Book: Shadows of Self, Brandon Sanderson

It's almost uncanny how "middle" the middle of trilogies can be. There's probably a science, or least an understanding, of this, but as a consumer of media I can't help but notice it.

And so it is here. Shadows of Self is a well padded story (that is to say not the most efficient), but does do its job of expanding not just the second Era of Scadrial, but also the previous trilogy - there's even what I suspect are breadcrumbs that lead to an insight to the Cosmere as a whole grand plan.

So exciting enough stuff, but the book still manages to underwhelm with its timepassing approach. Yes, there are twists and retcons, and yes, the story is decent enough. But overall the empty calories become just too much to bear. That being said, I suspect reading the next part in the series back to back with this one will serve to enhance both. We'll see.

Film: A Quiet Place Part II

Sometimes sequels overstep their mark and so trash the vision of the films they are following. Conversely a good sequel manages to give more while retaining the spirit and elegance of the first as a stand-alone film. Good examples of this are BTTF2 and more recently John Wick 2. A Quiet Place Part II is the latest entry to that list.

There are so many echoes of the first film here, and yet it holds it's own as a great film. It is more ambitious and flavourful than the first, and yet complements it as an introduction rather than superseding it. The films come as a set, and not set against each other. Krasinski really is a genius.

It does share some issues with the first - pacing being the main one. But that's even more incredible given how AQP2 weighs in at 97 minutes, and it would be churlish to claim that it wastes too much time.

So yes, this film does exactly what is asked of it and makes a perfect reintroduction to cinema 15 months after the last time I visited. It's made me realise how much I've missed the cinema, even though my ability to focus for even 97 minutes seems to have diminished since then.

Food: Patri

The first warning was in the tag-line. I almost knew what to expect with food described as "artisan". Although I kind of blame Dishoom for creating the idea of a humblebrag indian at least it's able to back it up with some decent chops (perhaps even literally).

Patri however was very normal. I suppose if you're a chaat lover or gol guppa gulper then you might see something special, but if not there really isn't much to justify the entry price here (although thinking about it now, the Shahi Lal Maas may have actually been the most tender lamb curry I've eaten).

The place was empty, which was both nice and foreboding at the same time, while we were well looked after by our server. I was a little surprised by the bill considering what we had ordered, but that may have just been an incorrect perception given how narrow our order was (essentially a biryani and two curries).

It might have been the perfect place to lounge in on a warm Sunday afternoon - it was just missing that specialness in food that would have made this more than just another place to write about.