Read more about the article What Went Wrong With Netflix’s Altered Carbon
Personal Rants

What Went Wrong With Netflix’s Altered Carbon

I’ve read Richard Morgan’s Takeshi Kovacs series in my early twenties, back when I lived in Poland. There was a bit of hype about it, and I decided to check it out. Needless to say, a book that started with the main character dying on the first two pages had to suck me in (and I missed my tram stop because of it). I devoured all three books as they became available in Polish, and then—since there were no more Takeshi Kovacs stories—I moved onto other exciting reads.

When Netflix released its series based on the books, I hardly remembered the stories, only the setting, so it took me a while to actually get around to watching it. That delay allowed me to watch season 1 and 2 of Netflix’s Altered Carbon almost back to back.

If you had not watched the series, be warned—some spoilers ahead. (more…)

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May 18, 2020
Read more about the article Remembering Mike Resnick’s Books
Personal Rants

Remembering Mike Resnick’s Books

Last year, I came across information that writer Mike Resnick was sick, but people get sick all the time, and then they get better… except for when it’s the sickness which gets the better of them as it was in his case.

To be honest, I didn’t know Mike Resnick as a person. I didn’t even know him as a writer. But I did know his books, so when the news of his recent death reached me, I immediately thought of his works. I don’t have those fancy memories of meeting him in person, but I have all the memories of reading his books and how formative some of them became. So today, to honor his memory and let him live on within his words and worlds, I’m sharing the ones I liked the most with you. Who knows, maybe you’ll feel tempted to pick one up?

(more…)

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January 13, 2020
Read more about the article Melfka’s Best of 2019
As a Side Note

Melfka’s Best of 2019

Do end-of-year lists have a point? 355 days is enough time to both get acquainted with massive amounts of creations and… forget about a lot of them, no matter how good they were. Yet, those subjective “the best of” lists do have an appeal of discovery of another person’s favorites that in the next year might become mine.

Nowadays I’m more focused on creating rather than consuming, so I don’t have dozens of books or tv shows to pick from, but I still can point toward my favorites, so here’s a meager Melfka’s Best of 2019 list. (more…)

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January 6, 2020
Read more about the article Pride and Prejudice and Other Classics I Didn’t Read
Personal Rants

Pride and Prejudice and Other Classics I Didn’t Read

Some time ago, I stumbled across people discussing some reference to Pride and Prejudice. To my surprise, one of the points raised was that one cannot consider oneself a book-lover if one has not read Pride and Prejudice. That gave me a pause. I definitely consider myself a book worm, but at the same time, I haven’t read anything by Jane Austen. And come to think of it, I haven’t read a bunch of other books considered classics either.  (more…)

23 Comments
September 17, 2018
Read more about the article Dear Book, I Want to Fall in Love with You…
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Dear Book, I Want to Fall in Love with You…

Dear Book,

It’s been a while since I’ve fallen in love with a novel, so I’m really looking forward to you being my next love.

It’d be so perfect! I’d re-read you over and over again. I’d tell my friends about you. And I’d re-read you once more then, because you would be so worth it! I wouldn’t even care if you had beautiful and enchanting style. Your words could be simply entertaining, and I’d love you all the same. (more…)

6 Comments
April 23, 2018
Read more about the article Watching Novels: Thoughts on Book Adaptations
Personal Rants

Watching Novels: Thoughts on Book Adaptations

Sometimes, when you look at Hollywood’s movie repertoire, it seems they only release remakes and book adaptations. Some people cringe, hoping for more original content and fresh stories, and as much as I’d love to see more originality as well, I do have a soft spot for book adaptations. There’s something enchanting in seeing the story I loved (or at least enjoyed) envisioned by someone else. It’s almost like sharing thoughts on a book and learning someone else’s perspective. (more…)

9 Comments
February 19, 2018
Read more about the article The Wordwitch: A Writer’s Life in Pictures – January
The Wordwitch

The Wordwitch: A Writer’s Life in Pictures – January

The Wordwitch (which got its name thanks to Myk Pilgrim) is a series of drawings I started back in January 2017. At first, it was one image, but soon more ideas followed and my notebook filled with more pictures. As I just recently launched my Facebook Page, it seemed a good time to start sharing them.

These drawings appear weekly on Tuesdays, on social media under the #thewordwitch hashtag, and are a monthly roundup post here. I hope you’ll enjoy them. (more…)

9 Comments
February 5, 2018
Read more about the article Being the Reader I Used to Be
Personal Rants

Being the Reader I Used to Be

I’m not the reader I used to be. Ever since I stopped being a student, I struggled with reading as many books as I did in my youth. Partially it was because of my limited time: I didn’t have gaps between lectures or workshops to fill with reading. Being employed full time meant 9 hours a day at my workplace. After that, I had to take care of my food and house chores. It was also the fear of losing sleep over a book – something I confessed to two years ago, and something I couldn’t afford being an employee. But lately, I realized the problem is more complex than just less time to read. (more…)

12 Comments
October 16, 2017