Favorite Things

READER BEWARE: This is a constant work in process, a cathedral that will take many centuries to build. So take each item as a moment's thought rather than a perfect personification. 

Nonfiction



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SACRED TEXTS

These are (often short) reads that ought to be read slowly, as if they were poetry, for the way they alter the tincture of the soul, and they ought to be read often because the tides of entropy are constantly working as an opposing force. Also please note that there are some duplicates from the other two book lists. 



Novels


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Coffee-Table Books


Aphorisms


Concepts

Internet Personalities



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Gear


Software



Movies


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Common Theme: Smart Comic-Book Adventures or Sci-Fantasy



Movies that are better than the book 

This is truly an amazing feat, to take good source material and make it great. Usually Hollywood does the opposite, particularly with videogame movies (e.g., Uncharted, Tomb Raider, WarCraft). 


Tied with the book


It's about unity

The majority of book adaptations don't live up to their source material. I'm looking at you, Harry Potter. Also, basically anything from Roald Dalh. The movies, however, can still be fun. And it's hard to weigh the value of the visuals. The artwork for some book movies is just amazing, even when the whole package isn't. And great visuals are something that a book inherently can't really provide. 

I noticed a related point back when I read and watched THE BOOK THIEF. I feel like most books give you about 70% of the story. The missing 30% is all the visual art. And let's say that a movie gives you a different 70% of the story--it gives you the visuals but can leave out the backstory and interiority that a novel provides. So you can only get 100% of the story by accessing it on both mediums. I definitely feel this way about the movies listed above. 

I also feel obliged to mention The Witcher. I have really enjoyed the books. The Witcher III videogame is also awesome, and it provides the visual aspect. There's also a Netflix series, which has great visuals but seems shallow otherwise, and I kind of hate it. (However, I do like the Witcher anime they made.) 

And where does that leave us? I guess I can conclude that each medium and project should be judged on its own. Sometimes these can combine to create a strong IP. Other times, these parts work against each other and don't do a good job complementing. 



Favorite Multimedia

The Witcher!


Greek Mythology





Television


YouTube Videos


Videogames


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Mobile Games


Minecraft! This is a triple-A game, bestselling game of all time, and it's on mobile! 

I'm a big fan of Google Stadia as well. 


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Bottom Ten!