We’ve just finished the 3rd quarter of 2022, which means we’re in the final stretch. But before we worry too much about all the things we want to get done before the end of the year, let’s take a brief pause and look back at the 3rd quarter. Overall, I had a good one and I hope you did, as well. Below is a small sampling of some of that goodness. We’ll take a look back through the blog posts I published. Maybe you missed one? Now’s your chance to catch up. And we’ll look at some of the things I read, watched and listened to. Perhaps you’ll find something in there that piques your interest.

Photography

I have no regrets about this quarter. I think it was photographically productive and I feel good about the photographs I created. Could it have been more productive? Sure, but that’s almost always the case. In addition to photos I created this quarter I also looked back through my archives and shared some older images. I enjoy doing that from time to time.

And speaking of enjoying going back through older images, that’s now far easier than it had been. This quarter I purchased a new computer. My old computer is over 12 years old so it’s really begun showing its age and I had been getting less and less enjoyment out of looking through my photo archives. But this new computer is so very much faster than my old one, so going through my photos and doing any sort of processing I want is no longer the chore it had become. I hate spending large amounts of money on anything, but as so often happens, now that the money is spent I have absolutely no regrets.

Closer View of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar

Sunrise from Leesylvania State Park (2008)

Reading

It’s been a great quarter for reading, though to be fair most of what’s below were audiobooks. I am reading books in print, in fact I’m currently near the end of Ken Liu’s The Wall of Storms, book 2 of his Dandelion Dynasty series, and it’s a long one that’s taking me time to get through (thankfully I’m enjoying it). So most of the books I managed to finish have been in audio format. One thing that’s contributed to me listening to more audiobooks this quarter is the purchase of my new computer. Unfortunately, one bad result of it is that I’ve been unable to sync podcasts between the new computer and my phone, so I’ve been listening to audiobooks more now that I’m unable to listen to podcasts while driving.

Anyway, check out the list of books I got through this quarter. There weren’t any I hated and I loved or thoroughly enjoyed more than half. Perhaps you might enjoy some of them.

The books I consumed this quarter (paper, ebook, and audio).

The full list of books: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, 100 Bullets: Book V by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, Saga Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, Endless Night by Agatha Christie, Elevation by Stephen King, Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan, Financial Freedom by Grant Sabatier, Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare, Saga Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, Peacemaker by Joseph Bruchac, City of Ash and Red by Hye-Young Pyun, The Travels of Marco Polo Volume 1 & 2 by Rustichello da Pisa, Good Omens: A Full Cast Production by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, and The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie.

Of these my favorites were:

Saga Volume 1 & 2 by Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples

I’d heard of Saga, the comic book series, but I’d never tried it until this quarter, and I wish I hadn’t waited so long. This is such a fantastic story. It’s very much an adult comic, tackling so many topics in such creative ways. And it has a fun way of mixing in science fiction with fantasy and daily life. Highly recommended, and I can’t wait to continue the series.

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

Who’d think one of my favorite reads of the quarter would be this children’s classic from 1922? I certainly didn’t. But I fell in love with this story and I know I’ll end up rereading it again, perhaps many times. It’s an absolutely magical story. I listened to the audiobook, wonderfully narrated by Xe Sands.

Good Omens: A Full Cast Production by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

An angel of heaven and a demon of hell have spent so much time together on Earth they’ve built up a friendship and have grown to enjoy their time amongst the humans. So when there are incontrovertible signs that the apocalypse is finally here they find themselves trying to stop it. What an absolutely fantastic and fun story full of the humor you’d expect from Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. And what a fabulous audiobook narrated by a full cast who really bring these characters to life. One day I’d like to reread the print book, but I was very pleased with the audiobook. Highly recommended.

Peacemaker by Joseph Bruchac

When I first learned that somewhere very far in the past one of my ancestors might have been Seneca I became very interested in learning more about the Seneca and the Iroquois Confederacy they became a part of. I still fondly remember reading history and stories when in school researching these topics. So when I discovered this book about the almost mythic Peacemaker who brought together the warring nations I immediately purchased the audiobook, narrated by Shaun Taylor-Corbett. It might have been written with younger audiences in mind, but this is a story for any age, and so very appropriate for our times with messages I wish more people could learn.

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

This book was such fun, I just loved it. It tells the story of Leda, a psychic travel agent, not advertising her inconsistent abilities, who ends up changing the life of Grady, a Seattle police detective. They end up teaming up to try solving a case the detective can’t let go, and maybe also help Leda with an old case of her own. Not too serious. Funny. Great characters. Some psychic fun thrown into the mix. I loved it! And I loved the voice of Ulka Simone Mohanty who narrated the audiobook.

Movies & Anime

The movies and anime I watches this quarter.

I haven’t watched much in the way of movies this quarter. In fact, the only one was X-Men: Days of Future Past, which was a rewatch of the 2014 film. And I enjoyed it enough it has me curious to do a watch/re-watch of the entire X-Men series of movies. I’ll probably start that soon. X-Men were some of my favorite Marvel comics when younger.

I also did a rewatch of the old anime series, RahXephon, a mecha-style science fiction series from 2002. I love how it integrated music into the storyline. I really enjoyed it the first time and I’m happy to report I enjoyed this rewatch, as well.

Music

Every quarter is a great quarter for music, and this one was no different. There were some new releases I’ve been listening to over and over, and there’ve also been some older songs that I’ve gone back to and just can’t leave alone.

Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia - The Moonflower Society (featuring Bob Catley)

Long ago my brother introduced me to a band called Edguy and I became an instant fan. Then Tobias Sammet, the lead singer and songwriter branched out, forming a group and collaborative project called Avantasia. I love how he brings together so many talented creatives, many of them well known inside and sometimes outside their genres. And his storytelling style of music and writing has always appealed to me. The Moonflower Society video was released this quarter and has the feel of a Tim Burton movie. I love both the video and the music.

Nightwish - Ever Dream

I’ve mentioned Nightwish here in previous quarterly look backs. And this song isn’t a new one. This specific performance of Ever Dream is from the Wacken 2013 concert, which is likely the one concert I’d most like to have seen in person. This song is perhaps a bit simpler and more straightforward than some of their others, but I love it. So full of energy and power, this might be a great workout song. It lifts my mood anytime I listen to it, so I’ve been listening a lot lately.

Amaranthe - Crystalline

I’m not that familiar with Amaranthe, but I discovered one of their singers through a collaboration with Ad Infinitum. Apparently this group used to have 3 singers but one of them has recently left the band. The group decided to continue creating music and recently released this power ballad, a style of song I’ve often enjoyed. It begins very soft with just piano, strings and female vocals, then adds in male vocals and gets heavier while still remaining melodic.

Polyphia - Neurotica

Polyphia is another band I recently discovered, though they’ve been around a while. They are an instrumental group that plays some very interesting and complicated music with just guitars, bass and drums. Neurotica is a recent release and I’ve really enjoyed both listening and watching to see how they play. These are some very technically skilled musicians. I chose to link to their playthrough video instead of the official music video so you can better see how they play.

Life

I don’t have any major changes to report this quarter. Life continues moving forward much as it always does. I do feel I’ve gotten behind in many things, such as visiting and commenting on others blogs. I’ve been dealing with a number of plumbing issues, some minor such as toilets, and one leak in the wall that I called in a plumber to fix. I had to repair the drywall afterwards, so thanks to my father for the help with that.

As I’d mentioned earlier I purchased a new computer. I’m slowly configuring it similarly to my old one and learning how to deal with any differences. There are a number of incompatible applications I need to decide how to deal with, whether to delete because I no longer use them or to upgrade to a compatible version. I continue to struggle with the issues that surfaced by iTunes being replaced by a number of smaller applications. Some things, such as music, haven’t been much of a problem. Others, such as podcasts have been a major problem. I’ve gotten Books working with audiobooks though I do have some issues. iTunes was a large, convoluted mess, but I find I miss it because I’d found a way to make it work for me. Some of these new apps just don’t, at least not that I’ve found thus far. Perhaps in time I’ll figure it out. Aside from those difficulties, though, I’ve been very pleased with the new computer. Most applications are much faster, as is working with photos, and I have some longer term plans of future upgrades related to hard drives that might speed things up even more.

I’ve mentioned podcasts a couple times now, so I’ll share some of the podcasts I’ve recently enjoyed listening to (and hope to listen to again, even if only while on the computer). Perhaps there’ll be something here you might enjoy.

Photography

The Candid Frame - Ibarionex Perello interviews a different photographer each show. Very insightful.
LensWork - Brooks Jensen shares small bits of photographic wisdom, observation or questions, mostly related to the creative process.
The Perceptive Photographer - Daniel J Gregory shares his insights into various photographic topics, especially in relation to the creative process.
Photography Tips From the Top Floor - A long-running podcast with interesting perspectives on a number of far ranging topics by Chris Marquardt.

Finance, Investing & More

The Retirement Answer Man - Roger Whitney, a professional financial planner, shares his insights on preparing for and living through retirement.
Michael Covel’s Trend Following Radio - What began as a podcast strictly about trend following investment strategies has now expanded into a fascinating source of topics and interviews on a wide range of subjects.

Reading & Writing

LeVar Burton Reads - LeVar Burton reads some of his favorite short stories.
Mythgard Academy - This is like attending classes about your favorite books (Tolkien, etc). Long format and in-depth discussions of a number of speculative books with Dr. Corey Olsen.
Sword & Laser - A science fiction and fantasy book club, where Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt talk about recent books the club is reading and various other topics.
Writing Excuses - A short podcast about the art and craft of writing, providing tips and insights from published authors.

How about you? Do you listen to any podcasts or other audio programs you find interesting and entertaining? And how was your 3rd quarter of 2022? Are you ready for what often turns into a sprint to the end of the year? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.

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