Alex the cat, 07/03/25

Posted on by Henry

Three months of baby-time! A second week of we-just-moved time. The unpacking and sorting of everything continues, along with all the other housework involved in caring for a baby and a new home.

This week’s meditation: how can I better give myself permission to write what I find fun, and what I’m curious and excited about? Also, how can I return to meditating a bit every day? And how can I make time for writing?

I’m pushing through the second Ranger’s Apprentice book, The Burning Bridge. It reinforces my impressions from More Alex, 06/05/2025 so far—I’m glad this exists, and we need something newer. Either this one is less enticing for me than the first one, or I’ve been more distracted. The second is definitely true, the first one might be. With a little luck, I might have more to share about this next week.

Settling in, 6/26/25

Posted on by Henry

I live amidst a sea of boxes. At least Alex has a comfy spot on the sofa (when she isn’t yowling in the middle of the night). Surely someday soon I will have the capacity to tell you more about books and games and stories. If anybody suggests that you should move while you have an infant, laugh in their face. If you must move while you have an infant, you have my deepest sympathies.

Moving! 6/19/25

Posted on by Henry

Good morning! Here is a sweet little roll of a cat.

I’m moving again. I hope I’ll be back to longer posts here soon—maybe even next week!—but I won’t make any promises. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy your Juneteenth.

Alex the cat, 6/13/25

Posted on by Henry

The busy-ness will continue until morale improves. Or maybe that’s until baby gets much older? Either way, I missed my usual post here yesterday and I’m here to offer you a cat.

I did read Stuart Gibbs’ first FunJungle book in the last week, Belly Up. It’s great. It is a neat distillation of the noir-ish detective story reinterpreted for a middle grade novel, and set in a zoo. There’s a whole series of these books, and I’m itching for a go at the next one. Maybe when I’m more awake and have more time I’ll give you more in depth thoughts, but now the baby is waking and I must feed him.

More Alex, 06/05/2025

Posted on by Henry

Alex is a good kitty. She sleeps so that I don’t have to. That’s how that works, right?

I read The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan, the first book in the first Ranger’s Apprentice series. I have a bunch of thoughts. Those won’t make it up here today, because despite Alex doing a good job of sleeping for me she has not made me feel more awake or alert. Nor has she taken care of the baby.

I’m glad that these books exist. And I think we’re sorely in need of newer work.

Feline interlude, 5/29/25

Posted on by Henry

Life has been very full of baby recently. I don’t have a full post for you.

I’ve been lucky enough to play a bit of Cities Without Number with a neighbor and some friends. My other games are basically on hiatus, but being able to start early, end early, and walk less than ten minutes to and from game is amazing. There’s also no way I could be doing this without sometimes bringing baby Gibby with me, or sometimes coordinating extra support for Ley. Asking Ley to take care of the baby without any support while I go play RPGs is no good. Having a two-month old is a lot of work.

Cities Without Number, like other Kevin Crawford titles, could really use some editing. It’s… acceptable. The text is definitely better organized and written than some other RPGs or boardgames I’ve seen. Some of Crawford’s verbosity adds evocative texture to both system and setting, and his approach certainly produces consistently fun results. But…

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Squire and Lady Knight, by Tamora Pierce

Posted on by Henry

I finished Lady Knight one day after finishing Squire. I absolutely inhaled that last book in the series. Tamora Pierce did well, as I’ve come to expect. The story of Lady Knight felt more satisfying in so many ways, but I don’t think it would have felt that good without Squire there to lay the foundation for it.

If you’re recommending these books to kids, it’s worth noting that Lady Knight bridges a big (and fascinating) gap in genre, content, and target audience age. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t give these books to kids—I think you should! But you may want to read them yourself, and be ready for the way in which the story’s tone shifts near the end of Squire and throughout Lady Knight.

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Page, by Tamora Pierce

Posted on by Henry

I’m clobbered again today, but I’m alert enough to tell you that this Tamora Pierce series continues to be good. Page is great. I devoured it despite my sleep deprived state.

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First Test, by Tamora Pierce

Posted on by Henry

First Test, by Tamora Pierce, was published in 1999. It’s an excellent middle grade fantasy story grounded in one girl’s struggle against gender discrimination, hazing, and abuse while she pursues her dream of knighthood. First Test takes place in Tortall, the same story world as Tamora Pierce’s series about Alanna the Lioness. Where Alanna sought and (spoilers for that series) achieved knighthood while hiding that she was a girl, our protagonist Keladry seeks to follow openly in Alanna’s footsteps. But while that path is now officially open to a girl, reality hasn’t yet caught up. If you want a middle grade story about a young girl facing adversity and misogyny in a hostile school environment, this is a solid option.

First Test is, first and foremost, a story about a young girl and her struggles. Young Henry probably would have loved it… but he probably wouldn’t have read it (I mean, I didn’t read it, but I also wouldn’t have). Even if it had caught my interest, being mocked by my peers for reading ”a girl’s book” was a real and pressing concern. That was a big part of why I missed the Alanna books when I was young.

Oddly, that social pressure also feels connected to First Test’s message.

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05/01/25

Posted on by Henry

This time I finally have two posts in the works. Maybe next week I’ll have enough time to finish one of them and post that instead of pictures of Alex. Until then, I hope you’re able to enjoy some good spring (or fall, you do you) weather.