Once you're done with Supernova in the East, there is a great Hardcore History BLITZ called Destroyer of Worlds which discusses the Cuban Missile Crisis and the history between Hiroshima and present day regarding nuclear weapons. If you've seen Oppenheimer it's actually fits in really well with the philosophy they discussed.

And then, try Ghosts of the Ostfront. It's WWII from the eastern front. It's my favorite Carlin of all time.

I believe Carlin also had a great interview with a book writer/historian in recent years on the same topic, atomic energy and weapon control, decision making, and development. I can't remember off the top of my head though who it was but that was a fascinating one.

Bulk update. Have a newborn in the house so a lot more sporadic in everything I do, but have managed to get some quality reading time in. Got as far into the Saxon Stories as I could before the price jump for kindle was too much, so waiting on those to go on sale. In the meantime, started on the Cradle series by Will Wight. Starts out slow, but has since kept me pretty entertained, even if the main character is a bit annoying. Also continuing with my reading of the Thrawn trilogy and finally started on the next entry in the Poppy War trilogy.


My favorite of the most recent bunch was Fairy Tale by Stephen King. It's been some time since I have had a book that I had to force myself to stop reading, but that one was it. Highly entertaining fantasy world with that kind of King flair you'd expect.

Currently Reading:
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn
Skysworn by Will Wight

Finished:
The Library by Casey White (3/5)
Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden (4/5)
City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (3.5/5)
The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany (3/5)
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (4.5/5)
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (3.5/5)
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (4/5)
Hunter's Run by GRRM, et al (4/5)
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang (4.5/5)
The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell (4/5)
The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell (4/5)
The Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell (4/5)
Sword Song by Bernard Cornwell (4/5)
The Burning Land by Bernard Cornwell (4/5)
Unsouled by Will Wight (3/5)
Soulsmith by Will Wight (4/5)
Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn (4/5)
The Spendid and the Vile by Erik Larsen (4.5/5)
Fairy Tale by Stephen King (5/5)
Blackflame by Will Wight (4/5)

I used to read King all the time as a kid. Probably haven't read one of his books in 30+ years. Will check out Fairy Tale for nostalgic reasons based on your comment. Thanks for sharing.

I'll also give a recommend for Fairy Tale. It didn't pull me in quite as much as Eyes of the Dragon, but it was a fun read. I don't stick with any single genre for all of my reading (i.e. sci-fi, mystery, thriller, etc.), so after Fairy Tale, I had to find a normal book with no magic, monsters, swords, etc.

Regarding King's other recent novels, I really like the Bill Hodges trilogy. There are a couple of sequel books, "The Outsider" (2018) and "Holly" (being released next week), that feature Holly (duh), from the Hodges trilogy. She's a great character and I was happy to see King continue down the path with her.

My wife enjoyed the Outsider. I haven't read it myself, but the HBO show was pretty decent

Stephen King novels used to be "must reads" no matter the buzz. That said, I think Fairy Tail is his best since 11/22/63. Great character development, good pace, a little slow in the middle IMO, but delivers in the end.

Eliminatus said:

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Love me some Dan Carlin. Supernova was great. Even for someone who thought they "knew pretty much everything" about that side of the war but still learned a lot. I just love the perspectives he puts on things.

The Grail Quest series was my intro to Cornwell's works and still my favorite. Glad to see others even knowing about it. It gets forgotten a lot I think. the Sharpe series is also super nostalgic for me.

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Grail Quest and Sharpe series are the only books of his I have not read for whatever reason. I'm actually about 4-5 books behind on the Saxon series at this point because I just got a little bored of it but need to finish that out.

Problem now is that I've read 12 or so of those books and have mostly forgotten everything about them. Last one I read was at least 3 years ago.

Malachi Constant said:

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Once you're done with Supernova in the East, there is a great Hardcore History BLITZ called Destroyer of Worlds which discusses the Cuban Missile Crisis and the history between Hiroshima and present day regarding nuclear weapons. If you've seen Oppenheimer it's actually fits in really well with the philosophy they discussed.

And then, try Ghosts of the Ostfront. It's WWII from the eastern front. It's my favorite Carlin of all time.

---

Thanks. Will check these out.

ddugat said:

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Regarding King's other recent novels, I really like the Bill Hodges trilogy. There are a couple of sequel books, "The Outsider" (2018) and "Holly" (being released next week), that feature Holly (duh), from the Hodges trilogy. She's a great character and I was happy to see King continue down the path with her.

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Will check it out. True to form I'm sure once I read Fairy Tale will be ready to knock off more of his stuff again. Thnx for the recommendations.

RED AG 98 said:

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Just finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. It's one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in a long time. Unique, riveting, just absolutely fantastic. If you enjoyed The Martian, read this -- it's better.

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I really enjoyed all three of Andy Weir's books. I've moved on to Blake Crouch whose novels are pretty similar. Dark Matter and Recursion (terribly generic title) are both really fun. I'm finishing Upgrade now. I'd put it below the other two but still good.

double aught said:

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RED AG 98 said:

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Just finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. It's one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in a long time. Unique, riveting, just absolutely fantastic. If you enjoyed The Martian, read this -- it's better.

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I really enjoyed all three of Andy Weir's books. I've moved on to Blake Crouch whose novels are pretty similar. Dark Matter and Incursion (terribly generic title) are both really fun. I'm finishing Upgrade now. I'd put it below the other two but still good.

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Good to know! Adding these to my list now. Thank you for sharing.

double aught said:

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RED AG 98 said:

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Just finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. It's one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in a long time. Unique, riveting, just absolutely fantastic. If you enjoyed The Martian, read this -- it's better.

---

I really enjoyed all three of Andy Weir's books. I've moved on to Blake Crouch whose novels are pretty similar. Dark Matter and Incursion (terribly generic title) are both really fun. I'm finishing Upgrade now. I'd put it below the other two but still good.

---

I've seen Blake Crouch novels all the time but didn't dive in. this is good to know.

Let me know what y'all think.

The Magus, by John Fowles.

I read about 4-5 books between the time I started and finished it.

BUT, man, did it pay off!

Great book.

He's a great writer.

Recommend!

Rudyjax said:

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Rudyjax said:

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Rudyjax said:

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Rudyjax said:

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Chuck Cunningham said:

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Chuck Cunningham said:

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Anything I read gets 4 stars minimum. 3 starts or below I quit reading.

January:

• The Street Lawyer: John Grisham. Somehow I missed this one. I've always enjoyed JG.

Gary Paulson Hatchet series. I love a good YA novel, don't know why. Love the survival aspect.

• The River
• Brian's Winter 5*
• Brian's Return
• Brian's Hunt
• Waxing On: Ralph Macchio. Listened to it, but it counts. Some good behind the scenes of the Karate Kid.

February:

• Sparring Partners: John Grisham. I really liked 2 of the 3 short stories.
• Never: Ken Follett: Brilliant. Loved it. These are events where WW3 starts and is global nuclear and no one wants it. 5*
• The Apollo Murders; Biggest piece of crap I've read out of a major publisher. Quit 10 chapters in. Negative infinity stars.
• Stories I only Tell My Friends: Rob Lowe. He's actually a really good writer, better than Macchio. He tells some great stories. I'd recommend if you're a fan of his or 80s movies. 5*
• Hatchet: Gary Paulsen. Book 1 wasn't available in January. 5*
• Deacon King Kong: James BcBride: I was pressed for time and returned after 2 pages. Going to try again.
• The Family Fong: Kevin Wilson Very good. Very funny. 5*s
• The Best of Adam Sharp: Graeme Simision: One of the best books I've read in a long time. Probably since his Rosie Series. 5*

March:

• Long Shadows: David Baldacci: Book 7 in the Memory Man. It was ok.
• Biloxi Boys: John Grisham. Meh?? 4*s. The whole book just tells what happens rather than describes it.

Currently reading:

• Now is Not the Time to Panic: Kevin Wilson: So far so good, will update.

Up Next: Order depends when they're available from my 4 e-libraries.

• Apollo 8: Jeffrey Kluger
• Hyperion: Dan Simmons
• All Together Now: Matthew Norman
• Domestic Violets: Matthew Norman
• Holdout: Jeffery Kluger
• The Darkest Winter: Lindsey Pogue
• True Believer: Jack Carr
• Red Shirts: John Scalzi
• One Second After: William Forstchen
• A Man Called Ove: Fredrik Backman
• Beartown: Fredrik Backman

Honestly, ordinary people in books like Matthew Norman, Kevin Wilson, Grame Simision are my favorites.

---

March:

• Long Shadows: David Baldacci: Book 7 in the Memory Man. It was ok.
• Biloxi Boys: John Grisham. Meh?? 4*s. The whole book just tells what happens rather than describes it.
• Now is not the Time to Panic: Kevin Wilson: Very good and then it just fizzled out. It's not for everyone but was enjoyable.
• True Believer: Jack Carr. Book 2 of the Terminal List Story. Very fast paced. Very believable. It's more like I would've read in my younger years but I am liking this series.
• Apollo 8: Jeffery Kluger: Very good historical account of the first trip to the moon. I knew most of the stories.
• Redshirts: John Scalzi: It was...meh?? I liked it to some extend. Would make a great movie. Not sure why it hasn't been made. Things tell me I should like everything by Scalzi, but there's something missing. Not sure what it is.
• Hyperion: Dan Simmons: Made it thru the prologue and Chapter 1. Not a fan.
• Holdout: Jeffery Kluger: it's his first attempt fiction. Nothing interested me at all. Gave up 53%. Life's too short to read books that aren't doing it for you.

Currently Reading:

• A Man Called Ove: Fredrik Backman

Up Next: Order depends when they're available from my 4 e-libraries.

• Savage Son: Jack Carr
• Vanished: Joseph Finder
• All Together Now: Matthew Norman
• Domestic Violets: Matthew Norman
• Holdout: Jeffery Kluger
• The Darkest Winter: Lindsey Pogue
• True Believer: Jack Carr
• One Second After: William Forstchen
• Beartown: Fredrik Backman
• How to Mars: David Ebenbach
• This Bird Has Flown; Susanna Hoffs (yes, from the go-gos)
• A Visit form the Good Squad: Jennifer Egan
• John Irving: A Prayer for Owen Meany (One of my top 5 ever)
• The Time Travelers Wife: Audrey Niffenegger
• The storied Life of A. J . Firkey: Gabrielle Zevin
• The Color of Magic: Terry Pratchett
• The Switch: Joseph Finder
• The moviegoer: Walker Percy
• A Confederacy of Dunces: John Kennedy Toole
• Last Couple Standing: Matthew Norman
• Avenue of Mysteries: John Irving
• The Last Chairlift: John Irving
• Imaginary Friend: Stephen Chbosky
• Perfet LIttle World: Kevin Wilson

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April was a slow month. Tons of false starts and a few books I didn't dig and either stopped or it took a while.
April Completed:

• A Man Called Ove: Fredrik Backman - This book was great. Movie was good too.
• Savage Son: Jack Carr - This was good. His books are entertaining. He was influenced quite a bit by WEB Griffin. Lots of rich ex-military with all the toys do whatever they want.
• How to Mars: David Ebenbach. - I really wanted to like this more than I did.
• Vanished: Joseph Finder - I started and stopped this like 12 years ago and it was good. Not great.
• Project Hail Mary: I listened to the Audio book for the 4th or 5th time. I really love it. Its great to fall asleep to.

April Failures:

• The Moviegoer: Walker Percy: Nothing wrong with this really, but the format was on LIbby which I'm not a fan of.
• This Bird Has Flown: Susanna Hoffs It was about a breakup and romance...blah.
• A Visit from the Goon Squad: Jennifer Egan- It wasn't a novel, it was a collection of short stories about inter-related characters. Not may thing. The short stories were good, but I don't want to read that.

Currently reading:

• One Second After: William Forstchen - So far so good. Very predictable so far but I'm enjoying it.

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May Completed:

• One Second After: William Forstchen- Parts I loved, parts I hated, I think it had me in tears 3 or 4 times. Definitely worth the read. 4 out of 5
• Domestic Violets: Matthew Norman, Book about the son of Pulitzer winner and his realtionships. 4 out of 5.
• The Storied Life of AJ Fikry: Good quick read about a book owner and what happens to him. 4 out of 5
• One Year After: William Forstchen- Audiobook narrated by Bronson Pinchot. He's really good. Sappy sequel to One Second After. Worth the listen. 3 out of 5

May failures:

• BearTown: Frekrik Backman: This guy can spin a yarn. I only didn't finish it because I started with 5 days left on my loan and didn't dive in. I have it back on hold.

Current Reading:

• All Together Now: Matthew Norman

Current Listening:

• The Final Day: William Forstchen: Book 3. It's ok. Not nearly as good as the first.

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June Completed

• Carrie Soto is Back: Taylor Jenkins Reid: This was an enjoyabe tale about the rise and comeback of a a female tennis player. The only issue i have with it is that the author beleives an elite woman tennis player can beat an elite men's player. Ignore that, and it's a good tale.
• All Together Now: Matthew Norman: Y'all know i like his work. It was good.A dying rich man brings his high school friends back together for one last weekend.
• The Final Day: William Forstchen: Book 3. It's ok. Not nearly as good as the first.
• A Confederacy of Dunces: I finally finished it. It was odd, hilarious, sad, and it took a long time.
• All Together Now: Matthew Norman

June Failure:

• The Devil's Hand: Jack Carr: It took so damn long to read Dunces, I didn't have time to finish. I was about 1/2 way through when the loan expired.

Currently Reading:

• The Big Swiss: a Novel: Jen Beagin.. Not sure why I piked this. It's interesting.

Currently Listening:

• Fan Fiction: Brent Spiner: A must listen for any ST NG fan. It takes place during the run of STNG and has voices by the other actors in the series, read mostly by Spiner. It's a "Fan Fiction" of him being stalked by a fan.

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July Completed

• Fan Fiction: Brent Spiner: A must listen for any ST NG fan. It takes place during the run of STNG and has voices by the other actors in the series, read mostly by Spiner. It's a "Fan Fiction" of him being stalked by a fan.
• BearTown: Fredrik Backman: This guy can spin a yarn. Highly recommend it.
• The Storyteller: Dave Grohl: It was a listen read by Dave. Very good autobiography. He's a good writer or his ghost is. I didn't realize how close he was to Taylor Hawkins. That had to be devastating.
• School Days: Nathan Lowell: books 1 and 2 of his new series about The Solar Clippers in the future.
• Working Class: Nathan Lowell: Book 2 is way better.
• Sea of Tranquility: Emily St. John: Very interesting time travel book.
• The Big Swiss: a Novel: Jen Beagin.. Not sure why I picked this. It's interesting. Lesbian story, not really a romance. Gave me good advice on cunilingus.

No failures this month:
Currently Reading:

• Perfect LIttle World: Kevin Wilson: Story of a psychological project where 10 babies are all communally raised by all the parents. So far so good.

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August completed:

• Perfect Little World: Kevin Wilson: Story of a psychological project where 10 babies are all communally raised by all the parents. So far so good.
• Every City is Every Other City: John McFetridge: This was an audio book. Set in Canada about a PI/movie location scout. It was fast paced, great slice of life characters, enjoyable. I'm going to look for others in the series.
• 438 days: Jonathan Franklin: True account of a fisherman stuck on a boat for 438 days going across the Pacific from Mexico. Short, well written, educational. It's a great quick read. Highly recommend.
• Hard Knocks: Nathan Lowell: Book 3 in the series, probably the best in the bunch. Book 1 should've been 1/3 the length and combined with book 2. Oh well, over all satisfying new chapter of Captain Ishmael Wong.

Currently Reading:
Charm City Rocks: Matthew Norman: I really like his books. This one is about a music teacher who meets his rock and roll crush 20 years after she becomes famous. Good characters, takes place in an area I knew 20 years ago in Baltimore. I tried to finish last night to have it completed, but oh well.
In the Blood: Jack Carr: I kept getting notified Charm City Rocks was available while reading this one and made the switch. I'll get back at it when I complete CCR. Book 5 of the James Reece series.

Currently Listening:
The Making of a Major Motion Picture: Tom Hanks: This is amazing so far. I love it. Highly recommend the audio book read by the author. I read parts of the book too, and that was good as well.

AUGUST 2023

GREAT!
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros


REALLY GOOD
King of Battle and Blood (Adrian X Isolde #1) by Scarlett St. Clair
Queen of Myth and Monsters (Adrian X Isolde #2) by Scarlett St. Clair


GOOD
The Dueling Duchess by Minerva Spencer


OKAY
Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
The Girl Who Cries Colors by Raven Kennedy
Can't Fix Cupid by Raven Kennedy
Saint by Sinclair Kelly

Read YTD:

• The Last Resort: Adrian's March Part Two (AUD Book #10) - Kindle
• No God: Adrian's March Part Three (AUD Book #11) - Kindle
• Heir of Novron (The Riyria Revelations #5-6) - Michael J Sullivan - Audible
• Dead Cities: Adrian's March Part Two (AUD Book #12) - Chris Philbrook - Audible
• Ghosts: Adrian's March Part Two (AUD Book #13) - Chris Philbrook and Carl Meadows - Audible
• The Trouble with Peace (The Age of Madness #2) - Joe Abercrombie - Hardback
• Supernova in the East I - Dan Carlin - Hardcore Histories Podcast
• Supernova in the East II - Dan Carlin - Hardcore Histories Podcast
• The Archer's Tale (The Grail Quest #1) - Bernard Cornwell - Kindle
• All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) - Kindle

Recently Completed:
The PARA Method (Simplify, Organize, and Master Your Digital Life) - Tiago Forte - Hardback

For all of you productivity nerds, this is a short book by the guy that did Building a Second Brain which I'm familiar with but have never read. If you have read the latter or done any of Forte's online workshops, I would say this book is a waste of money. If you are new to his methodology, this book is still overpriced. You can figure out his process by simply visiting his website.

And that's because his methodology is simple, flexible, and software agnostic. I put it in place about a week ago across all of my platforms (PC Documents folder, Evernote, OneNote, OneDrive, ToDo) and it's working well. It does greatly simplify things and removes a lot of f'ing around with your system. I tend to tinker with this crap an inordinate amount so this will be good for me.

Currently Reading:
Supernova in the East III - Dan Carlin - Hardcore Histories Podcast
The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis - Paperback
Black Autumn - A Post Apocalyptic Saga (Black Autumn #1) - Jeff Kirkland - Kindle
The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty #1) - Ken Liu - Paperback

The Glassy, Burning Floor of Hell.

Short stories by Brian Evenson.

Weird and fun.

His fiction is always bizarre and unpredictable. Mostly dark stuff.

Recommend!

Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder and One Man's Fight for Justice (By: Bill Browder) (audible)

Received as a gift and I knew zero about it going in. Interesting story of a Yankee financier, his exploits in Russia, and ultimately dealings with Putin and his thugs. Solid B+ as far as entertainment value, no idea to the veracity of the story itself.

Been driving quite a bit lately and listened to a bunch of podcasts and a couple of books.

Dark Matter (Blake Crouch) - I enjoyed it, but honestly probably would have enjoyed it much more a few years ago before the current multiverse craze, which I realize isn't totally fair. Just a bit burned out on the idea. A few nice twists and turns but the ultimate ending was a little predictable. Solid 3.5 out of 5.

Wool (Hugh Howey) - I'd already watched S1 of this on Apple TV+ prior to picking this one up so I was familiar with the story. I enjoyed the TV show enough that I just bought the whole trilogy; I didn't realize how much additional content was in book 1 versus S1 so that was a pleasant surprise. Really enjoyed this one. Easy listen, slow burn, good character development and a unique story. 4 out of 5. (Also really cool backstory on Howey writing this story as a set of serials published directly to Amazon while working at B&N, not unlike Weir's story.)

The Pariah
The Martyr
The Traitor

The Covenant of Steel Trilogy by Anthony Ryan. Very interesting story, world building, and a unique protagonist. Highly recommend. Song of Ice and Fire fans should definitely give it a look.

SEPTEMBER 2023

REALLY GOOD
The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros

GOOD
The Love Wager by Lynn Painter
Ask For It by Sylvia Day
Dark Notes by Pam Godwin
A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos
The Missing of Clairdelune by Christelle Dabos
The Memory of Babel by Christelle Dabos
The Storm of Echos by Christelle Dabos
American Queen by Sierra Simone

Just finished:
The Secret History - Honestly not sure how I feel about this one still, odd book which took me over a month to read. Story about pretentious college students and murder.
Kim Jiyoung, Born in 1982 - Found this book very boring and simplistic. Bought this to read on a flight as it was critically acclaimed but didn't do much for me.

Up Next:
The Emissary - Don't know anything about this, just randomly picked it up last time I was at Book People in Austin.

Previous books this year:
Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow
Lessons In Chemistry
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
Napoleon: A Concise Biography
The Glass Hotel
The Boys in the Boat: The True Story of an American Team's Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics
Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World
Gourmet Rhapsody
Dubliners
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Demon Copperhead
Project Hail Mary
The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles & Their Secret World War
Zorrie
The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero
Breakfast at Tiffany's

Once again on the road quite a bit of late - I can't beleive I actually finished this book but it was like a train wreck and I couldn't stop staring. Honestly I don't remember at all how this ended up in my library. I think maybe it's a freebie but I've had it for awhile. 3 out of 5 feels generous but it was certainly enternaining.

True Fiction: Ian Ludlow Thillers Book 1 (Lee Goldberg) (audible version)

dc509 said:

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I just finished the first Mistborn trilogy. I don't know why I didn't read the series earlier. Sanderson delivered. I'm going to read the second trilogy soon.

Up next is Starter Villain by John Scalzi.

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The 2nd series is what made me realize Sanderson talent. So often these types of sequels are just a variant of the first story with a few new characters. The 2nd series is just a completely different style, and world really. Really like how he lets these worlds evolve with time.

Another Doug said:

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dc509 said:

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I just finished the first Mistborn trilogy. I don't know why I didn't read the series earlier. Sanderson delivered. I'm going to read the second trilogy soon.

Up next is Starter Villain by John Scalzi.

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The 2nd series is what made me realize Sanderson talent. So often these types of sequels are just a variant of the first story with a few new characters. The 2nd series is just a completely different style, and world really. Really like how he lets these worlds evolve with time.

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Agreed. Was very skeptical going into Era 2, but now I'm torn on which I like better. I actually just got The Lost Metal in the mail today (UK matching paperback just got released in last few weeks).

Still on Stormlight #2 right now, but I'm looking forward to reading TLM once I finish Stormlight.

Another Doug said:

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dc509 said:

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I just finished the first Mistborn trilogy. I don't know why I didn't read the series earlier. Sanderson delivered. I'm going to read the second trilogy soon.

Up next is Starter Villain by John Scalzi.

---

The 2nd series is what made me realize Sanderson talent. So often these types of sequels are just a variant of the first story with a few new characters. The 2nd series is just a completely different style, and world really. Really like how he lets these worlds evolve with time.

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That's what I like to hear. I'm up to date on Stormlight and I have read Alantris. I'm a big Sanderson fan, but I spent the last couple of years plowing through WoT and then the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Had to take a bit of a high fantasy break in between those two but now I'm focused on the Cosmere.

When I was opening my box, I said, "Cool! I got a Kaladin pin!"

My wife looked at it and said, "How can you even tell it's Kaladin?"

I replied, "Becuase he's got a spear and a tatoo on his forehead... Also it says 'Kaladin' on the pacakge."

Flatlander said:

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When I was opening my box, I said, "Cool! I got a Kaladin pin!"

My wife looked at it and said, "How can you even tell it's Kaladin?"

I replied, "Becuase he's got a spear and a tatoo on his forehead... Also it says 'Kaladin' on the pacakge."

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And he's smiling, which is so on brand for Kal