I started the new year trying to catch up on the best of 2017’s novellas in preparation for the Subjective Chaos nominations, as well as signed for multiple read-alongs that I didn’t want to miss (although I ended up pulling out of Dune in the end: one commitment too many). Add in some more globetrotting, and I could do with a sit down, frankly. But I’ve got a lot read!
Category Archive: Redux
December has been tricky, as everything that’s been going on in meatspace this year caught up with me. My body gets snarky when I just put my head down and Keep On Keeping On, and it put its foot down about Stopping Now Thanks. This slowed my reading (hooray for comforting re-reads) and stopped me reviewing completely as my brain turned to jelly. I’ll be spending the next few weeks writing up those recent reads, as they’ve been amazing.
It with the usual combination of sadness (it’s OVER) and mild relief (I can read some fantasy!) that SciFi Month comes to an end for another year. I’ve not done as much reading or reviewing as I’d like, as the bits of me not eaten up by work got devoured by jetlag, and Gnomon is a doorstop – so expect a few more SF features to follow as I catch up! (along with a return to my beloved Tremontaine. Sorry, Duchess)
After the travails of September, October has been a bit surreal: all work, my first trip to Dublin, home for a lesson in butchery (that’s not a metaphor), and a lot more work. I’m back in the US for a couple of weeks, learning that yes, Hallowe’en makes me really uncomfortable… and getting really excited for SciFi Month starting tomorrow!
September has been a mess in meatspace, featuring all the work, a plonker rear-ending our recently-acquired car and a death in the immediate family. I won’t lie, it’s been hard and I’m feeling pretty battered. We managed to get away on holiday to Scotland, which was lovely, but as I worked at least briefly most days anyway, it wasn’t very restful. Hold the sympathy. Just send chocolate.
August proved work could get busier and hours could get longer – especially when you can do a working days across multiple timezones back to back. Not that I’d let a little thing like that get in the way of reading (although by mid-month it was taking chunks out of my energy for reviewing). Definitely looking forward to a holiday!
July has been a hard slog in real life – work taking centre stage – so while I’ve done plenty of reading, I’ve not stayed on top of my reviews. This is unlikely to change any time soon – I’m nearly at the end of my extended trip to the US, but I’m hoping to take some actual holiday off the grid when I get home, so it could stay fairly quiet here for a while.
June saw me move to the US for 2 months, which is the sort of major upheaval that can really interfere with reading and reviewing. However, living in a strange city is quite good for spending nights with a good book (in spite of my workload) and some trans-American flights have helped keep reviews trickling in. This may be less true in July, where workload is due to hit truly epic proportions.
May has been the month of relatives visiting from overseas, rapid increases in workload and – thankfully – some lovely sunny days. I got a lot of reading and reviewing done early in the month, but I’m on the slow train through summer from here (that’s so untrue: I’ve got loads of long flights in June, so hopefully I can catch up on recent reviews and fall behind on a fresh batch!)
April started with what felt like a readathon as I raced to catch up with read-alongs and review obligations. It promised to be a month of series finales, but life got in the way before I could grapple with The Hydrogen Sonata, delaying the end of my Culture reread and interrupting my usual blogging schedule. As life remains overpowering, blogging will likely be sporadic through May and June.
March was always going to be largely defined by jetlag, as it saw the start of big project at that work that is turning me into a transatlantic yoyo. My grandiose plan to read ALL THE BOOKS on flights was replaced by a bleary-eyed reality of bad sleep and poor concentration… while I seem to have somehow got through more than I realised, it will some time to catch up on reviews!
February is short and my reading was constrained by a blogging backlog and a surge in real life commitments. However, I found time to sort out my library membership, which predictably means a HUGE tower of books by my bedside – and it was my birthday, so any chances of keeping my own book hoard under control was a pipe dream.
I had so many good intentions for 2017. No, that’s not true. I had a few intentions that were meant to keep me honest. Hands up who would be surprised if the ones relating to acquiring books didn’t survive the first week of the year… At least I’m doing well on my reading goals.
I like to pretend I have structure, so I’m once again setting some goals for my reading – and blogging – this year. As usual, I’ll keep track of how I go in my monthly redux.
December’s dark days should have been the perfect excuse for reading, but sadly a lingering cold shot my concentration. Thankfully, I had some bite-sized books on hand to cheer me up. It also gave me some time to reflect on the year overall and what I want to tackle next year; although I reserve the right to change my mind. Constantly.
