Art/Photography, book news, Film, Gaming

Favorites of 2017

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2017endofyear
(Image credit)

Based solely on the evidence here at Stainless Steel Droppings (5 posts in the entire year up to this point, not including this one), it is safe to surmise that 2017 has been an atypical year, at least in regards to reading. I have read far fewer books this year than in any year since I started keeping track, which was about two or three years before I started blogging. And out of those books that I did start reading this year, the majority remain unfinished.

I am not certain I can pinpoint any one reason. Certainly involvement in my community (church, work, family, friends) has been of much more importance to me than ever before and I have made more of a concerted effort to make memories based on interacting with others, which understandably cuts into reading time. But I have also spent more time gaming and watching various things on streaming services than I have in previous years, time that before would have been devoted to the printed word.

That being said, I have had some very nice reading experiences this year, as well as viewing and gaming experiences, and so I in no way consider this a down year…just a different one.

As before, my post is not so much a “best of” post as it is a review of what were my favorites for the year. Some of what I will share are certainly outstanding works in their own right. Others are things that made an impression on me and because of that and no other reason, they have lingered with me through the year.

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Film

The Last Jedi, my thoughts

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lastjediposter

Thanks to my brother-in-law, John, our recent tradition of seeing Star Wars movies with extended family continued again this year with a fantastic reserved-seat opening Thursday viewing of The Last Jedi. Now that a week has gone by, and I no longer feel as concerned with the chance of inadvertently spoiling the film, and also inspired by what seems to be a lot of nonsensical “fan” grousing about the film, I decided it was time to get some thoughts down here on the ol’ blog.

So here is your warning: after the jump there will be spoilers. Don’t read this until you’ve seen the film. A great deal of the fun I had at The Last Jedi was not knowing what direction the story would take and experiencing it unfold right there on the big screen.

What follows will not be a structured “review” of the film, but instead a loose collection of thoughts of what I liked about the movie. In an odd twist that makes me feel like I’m in the twilight zone, critics adored this film and the collective fan base are the ones who seem to be piling on with negativity. Let me be clear, it is perfectly okay to not like The Last Jedi and for your dislike to be filled with very valid reasons. In the reviews I have read, however, there doesn’t seem to be a lot backing up the criticism from those who purport to be fans of the series. Most of their complaints could easily be leveled at every single one of the Star Wars films, and that is why they don’t make much sense to me.

Again, I don’t fault people for having an opinion different from my own. I just would caution everyone to remember…these are Star Wars films. If ever a film series was meant to be entertaining, this is it. I was eight years old when Star Wars first hit theaters. I fell hard for the universe that existed in that film and the handful of Star Wars novels that came out during those early years of the first trilogy (the film novelizations, Brian Daley’s Han Solo novels, and the novel by Alan Dean Foster). I’ve loved some of the films, despised some, and have had middle-of-the-road feelings about others. I enjoyed The Last Jedi and look forward to seeing it again. Thus, other than a couple of “I wish they had…” comments, my thoughts will be centered around what I liked.

Enjoy, and please leave your thoughts, positive or negative (or both), in the comments. Everything hereafter, including comments, will include spoilers.

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Home

The 2018 Sci-Fi Experience

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2018SFlarge

(Cygnus by artist Les Edwards, used with previous permission)

The oldest picture book in our possession is the midnight sky.

~E. W. Maunder, Nineteenth Century, September 1900.

For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.

~Vincent Van Gogh

Though I have been remiss in sharing many of my dreams and inspirations in 2017, the return of seasonable weather and the imposing presence of the constellation Orion in the early night sky has had me in a Sci-Fi frame of mind for some time now. It has been difficult not to be obsessed with the night sky ever since the total eclipse back in August. It was such a surreal moment to experience and one that has strongly influenced my reading and viewing.

It is December 10th, and thus a bit late, but I could not resist the urge to once again spend my December and January enjoying the joys of science fiction. I have been passionate about science fiction in literature and film from childhood and this time of year, with its cold temperatures and early-darkening nights, rekindles that childhood love of the genre.

Though I may be doing so alone, I hope anyone who happens to stumble across this nearly-dead site will consider joining me for The 2018 Sci-Fi Experience.

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Book Reviews, Challenges, Gothic/Horror

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XII

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ripxii As Labor Day passes here in America and those of us who enjoyed a day off return to work, it is time to acknowledge that Autumn is here. Perhaps not “officially”, but for me it is Autumn all the same. Particularly when the weather this week will be so accommodating, with Fall-like temperatures every morning.

Twelve years ago I started a reading event, inspired by what others were doing in the relatively new medium of “book blogging”, that celebrated the kind of old-fashioned, things-that-go-bump-in-the-night reading that I enjoyed doing come Autumn. I knew there had to be others who felt the same way I did, and I wanted to get to know them…YOU…and thus R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril, affectionately known as R.I.P., was born.

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Book Reviews, Mystery

A Great Reckoning

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agreatreckonging

I sit here on an unseasonably mild August day, as we approach the tail end of Summer, and reflect upon the fact that it was two seasons back, on a much colder day, that I last wrote anything at all here on what for twelve years had been my most frequent and enjoyable method of processing creativity in the form of books read, films watched, art enjoyed.

Midori Snyder mused today on blogging and connection and reached out to me personally to converse about it, and as I just happened to finish my latest audio book read, I thought it would be nice to come here, dust off the cobwebs, and write.

It was back in what seems like an age ago that I did something I had never done, to my knowledge, in my entire life: I read through a series of books back to back. Richard had recommended the work of Louise Penny, and though the first book was rough in spots, I fell deeply for the inhabitants of the Canadian village of Three Pines and for the Chief Inspector who would soon bring his much larger world crashing into their smaller one, Armand Gamache.

I read the first seven or eight novels, one right after the other, in preparation for the August 2012 release of what was then her new Gamache novel. All these Augusts later I find myself again pining for Three Pines, pun intended, and the new novel that will arrive on the 29th.

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Eclectic Musings of a Renaissance Geek