One of the main reasons for this site was to keep a journal about the progress I make in games so that I remember where I left off. I love playing adventure games and rpg’s and these games often take a long time to complete. Most weeks I game for about 4-8 hours and when a game lasts for 40-80 hours, it can really take a long time to get through. That’s where writing about progress comes in handy.

That’s not only the case for games, but also for books. Lately I notice that I have difficulty remembering what a book was about. Even if I read it half a year ago. Or why I’ve rated a book two stars (I track the books I’ve read and want to read in Goodreads.) I could of course write a review there as well, but I’ve never felt the urge to do so.

Therefore I feel like it’s a good idea to write a short review of the books I’ve read here. The site has had categories for “movies” and “books” since it was first setup. I’ve mostly posted about books when they were game-related. Or about collecting physical books again. But that’s going to change! (for as long as it lasts. I mainly write this up, as writing it may encourage me to actually do it.)

So here it goes: I just finished Death’s End, the third book in the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy. I read The Three Body Problem and The Dark Forest in 2024, after seeing the Netflix series. I liked the series and liked the book even better. I rated it four stars out of five, which means I loved it. Three stars means it was okay and five stars I adored it.

Curiously, the second book in the series only got three stars. What’s curious about it, is that I want to rate the third book with five stars. I simply couldn’t put it down. Five stars means that I will remember it and think fondly about it for a long time.

The third book is the conclusion of the trilogy, and I loved how each book brought new ideas to the table. It was also quite successful in providing plot twists or solutions to seemingly insurmountable situations (at least for me.) The ending didn’t shy away from taking a turn that wasn’t the one you might be hoping for.

My enjoyment maybe was enhanced by the fact that I was simultaneously watching The Expanse series. That show really visualizes space and space ships very well. I’ve read the first book in the series and was on the fence whether I should watch the show first or read the books first. Quite a few people advocated for the show first and that nicely coincided with the fact the season two is soon removed from Amazon. It’s very good.

There aren’t a lot of books that I’ve rated five stars. Other books that come to mind are Dune, Foundation, A Game of Thrones, Something Wicked This Way Comes or Magician. In other words: Mostly best-selling titles.

After finishing a book, I often read up about it to explain certain things about it or to see what other people think of it. As with almost anything, there are always people who didn’t like it. Especially with popular titles. These then get termed “overrated”. Meaning that expectations are set so high, that it can only disappoint. I was a bit surprised that The Three Body Problem turned out to be not liked by so many people. I watched a video about the most overrated science fiction books and the top three are my favorite books, namely Dune, Foundation and The Three Body Problem.

Especially the last two are criticized about the shallow characterization. That’s probably true, but not a barrier for enjoyment for me. I’m not really a people’s person, so maybe that’s related. I for instance don’t like game(s)(hows) involving people’s interactions. I’m more interested in ideas, stories, and worlds. Another critique on t3BP is that it’s badly written. I’m probably not literate enough to notice that. My only gripe about the books is that I sometimes don’t understand the choices certain characters make and find them illogical. But that’s also one of the main plot points of the books. And it’s true in real life also.

Wow this post really does the site’s name justice. There was a lot of “rambling” involved. And the review bit about the books was really a minor part. I think there’ll be not many reviews about books here after all, but rather descriptions of experiences I had while reading a book. That may also be the most relevant part and maybe can shed some light on why I’ve rated a book the way I did better than a review can.

Until next time. That will probably be on The Digital Antiquarian’s 18th volume about 1996 or about the next book on my reading list: Vernor Vinge’s A Fire Upon The Deep.