Ape's 2022 Thread

Hello! My name is Stephen and I read...kind of. I USED to read a lot, but in recent years I haven't been reading nearly as much as I would like, as video editing now takes up the majority of my time, but who knows, maybe this year will be different.

Also, yes, I'm posting this in February, what of it? :P

Feel free to post, I really don't need multiple top posts nowadays.

Wow posting your first topic a week into FEBRUARY, who would do such a thing?????

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some unrelated business to attend to.

So I've actually done some reading! We had a terrible ice storm last week, and my area seems to have gotten the worst of it. Further north there was snow, and south got rain, but we got nearly a full day of icy sleet, which coated the trees, causing them to fall all over the power lines.

5 days later and I only just got power back on, so I've had nothing to do the past few days but read, and read I did! I read through 700+ pages in 4 days and managed to finish 2 books!

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Pages: 309
Rating: 5/5



Probably not much to say here, so I won't!

-----------------------

2. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

Pages: 319
Rating: 3/5



I'm really on the fence with this one. The book is essentially told through the perspective of a villain, or at the least an incredibly unpleasant anti-hero, and he's so 1-dimensional that I'm finding it difficult to connect with the character, but I'm very invested in the world and will definitely continue the series for that reason alone.

Sorry to hear about the power outage, Stephen, but glad you got some quality time with the books. :)

Welcome back! Glad you got some reading in.

Really great to see you back, Stephen and reading too!

Hey Stephen! Welcome to 2022 :0)

Two. Whole. Books. *faints*

Welcome back, Stephen! Yay, reading! Boo, power outages!

February....

March....

April!! Where are you? : )

Sorry! It may not come as a surprise that I haven't read a single page since the power came back on.

I'm very busy right now as April is a big month for me on Youtube, and I'm currently quite behind on video editing, but maybe things will calm back down in a few weeks.

Of course, I always seem to say that and it's never true. :P

Happy birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's your birthday? Have a good one!

Yes! Thanks Nora and Nina!

I'm not doing anything to celebrate, although technically I'm all caught up on work and I took the day off to do nothing, which is the best kind of celebration.

Happy Day After your Birthday!! : )

Thanks Kim!

Happy belated birthday, Ape-man! A day of nothing sounds perfect!

Belated thanks, Micky!

My power was out for a day last week, so I read 60 pages.

Thanks for tuning in to my quarterly reading update. :)

>17 Ape: I'm sorry; you are ...?

No one important! :P

>19 Ape: So, what are you doing on Stephen's thread?

Why is anyone here? Considering how little I read, I'm not entirely sure.

Because we like Stephen?

And I thought I was the crazy one. :P

>23 Ape: Little did you know ...

In other news, I've come to the conclusion that the sun really can't implode and consume the earth fast enough. This whole "5 billion years or so" bullshit isn't going to cut it.

And why exactly to you want the earth to end sooner? : )

I'm being melodramatic, but my reclusive nature feels more and more justifiable every time I watch the news.

>25 Ape: ... Though I wouldn't go that far.

I haven't read in a long time, but I've continued my book purge. I've been systematically eliminating all the incomplete series from my collection. I'm sure book 12 of the Mr. So-and-So mystery series is a riveting read, but I'm not exactly going to read the first 36 books so why own it?

It sounds like a joke, but I purged Cross (book 12 of 29), Thief of Time (book 8 of 24) and Cemetery Dance (Book 9 of 20). Mystery authors really milk those characters, don't they? I suppose mystery novels can be read out of order sometimes...but how do you know for sure before you start reading? It would be a shame to spoil one of the 20+ books in the series that I'm never going to read, so better to just get rid of them, I say. :P

I've also done something I haven't done in a very long time...which is buy books. While this defeats the purpose of the purge, I stumbled on Hellhole: Awakening, which I believed I picked up at a Dollar Tree several years ago, so I bought the other 2 books in the trilogy.

On the contrary, the purpose of a book purge is to make room for books you actually want to read. Great job!

Hi! Just Hi!

Hi, Stephen! I'm just finding your thread now, so, um, belated thread congrats and happy birthday?

*rustlings and shuffling as the fans await the next pronouncement*

Unfortunately I bring ill tidings, as I have tested positive for Covid. I've been quite vigilant about it, after all quarantine and self-isolation is my preferred state of being in the first place, but unfortunately the Rona has caught up to me.

I believe I am mostly over it at this point. I had a very bad day a couple days ago, I had a fever and I could barely stand without falling over, but I have recovered and at this point I'm just dealing with extreme exhaustion. Every small task takes a colossal effort. I need to take sit-down breaks making a sandwich, otherwise I start getting dizzy and feeling like I'm going to pass out.

It's horrible, but the worst is behind me, I think. I plan to rest and, most importantly, continue to not read, and I'm sure I'll be better in no time.

>34 Ape: Take care of yourself Stephen and get well quickly.
I got it last month but am still coughing and struggling with fatigue.

>34 Ape: Hope you get more energy soon -- that fatigue is no joke!

>34 Ape: Adding my well wishes for your continued recovery, Ape-man!

>34 Ape: Sorry it caught up with you. Wishing you a speedy recovery Stephen.

Oh no! I hope you're already feeling much better, Stephen!

Thanks everyone! I'm feeling much better! Before getting Covid I was really struggling to get sleep, I kept waking up early in the morning after getting 4-5 hours and not being able to get back to sleep, but Covid has wiped me out and I've been sleeping for 10+ hours each night. It's felt great! I'm hoping I can maintain a normal sleep schedule as I get better.

On the downside, after having Covid for a week I've only just now lost my sense of taste. I think I was losing it over the past few days, but it was mostly just diminished, but at this point I can't taste anything. It should work to my advantage if my mom drops off more of her home cooking. :P

>40 Ape: Ungrateful child. It reminds me of two people I know.

Glad you're feeling better. (I think.)

Oof, sorry about getting Covid and the loss of smell. Hope you continue to improve quickly, and get lots of rest!

Thanks everyone! I'm feeling almost completely recovered. I have a very slight cough that I'm pretty sure is never going away ever, but beyond that I believe I'm feeling myself again!

In other news, I've realized I have a very strong compulsion to visit LT whenever I am the most stressed. It makes me wonder why I don't spend more time here, but alas, there is always work to be done! Also, I still don't read so I don't really have anything to add.

I have found myself getting back into video games. I sort of quit playing them a few years ago, mostly due to a lack of time, but I've recently fallen in love with the Roguelike genre, which is perfect for dipping into for short periods of time! Slay the Spire, Storybook Brawl, Monster Train, Roguebook, all great!

My taste in games has changed a lot recently. I have a hard time playing big, AAA games. There was a time when I would point to them as a sign of how video games have evolved over time, from children's toys to adult media with deep, adult storylines. While that's still true, I find the storylines to be tiresome and I lose interest in them quickly. I tried to play Bioshock earlier this year and quit halfway through, and that game doesn't even have a lot of cutscenes. I've become an indie game fanboy. There are SO MANY GREAT games on Steam, they're way cheaper than AAA games, and they're a million times more fun to boot!

Also, I'm aware that 90% of people reading this won't know what the heck I'm saying, but you see what happens when I don't read? I have nothing book-related to talk about!

My sister gave me a few books recently. Dead Water, and the first 3 books of the First Law series by Joe Abercrombie: The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and Last Argument of Kings. All 4 books look excellent and I look forward to having them languish on my shelves unread for the next several years and/or decades.

Steam is a video game streaming service sort of thing, right?

I've had The Blade Itself on my shelf for ages - I really need to get to it!

Not streaming, just a marketplace to buy games. Even though consoles like Playstation/Nintendo still make physical copies of their games, most PC games are digital-only now, and you can buy them on apps like Steam or Epic Games.

Think of it like the Apple/Android stores where you can buy apps for your phone, except you download the Steam (the app store) on your PC and then you can buy computer games. :)

Edit: Technically it's a website too. In the same way you can browse phone app stores online, Steam can be found here: https://store.steampowered.com/

>43 Ape: Sadly, I do have a vague idea of what you're saying. It's fallout from my younger son's gaming habits though I only glean bits and pieces when he emerges and actually strings some words together. (Okay, he's not that bad. Yet.)

>45 Ape: Aha. Cool! I think Tomm and Charlie both use it, but I haven't had time for video games in a while. Sadness. Charlie's just started playing through the Assassin's Creed games, which Tomm loves, so there's some bonding going on there.

>46 humouress: That sounds accurate. A running joke with Steam is you acquire more games than you can ever play in a lifetime. I currently own 235 Steam games...I've probably played less than 100.

>47 scaifea: Yeah, it's been the same issue with me, not having time. I haven't played video games regularly for 4-5 years. The same is true for reading, the last time I read more than 50 books in a year was in 2016.

>48 Ape: Great :0/

Glad to see you largely recovered, Stephen.

Have a great weekend.

Just popping in with a hi!

Hello, everyone!

Not much to report, I'm afraid! Still not reading, though in the gaming realm I recently (months ago...) got my hands on a Playstation 5 so I've been playing consoles games a bit. Currently playing Immortals Fenyx Rising, which is basically a cheap knockoff of Breath of the Wild for people who don't own a Nintendo.

In other news, I like how Nora bolds the titles of non-books to make her posts easier to parse, so I'm stealing it. :P

You're welcome.

Thank you as always for books, thank you for this group and thanks for you. Have a lovely day, Stephen.

Hi Stephen! Just wondering if you're taking a break from gaming or reading anything yet.

Hi Stephen! It's been a long time. We used to talk on Discord, but you've deserted me. How's it been going?

>54 PaulCranswick: Belated thanks, Paul!

>55 humouress: Nope! But my power is out today due to the blizzard so there's a chance I might read today if it doesn't come back on soon. :P

>56 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! I haven't opened Discord in ages! Sorry! Things are fine. I feel constantly overwhelmed with how little time I have to complete the work I want to do. I've ramped up the speed of my video uploading, today I will have 13 videos in 23 days this month, which isn't out of the ordinary, but particularly burdensome considering I don't have a team of editors and do all the work myself. Keeping on top of it has left me frazzled, which is a major reason I haven't been reading lately.

But nothing is technically wrong at the moment so all's well. Except for not having power in sub-zero temperatures today, that is!

In gaming-related news, I've finished playing Godfall, and I plan to start No Man's Sky soon!

>57 Ape: I hope your power comes back on soon!

>58 foggidawn: Me too! I've got 21% battery, and then I'll have to READ!! o.o

>59 Ape: You? Reading? It’s a Christmas miracle!

I'm at 8% battery and I have read SEVEN PAGES!

Well, I assume you can't read this and you must be reading books right now. I do hope you have heating though.

>62 humouress: Yep, I have a Kerosene heater! The kitchen was warm and the rest of the house was freezing! Fortunately the power came back on yesterday, so all is well!

I read 30 pages of The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells. I'm sure I'll finish it the next time the power goes out. :P

Oh, hi Stephen. I wasn't expecting you back so soon. No, it wasn't me doing anything to your power lines ... *whistles innocently*

Sad to say that Shyanne passed away today. She hasn't been mentioned in my threads in recent years, but she was getting along well enough for her age. She was 14 years old, and in relatively good health. She was definitely slowing down, and she'd have days where I could tell her joints were sore. Today she was fine though, and her passing was sudden. I can only assume some kind of organ failure, but I'll never know for sure.

Found this picture of her in my librarything gallery from when I first got her.



Last pic I took of her a month ago, not the most glamorous but appropriate now, I suppose.

I'm so sorry for your loss! She was such a good dog.

So sorry to hear you lost Shyanne. I know she'll be missed. Hugs.

Oh puppy! I'm so sorry, Stephen. She has the most stunning eyes. Both lovely photos of her.

ETA: I'm glad her passing was peaceful.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Stephen. *hugs*

So sorry for your loss.

Thanks everyone!

Here is my 2023 thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/347661