Adam Oster, Novelist

Whether you realize it or not, we all ingest art every dang day. Whether it’s through the entertainment we enjoy or even the advertising that we try to ignore, creativity played a part and it became art. As such, I want to take a moment to highlight some of the art I’ve been enjoying as of late.

Book – The Wall of America by Thomas M. Disch

This collection of short stories jumps all over the place, from odd little introspections into what the future of a giant wall around the United States could look like with people covering it in art, to deep dives into the concept of humanity and religion through a discussion between a robotic alien and a god-like being. Honestly, this book is good weird fun like a short story anthology should be. There is oddly enough, some crossover from story to story, almost like they are intended to feed into each other, but not in the actual activity happening in the books, but in the topics explored, causing the stories to weirdly meld together as you think through them, but in a somewhat good way. Certainly worth the read.

Game – Far Cry 3

If you’ve played the original Far Cry or Far Cry 2 (or, honestly, any first person shooter released in the past 20 years), you’ve not going to be surprised by much that’s offered in Far Cry 3. It’s great for some quick entertainment between tasks (you know, like how very busy dads have to play), but it’s not going to change the genre for you in any way. I might not be giving it much credit, since it was released in 2012 and may have been game-changing at that point, but regardless, it feels like another standard entry in the genre today. The highlights here are that it does allow you countless ways to complete missions, often allowing you to go through the mission stealthily or guns-ablazing. And it’s pretty. Especially for 2012 standards. It’s fun, and if it’s on sale (like it was when I picked it up), it’s definitely worth a play through.

TV/Movie – Loki

Look, if you’re not watching Loki, you really should. I’m actually struggling right now with the fact that the last episode released three days ago (as of when I wrote this) and since my daughter is at camp, I haven’t been able to watch the finale and therefore have to avoid the Internet entirely so as to keep from getting spoilers. And the truth is…I’ve already had most of the big spoilers (I think) forced on me. But this show is a definite watch, even if you’re not into the MCU. Like WandaVision before it, it does a great job of separating itself from the mold of MCU movies. This isn’t a by-the-book superhero series. It has surprises, it brings you to question what’s going to happen next, and it really causes you to want to see more of this world they’ve been developing. Owen Wilson brings his A-game in his MCU debut, holding his own alongside MCU-favorite Tom Hiddleston. This feels like a superhero series directed by Wes Anderson, and I’m actually surprised that I’m saying that’s a good thing. It’s silly in a way the MCU has previously been afraid to be, and I’m so happy with the result.

Music – Sufjan Stevens

This guy has been a favorite of mine for ages now. I happened upon his music almost accidently over a decade ago and fell in love with his atmospheric qualities and haunting lyrics. Songs like John Wayne Gacy Jr. will sit in the back of your mind for weeks after hearing it, causing you to unfortunately be constantly reminded of the serial killer as you cry in your sleep. But it’s so hauntingly beautiful that you just want to hear it again and again. He’s been some good mood music for me lately while I work on school, writing, or reading.

What about you? What art have you been enjoying lately? I’m always looking for something new to read, watch, play, or listen to, even if I already have a list for each of these things that is so incredibly large that I’ll never get through it all.