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Here's what I've been consuming so far in January (and maybe a little before that too)

Here's what I've been consuming so far in January (and maybe a little before that too)

some brief bits on what i've consumed

Cole Bubenik
January 16, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

Wallace and Gromit vengeance most fowl - I think of myself as a Gromit, though I am likely more of a Wallace.
Nosferatu - Zach got to keep hearing me say “but see in Dracula the story goes like this”

Season 5 - 6 of the Sopranos - I’m not finished yet, though I do already know how it ends. I think there’s a lot of good stuff about the Sopranos and a lot of bad stuff. I’m really interested in the whole like disease thing that keeps swirling around, how all the mobsters end up with some form of cancer.
The Abbot Elementary & Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover episode - it was cute! I thought it would be hard to actually pull off, but I think it worked pretty well.
Traitors Season 2 - Bob getting rid of an iconic villain first episode because he apparently had no clue who she was is a plus for me. I like the format of the Traitors U.S. I think it works to make the show feel a little less gamey while still providing some thrilling drama and suspense.

State of Paradise by Lauren Va de Berg - I really enjoyed this book but I think I would have liked it even more if I could have a couple of college class periods to talk about it. She’s doing something really interesting in the way she writes her main narrator and I think I get what she’s going for, but I’m not totally sure.
Small Rain - Chapter 1 - I am reusing a Bluesky post but: gnawing my arm off wondering why I can’t write like he does. There’s so much going on, I wish I could capture it all. Maybe I’ll write something larger about it once I’m finished reading.

Mass Effect - Zach really loves this game so he’s trying to get me to finish the entire series. I didn’t really care for the first game, the controls felt wonky and the combat felt really boring. Mass Effect 2 is definitely an upgrade however, even if I’m only 1/3 of the way through.

I’m trying to read more short stories (30 total this year) so here’s what I’ve read so far:

Prophecy by kanak kapur - Really good, a solid and easy read.
Plaster by David szalay - Eh, take it or leave it. I’m jaded against this type of story though.
Between the Shadow and the Soul, Lauren Geoff - I enjoyed it!
Revision, Daisy Hildyard - Pretty good
Peking Duck by Ling Ma - Ling Ma continues to be one of my favorite writers!
Tender by Cherline Bazile - A really solid read with some excellent voice work.
His Finest Moment by Tom Bissell - Perhaps a fitting read after consuming the latest piece about Neil Gaiman
The Master Mourner by Benjamin Ehrlich - I’m probably going to re-read this one because I’ll be honest, I didn’t 100% get what was going on. But the prose was really well written so I think I just got distracted.
Trash by Souvankham Thammavongsa - Lovely, absolutely lovely! What a way to end a short story!
Do You Belong to Anybody? by Maya Binyam - Enjoyable, not my favorite thing I’ve read so far, but it’s got a lot of interesting bits going for it. I love the detached and matter-of-fact narrator.
Camp Emeline by Taryn Bowe - It really reminded me a lot of the types of short stories I used to read and love during college, which is a great compliment IMO.
Treasure Island by Alley Da-Li - I realllyyyyy liked this one, I love how the author plays with time, there was something mesmerizing and magical about the way it was written.
Moon by Esther Yi - This was wild lmao.
This Isn’t the Actual Sea by Corinna Vallianatos - I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t my favorite.

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