In a nutshell | February 2026

Life updates, Baldur's Gate III, Return of the Obra Dinn, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and more

Still trying to get used to life in Spain. The weather has been amazing, though it being this nice out there in winter makes me worried about how hot summer will be, but it’s no use worrying about it right now.

I’ve been trying to get into some social circles like book clubs, but I recently caught a cold and it kind of halted those plans. Now I’m feeling better, but I cannot figure out how I managed to get sick when the weather is like 22°C outside and I haven’t been really taking public transportation, which is usually how I get it.

Games

Baldur’s Gate III

I have mentioned this in a previous Note, but I have recently started playing Baldur’s Gate III. I know that I’m late for the hype, but finding the time and headspace for these kinds of games is not easy.

Even though it’s a very dense game, packed with lore and exploration, I’ve been having a good time with it. I want to do a series where I write my impressions and thoughts as I go, like a diary or journal. I may still do a full review at the end, but I imagine that getting to the end will take quite a bit of time, so it will be a while for me to get a review out there.

I hope you join me for the ride!

Return of the Obra Dinn

I’ve been wanting to play a game like The Case of the Golden Idol. I had played that game and its sequel back when it was still on Netflix’s game catalogue. I wanted to replay it, but it turns out that Netflix removed these games from its catalogue last summer, along with some other great games.

Just another reminder that these kinds of services are inconsistent and you should not rely on them for your backlog.

Anyway, I had heard that Obra Dinn was a similar game, and it was sitting in my backlog so I decided to give it a go. And while I have not finished the game as of writing this, I’m enjoying my time with it very much. It has an incredibly unique art style, though it was a bit difficult to get used to. The puzzles seem okay so far, and I hope it doesn’t become too difficult.

Books

System Collapse by Martha Wells

If you had told me that I would be this enamoured with the adventures of a sarcastic, cynical, loving, and so damn caring half-human construct, I would think that you were joking. But seeing Murderbot’s growth, how it comes to care about the people around it, how it goes from ‘‘I do not care about these humans’’ to ‘‘I only had these humans for only a day and a half, and if anything happened to them, I would kill everyone in the room and then myself’’ is very endearing and I find myself drawn in every single time.

Basically this

The current last book of the series, System Collapse, takes place directly after Network Effect, which I read last month. System Collapse packs some amazing action and humor, but it also brings in the emotion. There were quite a few moments that tug at my heartstrings, but one moment in particular made me choke up, especially after seeing our beloved Murderbot’s development.

I apparently took 34 notes and highlighted even more sentences, which is probably a record for me.

When I read the last sentence of the book and closed my Kindle, I immediately missed it. I do hope Martha Wells never stops writing this series, because even though I usually have my issues with sequels in general (in all of media), the structure of the Murderbot Diaries and how it follows Murderbot’s character growth rather than a concise plot line allows the series to grow and flourish even more. There is so much to explore in this universe and in this character, and I can’t wait to read what happens in Platform Decay, which will be released this May.

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

Continuing with the sci-fi theme, I started reading this book right after I finished System Collapse. Record of a Spaceborn Few is the third book in the Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers.

I love Becky Chambers’ books. I cannot recommend the Monk & Robot series enough if you are in the mood for a quiet, cozy, and contemplative book. To be taught, if fortunate is also a very solid and short book that I enjoyed quite a lot.

I had read the first two books in the Wayfarer series and really liked them. Chambers has a remarkably peaceful writing style, and although it may become too saccharine and didactic at times, I found it engaging and interesting enough to keep reading. I’ve seen them being described as ‘‘hopepunk’’ and I think it describes the style perfectly. Maybe they are not good books for when you are in the mood for action-packed, gun-blazing scenes, but there is something about the peaceful writing that pulls you in. It pulled me in, at least.

Record of a Spaceborn Few is probably the most lore-heavy of the Wayfarer series, as it tackles the worldbuilding in very interesting ways. The characters are not that fleshed out, honestly. I found that they serve as narrative tools to enhance the worldbuilding, each interaction a way to explain how the humans got off of Earth and built the Fleet. Usually, if I don’t care too much about the characters, I cannot continue reading, but this was different. I think the worldbuilding was masterfully done. The idea that humanity is finally able to create a communal system that benefits everyone and that everyone is treated equally, especially after nearly destroying themselves on Earth, is a very hopeful one. That’s why these books are called ‘‘hopepunk’’, I guess. They have a very positive outlook on our distant future, and it does fill me with positivity.

Both The Murderbot Diaries and The Wayfarer series are explicitly anti-capitalist books and share a similar outlook, but their approaches to tackling this theme differ significantly. The Murderbot Diaries takes place in a very capitalist universe, with slavery in full effect and people being exploited, spied on, colonized, kidnapped, and even killed for profit. The Wayfarers’ universe has mostly moved on from the cold, hard capitalism that we know, and tolerance and understanding are the basis of most of the interactions. It’s interesting to read about these universes back-to-back, since they offer very different perspectives.

Next up is the Wayfarers #4, which is The Galaxy, and the Ground Within.

Movies

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Rewatch)

My husband and I have been (re)watching The Lord of the Rings every weekend since moving to our new house. My husband is a big fan, and I did enjoy the movies a lot when I was a kid. He did warn me that the movies are around 3 hours each, which is usually a lot for me, but I had been itching to watch them. It’s been 3 weeks since we moved to our new house, and we watched a movie each weekend.

I just recently published a post about my issues with live-action adaptations of animated works, and you might be thinking, ‘‘Isn’t this trilogy technically a live-action adaptation?’’ And you’d be right, but this is a book adaptation, and I think this trilogy was made with a lot of heart and passion, with a lot of respect to the original works, which is why they are a classic now, and which is why I even praised it in my post.

Some of the shots are straight-up breathtaking in a way that you cannot achieve with green screen, especially in the second movie. The battle at Helm’s Deep is as great as I remembered it being, and being able to see what the heck is going on is wonderful. I know it may not be realistic to have that much light at night or whatever, but this is a movie about hobbits, elves, orcs, wizards etc. I think I can suspend my disbelief for some nighttime lighting.

It does have some janky moments, and outdated CGI, but the overall experience was pretty great. The costuming department deserves a praise as well. I loved how lived-in everything looked, and they weren’t afraid to show some dirt and grit. The actors had dirty hands, tear-streaked faces, puffy eyes, messy hair… Except for pretty boy Legolas. He never has so much as a gash on his face, while his buddies are rolling around in dirt, getting into fights with the orcs and Uruk-hai, and getting their fingers bitten by otherworldly creatures.

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I’m slowly getting back to gaming, but I think I’m also starting to become a bookworm these days. I’ve been loving going for a walk and reading a book on a bench somewhere. If anyone has recommendations (especially sci-fi, since I’m in that mood recently), I’m all ears!

How was your February?