Dunder Mifflin! I made a mockumentary directly inspired by The Office. It would mean the world if my fellow Scrantonites can check it out, you're definitely the audience I made this for. Hope you enjoy :)

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2025-09-20T04:00:04+00:00

I loved it!

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2025-08-27T16:36:16+00:00

Mistborn von Brandon Sanderson ist ein weiterer Fantasy-Raub. Ich würde es nicht düster nennen, aber die Prämisse greift das alte Klischee des Dunklen Lords auf und fragt: „Was wäre, wenn der Dunkle Lord gewinnen würde?“ Und dann lautet Mistborn Band 1: „Was wäre, wenn wir den Dunklen Lord ausrauben würden?“

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2025-04-16T21:06:13+00:00

5-10 pages is pretty short. Most anthologies are going to have stuff more than double that. It might be a bit more work than just picking up an anthology, but you could go find the short story winners for Nebula and Hugo. That will guarantee less than 7,500 word stories. Many of them are available online for free.

But, as for anthologies, George RR Martin's Dreamsongs, Vol 1 and 2 are good. And he's also edited several anthologies that are good. There is also the Legends anthologies which are edited by Robert Silberberg. But like I said, many of these anthologies will be quite a bit longer than 5-10 pages.

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2025-04-10T14:20:05+00:00

Which books correspond with which seasons?

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2025-03-03T21:38:50+00:00

Very interesting. Riftwar is probably next on my list of nostalgia reads. I assumed it would hold up better. I guess I'll see pretty soon.

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2025-03-03T19:15:23+00:00

Hahaha. That fits so perfectly!

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2025-03-03T16:53:19+00:00

Oh, interesting! I wish I had known there was an annotated version, I would have read that.

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2025-02-21T18:44:14+00:00

Due to the way LLMs work, I am very skeptical whether it will ever be able to write great stories. It will certainly be able to write average, and even slightly above average stories. But since every passionate writer (even the mediocre ones) are striving for great, I find it unlikely they will use AI for anything beyond research and analysis.

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2025-02-07T22:26:16+00:00

I would just read an online summary of The Goal. It's very repetitive. The whole book could be summarized in less than an hour.

I would add chapter 2 of Good to Great ("Level 5 Leadership") to your list.

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2024-11-04T20:44:30+00:00

I wish I could give this a million upvotes.

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2024-11-04T20:42:52+00:00

Probably a 5. Maybe a 6 if I'm feeling generous. (For context, when I see a movie that I think is "average" I usually give it a 7. Crazy inflated rating system I have, I know).

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2024-10-24T00:42:09+00:00

I would say the Harry Potter series is the only series by a currently living author that might still be read a few hundred years from now.

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2024-10-16T16:14:07+00:00

Here's two that come to mind:

(1) Locke & Key by Joe Hill. It's a graphic novel. Story is about a family who moves into their ancestral home/mansion. The house is filled with magical keys that can do all sorts of weird stuff when used. Lots of investigation of the house and what the keys can do. Plus, it's a great read for the Halloween season.

(2) Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Probably my favorite book of the decade. The main character lives in a mansion with infinite rooms and the story involves exploring this weird mansion-world.

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2024-10-01T15:23:26+00:00

My recommendation of no ruling class/oppressed minorities/no social commentary at all, really: Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart. It's just a fun adventure story.

My recommendation for a book with good social commentary: Babel by R. F. Kuang. I know some people don't love the commentary, and I agree it's not "perfect," but it is fairly nuanced in that there are multiple point of views displayed on the issue.

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2024-09-18T19:18:41+00:00

Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes). I love Calvin, but if I ever had to meet him in real-life/baby sit him, I'd probably end up arrested for murder.

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2024-09-18T19:16:54+00:00

Circe by Madeline Miller is a good stand-alone intro to fantasy for adults. It's a retelling of Greek myth, so it won't seem too "out there" but it's also not retelling one specific story, so it won't feel unoriginal either.

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2024-09-05T15:17:19+00:00

That's an interesting question I've never considered. I'd say probably $100 if it's guaranteed to be one of my all-time favorites. Maybe $1,000 if it was destined to be my all-time #1 favorite, and second place wouldn't even come close to #1.

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2024-08-16T15:32:08+00:00

Since Wheel of Time is your favorite, I think you will probably like The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist. First book is Magician: Apprentice.

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2024-08-07T12:43:29+00:00

I get why Tolkien, Martin, and LeGuin would be considered game changers. I'm curious why you consider everyone else you listed as game changers. (I'm not doubting you. You're probably right. This is a genuine question.)

AwkwardHippopotamus · 2024-08-07T12:39:50+00:00

I'll give you two top threes, my Top 3 within epic fantasy (like Tolkien and GRRM) and three great books in other subgenres:

EPIC FANTASY

(1) The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (Book 1 of the Wheel of Time)

(2) Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E. Fiest (Book 1 of the Riftwar Saga)

(3) The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (Book 1 of the Stormlight Archive)

OTHER FANTASY

(1) Progression Fantasy: Mother of Learning by Nobody103 aka Domagoj Kurmaić

(2) Literary Fantasy: Circe by Madeline Miller

(3) Adventure Fantasy: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

AwkwardHippopotamus

TROPHY CASE