Watching, reading, playing, listening

Eventually I'd like a nice, sophisticated way to microblog about my media diet, but until such time I am going to use this space.

Books

Exiles by Mason Coile

Website: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/761628/exiles-by-mason-coile/

Finished: 5/26/26

Stars: [4/5]

Review: A taught thriller on the surface of Mars where three astronauts and three robots confront one another and the question: Why did we come here?

Kayak by Kristal Stittle

Website: https://store.tenebrouspress.com/products/kayak-ebook

Finished: 5/16/26

Stars: [4/5]

The Brothers K by David James Duncan

Website: https://www.davidjamesduncan.com/the-brothers-k

Finished: 4/15/26

Stars: [5/5]

Review: Starts slow but this one built to the kind of emotional crescendo you rarely find. Lovely characters and lots of baseball.

Movies

The Running Man (2025)

Finished: 5/15/26

Stars: [3/5]

Review: This movie was fun and stylish, but it seems to think that it was much more clever than it is. Every critique of "rich people" seemed sanded down and probably was in a boardroom somewhere. Glen Powell still doesn't look fully real to me, like he's somehow an actual human that looks CGI. That ridiculous jawline would never make it past preproduction.

Comics

CRIMINAL #1 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

Finished 5/15/26

Stars: [4/5]

Games

Jusant by Don't Nod

Website: https://dont-nod.com/en/games/jusant/

Finished: 5/2/26

Stars: [5/5]

Review: Jusant does only a few things, but it does them remarkably well. The climbing mechanics are the obvious centerpiece of the game, and they feel halfway between Assassin's Creed and Grow Home. The climbing rope mechanics in particular are both a pleasure and a challenge. The game is also quite nice to look at, and even when momentarily stumped by a climbing puzzle, one only need stop and look around to regain some composure. I like all kinds of games, but this is my cozy place.