Books: Less

Our book club's selection for this quarter was Less, a novel by Andrew Sean Greer. The book is about a struggling writer, Arthur Less, who finds out that his old boyfriend is getting married. In response, Less plans an around-the-world voyage of author events, teaching engagements, and literary award ceremonies to avoid the awkwardness of attending the wedding without losing face. 

Less is the most lighthearted and comic title we've read so far in the book club. The big "problem" in the story is emotional rather than physical or financial (Less is never in any danger and seems to have plenty of money for a minor author), and the breezy premise is over and done with in a few hundred pages. It's not Tolstoy, but if you're looking for a lightweight comedy about an American abroad, where lessons are learned and hearts are mended, you could do worse than settling for Less.

Miscellany: Battle of the Trauma Shears - XShear vs. Leatherman Raptor

A good pair of trauma shears is a must-have item for your kit, since you'll sometimes need to cut away clothing to get to wounds. For the layperson, there are three main options: a cheapo set from Amazon (Madison Supply in my case), the XShear shears, and the Leatherman Raptor shears. 

Which is best?  Well, I grabbed some old t-shirts and pitted all three against each other in a no-holds-barred cutting test to find out...

Amazon's Choice (Madison Supply) - $12

Honestly, even the cheap set did fine. While the hard squared-off plastic handles aren't terribly comfortable, and the blades are made of thin flimsy steel, none of that matters if you intend to use the shears for a one-time emergency. The Madison Supply set I bought didn't have any problem going through clothing, which is probably all that a non-first-responder needs. This is what I would take on an airplane, since I wouldn't be out much if an overzealous TSA agent confiscated them.

XShear - $40

XShear comes from Wes Brubaker, a paramedic and flight nurse who wanted something better than disposable shears but cheaper than the Raptors. The XShear slots in right between them pricewise, but it still has heavy duty blades, comfy rubbery handles, and a massive center bolt.  As far as performance, I found that the XShear cut well, though not quite as effortlessly as the Raptor (my pair had some friction when opening and closing the blades). Still, this bombproof set of shears is the clear choice for a medical professional.

Leatherman Raptor - $80 (Response model) or $100 (Rescue model)

The Raptor comes in two configurations - a "Rescue" model with a seat belt cutter and carbide glass breaker, and a cheaper "Response" model that omits those tools. Both models fold down into a relatively compact (though heavy) package that can be carried easily, so if portability is important to you, the Raptor is hands-down the best choice; on the other hand, the folding mechanism is notoriously hard to clean. Cutting performance is on par with the XShear, though I found the Raptor easier to manipulate. Overall, this is the "Gucci" option for people who plan to carry their shears a lot but use them only a little.

Movies: Skinamarink

Going to a movie theatre in 2023 is a lot like visiting a shopping mall in 2023. With the sheer variety of entertainment options out there, midbudget movies (like mid-end mall stores) are disappearing. All that's left are some audience-friendly blockbusters (big department stores) along with indie stuff that's cheap to produce (eyebrow threading salons, dollar stores, and cellphone repair shops).

Skinamarink, an experimental low-budget horror movie, is one such film; it never would seen the inside of a multiplex back in the '90s:

When I say "low-budget," I really mean "no-budget" - the whole movie was shot for $15,000. Unsurprisingly, Skinamarink's runtime is filled with lingering, near-silent shots of hallways, floors, and ceilings lit by a nightlight or the flickering Poltergeist-y glow of a television playing old cartoons. The premise is good - two kids wake up alone in their house at night, but their parents are missing and the doors and windows have disappeared - but there's almost no plot to speak of, so your imagination is going to have to do some work on this one.

The resulting experience is mostly frustrating and dull, and sure to be divisive.  However, there are clever moments of genuine fright and tension that you'd never get from a more conventional horror movie. How well you like Skinamarink depends on how well you like those moments.

Rating: 5/10 (subtract 4 if you hate plodding art films, add 2 if you don't mind them)

Miscellany: Family Friendly Game Night Double Feature

Over the holidays, I had some quality family time playing board and card games.  Here are a couple of my favorites from the winter break:

High Society, designed by Reiner Knizia

My family really enjoys Reiner Knizia's work (I played Lost Cities with my sister umpteen times as a kid), and High Society is no exception. It's a push-your-luck auction game that's great fun with 3 or 4 players. You bid on luxury items to flaunt your wealth, but if you're the biggest spender, you automatically lose. This edition of High Society is from Cool Osprey Games, with beautiful art nouveau illustrations from Medusa Dollmaker. 

Castle Panic, designed by Justin De Witt

Castle Panic is a cooperative tower defense boardgame suitable for everyone from smart elementary schoolers to grandparents. The players defend their castle from a rampaging horde of goblins, orcs, and trolls, who have some nasty surprises in store. The game is both more visceral and comprehensible than titles like Pandemic, and the second edition of Castle Panic has new, appealing artwork that looks like a children's cartoon.

Tech: Grounded

Obsidian is best known for developing RPGs like Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity, and they brought those sensibilities to one of their latest titles, Grounded. It's an open-world survival crafting game about four teens mysteriously shrunken down to ant size and abandoned in a treacherous backyard.  They'll need to scavenge for food and water, fight bus-sized insects, and figure out a way home:

Don't be fooled by the Pixar aesthetic and whimsical, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids-esque premise - in the early going, Grounded is just as unforgiving as any other survival title. You start with no equipment and no chance against the terrifying wolf spiders and stinkbugs roaming the garden, so you are naturally forced to explore to get stronger. It all leads to a satisfying role reversal when you've finally crafted enough weapons, armor, and items to go toe-to-toe with the badder insects in the yard.

I went through Grounded co-op with a friend, and the game works astonishingly well in that mode, probably better than any survival game I've ever played. Ironically (and refreshingly for an Obsidian game), there weren't too many bugs to deal with.  Hosting and joining games is seamless, and character upgrades and collectibles are shared and saved for each character (so no one "loses out" if a quest is completed when they miss a session).  More fundamentally, the game's environments and enemies naturally encourage players to specialize their builds, so each player can meaningfully contribute.  Co-op adventures/RPGs are hard to find these days, and Grounded is one of the best ones out there.

Rating: 90/100