I suspect it’s more users migrating over to here. I am coming here more than on Reddit now because of Reddits actions. Just trying to get used to Lemmy. The vibes are friendlier here, that’s for sure. I imagine that won’t last once even more Redditors come this way.
I have been using VLC on linux and android since forever, but recently on my new Amazon Firestick 4k Max, VLC was having issues playing h.265 HEVC movies. So, someone recommended Nova Player, and it played them beautifully. Nice player, I may switch all my devices to Nova.
The Stormlight Archives is an epic fantasy series where all of the major protagonists struggle with mental health in realistic ways. Kaladin will do great, heroic things, and still grapple with depression because it’s part of who he is, not something he just “gets over” because he had one good day.
Something about when all else is gone and the world is in chaos, eat rhe rich because you can’t eat money. There was an original quote I can’t reacall exactly but it’s to that effect.
The bone series of graphic novels are great. There are plenty of them, there easy to read, and there funny. Check the local library, they will have them all.
I’m a big fan of Douglas Addams (hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, dirk gently). He is easy to read and has a very sharp sense of houmor.
The Lunar Chronicles is another easy series to get into. Technically these are romances, but the romance is very light. It is a cyborg retelling of classic fairy tales.
Bone is great, but I think Adams' work, particularly The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, will resonate with OP. You're right, it's an easy read (but not necessarily simple), and it never feels like a chore. @QuietStorm, if the opening paragraphs appeal to you, you might dig this book:
The house stood on a slight rise just on the edge of the village. It stood on its own and looked out over a broad spread of West Country farmland. Not a remarkable house by any means—it was about thirty years old, squattish, squarish, made of brick, and had four windows set in the front of a size and proportion which more or less exactly failed to please the eye.
The only person for whom the house was in any way special was Arthur Dent, and that was only because it happened to be the one he lived in. He had lived in it for about three years, ever since he had moved out of London because it made him nervous and irritable. He was about thirty as well, tall, dark-haired and never quite at ease with himself. The thing that used to worry him most was the fact that people always used to ask him what he was looking so worried about. He worked in local radio which he always used to tell his friends was a lot more interesting than they probably thought. It was, too—most of his friends worked in advertising.
On Wednesday night it had rained very heavily, the lane was wet and muddy, but the Thursday morning sun was bright and clear as it shone on Arthur Dent’s house for what was to be the last time.
It hadn’t properly registered yet with Arthur that the council wanted to knock it down and build a bypass instead.
also where is a good place to get physical books from at a discount?
In the US, most public libraries have collections of everything you mentioned (including manga). Also, a lot of libraries have bookstores where they sell donations and old books from their collections. Reference librarians are great people to talk to for book recommendations.
I feel like peertube could really use some sort of Lemmy driven community engagement
Agreed. Lemmy and Kbin have been getting a lot of attention lately, and Mastodon is the elephant in the room. But I hear little about Peertube instances. I think they would be a perfect fit in the Lemmy universe.
The one problem I see is cost. Lemmy serves text. Peertube would store and serve video. Lots of it. That’s a big bill.
“PeerTube uses the BitTorrent protocol to share bandwidth between users by default to help lower the load on the server, but ultimately leaves you the choice to switch back to regular streaming exclusively from the server of the video.“
I don’t know if I’d go so far as to recommend a VPN or Tor. Should be the same risk profile as torrenting except legal in all places. Also, this information may be out of date, but I believe it is considered poor etiquette to use the Tor network for bandwidth heavy stuff like this. I know they used to put out PSAs about torrenting on the network.
I would start there if you do. The people who work there are in love with books and will have great recommendations for you.
If you like to laugh and you like fantasy, check out Terry Pratchett. The Night Watch series is my favorite Start with “Guards! Guards”.
Look into buying books on your phone or tablet. Both apple and Google frequently have “books under $5” sales. It’s not ideal for the physical feel of reading a book, but you can usually change the font and font size, which may make it more readable for you.
Hope this is helpful. The more you read the better you get at it, and the more you enjoy it.
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