Brat Farrar (bratfarrar) wrote,
Brat Farrar
bratfarrar

reviews: computer games; josephine tey; numb3rs

Yes, I should be typing up my rough draft (why is it so hard to get myself to do that? I had the same problem in college), but here's some stuff from this past week:

Submachine - Will eat your head for a couple days. In a good way. Reminds me a bit of Chip's Challenge, if you're at all familiar with that, only minus the monsters that will squish you or the possibility of frying/drowning yourself. In fact, I think there's only one level where you can die, and you have to pretty much do it on purpose. Basically, lots of exploring/finding/puzzle-solving, all framed by a fascinating and somewhat sinister world. A good way to spend a weekend, if you've nothing urgent to do.

Little Wheel - Just plain charming (and adorable), from the music to the animation style. Unlike Submachine, you can play it all the way through in an hour, easy.

The Man in the Queue - Josephine Tey's first Inspector Grant novel and the start of my tied-for-favorite mystery series (the other being Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey books). I love it very much because a) the detective is a policeman, and a very good policeman, and b) despite this he's still unable to solve the case without a confession. It makes for a rather refreshing change from Agatha Christie's omniscient detectives. Also c) Grant is a pretty nifty person and one that would be fun to have coffee with, or talk to during intermission at a play.

To Love and Be Wise - follows The Man in the Queue and introduces the marvelous Marta, who is Grant's close friend and confident and is made of awesome. Also has the interesting device of being Grant-less for about half the book. Has some marvelously scathing descriptions of authors that keep churning out the exact same book in different clothing, something of which Josephine Tey is most definitely not guilty.

Numb3rs - My family's currently marathoning the second season of this show, and it is wonderfully angst-free. No whipping boys, no fumble-fingers, just people who can do their jobs well, balanced against a bit of family life and geeky friendship. And the cases have all been interesting and twisty. Just plain ol' enjoyable tv, which is harder to find than you'd expect.
Tags: reviews & recommendations
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