Review: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's 2023 and I'm just now getting around to reading Harry Potter. There are a number of reasons for this. One, I don't have a Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) because if you spent your life worrying about how other people feel then you'll waste all the time on your deathbed thinking about how you were a disappointment to everyone. Two, I'm a pretentious prick. In my youth, I would say that I just have good taste. And, while that remains to be true, sometimes it would keep me from enjoying something if it was popular among the unwashed masses.  So now that mob mentality from all those unwashed has finally turned against JK, I feel I can sit down to see what all the fuss was about.

I can tell right off the bat there is an inescapable charm to this book. In tone, it feels like someone is reading this story to me from my bedside while I'm curled up in my blankie. While I would normally be offended by such a delivery method, it manages to strike a perfect balance between what it is saying and how it is saying it. The book reads as if we're children but doesn't speak to us as if we're children. It handles themes of harsh seriousness as if post-toddlers can actually deal with it. I know overprotective and strictly religious parents have a hard time hearing this, but they can.

The pacing is great for the first half of the book but tends to hit the fast-forward button during the second half. One of the things I noticed when watching the movies is that, for a book series that spends 90% at a boarding school, there is a surprisingly little amount of school work. While I normally praise books that skip over anything that isn't relevant to the plot, the setting makes this skipping over more awkward. There's also the fact that it takes place over the course of a year which makes it noticeably top-heavy on the same level as Christina Hendricks. Issues I probably would have a bigger problem with if not for the intended younger audience.

Characters are just different enough to tell them apart. They also tend to be interesting but more in a quirky kind of way. I know most of these characters are children, but even the adults aren't bothered with much of a backstory. Defined more by their physical traits and functional position to the plot rather than characterization. I know through osmosis that much of this is flushed out more throughout the series but it's noticeable when your characters are bullshitting their way through the book.

Even from the very first chapter, I can tell why this series is popular. While it's not a perfect book, it's perfect for the audience it sought out. It's charming and imaginative but not in an overly stupid way as with most books in this genre. I can't help but escape the fact that sometimes something is popular because it's good. Or has an OnlyFans account.

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Journaling: 2023 Edition

This post might be for my own sanity than anything else. What we have here is a reference guide to how I currently organize my journal. For the two people who might read this, feel free to comment on any suggestions/thoughts you might have.

I use the Leuchtturm 1917 Medium A5 Ruled Hardcover Notebook. In my opinion, the gold standard. There are trillions of planners out there that claim to be great, but I find predefined notebooks prevent me from making a system that works for my particular needs. Also, most of them tend to have a wellness section to ask what I'm grateful for or what I'm feeling. So, what am I feeling? Angry. Or horny. That's it. Those are my moods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

First things first, write the current year and my name. Never know when that information will become useful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the title page, the journal has a place for an index. Instead of indexing everything in some hard to sort out page, I have created an indexing system. Basically, this journal has multiple functions and I have an index for each separate function. The index at the beginning of the journal simply indexes the indexes. I'll get into each index as I proceed. I also fill in the index as I create the journal and what you're seeing is the finished product.

I also place the page numbers on the far left side as some indexes will take up multiple pages as the year goes on. This is especially true of the planner index.

 

 

 

 

The first page is dedicated to the key. 

 Like most bullet journals, the first section is to layout different types of bullets. Tasks, events, notes, deadlines, and memories. Also known as: shit I need to do, shit that's going down, shit I need to remember, shit I need to do but by a specific date/time, and shit I need to remember but in a more profound way.

Then, we have modifiers. Checking off stuff I did, cancelling stuff that wasn't too important, and moving things to another list.

Signifiers. Asterisks are for things that are important. For context, I define 'important' by what kind of log that task/event is in. If it's something on a particular day, than I need to get it done that day. If it's in a project page, than it needs to get done before anything else can proceed.

I also color code tasks based on certain criteria. Thanks to a good friend who gave me a bunch of colored pens.

Red - A task on the weekly log related to a project.

Blue - A task on the weekly log related to a monthly task. Monthly tasks are typically multiple step endeavors, so I space those steps out in the weekly log.

Green - A task in the monthly log related to an annual goal. Same basic concept as the blue tasks.

Purple - Tasks/events/notes related to my wife Camille. Typically mundane shit I need to go over with her.

Then we have dimensions which are literally the measurements of the journal pages. A reference that can be useful when drawing or making the weekly logs.

Next page is annual goals. This is pretty straight forward as it's where I list things what I want to get done during the year. I like to define them as 'goals' rather than 'tasks' as they tend to take up greater resources of my time and are broader in definition and scope.

Also, I'm using a fresh pen. Hence the bleed through.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we have the planner index. This is where you'll see all of the traditional bullet journal pages. Starting with my own take on the future log. Then a monthly log followed by several weekly logs. I also do a monthly review that I might update this blog on at a later date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second function of this journal is, well, a journal. This is where I index diary journal entries where I express my thoughts, ideas, and innermost feelings. You know, dude shit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third function is a logbook. Simply put, things to keep track of that can be referenced to later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fourth function, projects. Mostly a place to keep notes and track my progress on larger things I need to do. I try not to put tasks on these pages as I've found they tend not to get done. So I keep notes and transfer tasks to the weekly log.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fifth function, an index for a Commonplace book. A page dedicated to commonplace entries can typically hold multiple quotes, so the index will list a page, list an entry (separated by A,B,C, etc), and a short reference to the entry itself. If you don't know what a Commonplace book is...

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Commonplace books (or commonplaces) are a way to compile knowledge, usually by writing information into books. They have been kept from antiquity, and were kept particularly during the Renaissance and in the nineteenth century. Such books are similar to scrapbooks filled with items of many kinds: sententiae (often with the compiler's responses), notes, proverbs, adages, aphorisms, maxims, quotes, letters, poems, tables of weights and measures, prayers, legal formulas, and recipes. Entries are most often organized under subject headings[1] and differ functionally from journals or diaries, which are chronological and introspective."[2] Commonplaces are used by readers, writers, students, and scholars as an aid for remembering useful concepts or facts; sometimes they were required of young women as evidence of their mastery of social roles and as demonstrations of the correctness of their upbringing.[3] They became significant in Early Modern Europe.

Sixth function, drawing. Mostly I'm drawing designs of things I'm building or organizing. I only draw people if it's in stick figure form. Honestly, this function doesn't get used that often, but it's nice to have when I need it. Below might be the most boring picture in this blog post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first page of the planner is the future log. You might have seen future logs take many forms, but this is mine. I just list the month, date, and what the task/event is. At the beginning of each month, I transfer any relevant items to a newly created monthly log. Once this page gets filled up, I'll create a new Future log on the next blank page. Then I'll update the index to make it easy to find. I also write a note at the bottom of the page telling me where the next future log page is. It's one of the big reasons I love the 1917 as the numbered pages are a huge help. I find this way works best for me as it only takes up one page at a time and months can get uneven.

 

 

 

 

The following page is for the first journal entry of the year. I typically make this journal in December so I reserve a page for whenever I start actually using it. It's not pictured because no one needs to read that shit.

Next we have the monthly log. First page is the calendar as I write down upcoming events/tasks. It works much like the Future log where, at the beginning of each week, I transfer any relevant items to the new weekly log. The second page is my monthly to-do/goal list. As mentioned before, I create steps in the weekly log to help complete this list. I actually don't reference this log too often as most of it is split up among the weekly logs.

 

 

 

Following the monthly log, we have the weekly log. I use two pages split into four pieces each. The first section is weekly goals. A place that mostly contains blue and red tasks that have no real need to be done on a specific day. The following blocks are the days of the week. I tend to focus on the day blocks first and work on the weekly goals as I have time. There is also a place next to the day where I might put a note of something to focus on or an event that will consume my day. The last block is for Sunday, but I also place tasks in there meant for next week. I place the next week tasks on the bottom and work upwards. If Sunday and next week tasks meet, I draw a line separating them. Sundays are typically a lazy day and I try to avoid planning things on this day unless for specific reasons.

The next few pages are projects and logs that you've already seen the index for, so I won't bore you with them.This is pretty much how I start out my year with my new journal.  It gets added to as the year goes on and sometimes I even add a function or two. If I have the time, or if there's any interest, I might include more posts like this to go over my boring ass systems and additions to this journal.

Review: Elric of Melniboné

Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

For anyone who looks at the dates read can see it only took me two days to read this. Granted I rushed through it so I could be finished with it before my Christmas vacation, but I still couldn't wait to be done with it. It's not a long read, nor did I found it to be a particularly engaging one. It might be that the book hasn't aged well, but you'd think that a book that has around five million entries in its series, you'd think I would find something special about it. It's not bad, just surprisingly meh.

I think my turn off is that the tone of the book is grandiose without being grand. There's an unearned heart to the book that seems to believe you should hang on every word without those words actually being good. If that makes any damn sense. To be fair, I might not be explaining it well. I'd say you have to read it to maybe understand what I'm saying, but I wouldn't recommend that. Just take my word is that this is a book you can probably skip. Or you might have worse reads if you have literally nothing else to read for a couple of days.

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Review: The Burning God

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Burning God is a perfectly serviceable ending to a trilogy I enjoyed overall. I'll outline my issues with it, but I still say this is a book series most need to read. While nothing eclipses the first book in terms of quality, this is not a typical book series that drops the ball after the first volume. If you've already read the first two books, you should at least be somewhat happy with the last edition.

Things like pacing, prose, and characters are still top-tier here. Flaws aside, TBG can at least maintain your attention. Not perfect, but also never boring. Being more of the same is both a blessing and a curse as what the same is also pretty good while not being surprising either.

I would say it has two big problems. First, it doesn't add anything new in terms of characterization or plot. It's roughly just a continuation of the previous book without many steps taken to outline a grander story. Two, the author more or less writes herself into a corner where the mangled bittersweet reminding-me-of-Game-of-Thrones-though-not-quite-as-bad is the only option left available. I know what the author is trying to say because she literally spells it out to the reader, but I felt there should have been a few more drafts on the table. At least she didn't go for a redemption arc. That would have been even worse.

Pet peeve: The epilogue isn't an epilogue, it's a conclusion to the unnecessarily abrupt ending of the last chapter. That's not what epilogues are for. Not being used properly is a big reason why I generally dislike prologues and epilogues.

I, admittedly, had this final volume on my 'To Read' list for a couple of years in between reading the second book. I can't help but think if I had read this closer to the last book I might have had a better opinion of it. But books, if nothing else, should last the test of time. I should put at least some onus on my memory, but it also shouldn't be completely to blame. I still liked it, just not as much as the first two.

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Review: The Seeds

The Seeds by Ann Nocenti
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'll be honest, I only read this because the art was done by David Aja. After reading it though, I still can say it should only be read for the art. It's short though, so it won't take up too much of your time. I would like to see a quote like that in a follow-up printing of this book. It's badly written, but at least it's short.

There's not much praise to be had for this book. Even the primary reason, the art, isn't a strong contender. The art is good from a technical aspect but lacks any creativity I might have come to expect from David Aja. The art just felt dull and underutilized. Though, given the story he had to work with, I wouldn't blame him.

The writing here is just bad. Plain old-fashioned bad. People talk without much meaning behind their words as if they are having slightly different conversations. Or, to put it another way, it's as if one person is replying to a conversation that is taking place five minutes in the future while the other person is still in the present. Characters also randomly (and repeatedly) mention things meant for world-building but don't affect the story in any conceivable way. I know it's setting the scene and tone, but it's just so badly done.

There's also no real beginning or no real end to the story. And I mean that in a narrative sense. Plenty of great books begin and/or end in unresolved spots, but you can at least affirm that it was the beginning and/or end. This book just kind of begins and just kind of ends, as if the writer didn't care about it.

This review turned out longer than I had planned. I was just going to make a few notes and be on my way. Turns out I had some issues to get off my chest. I didn't care for this book if you couldn't tell by now. I fully recommend the works of David Aja, but there are much better examples than this.

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Review: Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Socialists are middle class. The working class don't want a revolution, they just want more money.

Paraphrasing Alan Moore aside, I wouldn't say I 'enjoyed' this book. It's far too depressing for that. The reason being is because of how little has changed in previous decades. Not only since the book came out, but since before the book was even released. This book could have been released in the 1980s, 2000s, or 2020s and would be relevant regardless. It's upon that realization that the depression really sets in. So I wouldn't say people should read it because they would 'like it', because they won't, but rather it will likely challenge their worldview. And people should always read books that perform that rare feat.

The ground-level focus of the book is its strength and its weakness. The micro-level experience gives a real human face to the issues facing the underpaid but the macro-level statistics only work if you assume everyone's perspective is the same. And I always maintain that you can't use the micro to justify the macro (and vice versa). Just because one person survives cancer doesn't mean it isn't a deadly disease.  This is further complicated by two out of the three cities being heavy tourist hubs that are viewed during their off-seasons. While her points aren't invalid, it does skew the results. It would be like taking global temperature readings where one test was on the equator and the other was on the north pole.

To get the objective portion out of the way, the book is well written. It's everything you'd expect from someone who was educated in the most mayo of liberal arts colleges. I mean this both in a technical and artistic level. Not only does the book communicate all the information clearly but it also makes you feel it emotionally. One glance at many of the other basic bitch reviews shows judgment being heavily swayed by cognitive dissonance, but, regardless of how your lukewarm evolutionary leftovers make you feel about the subject matter, no one can successfully argue it isn't at least well written.

I could make several arguments for and against this book, but I think that would miss the overall point. I don't think anyone without rotten karma would disagree that the working poor has a terrible time of it. The point of the book being to expose how bad it truly is and how we're being less and less aware of it from the socially forced segregation of the classes. The main underlying issue with the book is the power of assumption that there needs to be a dramatic change to fix things. But, if there's anything one can learn from this book, is that the working poor doesn't have the time or inclination for revolution. They just don't want to be poor.

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Review: Six Wakes

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I dislike disliking things. Honestly, I wished everything was good. It's not, we know this, but I somehow hope that every book, movie, and album is good in some way. That's the best way to describe how I feel about this book. I want to like it, but it's not good enough for me to justify any kind of stamp of approval. I can't even say this book is only mediocre as it's good in some elements but bad in completely different others.

The reason I felt bad about disliking this book is because it actually has a brain in it. Much of the book, at least in terms of world-building, is smart and thought out. It's everything else about it that just kind of sucks. It takes the Heinlein question of "What if (clones)?" and runs through its logical paces. The problem is that the story isn't well constructed and is mostly vapid on a creative level.

The plot is supposed to be a murder mystery but the author doesn't seem to know how to write one. This is clear in its lack of focus on the actual plot and tends to make up less interesting subplots to pad out what is already a book that is below average in length. It kind of sort of all connects at the end, but the ending feels uninspired and unearned. The structure might have worked as a fictional memoir or other less thriller-derived plot. It's like someone showed up to a Halloween party dressed as Santa Clause. They got the idea but missed the point.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the book is its tone. It's kind of the same problem I had with the "Murderbot Dairies". A flat uninterested tone that could have been engaging if it wasn't also so tiresome. Here, the tone is fairly nonchalant about everything. The problem is that I can't tell if it's supposed to be the point or if it's just bad writing. And if you can't tell if something is done purposely or if it's just bad, always put your money on it being bad.

This book is smart but badly written on almost every metric. And I like smart books, they tend to be my favorite kind, which left me struggling to determine how I felt. I want to like it, but it's just not good. Not even remotely.

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