Weekly Media Roundup

[cittasette]

I'm still reading. This is good.

What I've recently finished reading:

The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway. The first half of the book was pretty slow, but I blitzed through the second half. There were many twists, most of which I didn't expect. It reminded me of the Southern Reach Trilogy, except more lighthearted. A good read despite the occasional encyclopedic rambling, and I liked how all the bits and bobs throughout the story came together neatly at the end.

What I'm currently reading:

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. After The Gone-Away World I needed something a bit lighter, so here we are! This is my second attempt at Discworld. My first attempt was chronological; I read the first two books years ago (Colour of Magic, etc) and they were fun, but evidently not good enough to hold my interest. So far, Going Postal is equal amounts funny and clever, and I need me some more Vetinari.

China Wakes by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Still getting through this one. So far it's been describing to me in very detailed anecdotes how corrupted China was. Fun.

What I'm reading next:

I'm thinking I'd like something light so I can keep up with this reading habit. Currently loaded on my Kindle: A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab, Borne by Jeff VanderMeer, and Red Rising by Pierce Brown. Or I could read more Discworld. I welcome any and all recommendations!

What I've recently finished watching:

SSSS.Gridman. A 12-episode anime series that I'd never heard of until I saw a youtube video talking about the antagonist. I stopped about five minutes in to avoid being further spoiled and went and watched the series. I enjoyed it despite some pacing issues and the fact that I don't watch that whole genre (normal people gaining powers and fighting kaiju, yada yada), and I'm sure I missed a whole lot of references. The best parts were the slow unveiling of something wrong with the world and the chilling effect caused by the antagonist acting just like a normal girl in high school while doing antagonistic things.

What I'm currently watching:

Guardian (镇魂) - I snuck a look at the recent meta posts and was spoiled on the ending in a slightly more specific fashion, whoops. But I'm still slowly making my way through this. 12 episodes to go, hoo boy.

I don't know why it's so much easier to watch anime than actual dramas. Probably has to do with how the episodes are half as long. I really don't know how I managed to watch all of Stargate... nowadays, I can hardly get through a single episode of a thing without having to pause and do something else.