Month: February 2020

New Books & Novel Discoveries (February 2020)

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An average month for book purchases this time around. No befuddlement on my part either, which is nice. I know exactly what I bought, and it was fairly spread out through the month. I made a much more concerted effort to purchase from a couple of local independent bookstores too, putting in requests instead of shopping online. I should do this more often, but it’s hard to resist convenience sometimes. It feels better to give these shops the business, though.

Enough rambling, on to the books!Read More »

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WWW Wednesday – February 26, 2020

Ryan6 Comments
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Men at ArmsI’m just over 200 pages into Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett now, and I am loving this reread of my first ever Discworld novel. While I’ve become reacquainted well with the plot points as I go along, what I did not expect was just how much this book connects with previous novels. A surprising number of characters that feature in this story have appeared once before, such as Gaspode the dog and Detritus the troll from Moving Pictures. The undead collection of characters that live with Mrs. Cake from Reaper Man are referenced too, with new character Lance-Constable Angua living among them. This novel was noteworthy to me for just how rich it made Ankh-Morpork seem when I first read it. I’m so happy to learn that it’s even deeper than I thought.

Recently Finished

Star Wars The EscapeOver the weekend I read through Star Wars: The Escape by Kieron Gillen et al, the tenth volume in the Marvel Star Wars (2015) comic book series. The series under Gillen continues to be really enjoyable to read, though it has been long enough since I read the the last volume that I feel like I could have used a refresher. It was an enjoyably slower paced volume with Luke, Han, Leia, and the droids in hiding on a moon populated by an isolationist group of people. Unfortunately, this also means that they’re stuck there until either their friend comes to pick them back up, or they can get a ride with the trade ships that come every six months. I enjoyed seeing them all a little out of their element, especially with Luke and the brief romance he kindles with a local girl.

Reading Next

Bloodborne The Veil, Torn AsunderI definitely want to read the next volume of Star Wars soon; I actually meant to before today, but I decided to focus more on Men at Arms instead. More importantly, however, I can finally go pick up the new volume of the Bloodborne graphic novel series, The Veil, Torn Asunder by Aleš Kot et al. I ordered it back on the 6th, so I’m surprised it has taken this long. I really wanted to review it this month, but that will likely have to wait until March. Other than that, I still have every intention of start MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood as my next novel.

Until next week, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – February 19, 2020

Ryan7 Comments
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Men at ArmsI finally made my darn mind up and started reading Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett, the 15th Discworld novel. This decision was made in part thanks to a nudging from Sammie @ The Writerly Way. I wanted something light after all the dreary reads I’ve been going through lately. Pratchett is a perfect answer to that. This is the first novel in a long time that I’m actually rereading too. About 10 years ago now, this was my introduction to the Discworld series. It was a while before I embarked upon reading the rest of them, but I never forgot the book. I’m only 27 pages into it now, but I’m already enjoying revisiting it. I had forgotten how much this story in particular played with the fantasy trope of the King returning, ordained by Destiny.

Recently Finished

Here (away from it all)Over the weekend I finally finished up reading Here (away from it all) by Polly Hope. I posted my full review last night, which you can check out here. Reading this novel was certainly an experience. I was along for the macabre ride while reading it, but a lot of elements frustrated me once all was said and done. The small group of people made destitute after the island is cut off from the rest of the world are continually victimized by the native islanders, in increasingly horrific ways, but it doesn’t get enough into why things get this bad. There’s a vague sense of resentment that’s certainly not unfounded in context, but I really wish the story had taken a deeper look at it. The characters frequently fail to take proportionate action against their abusers as well, which I simply could not understand given what happens.

Reading Next

MaddAddamAs far as novels are concerned, I can confidently say I will be reading MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood next. I very much mean to finish that trilogy this year and I’ll waste no more time getting to it. I’m excited to finally finish the series after letting it languish for so long.

Other than that, I’ve got some graphic novels that could probably use some attention; I’m thinking either Star Wars or Doctor Aphra, though The Immortal Hulk is tempting too. We’ll have to wait and see.

Until next week, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

Book Review – Here (away from it all) by Polly Hope

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Here (away from it all)

Here (away from it all) is a 1969 novel by Polly Hope, originally published under the pseudonym Maryann Forrest. On an unnamed Greek island, often swamped with tourists, a small number of wealthy expatriates from around the world live a fairly carefree, relaxed lifestyle in one of the island’s villages. Our unnamed narrator lives with her husband, only referred to as “N,” and a number of her children. One lazy summer’s day the island is covered in a thick layer of dust, as if the fallout of some cataclysmic incident. Communication with the rest of the world ceases after this “Day of the Dusting” and leaving the island becomes hazardous. Left to their own devices, the precarious relationship between the native islanders and the foreigners stuck there begins to fall apart, as some of the old traditions come back into fashion and the expats realize they may never have been as welcome as they thought.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – February 12, 2020

Ryan6 Comments
www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Here (away from it all)I’m coming up on halfway through Here (away from it all) by Polly Hope. The story was a bit of a slow burn for several chapters, but the situation has been steadily ramping up in a way that’s become more and more interesting. As expected, humanity is disappointing me in this story. I really would like to think that in a crisis such as this, small communities left on their own wouldn’t take such a bad turn, but I do know it’s very probable. I’m a little thrown by some of the language in the book; taking place on a small Greek island there have been some names and nuanced language I’ve had to research while reading. I do wish context had just been given, but it’s an issue I can live with.

Recently Finished

Hellboy Winter Special 2019It’s been a bit of an odd week. Along with personal matters, I for some reason struggled to get my review of The Year of the Flood finished. I wanted it up Friday, but didn’t finally get it posted until Sunday morning. So, I failed in finishing Here over the weekend like I wanted to. Oh well. It’s not much, but I did read the Hellboy Winter Special 2019 by Mike Mignola et al. Fairly self-explanatory by the title, it’s a single comic issue that’s a little longer than normal, featuring three Winter/Christmas-y stories. Perfect time of year for them. Only one of them featured Hellboy, but it was a great little Christmas ghost story with a nice, warm sentiment and a creepy final panel as a spooky little cherry on top.

Reading Next

I am still drawing a blank on what I want to read next…but I have decided that whatever it is ought to be lighter in tone. The Year of the Flood and Here have both been heavy stories. I could use something a little more fun and/or uplifting.

Until next week, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

My First Accepted Submission!

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In my last writing report I mentioned that a story submission of mine had been accepted months ago and I was waiting for it to be produced before I officially announced anything. I’m excited to finally talk about it now.

The story in question is my short horror story “Shower Thoughts” which you can hear wonderfully produced for audio on Season 13 Episode 10 of the NoSleep Podcast (my story starts at 00:24:30). They did a stellar job with it and I was thrilled to finally listen to it.

So, you may be wondering “Why the Slowpoke?” in the featured image (a creature known for its slow wits and reaction time). Well, as it turns out I’ve needlessly waited.

I was asked to not talk about my submission being accepted until it was ready to be heard, which I was happy to oblige.

At the end of last week I noticed someone had been linked to my blog through a NoSleep page. From there, I learned that the episode had already been released back on August 25th.

My notification for its use either got lost in the aether, or more likely, I misunderstood the importance of the date I was paid (which coincided with the release). Regardless, I feel like I’ve got an entire hard-boiled egg on my face for not noticing until now.

That all being said, I’m thrilled to share it with you now. Better late than never. I hope you all enjoy giving the episode a listen, and thank you for reading 🙂

Book Review – The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

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The Year of the Flood

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood is the 2009 sequel to the author’s 2003 novel Oryx and Crake and the second entry in the MaddAddam trilogy. The story is dystopian/post-apocalyptic science fiction set in the not-too-distant future after a global pandemic has wiped out much of humanity. The world before the fall was none too ideal either, with greedy corporations controlling nearly everything. Gene splicing and experimentation was rampant, heinous acts were presented for entertainment, and the world was in the midst of a complete ecological collapse. This novel follows two women who have managed to survive the pandemic, jumping between the day-to-day tribulations after “the Flood,” and their shared history with the ecological religious group the Gardeners before human civilization fell to ruin.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – February 5, 2020

Ryan5 Comments
www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Here (away from it all)I only managed to get myself to read the first chapter of Here (away from it all) by Polly Hope last night, so I’m only just getting started. That inaugural chapter was an interesting one, as it has done a lot to set the tone for the story so far. It was a bit of a “chapter two switcheroo,” the first chapter taking place long after everything has gone badly. It’s written in a very stream-of-consciousness style that did a good job of balancing exposition and having the perspective character’s thoughts interrupt the narration. There’s a division between the island’s residents and the tourists, which I’m looking forward to seeing fleshed out. Were they cooperating first, or did the native islanders shun them as soon as things took a turn? Time will tell.

Recently Finished

The Year of the FloodI finished reading The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood over the weekend. I should have a review up soon; I’ve been relishing my days off a little too much to have one finished already. I’m surprised by how much I ended up loving this book. I figured it would be good—Atwood is no slouch—but I really enjoyed the corners of its world this book explored. With all said and done there were a few details that did nag at me, as certain developments are uncannily centred around a small group of people despite it being a global pandemic. At the time I let it go for the sake of the drama, but it has stuck with me as a negative since. All in all, though, I’m excited to see where this is heading with the final book.

The Case of Charles Dexter WardI also read through the graphic novel adaptation of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by I.N.J. Culbard. I feel this book was nearly perfect as an adaptation, preserving the story as it was originally told while adding its own little details in the visuals that flesh out it even more. It would have had the same problem as the original novella for me, had I read this first, but the format made it all much more palatable. I really liked the art style too, which was more on the cartoonish side without detracting from the tone of the story. There was an older-fashioned style to it that really worked for me.

Reading Next

I need to get back to my yearly to-read list for my next book, but as I write this I cannot decide what that book should be. I swear, I’m staring a hole into this list right now and nothing speaks to me. I’m not sure if I want to read MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood next to finish up the trilogy, or read something else a little different first before coming back to it. I guess I’ll just have to leave you all in suspense for now.

Until next week, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.