Corey Richards

I finished the audiobook of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, narrated by Ray Porter.

The core plot and narrative? Fantastic. The science sometimes gets a bit heavy, and Weir leans into stereotypes, but it’s still a great ride.

The opening was a little slow, but once it kicked in... 👌

4/5

Currently reading The Master & Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and listening to Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

Both really good so far.

I finished The City & The City by China Miéville.

It was good, though a bit dry.

The concept is fascinating, and Tyador Borlú made for an engaging MC and was well contrasted by the detective from Ul Qoma.

But ultimately, it lost bite. By the final third, it felt as if the stakes had faded.

3/5

I really enjoyed this reflection on the graphic design for the Zohran campaign. They made some real smart design choices.

I also forgot to mention I finished the 11.22.63 audiobook by Stephen King, read by Craig Wasson.

Fantastic reading, as to be expected by Wasson. Even better book, if not a smidge too long.

Every bit was worth it, granted, but it just felt like it could have been a three parter.

4/5

I finished Babel: An Arcane History, by R.F. Kuang.

I really liked its blend of history and fantasy. The writing was accessible and easy. The language and silver working aspect was innovative and interesting but…

It gets boring halfway through and the ending was lacklustre and predictable.

3/5

I finished Unruly by David Mitchell the other day.

I had to listen to the audiobook to get it over the line, I found it became a little slow and, unsurprisingly given the subject, repetitive.

But Mitchell is an engaging and obviously funny writer.

The bits I enjoyed, I ENJOYED.

3/5

And I never did mention that I finished How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie.

I thought it was fantastic, great VO work and just a solid and engaging story. I can understand peoples critiques, but I had a good time with it. Once it got going, I couldn't stop listening.

4/5

It's been a while since I actually finished something but I just put down Snuff by Terry Pratchett.

I'm a fan of the City Watch series of books so I'm probably a little bit biased, but I really enjoyed it. Has some strong themes and great Pratchett writing. Though it did drift towards the end.

4/5

I’ve started listening to 11.22.63 by Stephen King and this is far and away one of my favourite quotes.

Context: it’s about time travel.

Jake: “What if I went back and killed my father?”

Al: “Why the fuck would you do that?”

I'm currently reading David Mitchell's, Unruly, and listening to Bella Mackie's, How to Kill Your Family.

The former is great, though I am finding it a little slow going. The latter has been a blast, super easy to listen to. Charly Clive provides some great VO work which perfectly inhabits Grace.

The joys of potting a decorative bean are unparalleled.

Took me longer than I’d anticipated, but I recently finished Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton.

The movie still stands on top. However I really enjoyed the extra level of detail in the book and juicy character development.

Did not like the final 10% or so.

3.5/5

a man reaches into a blue bucket with the words smells like success on the bottom ALT: a man reaches into a blue bucket with the words smells like success on the bottom

I just brought a HotBin.

A £180 box to compost my waste.

A box to compost waste.

£180.

And I'm buzzing.

Fascinating to see #Adobe praised as the 'ethical' AI player while their business was built on crushing competitors & controlling #creative markets.

Stock ownership doesn't make it ethical - the stock industry is notorious for exploiting creators.

#AI ethics debate needs more nuance 🙃

Magazine design seems to be coming back in a big way.

With the rise of AI, people are seeking out curated, authentic, and well presented long form content.

Really interesting seeing some of the creative work in things like Queue from Netflix/Pentagram and Famous for my Dinner Parties.

Pleasantly surprised by Jurassic Park at the moment. I’d always presumed that being a huge fan of the movies would sully the reading experience, but it’s the opposite.

Fantastic read so far and adds so much more to the story than the movie could.

Started my sixth book of the year - Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton.

Should be interesting as a huge fan of the movies. Plus it’s the Folio Society version, so some super cool illustrations.

Crime and Punishment was great.

The naturalistic dialogue and psychological cat-and-mouse between Raskolnikov and Porfiry pulled me in completely.

The moral themes hit deep, and Razumikhin is a BOY.

Did drag in spots though.

4/5

spongebob is sitting on a suitcase holding a cup that says best day ever ALT: spongebob is sitting on a suitcase holding a cup that says best day ever

Four hundred odd pages later and I'm finally reaching the end of Crime and Punishment. My brain is as exhausted as Raskolnikov at this point.

Great book tho.

Really enjoying Crime and Punishment. The Nicolas Pasternak Slater translation is super accessible, and while I haven't read any other version, it seems to convey the story and Dostoevsky’s intention/style accurately.

While I am very much enjoying Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment (Nicolas Pasternak Slater translation), I still can’t get over how good this review is on GoodReads.

#booksky

My third book of the year was a short one - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

It was good. It’s a satisfying folktale style read with a nice, if not tired core message.

Let’s just say it was an enjoyable journey, but not one I’d necessarily choose to take again.

3/5

How dare the BBC make me choose between the NLD and Traitors.

My second book of the year, Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr! is absolutely fantastic.

Elegant, original, funny. The fact I finished it in a week is a testament to its quality.

I particularly like how it covers a lot of heavy themes in a non-didactic way.

5/5

@itchyscratchershow.bsky.social ain’t this your vibe 👀

WEAR CELLULOID COLLARS AND CUFFS

#art #frogs #frogsky

Currently reading Kaveh Akbar's 'Martyr!'.

So far, It's brilliant.

Razor-sharp writing with real depth. Just... genuinely good all round.

#booksky

14,572 Days Where time stops but counting never does

Any Medium readers/writers on here?

Just wrote a little flash fiction piece based on a metaphysical, liminal concept I had. Feel free to give it a read.

medium.com/entropies/14...

First book of 2025, Richard Osman’s The Bullet that Missed (Thursday Murder Club 3) is a hit.

I’d shelved it at 40% last year, but the third act is super, super engaging. Struggled to put it down this time.

4/5