This is my second foray into the work of Jon Ronson. Much like The Psychopath Test, this book is a short, jaunty read, tightly woven around a core theme, which in this case is shame I found the book to be enjoyable and thought-provoking, but there are a few points where I felt the book was too shallow and which ultimately make it feel a little flat.
Read MoreSome of you may be wondering about my absence during the past several days. I'm still here, I promise! Instead of reading and writing though, I've been working on a big home improvement project. (And a second smaller one as well.) Here's a progress update!
Read MoreI've known of Jon Ronson for awhile. Over the past year or two I happened to catch a few odd clips of him on NPR, but I never caught his name, or the titles of his books. I caught just enough of his interesting stories and distinctive voice to be intrigued, but never quite enough to find him on the internet. And then, entirely by chance, Amazon did me a solid favor by sliding The Psychopath Test into their recommendations. I scooped it up in a sale on Audible, promptly listened to it, and have already moved on to So You've Been Publicly Shamed. Obviously, I'm enjoying Ronson's work. So much so that I've put my reading as well as some home remodeling on hold to write a quick review.
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I recently stumbled across an old Kotaku article on Yo-Kai Watch, entirely by chance, which loudly proclaimed that the franchise could be the next Pokemon. That's a pretty bold claim considering that Pokemon has grossed over $40 billion worldwide and has remained popular for almost 20 years. I was particularly skeptical of this claim because I'd never even heard of Yo-Kai Watch. So, in the spirit of fact-checking, I decided to investigate.
Read MoreHere's my recipe for Butter Pecan Cake!
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Rocket is a weekly podcast that was started fairly recently. In fact, they're only on episode 12. I was lucky enough to discover them right after their first episode dropped, and I've been hooked since the beginning. Hosted by Brianna Wu, Christina Warren, and Simone de Rochefort, they bill themselves as a podcast for accelerated geek conversation. I've been consistently impressed by the quality of the content and there are a number of reasons why it has quickly become one of my favorites.
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The medical profession has always seemed so mysterious to me. You get sick, you go see a doctor and usually you come out well again, or at least on the road to recovery. I've always thought, especially when I was younger, that doctors are the closest thing that we have to wizards in modern society. They perform a certain magic on their patients which is miraculous and mysterious in equal parts. To be sure, they are not infallible. I know people who have suffered at the hands of careless doctors just as I know people who have made incredible recoveries. All of this is just to say that I've always had a fascination with the realities of working in medicine. It was in this spirit that I picked up “Complications” by Atul Gawande.
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I'm back from San Francisco! It was such a great trip. I got to to spend time with good friends, and I got to ride a street car, visit Alcatraz and hike through the Muir Woods. The weather was perfect. It was a lovely time. I'm happy to be back though, and I'll be posting regularly again starting today.
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Surprise! Bioware announced Inquisition's first DLC yesterday afternoon and then released it today on PC and XBone. Hurray! Unfortunately, there's still no word on a PS4 release date. However, I was lucky enough to get my hands on the PC edition quickly and I wanted to share my initial opinions. (This review will include some spoilers, though I will avoid major story spoilers.)
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These cupcakes are easy to make and they're really tasty! I call them Mud Cakes because the they're really moist, almost like chocolate pudding baked into a cake, and because of the yummy, crumbly topping.
Read MoreI am very excited to review Volume One of the graphic novel Rat Queens, entitled Sass and Sorcery. It follows the exploits of a mercenary company called the Rat Queens which is composed of four awesome ladies. That premise alone was enough to pull me in, and it most certainly did not disappoint my high hopes.
(This review will include minor spoilers, though I will avoid major story details.)
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I'm a little bit ashamed to admit that up until the past week, I've had a really negative, and totally unwarranted, opinion of Persona Q. I blame this on the social media storm that predicted the upcoming Atlus game would be Persona 5. I was so excited at the prospect that when Atlus announced this game instead, I was pretty letdown. It just seemed unsatisfying and I judged that it was a cheap filler with very little worthwhile narrative that wasn't worth my time. I couldn't have been more wrong about it.
(This review will have mild, general spoilers, but I will avoid specifics and story details from later in the game.)
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Aside from salads, smoothies are one of the easiest ways to get raw fruits and veggies into your diet. They're also incredibly easy to make. All you need is fruit and a blender. This recipe is my breakfast standby.
Read MoreStrawberries are one of my favorite fruits and I love finding ways to bake them into things. It won't be long before they're in season and I have them in abundance, so I've been collecting recipes that can put them to good use. Here's one of my favorites:
Read MoreAs I said in my previous post, I've been waiting patiently for my own Hobonichi Techo in the mail. Well, it arrived on the 4th and I couldn't be happier! It is a quality product that is both nice to look at and effective in it's purpose. I thought I would come back to post my first few entries, as well as what I've learned so far.
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I have a tendency to get lost in the hashtags of Instagram. I'll start out looking at cat pictures and end up in some obscure tag of abandoned buildings. I manage to discover a lot of new things this way. I just stumble on to them by accident. Hobonichi fits into this category. I just happened to see a picture of a Hobonichi journal, complete with drawings, stickers and washi tape borders. I was immediately smitten, and I've spent the past few weeks researching them.
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I laughed and laughed when I saw these Hungry Man ads. The friend who sent me the pictures was convinced they were real, but considering that WoW Insider is the only reliable source for information on the subject, and their article is dated April 1st, I think we can all assume that they were a joke. But, they're still quite entertaining, and I wanted to share them with anyone who missed out.
Read MoreThere are a million different ways to make No-Bake Cookies. My family has several different ones that they use regularly. I really like this particular recipe though because it's a lot easier than some of the other ones, and it still produces delicious cookies. It's also consistent, whereas some of the other recipes I've tried turn out different every time. Everyone who has tried them seems to agree. I barely had time to photograph them before they were already being eaten.
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I recently came across Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge, and I thought that I would share it with all of you who book nerds like I am. The challenge is to read 24 different books over the course of 2015, each from a different corner of the literary world. For example, a book published by an author younger than 25. I really support this challenge for two reasons. A deadline or a scedule can really encourage more reading. I know that when I set limits and deadlines for myself, I get a lot more done. I think that this challenge will encourage me to read a lot more this year. Second, I support it because it pushes people to read books that they might not have otherwise. Though I try to be an adventurous reader, it's easy to fall into a rhythm where I choose similar books, and I know a lot of others who have the same problem. Maybe you prefer YA books, or you only read bestsellers, or you avoid nonfiction. Regardless of the preference, I think that restricting your reading to a small pool of options is stifling and causes you to miss out on valuable stories. Though a lot of people complain about the reading they had to do in school, I know many who found their favorite books that way. When you're forced outside your comfort zone, there is always a chance that you'll be disappointed, but there's also a chance that you'll be pleasantly surprised. You'll might learn about something new, or find a new genre or style that appeals to you. It might help you connect with people or situations you didn't understand before.
Read MoreHappy Valentine's Day! (A little late, oops.)
Unfortunately, this is a little late, but honestly, Red Velvet Cookies are delicious at any time of the year. These are great when you're short on time as they require only a handful of ingredients and they're quick and simple to put together. And who doesn't love red velvet?
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