop. I felt in my element, but I also had the feeling that the blue trenchcoat I was wearing made me stand out somehow. It bothered me not; the coat fit me like the skin God forgot to give me. It wasn’t that I felt naked without my cropduster (the specific style of…
The Pizza Counter
At the place I have worked for over the last two years, we have an electric sign that states how many days its been since someone got so hurt it actually slowed production. I am sure there is a proper name for this type of signage, but I refer to it as “The Pizza Counter.” Rumor has it if the aluminum die casting plant ever makes it 100 days without a “time loss incident” the owners will buy us pizza. In two years, not once has it broken 100. We got close. Counter made it to 98. This turned out to be a mistake; it was supposed to have been…
Review – Over a God’s Dead Body
Note: the above link is an affiliate link; if you make a purchase from it, there’s a chance I’ll get some sort of kickback. When I purchased this book it had an image of a rather generic Eye of Horus on the title. Sometime between then and when I finally got around to reading it, the title had changed again, this time to a duck that looked like it had a wound of some sort on its body and a colander on its head. Neither of these images do well to set the tone for the book, or give an idea of what to expect. From there, I listened to…
She Never Did Win the Lottery
In almost two decades of working various ends of retail and service, there were few employees quite like the grizzled warrior we’ll call Granny. This story is almost ten years old, but my Facebook feed reminded me of this lady so I had to share. At a popular fast food restaurant where I had worked in over the course of several years, a lot of employees came and went. Granny (obviously not her real name) was not one to be forgotten. She was in her 70’s, and the sinew and grizzle that made up her body couldn’t have put her at more than five feet tall. She was hired for…
Review – The Kimochi Warui Diary
Note: the above link is an affiliate link; if you make a purchase from it, there’s a chance I’ll get some sort of kickback. For what seems like the longest time, I’ve found myself struggling to sit down and read actual fiction. I read a lot of nonfiction – blogs, newspaper articles, self-help books, and for a time books that educated my on school subjects – but I just never seemed to have the time to read fiction. For several years, I’ve told myself “this year, I’m going to read two fiction novels.” For several years, I’ve failed at this. This year, I’ve read over 30 works of fiction. That’s…
First Look – 4theWords
It was suggested on social media that I try the website 4thewords.com. It’s apparently one part writing platform and 3 parts MMO. There is allegedly a very helpful community, lots of support for writers, a way to read the fiction that others has presented, and also a game aspect where the player creates their own avatar and levels it up.I am going to give it an honest shake. That said, to be honest, in the three housr I’ve spent on it I absolutely hate it and I kind of want to give up on it. In fairness, three hours is barely enough time to have a knowledgeable opinion. I feel…