Friday, 13 December 2024
Fiction
A Book for Christmas by Selma Lagerlöf
A Book for Christmas: A Memory from Childhood
(translated by Sarah Death)
I can't remember how I discovered this book, but it looked like a beautifully-presented little volume of eight short Swedish Christmas stories, and what better time for nice traditional stories than Christmas?
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 13th: The Auction of the Prehistoric Beast
A Book for Christmas: A Memory from Childhood
(translated by Sarah Death)
I can't remember how I discovered this book, but it looked like a beautifully-presented little volume of eight short Swedish Christmas stories, and what better time for nice traditional stories than Christmas?
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 13th: The Auction of the Prehistoric Beast
Videos
Critical Role
2x68 Reflections [2nd half]
With this episode, I've watched just under 353 hours of Critical Role Campaign 2 content, including both the actual campaign and Talks Machina. There are 351½ hours to go — meaning that, time wise, this is halfway.* Or, to put it another way: I'm only halfway through!?
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
* Halfway in episode count terms is still a few episodes away. During the pandemic, Talks took longer to return to air than the main show, and then it was only on fortnightly, so there are far fewer episodes in the second half of the campaign (in the first half, 100% of CR episodes have an accompanying Talks; in the second it's just 60%), thus skewing the combined running time toward the first half.
2x68 Reflections [2nd half]
With this episode, I've watched just under 353 hours of Critical Role Campaign 2 content, including both the actual campaign and Talks Machina. There are 351½ hours to go — meaning that, time wise, this is halfway.* Or, to put it another way: I'm only halfway through!?
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
* Halfway in episode count terms is still a few episodes away. During the pandemic, Talks took longer to return to air than the main show, and then it was only on fortnightly, so there are far fewer episodes in the second half of the campaign (in the first half, 100% of CR episodes have an accompanying Talks; in the second it's just 60%), thus skewing the combined running time toward the first half.
Thursday, 12 December 2024
Films
Goblin Slayer: Goblin's Crown (2020)
Back into the world of Goblin Slayer (has it really been over seven weeks since I finished the series?!) This movie was released a couple of years after season one; I believe season two, although released three years later, picks up right after it.
Back into the world of Goblin Slayer (has it really been over seven weeks since I finished the series?!) This movie was released a couple of years after season one; I believe season two, although released three years later, picks up right after it.
Fiction
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 12th: The Adventure of the Dreadful Author (Conclusion)
December 12th: The Adventure of the Dreadful Author (Conclusion)
Videos
Critical Role
2x68 Reflections [1st half]
"What do you mean, 'Caleb killed his whole family?'"
"You know, it's a figure of speech where I'm from."
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x68 Reflections [1st half]
"What do you mean, 'Caleb killed his whole family?'"
"You know, it's a figure of speech where I'm from."
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Fiction
NPCs by Drew Hayes
Chapters 23–25
Epilogue [the end]
So, despite what I said the other day, I'm now tempted to continue with the next book in this series. My opinion on the quality of the prose hasn't changed, and that's the main thing putting me off; but the last act of this one finally engaged with some of the ideas the setup had promised, if only for a little bit. So while the prose bugs me, the story and characters have hooked me just enough that I want to find out what happens next.
That said, I can kinda tell this is setting itself up to be serialised across multiple volumes (that's literally what this first book does: finally gets somewhere, then ends on a cliffhanger), and I know there's already five books with the story not yet wrapped up — should I be letting myself in for all that?
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 11th: The Adventure of the Dreadful Author
Pot, kettle...
Chapters 23–25
Epilogue [the end]
So, despite what I said the other day, I'm now tempted to continue with the next book in this series. My opinion on the quality of the prose hasn't changed, and that's the main thing putting me off; but the last act of this one finally engaged with some of the ideas the setup had promised, if only for a little bit. So while the prose bugs me, the story and characters have hooked me just enough that I want to find out what happens next.
That said, I can kinda tell this is setting itself up to be serialised across multiple volumes (that's literally what this first book does: finally gets somewhere, then ends on a cliffhanger), and I know there's already five books with the story not yet wrapped up — should I be letting myself in for all that?
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 11th: The Adventure of the Dreadful Author
Pot, kettle...
Tuesday, 10 December 2024
Fiction
NPCs by Drew Hayes
Chapters 21–22
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 10th: The Ostentatious Art Collector (Conclusion)
Chapters 21–22
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 10th: The Ostentatious Art Collector (Conclusion)
Monday, 9 December 2024
Fiction
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 9th: The Ostentatious Art Collector
December 9th: The Ostentatious Art Collector
Sunday, 8 December 2024
Films
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
[#97 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2024 #11
[#97 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2024 #11
Fiction
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 8th: The Adventure of the Gentle Axe Murderer (Conclusion)
December 8th: The Adventure of the Gentle Axe Murderer (Conclusion)
this week on 100Films.co.uk
We're more than a week into December now, but last week ended on the 1st and I wasn't timely with posting my November monthly review, so the past 'week' on 100Films.co.uk kicks off with that...
And then, as always, there were the "failures"...
And what about regular reviews? Um, nope. Maybe next Sunday.
And then, as always, there were the "failures"...
And what about regular reviews? Um, nope. Maybe next Sunday.
Saturday, 7 December 2024
Fiction
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 7th: The Adventure of the Gentle Axe Murderer
December 7th: The Adventure of the Gentle Axe Murderer
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
The Christmastime post changes are in full effect, with some stuff taking longer than expected to arrive, and others... well, not. So, only a small handful of titles this week, with several more still dashing through the post. I think it's going to be a smaller month overall, but still probably with new titles every week. (There probably shouldn't be new stuff every week, eh?)
Number of titles in collection: 3,432 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 994 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,438 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 412 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,279 [up 8]
Number of films: 4,317 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 422 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,195 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
The Christmastime post changes are in full effect, with some stuff taking longer than expected to arrive, and others... well, not. So, only a small handful of titles this week, with several more still dashing through the post. I think it's going to be a smaller month overall, but still probably with new titles every week. (There probably shouldn't be new stuff every week, eh?)
Number of titles in collection: 3,432 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 994 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,438 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 412 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,279 [up 8]
Number of films: 4,317 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 422 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,195 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 6 December 2024
Films
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
[#95 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2024 #10
[#95 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2024 #10
Fiction
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 6th: The Adventure of the Assaulted Cabbie (Conclusion)
December 6th: The Adventure of the Assaulted Cabbie (Conclusion)
Thursday, 5 December 2024
Fiction
NPCs by Drew Hayes
Chapters 15–20
I'm 80% through this now, and I think I have to admit: it isn't very good. The inciting concept is neat, but has barely been a factor for most of the novel — this could be any story of novice adventurers in a high fantasy / RPG world; the fact they used to be NPCs is immaterial. That said, this has begun to change in the last couple of chapters, so maybe the final act can pull something out of the bag.
Similarly, while it's clearly meant to be a parody (not an outright Naked Gun-style piss-take, but certainly looking at RPGs with a raised eyebrow and degree of amused cynicism), I've found it mostly lacking in humour. That's not just a taste issue — I'm not saying I don't think it's funny, I'm saying it's not even trying to be as often as it perhaps should. The prose is largely adequate, but also clunky; unnecessarily verbose, with an abundance of wholly redundant words, phrases, and even whole sentences; relatedly, it's often irritatingly repetitive in minor ways (in a careless fashion, not a stylistic one). It's self-published, and that doesn't surprise me. Indeed, I was surprised when I saw there are two credited editors. And if the quality of the writing didn't give it away, the amateurish typesetting would. It feels like that shouldn't be a criticism, and I guess if you were reading a high-quality work it would be easier to let slide, but it's surprisingly aggravating.
I'll stick with it to the end, because it's not outright terrible and I've come this far so want resolution from the plot — though I hope the fact there are multiple sequels doesn't mean I'm denied that, because I don't intend to read more.
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 5th: The Adventure of the Assaulted Cabbie
Chapters 15–20
I'm 80% through this now, and I think I have to admit: it isn't very good. The inciting concept is neat, but has barely been a factor for most of the novel — this could be any story of novice adventurers in a high fantasy / RPG world; the fact they used to be NPCs is immaterial. That said, this has begun to change in the last couple of chapters, so maybe the final act can pull something out of the bag.
Similarly, while it's clearly meant to be a parody (not an outright Naked Gun-style piss-take, but certainly looking at RPGs with a raised eyebrow and degree of amused cynicism), I've found it mostly lacking in humour. That's not just a taste issue — I'm not saying I don't think it's funny, I'm saying it's not even trying to be as often as it perhaps should. The prose is largely adequate, but also clunky; unnecessarily verbose, with an abundance of wholly redundant words, phrases, and even whole sentences; relatedly, it's often irritatingly repetitive in minor ways (in a careless fashion, not a stylistic one). It's self-published, and that doesn't surprise me. Indeed, I was surprised when I saw there are two credited editors. And if the quality of the writing didn't give it away, the amateurish typesetting would. It feels like that shouldn't be a criticism, and I guess if you were reading a high-quality work it would be easier to let slide, but it's surprisingly aggravating.
I'll stick with it to the end, because it's not outright terrible and I've come this far so want resolution from the plot — though I hope the fact there are multiple sequels doesn't mean I'm denied that, because I don't intend to read more.
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 5th: The Adventure of the Assaulted Cabbie
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