Categories
Misc

Media for the sick

Someone I’m friendly with is undergoing a long convalescence.

They asked for recommendations for media, books, podcasts, etc. I figured I might as well post them here. This is by no means a comprehensive list of what I like. But it is stuff I think you can enjoy without paying extreme amounts of attention.

Dropout.

Remember college humor? They turned into “a netflix”. A streaming service full of their own shows. Great shows! Their DND shows are the flagship (Dimension 20 — start with Fantasy High). The shows draw from the same cast of comedians. Really good stuff.

But Gamechanger is also great.

A game show that changes its format every episode

Worth paying the $5/month

But also a lot of it is on youtube. Fantasy High for example.

Old standards

Adventure time!

Steven Universe!

The Good Place

Parks and Rec

30 Rock

Video Games

Slay the Spire is great. A wonderful way to spend a lot of time. If you get it on a computer (rather than iPad) you can install Downfall, which is a mod that makes the game more than 100% better

There also are iPad games that are board games ported to the iPad. Delightful ones.

  • Ascension
  • Mystic Vale
  • Lords of Waterdeep
  • Mysterium
  • Transistor
  • Paperback
  • Mystic Valley
  • Old standards I don’t love: Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan

Hades is fantastic

Books

Teamster Rebellion is a nonfiction account of the general strike in Minneapolis. Reads like a thriller

The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett is great. His work can be split into early, mid, and late. All periods are good, but each is different. 

Also within that series are many mini series, each following a different protagonist.

More on how to follow the reading list.

Going Postal is a great place to start.

Podcasts

Revolutions podcast is beautiful. Each season is a different revolution. Spoken as a history. Fun!

Categories
Misc

The View From Saturday

I just picked up a copy of E.L. Konigburg’s the View From Saturday. I haven’t read it in years. After the first chapter, I just have to put it down in amazement and say, “wow. She can write”.

The View From Saturday was one of my favorite books at a particular stage of my life (sharing that title with The Westing Game). I found both books so compelling because they hinted at an “adult” world outside my comprehension. For example, the repeated references to the “decline of Western Civilization” from the adults in Saturday. It was just fascinating.

Young Adult books have had a huge effect on my life. From Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books to the View from Saturday, from the Pushcart War to the Lost Years of Merlin, I learned about standing up for dignity, I learned about what true goodness means. I saw great examples of how to live, and I hope my imagination was broadened by the contact I had with the amazing imagination of others.

Hats off to you, the literature of my childhood. I have never read anything a wonderful since. I miss you so much.