Books I Read in April

~ Veselin ~ 3 Comments

April was not a great month for reading for me. I missed the first 10 days and then read a few short ones for the number. Nevertheless, some mind blowing books came out of it. Few but good.

Best Books

  1. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir – the sad story about necromancers who face too much magic and a universe that’s 10K years after the apocalypse. I think some love is lurking in there but it’s not a romance. It’s deeply touching, well written, engaging, interesting, and memorable. It was by far the best book I read this month, and I keep thinking about it.
  2. Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams – a former director from Facebook reveals dark secrets from her past work. Mixed feelings here. Her story is awful and at the same time, the genie is not going back to the lamp.
  3. Harrow the Ninth by Tasmyn Muir. A book where the imaginary and the reality are so mixed that I needed Wikipedia to explain the events to me. However, despite the 4*, I feel this book was far more memorable than the next books on the list that I can forget quickly. I plan to get the 3rd part as well but maybe after a break.
  4. The Narrow Road Between Desires – Patrick Rothfuss is a modern classic with his incredible skill of arranging small and tiny events into a larger puzzle. I’d say, a good member of the Cozy Fantasy family.
  5. Cursed by Alex Kosh – 5* but pretty much unavailable anywhere, I was the lucky first reviewer on Goodreads. And also, thematic, it is about ghosts and in line with Gideon, Harrow and the unfortunate sixth book.

Worst Book

  1. Five Broken Blades – ironically, almost identical plot with Gideon the Ninth, which I liked so much. The story is about 6 (no kidding) people trying to assault an immortal king who is both the enemy and the ally. However, unlike Gideon the Ninth, it’s constantly annoying, and none of it makes sense. For example, why 5 blades if it’s about 6 people, and why broken, if nothing is broken? The book doesn’t answer. Maybe the sequel will.

The Subway Problem – Solved

~ Veselin ~ 21 Comments

I wrote earlier about the nearby road next to the highway that had started sinking due to the new subway construction. The holes have since been filled with a mix of concrete and dirt.

I’m not sure how I feel about this. I expected them to dig deeper and address the root cause. I still worry that the whole area might sink further. But if there’s no underground water involved and it’s just the subway, the patches may eventually settle and hold.

I find your lack of faith disturbing

— Darth Vader

Asenovets

~ Veselin ~ 13 Comments

Asenovets is a famous building in the city center of Sofia. Two similarly designed large residential buildings sit on the two sides of Ivan Asen II street, the area with our co-working space. I go past this building almost daily. The area is nice.

The police took out 48 dogs from an apartment in this historic building yesterday. I’m speechless. An apartment in such a place can be a pricy AirBNB that’s never empty, and someone hoarded dogs inside, and somehow managed to lock in 48 of them until the authorities stopped it and took the dogs and the owner away.

I hope the dogs find better accommodation and the neighbors – some peace and quiet.

Archery

~ Veselin ~ 17 Comments

I know nearly zero about Archery, other than South Koreans are very good at it. But I witnessed a tournament in the nearby park not once but twice because apparently it took two days. Looks like a beautiful and relaxing sport. I should try it one day.

Subway Construction Causes Holes, Cracks, and Structural Threats in Sofia

~ Veselin ~ 14 Comments

A hole opened on the road in my neighborhood as a result of the underground subway construction. The road is severely damaged, and it looks like the buildings nearby may start cracking as well. There were some attempts to fill the hole, but more holes opened. The sidewalk separated from the road, and there are large cracks over a long distance.

Makes me wonder why is it still permitted for busses to drive near the holes and if the nearby building will need to be evacuated.

UPDATE: the road is fully closed today, all the buses (TM3, TM5, and 73) have alternative routes. Multiple bus stops have been closed. I’m glad the engineers took this seriously.