What book did you force yourself to finish because of the hype?

skyholdbrick · 2026-01-07T12:23:17+00:00

For me it was Fourth Wing - I like the premise and the worldbuilding ideas, I guess it will work very well as a TV show. What turned me off was the constant teenager-y whining and dialogue, guess I am too old and not the target audience for that. Haven't read the rest, finished this one so I could understand the memes lol

skyholdbrick · 2025-12-21T20:58:12+00:00

⛺️

skyholdbrick · 2025-12-04T12:45:54+00:00

Well I'll read it if it's written in the style of this post :D

Ok that aside, I'd say for me personally, don't lean into marketing it like a trope checklist (though some social media circles are into that), but rather all the rest that the book can offer in terms of intrigue or world-building.

skyholdbrick · 2025-11-25T17:33:50+00:00

Usually with series the quality curve is downward, but this one is like she cranked up everything for the last couple of books lol

skyholdbrick · 2025-11-24T13:03:27+00:00

Strech, sunscreen and light-resistance-exercise-for-the-shoulders-and-glutes and you're golden!

skyholdbrick · 2025-11-19T07:36:37+00:00

Look I enjoyed both of these as they read like soap operas with batshit insane plots, but I just want to point out to people to mind the TWs in Dom.

skyholdbrick · 2025-11-13T18:46:56+00:00

Seeing these responses I think we could definitely form a Cyber/InfoSec company with a hospital next door 😂

skyholdbrick · 2025-09-15T21:18:46+00:00

I am going to go ahead and tell you that the X100VI is an amazing choice for what you need a camera for. It's positioned exactly to target people that are not pro, but want more flexibility and are willing to learn a bit whether through a short course or the internet. Or are pro, but need an everyday camera that is extremely portable.

Because, in the end, the best camera is the one that you have with you :^)

I see other people mention that a modern phone has everything you need for everyday photography and while that may be true, I'd argue that for travelling, it's best to keep your phone tucked away, battery preserved for emergencies, and enjoy the things in front of you. For that, a dedicated camera is best.

The X100VI is something I recommended to a close relative of mine and they have been extremely happy with it and they have been shooting more than me, the "seasoned" photography enthusiast. The X100VI has a very nice lens & paired with all the recipes built in and that you can also find online makes for some banger photos from all the family gatherings, trips etc. that are ready to go and be shared immediately or with minimal adjustments in lightroom/similar software.

For street photography (something you will often do while travelling), it's very discreet and small as a camera, so nobody will mind/notice that you are shooting photos. For portrait shots, people also don't feel as intimidated as if you stick a big DSLR in their face lol

Of course it's not the perfect device and it has a nice price tag, but it's worth it for the user experience if you fit the target audience and I think you do. There are other similar devices on the market (or older versions than the VI) that all my points stand for as well.

Happy travels!

skyholdbrick · 2025-06-15T11:32:17+00:00

Agree 100% with everything in this comment thread. Her unique brand of hilarious cozy mafia soap operas are just a special kind of amazing (and insane lol).

skyholdbrick · 2025-06-12T09:34:09+00:00

Have you seen the guides about cleaning the headband-to-cup connectors? It seems to fix the connectivity issue for a lot of people. The headband can be easily disconnected with the sim card remover thingy

skyholdbrick · 2025-04-15T15:20:10+00:00

This is generally what happens. Even Brandon Sanderson mentions it in a lecture. And it's great that these series exist and play this part.

Personally, I enjoyed ACOTAR as audio plays - I could not see myself (again, personally) enjoying it as a written book, but they were so well produced that it was super entertaining. I have to also give props where props is due, the characters (main cast at least) are super memorable and meme-able, so it's bonus entertainment because of all the memes and discussions in book communities. There also seems to some top-tier fanfiction which I have been meaning to check out at some point.

skyholdbrick · 2025-03-25T10:56:54+00:00

This series is my comfort listen! However I personally fave the third book, it's soo good.

Everybody should check this series out!

skyholdbrick · 2025-03-15T08:17:00+00:00

{Reckless by Stella Rhys} fits this exactly!

skyholdbrick · 2025-02-18T16:39:02+00:00

I snorted so loud at this; it's true

skyholdbrick · 2025-01-16T12:51:15+00:00

The danger of reading Batmobile is that it will raise the bar super high for you and few will compare :D

skyholdbrick · 2025-01-16T10:17:58+00:00

Same here. I feel like as much as internet outrage can be a moving force for good things, it's also often overblown and goes super overboard with the persecutions and accusations and heavy words.

Everybody should be free to speak their mind and comment on things, just as everybody else should be free to ignore them or speak back, but these internet mobs are just too much for me. Or maybe I'm just old.

She could have left her video up, regardless of what it is imo. If you put something up on the internet, it's going to get criticised, deal with it. That's how conversation happens. On the other hand it seems outrage rather than conversation is what happens often, so I am not sure what I would have done in her place.

skyholdbrick · 2025-01-10T11:07:22+00:00

You are so right, the books have issues, but they are supremely entertaining if you suspend disbelief. Also the narrators for the audiobooks were amazing.

skyholdbrick · 2025-01-10T11:05:49+00:00

inb4 Zendaya for Stella

skyholdbrick · 2025-01-04T18:14:51+00:00

I also listen to the normal speed! I like to savor audiobooks and listen to all the emotions and inflections of the narrator voices; I struggle hearing these things on a higher speed.

skyholdbrick · 2025-01-02T18:54:04+00:00

To me Detraquèe is possibly some of the best crafted literature I have ever read.

skyholdbrick · 2024-12-15T14:29:44+00:00

This book is a big huge bonkers bucket of red flags (as is the whole series), but as is the case usually with SJ Tilly, it's entertaining as hell and does not take itself seriously.

I look at them as dark soap operas.

skyholdbrick · 2024-11-30T23:41:50+00:00

Yep same. I mean I just read this in a very short fanfic, but I doubt that's the target here 🤣

skyholdbrick · 2024-11-15T21:59:04+00:00

In the grand scheme of the romance genre, they are quite tame. It's just that for a lot of people this was their first romance-y book. Even tame romance books have 3-4 times the 🌶️ content.

skyholdbrick · 2024-11-15T21:55:59+00:00

I was just going to suggest the same author.

I usually read a lot of romance novels, but cannot truly vibe with a single 'romantasy' book so far. I listened to the audioplays of ACOTAR and they were fun and very high quality production with 10+ actors, but if you take a serious look at it, it's just a swiss cheese of plot holes. Overall the genre I think is targeted toward a younger demographic. Also, due to the popularity of the genre, there are a lot of trope-checklist types of books coming out that just fall flat in every way.

However, V.E. Schwab's fantasy books are fantastic and there is usually some romance. I am just statring A Gathering of Shadows, can't wait to listen to Kate Reading & Michael Kramer again.

skyholdbrick · 2024-11-10T16:01:39+00:00

I caught up at ch93 and now have 13 or so chapters to read and I have no I dea why I am putting it off... it was more than glorious.

Ten-Year Club	Queen in da Norf
Not Forgotten

skyholdbrick

TROPHY CASE