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For fantasy, I have just discovered Robin Hobb in the last few years and her stuff is fantastic. If you like a story focused on one person, start with The Farseer Trilogy. If you prefer one that jumps around between multiple characters' perspectives, check out The Liveship Traders Trilogy. They take place in the same world but are totally different. Don't let the boring names and/or cover art put you off. They're fantastic books with excellent character development and some creative fantasy ideas.

Fiction: Ship of Magic, Robin Hobb

Really enjoyed The Farseer Trilogy and this is completely different, but still great. Hobb is great at developing character and that ability really shines when she jumps between several characters, GOT style.

Non-Fiction: The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson

Weaves together the story of serial killer H.H. Holmes and the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. What a different place America used to be. Fascinating to read about the incredible undertaking of the fair and also what Holmes was able to get away with in a time where you could just lie about who you were and be believed if you were...you know...a white man.

Wow the E-hole closing trick is gold, thank you. I just started this yesterday so no tricks to mention yet but I will be checking back here.

Agree with @redwing42 about XCOM 2 and Into The Breach (a perfect video game) and would add Civilization 6. It's on every current-gen console and PC, so take your pick.

I just picked up Murder By Numbers for Switch but that only works if you like Picross. Golf Story is another chill game that you can play in chunks.

Yakuza 0 works surprisingly well if you have a few minutes to spare. Pauseable anytime (even during a cutscene) and it's easy to come back to if you haven't played for a while. It's also on PC and Xbox Game Pass.

I have also played Grindstone and Card of Darkness. I like both a lot and think they work well for mobile. I am getting my whole ass handed to me by Card of Darkness, but still enjoying it.

I think another, darker side effect of Game Pass is that I have found myself waiting games out to see if they come to Game Pass where before I might have just bought them. I also feel a little guilty about buying games when I look at all my "free" games from Twitch Prime, Epic Game Store, Game Pass, etc. It's now my Pile of Shame As A Service.

I know that Phil Spencer says that people who subscribe to Game Pass buy more games so maybe I'm in the minority.

@north6: That's interesting, because the only way I would play it is if it came to a sub service that I already have. I agree that I wouldn't care about its shortcomings as much. I would probably give it a couple hours, see how much it was like BL2, and drift away...

Games just show up on my console and computer, and I don’t deserve them. Since I got Game Pass, my patience for games that don't immediately excite me has plummeted.

There are some benefits to this of course. I feel less obligated to spend time with games hoping that they will turn into something I love. I have also been surprised to find myself forgetting about games that I thought I would love when I started, but have dropped from my brain because of everything else I can play.

It's hard for me to shake the feeling that those games I stopped playing so quickly "deserved" more of my time, because I know if I had spent $30 or $60 I would have spent more time with them. It makes me think that subscriptions services will start to change the way games are made. I think the Gears 5 team even admitted to doing this. Maybe this is something to look forward to though. A game that grabs you and won't let go is always a pleasure to find.

So have any of you gotten more discriminating since subscribing to games? Are you excited for how these services might change games, or the time you spend with them?

@effache: Thank you!

I missed the Vinny and Drew stream for MSSociety yesterday. Any confirmation if that would be archived on the site later?