May '26 Circum et Pervagatus

 

Raw Data:

Novels/Novellas - 10 ↓

Short Stories - 1 ↑

Manga/Graphic Novels - 0 -

Comics - 1 -

Average Rating - 3.71 ↑

Pages - 2031 ↓

Words - 698K ↓

The Bad:

NONE! Wow, first month in I don't know how long where I didn't read a bad book.

The Good:

Spellbound & Warbound were both 5star re-reads by Larry Correia

Mrs Pollifax Pursued was the best Mrs Pollifax yet and I gave it 4.5Stars. On the first read.

Movie:

Afterlife (Resident Evil #4) was a good time. Alice was back to being human, which is as it should be.

Miscellaneous Posts:

• Loop Earplugs - Experience 2 Plus
• Living Lands - MTG 4E
• Llanowar Elves - MTG 4E
• Imperatoris Chronicorum III
• Lord of Atlantis - MTG 4E
• Sunshine Blogger Award - The 2026 Edition
• MC - The Acquisitioning II
• Lord of the Pit - MTG 4E

Personal:

This was a fantastic reading month. My average was 3.71. That is stratospheric for me. It helped that I finished up the Grimnoir trilogy re-read :-) I did read less, but I need to get out of the mindset of just mindlessly consuming books.

Wordpress has always had "Achievements" for big milestones like anniversaries of your start date, or getting to 500 followers, or getting your first 100 likes. Things to help new bloggers feel motivated and some things for more seasoned bloggers. Well, part way through this month Wordpress really amped up that idea. If you visit "https://wordpress.com/reader/users/ME/achievements" you can see all of the Achievements you've accomplished so far and the absolutely monster list of more accomplishments you can achieve. It's the gamification of blogging and it stinks like horse manure. THIS is the kind of content WP is spending it's time on? This is why nobody is available on the help forums? This is why basic blogging functions are now behind "premium" paywalls? swearswearswear. Why doesn't most of that effort go into customer relations and customer service? I hate to use the following word, but this is the quintessential example of "Enshittification" and it's happening on Wordpress.com. It represents the idea that Wordpress thinks empty, useless shiny things are good enough while destroying, hiding and lying about core functions like notifications, subscribers (getting randomly unsubscribed from people or having them randomly unsubscribed from me is still happening, albeit much less) and basic statistics like actual "views" instead of allowing hundreds or thousands of bot views to be recorded. Ok, vent over. Except to say that:

Free Speech has consequences and I'm willing to accept those consequences - click to open

Matt Mullenweg can get Luigi'd and I'd not shed a tear. I might not dance with joy but there would be no sadness in Bookstoogeville that day. I am also willing to say this with the full knowledge that WP the fascists might very well close down my blog.

I took last week off from work. I've been needing that for several months and I made the most of it. I'd thought about doing a separate post about it, but with this Circum et Pervagatus post so adequately placed on the last day of my stay-cation, I figured I'd just talk about it here. I do have to go back to work tomorrow after 9 days of not even having to think about work, so this is my last hurrah! ;-) I basically walked to one of several coffee shops each morning, had an iced chai, read a book and took notes on it in a separate notebook from my journal. It was wonderful! The weather even cooperated so I could do the walk (it's about a mile away) and sit outside. Ahhhh, good times.

Cover Love:

The Ghost Pirates by William Hodgson. Not a recommended book but a truly fantastic cover.

Plans for Next Month:

I did a really good job of keeping Wednesdays and Saturdays post free. So for June I'm going to experiment with going post free on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I haven't hit a words wall in my blogging yet, but I'd like to prevent that if I can and slowing down my blogging is the best way to accomplish that goal.

It helps that I've started reading Isaac Asimov's autobiographical trilogy, which starts with In Memory Yet Green. I'll be reviewing that later this week, but it has slowed my reading waaaay down. It's a dense chunkster of a tome. 

Argentine Deadline (Phoenix Force #1) 3Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Argentine Deadline
Series: Phoenix Force #1
Author: Gar Wilson
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Action/Adventure
Pages: 193
Words: 43K
Publish: 1982

When I reviewed Tower of Terror in the beginning of April, I was pretty down on the whole Gold Eagle Mack Bolan spinoff thing. ToT was boring and the dynamics of the three men who made up Able Team made me feel like I was holding a dead, cold fish. Considering that Phoenix Force consisted of five men, and I am the kind of guy who prefers a group to be smaller (One being the best number for a group, hahahaha), my expectations for this book were in the basement. I literally forced myself to start this book just to get it over with.

And much like the Grinch, something miraculous happened! (No, my heart didn’t get any bigger. The Grinch is a pansy, that is all) The book was half-decent and I enjoyed it from start to finish. Now that’s a Christmas Miracle, in May.

This is an introductory book, so most of the story is taken up with showcasing the five members and their little individual ticks that separate them from the others. In ToT, that bugged the daylights out of me but here, the slower pace of the story worked ok. Part of it was that I liked the guys in Phoenix Force better than I did the guys on Able Team. I can’t point to anything in particular but how Phoenix Force is portrayed just clicked with me. As such, the fact that the rescuing of the hostages happened in the last 20 pages of the book didn’t bother me, not a bit.

By the time I got to the end, I was thinking to myself that I had had a good time reading this and that I was going to search out more Phoenix Force books. I believe there are 50+ and while I don’t think I can stomach that many, I do think I can put a dent in the series and enjoy them. I’m going to do my best anyway. So say hello to Phoenix Force, they’ll be sticking around for a bit.

★★★☆☆

From Grokipedia.com

The Phoenix Force team was assembled by Mack Bolan, with governmental backing, to undertake a high-risk rescue operation in Argentina. [3] Bolan recruited five elite international operatives—British SAS veteran David McCarter, Canadian demolitions expert Gary Manning, Cuban-American underwater specialist Rafael Encizo, French-Israeli veteran Yakov Katzenelenbogen, and Japanese martial arts master Keio Ohara—forming a five-man unit. [3] The men met Bolan for the first time in a round-table briefing where they were quickly oriented to the team's purpose and the urgent mission ahead. [3]Seven scholars, six men and one woman participating in a joint peace-keeping think-tank invited by the Argentine government, had been abducted by the Marxist guerrilla organization Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo (ERP). [3] The kidnappers mistakenly believed the academics were wealthy corporate executives and demanded a $7 million ransom, threatening to behead one hostage per day if unpaid. [8] With the hostages' deadline approaching, Phoenix Force was deployed to Argentina to locate and free them. [10]Upon arrival, the team split into individual operations to infiltrate ERP strongholds and gather intelligence on the hostages' location. [3] Each member conducted solo missions featuring intense firefights that highlighted their specialized skills, though some encountered setbacks including injuries during these efforts. [10] McCarter and Manning emerged as a particularly effective combat pair, handling much of the heavy fighting. [3] Through these coordinated and independent actions, the team penetrated ERP defenses, located the captives, and launched a decisive assault that freed the hostages and eliminated the guerrilla captors. [3] The mission's success validated Phoenix Force as a highly capable counter-terrorist unit. [3]

The Valley of Mas and Menos (Groo the Wanderer #51) 3.5Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot, by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: The Valley of Mas and Menos
Series: Groo the Wanderer #51
Author: Sergio Aragones
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Comics
Pages: 24
Words: 2K
Publish: 1989

Chakaal continues to wander around doing heroic warrior babe things and Groo follows along like a helpless lovelorn puppy. Rufferto is pretty much given up on separating them and just complains in the background. Chakaal and Groo come across a village that is being used as a battle ground between two other tribes (the Mas and the Menos). Groo wants to fight them all while Chakaal forces him to not-fray, probably for the first time in Groo’s life. Chakaal concocts a plan with the villagers that is based on something Groo said and everybody is impressed with Groo. The villagers send out messengers to the Mas and the Menos to get them into the trap. Of course, Groo takes the place of one of the messengers, and ends up fighting the entire force of the Mas, and because he’s Groo, defeating them. The Mas as a fighting force are no more. Now Groo is worried that Chakaal’s plan won’t happen, so he goes to the Menos and garbles the message so bad (just like the first time) that they attack him and of course, with him being Groo, he defeats them all. So now the Menos are no longer a fighting force. Groo goes back to the village to confess to Chakaal that he ruined her plan, and everybody is happy with Groo! Even Chakaal. Rufferto is pretty worried.

But fear not Rufferto, for your master is Groo after all.

Groo ends up remembering that the “important” part of Chakaal’s plan was to break the dam. So he breaks the dam and floods the village out and everybody is cursing Groo. Rufferto, Chakaal no longer looks at Groo “like that”, so you are safe.

I’m including this picture because the word “mendicant” shows up and of course that sets Groo off. Hahahahaha, I love recurring jokes like that.

Finally, I am hoping that the character of Chakaal becomes like the Sage or those two witches. Once in a while recurring characters who are not in every comic. Chakaal makes Groo look bad instead of funny and I’m ready for him to move on to new and stupider pastures.

★★★✬☆

• All of My “Groo the Wanderer” Reviews

The Strength of Symbols (Warhammer 40K: Astra Militarum) 3Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: The Strength of Symbols
Series: Warhammer 40K: Astra Militarum
Author: Carrie Harris
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 36
Words: 8K
Publish: 2023

A nice little story about recovering a Regimental Flag so as to boost morale of an entire army. A medic and some troopers are sent on a mission to recover the flag in ork infested territory and they all have a bonding moment. They get the flag, and return just in time to inspire the other troops to win a battle. It was actually pretty hokey.

It also made me wonder why the Army sent a highly trained medic along on a secret mission. Wouldn’t she have been better utilized staying at the main hospital hacking off poor soldiers’s limbs so they can be augmented and returned to the meat grinder of the war.

That is about how the whole WH40K universe works though. If it would make sense or be logical or commonsense, well, THAT kind of thing is very unwelcome in the Empire of Mankind. So just stop thinking, would you? Because if you don’t, the Emperor’s rotting corpse will send the ghost of Horus to haunt you and Horus will bring along his Chaos buddies, who WILL eat your soul, literally.

Ahhh, good times ;-)

★★✬☆☆

From the Publisher:

A medic from a different regiment hatches a plan to retrieve an important relic and earn her place among her new comrades.

READ IT BECAUSE

The Cadians are a proud regiment. Learn what an outsider must do to show them what Valhallans are made of and earn their trust.

THE STORY

Cadian medic Cathris Korr, a Valhallan transplant, is part of a squad sent on a special mission to retrieve a regimental banner stolen by the opposing ork army. When their Chimera is destroyed, Cathris must overcome her fear of the orks and put her skills as a healer to good use in order to bring the banner where it is needed most, and earn her place amongst the Cadians.

• All of My Warhammer 40K Reviews

Lord of the Pit - MTG 4E

 

I've talked about why I didn't play the color black in the day, but once again, cards like this are Candidate 1 of why. Playing demons, that looked like demons and using Biblical language, that's a big no-no. It wasn't long after this time that Wizards of the Coast (the company that makes Magic) began moving away from the almost straight up Dungeons and Dragons versions of various creatures. But by that time, parents across the nation associated Magic the Gathering with satan worshipping, baby eating Dungeons and Dragons players. It was too late.

Marvel Champions - The Acquisitioning II

 

Two years ago I began collecting and playing the card game Marvel Champions. I bought the base game and then began collecting a bunch of individual hero packs and various villain scenarios, basically a bunch of stuff to make the game better. I chronicled said adventures in the first Acquisitioning post.

Now, at the same time I was playing with SavageDave and Spalanz via whatsapp. I was having some issues finding some of the hero packs and Dave, living in the great country of Netherlands, was able to track down a collection of 6 hero packs, for about half the price of what I'd pay for the individual packs. He bought them for me. Plans were made for getting it from the Netherlands to the US. Plans fell through. Other plans were made. Those plans fell through. Dave has "connections" with "The Family" and even THEY let us down. (I'll say no more so Dave doesn't get any necktie justice).

In desperation, we turned to the absolute last resort. The least competent, the most corrupt, the worst possible choice. Yes, we turned to the national mail systems of our respective countries. We had truly hit rock bottom. But even the worst can sometimes deliver. And Deliver they did, voila!

To make things even better, Dave sent me a nice birthday card. I loved that! I hope that getting this collection will convince me to do another gaming post on MC. But don't hold your breath, my resistance to games is well known, some might even say legendary.

Sunshine Blogger Award - The 2026 Edition

 

Here’s the participation rules

1. Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog
2. Thank the person who nominated you
3. Provide a link to your nominator’s blog
4. Answer your nominator’s questions
5. Nominate up to eleven bloggers
6. Ask your nominees eleven questions
7. Notify your nominees by commenting on their blogs

Veselin nominated me for this award this year. I consider naming him and linking him as thanks enough.

What’s your favorite book and why

Favorite book, singular?

Dune by Frank Herbert.

Can you share some obscure/unusual words you like to use when writing

The problem is that while I have a wide vocabulary, I don't compare it to the nitwits of today. So most of the words I use are completely normal. If you are me. If you're not me, well, you're el crewedso. See, I'm multilingual too.

Do you have pets (if yes, photos!)

Nope. Never have, never will.

What brings you joy?

Sitting at an outdoor cafe, sipping an iced sweet chai, while writing for hours in my current journal. Just looking off into the distance, thinking, writing.

If there’s anything that can make you look forward to tomorrow, what would that be?

Knowing I have the day off so I can go to the aforementioned cafe ;-)

Best vacation destination from your experience?

Hawaii. Best place ever. As long as you don't have to do the driving.

Do you count steps?

Don't have time. Work keeps me moving.

Favorite meal?

Pizza! I could eat pizza forever.

The last song you listened on repeat?

The Resident Evil theme song. By Marilyn Manson of all people :-D

How many blogs do you have?

What’s your favorite quote?

give me neither poverty nor riches;
    feed me with the food that is needful for me,
9 lest I be full and deny you
    and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
    and profane the name of my God.
~Proverbs 30: 8b-9 ESV

Now I'm supposed to nominate 11 other bloggers and ask 11 new questions. However, I know something about you all that you don't.

You. Aren't. Hardcore. Enough!