"Before We Were Yours," by Lisa Wingate

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate takes place in two separate narratives: the first follows the harrowing tale of May (aka Rill), a "river gypsy," who is spirited away from her birth parents and put up for adoption in the now-infamous Tennessee Children's Home Society.  The second timeline follows Avery Stafford, a woman two generations younger, as she works to uncover and understand May's story, and how it intertwines with her own.

Pros:

• May's narrative is a riveting piece of historical fiction that is at once heart-breaking and heart-warming; I was on the verge of tears by the end.
• May's appearance in both narratives means that Wingate is free to explore life and its challenges from many different angles (e.g. how young May had to "let Rill stay with the river," and conversely how elder May copes with the challenges of old age).
• I appreciate that two voice actresses were used for the two main POV characters (May and Avery).  This helped further differentiate their characters and stories.

Cons:

• Watching Avery's story unfold is considerably less interesting in my opinion.  Critiques of this part of the book, as well as major spoilers, can be found below the final score.
• Wingate's final prologue can be ham-fisted at times, both repeating some of the facts that were better spelled out in the story and uttering the infamous words, "if there is a moral to this story..."
• (nit-pick) The plot unfolds predictably; I can't say that there was anything that really surprised me about the book.  In my mind, it was more about seeing how the puzzle would fit together than what the next twist would be.
• (nit-pick) I almost turned off the book due to the creaky voice in the opening monologue.  I am glad that particular voice only makes sparring appearances throughout the book.

Conclusion:
The book was a wild ride from start to finish, and certainly one that tugs at the heart.  Some threads are left hanging by the end of the book, but this parallels the stories of those lost to history due to the Tennessee Children's Home Society.  Though the book is far from perfect, what it lacks in surprise, it makes up for in heart.  If the premise sounds interesting to you (and you can stomach some horrible things happening to children, even if they are never described graphically), this book is worth a look.

Final Score: 
7/10

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Critique of Avery's narrative (warning: major spoilers)

• The "will-they won't-they" between Avery and Trent is banal.  Moreover, the fact that she ends her long-time relationship with Elliot to pursue a new relationship with Trent lacks impact because the relationship with Elliot is so sparsely characterized.  Finally, it is not clear what Avery's family, and especially her father, decides to do with the truth of their origins, other than move May into the same retirement home as "Grandma Judy," (one of May's sisters that was spirited away for adoption).  This could have been one of the most interesting lines of inquiry, in my opinion.  Lastly, with regards to Avery: I get that an "interloper" of some kind was needed to bring May and Judy back together, but I think Avery's role in the story could've been streamlined.

Massdrop x OLKB Preonic Mechanical Keyboard Rev3

Group buys are a hell of a drug.  You see something shiny, something new, something awesome.  You decide, without a doubt, you must have the thing.  You pull out your credit card, ready for the instant satisfaction of online shopping and make the purchase.  Here's the problem, though: the item you just bought won't be shipping for weeks, or maybe even months.  I hope you're ready to wait.

I found myself in just such a situation with the "Massdrop x OLKB Preonoic Rev 3," (henceforth referred to as the Preonic).  I payed for the keyboard back in July of 2018, and it has only now arrived on my doorstep in January of 2019.  My excitement for the drop followed a decidedly non-linear curve, from hype at the beginning, to forgetfulness during the middle (I never completely forgot I bought the keyboard, but there was plenty of time during the buy when it was far from my thoughts), and back to hype as the shipping date (and notification emails) approached.

Was it worth the wait?  Let's find out.

Basic Details and Cost:

• Cost: $210 ($185 for the board, $17 for 60 Cherry MX Clears, and $8 for a carrying case)
• Set Up Time: ~1 hour
• Set Up Difficulty: Easy

Pros:

• The set-up was a breeze.  No soldering was necessary, which was a relief for me, and each of the components arrived in working order.  The fact that the keyboard came with assembly instructions (including two different ways to build the board, depending on how stiff you wanted the typing experience to be) was also noticed and appreciated.
• Other bonuses included: the inclusion of extra hardware, should any go missing or be damaged, a braided USB-C cable, and a hex key to make installing the hex washers easier and more consistent.
• The inclusion of accent keycaps (above and beyond the typical grey) to match the various case colors was a nice touch.  
• Speaking of caps, I find the included PBT caps to be above average.  I like the clean, simple legends and alphas, and the caps themselves seem sturdy.  They are definitely thicker than the "MDA Big Bang" caps I purchased from KBDFans not too long ago.
• The Preonic specifically and the 50 percent form factor generally is small but mighty, packing lots of functionality into a very portable board.  The carrying case seems a bit flimsy, but it was certainly convenient to have one available for purchase with the drop (and it beats carrying around the board by hand).  

Cons:

• The color of the case I received does not match the color in the pictures included in the original drop.  Specifically, the purple I received is considerably more muted, and almost reads as grey to my eyes in certain lighting conditions.
• The caps did not seat easily onto the switches.  I had to push surprisingly hard to get them in place; this has never been a problem with other sets / caps I've used.
• The instructions did not specify that the stabilizers needed to be installed BEFORE attaching the PCB to the plate, meaning that I am now using the board without stabilizers.  Granted, I am typing this review without detriment (and from other reviews I've seen the included stabs are apparently not very good), but it was a surprise omission nonetheless.
• UPDATE (1/30/19): the pamphlet included with the board DO say to install the stabs first, but not in the building section. My score has been updated accordingly.
• The only other complaints I have about this board are more inherent to the form factor than a flaw with the build, fit, finish, etc.  Still, I will list them here for completeness: 
• I miss having two separate thumb clusters like I do on my Ergodox; I feel like my right thumb sees a lot less use with this layout.  I know I could address this in part by having two 2U keys in the bottom center of the board, but that is a lot of real estate to give up in such a small space.
• I miss having a R-Shift (though I'm sure that issue could be solved with a bit of key remapping).  
• Though it likely stems from being so used to having a split keyboard, the Preonic feels cramped to use.  I find this to be especially noticeable in my shoulders, which have to assume a more narrow / inward-facing configuration when using this board.  My Ergodox (and even my XD75) feel much more "open" by comparison.

Conclusion:
The ease and slickness of this board's set-up make it easy to recommend.  I know that ortholinear boards are not for everyone, but my familiarity with the Ergodox makes it an easy switch.  Though I might have some complaints about the board stemming from the form-factor, I'm sure they can be addressed with more practice and a bit of key re-mapping.  Though this is hardly an entry-level board given the cost, it works well enough for my use case: a travel board for when my Ergodox can't come with me.

Final Score (Updated): 
8.5/10

JÄRVFJÄLLET: Ikea's Premiere Office Chair

I have been looking for a new chair for some time now.  I purchased my current chair about 5 years ago, and it's decrepit.  Its two main issues are that the cushion has all but gone from the seat, and the mesh is starting to tear away from the chair's frame.  Needless to say, any new chair doesn't have a particularly high bar to clear to become my new throne.

On a recent trip to Ikea, I decided to purchase the JÄRVFJÄLLET to see if it could fill that role. After a few hours of wandering through the labyrinth of Swedish design (and a slice of bland pizza), I made it home with the chair, ready to experience an elevated level of sitting comfort.

Basic Details and Cost:

• Cost: $280 (+ tax), with an additional $30 (+ tax) for arm rests
• Set-up Time: 30 minutes
• Set-up Difficulty: Easy

Pros:

• The chair has strong lumbar support, especially compared to the Markus (the next most-expensive Ikea desk chair at $200).  This, more than anything, informed my purchasing decision.
• The chair includes plenty of customization options once it is built, such as height, back incline, and seat location (ie the part you sit on can be moved forward or backward, a feature not found in lower-cost chairs).
• The chair comes with Ikea's 365 day return policy

Cons: 

• When the chair was fully assembled, there was an unacceptable amount of wobble / slop.  In other words, the chair moved in ways it shouldn't (or at least in ways that I was not expecting) even after it was built.  I understand that some wobble is to be expected, especially when the chair is on carpet, but it wobbled more than my current chair. This meant the the JÄRVFJÄLLET was a non-starter for me.
• The seat is somewhat narrow, and may not accommodate those with larger hips and/or a bit more "fluff."
• I was surprised by how much little details and accessories added to the price.  This included a $30 up-charge for faux-leather rather than cloth upholstery, not to mention the extra $30 for the arm rests.  I appreciate the customization options, but $60 is not an insignificant amount to add to a chair that only costs $250 in its "stock" form.

Conclusion: 

I wanted to like this chair more than I did, especially after a reasonably impressive sit session in Ikea's showroom.  It seemed like a match made in heaven, especially since it would spare me the "gamer" aesthetic of many of the chairs at a similar price point. Unfortunately, the wobble of the finished product means that it is going back to Ikea.

Final Rating: 

4/10