Showing posts with label geek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label geek. Show all posts

Book Review: Old Norse For Modern Times by Ian Stuart Sharpe

Old Norse For Modern Times by Ian Stuart Sharpe is entertaining and informative. Never be lost for words again...with this book of lost words. Have you ever wanted to wield the silver tongue of Loki, or to hammer home your point like a Thundergod? Old Norse is the language of legends and the stuff of sagas, the inspiration for Tolkien and Marvel, for award-winning manga and epic videogames. It is the language of cleverly crafted kennings, blood-curdling curses, and pithy retorts to Ragnarök. Old Norse for Modern Times gives you the perfect phrase for every contemporary situation—from memorable movie quotes ("We’re going to need a bigger boat." Þurfa munu vér skip stærra) to battle-cries to yell on Discord ("Do I look to be in a gaming mood?" Sýnisk þér ek vera í skapi til leika?), from mead hall musings ("This drink, I like it! ANOTHER!" Líkar mér drykkr þessi! ANNAN!) to tried-and-tested pickup lines ("Nice tattoo!" Fagrt er húðflúrið"). With over 500 phrases inside (plus the chance to add your own!) it is the perfect guide for Vikings fans, whether they are re-enactors, role-players, or simply in love with Ragnar.
Old Norse For Modern Times is well researched, with explanations and footnotes for translation, spelling, and punctuation choices. I really enjoyed the idea behind the book ad the execution. The topics covered, the organization of them, and the phrases were all well done. I loved the nods to popular culture and the sense of humor that is woven through out the book. I chuckled more than once, and grinned more than I would care to admit as I read through this book. I now need to get a hold of the audio book copy of this- which the introduction promised me existed-  because I am horrible with languages but there are several of these phrases I want the ability to use. And frankly, if I am going to confuse people by speaking Old Norse, I am going to do it right- or as close to it as I can get. 

Book Review: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku (Otaku Can't Fall in Love) by Fujita

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku is the first volume in the Otaku Can't Fall in Love manga by Fujita. This series was originally published in 2015, but the English translation was released in April of 2018. 
Narumi and Hirotaka are, by all appearances, a power couple. They're young, good-looking professionals. But they have secrets from everyone but each other: They're serious geeks! Narumi is a fujoshi, and Hirotaka's a hardcore gamer. Their sweet, awkward love story started life as a webcomic before becoming a full-blown manga series by popular demand, and is about to become a major anime series!
Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku is a fun manga series that shows day in the life drama of gamers and geeks that are also friends. They might all have real jobs, and look professional, but they also love anime, games, or cosplay. I liked the story arch about them all trying to find their place in their friend group, and in relationships. It is complicated and sometimes cringe-worthy, just like real life. I liked the story and the characters, but to be honest I wanted more of the secondary couple, I found them to be a little more interesting, but as a whole the story was light and fun. I like that the book offered vocabulary and information for terms that casual readers might not already know or need some clarification on. I think I might follow up with the next book, or maybe I will wait for the anime.