Here is my update for February, covering December of ’22 and January of ’23.
Writing
January was a bit of a slow writing month, after the high temp of the end of 2022. I’ve been tweaking the sci-fi story and correcting some errors, and gaming out the end battle of Book 3. I probably added about 20,000 words all month. Not bad, but not great. I’m readying myself for February to be a big month.
Movies and TV
Not a lot new in terms of TV shows or movies recently. I did snag a year of Paramount+ for cheap during a holiday sale, so I’m getting into the fourth season of Star Trek Discovery, with several other Star Trek shows to follow. Plus I’m aiming to knock a few movies off my to-watch list in February. I’ll let you know how that goes.
Books
Between December and January I read a lot of fun books.
A Hundred Years from Launch (by Kayli Schaaf): I picked this book up from Kayli and a Books and Beer event I ran back in September, and I freaking loved it. It’s set in a small terraforming colony, trying to prepare for a population fleeing a dying earth. The main character is dealing with deep secrets that she cannot reveal, and trying to build some sense of happiness. The story covers a series of crisis that force the character and the colony to adapt, painfully but for the better. I enjoyed the story so much that one aspect of the story that took me out and had me saying ‘WTF?’ wasn’t enough for me to give it 4 stars. I absolutely recommend this book.
Little Paris Bookshop (by Nina George): Not my usual genre but I thought I’d give it a shot. Originally written in German as the ‘Lavender Room’ and translated to English. This book is about a Parisian bookseller whose book shop is a riverboat. He discovers a letter from his deceased lover that makes him re-evaluate his life and their parting. He takes his river boat to the waterways of France, adventuring to soothe his soul until he can learn to love himself and face life again. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book, given how far it is from my usual reads.
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (by Mark Haddon): Another oddity, one I got from my mother for Christmas. What made this book fascinating is that it is written from the view point of an autistic teenager who’s writing the story afterwards. The writer explains the rules of his autism and how he interacts with the world. For example, he describes that the reason he can’t lie is that when he tries to, he doesn’t just think of one thing that didn’t happen, he thinks of everything that didn’t happen, and can’t decide what to say. Another fascinating book.
Education in Violence: The Life of George H Thomas (by Francis F. McKinney): A biography of one of my favorite and least known American Civil War generals, I chose this from several lists of biographies. I only just started it, so I’ve gone through his early life, the Mexican American War and into the start of the Civil War. I hope to finish it well before the end of the month and move into the next Philippa Gregory and 30K book.
Games
Jedi Fallen Order: I completed this game in January. Set in the years after the prequal movies, the game follows a young Jedi survivor. He becomes embroiled in a quest for an artifact. It was a fun game to play through, one that continued to expand the Star Wars universe.
Last of Us: I have only just started to play this one, recommended to me by my sister. The opening sequence was intense and brutal, but holy crap did it get me into the game. I thoroughly enjoy the story and the characters, but I find the gameplay a bit frustrating. I keep trying to stealth by areas, and the game keeps forcing me into combat. We’ll see if the story continues to make up for the gameplay problems.
Fort Triumph: A PC game in the same vein as Heroes of Might and Magic. However, instead of armies of troops, you command squads of hereos. It has a strong RPG element, with a fun tongue-and-cheek campaign that had me laughing several times. I’m hoping to finish this game this month and move on to something else.
In terms of Roleplaying Games, I finished my Homecoming game just before New Years, so I’m no longer running one. I’m still playing in several games, one as a blunderbuss-toting tengu pirate, another as Sir Montague the gambler. With the new year comes new campaigns. Some new characters might be coming out soon.
What’s Next
I’m signed up to have a table at Minicon, Easter weekend in April.