soben

Yea, 100% sci-fi. The only (poor) argument against it being science-fiction is that ... it doesn't involve space?

isn't "Fitz and the Fool" part of that Assassin's Apprentice trilogy by Robin Hobb? goes to find oh! another trilogy. I'll have to check it out. I loved the Assassin's Apprentice trilogy.

I don't know what it is, but I struggle with both series that take place in the Commonwealth. Pandora's Star took quite a bit for me to get into, hooked me right as the book ended, but I enjoyed Judas Unchained after that.

I just finished Dreaming Void (Void #1), and it flowed the same as Pandora's Star to me, but I've grown a little over that kind of lead-up and then just end the book. On top of that, the world shifted too much, and it's hard for me to feel like I understand it in the slightest. I've been hesitant to continue it.

It's so hard to describe what really makes the books work for me, but the ones that stick out the most tend to follow along a few main threads lately:

"End of the World": in which we follow characters, but are regularly given a top-down review of how things are happening on a global scale. "Lucifer's Hammer" is a great example of this, as well as "Seveneves," "40 Signs of Rain," and maybe "Project Hail Mary"

"What if" looks at geopolitical intrigue: This plays out in which a new technologyis dropped in, or time has passed from modern era. How would things change? What societal structures would go through an upheaval and how would the various forces react. Good examples are "A World Set Free" by HG Wells, "The Long Earth," and "The Expanse" -- I think "Three Body Problem" fits here as well. "Dune" is a possible fit as well.

"ALIENS??": books in which we discover new worlds, technology, and are exploring it for the first time. "Rendezvous with Rama," "Aurora," and "Ringworld" -- "The Long Earth" also fits here.

I wonder if this is why I haven't enjoyed Dreaming Void or Pandora's star as much as I thought I would. The focus definitely seems on the characters more than the world/science.

Meanwhile some of my favorite books involve exploring new worlds and delving deep into what they're discovering: Aurora, Rendezvous with Rama, Long Earth, and the like.

There are "non-stick" options out there that don't involve PFAs, and still recommend using non-metal utensils so as to not scratch the surface to protect the "non-stick" nature. ceramics, that 'hexclad' stuff, etc...

The root of non-stick is to provide a service that is as frictionless as possible. scratches in the surface ruin that effect, regardless of PFAs.

Not sure if Riot Baby counts, but I just finished that and The Dreaming Void.

I’m tracking my progress through the Hugo award winners, so I’m now reading Rendezvous with Rama and have the Broken Earth trilogy on hand for when I’m done that.

You just posted this 4 hours ago... is this a glitch in the Matrix?

I greatly benefit from being hard of hearing and a wife that understands that we don't both have to suffer. For both of our kids, she's let me sleep without my hearing aids (and thus, not waking up with every little sound). As they get older, I'm solely responsible for them at night (she wakes me, and I go take care of them), but I still benefit from true silence at night, and only woken when it's important.

The other, unspoken, part of my question is the fact that our lives are busy AF, and our time is absurdly limited. My free time ends up being chores, or doing things that I've either neglected or that have piled up in the interim (so many things to do around the house, both fun and not)... it's so rare to find time to do nothing

That's the thing, I feel that she deserves it more than I do. She's had to commit so much more of her body/time towards the kids, especially in those early months (and prior to birth)... so there's a lot more that she should get before I get anything.

Yea, my wife gets way more solo time than I do!