kaisel
@kaisel.bsky.social
He/Him, mixed heritage Korean-American. Sysadmin, coder, into tabletop games, retro games, history, cooking.
It's evocotive of (to me at least) Kim Hongdo's Ssireum: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...
July 9, 2026 at 9:12 PM
It's evocotive of (to me at least) Kim Hongdo's Ssireum: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...
Read Oxford Soju Club by Jinwoo Park. Enjoyed it, a great spy novel and commentary on being a part of the diaspora. I knew it would be a complicated read for me as I still have conflicts over whether I count myself as part of that the Korean diaspora, and my own identity. Still highly recommend.
June 23, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Read Oxford Soju Club by Jinwoo Park. Enjoyed it, a great spy novel and commentary on being a part of the diaspora. I knew it would be a complicated read for me as I still have conflicts over whether I count myself as part of that the Korean diaspora, and my own identity. Still highly recommend.
Book 10, Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung and translated by Anton Hur. A sci fi, fantasy, and horror short story collection. A mix of more literary stories and some with subtext as text. Favorites were Scars about a man offered as sacrifice and his escape and Snares a dark folktale inspired story of greed
June 22, 2026 at 3:29 AM
Book 10, Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung and translated by Anton Hur. A sci fi, fantasy, and horror short story collection. A mix of more literary stories and some with subtext as text. Favorites were Scars about a man offered as sacrifice and his escape and Snares a dark folktale inspired story of greed
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie. I'm a big fan of Abercrombie, and enjoyed the book, definitely felt like it was non-stop and generally couldn't take time to breath. Some characters were also remixed archetypes that Abercrombie likes to use (Balthazar == Morveer). Not my favorite Abercrombie but good.
June 22, 2026 at 3:19 AM
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie. I'm a big fan of Abercrombie, and enjoyed the book, definitely felt like it was non-stop and generally couldn't take time to breath. Some characters were also remixed archetypes that Abercrombie likes to use (Balthazar == Morveer). Not my favorite Abercrombie but good.
Divine Incursions written by Oumi Kifuru and art by Kouya Ashitaka. Loved this manga, had an eerie vibe without being gory, and the general feeling of unease was great. Made me want to play in a campaign with the same themes
June 22, 2026 at 3:13 AM
Divine Incursions written by Oumi Kifuru and art by Kouya Ashitaka. Loved this manga, had an eerie vibe without being gory, and the general feeling of unease was great. Made me want to play in a campaign with the same themes
Vol 1-3 of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. A web novel series that mixes the dungeon/video game litRPG genre with regression and isekai genres. Really dug this as there's a lot of Korean history to follow up on and the main character has to rely on his wits more than being OP.
June 22, 2026 at 3:09 AM
Vol 1-3 of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. A web novel series that mixes the dungeon/video game litRPG genre with regression and isekai genres. Really dug this as there's a lot of Korean history to follow up on and the main character has to rely on his wits more than being OP.
Thread dump of other books I've finished this year because I meant to do that. First off Volume 1 of A History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire. A broad overview of the subject, the an-Andalus period is utterly fascinating and I need to read vol. 2 for the colonial history.
June 22, 2026 at 3:04 AM
Thread dump of other books I've finished this year because I meant to do that. First off Volume 1 of A History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire. A broad overview of the subject, the an-Andalus period is utterly fascinating and I need to read vol. 2 for the colonial history.
Working more on my quest to read more this year and just finished Yukito Ayatsuji's The Clock House Murders and really dug it. Very much in the vein of the golden age of detective fiction with an atmosphere that I really dig. All are recommended and will be impatiently waiting for the next one.
June 15, 2026 at 4:34 AM
Working more on my quest to read more this year and just finished Yukito Ayatsuji's The Clock House Murders and really dug it. Very much in the vein of the golden age of detective fiction with an atmosphere that I really dig. All are recommended and will be impatiently waiting for the next one.
Book 2 done for 2026, Hwang Bo-Reum's "Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop". A slice of life novel about a bookshop owner and those around her. Very enjoyable, but oddly anxiety inducing for me, with the different approaches to life and questions asked about how to live. Felt akin to therapy for me.
January 14, 2026 at 5:47 AM
Book 2 done for 2026, Hwang Bo-Reum's "Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop". A slice of life novel about a bookshop owner and those around her. Very enjoyable, but oddly anxiety inducing for me, with the different approaches to life and questions asked about how to live. Felt akin to therapy for me.