The Fun Zone: The Fun

This Time: Hobby Games: The 100 Best, edited by James Lowder, published by Green Ronin Publishing.

Hobby Games: The 100 Best is a collection of essays by some of today’s hottest game designers and publishers. Each contributor was asked to write about what they considered to be the “best” hobby game ever published, whatever their definition of “best” might be. For example, Bruno Faidutti writes about Cosmic Encounter, Martin Wallace discusses Power Grid, and Mike Fitzgerald chooses Ticket to Ride. The result is more than a simple “Top 100” list, however. It’s an intimate look at 100 different people, and what games influenced them most. Take Andrew Looney, for example, who chose Cosmic Wimpout because of the attitude and culture of the company that makes it, almost as much as for the gameplay itself. There’s a sense of discovery that comes with reading this book as well, since the subject matter covers all forms of hobby gaming, from board to card to roleplaying. I wasn’t familiar with several of the games in the book, but seeing Bill Bridges write so passionately about the superhero RPG Champions has me more than just a little interested in giving it a try. For gaming historians, or just anybody who loves games, this is an invaluable resource. I particularly enjoyed when Mike Selinker compared Bohnanza to the sport of curling. Highly Recommended.

We've been reading a lot to TK lately. It's part of our naptime/bedtime routine. We read a book or two together when he starts to get sleepy, so he gets the idea that sleep time is nigh. He typically enjoys the activity, and will often reach for the characters in the books as if he could pick them up. He's still working on the whole 2D/3D concept.

I've discovered, though, that books for little children are not created equal. They are typically heartwarming and cute. Many rhyme. Several concern the quantification or categorization of love for a little one. Others are all about getting the kid to go to bed, or to take a bath. Lots are designed to teach specific concepts like colors or letters of the alphabet. Most are boring.

These aren't bad books, exactly. They're written for babies, after all. It's just that when you face the prospect of reading these things over and over and over and over again, it's nice to find a few favorites that you actually enjoy reading. They're still on the kid's level, of course, but they're books that have enough wit and humor to keep an adult's interest. So far, we've found two authors that achieve this level: Mo Willems and Bob Shea

Willems is an award-winning writer for Sesame Street, as well as the creator of Sheep in the Big City for Cartoon Network. Our first exposure to his work was Knuffle Bunny, the story of a little girl going to the laundromat with her dad, only to leave her prized stuffed rabbit in the washing machine. The story is told using cartoon-style line drawings superimposed on real photographs of New York City, and the expressions on the characters' faces are priceless. Willems doesn't need many words to convey the inner passions of the characters. The look in the Dad's eye when he decides to "look harder" for Knuffle Bunny says it all.

Kunffle Bunny is at least based in reality. New Socks, by Bob Shea, is a joyous exercise in absurdity. Leon is a bean-shaped creature who wears glasses, and he's really excited about his new socks. That's the plot, really. Leon spends the book talking to the reader, playing games with his new socks: sliding on a wood floor, and pretending his foot's a phone that he uses to talk to the president. His unbridled joy practically leaps off the page. He's so excited that we have to tone down our reading style at bedtime. We actually managed to snag an autographed copy of this one. Is says, simply, "Hey! You got new socks!" which is absolutely true.

Enter the pigeon.

Stef had heard about more of Mo Willems' work after we got New Socks, so she ordered the highly regarded Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! This story is told with more simple line drawings (no photographs this time) with priceless expressions. A bus driver speaks to the reader at the start of the book, asking them to watch his bus for a moment. There's only one rule that must be followed: THE BIRD MUST NOT DRIVE THE BUS. Mere moments after the drivers' departure, the titular pigeon emerges, and asks if he can drive the bus. The idea is that the child interacts with the bird, telling him "no." The bird then tries various schemes to trick the reader into letting him drive the bus, eventually working himself into an avian meltdown, complete with red eyes and scribbly text. Ultimately, the pigeon will fail in his quest, but he is not beaten. At the end of the book, he spots a semi truck, and the dream continues. The book won a major award for kids literature (Caldecott honor, I believe), and it's currently being adapted into an animated short. There's even a musical version out there somewhere.

Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus! is only the beginning of the pigeon saga. Other titles include Don't Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late! (in which The Pigeon carries his own Knuffle Bunny) and The Pigeon Wants a Puppy. In The Pigeon Finds A Hot Dog, the pigeon, well, finds a hot dog in the street, but before he can eat it, a new character appears: The Duckling. This Machiavellian baby bird seems sweet at first, but you soon realize he has his eyes on the hot dog in question. At first, he asks simple questions: "What does it taste like? Would you say it tastes like chicken?" His continued persistence drives the pigeon into a frenzy once again. Only the suggestion that they split the hot dog gets things back to normal. TK is fascinated with The Pigeon, and we've been snatching up as many of the books as we can.

This snatching behavior extends into the two spinoff "board books," The Pigeon Has Feelings Too! and The Pigeon Loves Things That Go. Each of these are only about eight pages long (they call them a "smidgen of pigeon"), but they include cameos from and references to their larger cousins. This is odd, because if you're dealing strictly with suggested age ranges, children would read the board books first, not understanding why a hot dog "gos" in The Duckling's belly in The Pigeon Loves Things That Go, or why The Pigeon is so pissed off at the bus driver in The Pigeon Has Feelings Too. Maybe these really are written with the grownups in mind as well. Whatever it is, I can't wait to find out what happens to that flying rat next.

So next time you need to snag a gift for that little nephew or young cousin and you find yourself wandering the children's section of the bookstore, just remember that not all kids' books are created equal. You might be subjecting the parents to the torture of "A, aardvarks in an alleyway... B, baboons ballooning... C..." over and over and over and over again. Oh and one more thing,

DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE-oh, you know.

I'm really not a comics person. I had a subscription or two growing up, The Amazing Spider-Man and Secret Wars, I think, but it didn't last long because I couldn't get into the mythology. We also had a bunch of old "kids" comics floating around the house, with titles like Richie Rich, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and Donald Duck. There were short bursts of interest around a series starring The Get-Along Gang, or Archie, or even The Mad Balls (seriously?), but the fascination was brief.

The only time I ever really started collecting comics with gusto was during the whole "Death of Superman" adventure. I had been swept in by the hype, and I not only purchased the whole "Doomsday" saga, but also every issue dedicated to the "Funeral for a Friend" storyline. Then, I had to continually purchase every Superman-related book (of which there were four) for the next several months so I could find out what happened with the four possible Supermen (none of which turned out to be the actual Superman). By the time Clark Kent had returned to Metropolis, complete with ponytail, I had a gigantic stack of books, and I was suddenly invested in every storyline from every crossover involved in the event.

As an aside, this was also about the same time that Batman was dealing with his spine-related issues, and Shawn had been following that ever-complicated thread. We'd let each other read our respective series, thereby splitting the cost of keeping up with the DC universe.

Of course, this was exactly what DC was going for with the Death of Superman arc. Use a gigantic event to bring bunches of eyes to the franchise, and then cross pollinate to the entire superhero world. After all, their ultimate goal is to sell comic books. Eventually, I realized this and lost interest. The entire arc was bagged and boxed, and now sits in my basement for the day when The Kid is old enough to discover them. I had flirted with comics for the last time, I told myself back then.

But I couldn't have anticipated Buffy Summers.

Much like Superman, I was alerted to "Joss Whedon's Season Eight" through other media: a blurb in Entertainment Weekly, some web reviews, and the comments of a few trusted friends (yes, Robert*, I'm blaming you). There had been other Buffy comics on the market already, but this series held the all-powerful lure of the phrase "official canon." Rather than let Buffy fans just wallow in their irrational hopes for a continuation of the TV series, Joss was moving the story forward in another medium. If you wanted to know what really happens to Buffy after she left the smouldering crater that once had been Sunnydale, you had to read these comic books.

And read them I did. Or rather, am doing. I'm currently waiting for Issue #15 of the series, and I am certainly pleased so far. The characterization and dialogue are spot on, and while I haven't always agreed with where the story has gone thus far, it feels like the real thing.

But then, after stopping at a comic store on her way about town, Stef picked up not only the latest Buffy issues, but also the first few issues of "Angel: After the Fall," a Joss-guided continuation of the Angel storyline, from right after he went charging into the army of demons that faced him in the series finale. It, too, has the same feel as the series that inspired it, although I don't enjoy the art quite as much. It's a bit more stylized, and I find it more difficult to understand what's going on at times.

Oh, and did I mention that there's a Serenity miniseries as well? It covers events between the series and the movie. And yes, it's written by Joss Whedon.

...and here I am again. I've been sucked in (no vampire pun intended). I even purchased the trade paperback of "Shadow Puppets," a "Spike" series in which he faces the same band of "Smile Time" puppets that Angel faced in the series, but this time in Japan. It's frikkin' hilarious, but that's not the point. The point is that I'm right back where I was with Superman. I'm following three different series, and I already know there's another Serentiy spin-off in the works (this one will follow the Book character). I need to draw the line somewhere, I know.

Just not sure where that is yet.

*It's been pointed out by my lovely wife that it may have been me that introduced Rob to the Buffy comic series, and not the other way around. My response to this is that I was talking about a different Robert. A Robert... Landeraxe. Yeah, good ol' Bob and Kat Landeraxe. You know them, right? No? Good.

There are few things more surreal than attending a Harry Potter Midnight Madness release party with your father-in-law.

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Plans change.

I usually fear change, but today I embrace it.

As previously stated, my wife has first-look rights regarding the Seventh and Final Harry Potter Book. This claim was solidified after she let me read Half-Blood Prince before her, tipping the balance of first-reads for the series permanently in my favor. So, I have long been resigned to having to wait a few extra days before I got my hands on the Potter finale.

The problem with this arrangement, though, is that Stef leaves for her Stampin' Up convention in Denver on Tuesday afternoon, and we'll be in Rhode Island this weekend for her cousin's wedding, so there's not a whole lot of time for her to read before she leaves. In addition, she's preparing all of these "swap" cards for convention, and she expects to be working on them all the way up to her departure (keep in mind she has that pesky work thing too...). So, I told myself, I can try to get her to read quickly and finish before she leaves town, but the most likely outcome is that Potter will travel with her to Denver, and I'll have to wait until she returns.

But plans change.

Stef, being the kind-hearted soul that she is, realized that her swap preparations will likely not only last until departure, but may spill over into the plane ride as well. She won't have any time to read while at convention (there's too much stamping to do!), and the return journey is an overnight flight, so sleep will be the order of the day. Not a lot of reading opportunities to be found at all. So she offered me a deal: I can read the book first, having it ready for her to start when she returns, on one condition...

I have to help her complete the swaps.

Deal. Bring on the tape gun.

I love my wife. Just don't tell her that I would have helped complete the swaps without the Potter incentive.

This doesn't answer the question as to whether I should go to a midnight release party or not. Anybody been to one of these things? Is there a giant crowd? Can I just waltz in to get the book, or do I need to dress up and play Tabletop Quiddich first? I guess I'll see if I'm up to it.

Have I mentioned that Stefanie is awesome? Okay then...

There exists a series of Star Trek novels by the incomparable William Shatner (along with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, making me wonder what the division of labor is like) that take place in a world that has come to be known as the "Shatnerverse." This world is virtually identical to the NextGen/DS9/Voyager timeline presented as official Star Trek canon in the series and films, except for one minor detail:

James T. Kirk is alive.

Yes, he was killed by Malcolm McDowell's character during the events depicted in Generations. However, in Shatner's The Return, Kirk is resurrected by the Borg and the Romulan Empire to hunt down and kill Captain Picard (only Shatner could write such a thing). This evil plot of course fails, and since then Kirk and his pals have been having grand adventures in the "current" time frame.

On one hand, these books come off as incredibly cheesy, celebrating Kirk as the ultimate hero, facing dangers that the "modern" Starfleet just can't handle. In one of the recent novels, Captain's Peril, Kirk and Picard go on vacation on Bajor, get into trouble, and eventually Kirk needs to save Picard from a giant squid. Seriously.

On the other hand, these books are written on the grand scale of the Star Trek films. Without budget or casting limitations, the story can involve pretty much everybody that still lives in Star Trek land. In the most recent novel, Captain's Glory, a mysterious phenomenon threatens the ability of any ship to go to warp, effectively crippling the Federation, and everybody comes together to try and solve the problem. Kirk (now a family man, his son Joseph's on board) leads his ship with Scott and McCoy (and later Spock). Picard's still on the Enterprise with Worf as first officer and Crusher in sickbay. Troi and Riker are on the Titan with Tuvok as first officer. Janeway and The Doctor (no, not THAT Doctor, the holographic one) show up as well. We even get mentions of Archer and reports from Deep Space Nine. It's like a family reunion.

So, I keep reading these things, reveling in both the cheese and the geek factor. Sure, it's goofy, but with the new Star Trek movie taking place outside of the NextGen time frame, where else am I going to get a fix? Bring it on, Bill.

For Christmas, I received two books by comedians that at first glance seem to be very different. However, they essentially cover the same type of subject, and many of the same events. The perspective is obviously different, as is the style, but the similarities made for an interesting pairing.

First off is Lewis Black's Nothing's Sacred, which by the cover looks to be a print form of the comedian's trademark rants and ravings. Unlike other books by stand-up artists though (see SeinLanguage), it's not just a bunch of jokes strung together. Nothing's Sacred is a collection of essays which, taken together, follow Black through his formative years, schooling, and early career. Sure, it's funny stuff, and you can practically hear him screaming in some of the more impassioned bits, but it also gives you insight about Black as a comedian, and as a person. He even includes the script for one of his one-act plays (Black studied playwriting in college). I came out of it with a greater respect for the guy and his point of view, even if his sense of humor skews a bit toward the twisted end of the spectrum.

While Black's book is a bit like a sheep in wolf's clothing, Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays broadcasts that it's a sentimental journey right from the cover image. There's Billy, hanging out on the front porch, grinning at you as if to say, "Come on in! I'll tell you all about my family!" 700 Sundays is the print version of the Tony award-winning show that Crystal performed on Broadway, and there are certainly areas where the text just screams to be acted out. I bet the audiobook version of this is fantastic. Despite the dampening of the message by the medium, though, the book is a fascinating portrayal of Crystal's early life. The title refers to the fact that Crystal's dad had to work so hard that he could only spend Sundays with the family. Before he died, he only got to spend about 700 Sundays with the kids. During that time, though, he introduced the kids to baseball, jazz, and classic recorded comedy, forming the basis for the comedian Crystal would become.

It's hard to compare the two, really. I enjoyed them both. I think Black's book stands out more to me because it was so unexpected. So, if you're a fan of either (or both) of these funny guys, you could do far worse than tracking down their autobiographies. At the very least, they're quick reads.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Deathly-Hallows-Book/dp/B000818XA0/ericmichasumm-20

That's the title of Book VII.

Not much else to report. Oh, except for a pre-order link.

Merry Christmas.

I'm not a big fan of the catch-all post, but this week's been pretty busy. I just finished the last of a series of production projects that have been hounding me since last week, and now I have to do some homework, preparing for the recording of my audiobook demo this weekend. So, while I had intended to do a full post on most of these things, I will likely not get to them if I wait.

Let's begin!

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I'm on a bit of a Gregory Maguire kick.

Soon after reading Wicked a couple years ago, Stef ran out to the bookstore and picked up every book Maguire had written up to that point. She then proceeded to not read them. They've just been sitting on the shelf until I, frustrated that I still can't seem to check Eldest out of the library, started working my way through them one by one.

I just finished Mirror, Mirror, and quite enjoyed it. I found it a lot more entertaining than Wicked (the stage version, in my opinion, is a vast improvement over the novel), and a fascinating retelling of the Snow White story.

Maguire, you see, could be called a gimmick writer. At the very least, he has an obvious M.O.: Take a story that everyone knows (The Wizard of Oz for Wicked, for example, or Cinderella for Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister), and use it as a framework for your novel. Sometimes it works within the established world, as with Wicked, and sometimes it's a reimagining of the tale, that only relates to the original in subtle ways.

Reading a Maguire novel is a bit like putting together a puzzle. You know the original story, and as Maguire's narrative unfolds, you're waiting for elements to "click" into your established paradigm. It's an interesting way to draw you into the story, to obtain an instant rapport with the audience. Who is this character, and how does he fit into the classic story? Will he do what I expect from the fairy tale, or will there be a subtile twist?

I've just begun Lost, which relates to Dickens' A Christmas Carol. I'm not sure how yet, though. While the other books I've read have been set in either fantasy worlds (The land of Oz) or established history (16th-Centruy Rome, in the case of Mirror, Mirror), Lost is set in modern-day Washington, D.C. I do like the fact that while Maguire sticks to his M.O., each novel has a different style. Keeps things fresh.

Once I'm done with Lost, I imagine I'll track down Maguire's latest, Son of a Witch. It is, as you might guess, a sequel to Wicked. Although, as I've said, Wicked is my least favorite of Maguire's novels, the completist in me can't let it sit there unread. Maybe I'll get it from the library. And hope that Eldest is there too.