#and the best one in the poirot trilogy :)

[poirott]

your gifs look so good! but they're a little slow. have you tried speeding them up to 0.05? when you save them from the video timeline window they actually save at 0.07. they'll be even faster sped up a little! anyways, love your blog, definitely a legendary one. xx

Hi! Thank you for the compliments! The frame animation sequences are slower in my gifs on purpose for three reasons: personal preference, for effect and because I've never liked fast-running gifs. :) When giffing a moment from a tv show/movie/celeb appearance I really enjoy (Poirot and other crime shows, the Branagh Poirot trilogy, a Benedict appearance at an event, cast at movie premieres, etc), I prefer 0.08 or 0.07 than 0.06 or 0.05 speed across the board.

I know a lot of gif makers use 0.06 as some sort of "standard" on this site but it honestly comes down to personal choice and style. 0.06 may not suit every scene in every show, and 0.05 can look distracting given its speed, again, depending on the scene. You know how sometimes a fast, busy gif has to loop several times before you can tell what's going on in it?

It's easier for me to take in more details in a gif, like the costumes, sets, cinematograpy, facial expressions, characters' emotions, etc, when said gif is slowed down a bit. Otherwise it can be too quick and "jerky" (like a shaky camera effect) for me to enjoy, similar to those short 5 or 10 or 20-frame sequences in tv/movie trailers that just breeze by because they have too few frames. Once they're slowed down in gif form, you can appreciate them to the full extent.

These B-roll footage gifs of A Haunting in Venice are at 0.07 and 0.08 to fully enjoy the on-location filming moments and behind the scenes footage of Branagh's Poirot. They are slowed down for effect to show off the stunts. Especially when a gif has two action-packed sequences in it, if it runs slower, it's not as headache-y and busy to look at when it's switching from sequence A to sequence B. Some are also pretty dark due to spooky lighting on the sets and your eyes need more time to adjust to take everything in. Trust me, I spend a lot of time deciding what the best speed is for each gif. But most of my gifs are still faster than these.

The following Poirot gif from this gif set is one of my slowest at 0.08 speed, for effect because the point was to focus on Poirot's pleased expression, he looks very sweet tipping his hat at the lady, not expecting a kiss from her for solving the case:

With the gif sped up to 0.05, I don't think you can catch all the minute details:

It's just how I personally like my gifs. Most of the time they're 0.07, and 0.08 on occasion. The slower speed lets them "marinate" more. Especially with tumblr's large format HD gifs nowadays, it's fun having such a big canvas to play with and the chance to observe every detail in a frame, when I didn't even notice it at the cinema or when watching the show originally.

Cheers!

[adhoption]

talking to people in real life about film is incredible. some people I know just went to see A Haunting in Venice, which they had decided to see because it was showing and looked interesting. one of them was under the impression it would be a horror film, and their friend was arguing it would be more of a mystery story.

my contributions 'isn't that one of the Poirot adaptations? with Kenneth Branagh?" and they had no recognition of either name. one of them had seen Death on the Nile, but they had no idea that this was a sequel or that there had been a first film in the trilogy. they looked up Branagh and began trying to explain to their friend that he plays 'the wizard in Harry Potter', neither remembering his character's name or even which film he'd been in.

I was telling this story to an older group as a commentary on the youth today, but they did little better: they were well familiar with Poirot, but had no idea that there had been recent adaptations and didn't know Branagh either. these were major films. he has been nominated for many Oscars.

when I am asked for film recommendations, I find this happening a lot. last year I told people to see Everything Everywhere when it was, well, everywhere and nobody had heard of it. I tried my best to explain the premise, but they just asked 'who's in it', and lost interest when they'd never heard of Michelle Yeoh as the star.

this month I was at a dinner where my fellow diners were trying to see if they could name five directors, and didn't recognise some incredibly famous names when I tried to help. I do not consider myself particularly high-brow or cultured. I like blockbusters. but it seems that the average person on the street doesn't have name recognition for any but the biggest franchises and stars.

I feel like this is something we forget when discussing film online with other online film-enjoyers. the average person does not know all the things we take for granted. the studios may seem to be dumbing down to get their attention, but perhaps they have to. without some seriously persuasive word of mouth, they need the big star or the IP to make any money. people will go and see 'the Tom Cruise film' or whatever on familiarity alone, but they wouldn't have even heard of it without him.

[loquaciousquark]

If it's not too much to ask, could you recommend some books to read? I really enjoy your fics, so I figure you're a good person to ask! Happy to try pretty much anything. Any length, genre, reading level - just anything you think is worthwhile! Thank you!

Oh man, that’s so kind! I’m always nervous about recommending things, but if nothing else, here are some of my favorites that have absolutely informed my adult tastes.

1. Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy by Patricia McKillip. High fantasy from the 70s with prophecy, romance, and IMO the most beautiful prose I’ve ever read. I’ve talked about how important this series is to me here and here.

2. The Queen’s Thief series by @meganwhalenturner. Six books, and the last one just came out last year. (Hamlet nibbled on the spine while I was at work one day and I just about died.) Historical low fantasy in a Mediterranean-esque setting where cleverness always (usually) wins and the gods are very, very, very real. This was the first book I read where the hero gets genuinely, irreversibly hurt, and watching him love the woman who hurt him and watching her heal after the horror has shaped all of my writing ever since.

3. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. My parents gave me a set of this, Sherlock Holmes, and The Odyssey for Christmas when I was about 12, and realizing that people have always been funny and smart and hurtful and proud blew my mind.

4. Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers. Tenth in a series of 30s-set detective novels starring Lord Peter Wimsey and his client-turned-love (and eventually -lover) Harriet Vane. Not all of the Wimsey novels feature Harriet, but the five or six that do are some of my favorite writing ever. I stole my use of epigraphs almost entirely from these novels, and there is a great pleasure in reading fiction when you’ve realized the author is so much smarter and well-read than you, and rather than becoming jealous you just lean back sponge-like to soak it in.

5. The Hercule Poirot novels by Agatha Christie. I’ve always loved period detective fiction, and the moustached Belgian is my favorite. I love the setups; I love the general constructions of the plot; I love the glimpses into certain romances (and doomed romances) seen only through Hercule’s & Hastings’s eyes. I love how you can see the early influences of other detective pieces in the early works develop into new and exciting original takes. The Murder of Roger Akroyd is widely considered to be one of the best detective novels ever written, and I vividly remember having my mind blown by some of the revelations.

6. The Grim & Blackthorn trilogy by Juliet Marillier. Irish-inspired historical fantasy, this trilogy came with me on my recent trip to Chicago, and as @silksieve, @eponymous-rose, and @fistfulofgammarays can attest, it was a high struggle for me not to gorge myself on them back to back. I finished the first book just as my plane landed in Chicago, and the wholly involuntary gasp I gave at a certain revelation made my seatmate laugh, which of course meant I had to sit there and explain to her why the sentence I’d just read changed EVERYTHING. @jadesabre301 recommended these to me because she thought I’d love them, and she was right. Tons of hurt/comfort; it could even be argued that all three books are a slow comfort after the horrifying hurt of the first two chapters of the first book.

Hopefully this at least gives you a starting point! I’m not reading as much as I’d like to these days, but these are perennial favorites.

[missyourflight]

when i was on livejournal i used to review, like, everything i watched or read (bc i did not have a job). i kind of miss that so here are some notes about some of the things i read/watched in january!

the hour (s1 - rewatch): i feel like unless you were In It you can't understand the hold the hour had over us when it was airing. whishaw! romola! dominic west as a rake who wants to Learn! the looks! the fonts! jamie parker and anna chancellor and andrew scott and joshua mcguire!! the mechanics of how we bear witness!!!! nobody not even the rain has such small hands!!!! jesus christ. anyway here's 1k of space stuff from yuletide 2012

justified (s1&2 - rewatch): inspired by @love-leah's vital boyd/raylan fanfictions honestly, this whole show should be about boyd/raylan. i remember first time around i was very into the tim stuff because we were living that hbo war miniseries life and honestly the episode where he has to babysit raylan is still very good.

eyes wide shut: for some reason i watched this like new year's morning?? anyway i had fun with that one nicole kidman monologue and the like gaping chasm of blank panic under tom cruise's good guy mask. if you have seen barry lyndon should i watch barry lyndon?

mr malcolm's list: zawe ashton forever obviously!! very sweet for oliver jackson-cohen to be allowed to be funny for once, sope disiru can do literally anything. i rented this on amazon and i wish i had just bought it lol

white noise: obviously the supermarket dance sequence is the best part. idk i feel weird about don delillo ever since i had to read out a fisting scene from cosmopolis as a 17 year old virgin in english extension class 🙃

evil under the sun: my first ustinov poirot, worth the price of admission for the incredible diana rigg and maggie smith bitchfight energy (including an amazingly agressive performance of you're the top). i would like to go to an island please

emma (2020) (rewatch): i love it So much!! everything i said in this deranged letterboxd review still stands!!

aftersun: mescal and corio both wonderful, i can't get over calum's despair developing like a polaroid

the sting: good old-fashioned homoerotic fun etc. paul newman's eyes are So blue

best in show: i watched the christopher guest mockumentary trilogy thing with my sister and this was our favourite. the dogs!!! also there's a thing catherine o'hara does with her knee that killed me

babylon: i loved the parts that were about making films and didn't care for most of the rest of it! could really have done with less of a lecture about why cinema is important

the fabelmans: by contrast i loved the stuff here about why this one specific person is drawn to make films! paul dano has my heart forever and michelle williams' performance did not really work for me whoops

kate beaton, ducks: two years in the oil sands: hark a vagrant was such a touchstone for me, i read this all in one sitting and immediately wanted to give it to three of my friends - her anger is so palpable

[moviewarfare]

A “QUICK!” Review of “A Haunting in Venice (2023)”

I feel like I am one of the few people who enjoy Kenneth Branagh's Hercule Poirot adaptation, despite the flaws. A Haunting in Venice is the 3rd entry and it has none of the flaws of the previous 2. The cast is much smaller, allowing for more focus on the characters and allowing the audience to remember their names. It is also shorter with a runtime of 100 minutes compared to the roughly 2 hours of previous movies. This results in a way better-paced and tighter movie.

The one unique aspect of this story is how it blends horror into a detective story. Hercule is dealing with a case involving the supernatural and this results in some weird things he sees and hears. The film has some great jump scares that work well. This is no doubt that this is the best in the trilogy with a unique premise and an engaging case that will keep your eyes peeled.

For more reviews like this visit:

https://moviewarfarereviews.blogspot.com/

[the-tipsy-tailor]

Fandoms I Guess? The fiction/media I enjoy.

Red Dwarf

Star Trek (TOS then TNG, i'm old, sue me)

The Song of the Lioness

Redwall

Ouran High School Host Club

XXXHolic

Soul Eater

Mushishi

FMA: Brotherhood

Black Butler

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Ghibli in general changed my art but this is the One, manga and anime)

Dragon Age

Doctor Who (Classic then New, also Torchwood)

LOTR (books first, including Silmarillion, since I was smol)

Sherlock Holmes (the books, no adaptation is good)

The Disposessed, Ursula K LeGuin

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L'Engle

Delicious in Dungeon

Madoka Magica

Poirot (all Christie's work is beloved but Poirot is the best) (the David Suchet show is also perfect)

IT Crowd

A Bit of Fry and Laurie

QI (Mostly No Such Thing as a Fish)

Batman: The Animated Series

Discworld

Sandman (and Neil Gaiman generally)

China Meiville

Douglas Adams

NK Jemison

The Ancillary Trilogy, Ann Leckie

The Murderbot Diaries

Dune

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell

A Canticle for Leibowitz

Blues Brothers

Well There's Your Problem

[astridofraftel]

reading challenge review #9

Just finished: The Conqueror's Saga (And I Darken + Now I Rise + Bright We Burn) by Kiersten White + Comme un vol d'étourneaux by Giorgio Parisi + I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy + Crooked House by Agatha Christie

Currently reading: Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

Next on schedule: L'Ultime Expérience by Bruce Benamran + Boudicca by Jean-Laurent Del Socorro + Le Flambeau + Témoin à charge by Agatha Christie

I went totally off-schedule during my holidays, I'll try to get back to it asap but I've got so much on my plate in August, it'll be hard ;(

For what it was, The Conqueror's Saga was too long a story for me. I very much liked the first volume, but by the third one I was quite bored, even if I got attached to the characters and still wanted to know the conclusion of it all. I think Kiersten White's other trilogy Camelot Rising was better paced and way more engaging, though it was a totally different setting and perhaps less mature.

My best friend who mostly only reads popular science books lent me one of her recent favorites, a french translation of In un volo di storni (In a Flight of Starlings) by Giorgio Parisi which was fascinating and well explained!

Jennette McCurdy's memoir is very much worth the read, it's unexpectedly well-written in a sort of harshly candid way. It's important and insightful. I'm glad her mom died, too. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to be slapped in the face by a book (please just mind the tw before reading)

Crooked House was a cool mystery. I've never been disappointed by the end of an Agatha Christie book, and this one is not an exception, but I have to admit that sometimes the actual investigation can be quite dull. And I couldn't rely on my affection for the characters this time since none of them were a recurring character from other books (but I understand how Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot wouldn't have worked on this one). It's a good thing her books are short, then. I'd recommend this one still!

(prev) (next)

[buginateacup]

I was tagged by @attonitos-gloria​ and I say thank you my dear!

3 ships: tyrion/sansa (same!) - political partnerships my beloved! We are both loathed and considered useless but we’re learning to trust each other and finding our way to defeat our enemies and hold on to something. I eat that up with a fancy dessert spoon! Megamind/Roxanne - for obvious reasons. But I still like them at their best when they are all bitey and flirty together (there is ZERO indication Roxanne is not an absolute bitch when she’s not trying to be professional and I love that for her). She deserves someone who likes her mean side. They’re both such drama llamas I hope they are just as unhinged together in the show. Also currently on a MASSIVE Hero/Don John kick which feeds my soul in a betrayed to lovers kind of way

first ever ship: I think I have to say Han/Leia, because I grew up on the original trilogy and that’s the first one I remember. Also Hawkeye/Margaret from M*A*S*H*, though in later years I say this ship does NOT fuck severely. But they should absolutely be terrible drinking buddies who play wingman for each other. My love for Kellye/Winchester however, only grows and grows (seriously someone give me a 5 years later medical conference where they meet and reconnect and deal with coming from such different backgrounds and introduce each other to their families)

last song: Ain’t No Grave (Zach Winters) to break up the podcast episodes on my long long drive)

last movie: Ever After (I was feeling nostalgic and it holds up SO WELL)

currently reading: Six of Crows Crooked Kingdom (thanks @ejga-ostja​!), Rereading all of Astolat’s GOT verse and all of Joanna Nell’s books about retired women dealing with age and life.

currently watching: Poirot (murder mysteries are my go to when sick) Farscape (horny aliens my beloved) and contemplating another rewatch of Golden Kamuy

currently consuming: I road tripped ten hours today and oh god I ate so much junkfood trying to make sure I stayed awake. Last thing was a gurger no tomato, but there have been Maxibons and dimsims and golden gaytimes a plenty today

currently craving: Sleep. I drove so long today away from my family :( Sleep and swings and a swim and to lay in the grass and look at stars

tagging: @nientedal​, @elf-kid2​ @kizzyanel​ @undynedevotion​, @owlinabasket​ and anyone else who wants to tag themselves

[brian-in-finance]

This memory tale of 9-year-old Buddy (Jude Hill) growing up in Northern Ireland’s turbulent capital city is sculpted from Branagh’s own life as a son of Belfast, where everyone knows his name. Hill, 11, a competitive dancer turned actor, delivers one of the best and most beguiling performances by a child ever captured on film.

Branagh shows how Buddy’s happy childhood, and by extension his, was shattered in 1969 by rioting in streets. The Troubles, a conflict Buddy barely understands between Protestants loyal to the U.K. and Catholics eager to rebel and join Ireland, set neighbor against neighbor.

Buddy’s Protestant parents, played to perfection by Catriona Balfe and Jamie Dornan, wanted to live in peace. But the shocking brutality, vividly filmed by Branagh, forced the family to leave their beloved home for the safety of England. The decision devastated Buddy.

And that interrupted childhood is the core of this gentle giant of a movie. For all the violence, it’s the bond between Buddy and his Ma and Pa, his older brother (Lewis McAskie), and his grandparents, played by Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds—both sublime— that holds you in thrall.

Reports say Balfe, Dornan, Dench and Hinds—each of Irish descent— will all compete for supporting Oscars. If so, good luck picking a winner. Five-time nominee Dench, who won for “Shakespeare in Love,” is such a witty, wicked wonder as Gran that she’s impossible to resist.

Hinds, a master performer too long underrated, is hilarious and heartbreaking. And Dornan, free of the s&m sex trap of the “50 Shades of Grey” trilogy, builds on his virtuoso turn on “The Fall” to show an actor of ferocity and feeling as he invests Pa, often absent from home for construction work in England, with simmering emotion and quiet strength.

Balfe, the radiant star of “Outlander,” is—in a word—magnificent. She finds revelatory layers in this mother who is held at gunpoint but still holds her family together even as war and trauma pull them apart. If you think Balfe and Dornan, both former models, are incongruously beautiful to play working-class parents, you underestimate how Buddy sees them.

And “Belfast,” shot in black-and-white during lockdown, sees the world through Buddy’s eyes. There’s no way to watch “Belfast” without letting Buddy’s family become your own. Music floods the soundtrack. There are eight classic songs from Belfast firebrand Van Morrison, plus a newbie (“Down to Joy”) and exhilarating scenes of parents and grandparents dancing.

“Belfast” belongs to Branagh, 60, who doesn’t act in the film but whose presence is felt in every frame. Except for a shot of Buddy reading a comic book about Thor— Branagh directed Marvel’s 2011 film version—there is no reference to the A-lister he’d become from 1989’s “Henry V” to his upcoming reprise as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in “Death On the Nile.”

And yet the influence of the arts is palpable. The screen lights up with color when Buddy’s family sits down to watch the dinosaurs and Raquel Welch in “One Million Years B.C.” and the flying car of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” or attend a stage performance of “A Christmas Carol.”

It took half a century for Branagh, who was knighted in 2012, to put his young life on screen. The wait was worth it. If anything, the movie feels too short at 97 minutes, rushing by when we most want it to let the space between words resonate.

Above all, “Belfast” is infused with love for the home Branagh had to leave behind. It’s his best and most bracingly personal film, a transporting, coming-of-age classic that’s relatable to anyone who’s ever had to say goodbye to childhood.

Remember… there’s no way to watch “Belfast” without letting Buddy’s family become your own. — Peter Travers

[smalltownfae]

Short Books Recommendations [Authors]

I love short books, especially if they are standalones. Due to this preference, I decided to make some lists of short book recommendations. I decided to start with authors that usually write short books and include the books I liked by them.

I consider short books to be under 300 pages.

Octavia E. Butler

Kindred

Dawn (the first book in the Xenogenesis/Lilith’s Brood trilogy. Really weird at times and I do not recommend if you aren’t used to scifi)

Nghi Vo

The Empress of Salt and Fortune (first in a series of novellas called The Singing Hills Cycle so if you like it you have more like that to read)

The Chosen and the Beautiful (I wasn’t a big fan of this one, but you might be)

Patricia A. McKillip

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld

The Changeling Sea

Winter Rose

The Riddle-Master of Hed (The first book in the Riddle-Master trilogy. I didn’t care much for this one and it doesn’t represent well McKillip’s usual style. But, if you like classic fantasy and the Earthsea Cycle by Le Guin you might enjoy it)

T. Kingfisher

I only really enjoyed her YA fairy tale retellings so far.

The Seventh Bride

The Raven and the Reindeer

Bryony and Roses

Diana Wynne Jones

These are middle grade books, but they are amazing middle grade books.

Howl’s Moving Castle

Charmed Life

Terry Pratchett

The Discworld has a lot of books, but they are not that long. I don’t think any of them is more than 500 pages. These are good places to start from the ones that I read and are all below 300 pages. “Guards! Guards!”, the first City Watch book, is a bit longer.

The Colour of Magic (the first book in the Discworld series and only one that doesn’t have a complete story. If you start with this one you need to read The Light Fantastic after. Fans never recommend to start with this one because it’s very different from what the series became after)

Equal Rites (Technically the first book in the witches series, but not really. This one only has one of the witches, Granny Weatherwax, and she is not exactly like she is in later books)

Wyrd Sisters (I would recommend to start with this one for the witches series and you don’t lose anything by not reading Equal Rites)

Mort (the first one in the Death series. Fans tend to love this one way more than I do)

Neil Gaiman

The Sleeper and the Spindle

Coraline

The Graveyard Book

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

I didn’t like it, but Odd and the Frost Giants is a really short middle grade book too.

Shirley Jackson

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

The Haunting of Hill House

Agatha Christie

I used to love Agatha Christie, but she has elements in her books that I dislike and can’t help noticing lately. The racism, the social class view I disagree with, believing some people are born evil and nothing can be done about that... still, I enjoyed these books when I read them. I think Poirot Investigates is the only one with no problematic aspects as far as I remember.

And Then There Were None (this book has none of the iconic Christie’s detectives, but it influenced the genre greatly)

Murder on the Orient Express

Appointment with Death

Death of the Nile

Poirot Investigates (short stories of some Poirot cases. A good way to get a taste for what the books are about)

Sayaka Murata

Convenience Store Woman

Earthlings ( I suggest looking up content warnings for this one)

Kazuo Ishiguro

An Artist of the Floating World

A Pale View of Hills

My favourite book of his so far is a bit longer but under 350 pages, Klara and the Sun.

I haven’t read it yet, but everyone says The Remains of the Day is his best work.

I didn’t like it, but Nocturnes is short. You might enjoy it if you liked Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. These short stories are not representative of Ishiguro’s usual work in my opinion.

Joanne Harris

I do plan to read more books from this author. I still haven’t found a book of hers that I love, but they are pretty good and I like the writing style.

Chocolate (the first book in a series. I remember liking it way more than the movie and it doesn’t have as much focus on the romance. Delicious descriptions of food though)

A Pocketful of Crows

Jane Austen

She is known for the romance, but I like her books for the comedy and social commentary. Honestly, works inspired by Austen’s novels tend to focus way more on the romance than she ever did.

Pride and Prejudice

Northanger Abbey

Lady Susan (this one doesn’t even have a romance really. It happens in the background)

[nintendowife]

The year is almost over and it's once again the time to pick my favorite games. I didn't really manage to trim down my backlog this year - got 52 new games and only finished 46. I'm proud of finishing some games I've had in my backlog for 10+ years though! I revisited LittleBigPlanet 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 on PS3 and was able to cross them off my list of unfinished games.  One of the highlights this year was when I realized Project Zero 2 (Fatal Frame 2) is available on Wii U eShop. I own the original game on PS2 but never finished it, so for Halloween I got Project Zero 2 Wii Edition and finally saw how the game ends.  My "now playing" list didn't lack quality games, so choosing the top titles was difficult. But enough meaningless chatter and onto the best games I played in 2021! 

1st place: HITMAN 3 (PS4, also available on other consoles and PC)

Agent 47, gaming's best-dressed bald guy is here to sweep the board again. Intricate assassination master plans can be cooked up while strolling through Argentinian vineyard or in the middle of a rave party in Berlin. 

+ Adds great new ideas to the tried and true mission formula  + Highly inventive ways to get rid of your targets  + Gorgeously designed levels and wealth of in-game challenges offer high replayability  + Dramatic and impactful story moments balance out the silly tone of the game  + The whole World of Assassination trilogy is playable within the game if you own the prior games  - Some glitches and bugs at least near launch 

See my posts about Hitman 3

2nd place: Titanfall 2 (PC, also available on PS4 and Xbox One)

Unexpectedly great experience. This first-person shooter took me by surprise even after hearing a lot of praise and going in with high expectations. I only played the single player campaign and even just that was enough to rank Titanfall 2 this high on my list. 

+ Interesting setting and great characters, good story  + Fun and varying gameplay with fluid controls and good combat  + Piloting a mech is such a cool experience  + Beautiful, immersive environments and impressive level design  + Good audio with cinematic soundtrack  - No Ansel support breaks my heart 

See my posts about Titanfall 2

3rd place: AI: The Somnium Files (Nintendo Switch, also available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One)

Brilliant murder mystery visual novel with a sci-fi flair. Story so unpredictable even Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes together couldn't have seen it coming. 

+ Pleasing presentation with clean visual style, animations, skillful voice acting and fitting music  + Fleshed out characters made me invested in the game  + Well-written dialogue and a grim story that kept me guessing to the end  + A good amount of gameplay sections with unique mechanics in addition to visual novel content  - Some timed gameplay sequences required trial and error for me to figure out how to proceed 

See my posts about AI: The Somnium Files

Honorable mention: Watch Dogs: Legion (PC, also available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series)

I almost couldn't stop playing all the side content to progress the main story. It was so much fun to just pester around in near future London with my team of hacker grannies. Spent over 60 hours in the game and also got the story DLC. 

+ Appealing setting and story with memorable villains  + A lot of freedom to customize your team of operatives and gameplay style  + Impressively beautiful open world, seriously good work on this front  + Good soundtrack and voice acting  - No Ansel support, photo mode could have been better  - Some crashes to desktop and occasional glitches  - Recycled base character models made operatives less distinct in the long run, though recycling is understandable with the whole London population being available for recruitment 

See my posts about Watch Dogs: Legion

Honorable mention: Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale (Nintendo 3DS eShop)

It was a tough choice between this slice-of-life adventure and Bravely Second: End Layer but ultimately I thought Attack of the Friday Monsters deserves a mention thanks to the unique feeling it evokes. 

+ Heartwarming story and curious perspective to storytelling  + Beautiful art style and graphics  + Environments and characters bring out an unprecedented feeling of coziness  + Short and sweet experience  - Card collecting gets a bit tedious if you want to complete everything in the game 

Honorable mention: Project Zero 2: Wii Edition (Wii U, also available on Wii)

A remake of a classic Japanese survival horror game initially released on PS2. The atmosphere of this game is to die for (heh). 

+ Beautifully remade character models and textures  + Superbly chilling audio design  + Terrifying atmosphere and tension throughout the game, a master class of horror game design  + Interesting story and lore  - Not as interesting rituals as in the first game  - Horizontal camera motion controls with Wii Remote were unintuitive  - No Japanese audio option 

See my posts about Project Zero 2

Honorable mention: Metroid Dread (Nintendo Switch)

Metroid Dread was surely worth the wait for series' fans and a great addition to any action-loving Switch owner's collection. Samus is back to refine the genre of metroidvanias. 

+ Good looking environments and tense atmosphere - E.M.M.I. is a truly great enemy addition  + Nice ambient audio  + Gameplay gets the more fun the more you progress and unlock abilities, satisfying boss fights and tight controls  + A good amount of challenge and the game's length is just right  + Cool story (game also begins with a good recap of series' story for newcomers)  - Probably the first game where I feel I would have needed accessibility options for controls (Shinespark)  - Occasional frustration with E.M.M.I. encounters and not knowing where to go next at some point in the game  - I didn't feel a need to go back and replay the game or get 100% completion 

See my posts about Metroid Dread

Nominees for my personal Game of the Year 2021

Only games I have finished in 2021 have been included. 

7th Dragon III Code: VFD (3DS)  A Short Hike (PC)  AI: The Somnium Files (Switch)  Aragami (PC)  Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale (3DS)  Bayonetta 2 (Switch)  Bravely Second: End Layer (3DS)  BUSTAFELLOWS (Switch)  Café Enchanté (Switch)  Code Vein (PC)  Deliver Us The Moon (PC)  Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories (PC)  Donut County (PC)  Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation (3DS)  Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (PC)  HITMAN 3 (PS4)  Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS)  LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)  Mass Effect: Andromeda (PC)  Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)  Metroid Dread (Switch)  Monster Hunter Rise (Switch)  Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings Of Ruin (Switch)  New Pokémon Snap (Switch)  New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS)  Part Time UFO (Switch)  PGA Tour 2K21 (PC)  Picross e7 (3DS)  Project Zero 2: Wii Edition (WiiU)  Psychonauts 2 (PC)  Rain on Your Parade (PC)  Samorost 1 (PC)  Sanrio characters Picross (3DS)  Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (PC)  Super Mario Galaxy (Switch)  SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE (PC)  Superliminal (PC)  The Ascent (PC)  The Procession to Calvary (PC)  Titanfall 2 (PC)  Watch Dogs: Legion (PC)  Watch Dogs: Legion - Bloodline (PC)  What Remains of Edith Finch (PC)  Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country (Switch)  Yakuza 3 Remastered (PC)  Yakuza 4 Remastered (PC) 

Wishing you all the best to year 2022!

[sideblog-go-brrrr]

My Top 5 Book Series

As my first real post on this blog, I wanted to talk about my 5 favorite book series. This is specifically about series, not stand-alone books, so I am excluding Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot books. Although those books are, technically, chronological with recurring characters and references to other books, you can read those books by themselves and understand everything fine. I really like all of these series and it was hard to choose an order, and I haven't read some of these series for a while, so I am going off of memory. Heads Up: There are some spoilers about certain character relationships, but no major spoilers.

1. Rick Riordan PJO Universe books: This is the longest series with 21 books in the main storyline(Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo, Magnus Chase, and Kane Chronicles). There are also other books that aren't part of the main storyline that I liked. I think that my favorite protagonist is Magnus Chase, but I also liked Apollo's character development and Percy is hilarious. I love Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology which is partially why I liked the series. Sidenote, Alex Fierro and Annabeth Chase are some of the best-written female love interests that I have ever read and they are both amazing!

2. Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens: Out of all of these series, I think that this will be the least known. Murder Most Unladylike follows Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong who created the Wells and Wong Detective Society. They solve a variety of crimes involving murder in multiple places in England, Hong Kong, and Egypt during the 1930s. Hazel is the narrator and my favorite character, but I also like George Mukherjee, the best friend of Hazel's love interest. There are ten main books with a couple short stories. In August, there will be another book coming out that is a collection of four stories, which I am definitely going to be getting. If you are interested, check out Robin Stevens' website. I would just like to say I am only putting this below Percy Jackson because there are fewer books, but this is my favorite mystery series that will be getting its own post eventually.

3. Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom: So let me preface this by saying, I did not read the original Grisha Trilogy, I am just talking about SOC/CK. Also, I just finished reading Crooked Kingdom the other day and the ending has me shook!!! I really loved this duology. I enjoy how it is written, switching between 6 POV characters(the Six Crows). I love the plot and I think that the first couple of chapters do a really good job introducing us to the characters. I think that Kanej is one of the most interesting and well-written ships there is and I love Jesper, he's fantastic. I haven't watched the Shadow and Bone TV series on Netflix, but from watching analysis/reviews of it and watching funny moments, I think that Kit Young's performance as Jesper looks amazing and really well done. With that said, I was surprised that they are all supposed to sound British.

4. Stalking Jack the Ripper: The first book this series takes place in is London while Jack the Ripper is committing his murder spree. Audrey Rose and Thomas Cresswell, along with the help of Audrey's Uncle, investigate the crimes while dealing with living in the 1880s. My favorite part of the series is that in other books, they travel to different places which creates a lot of good character development. My favorite book out of the 4 books in the series was "Escaping from Houdini". With that said, I think the ending of the second book was the best and most surprising. Seriously, if you like historical fiction with a romantic subplot, you really need to read this book.

5. A Series of Unfortunate Events: So I read this one a long time ago, but it is still one of my favorites. I think that it is a really unique series because it is a mix of mystery, horror, and thriller. We know who the villains are and they stay the constant villains for most of the series, but the people who die change in every book. I am also putting this here because there is an AMAZING Netflix adaptation of this book series. It was so good and it was probably one of the best book series to screen adaptations, in my opinion.

Anyways, if you got to this point, thanks for reading! With everything going on in Overwatch right now including the Anniversary Event and the Game Developer update, it took me a little longer to get this out than I wanted it to. I will be talking about a book I just finished in the next few days, hopefully, and I will talk a little bit about the Overwatch League on my main blog.

[elimaryholmes]

20 questions - writer's edition

Thank you for the tag, @insertmeaningfulusername dear! I’m just a bit late but here I am!

How many works do you have on AO3? 100! I reached the milestone with my Summer Alphabet.

What's your total AO3 word count? 349,188, considering that I mostly translate stuff and write drabbles.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? Does it really count as I mostly write drabbles? Some with no real knowledge of the fandoms as it was gifts to friends who wanted me to try my hand at them. But it would be fortyish I guess, here is the list: All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness, Arsène Lupin, Au revoir là-haut (2017), Ben-Hur (1959), Blake and Mortimer, Call Me By Your Name, Captain America,  Carol (2015), Bible (Old Testament), Cyrano de Bergerac - Edmond Rostand, Fragments d'éternité - Séverine Mikan, Fullmetal Alchemist, Gaston (Bande Dessinée), Good Omens, Hannibal (TV), Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke, Kingsman (Movies), Lady Chatterley’s Lover (2015), Notre-Dame des Fleurs | Our Lady of the Flowers - Jean Genet, One Piece, Penny Dreadful (TV), Hercule Poirot, Portrait de la jeune fille en feu | Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) , Pride and Prejudice, Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes, Spirou et Fantasio, Supernatural, The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Lord of the Rings (Movies), Tipping the Velvet (TV), Versailles (TV 2015), Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys,  X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), A la Recherche du Temps Perdu, Gentleman Jack, A Song of Ice and Fire

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? They are a mix of old and new things, not necessarily the best things, that being said. 

1. L’Alphabet de l’été 2018 (a daily drabble wrote during the summer, using as prompt an unusal word)

2. Tell me what it is beauty. (An Holmescest, wrote eons ago)

3. When we were young (an AU in which Charles and Erik are uni roommates)

4. A morning guy (an AU in which Harry and Draco are muggles and get to know each other because of transportation strike) 

5.Now from the beginning (A retirement!lock, a wee bit sad)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Of course I do, it would be rude of me to moan on the lack of comments if I did not. Anyway, people take time to read and comment, I can take time to reply. (except if people are downright rude, of course)

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? Not necessarily angsty but quite sad is the retirement!lock aforementioned. 

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? I mostly write drabbles but I think I do try to make my characters fairly happy. 

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you've written? I do! I wrote a fic for a Secret Santa back in 2019 in which many characters get to meet each other including, Remus Lupin, Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr, Sirius Black, Isidore Beautrelet and Arsène Lupin.

Have you ever received hate on a fic? Some not very kind words in my early days, but it’s been ages. (Yes, I know I have not given them back the “minutes of their existence they lost reading my fic”.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I do! Much less than I used to, but mlm and wlw, very occasionally some het thingie but that would be clumsy as hell...

Have you ever had a fic stolen? No and I hope it would never be the case. 

Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes, thank you very much for that @tinaxpow! ♥

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yep! A whole lotta lot but very few got published in the end. Now and then I co-write a drabble collection with admamu, Charlism, its ceremonies, its followers, in French and I translate it in English.

What's your all-time favourite ship? Probably Cherik, I think.

What's a WIP you want to finish but don't think you ever will? Most of the projects that are not drabbles but I would think The Man at the Museum and Graymalkin College ou les Errements de Charles F. Xavier. 

What are your writing strengths? Strengths? Erm... I’m quite good at writing ‘true’ 100-word drabbles.  

What are your writing weaknesses? Just like you, Step, I can’t focus on long stuff. I would start something just for the pleasure of writing something or some scene but would not get the plot forward. My sentences are way too intricated but I would consider it more a choice than a weakness. 

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I love it! I love languages, I love the genuineness of it. Just like knowing the brand of tea characters drink or the tiny details that give a feeling of the country they live in or their culture is very precious and dear to me.

What was the first fandom you wrote for? Harry Potter, just after I finished the seventh book, back in 2007.

What's your favourite fic you've written? Charlism, its ceremonies, its followers all the way.

Tagging (as always no obligation) whoever wants to do it but also if you feel like, @sherlock-is-no-sociopath , @jamlavender  :)

[ke-qing]

៚  ORIGINAL POST !

tagging: @faevi since she asked to read this. 

ask me: genshin impact edition ✨

paimon: what got you into genshin impact?

honestly, around late october of 2020 I heard about this game through ads and youtube. I loved the graphics and the way it resembled botw which is a favorite of mine, so I was instantly interested. originally I thought the game was exclusive for mobile, and since my phone is hella old, I doubted I would be able to play - so I never bothered to check it out until a friend of mine asked me if I was playing. I said no (for the reason I just stated) and she told me GI could be played on desktop so I downloaded the game IMMEDIATELY. best decision of my life.

traveller: if you were given a vision, what element would it be?

electro since it’s my favorite aesthetically wise, and because it’s an underrated element power-wise as well. electro supremacy! I also like anemo.

venti: do you like music? what genre is your favourite?

I’m extremely passionate about music. my favorite genre is heavy metal, but I’m pretty open to new genres and new music overall.

kaeya: for those of legal age, what’s your go to drink? if you’re not old enough, what’s your favourite non-alcoholic beverage?

I’m legal of age but I don’t drink alcohol and I couldn’t care less about it, personally. I don’t have a favorite drink but I like water, herbal tea and sweet drinks.

diluc: what’s the toughest thing you’ve ever experienced?

family depression. I won’t elaborate but it’s the toughest thing I’ve experienced.

lisa: have you ever handed in anything late? did you get in trouble?

probably during school but I don’t remember ever getting in trouble for it.

amber: who’s on your current party? would you switch anyone out?

right now my party consists of: keqing, xingqiu, bennett and sucrose. sometimes I switch keqing with hu tao.

jean: do you have any siblings? if so, what position are you?

yes, I’m the eldest sibling.

barbara: do you have a favourite celebrity? who is it?

my favorite celebrity is bts’ suga.

albedo: do you have any hobbies?

drawing, video games & playing the guitar.

klee: do you want children in the future? how many?

I don’t want any children.

sucrose: did you like school? what was your favourite subject?

no, it was hell. my favorite subject used to be english.

noelle: are you someone who tries to do too much in one day? or are you a procrastinator?

I’m the type of person that’s constantly looking for ways to keep myself busy. I am a procrastinator when it comes to chores and obligations, but I tend to finish them quickly so I can chill for the rest of the day.

razor: do you like animals? is there one you feel most connected to?

I love animals and I feel the most connected to cats and foxes.

bennett: what’s the most reckless thing you’ve ever done?

I’m not a reckless person lol the most reckless thing I probably did was to jump in a pool fully clothed to make my friend laugh.

zhongli: are you a saver or a spender?

I’m a saver. but I sometimes spend with futilities.

xiao: have you ever suffered from a period of no sleep? if not, what’s the worst dream you remember having?

not really, I don’t suffer from insomnia. uhhhh. I’m also the type of person that tends to forget bad things, my mind does that to protect me but I remember a creepy dream where I was in a strange house and there was no source of light available, only the moon creeping through the window. I remember entering a room and seeing a man staring at me by the window for the longest time, so that freaked me out and I woke up pretty startled.

childe: have you ever been betrayed by someone?

yes.

ganyu: what do you do for a living?

I’m currently looking after my grandparents but I’m also working on a project that has to do with art and graphic commissions.

xinyan: can you play any instruments?

I can play the guitar, I used to play the flute back in school days and I can also have some fun with the piano.

chongyun: have you ever had a paranormal experience?

not really.

xingqiu: what’s your favourite book?

his dark materials’ trilogy, any of agatha christie’s featuring hercule poirot and any manga from junji ito.

xiangling: what’s one food on the planet you will never try, or will never eat again?

probably bugs.

beidou: what’s one moment in life that’s left you feeling powerful?

when I started to drive again last year.

diona: what’s your least favourite thing to drink?

I have no idea, I’m not someone that drinks different things, it’s always water, tea or coffee.

qiqi: do you have a favourite mythical creature?

dragons and nekomatas.

ningguang: what do you aspire to be?

successful in whatever I decide to chase and happy.

keqing: do you believe in something that most around you feel differently about?

I can’t really think of anything but I probably do since I often have divergent opinions when compared to the majority of people.

fischl: do you like conspiracy theories? which one is your favourite?

I do, they’re fun. uh, I guess that there’s life outside the planet.

hu tao: what’s your biggest fear?

I have a mild fear of the ocean and I also suffer from trypophobia.

mona: what’s your zodiac sign? do you know your moon and rising signs?

I’m a gemini with ascendant and moon in scorpio.

[adeliaharris]

My Favorite Books...

1. Harper Lee "To kill a Mockingbird"

The story of a small sleepy town in the South of America told by a little girl. The story of her brother Jim, dill's friend and her father - the honest principled lawyer Atticus Finch one of the last and best representatives of the old "southern aristocracy". The story of the trial of a black guy accused of rape a white girl. But first of all it is the story of a turning era when xenophobia, racism, intolerance and bigotry inherent in the American South are warming to the past. The "wind of change" has just begun to blow over America. What will it bring?

- This is probably one of my favorite books.The book captured from the very first pages and did not let go for a long time after reading. You can say a lot of things but better read it.

2. Khaled Hosseini "The Kite Runner"

A heartfelt story of friendship and fidelity, betrayal and redemption, penetrating to the very core. Delicate, ironic and sentimental in a good way, Khaled Hosseini's novel resembles a painting that can be looked at endlessly set in pre-war Kabul in the 1970s. In this magical city shimmering with all shades of gold and azure two weather boys Amir and Hasan live. One belonged to the local aristocracy the other to a despised minority. One's father was handsome and important the other was lame and pathetic. Master and servant, prince and beggar, handsome and crippled. But there were no people in the world closer than these two boys. Soon the Kabul idyll will be replaced by formidable storms. And the boys, like two kites, will be picked up by this storm and scattered in different directions. Each has its own destiny its own tragedy but they like in childhood are tied by the strongest bonds. You run after the kite and the wind as you run after your destiny, trying to catch it. But she will catch you.

- Psychological novel on the theme of "crime and punishment". Deeply elaborated images, convincing children's characters, a remarkably built plot - everything speaks of a great master. For me it is "heavy" literature but it has the right to be because it calls things by their proper names. And most importantly there is light in the stories of Hosseini! The light of true human feelings.

3. F. Scott Fitzgerald "The Great Gatsby"

A jubilant, sparkling thirst for life, a desire for love, alluring and elusive, exciting pursuit of wealth - but now the dream breaks to the sound of jazz and the eternal holiday turns into a tragedy. "The Great Gatsby" is a novel about "how illusions are wasted which make the world so colorful that  having experienced this magic, a person becomes indifferent to the concept of true and false." F. S. Fitzgerald

- I read it and was not at all disappointed! Elegant presentation with high meaning - everything in this life is done for the sake of love. And no amount of money can replace the woman you love... And even if she is stupid, frivolous and idly living her life. I have great respect for Gatsby and contempt for Daisy. There are a lot of wonderful quotes, phrases in the book, it's worth thinking about. I didn’t expect to literally fall in love with this piece! In the future I will definitely re-read it more than once!

4. Daniel Keyes "Flowers for Algernon"

Forty years ago it was considered a fantasy. Forty years ago it read like fantasy. Exploring and expanding the boundaries of the genre eagerly absorbing all sorts of newest trends trying on a common human face bravely ignoring the Cain's stamp of the "genre ghetto". Now it is perceived as one of the most humane works of modern times as a novel of piercing psychological power, as a filigree development of the theme of love and responsibility. It is not for nothing that Keyes called his book of memoirs published in the 1990s "Algernon, Charlie and Me."

- The book is an emotion that will not make you think about something particularly difficult. All the thoughts that it generates are very simple and understandable. Without revelations, of course, but not bad either. The assessment will, rather, depend on the degree of personal sensitivity because the author often uses the concept of "naive hero-evil reality-collision-squeezing out sympathy" during the work.

5. Agatha Christie  "Murder on the Orient Express"

The great detective Hercule Poirot who was in Istanbul returns to England on the famous "Orient Express" in which it seems, representatives of all possible nationalities travel with him. One of the passengers an unpleasant American named Ratchett offers Poirot to become his bodyguard since he believes that he could be killed. The famous Belgian brushes off this absurd request. And the next day the American is found dead in his compartment with the doors closed and the window open. Poirot immediately takes up the investigation - and finds out that the compartment is full of all sorts of evidence pointing... to almost all the passengers of the Orient Express. In addition the train gets stuck in snow drifts in a deserted place. Poirot needs to find the killer before the express can continue on its way...

- I liked the book. Pretty easy to read. The plot is "confused" from the very beginning but Mr. Poirot is yet  a world-famous detective. It is better to read about all the twists and turns of the investigation on your own, "immersion" is guaranteed.

6. Stieg Larsson "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Forty years of the mystery of the disappearance of a young relative haunts the aging industrial tycoon and now he makes the last attempt in his life - entrusts his search to journalist Mikael Blomkvist. He takes on a hopeless business more in order to distract himself from his own troubles but soon realizes: the problem is even more complicated than it seems at first glance.

What is the connection between a long-standing incident on the territory with the use of mobile devices which happened in different years in different parts of Sweden? What does the quotation from the Third Book of Moses have to do with it? And who, after all, attempted on the life of Michael himself when he came too close to the solution?

- The whole trilogy left a deep impression. Such books appear very rarely. Out-of-the-box characters, amazing Sweden, dark atmosphere. I advise absolutely everyone!

7. Ray Bradbury "Fahrenheit 451"

Perhaps the best of Bradbury's writings. The story "Fahrenheit 451" depicts a dystopian society of the future but in fact - "our reality, reduced to absurdity." Bradbury invented a state where reading and keeping books is prohibited. For the sake of political correctness and general peace of mind the general level of spiritual and intellectual demands of citizens is artificially lowered. But there are rebels and fugitives.

This is one of Bradbury's rare sci-fi works. Very exciting touching and at the same time very lively and dynamic. With a relatively simple plot, it is full of allusions including biblical texts and complex symbolism.

- This is just a great book! I advise everyone to read it! Despite the fact that the author wrote it in 1953 this does not feel at all. A very interesting and poignant plot for our time.

8. Victor Hugo "Les Miserables"

All the works of the great French poet, novelist and playwright Victor Marie Hugo (1802-1885) are covered with a halo of romanticism. The idea of ​​life-giving love, mercy, the triumph of good over evil - this is the core of his novel "Les Miserables". Among the "outcasts" are Jean Valjean sentenced to 20 years for stealing bread for his starving family and the little dirty Cosette who turned into a charming girl and a child of the Parisian streets of Gavroche...

- Brilliant work! So thoughtful, so overwhelming and so humane. The inimitable Hugo put all his philanthropy into this magnificent novel!

9. Stephen King "The Green Mile"

Stephen King invites readers to the eerie world of the death row where they leave in order not to return, opens the door of the last refuge of those who have transgressed not only human but also God's law. There is no more deadly place on this side of the electric chair! Nothing you've read before beats Stephen King's most audacious horror experience - a story that begins on Death Road and goes deep into the deepest secrets of the human soul...

- I have been familiar with the work of S. King for a long time and have read more than a dozen of his books. The work "The Green Mile" is a story that will not let you go for a long time. She leaves a residue in her soul - mixed feelings and indescribable impressions from the story itself, unique and ingenious.

10. Gregory David Roberts "Shantaram"

This art-refracted confession of a man who managed to get out of the abyss and survive, has sold four million copies around the world and has earned rave comparisons with the works of the best writers of the modern era from Melville to Hemingway. Like the author the hero of this novel has been hiding from the law for many years. Deprived of parental rights after a divorce from his wife, he became addicted to drugs, committed a number of robberies and was sentenced by an Australian court to nineteen years in prison. Having escaped from a maximum security prison in his second year, he reached Bombay where he was a counterfeiter and smuggler, traded arms and participated in the showdown of the Indian mafia and also found his true love, to lose it again, to find it again...

- It is very difficult to somehow categorically evaluate this novel. There are many advantages here: a fascinating story of the wanderings of the protagonist in the world of a harsh exotic country. Together with him, the reader develops, absorbs the alien culture and energy of other people, people of another world to which we are not used to. However there is something ridiculous about this.  At times it seems that we are watching real Indian cinema - the brainchild of Bollywood naive and merciless. In general I liked the novel, it is interesting, bright, impetuous. During the period of reading this great story, I have never been bored. Despite some controversial points - I advise!

[sixth-light]

Appendix, Addendum and Index please?

Appendix: Overdone book trope that you still love? Detective Gets Everybody In A Room And Tells Them What Happened. Nobody does it quite like Poirot, but I love it every time nonetheless. 

Addendum: What is a book trope you can’t stand? Uh, I’m not sure this rises to the level of a trope, but I just DNF’d out of a wlw YA book my wife recced because on like the fifth page the protagonist’s fiance came along and he was self-evidently an actual piece of shit despite being handsome and polite and I could see the whole arc of her finding out that he wasn’t what he seemed and then meeting a girl and ughhhhh, it made me tired. Obvious future villains and traditionally naive protagonists are both very boring. 

Index: What book character would you like as your best friend? I react to this question kind of like I react to being asked who I’d date from a book: I have best friends! The position is filled! And also I don’t actually know book characters so how can I know I’d like them one on one? But I think I would like to have coffee regularly with Abigail Pent from the Locked Tomb trilogy (Gideon the Ninth). 

(book ask!)