I haven’t considered them to be very long, but maybe I’ve read too many Sanderson novels. They all tend to have the same pacing and plot devices. It’s been long enough since I read the first few that I can’t remember if they get shorter or longer. The more recent ones where Andrew Child co-authors seem shorter to me.

Exactly. Just practical, sometimes preemptive violence.

Just finished the latest Jack Reacher novel. Standard Reacher Murder She Wrote with a giant as protagonist plot template. I find the Reacher novels helpful if I’m having a rough week and need a low cognitive load book. Working on Candle & Crowe now, which is the third book in Kevin Hearne’s Ink & Sigil series set in his Iron Druid universe. It’s also good for a bit of cheerful escapism, but not a pulp novel.

Skippity Toilet.

This is a catpastrophe.

Definitely Subnautica. It doesn’t matter how many times I play it, there’s still the twitchy dread. I imagine if I could play it for the first time, but in VR, I would never have finished it and there’d be a hole in the wall where I threw the controller.

I’ve been carrying a Civivi for a while now. They seem to be better quality than their price would suggest. They also have some neat options for locking mechanisms, many ambidextrous that don’t require you to put your fingers in the line with the blade when closing, and different colors. Take a look at this Knife Center Search for Civivi and red. I’m also partial to Boker in th$100 or so range. For a $150, you could have a decent knife or two, and or a sharpening stone as mentioned by others.