Welcome, let’s talk about stuff. All the stuff that I’ve enjoyed this week, and maybe even sometimes some stuff that I haven’t enjoyed quite so much. Some of it is new, some of it is old, all of it is stuff. That’s the key.
Stuff.
Also the fact that it’s Sunday.
Let’s not over-complicate things. We’ll start off by talking about what I have been…
Reading…
Having diverted into some smaller works to whet my appetite I have been able to dive back into The Shining with appropriate gusto. It is a meaty, satisfying novel. My King repertoire is lacking, I’ve never gone after The Stand or tried IT or anything at all, really. All I have under my belt is a collection of short stories, which I did find very enjoyable. The Shining is the beginning of a rather considerable back catalogue I have to work through. So far it has lived up to its reputation, it is slow, and it is scary, and it is also accessible and poppy and digestible. It works as a book which could well be one of those battered poolside paperbacks that you leaf through on your summer holidays, but also could function on a deeper, more introspective level, for those readers looking for that marginally more engaged experience.
Anyway what I’m saying is:
A Stephen King book is good.
Playing…
I’ve probably said all I need to say about Gears 5 but it is still taking up a decent portion of the time I have for games, especially because the fantastic Horde mode is such a massive investment each and every time you load it up.
As I wait for Dragon Age XI on Switch I’ve been looking to divert into something more else on the side and Dishonoured 2 is that game. I picked it up second hand disgustingly cheap and it is just as much fun as the first. The beauty of the game is that you can tackle any mission however you want and no matter how right, or wrong, things go the mission keeps on chugging. Sadly I’m not the type of player who can accept when things go wrong, especially on the first time around. Not only do I not want to kill anyone, I don’t even want anyone to see me. Thankfully the game has a handy quick save and quick load function for the losers who play that way…
Listening to…
If you read Sunday Morning Stuff last week you probably know that I am still listening to the new Alex Cameron record because 1: it’s good, and 2: I actually ordered a physical copy of it. It now lives in my car, where it will probably live for a long, long time. I don’t collect a lot of physical media these days, but I had to show Alex a little monetary love.
As it turns out other music does exist! Also out last week was the new Charli XCX album and after being entranced by the freaky-future-pop sounds of the singles which led into this new release I gave it a go and I have been enthralled by the sleek and accessible pop tunes which have been blended with engaging but never disorientating experimentation. At times the album is noisy, at times it is glitchy, at times it is futuristic, but most importantly it is never, never, boring.
Watching…
I’ve given in to the hype and started watching the new hotness, Undone on Amazon Prime. It is right up my street. It’s an animation done in a gloriously other-worldy style, with realistic figures moving like twitching liquid through beautifully painted landscapes. It is parts Waking Life, Bojack Horseman, and Netflix’s Maniac but is also a wonderfully paced, independently spirited tale all of its own. It’s got Rosa Salazar and Bob Odenkirk in top form, and it follows Alma, a young women just floating through life, who after a near-death experience finds that her relationship with time has been altered. I’m only a few episodes in and I do like to space out shows that I fall in love with, I’m not much of a binger, but I think this time next week I’ll be able to comment fully on the entire show.
And that’s enough, isn’t it? What more do you want from me? More stuff? I don’t have anymore stuff! Come back next week and I’ll have some more for you, you greedy buggers.
If you want more check me out on Twitter, I guess.
run into words 