My Top 5 Books of 2020

 

My Five Favorite Books Read In 2020:

5. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

4. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

3. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L Konigsburg

2. The Plague by Albert Camus

1. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

My Top 5 Books of 2019

My 5 Favorite Books Read In 2019:

5. The Dragon With A Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis

4. The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

3. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

2. Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

1. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Recap for July 28 to September 7, 2019

We had a great time in Hong Kong, in spite of our last day there being pretty much wiped out by a typhoon warning that shut down much of the city. The weather wasn't that extreme, but there were heavy downpours all day and after one expedition out to try to do some shopping only to discover most businesses closed, we spent the day in the hotel room. The rest of the trip was awesome, though. Our day at Hong Kong Disneyland was the best time I've ever had at a Disney park. And our trip to Lantau Island to ride the cable car to Hong Kong's Big Buddha was amazing.

We also did a father/son day in Shanghai where we visited the Jewish Refugees Museum and the Great World Amusement Palace.

Then it was back to school. I'm off to a good start on the school year. Nice group of students this year, and I'm better organized. The Kiddo likes his new teacher, and he's doing soccer.

But the really big news is the new member of our family, a street kitten named Typhoon, who we rescued (named because Shanghai got hit with a typhoon the day after we found her, resulting in a bit of a wet adventure getting her to a vet).




















Typhoon is doing well after treatment for fleas and ringworm. Sadly her sibling was dead when we found them, but it looks like Typhoon will grow up strong and healthy.

Through all of this, reviews continue.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Drama by Raina Telgemeier.

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier.

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier.

Shanghai Red #1 from Image Comics.

Archie #600 from Archie Comics.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney.

Sky Pirates of Valendor #4 from Free Lunch Comics.

The Warriors #1 from Dabel Brothers.

Sky Pirates of Valendor #5 from Free Lunch Comics.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman.

My Gal Sunday by Mary Higgins Clark.

Who Was Rachel Carson? by Sarah Fabiny.

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance.

Who Was Winston Churchill? by Ellen Labrecque.

Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress by Susan Jane Gilman.

Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce.

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The Obelisk Gate by NK Jemisin.

Stage Fright on a Summer Night by Mary Pope Osborne.

Who Was Harriet Tubman? by Yona Zeldis McDonough.

Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne.

Supporting
Supporting SF author and editor Mike Resnick, who is recovering from a life-threatening medical emergency.

Upcoming

There's a Marvel Studios exhibit at the local mall, which we've been meaning to get to, and next week's Friday holiday (China's mid-autumn festival) seems like a good time to check it out. There's also a music festival at the mall the same weekend.

We've bought our tickets for WWE's upcoming visit to Shanghai at the Mercedes Benz Arena on September 21. That day is also the Expat Expo in Shanghai, and it's my birthday and Kiddo's adoption day that weekend. My school is also having it's Back To School Bash on that Sunday, so it will be a busy weekend.

No travel plans yet for the upcoming breaks. We'll be making travel plans for Fall break soon, and we have something in the works for Christmas, but not concrete plans yet.

Connect/Follow

@dandelionstudio on Twitter
@dandelionstudios on Instagram and @dailycomicreview on Instagram
rsilva on Boardgamegeek
rsilva on Facebook
ricksilvawriting on Dreamwidth and Blogger.
Rick Silva on Goodreads

Recap For May 12 To July 27, 2019

Long time between recaps, but we spent a fair chunk of it traveling. The school trip to Xi'an was great, and the remainder of the school year went smoothly, with the usual hectic rush of work. Then it was off on our summer trip to Taipei and Palau. Lots of photos on the Instagram link below. Some reviews and blog entries to follow.

Tomorrow it's the annual Father/Son (Rail) Road Trip! Taking the train to Hong Kong and spending three days there!

In the meantime, I've done some reviews.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Giant-Size Thrills #0 from Red Giant Entertainment.

DC Retroactive Batman: The 1980s #1 from DC Comics.

The Vengeful Half by Jaclyn Dolamore

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Free Comic Book Day 2014 All Ages from Dark Horse Comics.

How I Became a Pirate #2 by TC McKenna.

Dark Red #1 by Lynn French.

Awakening Comics #1 by Steve Peters.

Dark Red #2 by Lynn French.

Tragedy at Farstation Prota by Jerel Dye.

Healed #4 by George O'Connor and S. Griffin of Homeless Comics.

Healed #5 by George O'Connor and S. Griffin of Homeless Comics.

Smile by Raina Telgemeier.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Junie B., First Grader: Cheater Pants by Barbara Park.

Magic Tree House: Earthquake in the Early Morning by Mary Pope Osborne.

The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter.

The Winged Girl of Knossos by Erick Berry.

Warriors: A Dangerous Path by Erin Hunter.

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper.

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look.

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart.

History of Palau: Heritage of an Emerging Nation by Elizabeth D. Rechebei.

How To Speak Dragonese by Cressida Cowell.

Wizard's Hall by Jane Yolen.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding.

Who Was Steve Irwin? by Dina Anastasio.

Alvin Ho: Allergic To Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look.

A Thousand Miles To Freedom: My Escape From North Korea by Eunsun Kim.

Supporting
Supporting Boston-area author James A Moore, who is undergoing treatment for cancer.

Upcoming

Trip to Hong Kong with the Kiddo tomorrow! Hong Kong Disneyland on Monday!

After that we've got about a week before I head back to school (two weeks until classes start). We may do a few last tourist things in Shanghai, and we're considering a day trip to Nanjing before it's back to the day job.

I seem to have gotten myself into a regular D&D campaign. Tonight will be my third weekly session. Enjoying it so far.

Looking forward to watching Summer Slam and NXT Takeover Toronto in a week or so, and then NXT Takeover Cardiff at the end of August.

No plans yet for any of the breaks during the school year, but we are working on some ideas.

Connect/Follow

@dandelionstudio on Twitter
@dandelionstudios on Instagram and @dailycomicreview on Instagram
rsilva on Boardgamegeek
rsilva on Facebook
ricksilvawriting on Dreamwidth and Blogger.
Rick Silva on Goodreads

Recap For May 5-11 2019

Back with another recap post after just a week.

School is definitely winding down for the year. Next week is really the last normal week of the school year. The week after next, I'll be on the school trip to Xi'an. Then we'll be prepping our International Festival, and then it's time to get ready for exams and graduation.

In the meantime, I've done a few book and comic reviews.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #187 from DC Comics.

Spring-Heel Jack: Revenge of the Ripper #2 by David Barbour and Wayne Tanaka of Rebel Studios.

Red Bird Comics #1 from Dimestore Productions.

Spongebob Freestyle Funnies 2014 from United Plankton Pictures.

Dark Horse: 20 Years from Dark Horse Comics.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Anya's War by Andrea Alban.

Warriors: Rising Storm by Erin Hunter.

Supporting
Supporting the Memorial Fund for Nicole Davis, who tragically lost her life last week at age 25.

Upcoming

End-of-school things are happening now through June 15, including the trip to Xi'an the ween after next, and the International Festival on June 1.

The Kiddo and I are also looking forward to WWE Money in the Bank, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

There are some possible opportunities coming up for playing Magic and D&D, but nothing definite yet.

And we've go our big travel plans for June/July, when we'll be heading to Taiwan and then the Republic of Palau!

Connect/Follow

@dandelionstudio on Twitter
@dandelionstudios on Instagram and @dailycomicreview on Instagram
rsilva on Boardgamegeek
rsilva on Facebook
ricksilvawriting on Dreamwidth and Blogger.
Rick Silva on Goodreads

Recap For March 11 to May 4 2019

Happy Star Wars Day! May the Fourth be with you! And thank you for all the memories to Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew, who passed away this week.

It's been a very busy few weeks with day job work and some family things happening. I feel like I'm still catching up on a lot of things. Kiddo and I watched WrestleMania and NXT Takeover, but I'm still catching up on some of the Wrestlemania weekend programming. I completely missed the Magic: The Gathering: War of the Spark prerelease, but I should at least get to buy some of the cards today, and hopefully a draft or two is in the works for the coming week. I did get to play in a fun D&D one-shot during Spring break. Our party only barely survived. Kiddo and I saw Avengers: Endgame, which was loads of fun, and a great payoff for the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe so far.

I've been doing pretty well at keeping up with book and comic reviews, and I'm on track with my reading goals.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Tall Tails: Tears of the Mother #4 by Jose Calderon and Daphne Lage of Dreamweaver Press.

The Origin of Gorilla the Chinchilla by Michael Harris.

Sea Ghost #1 from Nemo Publishing Group.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Gamora's Galactic Showdown by Brandon T. Snider and Marvel Comics.

Giant-Size Fantasy #0 from Red Giant Entertainment.

Lumberjanes Volume 4 by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, and Boom! Box.

Runner's Paradox by Steve Peters.

Captain Underpants and the Big Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets (Full Color Edition) by Dav Pilkey.

The Tick: Free Comic Book Day 2014 by Jeff McClelland, Duane Redhead, Ian Chase Nichols, and New England Comics.

Mister Beecher: The World's Worst Teacher by Marek Bennett.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis.

The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.

Warriors: Forest of Secrets by Erin Hunter.

The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh,

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente.

Supporting
Supporting this petition by Cosplay is Not Consent and Sloth Goth Kay Cosplay seeking action from Starfest Convention regarding a harassment incident at the recent con.

Supporting the Madison East High School Debate Team.

Upcoming

Star Wars movie night at home tonight. Gynn's birthday and Mother's day are coming up with plans for special meals out for both of those.

I'm going back to Xi'An in about two weeks, this time with a school trip. When I get back from that, there will be about three more weeks of school. Then about five days after school ends, we're heading to Taipei and Palau. There is also a possible father/son trip to Hong Kong in the works for later in the summer.

Other things to look forward to: Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Spider-Man: Far From Home at the movies, and WWE Money in the Bank.

Connect/Follow

@dandelionstudio on Twitter
@dandelionstudios on Instagram and @dailycomicreview on Instagram
rsilva on Boardgamegeek
rsilva on Facebook
ricksilvawriting on Dreamwidth and Blogger.
Rick Silva on Goodreads

Recap for February 17 to March 10 2019

This was the week of movies for me. I don't go to the movies that often, so three in one week is pretty unusual. I saw How To Train Your Dragon 3, The Wandering Earth, and Captain Marvel. I'll try to do a separate post with my thoughts.

Also getting a separate post, but I wanted to mention it here. the summer travel plans that I keep being vague about have finally been booked, now that the Kiddo got his new passport and we got some financial things settled.

We will be off on a major adventure in June. First stop is Taipei, Taiwan for a three-day whirlwind tour, and from there, two weeks in Koror, Republic of Palau! I'll post more on travel plans as we get closer!

In the meantime, I've been doing pretty well on the comic and book reading fronts.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Static Shock #6 by Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens of DC Comics.

Bored Angel by Aya Rothwell.

Tall Tails: Tears of the Mother #2 by Jose Calderon and Daphne Lage of Dreamweaver Press.

Space: 1999 #7 by Mike Pellowski and Pat Boyette of Charlton Comics.

Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman by Dav Pilkey.

Farlight Saga Ethos #2 by Jared Koon and Sarah Hebblethwaite of Nemonet Studios.

Bongo Comics Free-For-All 2008 from Bongo Comics.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Free Comic Book Day Edition 2007 by Ian Flynn, Tracey Yardley, and Jim Amash of Archie Comics/Sega.

Tall Tails: Tears of the Mother #3 by Jose Calderon and Daphne Lage of Dreamweaver Press.

Astonishing X-Men #1 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday of Marvel Comics.

The Realm #2 by Brent Truax, Donald Marquez, Brian Michael Bendis, and Patrick Zircher of Caliber Comics.

Star Wars: Jedi Academy: The Phantom Bully by Jeffrey Brown.

Daredevil Saga by Ed Brubaker, Anthony Flamini, and Michael Lark of Marvel Comics.

Astonishing X-Men #2 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday of Marvel Comics.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Seven Spells To Sunday by Andre Norton and Phyllis Miller.

Seaworthy: A Swordboat Captain Returns to the Sea by Linda Greenlaw.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.

Upcoming

WWE Fastlane airs tomorrow here, then it's on to the road to Wrestlemania. I'm also following NXT's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with interest.

No specific plans, but I'm hoping to get in some Magic: The Gathering and/or D&D with some of the local players in the coming weeks.

After seeing three movies in a week, I'm expecting Avengers: Endgame and Godzilla: King of the Monsters will be my next two trips to the cinema.

Our local mall just installed a big Ultraman exhibit, which should be fun to check out. Hoping to head there with the camera on a non-busy day this week.

Things will be very busy at my day job, with grades due next week and parent conferences this week. I am also getting more hours at my weekend side gig lately. Our next school break is the first week of April, and we'll be staying here in Shanghai for that. There is a possibility that I may be going on a school trip to Xi'An in May, which should be fun if it happens.

And, of course, as mentioned above, huge travel plans for June/July as we head to Taiwan and Palau!

Connect/Follow

@dandelionstudio on Twitter
@dandelionstudios on Instagram and @dailycomicreview on Instagram
rsilva on Boardgamegeek
rsilva on Facebook
ricksilvawriting on Dreamwidth and Blogger.
Rick Silva on Goodreads

Recap For January 28 - February 16, 2019

School is back in session after a low-ley New Years break. We visited the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and saw the New Years lantern display at Yuyuan Garden. I got to play some Magic and some D&D (nonbinary dwarf ranger with a sage background!!!). Other than that, it was mostly relaxing and reorganizing.

The Kiddo's passport is up for renewal. We've got a consulate appointment next week to get the ball rolling on that. Once we've got that taken care of, we can start making our summer travel plans.

One other thing I did during the break was to write down a set of long-range personal goals in my paper journal. I may share some of those here at some point.

In the meantime, I have been making progress on reading and reviewing.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Star Wars: Han Solo: Imperial Cadet #1 by Robbie Thompson, Leonard Kirk, and Marvel Comics.

Rival Angels: Damsels of Destruction: Wrestling Maneuvers And Techniques Volume 2 by Alan Evans and Justin Riley.

Tall Tails: Tears of the Mother #1 by Jose Calderon and Daphne Lage.

Knights of the Dinner Table Illustrated #31 by Mark Plemmons, Brendon Fraim, Brian Fraim, and Kenzer & Company.

Hot Tea, Cold Water #2, edited by Leann Leake.

Swamp Thing #68 by Rick Veitch, Alfredo Alcala, and DC Comics.

Batman #700 by Grant Morrison and DC Comics.

Alethia Chapter 1 by Kristina Stipetic.

Sleepless #7 by Sarah Vaughn, Leila Del Duca, and Image Comics.

We Won't Be Erased by Sophie LaBelle.

Spectra #6 by Rebecca Thompson, Kerry G. Johnson and the American Physical Society.

The Amazing Cynicalman #23 by Matt Feazell.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck.

I've been making a lot of progress on the Random Stack of Unread Comics. My new Comic A Day Instagram has been a good source of motivation.

Supporting

Austin Cushing's fundraiser seeking support for medical and financial difficulties.

Jennifer Dugan's Kickstarter for the final issue of her comic, Circadia.

Upcoming

We're getting into another busy time at the day job as we approach the end of the third quarter. We had a short week this week, and we've now got six solid weeks of school until our Spring Break week at the beginning of April. March will hopefully bring an end to the cold and wet Shanghai winter weather, and we have the Kiddo's birthday toward the end of March. We're also into Wrestlemania season, and I'm following the rise of AEW with interest.

No trips planned for Spring Break at this point. We have some major travel plans for the summer, but those are still in the vague planning stages for the next few weeks.

Connect/Follow

@dandelionstudio on Twitter
@dandelionstudios on Instagram and @dailycomicreview on Instagram
rsilva on Boardgamegeek
rsilva on Facebook
ricksilvawriting on Dreamwidth and Blogger.
Rick Silva on Goodreads

Recap: Catching Up From December 9 2018 To January 27 2019

I haven't done a recap of review since early December, so I'm going to mostly stick to just reviews in this post.

We had an amazing trip to the USA over the holidays, and we've had a busy month back in China. One week to go until we get another break over the Chinese New Year holiday. That one will be a staycation for us (as will out Spring break, but we are working on some big travel plans for the summer). We're looking forward to exploring more of Shanghai over the New Year break.

I've been doing a lot of comic reviews. I got some more unread comics out of storage to add to the Random Stack of Unread Comics, along with some new purchases. I've also got a new Instagram account specifically for my comics reviews. Check out @dailycomicreview.

This is part of a general overhaul of my social media accounts that I'm in the midst of. More on that in a future post.

On the prose reading front, I'm off to a good start on my 2019 reading goals.

Here are my reviews since my last update.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

The Blokes of Ball Point by Suzanne Baumann.

Dawn's Dictionary Drama #1 by John Bintz.

Knights of the Dinner Table Illustrated #30 by Kenzer and Company.

Ex Machina Volume 1: The First Hundred Days by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, Tom Feister, J.D. Mettler, and DC/Wildstorm Comics.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang.

Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova.

Shuri #1 by Nnedi Okorafor, Leonardo Romero, and Marvel Comics.

Doom Patrol #44 by Grant Morrison, Richard Case, Mark McKenna, and DC Comics.

Circadia #1 by Jennifer Dugan, Keezy Young, MJ Erickson, and 36 Plums.

Everest / Love Fights #1 FCBD 2004 by Andi Watson, Greg Rucka, Scott Morse, and Oni Press.

Circadia #2 by Jennifer Dugan, MJ Erickson, and 36 Plums.

Swamp Thing Halloween Horror Giant #1 by DC Comics.

Red Sonja #15 by Gail Simone, Walter Geovani, and Dynamite Entertainment.

Star Wars Forces of Destiny: Rose & Paige by Delilah S. Dawson, Nicoletta Baldari, and IDW.

Star Wars: Jedi Academy: Return of the Padawan by Jeffrey Brown.

Hot Tea, Cold Water #1 edited by Leann Leake.

Circadia #3 by Jennifer Dugan, Jey Pawlik, and 36 Plums.

The Walking Dead #175 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Stefano Gaudiano, and Image Comics.

Hermann Shepherd in "Gitmo Goofs" by Ian Harker, Randy Sinsel, John Carr, Ron Hoffman, and High Treason Comics.

Circadia #4 by Jennifer Dugan, Sarah Simes, and 36 Plums.

Steven Universe #14 by Grace Craft, Rii Abrego, Whitney Cogar, and Missy Pena.

Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild by Dav Pilkey.

Ultimate Spider-Man #42 by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley, Art Thibert, and Marvel Comics.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Walking by Henry David Thoreau.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Who Was Betsy Ross? by James Buckley Jr.

Zero History by William Gibson.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jeminsin.

Junie B. Jones is a Beauty Shop Guy by Barbara Park.

Lady Knight by Tamora Pierce.

That catches me up on reviews! Hope to be back to these update posts on a weekly basis from here on. I've also got a last few 2018-in-review type posts on the way.

Connect/Follow

ricksilvawriting on Google+
@dandelionstudio on Twitter
@dandelionstudios on Instagram
Rsilva444 on Flickr
rsilva on Boardgamegeek
rsilva on Facebook
ricksilvawriting on Dreamwidth and Blogger.
Rick Silva on Goodreads

2018 Reading Recap

I ended the year having read 84 books, which beat my reading goal of 70! I also beat last year's record for most books read in a year since I started counting. My recap on Goodreads can be found here.

Here is my set of top-five lists for myself and the Kiddo:

My Top 5 Books Read In 2018

5. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
4. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.
3. The Thief of Always by Clive Barker.
2. I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and J.M. Ken Niimura.
1. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.

My Top 5 Books That I Read With The Kiddo In 2018

5. Dog Man and Cat Kid by Dav Pilkey.
4. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan.
3. Amulet Book Seven: Firelight by Kazu Kibuishi.
2. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger.
1. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Kiddo's Top 5 Books Read In 2018

5. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger.
4. Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds by Dav Pilkey.
3. Alvin Ho: Allergic to the Great Wall, the Forbidden Palace, and Other Tourist Attractions by Lenore Look.
2. Dog Man and Cat Kid by Dav Pilkey.
1. Amulet Book Six: Escape From Lucien by Kazu Kibuishi.

Recap For December 3 - December 8 2018

The first semester is winding down at the day job. Midterms are next week. Today was our Saturday makeup day, upper school holiday concert, and staff Christmas party. Work on a Saturday is always a bit exhausting, but the holiday concert and the party were fun. We also saw our first snow of the year yesterday and today!

Tomorrow, we're off on a day trip to Suzhou for Christmas shopping and sightseeing, then one more week of school before vacation!

It's been a busy week, but I have gotten some reviews done.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Amulet Book Seven: Firelight by Kazu Kibuishi.

Tall Tails: Thieves' Quest #5 by Jose Calderon and Daphne Lage of Dreamweaver Press.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Valiant Imperial Warriors 2200 Years Ago by Wu Xiaocong.

Supporting

My cousin does a toy drive every year for the Ronald McDonald House in Maryland. I contributed to the toy drive, which is finishing up for the year, but you can contribute directly here.

Upcoming

Suzhou day trip tomorrow. Leaving for the USA a week from Wednesday. I'll probably also be doing some exploring around Shanghai this coming weekend once vacation starts. And we've got WWE TLC coming up (in our timezone) a week from Monday morning.

Connect/Follow

ricksilvawriting on Google+
@dandelionstudio on Twitter
@dandelionstudios on Instagram
Rsilva444 on Flickr
rsilva on Boardgamegeek
rsilva on Facebook
ricksilvawriting on Dreamwidth and Blogger.
Rick Silva on Goodreads

Recap For November 18 - December 2 2018

Two big bits of news!

First of all, the Kiddo won first place for his grade in the science fair!

The other news is that I signed my contract renewal at the day job. That means that we will be here in Shanghai through the 2020-2021 school year! I really appreciate the vote of confidence from my school, and while it was not an easy decision from our point of view, we are excited for the chance to continue our experience living in China.

The rest of that week was devoted to Thanksgiving. School festivities included a potluck feast on Wednesday for the lower school, and then turkey and pumpkin pie in the Cafeteria on Thursday for everyone. That night was our family Thanksgiving celebration with roast chicken and veggies, followed by Christmas music and decorating the Christmas tree. 

On Friday (the school's official Thanksgiving holiday) I took the Kiddo to Shanghai Disneyland to meet up with some classmates. We had a great time, and relatively short lines for rides.

We have also done some various Christmas shopping expeditions in town, and the Kiddo and I played in two Magic: The Gathering drafts over the past few days. I went 6-0 in games in an Unstable draft!

We started yesterday with Breakfast With Santa at the Geneva restaurant, which was lovely, even if it did cause me to lose "Whamageddon" on the first day of December (in China! It wasn't even December in much of the USA at that time!).

Speaking of losing, I fell well short on Nanowrimo, as I figured I probably would with everything else going on.

And I have been doing some reading and reviewing.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Satisfactory Comics #8 by Isaac Cates and Mike Wenthe.

Amulet Book Six: Escape From Lucien by Kazu Kibuishi.

Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas by Dav Pilkey.

Ultimate Spider-Man #52 from Marvel Comics.


Book Reviews on Goodreads

The Adventures of Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

The Story of Mount Desert Island by Samuel Eliot Morison.

Supporting

Supporting Massachusetts Audubon Society for Giving Tuesday. I gave to the sanctuary (Ashumet Holly) where Gynn used to do fieldwork on spadefoot toads.

Upcoming

It looks like we're doing our day trip to Suzhou next Sunday. On Saturday we have a makeup school day followed by the upper school's holiday concert and then the staff Christmas party. So this will be a busy week. Kiddo's lower school concert is on Wednesday.

The following week is exams, and then we're on break. We'll watch WWE TLC here in Shanghai, and I may do one more shopping day in Qibao or elsewhere in the city before we depart for the USA on Wednesday December 19.

Connect/Follow

ricksilvawriting on Google+
@dandelionstudio on Twitter
@dandelionstudios on Instagram
Rsilva444 on Flickr
rsilva on Boardgamegeek
rsilva on Facebook
ricksilvawriting on Dreamwidth and Blogger.
Rick Silva on Goodreads

Recap For November 12-17 2018

We're halfway through the science fair at my school. We did the high school and middle school version yesterday. The elementary school kids get their turn this week, including our Kiddo, who finished his project on salinity of local rivers on Friday.



Also this week are a bunch of Thanksgiving festivities: An "Authors Tea" where the elementary school kids read their creative writing, a potluck Thanksgiving on Wednesday for lower school kids and parents, and then turkey and pumpkin pie for school lunch on Thursday. We get a day off on Friday, and we'll have a simple Thanksgiving dinner at home Thursday night and put up the Christmas tree.

I headed back to Qibao today for a bit of exploring and some Christmas shopping. I found this in a souvenir shop and had to buy it:



 I've got in between all of that, I've continued to make my way through the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Tall Tails: Thieves' Quest #4 by Jose Calderon and Daphne Lage of Vision Comics.

Star Wars Adventures #1 from IDW.

Amulet Book Five: Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibuishi.

Supporting

I'm supporting comic book writer Mark Waid's legal defense against Comicsgate trolls.

Upcoming

Looking forward to watching NXT Takeover Wargames tomorrow, and then Survivor Series.

Possibly playing in a Magic: The Gathering Unstable draft next weekend.

Four weeks to go until Christmas break, with exams and holiday concerts on the horizon.

We've also got a day trip to Suzhou planned in early December.

Then it's off to the USA for two weeks around the holidays!

Connect/Follow
ricksilvawriting on Google+
@dandelionstudio on Twitter
@dandelionstudios on Instagram
Rsilva444 on Flickr
rsilva on Boardgamegeek
rsilva on Facebook
ricksilvawriting on Dreamwidth and Blogger.

Recap For November 4-11 2018

Appreciative of the military service of my Dad and both of my Grandfathers on Veterans Day.

We just finished a short week at school, and today is the first of two makeup days after the unexpected school closure due to the China International Imports Expo and President Xi Jinping's visit to my neighborhood. The closest I got to the expo was seeing some of the attendees heading to dinner at Paradise Walk Mall, and walking through a display on international businesses in China that was set up on the mall's ground floor. Today is a work-from-home makeup day for students and teachers, and it has gone smoothly so far. We do a Saturday school day in early December to make up the other missed day.

It was also progress reports time at the day job, so things were busy during the three-day week. And next week is another busy week, with science fair happening.

I was generally happy with the election results in the US, especially Question #3 passing in Boston to reaffirm transgender civil rights. Frustrated that this was even put to a vote, but relieved at the results.

We went back to Minhang Sports Park yesterday for a nice walk, and then had a quick stroll through Qibao Old Street. I also headed in to Pudong for a bit of exploring and picture-taking, although the park really supplied the best photo opportunities of the day.

I've seen the first few store Christmas decorations of the season. China does decorate for Christmas a bit, but they mostly wait until December. Which I really like better anyway.

One thing I forgot to mention last week: The book Jedi Academy, which I finished and reviewed the week before last, was the 70th book I read in 2018, which was my reading goal for the year. You can see the full list here. I'm going to push for more. Still have about 150 pages to go on 900+ pages of Don Quixote!

I've got some words written on Nanowrimo, but I'm nowhere near quota, which is okay. I'm not pushing it this year.

And I've also managed to do some comic reviews.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story #6 from Marvel Comics.

Tall Tails: Thieves' Quest #1 by Jose Calderon and Daphne Lage of Vision Comics.

Amulet Book 4: The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi.

Happy Valentines Day #1, edited by Jim Main of Main Enterprises.

Swamp Thing #43 from DC Comics.

Laird MacGuffin's Treasury by E.J. Barnes.

Supporting
I'm supporting comic book writer Mark Waid's legal defense against Comicsgate trolls.

Upcoming

Science fair next week at the day job.

It's looking like I'll be heading to Shanghai Disneyland with the Kiddo on our Thanksgiving Friday holiday in two weeks. There's also a possible Magic tourney happening that weekend that I might be playing in.

Looking forward to WWE Survivor Series coming up in a couple weeks, and then TLC in December before things quiet down somewhat until Royal Rumble.

We're looking at a day trip to Suzhou at the beginning of December and maybe some other touristy stuff in the Shanghai area between now and the holidays.

Then we're heading to the USA (staying in New Hampshire and Massachusetts) from December 19 to January 2. Looking forward to coming home for the holidays!

Connect/Follow
ricksilvawriting on Google+
@dandelionstudio on Twitter
@dandelionstudios on Instagram
Rsilva444 on Flickr
rsilva on Boardgamegeek
rsilva on Facebook

Recap For October 29 - November 3 2018

After all of the vaguebooking about upcoming travel plans, I can now announce: We're traveling to the US for our winter break! This will be our first time coming home for the holiday season in over five years! Looking forward to a nice New England Christmas with friends and family!

This week was Halloween, which is a big event at my school. The Kiddo became a two-time champion, winning the "Most Original" prize for his reptilian politician costume! (He won "Best Makeup" last year as WWE's Finn Balor/The Demon).








In other news, I do a set of daily goals for writing, language practice, diet and exercise, and blogging. I set a reward goal for 50 points for a week, which is pretty hard to achieve. I started the points system at the beginning of the school year, and the week before last was my first 50-point week. So last night I headed into town to a geeky mall near People's Square that I'd heard about and rewarded myself with some Magic: The Gathering purchases.

I really enjoyed WWE Evolution. Great show! I will not be watching Crown Jewel.

It is now into November, and I have not started Nanowrimo, although I am planning to participate. This year my plan is to write the second draft of The Lady of Three Faces, which was my Nano project last year until I tripped and broke two fingers a few days into last November. I'm not going to sweat wordcount this year, but hopefully Nano season will give me some motivation to make some writing happen.

In the meantime, I've written a couple of reviews.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Star Wars: Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown.

Amulet Book 3: The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi

Upcoming

Science fair is happening in a couple of weeks. Kiddo has been working on evaporating his water samples to measure salinity.

I may be going to Disney Shanghai with the Kiddo for a classmate's birthday party around Thanksgiving. We're also looking at a possible day trip to a nearby city on that weekend on one of the non-Disney days. Actual Thanksgiving festivities will probably be low-key. Maybe a baked chicken with potatoes and veggies and a bottle of wine on Thursday night. We get Friday off for Thanksgiving, but not Thursday. The school usually serves turkey and pumpkin pie for school lunch that day.

Busy season in WWE is beginning to wind down. Survivor Series and NXT Wargames in a few weeks, and then TLC, which will also include the finals of Mixed Match Challenge. I haven't heard any plans for Tribute to the Troops, but that usually occurs around this time of year too. They're also doing a Starcade show, but last year's was not televised. Not sure if there are any plans to put this one on WWE Network.

I bought some Magic cards, but the timing of events over the next few weeks doesn't work well for me. Hopefully I can get into at least one or two more drafts here in Shanghai before we leave for our trip to the US. I'll try to get to a couple of events in the US when we're there.

As mentioned above, we're going to the US for Christmas. We'll be in New Hampshire for most of our visit, with some time spent on Cape Cod and in Boston. Very excited about that trip.

As a result of the splurge on the Christmas trip home, we'll probably be spending Chinese New Year here in Shanghai. We have some general ideas for travel plans looking further ahead, and some major decisions to make about long term plans. I'll tell more when we know more.

Connect/Follow

@dandelionstudio on Twitter
@dandelionstudios on Instagram
Rsilva444 on Flickr
rsilva on Boardgamegeek
rsilva on Facebook

Recap For October 22-28 2018

The Halloween season has arrived! We went to a Halloween event at Laowai Jei, a pedestrian street of restaurants and bars catering to expats (the name literally means "foreigner street"). They had crafts, musical performances, a haunted house, candy for kids, and a costume parade. The Kiddo wore some zombie makeup and a skeleton hoodie. We had dinner a a Greek restaurant with outdoor seating, and a rather persistent cat begging for scraps. Food was delicious (says us and the cat!). After dinner, we parted ways and I took a solo trip in town to walk the Bund. Lovely night for it!

Plans for upcoming travel continue to be in a state of flux as I wait for (among other things) my passport renewal. Work has been busy. Not much writing happening right now. Nanowrimo might change that. I'm like 600 pages into Don Quixote (over 300 to go!), so I haven't been posting much in the way of book reviews. I have been doing well with comic reviews, though.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Issue 2, Issue 3, and Issue 4 from Marvel Comics.

Psycho Bunny #3 by Michele Mitchipoo.

Neil Jam #15 by Neil Fitzpatrick.

Supporting

In light of the recent revelations about the Arisia Convention, and even though I had not been able to go this year, I have decided to donate the cost of a membership at Arisia to the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. I will be watching to see what further changes Arisia makes when I consider whether to attend in the future.

Upcoming

Busy time at WWE continues. Evolution tomorrow. Continuing Mixed Match Challenge. Survivor Series and Takeover: War Games next month, then TLC. I have decided that I won't watch Crown Jewel.

Travel plans, as mentioned, are on hold right now, but we hope to have news soon!

I missed a Magic tournament today, and the next draft is November 24 which we also might not be around for.  Hope to get some drafting in soon!

Follow Me

@dandelionstudios on Instagram
Rsilva444 on Flickr
rsilva on Boardgamegeek
rsilva on Facebook

Recap For October 14-21 2018

The first quarter of the school year is in the books! I'm having a bit of a recovery weekend as we move into the second quarter. Things to look forward to: Book fair, Halloween festivities, science fair, and two long weekends. One of those is an unexpected one. Schools in the area are being closed for two days during the International Import Expo, a gigantic trade show happening right in our neighborhood that will include a visit by President Xi Jinping. So we get two days off for that in early November, but we'll be in school for a makeup day on a Saturday in December. We also get a regularly scheduled holiday on Black Friday, which serves as our official Thanksgiving holiday. On Thanksgiving day we have a normal school day, but the students get turkey and pumpkin pie for school lunch.

Our Christmas travel plans are... in flux right now. We're considering a major change in plans, but my passport is currently in for renewal, so we're waiting a couple of weeks before making any real decisions.

In the meantime, I'm one book away from my goal of reading 70 books in 2018! I'm also making decent progress on the Random Stack of Unread Comics. Here are my latest reviews:

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Marvel Legacy #1 from Marvel Comics.

Wulflorne: Elegy For Innocence: The Coldest Winter from Modsprocket.

Neil Jam #14 by Neil Fitzpatrick.

I also wrote an entry on a wedding invitation minicomic that I somehow ended up with.

Supporting

I am supporting Ari Rivera with help getting out of financial difficulties and and abusive situation.

On Kickstarter, I'm backing two comic projects:  Rival Angels Series 3 Season Finale by Alan Evans, and Circadia by Jenn Dugan. Both of these are funded with a bit more than a week left to go.

Upcoming

There is a new Wechat group organizing sealed and draft Magic: The Gathering here in Shanghai, so I'm looking forward to getting in a bit more gaming in the coming weeks. Also looking forward to the continuing busy WWE season as we get Evolution, Mae Young Classic, NXT Takeover, and Survivor Series coming soon. I got to see the first episode of NXT UK, so I'll be following that as well to see how it develops.

As mentioned above, travel plans are very much up in the air right now. There is a possibility of one or two short trips to nearby cities on those upcoming long weekends. Hope to have an update on Christmas plans soon!

Follow Me

@dandelionstudios on Instagram
Rsilva444 on Flickr
rsilva on Boardgamegeek
rsilva on Facebook

Recap For October 7 To October 13 2018

The week started with the Kiddo and I exploring Minhang Sports Park, which is a short bus ride from where we live in Shanghai. Unfortunately, between a 24-hour stomach bug that started on Monday, and a "crunch-time" week at the day job, it was not a good week for my creative side.

I did finally get to play in a Guilds of Ravnica draft today (Kiddo played too! His second Magic: The Gathering draft!). And I also did manage to read a few books/comics this week.

Here are my recent reviews:

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Goodbye Kitty: A minicomic by Ryan Dow

The Amazing Spider-Man #1: Behind the Scenes Edition by Marvel Comics.

Watch the Skies V. 8.10 by Camp Hill/Harrisburg Scifi & Fantasy Reading Group.

Batman and Robin #1 from DC Comics.
|
Amulet Biook 1: The stonekeeper.Kazu Kibuishi.

Supporting

I'm backing Alan Evans' awesome pro wrestling comic, Rival Angels, on Kickstarter, as it heads to its grand finale.

Upcoming

We've started discussing destinations for trips on Thanksgiving break and Christmas break. Right now, what we're considering is back to Suzhou in Novemeber and Guilin in December, but that is still very much up in the air. We're still in a busy WWE month, with Evolution as the next ppv on the horizon.

Follow Me

@dandelionstudios on Instagram
Rsilva444 on Flickr
rsilva on Boardgamegeek

Hope everyone has a great week

Recap For September 24 - October 6 2018

We just got back from an amazing trip to Xi'an, China. We stayed at a youth hostel in the Muslim Quarter, saw the Terracotta Warriors and the Xi'an Great Mosque, and the Kiddo and I rode a tandem bike around the city wall. We also ate lots of delicious street food in the Muslim Quarter. Xi'an has immediately jumped to the top of my list of great cities for street food.

We're now in the last couple of days of Fall Break, catching up on homework and resting. School starts back up on Monday.

Here are my recent reviews:

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Tigers at Twilight from Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series.

Junie B.: First Grader: Aloha-Ha-Ha by Barbara Park

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

The Amazing Spider-Man #800 from Marvel Comics.

Tree Rats! Or, the Crepuscular Hobbyhorse by EJ Barnes.

Captain Spectacular #2 from Gumshoe Comics.

Amulet Book 2: The Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi.

Explorer: The Lost Islands, edited by Kazu Kibuishi.

Supporting

I'm supporting Michael and Brooke Freeman's trip to help schools in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Upcoming

We're into October, and my school does Halloween in a big way. Decorations should be up when we return to school. We're working on getting a costume together for the Kiddo.

My school gets one day off for Thanksgiving (the Friday, so we get a long weekend), and we're considering a short trip to one of the nearby cities. We're also looking into travel destinations within China for Christmas break.

I missed the Guilds of Ravnica prerelease completely with our trip to Xi'an. I'm hoping to catch a draft or two in the coming weeks. D&D has been on hold since June but there has been some talk of starting it back up again.

Looking forward to lots of WWE action in the coming weeks with a packed schedule including Super Showdown, Evolution, Crown Jewel, Takeover: Wargames, and Survivor Series, plus the ongoing Mae Young Classic and Mixed Match Challenge.

Follow Me

@dandelionstudios on Instagram

Hope everyone has a great week!

Recap for September 15-23

So, I turned 50 yesterday, and spent most of the day... working. My school had its annual Back to School Bash, which is an outdoor carnival of sorts. It's a fun day, but it is a long day of work on a Saturday. After the event, we made our way to Hub Mall and caught Canadian country/rock artist Nicole Rayy and her band playing the World Music Asia Shanghai series which was a lot of fun.

Today we're doing most of the birthday festivities. Heading in town to visit the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, then eating at an American BBQ restaurant and maybe checking out some more World Music Asia Shanghai musical acts. I do have Monday off, which I'm hoping to spend wandering downtown alone with my camera to finish up the birthday weekend.

Then four days of work and we're on Fall break and traveling again!

Here's what I've read/reviewed this week.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

The 39 Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Tigers at Twilight from Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day
The Course by Alex Ferree.

The Amazing Spider-Man #800 from Marvel Comics.

Supporting

This week I'm supporting this Facebook fundraiser for expenses related to medical issues for my good friends Laura and Aus Cushing.

Looking Ahead

Our next adventure is coming up soon. We depart by train for Xi'an, China on Saturday. We have a street food tour booked, and we're looking forward to seeing the famous Terracotta Army.

Not much planned beyond that. I have to get my passport renewed (I'm out of visa pages! Achievement unlocked!). Once that happens, we'll start making plans for Christmas break, which will probably involve more travel within China, but we are open to any and all possibilities.