What Lessons Can Be Learned From The Interlopers Book?

After Mercutio dies, I kind of check out for the rest of the play. It is so tragic and the ending is kind of inevitable. Even though it is a masterpiece and one of the greatest works of literature in the world, it is not really my cup of tea. The back half of the play is definitely not something you want to read on a Friday night. I am more of a comedy person. ‘Much Ado’ is a great play too. At least those characters are able to figure everything out instead of dying from poison and dagger stabs.

'Get Shit Done' is one of those books that had me bouncing off the walls of a coffee shop late at night reading it. It’s a very no-nonsense book that will straight up tell you things you don’t want to hear but are very true. One of the biggest insights I got from reading this book is the concept of ‘burning the boats’. Basically it means to abandon all safety nets and totally commit to your goals. The way I understand it is that half-hearted efforts get half-hearted results. I have a ton of side projects that I’ve kind of been half-committing to over the years and after reading this I realized that all the energy I’ve been expending on trying to keep all of these things going could be better spent focusing on just one thing and cutting out as many distractions as possible, even if that means fear. The other point the book made that I’ve tried to really apply is the “2 minute rule”. This means if something is going to take less than 2 minutes to complete then you should do it the instant it comes up. I used to let so many tiny things pile up and then not know where to start because they all seemed to require the same amount of time to complete. I try to apply this as much as possible and it really clears up a lot of mental clutter. The other big point the book makes is that you have to be willing to be very ruthless when it comes to prioritizing your tasks. Not all tasks are created equal. I’ve started to classify my to-do list into “must do”, “should do”, and “could do” in order to make sure I’m not wasting time on things that are not going to have a huge impact. This book has such a great, straight-shooting tone for a self-help book. Yes, there is hard work involved to become great, but that is just how it is. Reading about how important it is to become comfortable with being uncomfortable in order to reach your goals really hit home with me. I love how ‘Get Shit Done’ dares you to search for discomfort on a daily basis in order to reach your goals. This book has inspired me to tackle projects that make me nervous and, although they are stressful, there is nothing like the sense of progress you feel after completing something that you were unsure if you could do.

I feel like my brain has been rearranged every time I picked up a book, but that’s what I got from ‘Vagabond’. Although it’s often paired with ‘Berserk’ due to its dark tone, the two series are quite different. While the fight scenes in ‘Berserk’ are against supernatural enemies, Musashi’s battles are against his own ego. All the fight scenes in ‘Vagabond’ are very realistic, no flare-ups of supernatural power. Even the tiniest of battles feel tense and you feel the extent of the defeat and the growth the winner experienced. In contrast to the vast landscape of ‘Vinland Saga’, ‘Vagabond’ takes place on a very tight focus, making each win hollow and every loss life-changing. It’s just as good, in a completely different way.

There are many books that look at being a teenager and deal with the many issues that go along with growing up. This novel, ‘All the Bright Places’ by Jennifer Niven is about love, loss and mental health and really dealt with all of these tough issues well. Another novel I loved was ‘Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda’ by Becky Albertalli which was a really sweet novel about self-acceptance and identity. For practical advice on how to be a better person, I highly recommend How to Be a Person by Catherine Newman (go to her site for her blogs and other books too – very useful). And for a graphic novel memoir about growing up with an addicted parent and about finding his way to being an artist, I recommend Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. These books are fun and can also help you grow.

'The Purpose Driven Life' is an amazing resource that outlines how to find direction and meaning. One of the biggest insights I have gained from reading the book is that each person has their own unique purpose or role in life that no other person can fill. It’s like everyone is a puzzle piece and we all fit into the puzzle in our own unique way. Another part of The Purpose Driven Life that resonated with me was the author’s obvious adoration of the value that is placed on community and on serving others. It makes me think of ways I could better serve others and how that would in turn fill my own soul with joy. Many times simply being there for someone or doing something to help them can solidify one’s sense of purpose. This book is a real treat, and if you’re looking for something to uplift you, then this could be a great read to check out.

The Detour' by S.A. Bodeen is this wild ride of a novel that blends suspense, survival, and a dash of teenage rebellion. It follows Livvy, a girl who's used to her privileged life, until she gets kidnapped during a trip to Italy. The story flips between her struggle to escape and flashbacks of her past, revealing why she might be a target. What I love is how Livvy's character evolves—from this sheltered rich kid to someone who learns to trust her instincts and fight back. The Italian setting adds this gorgeous, eerie backdrop that contrasts with the tension. It's not just a thriller; it makes you think about family secrets and how far you'd go to survive. One thing that stuck with me is how Bodeen plays with unreliable narration. You're never sure if Livvy's memories are accurate, which keeps you guessing. The pacing is relentless, too—once the detour happens, it's non-stop. If you're into books like 'Gone Girl' but want a younger, fresher voice, this one's a gem. Plus, the ending? No spoilers, but it leaves you with this satisfying yet uneasy feeling, like you just survived the ordeal alongside Livvy.

Discussion with a friend about the merits of the ‘Final Fantasy VII Remake’ led to me picking up ‘Designing Virtual Worlds’ by Richard Bartle to learn more about iterative creativity in game design. Online discussion on sites such as ResetEra cover off topics such as remakes that are better than the original (e.g. ‘Resident Evil 2’). Watch this short film ‘The House’ (2022) on Netflix as an example of an anthology film which reinterprets the same themes without ever repeating itself. This is pretty messy, pretty exhilarating work – much like pruning a bonsai tree to reveal new and interesting shapes.

I wanted more of the same urgent, high-stakes energy after finishing that game, and so far The Wandering Inn is delivering best. It’s not a survival game, but it captures the sense of being totally out of one’s depth in a fantasy world rather well. The LitRPG elements are scary in a good way. The system is not a help, but rather a looming threat which the characters have to work around using whatever power they can scrape together. The book is a huge investment of time, but it pays off in terms of tension, and that tension comes from a place of great vulnerability. The protagonist is not vastly overpowered for her world, and she is struggling to survive in a world that is novelty-driven. That struggle, and the depth and occasional horror of the world she lives in, is what makes this book comparable to the game I just finished. So while The Wandering Inn is not a survival game, it does have a similar focus of trying to survive in an often hostile world, as well as community building, and has a similar emotional core to a underdog overcoming impossible odds with sheer determination and grit.

Much of the defense material is too generic. The layers of defense, the principle of funneling, light discipline and noise discipline all apply equally well to a suburban house and to a rural farmhouse. Where the material is generic is in the ‘who’ you are defending against. All of the material is written as if one is constantly motivated, armed and very hostile against others. For natural disasters, your threat can be water, disease or starvation and these all require skills that are not developed here in great detail. So while the material is generic in terms of geography, it is highly specific in terms of threat modeling.

Wait, is this from the special or the main series? I get the order mixed up so often. The timeline is confusing when there are so many different releases.