*Books*

It seems like most of you read more nonfiction and actual literature than I
do. And maybe fewer audiobooks. :D

I had a long drive this year (4600 miles or so), so I finally listened to The
Name of the Wind,
<https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/186074.The_Name_of_the_Wind> at a
friend's urging. It was horrifically sexist and had more than a little
Gary-Stu <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Gary-Stu> going
on, but it was funny enough and had an interesting enough plot that I
picked up the second book at the library, once I got where I was going. (I
wasn't willing to *pay* to read it, but I was willing to read it. :)) That
one was *even more* ridiculous, but I'll probably read the third when it
comes out, if for no other reason than I can't see how this story gets
wrapped up quickly enough to stick to the original three-book plan.

I also listened Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis
<https://www.goodreads.com/series/41747-xenogenesis> trilogy, which I
really liked. It should probably come with a trigger warning, to be fair,
but it was well-written and thought-provoking. (I'm still not 100% sure
whose side Ms. Butler was on and how she defines "human.")

In terms of pure popcorn, Kim Harrison's The Hollows
<https://www.goodreads.com/series/40628-the-hollows> books are an urban
fantasy series set in a near-future Cincinnati, where genetic engineering
of tomatoes (why is it always tomatoes? wasn't there a thing about that at
the beginning of Jurassic Park, too?) killed off a large portion of the
human population and forced vampires, witches, werewolves, etc. to come out
of hiding. I've been listening to them for the last three years or so, and
they're pretty good, give or take a lull somewhere in the middle of the
series. The last one came out this year, so I can finally recommend it to
people without guilt. :) (I don't know about you, but I *hate* starting a
series and then realizing it isn't all written yet.)

*Boardgames/Card games*

I might technically have learned this game last year, but I'll list it
anyway: Hanabi <http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/98778/hanabi>. It's sort
of like playing cooperative Solitaire with a group of people, only you
can't see your own cards, just everyone else's, and you have to play
everything in order with only other players' hints to go on. It's possible
to win, but it's hard.

:)

- Coral