Pacing
The Blue Sword
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley Nothing says a childhood classic like white savior Mary Sue! I snagged this one after listening to an episode of Brandon Sanderson’s podcast where he said this inspired one of the stained glass windows decorating his house (because of course he has presumably awesome stained glass windows).
By Matthew J. Fromm3 days ago in Critique
Mental Health Tips for Digital Creators (From Someone Who Knows the Burnout)
Mental Health Tips for Digital Creators (From Someone Who Knows the Burnout) It sounds like the ideal job to be a digital creator. You get to work from anywhere, be your own boss, and turn your ideas into content people actually care about.
By Farida Kabir5 days ago in Critique
When Is a Move Final?
The Commitment Problem in Modern Chess Modern chess operates under a fractured commitment model that no longer aligns with how players think, how turns function in most games, or how chess itself is actually played across physical and digital formats. At the heart of the problem is that chess treats physical contact with a piece as binding commitment while simultaneously relying on a separate explicit action to end a player’s turn. This creates a logical contradiction: a move becomes final before the turn is over. In most turn-based games, interaction with game components is provisional until the player explicitly signals the end of their turn. Chess is an anomaly in this respect, and the inconsistency becomes increasingly visible in modern play.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast7 days ago in Critique
Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days To The Attack
Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days To The Attack by Steve Twomey I really wasn’t expecting much of this read; I grabbed it while I was at Pearl Harbor because how could I not get a book while I was there?
By Matthew J. Fromm25 days ago in Critique
Standing While Falling. Top Story - January 2026.
Quotation from Friedrich Nietzsche "He who wrestles long with monsters should beware lest he himself become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Man is not destroyed by suffering, but by the meaning he makes of it."
By LUCCIAN LAYTH26 days ago in Critique
The Lost City of Z
The Lost City of Z by David Grann Growing up I thought I wanted to be an archaeologist. Now that I’m a ripe 32, I realize what I really wanted to be was an adventurer–someone who dug deep into the dark and emerged with treasures unseen for millennia.
By Matthew J. Fromm27 days ago in Critique
The Blade Itself
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie Every once in a while, I pick up a book that reminds me fundamentally why I enjoy reading—a book that turns my brain off and sweeps me away to some far flung world that I can sit at any quiet moment and. . . disappear into.
By Matthew J. Fromm30 days ago in Critique
The Butcher of the Forest
The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed I loved Becky Chambers’s A Psalm for the Wild-Built. It was a nice warm hug of a book that explored finding meaning in life, our relationship with nature, and how to come to terms with not knowing where a path may lead. I gave it an 89/100.
By Matthew J. Frommabout a month ago in Critique
