Despelote (PC)

Even being ambivalent to soccer, the inescapable passion for the World Cup caught up to me as well, though not to the actual field of play. A short experience—I played through in two sittings—this was story-based game from last year about the daily life of a young person in Ecuador following their national team in its quest for World Cup qualification. Of course, the story did not hit as hard for me, nor should it have, but I appreciated the personal nature all the same. The art style was fantastic, almost as if there was a sepia newsprint filter over realistic environments, while people, the soccer ball, and other important interactive objects were stark black-and-white. (Although quite a different tone, it was vaguely reminiscent of Tom Goes to the Mayor.) Near the end of the game, there was a moment when the scene suddenly shifted to walking around in color. At first, I thought my textures were not loading properly, but the narrator soon explained I was walking around a 3D rendered Google Maps equivalent of the area. As someone who frequently pulls up Street View of favorite places when I need a pick-me-up, this was stunningly poignant.

The Undoing Project – Michael Lewis

I got this from a recommended reading list about the evaluative qualities of humans, pretty standard fare for Michael Lewis. This was more biographical than statistics piece, but Lewis still accomplished his usual goal of reducing academic theories to the understanding of a layperson. As a biography, it was not my favorite book of his. I often get the impression Lewis is too close to his subjects when he profiles them, and this was evident by constantly calling one of the authors by the familiar name, “Danny,” which became an unfortunate personal pet peeve. I was interested in the concepts presented, but not really sold on the background of the writers: their lives, partnership, conflict, reconciliation. I did find their differences in character to be insightful, but ultimately, I would have wanted a deeper dive on the writing itself rather than personal histories. For this reason, I think, it did inspire me to go directly to the source material and pick up Daniel Kahneman’s book, which I had been meaning to get to for some time.

WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA - Slayyyter

In trying to do some mid-year evaluation on the music I’ve missed, this is one appeared on numerous lists. Fully acknowledging I’m not the target audience for this, but wow, is it exciting to my old, white, straight, male ears. That said? It was excellent. Despite the oxymoron, this is intensely abrasive in the best possible way. My first thought was that it could probably a big deal in dance clubs, but I don’t think that’s what the artist is going for. Then, the near-immediate swerve into glitch pop reminded me of Sleigh Bells, which gave me a similar sense of excitement the first time I heard them. The genre bending only continued from there, settling broadly into electronic pop. I felt uncomfortably old listening to it, sure, but it was undeniably captivating. I will be listening to this one again.

To Clutch a Razor – Veronica Roth

This is the second novella in a series, actually, although I found it leagues better than the first and worth reading even as a standalone story. The romance angle felt natural, where it seemed forced in the first book. The Polish connection drew me in, of course, but the characters and their emotional interweaving kept me engaged. The family drama was more compelling in this one, and the intrigue of multiple, conflicting interactions was complex but also tight. Centering the action on one house, with all of the family and surround characters convening for a funeral was a fantastic touch.

Absolute Martian Manhunter, Volume 1: Martian Vision - Deniz Camp & Javier Rodriguez (DC)

DC appears to have caught lightning in a bottle for the Absolute series of comic books, stories told in alternate universes featuring all of their main characters. I saw numerous of these volumes on best-of lists at the end of last year, so I checked them out. I found the big three—Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman—to be decent, but the Absolute universe take on Martian Manhunter is exceptional. My assumption is this speaks more to the popularity of the first three, which makes Martian Manhunter more of a blank canvas for readers who aren’t deeply immersed in DC. John Jones is a detective with the FBI, but the Martian alter-ego manifests itself throughout his investigations in ways that come across to the reader as psychedelic. Jones ability, or lack thereof, to maintain a grip on reality is more compelling then the actual cases and crimes he is attempting to discern. Phenomenal, inventive reading, and I eagerly look forward to the next volume.