Top 10 Favorite Books 2022

Top Ten Books* of All Time

Is there any pastime I appreciate more than books? The question is rhetorical and the answer should be obvious.  

Asterisk Notes:

* Limited to Fiction.

** Best Character. Does not have to be the protagonist.

Number 10

Title: Journey to the Center of the Earth 

Author: Jules Verne 

BC**: Hans Bjelke

As I was looking over my top ten favorite single books list from 2017 I find that once again, it hasn't changed, though it can be reordered. I tried thinking of all the books I've read since this list and even though I've read a lot of really great books, I guess I've just always remained emotionally attached to these. They're usually the first ones I re-read when I decide to re-read after a long, long period of time. (Well, if it's part of a series I typically start with the beginning of the set, but it still applies.) I guess that's my standard. It's hard to make this list. Maybe I don't get as emotionally involved as I once did. Or at least I don't get swept away from these ten in my initial excitement of newer reads that I end up loving as well. Most of these come from early in my reading ventures. Not all. Maybe that's why I am so attached... first loves and all that. But in order to follow the rules I had to remove the only non-fiction book in the list and pick a fiction replacement which was unexpectedly hard to do and why I'm a day behind. But I love a challenge.. 😂 

I'll start by moving this particular book, Journey to the Center of the Earth, to slot 10. I have, perhaps, read better, but it still has my heart. This is one of my all time favorite books. I loved it from the first time I read it. The reason I love the classics is that occasionally you'll run into science fiction that was written before science became so advanced. Before we went to the moon and so forth. And those old stories are so much more imaginative than new science fiction. Now, there has to be an element of realism in it with plenty of techno-babble to make it sound plausible, or it's regarded as childish. Maybe the old ones were a little childish but I prefer creativity that results from the child-like wonder to the sometimes depressing reality that results from well researched scientific possibilities. 

I like the fresh viewpoint in this book too. It's written in first person from the nephew's (Axel) point of view and he's the biggest whiner and wimp you can imagine. Most books would tell a story and create a tense and worried atmosphere when the mission is about to fail, but the voice that is telling the story in this book can't wait for it to fail all the way through. It just seems like a nice change of pace. And Axel contrasts well with the Icelandic eider duck hunter hired to be their guide, Hans. A stoic man of very few words, he's resourceful and solely focused on his job no matter what obstacles and dangers they face. He takes care of, not only the somewhat fragile Axel, but also his overzealous and obsessive uncle who devised the excursion. I guess it's more about the people than the science and its just a very good story.

Number 9

Title: A Wrinkle In Time 

Author: Madeline L'Engle 

BC**: Margaret "Meg" Murray 

More science fantasy. Well, more of a blend of scifi and supernatural. These favorite books from early on usually have another reason for sticking me other than just being a great book. I hated reading growing up but this is the first book I willingly read because it wasn't required reading. I got to choose it myself. And being around the same age as Meg, I was quickly mesmerized. Meg was a social outcast like me, only because she was a honor student in math, not a dork like me. But a connection was formed. After Meg's dad goes missing while working on a tesseract, which isn't a four dimensional analog of a cube like in geometry, but a fifth dimensional phenomenon that folds space and time in this case, three immortal beings use the tessering method to transport Meg, her baby brother who is a child prodigy in science, and a new friend, Calvin, also well above his age in intelligence, who would be her love interest in later books on a journey to rescue him from a darkness that is overtaking worlds. Her brother's curiosity is so strong that he's easily compromised and it's up to Meg to rescue her father with Calvin. She then has to go back to rescue her brother and fight the IT that controls the planet telepathically alone. Her strength of mind and special bond with her brother that would be explored further in the sequels is why she is the only one who can save him. 

I can't claim that Meg inspired me to become a smart kid but it was formative for the kind of books that I would come to love. Reluctant heroes. Fantastical places and creatures. Different enough to stand out in its genre, at least to me. I was increasingly disappointed with each sequel in this series. But this first book will always stand alone as one of the best and one of my favorites.

Number 8

Title: Treasure Island 

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson 

BC**: Dr. David Livesy 

Okay, Treasurer Island is the book that hooked me on reading. After I finished highschool and had nothing better to do with my life I decided to do the great experiment and compare a book to a movie, the Disney version in this case. Needless to say, my life was changed forever. It not only hooked me on reading but motivated me to read more of the classic literature they push on you at school. I decided that I'd, perhaps, not been giving it a fair chance and that there may be something to the reading lists in school. So far it's been a hit and miss adventure that I'm quite enjoying. It also gave me an appreciation for "children's" literature. This book is clearly a kid's book but also written in a time when kids were certainly tougher and more able to process the adult themes presented in raw detail that adults can appreciate and not requiring sugar-coating or being burdened with a lot of psychology as an attempt to make it less scary. I would go on to never outgrow nor underestimate Children's and YA literature. 

However, I do wonder if young boys of that bygone era were just as surprised by the twists as the main character was? Were they fooled by Silver like Hawkins was even after reading all the evidence that he was the deadly pirate he was warned about? Would the fact that Ben Gunn found the treasure years prior being marooned on the island have made their heads explode? It all seems so obvious now reading it as an adult or even young adult in the late twentieth/early twenty-first centuries. I had it all figured out quickly on the first read, even though it didn't lessen the excitement. I guess that's why Dr. Livesy is the best character to me. He's the only adult in the room. Hawkins, as a tween, is meant to be naive, impulsive, and a little reckless because he's the protagonist and charmed with the luck of youth. But there's no excuse for characters like the Squire who funds the expedition, bragging about treasure hunting to everyone he meets, and treating the experienced Captain badly for voicing his concerns. Even the Squire's servant is loyal to the point of being unhelpful, never questioning orders even early on when some things seem definitely off. Dr. Livesy takes all the characters in hand as soon as he meets the unhealthy, old pirate that it staying at Hawkins' mother's inn at the beginning. He stands firmly up to him and everyone else including the Squire and Hawkins when necessary. All of the men on the Hispaniola's side acquit themselves as brave and honorable, but Livesy's common sense made him a cut above. He also tends to the pirates' wounds and diseases during their seige as well as his own mates, making him an awesome doctor. He, as a magistrate, even knows when it's best to just let things go when Silver escapes at the end. He isn't bent on pursing him, but just helping to pick up the pieces of those who survived. And there's the pay off of actual treasure dispersed among the characters instead of just a "treasure in your heart" message. Who couldn't love this book?

Number 7
Title: The Phantom Tollbooth
Author: Norton Juster
BC**:  Tock
This is the replacement for the non-fic book in my list and it's a relatively recent read for me. It's a kid's book, much more so than yesterday, but it's the kind that can be revisited from 6 to 60 with new meanings to be found each time. It's filled with puns, wordplay, and literal takes on idioms that are not only funny but strategic in making the points. It's chaotic silliness for a child and a smart wink and nod to adults. Often compared with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, I think it's actually better. It's much more clever and not a disturbing downer like Alice was. Then, I learned it was written by the same guy that wrote one of my all time favorite stories from my childhood as animated by Looney Tunes - The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics and it all made sense. Oh, my heart! That explains why I found myself really enjoying it. The lessons aren't just for kids and the plot is surprisingly relevant to today. Especially to today, if you find yourself searching for Rhyme and Reason. Having only read it once, I can't recall enough of the details to explain why Tock is my favorite. Probably because he's Milo's main guide and helps him out of the various obstacles as he stumbles into a world divided between lovers of words and lovers of math trying to reconcile them by rescuing the princesses, Rhymn and Reason who can bring the two sides together. The two sides could be seen as emotion and logic or any number of the timeless conflicts within human beings and humanity at large. There are a lot of deeper meanings to explore which is why I picked it. It needs to be re-read and not just by me. If you've not read it since you were a child you should re-read it. If you've not read it at all, I recommend it for adults as well as children. The wisdom is timeless. I can only hope it's not either too smart for modern kids or that modern kids don't think they're too smart for it. Same goes for adults. 

Number 6

Title: The Magician's Nephew 

Author: C.S. Lewis 

BC**: Jadis

 

This one is the first of the Narnia series. 

The interesting thing about the series is that The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was my least favorite of the set. Not because it was bad, but because it was first. They just kept getting better and better as he went along. The Magician's Nephew was, in fact, my favorite. It was written last, or at least at the same time as the last book and released last, and was a prequel before prequels were cool. The concept was the most beautiful, with the Wood Between the Worlds and the rings required to get there. The way Aslan sings Narnia into existence and all the animals begin to think and speak. And the description of Charn was especially chilling. It brings the series full circle. Diggory Kirke would grow up to be the Professor Kirke from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Polly would reappear in The Last Battle, now old like Diggory, so she her presence needed to be explained. Also covered is how the lamp post spontaneously grows in the middle of nowhere in a world that will never have electricity because the arrival of the Earth children disrupted and augmented Narnia's initial development. And how they introduce evil into the brand new world by accidentally bringing Jadis along from Charn. How did there come to be a White Witch in Narnia? That's how. And the cornerstone motivation of Diggory's quest to heal his ill mother ends up explaining how he would manage to have a wardrobe in his house one day connected to Narnia that the Pevensie children would find. The creative writing is simply unmatched. Even with all the newest world-building techniques for fantasy writing, this is still some of the very best and Lewis was probably not even trying... apart from tying up loose ends when writing the end of the story and Narnia at large. 

As with all YA fiction, I usually like the adult characters the best and my favorite character in this book is Jadis, the future White Witch. Not because there's anything to like about her. She's dangerous and even quite terrifying for a book aimed at young kids. What I like about her is how she treats Diggory's uncle Andrew. He's the novice magician that invents the traveling rings. Jadis is evil but Uncle Andrew is the worst. He uses the children as guinea pigs to test the rings not knowing or caring what will happen to them. He's arrogant and shameless. At one point on their travels with the rings, Jadis manages to follow the kids back to our Earth. Andrew believes he is her equal but she puts him in his place as a servant to her. Between that and his ego deflating experience with the new animals of Narnia, he gets everything he deserves. Though you have to admire his spirit and underlying cluelessness of his own shortcomings because he remains impressed with (and perhaps a little attracted to?) Jadis for the rest of his life after its all over. A dem fine gel.. A spirited gel. 😂 😂 Too funny. I love this book so much.

Number 5

Title: The Count of Monte Cristo 

Author: Alexander Dumas 

BC**: Edmond Dantes 

I thought this list would be an easy copy/paste project since I'm a reader talking about my favorite books but I'm a little amazed at the fact that I've not actually made a written review of at least 80, probably 90% of them.. 😂 This one included. 

The Count of Monte Cristo is such an amazing book. It's head and shoulders above The Three Musketeers. Of other revenge stories in the same genre that I have read such as Hamlet or Wuthering Heights, I think this one is definitely the best so far. It's a dense novel that, I admit, is smarter than me since the setting at a specific time in French history isn't one I've studied with great enthusiasm. And the setting, the hundred days after Napoléon left Elba Island, is very much a part of the story in the beginning. Political intrigue is the catalyst of what lands the protagonist, Edmond Dantes, in prison wrongfully. Two young men who he supposes are his friends plot against him. One is jealous of his quick promotion through life, already set to become captain of his own ship at 19 years old, and one jealously wants his fiance for himself. The nail in his coffin comes at the hand of a politician he's never met but whose career could be ruined if Edmond is allowed to proceed on one final mission for his deceased captain delivering a message to another exile on Elba. He's put away as a Bonapartist spy for life without a trial. Dumas makes it feel like it's happening to you, it's so traumatic and enraaging. It helps to make you understand how he's still motivated after 14 years of waiting and planning to return to exact his revenge. Educating and training himself to create not one alternate identity but several depending on whose life he would be touching at the moment. After all, it's not just the men who wronged him that he has to deal with now but their families as well. Their children or parent in one case. And he's kind to them all within his power, not revisiting the sins of their fathers on them. He's kind to his ex-fiance too after she's married these years to the man that stole her in the grand plot to ruin him, although he never moves to reclaim her because he had sought vengeance on her husband. And that's where this book becomes wonderfully complex and thoughtful. He doesn't enjoy his revenge. He's appalled by the ensuing madness of the politician and the suicide of the man that took his woman. After he financially destroys the man who envied his position in life he shows pity on him, rescuing him from debtors that would certainly kill him and even giving him a sum of money to start over with. It leaves a me speechless every time and it's us one of the first books I re-read when I take a break from new material. It'll always be in my top 5.

Number 4

Title: Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban 

Author: J.K. Rowling 

BC**: Professor Remus Lupin 

Looking back on the series, I think that book 4 is the better book and the pique of the set. However, this is my favorite book of the series, most likely because it's the first one that I read. For some reason that always factors into how attached I become when I read books. It's also the book in which the primary story line starts to gain traction. In the first two, the hero saves the day and saves the girl and it's mostly fun and games. It was established that Harry belongs in this world and in this role as the potential savior of the world, but the how and why of this role has been mostly glossed over to make way for building the foundation of the world. It was also determined in the first two that defeating Voldemort is the end that must be worked toward, but Voldemort hasn't been much of a threat to the wizarding world thus far. Azkaban begins to set the table in earnest for the final show down. And it is done without any contact with Voldemort at all which is a creative plus for me and sets it apart from the other six books. It rounds out the cast, introducing most of the rest of the key players and also starts to add a layer of complexity, and add color to the black and white standard of good vs. evil. with not everyone and everything turning out as expected. Dark creatures are utilized even on the good guys' side, and there are bad guys who aren't as much bad as they are broken and pitiable even though they've chosen their alliances poorly. 

One such complex character is Professor Lupin. He's a werewolf. Lycanthropy is a disease in this universe that leaves the victim of forever outcast from society, driving most suffering from it into the criminal element. But Lupin was nurtured with good friends and being given a break especially since there was a recently developed treatment available to help him over the courses of the full moons. He's a tragic character because he's good and does his best to not let his condition impede that goodness. But for all the good he does, he still gets the short end of the stick and has to deal with being socially isolated among other battles he must fight to try and live normally throughout the series. His presence is what gives this book its heart and why it holds its place as best of the set for me as well as contributes to a really great book.

Bonus note: reading the books as an adult I already knew of and loved the outside references such as the name Remus Lupin - "Remus" from the mythological founding of Rome being raised with Romulus by a wolf and lupins being known as "moon flowers". There's so many details like that in all these books and it's just so delightful.

Number 3

Title: Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring 

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien 

BC**: Aragorn son of Arathorn (Strider) 

So, we come to the grandfather series of fantasy. I've said before that reading this trilogy is an undertaking. The Hobbit is more of a kid's book (very smart and advanced kids). The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a long novel divided into six parts over three books, involving a world with a long history, religion, several languages, and it's very British. 😂 But it really is a work of art not unlike a symphony with several movements. I guess I've always just liked the first movement the best. It's hard to pick a favorite from this series because the three books aren't really separate. But I've always loved a slow build. It really is like classical music. Soft and lively character introduction. The shadow of evil is looming in the background for a long time before springing the story into intense action. However, the rest periods it shifts into are still mostly light-hearted and happy in the first book. Truly refreshing after the dangerous and frightening events they experience. In the following books the rest periods are weighed down with the darkness that was enveloping the missions the different groups were on. There was an innocence about the Fellowship when they were first formed and still traveling together before race to destroy the One Ring really begins. 

Even harder is to pick a favorite character. Sincerely. Frodo is the kind of reluctant hero figure that I love. Sam is so easy to relate to I can almost feel myself in that part. Gandalf, the wise mentor. The dynamic between Legolas and Gimli just gets better and better. But Aragorn is the glue that holds it all together. From his introduction he's taking care of everyone and leading even when Gandalf is the designated leader. Of course, he is the rightful king of Gondor so even in the presence of Elrond and Galadriel he carries himself like royalty. But even as the Ranger, Strider, he's naturally given to taking charge. And he's got the best opening scene/description in all of literature. Always one of my favorite parts to read and it's in the Fellowship of the Ring.

Number 2

Title: Watership Down 

Author: Richard Adams 

BC**: Hazel 

Another kid's? story. I have a copy with a forward by the author which explains that it was just a story for his kids on a long drive, but either they were very grown up for their ages, or he altered it slightly when putting it in novel form. It's never seemed like a "kid's" story to me. Nor did it to anyone else who saw the 1978 animated movie that was based on it, which was one of my childhood favorites. It got a lot of complaints about violence and heavy subject matter. All warranted. But it was just following the book. So much so that I didn't fully understand it until I read the book as an adult. I had the same experience with The Last Unicorn - a favorite childhood animated movie that stayed remarkably close to its source book. It's like they try harder if they're an obscure, inexpensive movie. I'm glad I grew up in a time when they made more serious cartoons that dealt with adult themes and wisdoms. But, I digress.. 

Even though they are anthropomorphized rabbits, they can't physically do anything a real rabbit can't do like write letters or sword fight and none of characters are juveniles. In fact, it's kind of a minor zoology lesson in rabbit behavior along side the story. It's rich and textured with military type heroes, accurate psychological profiles and even faith within the rabbits' primitive mythology they follow. There's so many great lessons in leadership and rudimentary layouts of different types of government as the rabbits journey from a definite class system to set up a republic and then free other rabbits from a totalitarian society that they war with. Hazel's runt brother is a "Cassandra" figure who foresees the destruction of their warren and an ideal place to form a new one, but is not listened to. So Hazel decides they'll leave but what he's not counting on is that others want to leave too. And all look to him to lead, even, eventually, the rabbit who was the captain of the guard in their old warren. Even when they question why he's trusting his brother's visions. They meet countless natural dangers and are nearly lulled into joining a warren of rabbits that are unwitting livestock for humans. Then, after their ideal warren is established, his leadership is tested when, realizing their group has no females, he sends a bird to spy the land, finding a closed society of rabbits led by a mad dictator. He formulates the plan for retrieving does from their warren (and any others that want to come) and strategizes the battle to defend their own warren when the dictator comes to take his own back and destroy them. He bears the burdens from the beginning and the scars alike and lives to see his society flourish to multiple generations before he dies of old and goes to his reward after death. Kid's story? About as much of one as LOTR, maybe. I ball like a kid when I read or watch it now. I love it more than the movie but it also makes the movie better somehow. It's on my very short list of approved movie adaptations. And it's one of the greatest works of fiction ever, in my opinion.

Number 1

Title: Out of the Silent Planet 

Author: C.S. Lewis 

BC**: Dr. Elwin Ransom 

My husband used to run cardboard at the city and had occasionally indulged in a little dumpster diving. Not like a hoarder grabs random, useless garbage full of bugs... Seriously, a brand new set of drinking glasses, still in their box with only one broken was a good find and I used them for years... He'd also pick up books for me if they were in decent condition. This is one and it sat on my bookshelf for a long time. I didn't know who Lewis was. (Any memories of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe from childhood were vague and more likely of a cheap, animated film than a book.) I kept it with a stack of Asimov Science Fiction and Analog Science Fiction digests because it's science fiction too. It's science fiction with a twist on the scifi trope that I usually complain about in alien-oriented scifi. But in this book, instead of humans having to learn a lesson about how they're shamefully inferior to the alien race(s), the humans must learn a lesson about being humble before God from the planetary spirit that the aliens look to for leadership. The aliens are superior, in a way, but only by the grace of God. 

The story follows Dr. Elwin Ransom, a philologist (Lewis' wink at Tolkien) as he stumbles on a scientist and an old school fellow, Dr. Weston and Dick Devine respectively, while walking through the countryside. Unbeknownst to him they've been to Mars already and have plans to exploit that world and eradicate the natives for the progress of human civilization. Ransom's unfortunate timing gets him kidnapped by the men with the intention of handing him over as a sacrifice to one of the native races they assume to be savages. But he escapes and over the course of the book interacts with all three of the intelligent races on the planet, learning their common language, and rediscovering his faith. There are plenty of action sequences with his abduction and flight. Also when he's pursued by the men later on. But a large portion of the novel is a dialog on philosophy. They reader, in essence, is learning religion from the aliens who, though they share the humans' Creator, don't have the same words and references that are known on Earth because they predate Earth's history. The conversations are cerebral, yet simple so that you don't have to be an academic to follow. Ransom learns that the planetary spirit of Earth turned bad (bent) and attacked Mars and other bodies in the solar system. Malacandra (Mars) is not a paradise. The damage was done but it was limited since its own planetary spirit, Oyarsa, helped to fight the Earth spirit and helped to capture him and bind into the air of his own world, making Earth a silent planet with the inhabitants cut off from the celestial realm. An imaginative account of Satan's fall from Heaven and subsequent corruption of humanity if these were really other beings from Mars, etc. that could observe it from the outside. The trial scene at the end when they all end up before Oyarsa is cringy for all the right reasons. In the end they're allowed to return to Earth with their way back destroyed. Weston and Devine don't learn any lessons and are dealt with in turn in the following two sequels. But Ransom is changed forever and so was I. It caused a spiritual reawakening in me and I wanted to start really studying my Bible after that. So, even if it's not a "great" book, it did its job as a witness. 

A fun thing about this book is that Lewis wanted to work in the odds and ends of world building that were probably edited out to tighten up the story, so he inserts himself in the end as being in contact with Dr. Ransom (a pseudonym, apparently) who has charged him with penning the true story of his adventure to Mars as a work of fiction so that more people can be reached and warned about Weston and Devine's (also "fake" names) interstellar plans. He puts it all into a couple of correspondence letters between himself and Ransom. It's a neat trick that Michael Crichton would use a lot in his works... fudging the line of fiction and reality. 

It's still my favorite book. After I re-read that trash copy until it fell to pieces I bought the Space Trilogy. They can be read separately or as a set and they're all good. 

Book Review

The Great Hunt, book 2 of the Wheel of Time series, Robert Jordan
*spoilers because it would be impossible to review them otherwise*

You always wonder if a long series will continue to stay as captivating as the first book. But no worries here. The first book was a great hook but the second book digs in and pulls you further along.

All the characters were introduced in the first book along with a low resolution layout of the social-political structure of the world, and it ended with the realization that the male protagonist could indeed channel the One Power and use magic which is forbidden for men. Yet, the support he received would indicate that it must be allowed in his case because he is believed to be the Dragon, who will defeat the Dark One, Shai'tan, once again. The Dark One, in the first book, could not operate at full capacity since he was and is still imprisoned, though slipping gradually through the cracks. So, he was temporarily damaged enough to be held at bay so that the characters and world building can carry on while setting him up as the final enemy to be defeated in the end.

Anyway, most who know me know one of my favorite tropes is the reluctant hero and I actually like how far ahead of the characters the reader is in this one. It's obvious in the first book that Rand is the "chosen one" figure who will be the hero of the story. But his reluctance almost to the point of naivety is justified due to the way the world is imagined and it's irresistible to watch him living in denial of his destiny throughout this entire installment before resigning himself to his fate at the end.

The world itself comes into sharper focus in this book too. The different kingdoms and the political landscape is explored earnestly as Rand maneuvers through the task he's given. He tries not to stand out or make any waves but only ends up becoming a person of interest which only puts a spotlight on him when he is revealed for what he is. The other young men from Two Rivers accompany him on the quest at hand because one of them is in need of a stolen knife from the first book that is directing his own mysterious destiny. However, while the first book gave equal time to the five ta'veren (a person who is a pivot point in the Wheel of Time that many destinies are woven around), this book stays mostly focus on Rand. I look for each to get their own push to the front before it's over. But, the ladies get an adventure of their own in this one as well. The two girls from Two Rivers begin their training to be Aes Sedai but not much time is spent with the drudgery of learning magic. Instead they are betrayed by one of the Sisters and, at least attempted to be, sold into a form of slavery. Rand becomes aware of their situation towards the end and wants to rescue them, especially Egwene, but they along with their other two lady friends who were also staying with the Aes Sedai rescue themselves and contend with their own growth and battle scars.
Their story has no direct bearing on the main thrust which Rand is involved in, but complements it by adding to the complexity of the landscape. The people they have to contend with as enemies are not shallow, simplified, and necessarily easy to place as evil even when they're not sympathetic like Seanchan people who were holding the women as captives. All of the factions and leaders think they're working against The Dark One even if they're only doing harm and inadvertently making his return easier. Instead of being threatened by one dark lord, it conveys the sense of the whole world being against the protagonists. Only the small group of heros/heroines has any clue as to what is really going on. It's frustrating and so much fun.

Summary of this book: The Horn of Valere that was found at the end of the first book is stolen at the beginning of the second. Rand's responsibility is to return it to where it was being kept. But a pattern I'm starting to notice in both these books (a pattern that I'm enjoying too) is that the first course that the characters need set out on is not where they end up. In the first book they skip their destination of Tar Valon to prematurely face the Dark One in the Blight where he's imprisoned but his hoards still live. They find the Horn about halfway through this book but never get the chance to return it since it's stolen again and taken to a place where it must be used to defeat the Seanchan who were spreading like a cancer throughout the region, taking advantage of the people's ignorance of the past ages. That's the short version of the book but there's so much more to it than that.

Indeed, there's so much story in these books that it's impossible to keep up by just my summaries alone - so many secondary and wild card characters affecting the events - so I still definitely recommend them for fantasy lovers. It's an exceptional series so far and I'm already enjoying the third book. 

Book Review

(Re-upload. I finished these some time before the previous entry but it got deleted by mistake) 

The Chronicles of Prydain, Lloyd Alexander

I was inspired to get this set after seeing something regarding the Disney movie, The Black Cauldron. Something about how it didn’t do well at the box office, and it didn’t. I remember when it came out but I don’t think we got that one and I only remember bits and pieces of it. Perhaps it was mishandled. Anyway, I was wondering if it was based on a book, and low and behold, I found five books with The Black Cauldron being the second of the series. The name Prydain sounded familiar and I remembered that my friend Jenny, had recommended the Prydain series some time ago, so I took a chance on ordering the whole series since it wasn’t overly expensive anyway. 

I’ve since had a chance to wonder-why is it sold so cheaply? This is an excellent series, and should better known that what it appears to be. Of course, I’m always late to the table on such things so maybe it’s more popular than I’m aware. It’s a YA high fantasy series that channels the spirit of Tolkien’s Middle Earth sagas. It’s also plainly a strong influence for British writer J.K. Rowling when she was composing the Harry Potter universe, since Prydain is not so subtly steeped in a Welsh setting and written during Rowling’s childhood years. It could almost be the young adult version of the Lord of the Rings series, except it’s less complex, quicker paced, and not as heavy with more humor infused into it. And the method Alexander employs to develop the characters is the same layout Rowling chose for Harry Potter. She follows Harry’s growth from year to year, as Alexander follows main character, Taran’s growth from the time he’s, perhaps, 15 until his early 20’s. His age and the time passed isn’t as clear in this story. But with each entry he gains experience, wisdom, and the tales have less and less of a children’s tale feel to them. 

The first entry, The Book of Three, is the lightest of the stories. It introduces the characters around a kingdom with a very rich background for as simplified and child friendly as the writing is. Prydain was once ruled by and evil enchantress, Achren, that was overthrown by an even more evil Enchanter, Arawn.  He’s struggling for power against the rightful High King of the land and the smaller kingdoms, cantrevs, that pledge loyalty to him. Adopted Taran lives with an old farmer and powerful enchanter on a farm with a prophesying pig, dreams of battle and glory. He is thrust into the chance to find it when the pig is scared away by the dark forces hunting it and he goes to retrieve her. But it doesn’t give away too much at once, which is something I appreciated in the Potter series and others of its ilk. The pig does no prophesying in this book. Nor do you find out the old farmer is a retired warrior. The Book of Three that is owned by the old wizard isn’t even explained to any kind of satisfaction. But along the way to find the pig, Hen Wen, the world is build and he meets the important characters that will accompany him through is adventures and growth. He teams with a bard named Fflewddur Fflam (obvious Welsh influence on spellings, lol) who is a king by birth but prefers to travel the country practicing his art with a harp that forces him to be truthful since he has a tendency to embellish his stories. Love that harp. The heir to the kingdom of Prydain under the High King befriends him and a scraggly simpleton kind of creature called Gurgi, the comic relief and sort of Gollum element only he becomes the most loyal pet-type of person. He also meets the co-main character Princess Eilonwy who is beholden to Achren at first but an enchantress in her own right who becomes an invaluable equal partner to Taran challenging his views of her station as a woman and a lady in need of protection and to be bound to her castle. It was the 60’s after all. But what I love most about Eilonwy is the similes and comparisons that Alexander afforded to this character. It’s such a smart and funny way of teaching proverbial truths that are more heavy handed and poetic in adult centered novels. Just a few examples, I can’t resist: 

"If you stop now, then you've given up Adaon's brooch for nothing! That's worse than putting a necklace on an owl and letting it fly away!"

"He helped us – he certainly did that, just the way a robber helps you tidy up your house!"

"The only thing you have to decide is how we shall escape from this tent. If you're thinking of anything else, you're wasting your time. That's like wondering whether to scratch your head when a boulder's about to fall on it."

"It's silly," Eilonwy added, "to worry because you can't do something you simply can't do. That's worse than trying to make yourself taller by standing on your head."

"I can't stand people who say 'I told you so.' That's worse than somebody coming up and eating your dinner before you have a chance to sit down."

These phases pepper her dialogue throughout every book she appears in and I had to start wondering after a while how Alexander could keep coming up with all of them. She’s a wonderful character. The voice of wisdom. She’s probably still too secondary for modern tastes, but for my part she’s just right. The characters are rounded out with Doli a dwarf of the Fair Folk who wants nothing more than to be able to turn himself invisible. A wish granted that he would later regret to much ongoing advantage and humor. 

Anyway, like all good prolonged series, even though there’s an overarching enemy that must be dealt with in the end, each book has separate antagonists that must be defeated to wrap up each part of the story. The antagonist in this book is the Horned King, one of Arawn’s captains who is a large menacing force commanding an army of undead warriors of undefeatable strength. The team dispatches the Horned King with the help of the old wizard, Dallben and sends the enemy retreating for a while, but it’s only the first of many battles. The end is happy and everyone survives.

The second book, The Black Cauldron, raises the stakes by placing the characters in closer proximity to the primary antagonist. It has a darker tone and real tension between Taran and a new character, Ellidyr, a young man with the title of Prince but who has no kingdom, is impoverished and has an enormous chip on his shoulder about it. Several cantrevs get together to plot an assault on Arawn’s castle to capture and destroy the magic cauldron that is used to create his undead super-soldiers. Taran is entrusted with more responsibility as he grows and begins to see the hardship of finding adventure and glory and the dark side that drives the wayward prince. The politics of the land grow more complicated as well as you see that not all cantrevs are loyal to the High King; Arawn has allies as well. Taran gets a new friend, a crow named Kaw, a wonderful plot device allowing long distance spying and communication. With his friends old and new, and butting heads with Ellidyr the whole way, he finds the cauldron and learns hard lessons about the prices that are paid for gaining your desires from three witches of the Marshes of Morva. Their presence is an exhilarating addition. He also sees first hand the sacrifice that is necessary to win this battle. The ending is bittersweet and begins adding depth to the series. I can see how the Disney treatment of the story could leave it lacking in substance.

The Castle of Llyr turns its attention to Eilonwy. The wizard Dallben decides that she is to be sent to the Isle of Mona for a proper upbringing as a princess. She’s also arranged to be married to the Prince of Mona, Rhun who is a hilariously irritating buffoon, lacking the life experience to be a king and is a drag on Taran’s progress as he needs eventually needs to rescue Eilonwy from Achren who wishes to reclaim her hold on the princess. It’s a new and different layer of growth for Taran as he must swallow his jealousy and resentment of the silly and immature Rhun who is thrust on him for mentoring before Eilonwy is kidnapped and accompanies him on his journey. Unlike Ellidyr, Rhun is actually an affable young man with nothing but the best intentions, so neither Taran nor the reader has just cause to hate this character. Taran also recognizes that Rhun’s right to be wed to Eilonwy is legitimate since he is of a high, noble birth and he, Taran, has no known pedigree. It’s a lesson in maturity and accepting that you can’t always have things your way in life. Of course, Eilonwy has no real interest in Rhun, although she remains polite to him and engaged after the events of this book, but not submitting to a marriage right away because she always follows her own rules first. Rhun also learn some lessons along the way, gaining Taran’s grudging respect. The introduction of Llyan, an enchantedly overgrown, wildly dangerous, female cat who becomes Fflewddur Flam’s protective beast, is so wonderful and special. In the end Eilonwy renounces her enchantress powers to break Achren who wanted to use Eilonwy to strengthen herself and overthrow Arawn to rule all of Prydain again. Again, this Eilonwy is most likely too much of a damsel in distress trope for modern preferences that wouldn’t approve of her opting out of a more powerful presence, but I think she’s the perfect female influence for young women as she’s used throughout the series when lessons for young girls are needed in the narrative.

The fourth book, Taran Wanderer, is probably my favorite. It’s very sedate compared to the action driven narratives of the first three. It’s actually quite a chance for an author to take with a series that is geared towards tweens and teens. It is also a story for Taran alone; Eilonwy doesn’t appear in this entry and Alexander apologizes for it. Distraught after his last adventure with Rhun and Eilonwy, Taran asks for permission to seek out his heritage and find out once and for all if he could possibly be qualified to ask for Eilonwy’s hand in marriage. And as the title indicates, he wanders to and from various cantrevs, with a vague notion of seeking The Mirror of Llunet, a pool of water in the mountains that, legend has it, can reveal his bloodline to him. He learns lessons in leadership, patience, hard work, being observant of your surroundings, and honor. He finds himself mediating peace between two warring cantrevs. His hopes are dashed by a poor hermit pretending to be his father but he learns to overcome the resentment after he learns the truth. He tries to find a way of applying himself in the world in the Free Commots, a series of enclaves that have no king, but are collectively loyal to the High King of Prydain. Therein he learns many different skills from many different tradesmen and women as he procrastinates in his original quest for the Mirror. But he must also help Doli and the Fair Folk battle an evil sorcerer that has been terrorizing them as well as a gang of criminals that terrorize the Commots, all of which push him to his goal. His goal which shows him nothing and is destroyed before he can examine the pool anyway. But he comes away from the experience at peace with his common heritage and a much better person for all the experience he gained with his life teachers. Like I said, kind of risky for a book aimed at teenagers, but it’s too compelling to put down. And as an adult, I could feel the lessons in a different way than young adults would.

The High King is the conclusion and final battle with Arawn. The way it’s laid out makes me smile with satisfaction to know that the way the final HP novel was handled derived so much influence from this book. Arawn pulls a power move by stealing the magic sword of the High King’s heir and secures an alliance with another powerful cantrev in order to overthrow him and any of the loyal people left in Prydain. The book brings back characters and plot devices that were unique to other books to help defeat the evil enchanter. From a corrupted, enemy bird that Taran captures and nurses in the first book coming back to help, to the magic sword itself which was discovered in much mystery in the first book and is directly related to the defeat of the remaining undead soldiers. Hen Wen is shown prophesying. Eilonwy comes back from Mona where Rhun is now king. They both participate in the battle where Rhun valiantly (and conveniently) sacrifices himself having finally become a man and worthy king. Even Achren has a part to play. Taran loses many friends, all carefully chosen deaths by Alexander and all helping to elevate Taran to a position of leadership and glory that he is now comfortable in, if not entirely delighted with like he thought he would be when he dreamed of glory as a boy on his farm. And the end was taken straight from Tolkien. All of his friends are given the opportunity to go to a place of peace and immortality.  He is given the opportunity as well. But he remembers the promises that he made and chooses to stay to try to honor them. That’s when the Book of Three is explained as having a prophecy of a new High King of unknown birth one day to rule the land. The three witches return in this one and the previous book to help seal Taran’s fate. Eilonwy is given the chance to move on as well but she chooses to stay with Taran, (choosing a mortal life.. Arwen anyone?) marry him, and become queen of the land that they will have to labor hard to rebuild. And they do.  And it’s a wonderful end to the story.

I recommend this set to anyone who loves the fantasy genre who maybe hasn’t heard of this series or has forgotten. Don’t even hesitate, just get all five books. Not one of them is disappointing.

Book Review

Eye of the World, book 1 of The Wheel of Time series, Robert Jordan

I’d had this on my list of books saved at Amazon for several years, but more or less forgot about it until there was word of a new streaming series based on the Wheel of Time series. It reminded me that I had thought it worthy of looking at once, so I ordered it. I have a natural hesitation of starting long series that I don’t know anything about, which is probably why it sat stagnant in my list for so long. But I’ve never been happier in my life for finally pulling the trigger on a book! I loved it! I can see now why they want to adapt it into a visual medium and I’m already sure I’d be disappointed if I ever saw it.

It hits all the beats of a high fantasy premise and the hero's journey while retaining an originality in world building. It's main theme and philosophy is centered on reincarnation as time turns over and again, the ages repeating themselves with variations in each pass. We join the wheel in the first part as it's circling around to another age in which the evil Dark One must be defeated again by one called The Dragon who is prophesied (because there's always a prophecy 😏) to be reborn with the purpose of doing just that. But it's not that cut and dried. The ages are thousands of years long and the people have become unacquainted with their world's history. The stories have become skewed in ways that aren't favorable to most parties involved in the previous ages, leaving everyone paranoid, superstitious, and seeing the prophecy as a dangerous thing. Seeing the hero as the villain, not without some reason. And wanting nothing to do with the magic and magic users involved with helping to keep the Dark One at bay, going as far as to run them out of towns. Also, although the prophecy only regards one young man, nobody knows which one it is of a possible three that are being watched, and the other's lots are possibly just as important and certainly intertwined with the reborn Dragon. More than just those two are swept up in his fate, of course. All is accredited to the way the wheel weaves their destinies. Dragged almost unwillingly away from their home, the companions are faced with dangers that only existed in in their fiction tales, and still do in many places. Guided by a powerful, magic wielding woman they don't trust, everyone stays secretive and plotting alternate options to take and nobody is on the same page until the end when they can no longer deny the reality that they only thought to be legend. Reality which feels more like defeat than a great responsibility. Along the way they're separated, reunited, and take their own personal detours in the midst of the collective journey discovering new and, thusfar, unrelated things about themselves. They end up bypassing their original destination of safety altogether in this story to skip to The Eye of the World and a battle nobody is ready for.The Dark One is slowed in the end, but not stopped.

It mixes up the normal fantasy casting tropes a bit too. I have no way of knowing for sure yet, but I don't think this story features elves and dwarves. The human race is primary and magic use is exclusive to the women with a couple exceptions. The magic source is the One Power, a magic force that usually requires a channeling agent. I always appreciate it when authors make sure that the rules that govern the magic are unique to the world created. So far the only non-human ally is an ogier, which has beastial characteristics blended with human. There are not classic trolls that appear with deformed human features, but trollocs that have animalistic qualities. Other antagonists include Myrddraal, corrupted human forms reminiscent of grim reapers with some magical ability and a terrifying presence, evil spirits, and humans allied with the dark forces.

It just checks so many of my boxes of things that I love in a fantasy novel. A long, slow build of the world and character
development. Pro tip: when reading a series that comes with a lot of background lore built in, read the book first, or at least most of it first before spending too much time in the glossaries or indexes trying to take it all in and understand it in one sitting. Letting the story unpack itself makes it less confusing and it's kind of the best part. This first book has only scratched the surface. There's not too much given away. There are many avenues left open ended to be explored later. The romances are unrequited. There's even a little color coding going on regarding the sects of Aes Sedai (the lady mages), which is something I've always been entertained with in things like anime. But it's not just checking my boxes. There's a strong, overarching female presence which I know my friend, Laney, likes. And the characters, except in the brief prologue to set up their simple society and meager aspirations for their lives, are of age and basically adults, though still young and fresh off the farm. Quite literally.

There are 14 books all together in the series so I realize that at any point this could veer off into disappointment as The Dwarves (Markus Heitz) series did for me. But so far I'm really into this story and I confess, even after posting a few days ago that I couldn't honestly indulge in any new books this year, I bought the next one in this set straight away because I can't wait to see what happens next.
I recommend it to fantasy fans wholeheartedly. 

How do you YouTube?

 How do you YouTube?

Is it a casual time waster or do you pay for all the bells and whistles in order to see and/or create content?

Some look up videos just for fun like, children throwing temper tantrums, old music videos or TV shows they've forgotten about, adorable animals - pets or candid footage, horrifying wrecks/disasters (it takes all kinds), sports clips, celeb interviews, or amazing physical feats of regular people. Some follow regular podcasts. Some utilize it by looking up how-to videos to help with a task. It can even be a decent research device for neutral topics like ocean floor topography or comparatives of the differences in appliances. Some upload videos on topics of personal interest even if they don't do it for a living.

Some have nothing to do with YouTube at all which is not a bad thing either. Even though I've had a YouTube account for years, I only recently, in the last couple of years, started surfing habitually and finding things that interest me. And I definitely qualify as watching just for time wasting unless I'm using it to learn instruments.

Channels I'm subscribed to:

I have a slew of videos saved on a play list for learning mandolin, bass, and short clips from different political commentators that I like, but I'm not subscribed to leave room for other things it occasionally recommends to me that I'll watch like large domino cascades, figure skaters from back in my day, competitive metrics over various things spanning decades, and size comparatives of fictional objects to name a few. It's actually little things like this that waste the most time, so I try not to click on them. However, the ones that I subscribe to are mostly the ones that don't necessarily need to be watched.. I can have them running in the background and listen to them while I'm busy or working so that I'm not wasting too much time. Beginning with my most frequently checked subscriptions.

The only political channel I'm subscribed to is AwakenWithJP. It features JP Sears whose videos are short and mostly comical. Comedy usually steals my heart anyway, and most political stuff is depressing, so I like to have his channel handy.

And of course, it's all about lists, lists, lists for me! So I have a few that, while not solely devoted to ranked lists, do create them among other things. 

 

Lost in the Pond is a channel hosted by a British immigrant man living in Chicago with his American wife. And here's the real kicker for me - he actually likes America. It's just refreshing. Anyway he does comparatives of England and America since we are two countries separated by a common language and he wants to go over all the memos Britain and America lost in the pond. Sometimes it's language comparatives, sometimes it's cultural comparatives, sometimes it's just video and commentary on different cities he's visited since he's determined to see every state and most of the bigger monuments. His humor is snarky and dry as you'd expect so, of course, I love it. He embraces the British stereotype for fun. His videos are short (I'm defining short as 10 minutes or less) and just a nice, fun distraction.

Harry Potter Theory is, obviously, an HP fan channel. The only one I follow because it's not the sort of fan page that gets nit-picky or bitchy as many fan sites of different franchises are apt to do. The guy that makes the videos speaks softly and just puts out interesting content that ranges from discussion of the latest material like the Fantastic Beast series, to comparatives between book and movie, to a run down of the different types of wood used for different wands, to his own theories on some unexplained characters or moments that have been overlooked or who's the better between two characters. But not in a pushy way... He seems like someone you could have a friendly discussion with. Again, mostly short videos. And like the others I've mentioned so far, there's not daily postings which I like because it feels like less of an addiction to YouTube..

Minty Comedic Arts is an Australian guy that makes movie trivia lists. Mostly "10 things you didn't know about (insert movie)". His research is probably limited to things anyone can find on the internet, and he owns up when the sourcing is questionable. As for comedy, his jokes sometimes land and sometimes don't. But he's a movie lover and a trivia junkie like me so I feel a connection and he's quite passionate about his topics which makes him pleasant to listen to, even if it's a movie I already know well. And he talks about things most other movie list geeks don't like the movie posters and video game tie-ins. And he sometimes gives a bonus entry showcasing his own collectible merch. Not daily postings and his videos are midrange; about 15-20 minutes, but it's nothing I have to sit and watch.

For my fix of ranked lists of anything and everything, there's WatchMojo. They will literally rank anything. They even recently made a list of their top 10 most hated top 10 lists. Of course, whether I'm interested in the subjects being ranked is hit and miss. I'm subscribed so that it'll recommend not only lists from them but lists from Ms Mojo and Mojo UK. But I don't want them all crowding the newsfeed. And I usually stick to the top 10 lists rather than the top 20s. Just a personal preference.

I'm subscribed to only one music reactor. I feel silly admitting it because many think it's uncool to watch music reaction videos. But after seeing a few different ones, I think Jamel_AKA_Jamal seems like the most genuine. His reactions don't seem forced or even controlled. He has a real appreciation for music, he doesn't stop the videos too much and he never has anything mean or overly critical to say. He does have daily posts but, as with all the other stuff, if I don't know or care for the songs, I just don't watch. He has another music_and_more channel where he reacts to comedians and funny things. Not subscribed to that one but I get the recommendations. Video times range from short to long depending on song length and whether or not it gets blocked for copyright strikes.

Only one religious channel as well. Alastair Begg's channel Truth for Life. I've listened to him on the radio for years. I grew up in the era of James and Tammy Faye Baker, so I don't take listening to preachers or Bible teachers that have become public figures lightly. He's been critically vetted by me to my satisfaction. I find his sermons to be be both informative and edifying. He's not a sensationalist. He doesn't have a dream or dramatic, heart-tugging personal story for every situation. He doesn't bully your emotions up into to mystical highs or down into terror and fear. So, some may find him dry. But he's a very knowledgeable and funny little Scottish pastor from Ohio who is good for Christians to listen to. At least I think so. His 25 minute sermons are often broken into two to four parts depending on how long he's teaching on a topic or entire book of the Bible. The only one that I recommend as worth your time to look up on YouTube or the Truth for Life app.

Getting into the longer videos, one channel I really like is Cinema Therapy. I have a layman interest in psychology and I love movies so the unique and fun premise of this channel hooked me in. The two guys are a psychologist and a filmmaker. They watch segments from movies and while the filmmaker critiques the technical aspects of the scene, the psychologist breaks down the possible clinical disorders of characters and character interactions. It really is fascinating and they're obviously having so much fun and their chemistry is so good that I'll even listen to their ads that they have to read through instead of skipping through like I do with other channels. Depending on the topic, I don't necessarily have to know the movie either to enjoy it.

There are three of my most frequented channels that I'm subscribed to that I have to sit and watch though. The first is called RealLifeLore. It deals in a lot of geographical topics so seeing the graphics and maps is helpful. Subjects range from how maps are skewed, what landing in the world's most dangerous airport is like, what if Chile was way longer (up coast of both north and south America), world's strangest borders, what's the furthest away from civilization you can get, and lots of other random stuff. It's a great time waster.

The next is called TRYBALS. These need to be watched because they're entirely in subtitles; no English. It, too, is a reaction channel in which trybal people of the Middle East try different things and give their opinion. A lot of music, not all American. Different foods. Sometimes different TV shows like The Joy of Painting or Mr Bean. And they even tried painting along with a Bob Ross video. They're all from Sindh, Pakistan. The men are Muslims, the lady is Hindu. It's a unique perspective and they're all really nice people. Grateful people. This serves as a job they get paid for and it helps their families.

The third is Hollywood Graveyard. It's pretty self explanatory. The host showcases the memorials of celebs and other famous people. They run anywhere from a half hour to over an hour so I have to watch each episode in segments when I'm not busy.

I have other subscriptions that I don't check on as much because they're best when watched as well and it's hard to find time to watch everything that's watchable. 

 Vinheterio is an Argentinian pianist who is unbelievably talented and makes videos displaying it in many fun ways.

The Gentleman's Gazette... I'm not sure why I'm still subscribed to this one. There are some truly fascinating videos on historical men's fashions, but only a small percentage. They also fall into the long videos range so, it has to be a very interesting topic for me to sit and watch.

NativLang is a great channel. It covers all kinds of ancient and modern languages, etymologies, and writing systems. But the content is infrequent and I'm not interested in every language.

Then there are channels that I don't subscribe to because the content I like is the exception, not the rule, generally. Magazine channels like GQ, Vanity Fair, and Wired sometimes pop up with celeb interviews going over their most known characters or songs, or answering internet questions. Sometimes I'll see people of specific expertise either answering questions or analyzing how their profession is portrayed in film. And voice actors critiquing amateurs that have made videos of themselves doing some of the actor's most well known voices. But that's a subsection of what they cover and why I don't subscribe. I don't typically look for them either. But others I do keep an eye on even though I don't subscribe.

Channels that I'm not subscribed to but still get plenty of recommendations to save and listen to: 

 

More list fixes mostly.. Lists from the WhatCulture universe which includes What Culture, Trek Culture, What Culture Star Wars, Who Culture, Gaming Culture... It's sensory overload and it's all ranked lists. Many of them are better than Mojo's lists, especially since they're subject specific. But the algorithm knows what I like so they always turn up in the newsfeed. Short to midrange videos.

Jordan B Peterson. I discovered him a couple years ago and I love his content. He's a former psychology prof from the University of Toronto and practicing clinician. He's been hunted by the woke mobs for several years for the usual crimes of making common sense, being an adult, and being vocally against compelled speech. I've watched enough clips from his lectures, speaking tours, and podcasts that I get most of his recommendations anyway and I see subscribing as just clutter. Short clips to 1 to 2 hour podcasts that need to be listened to in segments.

Beth Roars. A Scottish vocal coach analyzes different singers in live performances. I don't subscribe because I'm only interested in singers I know and she does a wide variety. But it's fascinating to hear how the science of singing works and she has a lot of infectious enthusiasm.

I keep an eye on three reviewers. First, The Critical Drinker. I like this guy because he shares my views on the pitiful state of movies these days. I've stumbled onto a short series of videos he's done lamenting the way movies have been written in the last couple of decades and he makes compelling arguments. But the rest of his content is on shows I don't watch much of. Still, every now and then he'll make a complaint video and to be honest I just like having my own opinions validated.

Next, Rowan J Coleman. I've been watching his videos over-viewing every Star Trek series and movie. I like well put together opinion pieces even if we differ on some things. He also did some rankings. But I get plenty of rankings elsewhere and although I like Star Trek enough to listen to a longer vlog about it, he doesn't review enough other shows that I like as much to get his content all the time.

                                       

Finally, Clever Dick Films. Put out by a devoted Whovian and amateur documentarian that was making a series of documentaries on every Doctor that I was really enjoying but he stopped after the 10th Doctor and his content seems to have dried up. Maybe he's lost his funding. 

 

The last two that I don't subscribe to but still look in on are kind of heart-breakers. The first is called Legal Eagle. He's a lawyer that has a channel explaining legal procedures. I found him by coming upon his videos made about certain movies getting "lawyered" by breaking down the courtroom scenes in movies and TV in terms of how authentic they were. He also made some videos running down all the laws broken in other movies like Jurassic Park and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. They're smart, funny, so enjoyable, and the guy clearly knows his stuff. But he's a former 9th Circuit Court intern and his background is filled with the usual liberal academic bonifides. So, not only will I not subscribe but I won't watch any of his videos analyzing current legal cases that are in the news, which is almost all of what his content has been for the last couple of years anyway. I don't want to ruin the good times I had watching his movie and TV show videos. And any occasional new movie/tv material he puts out.

Steve Shives. Closest thing to a Star Trek soul mate I've ever found. When I listen to his videos it's like listening to my own thoughts and analysis. We agree on everything about Star Trek. At least everything Trek that I've seen. He's more immersed and has seen much more Trek content than me. About him I can truly say, "He gets it!"... He's also the worst kind of raging angry, belligerent, communist liberal on the internet. He actually wasn't unbearable about it until he got a response to one of his videos expressing disappointment over a few political jokes he made during the commentary and asking politely for him not to drag politics into it. It was then that he made a video telling anyone who didn't agree with him to unsubscribe and to basically go f**k themselves. I mean, I wasn't subscribed anyway, but was considering it. However, since he made his wishes so explicit... And I'm truly heartbroken and completely bewildered on how our "beliefs" on Star Trek can be so closely aligned while we clearly have polar opposite philosophies on real life. Bizarre. I guess some respect should be credited to him because he did, in fact, lose a lot of subscribers and his exclusively political videos don't get a lot of views, yet he hasn't toned down his politics at all; doubled down rather. I still watch his Trek videos, but it's just such a shame.

Anyway, that's how I YouTube. Those are the audio/visual things that I enjoy being distracted by when I don't wish to engage in this insane world. Written down for my friends that prefer to read rather than do YouTube, or any kind of video leisure.