iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 20/08/2026

I’ve just finished Good Boy by Neil McRobert. What a wonderful book! I hope everyone gets to have a Riot in their life. Our family good boy, Renfield, could never fight a monster, but he’d cuddle with you after you scared it away.

Cover of Good Boy by Neil McRobert. Mostly blue and black image of a man digging what looks like a grave with his small dog stand beside him.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 29/04/2026

Recommendations please! We picked up the book, The Life of Chuck, for my daughter (12) on Independent Bookstore Day. She loves the book and the movie. I’ve been trying to think of other stories with similar themes that she might like. Any suggestions?

Photo of the hardcover edition of The Life of Chuck by Stephen King. A man is dancing in front of a blue background.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 27/12/2025

I made sure to point him out to my kids when we saw the band in May of 2023. He’s going to be sorely missed.

Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist for the Cure. Dressed in black and holding a red guitar, stands in front of his keyboard stand on stage, performing with the Cure in May of 2023.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 18/11/2025

Spending the night in Shanghai, before heading to Kunshan for business.

Shanghai at night from my hotel window. Skyscrapers in the distance framed by the head and tail lights of cars.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 02/11/2025

Last summer I broke one of my “fancy” arrows. This fall it got a new life as a part of my jack-o’-lantern.

A jack-o’-lantern, carved with a pained expression, lit with a candle, with an arrow in the side of its “head.”

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 24/10/2025

Jennifer gave me a signed copy of My Heart is a Chainsaw for my birthday! I read Mongrels first and thought, “This is fun—especially the ending.” Then I read My Heart is a Chainsaw and realized, “This guy (SGJ) is something special. I must read more.” I’ve read everything since. I love this book!

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 16/10/2025

He scoured medieval paintings and tapestries and studied museum pieces to make our pattern. Then we carved the poplar, cut, stained, and sewed the leather, and even found medieval-style cut nails so that my son could have his very own pair of pattens. We still need to add a loop for the strap.

Handmade medieval style pattens made from Poplar and leather.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 06/10/2025

And his work was a small part of so much beauty. My son, seven years ago, playing my guitar:

A young boy playing a Parker Nitefly guitar.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 02/10/2025

I appreciate my son's belief in my ability to make things, but his optimism often overleaps my capabilities. He's very interested in medieval history & fashion, so this Summer I’ve been recruited to help make pattens. I'm pretty happy with the results considering I've never carved wood before!

Hand-carved medieval style wood pattens; essentially wooden flip flops to be worn with soft-soled shoes

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 29/09/2025

I’m so late to this! The Reformatory by Tananarive Due is both beautiful and heartbreaking. It’s terrifying and horrifying. Set in Jim Crow-era Florida, it tells the story of Robbie Stephens, a 12-year-old sentenced to six months in a boys’ reformatory that’s rumored to be haunted.

Book cover for The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. The design shows a small white building with two windows and a central door, set against a misty, purple-toned landscape. Tall, shadowy trees rise behind it, draped with hanging moss, fading into a vivid orange and pink sky. The title “The Reformatory” appears prominently at the top in bold white letters with decorative flourishes, and the author’s name, “Tananarive Due,” appears at the bottom in large orange text.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 29/07/2025

Yes! I’ve been thinking the same thing. The cover was also used for the “double feature” edition of The Babysitter Lives and Killer on the Road. The whole effect is really cool and works well for both books, each hinting at something lurking just beneath the surface.

Book cover for Killer on the Road and The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones, designed as a flip-style “double feature” edition. One half of the cover shows the title Killer on the Road in bold red text over a distressed image of a woman’s face. The reverse side, upside down, features The Babysitter Lives in matching red text, over a yellow-toned image of a spider and a house. A torn-paper graphic splits the two covers diagonally, emphasizing the dual-novel format.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 28/07/2025

I recently finished Killer on the Road by Stephen Graham Jones (@sgj.bsky.social). As always, the book was a lot of fun with plenty of great action, some ick, and a protagonist the reader really comes to care about.

Cover art for Killer on the Road by Stephen Graham Jones. The title is in bold red and yellow text over a black background. A woman's face, partially obscured by a torn strip revealing a skull beneath, dominates the image. The torn strip resembles a road with lane markings and a red car driving on it. The audiobook is read by Isabella Star LaBlanc and Richard Brake, with acknowledgments read by the author.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 15/05/2025

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds tonight: What an amazing performance!

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 10/05/2025

From 25 yards with my English longbow… never mind where the other 5 arrows are. #archery

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 05/04/2025

“My students are getting deported” From Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/s...

A screenshot of a Reddit post that reads:

My students are getting deported

I teach highschool French and I have three students in my class from Haiti. I found out yesterday that their protected status is being revoked and they have two weeks to leave the US.

These kids are seniors, they all have jobs and are just out here to survive. Now they are forced to go back to Haiti where they said it's not safe for them. I wanted to see them graduate, now they'll never be able to walk across the stage. I've been crying for hours yesterday but there's nothing I can do about it.

And it hurts me more that the majority of my schools teachers voted for this (super red state). It's disgusting.

What am I supposed to tell the class one they notice our students are missing? We aren't allowed to talk politics really, but I can't lie to them. I'm 22, it's my first year teaching, I never thought l'd have to encounter a situation like this. America needs to do better for our children.

Edit: Thank you all for the support, I think my students need it more than I do but l appreciate it none the less.

Some comments mentioned the idea of setting up a fund. I LOVE the idea, but I'll be honest I have no idea how to put something like that in action. If anyone knows how to create something like that please reach out. Thank you again.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 29/03/2025

My third round using a thumb draw and thumb ring. I usually use an English longbow and a Mediterranean draw. The thumb ring is fun (but uncomfortable).

A makeshift target, cardboard and tape, on a bale of hay with a dozen arrows mostly grouped together. There are some stray arrows that are outliers.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 29/03/2025

This Loch Ness monster just arrived in my photo library!

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 29/03/2025

I decided that I want to put cryptid stickers on my arrow box. I had a chupacabra looking for a home. I told my daughter that I needed a mothman and she drew this for me:

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 28/03/2025

It’s done… it’s over… I have finished The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. I love this book. Every bit of it. Only once before have I finished a book and felt so compelled to immediately start again from the beginning.

The book, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 22/03/2025

I got to try the 80# English longbow after archery class tonight. My own bow is 60#, the difference in effort is shocking.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 31/01/2025

The Butcher's Boy by Landry Q. Walker, Justin Greenwood, Brad Simpson & Pat Brosseau is now a trade paperback! A century ago, a brutal killer terrorized a small town. Over time, his gruesome story became little more than online folklore... Six friends on a road trip are about to discover the truth.

The image is a comic book cover for The Butcher's Boy. It features a stylized, high-contrast illustration of a character with curly hair, wearing glasses, and a menacing expression. A jagged red slash runs across the image, revealing a monstrous set of sharp teeth. By Landry Q. Walker, Justin Greenwood, Brad Simpson, and Pat Brosseau.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 30/01/2025

Though I probably look more like this (but with less hair):

Digital sculpture of a stout, fantasy-style archer character with exaggerated features. The character has a round belly and a determined expression. They are dressed in a tattered loincloth, fur-trimmed boots, and a simple topknot hairstyle. The archer is pulling back a bowstring with a notched arrow, aiming forward with a focused stance.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 30/01/2025

Favorite film of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s #filmsky That still from The Seven Samurai is exactly how I picture myself during my Friday night archery class.

This is a black and white still from Seven Samurai (1954), directed by Akira Kurosawa. The image depicts a samurai standing in heavy rain, drawing a bow. He is wearing traditional clothing. In the foreground, a bundle of swords is planted in the ground. Another warrior is crouching nearby.

This is a black and white still from Night of the Living Dead (1968), directed by George A. Romero. The image shows four characters inside a room with wood-paneled walls looking at a TV. A man in the foreground, wearing a light-colored shirt, is crouching while holding a rifle. Behind him, a man in a dress shirt and tie stands with a concerned expression. A woman in a checkered blazer stands slightly to the side, looking on. A young girl with light-colored hair is seated on a couch.

This is a still from The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), directed by Jim Sharman. The image depicts a wedding scene outside a white church with wooden doors. A group of people, dressed in formal attire, pose for a photo, smiling and laughing. The bride, wearing a white dress and veil, holds a bouquet while being embraced by the groom, who is dressed in a white suit with a dark vest. Several guests surround them, dressed in suits, dresses, and accessories such as sunglasses and hats. In the background, a tall man in black clerical robes with a stern expression stands behind the couple.

This is a still from Evil Dead II (1987), directed by Sam Raimi. The image shows a severed, bloodied human hand on a wooden floor, positioned to make a middle-finger gesture.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 19/01/2025

For me, it was the G. I. Joe Mobile Field Walkie Talkie set. I was convinced I’d be able to talk to friends half way across the city with it.

Plastic toy field radio with military styling and the packaging behind it.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 13/12/2024

This teaser trailer for Return of the Living Dead (2025) has me very interested: youtu.be/y8xkWeOSgyc. The "Tarman" may be the most frightening zombie ever to appear on film.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 11/12/2024

I wish there were a version of A Christmas Carol starring Elvira.

Still from the 1951 film version of A Christmas Carol, featuring Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge, with Cassandra Peterson’s face as Elvira crudely edited over his.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 09/12/2024

Last night I hand-sewed 8 buttonhole-like openings into my son's 15th-century braies (underwear) so he could attach his chausses (?, leggings) with the brass-tipped points we made earlier. I knew parenting would teach me a lot, but I never expected to learn about assembling medieval clothing!

A medieval illustration of a man in braies (underpants) and chausses (legging that tie to the underpants).

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 03/12/2024

I’m visiting Hanoi, Vietnam, for work. On the drive to our molded pulp factory, I’ve noticed many tall, narrow buildings and homes that are ornately decorated. I need to learn more about them.

“Street view in Hanoi, Vietnam, showing several tall, narrow, and ornately decorated buildings with unique architectural details, including a domed structure and balconies. The buildings are surrounded by various storefronts with metal shutters and visible wiring along the street.”

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 30/11/2024

My three days in Disneyland with my family have come to an end.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 19/11/2024

Over the weekend, we visited the Battle of Pavia tapestries at the de Young in San Francisco. I would have had little interest if not for my 14-year-old son, whose studies in medieval history have taught me to appreciate the period’s history, politics, and art.

A battle scene from the 1525 Battle of Pavia tapestries, showing many soldiers fighting. A Landsknecht is features in the foreground carrying a pole arm.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 08/11/2024

After more than 40 years, The The still puts on an incredible show. They were fantastic today at the Fox Theater in Oakland.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 01/11/2024

Listening to Songs of a Lost World by The Cure, released today in the U.S. Maybe it's the stress of an upcoming business trip (leaving at midnight), the election, or just the fact that this is their first album since 2008—but this is turning out to be an incredibly emotional listen.

This image is the album cover for Songs of a Lost World by The Cure. The cover features a monochromatic image of a weathered, rock-like object that resembles a face partially buried in or formed from stone.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 23/10/2024

I’m about halfway through Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman, listening to the audiobook. The narrator is fantastic, and this might be the spookiest story I’ve come across in years. There’s Mommy, Daddo, Grandma and… Other Mommy, who asks her every day, "Can I go inside your heart?"

The cover of the novel Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman features the title in bold red letters across the top half of the image, with the author’s name displayed at the bottom in a similar bold red font. In the center is a silhouette of a stuffed animal, sitting with its back facing the viewer, illuminated by an ominous faint blue light.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 11/10/2024

This PJ Harvey tour is great. I haven’t seen anything like it.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 24/09/2024

They played just about every song I wanted to hear and many that I didn’t expect ever get the chance to hear. It was great!

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 24/09/2024

Seeing Johnny Marr with my family

Picture of the album cover for Boomslang, by Johnny Marr. Autographed.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 10/08/2024

Youth Group by Jordan Morris and Bowen McCurdy is a lot of fun. I highly recommend it.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 02/06/2024

The Miki Berenyi Trio followed Tholhurst and Budgie. They played a great set. I’ll have to look up the rest of the band. They were excellent.

Miki Berenyi playing guitar at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 01/06/2024

Yesterday, I received a set of Songs of Silence postcards that were autographed by Vince Clarke. I can’t describe the way it felt to hold those in my hand. It surprised me. Vince Clarke’s music has been a part of my life since I was 15. Many, many years now. “New Life” changed my life for ever.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 14/05/2024

I found this in a jacket pocket. I haven’t worn it in a while, I guess:

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 12/04/2024

I finished "The Angel of Indian Lake" by Stephen Graham Jones last weekend, and I'm disappointed that I don't have anyone to discuss it with. I'll miss reading about Jade Daniels and the rest of Proofrock, Idaho. I really enjoyed the Indian Lake Trilogy!

Book cover for "The Angel of Indian Lake" by Stephen Graham Jones, featuring bear claws ripping through a black background with the title displayed over the image.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 06/03/2024

Photo by Bruce Henderson.

The photo depicts a coelacanth in its natural habitat, captured off Pumula on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, South Africa, on 22 November 2019. The coelacanth is a rare and ancient fish species known for its distinctive fins and large, scaly body. In this image, the fish is seen swimming near the sea floor amongst rocks and marine flora. Photo by Bruce Henderson.

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Brian Belew @brianbelew.com · 12/01/2024

Janine in a Ghostbusters uniform! For me the tone of Ghostbusters: Afterlife was closer to the Real Ghostbusters cartoon than the original movies. As an 80s kid and Real Ghostbusters fan, I liked this. Seeing Janine in uniform and the return of Slimer makes me hopeful that the trend will continue.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire promotional image from Empire Magazine showing Venkman, Janine Melnitz, Stantz, and Zeddemore with Slimer.

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