Narrative

The party has agreed to work on a dwarven airship in exchange for free passage to Zobeck. Razzit Greyborn (captain) shows them around and shows them where bunks are and introduces them to the crew. The night shift is currently sleeping in the bunks. One of those asleep is a tiefling. The adventurers are helping out by filling in so that the crew can work in shifts.

At the navigation area, Appaluna helps them fly through misty conditions and they just barely miss a mountain.

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I finally read this incredibly influential short story. I’ve recently read other short stories that directly call it out. I realize now that other stories that didn’t mention it by name were still referencing its style.

It’s a bit dated in some of its terminology, but it’s still a pretty great story for getting you thinking about philosophical ideas.

Stormlight World Guide: A Lore Compendium and Art Book for Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive by Lydia Suen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Even if you are not planning to play the Cosmere TTRPG, this is a must-have for any true Cosmere fan. It’s mostly (80%ish) written as an encyclopedia about Roshar by our favorite worldhopper, Khriss. Lots of great art and great information on all the nations and cities we’ve seen (or just heard of) in the Stormlight archive. There’s a “history” section that’s a nice, condensed summary of the 5 books out so far. (A least in terms of the events of the books, not anything related to the main characters and their journeys)

Brown Sugar Kitchen: New-Style, Down-Home Recipes from Sweet West Oakland by Tanya Holland

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Part cookbook and part guide to Oakland California, this is a very interesting cookbook. I’ve made the waffles and custom apple cider syrup. I teed up many other recipes to make in the future. If you like southern/new orleans style food, you’ll find some interesting recipes here.

Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sanderson revisits the short story about Sixth of the Dusk and turns it into a full novel. This turns out way better than it sounds! We get to see Dusk have more character growth than is possible in a short story (although he has some there). We get to learn more about the future of The Cosmere. All the characters are fun. In fact, if this became a series, it would be so much fun. I can’t say why without spoiling the ending, but it seems to end in a perfect place for a series to begin.

The Book of Audacity: Record, Edit, Mix, and Master with the Free Audio Editor by Carla Schroder

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Some of the software details are out of date as Audacity has continued to evolve since the book was published. However, the information and theory behind why you would use certain plugins or hardware remains good background information. I think if you are able to learn that information you can apply it to the modern interface and plugins.

Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

Another of my rare DNFs. I started reading this to my eldest years ago. She eventually read the whole series. I would have LOVED this series from about age 10 to about age 14. I love me some dad jokes, but now in my 40s the quantity of kid-level dad jokes in this series drives me bananas. I cannot finish this book on my own.

Antimatter Blues by Edward Ashton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When Mickey7 ended, I didn’t think there was any need for a second book. I just grabbed this one because I had an audiobook credit and figured - why not? Although the narrative is a bit slow to get going, I think Ashton does a good job closing the loop on a the few loose ends in the first book. There is one plot thread that Ashton leaves hanging (or perhaps I missed it): What happened to the extra Mickeys from this book?

Think Julia: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist by Ben Lauwens

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a great book introducing you to how to use Julia to solve problems. I describe Julia to others as - what if Python had been designed for data analysis instead of falling backwards into that role? This book is well-written and does a great job at presenting the way Julia works.

A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? by Kelly Weinersmith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Any time anyone on the news or a podcast talks about us founding a colony on Mars, you should hand them this book. Basically it is a ridiculous thing to say on any timescale that the people currently advocating it would want. Zach and Kelly go through all the reasons why we are NOWHERE near the level of tech we would need for this to work. (Also, it’s on bad legal ground and would probably lead to war)