learnbyexample
Interests: Regular Expressions, Linux CLI one-liners, Scripting Languages and Vim
I have a list of learning resources for CLI tools and scripting here: https://learnbyexample.github.io/curated_resources/linux_cli_scripting.html
I’ve also written a few TUI interactive apps to practice text processing commands like grep, sed, awk, coreutils, etc: https://github.com/learnbyexample/TUI-apps
I started reading progression fantasy on Royal Road earlier this year (a site for posting web serials). Here’s my current follow list (excluding stories that are on hiatus):
- The Runic Artist — isekai, rune-based crafting, good mix of action and slice-of-life
- The Broken Knife — Kobold MC with a dragon companion, dark but compelling read, excellent worldbuilding
- Demon World Boba Shop — cozy isekai, nice characters
- Dual Wielding — slow burn, tale of two friends (both very talented), writing is good, action scenes get dark and intense
- Legends and Librarians — cozy romance, magical library (not litrpg/progression), plenty of cute creatures
- An Otherworldly Scholar — isekai, teacher MC, good worldbuilding, nice romance, great characters, plenty of twists, adventure and danger, especially enjoyed the slice-of-life stuff
- Archmage from Another World: Gaining Administrator Access — isekai from another fantasy world, lighthearted fun with good set of characters, no looming world-level threats so far
- Underkeeper — MC is a recent magical academy graduate, good at magic but works as underkeeper (no money/connections to join adventurer groups), got darker than I’m comfortable with, but loved the characters and the demon companion
- Immovable Mage — good worldbuilding, characters, plot twists and detailed magic system, clever use of plot events pushes MC towards OP, would suggest to read at least till the end of 2nd arc
- Level One God — likeable MC, cool magic stuff I haven’t seen before, some bad moments are really dark, good writing
- Spire’s Spite — criminally underrated with only 100+ followers, mostly been spire climbing so far, good magic system, dark and has some stuff I don’t like but overall I’ve enjoyed it
- Blood Curse Academia — overall I enjoyed the combination of action, learning and mystery, but a lot of weird coincidences and stuff didn’t make sense
- Mana Mirror — loved the concept of mana garden and the myriad customization options, writing and plot was easy to follow, third volume is the best so far
- The Maid Is Not Dead — writing felt like traditionally published epic fantasy with progression elements, slow burn but events are starting to escalate
- Dark Lord’s Last Call — MC’s soul is swapped with the dark lord, plans to open a tavern, enjoyable light-hearted read
- Orphan — I usually ignore the litrpg math but this one takes it a bit too far! characters all have flaws (though sometimes it becomes a bit too irritating), good worldbuilding and mystery
- Rules of Biomancy — 70 year old herbalist MC with a secret past comes across two isekai-ed people in danger of dying and decides to help, enjoying a lot
When I was younger, I’d read slowly, trying to visualize the setting, keep track of character preferences, look up words I don’t know, etc. I’d remember a book well enough to talk about it even a year or so after.
These days, I just skim over descriptions and read as fast as I could while still getting the main plot. I get attached to characters only if the book is really good and savor them during rereads.
Hopefully less than this year. I’m reading too many (100+) and that’s reflecting in my reduced time on actual work (self-employed).