Media

A log of my long-form media consumption
Media

I set goals to get through a certain number of long-form media pieces each year.

I've italicized media that I completed in part but put down or come back to as reference. I've bolded media that I'd especially recommend.

Note on video games: The ones I'm counting are the story-driven/finite ones. See the rationale here for reference. Also, in video game land, I count a "finish" as completing the main storyline or quest. I'm not a completionist with respect to the sometimes hundreds of side quests in the types of games I like. My "Video games I've completed before 2023" list is absolutely not exhaustive, but I only started recording them recently so there are many I don't recollect.

Note on my film/TV record: It's a work in progress. I haven't tracked my movie watching as religiously as books and other aspects of my life.

2023

Books

  • Putin's Wars, Mark Galeotti
  • The Witcher: The Last Wish, Andrzej Sapkowski - alright Covid reading
  • Minus 148: First Winter Ascent of Mt. Mckinley, Art Davidson
  • Denali's West Buttress, Colby Coombs
  • Invincible, Issues 26-53, Robert Kirkman/Cory Walker/Robert Ottley
  • Invincible, Issues 1-25, Robert Kirkman/Cory Walker/Robert Ottley
  • Beyond the Mountain, Steve House - a solid memoir from another climbing legend
  • Kiss or Kill, Mark Twight - intense, dark, contemplative
  • Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin
  • A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles - Just a delightful, cozy read
  • Reamde, Neal Stephenson (8%)

Film/TV

  • Fargo (1996)
  • Oppenheimer - magnificent
  • Barbie
  • Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse (2018) - pretty decent; spectacular animation
  • The Hunted (2003) - so bad. Also watched during Covid
  • Honest Thief (Liam Neeson) - cheesy movie watched while in Covid recovery
  • The Marksman (Liam Neeson) - cheesy movie watched while in Covid recovery
  • Memory (Liam Neeson) - cheesy movie watched while in Covid recovery
  • Invincible (Season 1) - watched on Amazon Prime; amazing
  • Lethal Weapon (1987) - whacky, nonsensical plot, but lots of explosions
  • Enter the Dragon (1973) - Kitschy, extremely fun
  • Big Trouble in Little China - Exceptional
  • M3gan - pretty funny
  • Cocaine Bear - I was expecting laughs like Sharknado, but it did not deliver
  • Yellowstone (Season 4) - it's so bad but so addicting
  • Yellowstone (Season 3) - we hate the writing but can't stop
  • Yellowstone (Season 2)
  • Yellowstone (Season 1)
  • Bloodsport (John Claude Van Damme) --also hilarious
  • First Blood (Rambo)--hilarious
  • Prospect (2018) --Pedro Pascal is great
  • The White Lotus Season 2
  • The Last of Us Season 1 (fantastic)

Video games

2022

Books

  • Murderbot Diaries: Exit Strategy, Martha Wells
  • Murderbot Diaries: Rogue Protocol, Martha Wells
  • Murderbot Diaries: Artificial Condition, Martha Wells
  • Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red, Martha Wells
  • The First 90 Days, Michael D. Watkins (50%)
  • Mistborn, Brandon Sanderson
  • Fairytale, Stephen King
  • No Shortcuts to the Top, Ed Viesturs
  • Training for the New Alpinism: A Manual for the Climber as Athlete, Steve House, Scott Johnston (Reference text)
  • Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills 9th Ed. (This is a textbook and intended for ongoing reference. Apparently required reading for many aspiring mountain guides.)
  • In the Shadow of Denali, Jonathan Waterman
  • Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman
  • The Paris Apartment, Lucy Foley
  • The Guest List, Lucy Foley
  • Endurance, Alfred Lansing
  • Eiger Dreams, Jon Krakauer
  • Where Men Win Glory, Jon Krakauer
  • A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking (15%)
  • Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer
  • Bunker: What it takes to survive the apocalypse, Bradley Garrett (48%)

Film/TV

  • Triangle of Sadness
  • Three Thousand Years of Longing
  • The Northman (excellent)
  • Guns Akimbo
  • Everything everywhere all at once
  • Fresh (Mimi Cave)
  • Free Guy
  • Kimi (meh)
  • 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible
  • Pig (Nicolas Cage)
  • Don't Look Up

Video games I've completed before 2023

  • Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Half Life: Alyx
  • Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
  • Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
  • Far Cry 3
  • Far Cry 4
  • Far Cry 5
  • Far Cry 6
  • Portal 
  • Portal 2
  • Zelda: Breath of the Wild - maybe blasphemy, but I just don't go for the kiddy-feel of many Nintendo games

2021

Books

  • 2034, Ackerman & Stavridis
  • Lone Survivor, Marcus Luttrell
  • Empire of the Summer Moon, S. C. Gwynn
  • Bomber Mafia, Malcolm Gladwell
  • With the Old Breed, Eugene B. Sledge
  • Skunk Works, Ben R. Rich
  • Under the Banner of Heaven, John Krakauer
  • Eagle against the Sun, Ronald H Spector
  • In the Woods, Tana French
  • Memories, Jack Scrivener
  • Manhunt, Peter L. Bergen
  • Ghost Wars, Steve Coll
  • Hogs in the Sand, Buck Wyndam
  • Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts
  • This is how you lose the time war, Max Gladstone
  • Ghost Fleet, PW Singer
  • Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton
  • Devil in the White City, Erik Larson
  • Rebel Yell, S.C. Gwynne

2020

Books

  • For the Soul of Mankind, Melvyn Leffler
  • The Odyssey, Homer
  • The Bhagavad Gita, Eknath Eswaran
  • So Good They Can't Ignore You, Cal Newport
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie
  • Shoe Dog, Phil Knight
  • The End is Always Near, Dan Carlin
  • Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety, Eric Schlosser
  • The Bomb: Presidents, generals, and the secret history of nuclear war, Fred Kaplan
  • Red Storm Rising, Tom Clancy
  • On Writing, Stephen King
  • The Elements of Style, Strunk and White
  • The Stand, Stephen King
  • The Cold War: A New History, John Lewis Gaddis
  • Return with Honor, Scott O'Grady
  • Tools of Titans, Tim Ferriss
  • Principles, Ray Dalio
  • The Art of War, Stephen Coonts

2019

Books

  • Men Explain Things to Me, Rebecca Solnit
  • The Iliad, Homer
  • The Madness of Crowds, Douglas Murray
  • The Monster of Florence, Preston and Spezi
  • Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari
  • Shape Up, Ryan Singer
  • Amazing adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon
  • Originals, Adam Grant
  • 10 arguments for deleting your social media accounts right now, Jaron Lanier
  • Deep Work, Cal Newport
  • E-Myth, Michael Gerber
  • Atomic Habits, James Clear
  • 12 rules for Life, Jordan Peterson
  • Waking Up, Sam Harris
  • Life, Keith Richards

2018

Books

  • Make Time, Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky
  • Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy
  • The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy
  • 40 ways of looking at Winston Churchill, Gretchen Rubin
  • House of Leaves, Mark Danielewski
  • Getting Things Done, David Allen
  • The Thirst, Jo Nesbo
  • The Snowman, Jo Nesbo
  • Inferno: The World at War 1939-1945, Max Hastings
  • The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin
  • Make, Pieter Levels
  • Ancillary Justice, Anne Leckie

Film/TV I remember watching before 2018 when I started tracking

  • A Clockwork Orange
  • The Godfather Part II
  • The Dark Knight
  • Schindlers List
  • Every Harry Potter film
  • Inception
  • Se7en
  • The Green Mile
  • Parasite
  • Terminator
  • Terminator 2: Judgment Day
  • American History X
  • The Departed
  • Rear Window
  • Django Unchained
  • Inglorious Basterds
  • Reservoir Dogs
  • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
  • Kill Bill Vol.1
  • Kill Bill Vol. 2
  • Natural Born Killers
  • Fight Club
  • WALL-E
  • Princess Mononoke
  • The Dark Knight Rises
  • Aliens
  • Avengers: Endgame
  • The Avengers
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron
  • Avengers: Infinity War
  • Captain America: The First Avenger
  • Iron Man
  • Iron Man II
  • Iron Man III
  • Black Panther
  • Shang Chi: Legend of the 10 Rings
  • The Incredible Hulk
  • Thor
  • Thor: Ragnarok
  • American Beauty
  • Toy Story
  • Toy Story II
  • Toy Story III
  • Braveheart
  • The Patriot
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey
  • Requiem for a Dream
  • Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  • Full Metal Jacket
  • Amelie
  • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
  • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
  • Die Hard
  • Monty Python and the Holy Grail
  • Monty Python: Life of Brian
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
  • Pan's Labyrinth
  • Every Daniel Craig James Bond movie
  • No Country for Old Men
  • Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
  • The Seventh Seal
  • The Truman Show
  • Jurassic Park
  • The Lost World
  • Jurassic Park III
  • V for Vendetta
  • Bladerunner
  • Bladerunner 2049
  • Trainspotting
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Gran Torino
  • Catch Me If You Can
  • Room
  • The Big Lebowski
  • Logan
  • Monsters, Inc.
  • Into the Wild
  • The Princess Bride
  • Jumanji
  • Rocky
  • Nobody
  • The Matrix Reloaded
  • The Matrix Revolutions