About

I run estate sales for a living, which mostly means I spend my days going through other people's houses after they've moved on or passed away, figuring out what's worth keeping, what's worth selling, and what's just going to end up back in a box in somebody else's attic. I learned the trade from my father, who still shows up most weekends to help price a good book or game lot even though he's supposed to be retired. Handling worn paper and old plastic all day changes how you look at a new box off the shelf. I notice the things a lot of people skip past, whether a board's going to warp, whether the cards are going to hold up to a season of shuffling, whether the dice actually feel like something or just rattle around empty.

This is books and board games, mostly whatever's come through my hands recently, either at a sale or on my own shelf at home. I read a lot of classic and hard science fiction, plus the odd nonfiction book about why people do the things they do. Games-wise I gravitate toward engine builders and deck builders and the occasional dungeon crawl, anything with real weight to the components, though I'll play something lighter if that's what the table wants. I've gotten a reputation for being slow to trust hype, Kickstarter especially, because I've seen too many can't-miss things end up forgotten in a closet within a year. Doesn't mean I won't give something a fair shot once it's actually in front of me. I write these up when I've got something specific to say about a find, not on any kind of schedule.

Where I am: Worcester, Massachusetts

Still trying to find a copy of the specific game my dad taught me on as a kid. Nobody in the trade seems to remember the name either.

What's here

Book reviews, board game reviews, and whatever else I feel like writing about. No schedule, no affiliate links, nothing sponsored. I write about a book or a game when I've actually finished it and have something to say, which is why the dates on here are irregular.