Books and Games and Websites, Oh My!

Hello again everyone, and thanks for stopping by!  Today I wanted to share quite a bit of fun stuff I've gotten into in the recent past when time allows.  As I said previously, life has picked up speed for me in the last few months, and I'm finally getting the hang of it to keep a schedule of sorts so I can still write and blog to you all!

First on my list is Stephen King's On Writing.  I'm slightly ashamed as a writer that I did not find and read this gem sooner!  A fantastic mix of autobiography and writing advice, King's book opens with his journey from childhood writing short stories based on his favorite movies and moves through his first novel to the when he wrote the book (2000).  After that his advice on writing is perfect for those of you who enjoy writing fiction, but he still gives solid pointers for writing in general.  And finally in the back (at least with the copy I got) he has a short manuscript and how butchered it got in the editing stage.  I could go on about this book, but please pick it up for yourself and see just how awesome it is.  You won't regret it.

Next on my list is a website I found while trying to get some Christmas shopping done.  Now I'm usually a procrastinator, but this year I decided I didn't want to be eating ramen for Christmas dinner, so I'm getting a head start on things.  Tee Magnet is a great resource for all of those "one a day" t-shirt websites.  This one gives you the Top 8 currently making shirts on a daily (with two updating every 2-3 days) basis.  Its full of fun, unique and nerdy designs you'd be hard pressed to find in any department store.  I've already bought a few myself, and its hard some days to pass up on the deals.  Most of the websites sell the shirts at $10 a piece plus shipping (around $13-$14), but a few of the links do go above that.  Either way, the designs are almost always quirky, beautiful, and worth every cent.

Another comic website I love to check out is called Penny Arcade.  A fun and satirical three- or four-pane comic, they touch every aspect of gaming, comics, television and movies.  It follows two men, the creators, and the hi jinx they get into while making fun of all the above mentioned.  The link above leads to the latest comic, but start at the beginning and I promise you'll love it.  I won't go on too long so you can see how awesome it is for yourself.

Last but not least, when I'm not reading or writing, I try and log an hour here and there on my Playstation.  Lately I've been knee-deep in the Dragon Age series by Bioware.  I picked up the first on a whim a while ago, and I was hooked.  Great storytelling and graphics with a battle system that I'm still trying to master.  The battles can actually be troublesome and require strategy, which makes that victory that much sweeter.  Dragon Age 2 feels like an upgrade from the first.  The story follows a completely new character starting in the middle of the last game.  The game allows you to discover a whole new region of the map you only heard about in the first installment.  You get to choose to be a mage, rouge or warrior, and these choices allow for different options during conversations and battles, allowing for a new experience every time you play.  And plus, if you can upload a complete game from Dragon Age, it further customizes conversations to reflect the decisions you made previously.  All in all, with great storytelling and fantastic world-building, I have a hard time turning it off.  I highly recommend these two games if you have an XBox 360, PS3 or good PC.  The link above is to the first of the game at Amazon, but I was able to find a used copy at my local game store for about half the price listed.

Well, there we have it.  Another list of stuff to spend your time on instead of cooking or cleaning.  Keep checking back as I'll be uploading another writing exercise within the next week.  Until next time!