Richard Gray > Recent Status Updates

Using this as a catch-all for the 52 issues of Countdown I'm reading. There doesn't seem to be a big omnibus edition like 52.

Despite my feelings to the contrary, aced my Term 4 spoken test as well. Even though I painted myself into a corner and somehow bought two green cameras from a clothing store. The last 10% of this book will get finished when I start A1 Elementary in 2021.

Got 92% on my Term 4 written test. Not sure how much of it was this book and how much was some serious cramming, but we're almost done. The last 10% of this book will get finished when I start A1 Elementary in 2021.

The first two novellas featured writers, and the third is dedicated to librarians. Seems like this might be in my wheelhouse.

Passed my spoken test for Term 3 so there's something else.

I just got 92% on my written Japanese test at the end of Term 3, so I guess this book has been a good reference. Or is it my JPF sensei?

I just got 92% on my written Japanese test at the end of Term 3, so I guess this book has been a good reference. Or is it my JPF sensei?

Langoliers down. Taking a little break before climbing through the Secret Window.

It begins people! The literary event of the season! The grand finale to Ali Smith's seasonal quartet. LET'S DO IT!!!

The 7th volume is arguably the most complex, with multiple narratives, time jumps and a major shift in the central characters. It's also partly set in the Hunter Valley in NSW, so major props for that.

The thing I love about this series is that there's a hundred pages of character development and BAM...explodey stuff.

Got to the halfway mark and had to order the rest from the library. This is the real deal, man.

This seems like an appropriate place to share my Best 11 Books for 2019. Enjoy!



https://thereelbits.com/2019/12/24/be...

A large part of why I'm reading this is the title. It is the song of my people.

Men are the worst, man: "Great was the triumph of Morgoth, and his design was accomplished in a manner after his own heart; for Men took the lives of Men, and betrayed the Eldar, and fear and hatred were aroused among those that should have been united against him."

So now that there's a sun and a moon, some folks called "men" have just shown up. (Also known as Apanónar, the After-born, Engwar, the Sickly, and Fírimar, the Mortals; and they named them the Usurpers, the Strangers, and the Inscrutable, the Self-cursed, the Heavy-handed, the Night-fearers, the Children of the Sun). I'm sure this is going to work out well for everybody involved.

Thus it came to pass that Richard, who was surnamed Gray for his forebears, began a journey that would take him from the hallowed halls of Valinor to the cracks of Mount Doom (and back again). It's not an entirely unexpected journey.

Only started this, and already Marty has watched a nuclear safety video, got detention because Doc called him at school, tried to save his Walkman from the destructive might of Strickland, and started a small fire to get out of said detention. Suffice it to say: this is like an alternate universe BTTF.

"Librarians are nice people. They tell you things if you ask them." #Reacher2020

So I'm curious...

This is about Jarvis Cocker, right?

I've stopped and started this from the beginning again at least 3 times. I don't think my mind is in this. Personal fact about me: I don't like watching people drink milk. So far, this hasn't been relevant to this book or even this post. Just flagging it now in case it comes up later.

"And there was only one man in the whole world who could stop it. But how?"

I'm still fully aware of where the President is.

Moving on with more Potter (or is that Pottermore?) The opening of this already marks it as the most sophisticated storytelling Rowling had crafted up until this point. It quickly falls back on the familiar, but let's see where we go. This was the last full Potter I read back in the day, so let's see how far I get this time.

OK, let's do this again.