I don't really like Letterboxd or Goodreads or things like that so I'm listing stuff I've read/watched/played/whatever here. * for rereads/watches/plays etc.

2026

Books

1. The Aeneid (Virgil) - clearly an all-timer, particularly enjoy how Aeneas is constantly shading Odysseus any time he's mentioned
2. Fire In The Belly (Sam Keen) - about as profoundly 90s a book as I have come across. There's maybe some good stuff in here but it's spare
3. The Justice Of Jesus (Joash P. Thomas) - fine, but laden with ngo-speak and if I have to hear the phrase 'the just and saving gospel of Jesus of Nazareth' one more time...
4. *The Fifth Season (N.K. Jemisin) - rereading for the podcast, remember it being good but had forgotten just how good; really puts you through the emotional wringer
5. *The Obelisk Gate (N.K. Jemisin) - ditto, the somewhat more boring middle chapter, still good
6. *The Stone Sky (N.K. Jemisin) - ditto, a bit too much Precursor Lore for my liking, still good
7. Soulcraft (Bill Plotkin) - found this to be broadly insufferable. it's always fascinating to hear how other people experience the world differently but this one was mad annoying
8. The First 90 Days - some useful input for thinking about how to start somewhere new

Films

1. The Lion In Winter - can't lie I kept thinking how much it reminded me of Arrested Development
2. A Man For All Seasons - "This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then?"
3. Asteroid City - Not seen any Wes Anderson before, didn't really know what to make of it but still quite enjoyed it.
4. Scream 2 - I haven't seen Scream 1 and I think that this maybe suffered as a result. Still fairly enjoyable

TV

1. Better Call Saul S2 - as a friend of mine said, a Breaking Bad-quality show that's a lot more moment-to-moment enjoyable because you're not in a constant state of tension
2. Baron Noir S1 - reverse French House Of Cards. this rocks
3. Jeeves And Wooster S1 - like slipping into a warm bath; I love this stuff so much

Games

1. Hollow Knight: Silksong - good but waaaaay more punishing than the first one
2. Eternal Strands - an a+ podcast game
3. The Seance Of Blake Manor - that title sounds wrong. shouldn't it be the seance at Blake Manor? anyway, good, obra dinn x blue prince