Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Sega Genesis) & Kirby’s Avalanche (Super Nintendo)

This is technically about two video games, but it’s really about the same game. When I say these are the same, I don’t mean they are comparable or one inspired the other or one is a spiritual successor. No, they are the same exact game, except for having Sonic characters or Kirby characters. Fortunately, it’s an excellent game!

I always fell more in the Dr. Mario camp of falling icon puzzle game preferences, so when my closest friend and Mean Bean advocate said he was clicking with Dr. Mario 64, I had to give Puyo Puyo another try. I immediately got stumped by the second (of thirteen!) levels. But once I learned the patterns and the importance of combos, things started to make sense. I was eventually able to progress through and vanquish King Dedede and Dr. Robotnik in their respective games, even as the blocks are dropping faster than I could see them. It’s almost not possible to watch them fall, you simply have to line them up and hope. I can see how someone can get good at this, but it took fairly lucky massive combos for me to finish both games. And at the end of the day (literally), I’m closing my eyes and seeing beans fall. That’s a bonus win for me.

Halo: Cryptum - Greg Bear

Earlier this year, I made a personal goal to fill in some of the Halo lore and backstory. Now, this is typically a misguided idea, but this is a franchise I already enjoy, so adding some in-universe history interested me. This was the first book of the chronologically earliest trilogy, thus a good starting point for this project. It was a fairly straightforward science fiction story about the oldest species and their early encounters with the common enemy which arise throughout the game series. This nebulous enemy is the impetus for the entire franchise, as it has the potential to spread and dominate the universe, necessitating constant conflict and the very Halo weapon itself. With this story in particular, they may be less of an immediate threat; instead, the conflict lies in the weapon’s creator and the political power it brings. This book is not going to win any new fans, but people who already have an appreciation for the story will find some nuggets of interest.

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

I read this book when it came out, which means I remember almost nothing of it now. Watching this movie did something rare for me: it made me want to pick up the book and read it again. When I heard it was being made into a film, seemingly so soon after the book’s release I was intrigued, especially with how it would be adapted. Considering how particularly narrative is the nonfiction of author David Grann, it didn’t exactly surprise me that Scorsese was doing it. Unfortunately, since I’m not in the Apple ecosystem, I had to wait a few years for Criterion to put it out. Initially, the runtime scared me, but it never actually felt overly long. It was fascinating to see the very familiar Scorsese crime drama applied to a Western setting. That said, it never achieved the level of gravitas as some of his other period pieces. I still enjoyed it, possibly even more than his last streaming exclusive crime epic, but I still have a hard time fully accepting movies which are intrinsically linked with a streaming service. It’s ridiculous, it’s outdated, but it’s my problem.

A Wave That Will Never Break - WU LYF

Apparently, I missed out on the mythology of WU LYF. A band that unveils little information about themselves, they released one highly regarded album in 2011—perhaps the height of my music discovery phase when I could have found them—they apparently disappeared for a decade and a half before returning now with a new record. I didn’t know any of this until last week, but the story was intriguing enough for me to go digging. I have to say, I haven’t heard a song from this band yet that I haven’t liked, including this newest release. Comfortably in my favorites of the first half of the year, this album is incredibly well put-together. Being only seven tracks, it seems slight, but each song is put together so immaculately in a way that feels sprawling. I look forward to returning to it all year, especially in different seasons.

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This - Omar El Akkad

This was a challenging read in all the ways the book itself warns it will be. As a formal diatribe saying, essentially, “silence is violence,” I felt uncomfortably complicit throughout the book. I am not educated enough about the war in the Middle East nor have I dedicated the time, which speaks precisely to the book’s thesis. It pulls zero punches about the global tragedy, and particularly the luxury and privilege of the Western world to be disconnected from the events. I had some nitpicks about the writing, where some of the parenthetical phrases felt forced and vindictive, but all of that is ultimately inconsequential. It is an impressive book. The family history connection makes the story personal while the journalist background keeps it professional. Sadly, I feel this same book could be written (and probably has) about any number of global issues, and come to the same realization: human nature tends to lean towards self-interest. A solution was not offered—that’s not this book’s responsibility—and that only made for a more devastatingly bleak conclusion.