I’m not sure if it has Autumn/Fall vibes, but I’m tempted to get Slime Rancher 2. I guess it’s appropriate for harvest season, as you’re farming and harvesting slimes? Something about it (at least I got this impression from the first game) feels cosy and perfect to play while the days get colder.

Yesss Crosscode is incredible. The soundtrack, visuals, puzzles - just a great package overall and it has stuck with me fondly. Can’t wait for the dev’s next game.

Speaking of classics I have just now finished The Idiot by Dostoevsky. I think I need some time to process it! It felt like a commentary on the changing society of the time, and how a perfectly innocent and loving person couldn’t survive said society. More than anything the book seemed like a vessel for Dostoevsky to share various ideas and philosophies.

I’m currently reading The Idiot by Dostoevsky. It’s a lot more readable than I was expecting, though keeping track of all the character’s names is tricky at times (especially when they have multiple nicknames and alternate between referring to their first and middle names, and surname). I’m about a third of the way through; it feels like I’m yet to get to the ‘meat’ of the story. So far it has involved a naïve Prince getting to know various people in Russia, and invariably getting muddled up in their affairs. I’m fascinated to see where things go though!

There is a readalong feature in Storygraph. You start it from a book’s page, and then can add posts that become available once readers reach certain points in the story. I guess you could get some suggestions for book club books in this community and then create a poll to see what people would like to read.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts :) I’ll give it a go and see what I think. I’ve never not enjoyed any of Tchaikovsky’s books, so I’m sure it’ll still be a good read - I suppose the first book in this series set a very high bar though!

Ah same - I went into Piranesi blind and had no idea what I was in for. Such fascinating world building. It was really hard to put down!

I’m really hoping that TWOK lives up to all the hype. Everyone I know that has read it says it’s great so I’ve got high hopes.

Ahh that’s a shame - I’ve heard elsewhere that the third one was a return to form. I’ll have to read it either way and see what I think.

What did you think of the Children of Time series? I loved the first one, and enjoyed the second though it didn’t capture me as much. Is the third one worth reading (no spoilers)?

Added! Here’s my profile https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/omegarob

I see you liked Piranesi - that was a really fun and interesting read. I’ve got The Way of Kings to read. I’ve heard great things about it (seems to be a huge book though)!

Similar to some of the other commenters, I’m a native English speaker and (especially now that I have an ereader) I’m often looking up words. Previously when reading physical books, I’d just go off the context and assume I vaguely knew what the word meant, because looking it up on my phone would be quite time-consuming. However now that I have the built-in dictionary on my ereader, I’m constantly using it. Does it slow me down a bit? Yes, but I think it’s worth it. I see words popping up regularly that I was unsure about before but now I can define.

Ostentatious is a great word for example!

You said you were worried about not remembering them - Is there any way you can save the words you’ve looked up? Kobo has a cool thing where you can add these to ‘My Words’ and you then have a list of all the words you’ve saved, with the definitions to look back on. If you’d like you can then go through them to revise and hopefully they’ll stick in your memory.

By the way, I would have assumed that English was your first language! You write extremely well.

Ahh thanks - It’s included within an existing Playstation subscription I have, so I can play it without any extra charge. If it’s short and fun like you say, I’ll definitely give it a go!

Is RE3 remake worth playing? I loved the remake of the second one.

Admittedly I don’t use the D-pad all that much - does it not register inputs well? I guess it’s pretty important if you’re playing a fighting or retro game that require precise inputs. For the games I’ve played, it hasn’t been an issue.

No the pro controller doesn’t have hall effect sticks, but I’ve not experienced any drift. I did take it apart once to clean the insides however.

I had no end of problems with the joy cons, and have replaced those sticks with hall effect ones. Since doing that I’ve not had any problems, touch wood!

To be fair I’ve had the pro controller for several years and it has held up really well. Really ergonomic and the vibration’s good, plus it has gyro. Perfect for my needs on Switch. I think it was worth what I paid.

The 8Bitdo Pro+ has been great - works really well with my Steam Deck and Switch. Sounds like the Pro 2 is the superior version with hall effect sticks.

The Switch Pro controller has always been good too. And the DualSense is really neat with the haptics and adaptive triggers - expensive, but not that much more than a Pro controller surprisingly.

I love coffee but nowadays I tend to drink tea a lot more. I don’t like the taste of instant coffee, and that’s all I can get at work - so I stick to tea. I also can’t handle caffeine as well as I used to, so I have decaff.

At home I’ve got a nice coffee machine. I buy decaff beans and grind them - it’s all about the taste for me.

As for a book from a different cultural background, I remember reading The White Tiger by Indian author Aravind Adiga about 10 years ago and really enjoying it.

I’m not familiar with this work, but it seems like a fascinating topic and still as relevant today as it was back then. Thanks for the summary/review.