The second quarter of this year went by faster than I expected. For some reason, I didn’t read or watch as much as I did last quarter, but I still read some really good books, watched interesting TV shows, and played games that reminded me how fun gaming can be. Let’s get into it.

Books

This quarter I read six books. I liked many of them, but three really stood out because they opened my mind to new ideas.

The Utopia of Rules

Like last quarter, I couldn’t resist reading another book by David Graeber. He might be my favorite author. I’ve read four of his books so far, and none have disappointed me, including this one, The Utopia of Rules.

This book is a collection of three essays and one movie review. I really enjoyed it because it shows how smart Graeber is. He talks about how bureaucracy started and how it affects our lives. Then he asks why we still don’t have flying cars. He also connects video games to bureaucracy, and ends by criticizing a superhero movie—specifically The Dark Knight Rises by Christopher Nolan.

Like his other books, this one taught me things I didn’t know before, made me think about new topics, and helped me question ideas I had accepted without much thought.

The World Atlas of Coffee

If you like coffee, you probably know James Hoffmann. After struggling with my capsule coffee machine and finally buying an espresso machine, I wanted to learn more about coffee. The coffee world is very big, with lots to know—from types of beans to brewing methods.

When I said I wanted to learn more, a friend recommended Hoffmann’s The World Atlas of Coffee.

This book was exactly what I needed. It starts by explaining the coffee fruit and its different kinds. It shows how coffee is grown, harvested, separated from the fruit, dried, roasted, and shipped. Then it explains how to brew coffee in different ways. At the end, it talks about the main coffee-producing countries and their taste profiles.

I found this book very helpful. It made me more comfortable talking about coffee with friends. I even wrote down some countries I want to try beans from. My coffee journey has just started, and I think I’ll write more about it later. So, stay tuned!

Tastes of Paradise

Maybe because of my interest in coffee, I finally bought Tastes of Paradise by Wolfgang Schivelbusch, a book that had been on my reading list for years.

This book is about the history of spices, stimulants, and intoxicants—all covered by one German word, Genussmittel. It talks about how tobacco, chocolate, coffee, tea, and alcohol became part of our daily lives.

I love reading about everyday things and their origins, and this book gave me just that. For example, learning how a simple spice like pepper changed the world, or how coffee was once used as medicine, surprised me and made me want to read more history.

The way the author tells the story is very engaging. Because of that, I added two of his other books to my list: one about train journeys and another about the history of light in the 1800s. I’m excited to read those too!

TV Shows

This quarter, thanks to a friend, I finally found a way to subscribe to HBO from Germany. At first, I planned to watch The Last of Us Season 2, but after the second episode, I lost interest. Then I looked for another show to watch before my HBO membership ended—that’s how I found The Pitt.

The Pitt

The Pitt is a show that follows the emergency room of a hospital in real time. There are 15 episodes, and each one covers one hour of a single shift on the same day. I really liked this style because it shows what healthcare workers face every day.

There are also intern doctors and students, which adds interesting points of view. You see their different behaviors and how they work with others.

As you might expect from HBO, there are some tough scenes—blood, surgery, childbirth, and more. So if you’re sensitive to that kind of thing, this might not be for you. But if you want a realistic look at how an emergency room works, this show does it well. You see how they treat patients, decide who needs help first, and what happens in big emergencies.

Another thing I liked was the lead doctor, played by Noah Wyle. At first, I didn’t recognize him, but once I did, I was happy to see him again. The last time I saw him was in The Pirates of Silicon Valley, where he played Steve Jobs. There have been many movies about Jobs since then, but none as good as that one.

Andor (Season 2)

It’s hard to know where to start, but I’ll just say it up front—Andor was probably one of the best shows I’ve ever watched. And I say that as someone who isn’t a Star Wars fan. The great thing is, you don’t even need to know anything about the Star Wars world to enjoy Andor. What makes this show so good is how well it tells its story and how deeply it builds its characters.

Unlike other Star Wars shows or movies, there’s no Force, no lightsabers. Instead, the focus is on the early days of the rebellion—how it starts, who joins it, and what they give up for the cause. You also see how harsh and cruel the Empire really is, and how normal people are treated under such a system.

One of the things I liked most about the show is that it doesn’t rely on one great actor—there are many strong characters, and all of them are played really well. You get to see each person’s backstory, understand their reasons, and see why they make the choices they do. That makes it easy to connect with them.

Another thing that stands out is the main character, Andor. He doesn’t follow the usual “hero’s journey” you see in most shows. Things don’t always go as expected, and that makes the story feel more real and surprising. As a viewer, you’re the only one who sees all the sacrifices people make. You start to wish the characters in the story could know what each other went through. Especially with Andor himself—he goes through so much pain and loss, and you just want his story to be known, especially by the leaders of the rebellion.

There are also other characters who give up a lot, but their efforts are never recognized. That’s part of what makes this show so powerful—it shows the hidden costs of fighting for change.

I highly recommend watching Andor. I got Disney+ just for this show, and I can honestly say it was worth it.

Games

After selling my gaming PC, I decided to buy a second-hand Xbox Series X so I could keep playing games using Xbox Game Pass. I felt this was the best way to finally get rid of the last computer that uses an x86 processor and stop using Windows.

Blue Prince

I’ve loved puzzle games since I was a kid. I started with flash games online, and later played big franchises. I still remember enjoying Portal, Portal 2, and The Stanley Parable. I would put Blue Prince in the same league as those.

In Blue Prince, you play as a child who inherits a big mansion from his uncle. But before you get it, your uncle sets a challenge—you have to solve the puzzle to claim the inheritance. The mansion itself is the puzzle. There are 45 rooms, and you need to find the 46th.

The tricky part is you have a limited number of steps each day. Every time you use all your steps and start a new day, the rooms change their places, so you have to think carefully about your moves.

I really enjoyed Blue Prince. It was probably the first time in a long while that I needed to use pen and paper to solve puzzles. There are many different puzzles, not just one, so you have to think hard. Sometimes it can get frustrating, but it feels great once you solve a puzzle. As you solve more, you learn more about the uncle and his family’s story.

If you like puzzle games, I definitely recommend this one!

Doom: The Dark Ages

I don’t really remember if or when I last played Doom, but I always wanted to try it because it’s one of the classics of the gaming world. When I saw the new game was on Xbox Game Pass, I decided to give it a shot. And wow, it was a really fun experience that I hadn’t had in a long time!

Doom: The Dark Ages is a first-person shooter with very simple controls. You have guns, a shield, and a health and armor bar. There are 22 chapters where you complete missions by killing monsters from hell. Timing is very important—you have to time your shield and attacks well to avoid taking too much damage and to kill enemies quickly. When you get the timing right, the game is really fun.

I can’t say much about the story, but it keeps you wanting to play more. I also liked the heavy metal music in the background—it fits the action perfectly and keeps you pumped.

You can upgrade your guns, shield, and melee attacks. After a while, I found my favorite setup—the Super Shotgun and the Cycler—and I stuck with them for the rest of the game. Because of that, I lost some interest in collecting upgrade items like gold and rubies since I didn’t need to change my gear, and collecting took extra time.

Even though I had fun with the game, I don’t think it’s worth 80€. If I were to buy it, I’d pay no more than 30€. So I recommend playing it on Xbox Game Pass instead. Once you finish the story, there’s not much else to do—no multiplayer mode.

If you want a fun, simple game to play after a long day without needing to think too much, this is a great choice.

If you enjoy this blog series, don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter so you’ll know when I post new updates. I already have lots of books, games, and shows lined up to share. See you in the next post!