Tag: reading

October Write Day: The Turn

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On LifeLeave a comment

October came upon me so quickly that I forgot to do this post last week. Luckily, I had a book review to post instead.

Halloween preparation is in full swing on our street–now that we know a fair number of our neighbors, we’re all enjoying the friendly decoration competition and watching the neighborhood kids get excited. And Halloween is on a Friday, so it’s likely to be crazy.

I feel pretty good about September. Everything is a work in progress, as always.

Last Month’s Goals

  1. Finish three books.
  2. Stretching & exercise.
  3. Organize around the house.
  4. Community resilience.

Finish three books?

I finished two books in September: I, Jedi by Michael A. Stackpole, on which I was lukewarm, and The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar, on which I was much warmer.

I’ve made marginal progress on a couple other reads, and I’ve started a sci-fi novel: The Terraformers, by Annalee Newitz. I’m enjoying its rich world-building and high-concept post-Earth civilization so far.

Stretching and exercise?

I stretched nearly every day in September, out of necessity. I also did a short resistance training routine five times, and a proper yoga session (20 minutes or more) once. Not great, but it was consistent across most of September, and it helped me feel good overall.

Organize around the house?

This is a never-ending process, so it’s more about getting things done consistently than actually “finishing”, unless there’s a larger project. I have yet to build the shelves in my shed, but we definitely cleaned out some old things. Now the focus is on Halloween decorations, which is a different sort of organization.

Community resilience?

Still mostly pondering. I’m getting more involved in the local chapter of an environmental organization, by going on hikes and such. And I’m trying to be more conscientious about reading the news from the sources I trust on a regular basis, including local ones. Still trying to find how I can meaningfully contribute, though.

Goals for October

  1. Finish three books.
    • Current reads: The Terraformers, by Annalee Newitz; A Promised Land by Barack Obama; The Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Alan Poe, by Edgar Alan Poe and Benjamin Franklin Fisher (editor)
    • Likely next reads: I recently purchased The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, first in a historical fantasy series by Shauna Lawless about Vikings in Ireland — so it’s directly in my wheelhouse. The audiobook is also narrated by Aoife McMahon, who is a top-tier narrator.
  2. Stretching & exercise. The goal is to do better than last month, so 5-10 shorter exercise sessions, and 2-5 longer yoga or weightlifting sessions.
  3. Continue organizing around the house. Halloween is the priority, but yardwork needs to be done to prepare for next spring, too.
  4. Community resilience. Similar to last month, I need to find ways to contribute more directly and proactively in my community.
  5. Take writing notes. I’ve started doing this, just to get my stories back into my weekly/daily brain space. I’m also considering options for publishing stories online, just to get my stories out there again. No decisions have been made yet, but I want to keep pacing down this path.

Steve D

August Write Day: Nearly There

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On LifeLeave a comment

Our summer took an unexpected turn when our oldest son, through absolutely no fault of his own, was kicked out of daycare. The daycare messed up and had too many kids for the summer.

We’ve been scrambling to find things for him to do during the week for a month, and we’re now just two weeks away from the start of his schoolyear. I have never in my life been this excited for school to start.

We have one more family trip ahead of us, which is greatly needed for all of us, perhaps most of all just to break us out of our week-to-week schedules for some quality time.

Last Month’s Goals

  1. Finish three books.
  2. Small acts – Exercise.
  3. Small acts – Writing. 
  4. Continue daily meditation/affirmation.

Finish three books?

I finished two books in July. I’ve already reviewed Boudica: Dreaming the Hound by Manda Scott here, and I finished Star Wars Legends Collection: The Empire, Vol 1 what feels like ages ago. That was not my first entry into Star Wars comics, but I appreciated the deeper focus on Vader and his conflicted state of mind in the early years of the Empire.

I don’ think I’m ready to jump head-first into the vast back-catalogue of Star Wars comics and novels. It’s too much to even think about wading through, to be honest. However, I have enjoyed the smattering of stories I’ve picked up as one-offs.

Perhaps I will take a similar tack with the Warhammer 40,000 novels. I had tried to get into The Horus Heresy series some years back, and found it overwhelming in its lore depth.

Small acts – exercise, meditation, writing?

Not much to say in any of these categories. I’ve been active in different ways, but no real routine to speak of.

I think I’ve done okay with posting haiku each Sunday, mostly. I’m starting to think that until I really start writing fiction again, I will probably stick to book reviews for my Wednesday posts.

I would like to start writing regularly again. I’ve just been pre-occupied. My sons have started playing video games a couple times per week – Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Mario Kart 8, primarily. This has reignited my love for casual gaming, so that has been my hobby of late.

No regrets. It just means I’ve spent evenings doing that than almost anything else.

I will have some downtime while we’re traveling for our upcoming trip, and I’m optimistic that I can write in my journal a bit.

Goals for August

  1. Finish three books.
    • Current reads: Boudica: Dreaming the Bull by Manda Scott; A Promised Land by Barack Obama; The Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Alan Poe, by Edgar Alan Poe and Benjamin Franklin Fisher (editor)
    • Likely next reads: No idea.
  2. Survive until the start of school. It will be camps for us next summer.
  3. Enjoy our last big trip for the summer. We’re taking the train to Boston. It will be the boys’ first real train ride, so we’re excited.
  4. Try to exercise and stretch. I stretch just about every day. Still looking for the right motivation to exercise consistently.

Steve D

Book Review: BOUDICA: DREAMING THE BULL

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Storytelling, ReviewsLeave a comment

As anticipated from my review of Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott, I quickly picked up and pored through book two of this series.

I actually finished reading (listening to) Boudica: Dreaming the Bull at the end of May, but I’m just now getting around to posting my review.

Everything I loved about the first book – the writer’s elegant prose, the depth of historical world-building, the poignant interplay of the characters’ dialogue and gestures – carried through in book two.

While I missed spending as much time with Breaca as in the first novel, I was surprised and riveted by the stories of some of the other characters. The continued fall into darkness of Julius Velarius was not what I had looked forward to about this novel, but his chapters were compelling.

Scott did an excellent job showing how one can empathize with Julius, even when one disagrees with and even despises the choices he makes. His tragedy becomes the centerpiece for this book that still carries the reader through, without bogging them down in despair or anger. Those emotions are certainly felt, but they don’t hold back enjoyment of the wider story. Dubornos was another surprisingly interesting character in this novel.

This book was enjoyable overall. The consistency in writing style and attention to detail is a testament to Scott’s skill as a writer. As of this writing, I’m already 75% done with book three.

Steve D

July Write Day: Carry On

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Fantasy, On LifeLeave a comment

Only when I looked for my last goals post to prep this one did I realize I didn’t do any goals post for June. It’s been a busy few months with work (always busy), family matters, the school year ending, and our first proper vacation this year. So, apologies.

But, we’re here now.

Last Month’s (May/June) Goals

  1. Finish three books.
  2. Small acts – Exercise. Bare minimum: stretch and meditate every day, and if I do any of the following in addition, that’s ideal.
  3. Small acts – Writing. Bare minimum: get back to posting here every Wednesday and Sunday, and not just haiku. Achieving some combination of the following throughout a given week is ideal.
  4. Continue daily meditation/affirmation.

Finish three books?

Alright, I said May/June at the top, but I only finished three books total between those two months. I completed Dreaming the Eagle and Dreaming the Bull, books one and two of Manda Scott’s excellent Boudica series. I’ve already reviewed the first and have yet to post the review for the second.

I also finished We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I did not conduct a full review of this book, and will not, because it deserves every reader’s attention as one man’s (the author’s) experience and work on racial injustice in the United States during the eight years of Obama’s presidency. Even though the featured essays were originally printed in 2008-2016, and the volume was published in 2018, it is entirely relevant today and will continue to be so.

Small acts, exercise?

I exercised seven times in May and five times in June. I did not explicitly count a ton of activity during the week we spent at the beach. I made it a point to be active each day, running around with my boys, swimming in the waves or the pool, and just all around enjoying active playtime with them.

I haven’t been to the gym in a few months, and I still find it hard to find the motivation, even as I try to exercise at home a few times per week.

Small acts, writing?

As you can see, I have not been specifically active in the writing space of late. However, I had a bit of a writing revelation recently. Most of this year, I’ve been agonizing over what to do with my duology, whether it’s “ready” to pursue for publication or not.

I kept thinking that just by getting it out there, I’d figure out what comes next. But there are more stories I want to tell around these characters, and I already have a framework to do so as a third novella.

So while I don’t have a whole writing plan laid out, I have at least made the mental decision to write a third part, make this a trilogy, and round it out in a more fulfilling way. When and in what form publication comes is a question for a future day.

Goals for July

  1. Finish three books.
    • Current reads: Boudica: Dreaming the Bull by Manda Scott; A Promised Land by Barack Obama; and Star Wars Legends Collection: The Empire, Vol. 1 by John Ostrander, Randy Stradley, W. Haden Blackman, et al.;
    • Likely next reads: I’m halfway through book three of the Boudica series and will definitely pick up book four. This series is excellent.
  2. Small acts – Exercise. Bare minimum: stretch and meditate every day, and if I do any of the following in addition, that’s ideal.
  3. Small acts – Writing. Bare minimum: get back to posting here every Wednesday and Sunday, and not just haiku. Achieving some combination of the following throughout a given week is ideal.
  4. Continue daily meditation/affirmation.

Steve D

May Write Day: 14 Days In

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On LifeLeave a comment

April was a busy month. We had weekend plans three weeks in a row for various reasons and did a bit of traveling for family engagements. I’ve also been dealing with some family medical issues, so a lot of my hobbies/routines took a back seat, for better or worse.

We’re already halfway into May, and I can’t say much has changed to this point.

Last Month’s Goals

  1. Finish three books.
  2. Small acts – Exercise.
  3. Small acts – Writing.
  4. Continue daily meditation/affirmation.

Finish three books?

I finished one book in April, the previously reviewed A Closed and Common Orbit. Otherwise, I’ve continued picking my way through two longer reads.

Manda Scott’s Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle is a fantastic historical fiction, and I’m relishing every moment of it. I’ve found myself rewinding (the audiobook) to ensure I don’t miss any sections.

I’ve also been watching Andor season 2 after binging a season 1 rewatch in about a week. There is tons of great analysis about Andor happening all over the place, so I will just say that this is one of my favorite shows of all time. No question.

Exercise?

2 decent workout sessions, 4 shorter workout sessions. I feel like I’ve been stretching fairly consistently, although I haven’t been tracking that. Stretching is now as much about working stiffness out of my legs as anything else, so it’s much more of a habit.

I’m finding ways to get different types of exercise, like chopping wood/moving logs, yard work, playing soccer with my sons, etc. I definitely enjoy doing activities like that outside, so the exercise is just a bonus.

Writing?

I didn’t do much writing in April, and my posts on this site give it away: four total in April, and this is my first post for May. Part of it is that I haven’t had any new book reviews to post.

I’ve been thinking about my duology a bit recently, as a piece that I feel deserves to see the light of day. I just haven’t come up with a publishing plan. At this point, I’d like to have the goal in sight as I’m working on it, and that just hasn’t been a priority. So, I will return to it at some point. I’m just not sure when right now.

Meditation/affirmation?

I fell off this routine quite a bit in April for no real reason at all. I’d like to get back to it, so I’ll start tonight.

Goals for… the second half of May

  1. Finish three books.
    • Current reads: Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott; and We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    • I will definitely continue with the Boudica series once I finish book 1. I’ll also pick up something shorter and more digestible in addition once I finish We Were Eight years in Power.
  2. Small acts – Exercise. Bare minimum: stretch and meditate every day, and if I do any of the following in addition, that’s ideal.
    • Bronze medal: short yoga session
    • Silver medal: longer yoga session and/or resistance training at home
    • Gold medal: 1-hour gym session
  3. Small acts – Writing. Bare minimum: get back to posting here every Wednesday and Sunday, and not just haiku. Achieving some combination of the following throughout a given week is ideal.
    • Bronze medal: basic admin for this site, my email, my imprint, etc.
    • Silver medal: take notes, or organize older notes
    • Gold medal: Revise/rewrite my duology in, at least a 15-minute focus session
  4. Continue daily meditation/affirmation.

April Write Day: Change

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On LifeLeave a comment

I don’t remember much about March except that it was stressful. Lots of family obligations. A long weekend trip for my grandmother’s funeral. And some work things to keep me occupied.

My grandmother’s funeral was bittersweet in the appropriate way. We saw a lot of family we don’t see very often, and the entire service provided some much-needed closure on her years-long battle with Alzheimer’s.

The drive back from the Midwest was like seeing the transition from winter to spring in real time. As we crossed the Appalachians, the grass became greener, and more trees sprouted buds. In the Maryland piedmont we found many trees with new leaves, and plenty of undergrowth. I’m glad spring is here.

Last Month’s Goals

  1. Finish three books.
  2. Small acts – Exercise.
  3. Small acts – Writing.
  4. Continue daily meditation/affirmation.

Finish three books?

Yes! I finished Aspects by John M. Ford, and then powered through audiobook versions of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers.

Beginning with Aspects for my first Ford read is likely not ideal, since he passed away before finishing the first of what was evidently planned to be an extensive series. But, I will definitely be returning to his other earlier works for a voice and style that I really can’t compare to anything I’ve read in the fantasy realm.

Chambers’s first book in the Wayfarer series, my review of which you can find linked above, was delightful. The second book was different in a way I wasn’t quite prepared for, and I’ll get into that more in a review next week.

I’ll return to this series. I’m just taking a bit of a break with some reading I’m greatly enjoying. See below.

Small acts – exercise?

I feel like I was pretty active in March, which is always a good place to start. I went to the gym once for a 1-hour session and had seven shorter sessions of resistance training or yoga. I also swam a bit with the kids and stretched nearly every day; I just didn’t track those activities.

I’m definitely still hitting spells where I don’t feel like I have time for much aside from stretching for two to three days at a time. However, I think I’m getting better at taking the time I have and dedicating it to more intense workouts, even if it’s only once or twice per week. So that’s something.

Small acts – writing?

Meh. I posted here four times total in March. If I had stuck to my Wednesday/Sunday schedule, I should have posted nine times.

I haven’t done any story writing. One interesting development is that I don’t feel guilty about it. It’s not that I don’t care about it. I’m just not kicking myself for being preoccupied with so many other things. I know I want to make more time for it, so that in itself feels good.

Meditate & affirmate daily?

No, but I’ve become more consistent, and it’s definitely helping.

Goals for April

  1. Finish three books.
    • Current reads: Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott; and We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    • These are both hefty enough that I have no particular sights set on my next read. If Scott’s historical fiction is as deeply intricate as the first few chapters indicate, I may just continue with the Boudica series.
  2. Small acts – Exercise. Bare minimum: stretch and meditate every day, and if I do any of the following in addition, that’s ideal.
    • Bronze medal: short yoga session
    • Silver medal: longer yoga session and/or resistance training at home
    • Gold medal: 1-hour gym session
  3. Small acts – Writing. Bare minimum: get back to posting here every Wednesday and Sunday, and not just haiku. Achieving some combination of the following throughout a given week is ideal.
    • Bronze medal: basic admin for this site, my email, my imprint, etc.
    • Silver medal: take notes, or organize older notes
    • Gold medal: Revise/rewrite my duology in, at least a 15-minute focus session
  4. Continue daily meditation/affirmation.

March Write Day: On a Track

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On LifeLeave a comment

February came with the flu, hitting myself, my wife, and our oldest in rapid succession. I feel like I lost an entire week due to drained energy, no appetite, and just trying to keep our household afloat. I definitely lost a couple pounds.

We’ve been preoccupied with a lot of external priorities. A theme and focal point that has crystallized for me over the last couple weeks is resilience. I can’t control much of what happens around our family, but I can control our response to it or at least guide it.

I’m looking into ways to build resilience, in our household, in our friends and family connections, and in our community.

As expected, these thoughts and anxieties and external pressures have taken some of my focus, and that will need to continue.

Last Month’s Goals

  1. Finish three books.
  2. Small acts – Exercise.
  3. Small acts – Writing.

Finish three books?

I read two books in February, and one was a doozy. I finally, after several months, finished reading The World of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin and others — Martin’s encyclopedic history of his fantasy universe, written as if by a Maester of the Citadel.

I’m not going to review this book; if you thoroughly enjoy A Game of Thrones and other attendant books in that universe, and you love world-building, then you’ll find this an interesting read. My one gripe is that there was no detailed map of Essos, despite there being about 75 pages on the civilizations of that continent.

I also read the comic collection of Star Wars: The High Republic, Phase II, Vol. 1: Balance of the Force. I happened to pick it up in a local bookshop one weekend, and I knew it would make an easy read for my monthly goal. It was solid. I haven’t read anything else in the Star Wars: The High Republic series, despite there being at least three “phases” of comics and several novels. I think I’ll continue with Phase II, at least.

Small acts – exercise?

February was a slow month for exercise, what with the aforementioned illness. I recorded exercising about three times, although I definitely stretch more consistently than that.

I’m already off to a much better start for March.

Small acts – writing?

I didn’t do any note-taking or writing/revising of my current novellas-in-progress.

I did quite a lot of reading of emails and articles following everything that’s happening in the US — leading me to focus more on resilience.

I posted three times on this site, after getting it back up and running, but again, illness. I’m once again off to a solid start for March.

Goals for March

  1. Finish three books.
    • Current reads: Aspects by John M. Ford; and We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    • Likely next reads: A friend at work just finished reading The Hobbit for the first time, and we’ve been talking about it, so it feels like time to pick it up again.
  2. Small acts – Exercise. Bare minimum: stretch and meditate every day, and if I do any of the following in addition, that’s ideal.
    • Bronze medal: short yoga session
    • Silver medal: longer yoga session and/or resistance training at home
    • Gold medal: 1-hour gym session
  3. Small acts – Writing. Bare minimum: get back to posting here every Wednesday and Sunday, and not just haiku. Achieving some combination of the following throughout a given week is ideal.
    • Bronze medal: basic admin for this site, my email, my imprint, etc.
    • Silver medal: take notes, or organize older notes
    • Gold medal: Revise/rewrite my duology in, at least a 15-minute focus session
  4. Continue daily meditation/affirmation. I’ve started doing this very recently. I have attempted a meditation routine in the past, but it has been quite a while since I’ve tried to stick to a daily routine. I think t really does help put things in perspective and center my mood.

Steve D

Book Review: BLACKFISH CITY and the scarily real imaginings of our post-apocalyptic future

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Storytelling, ReviewsLeave a comment

I’m way behind on posting this. Last month, I finished listening to Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller in audiobook.

This book had jumped out to me both for its stunning cover — cyberpunk feel with Indigenous artistic themes — and its intriguing synopsis.

Miller constructs a fascinating future world where refugees and oligarchs have fled or abandoned their fallen cities due to climate disasters. Miller deftly alludes to a multitude of climate disasters causing upheaval around the world, but really only goes into detail in one instance, as it affected a few of the characters.

Many of these refugees fled their homes for a newly built city in the Arctic Circle — an eight-armed floating city called Qaanaaq. The design of Qaanaaq is intricate and authentic. Miller describes geothermal pipes used to warm the entire city, and a highly computerized system that mostly runs the underlying infrastructure needs of the entire city.

Qaanaaq feels like a place that could very easily exist in a post-climate disaster world, both exploitative of the people who’ve lost everything and serving those who have profited from the chaos of a crumbling global civilization. It is technologically advanced and still not free of poverty, overcrowding, resource scarcity, and bureaucratic ignorance of real people’s issues that plagues rapidly growing cities.

I found it difficult to connect with the characters at first. I couldn’t quite place the age of most of the characters until much later int he story, so I assumed they were all Adults — this was not the case. Miller’s brilliance is in the way he slowly weaves interconnectedness between the characters, but this also requires patience from the reader to allow those connections and the wider story to unfold.

Fortunately, the world-building is what really kept me invested. Once some of the plot began to reveal itself, the pacing picked up, and I began to understand the wider narrative better.

This was a highly enjoyable story, and Miller is a fantastic writer. I genuinely hope to return to this world in future stories.

Steve D

February Write Day: Smaller Steps

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On LifeLeave a comment

Well, January has been… interesting. Being in the U.S., there has basically been a near-constant barrage of infuriating news/rumors ever since the inauguration, and it’s been tough to keep up with and also maintain my own sanity.

I also just discovered that someone basically stole my domain, I assume to siphon SEO traffic off it — this is the only logical reason I can think of, and it’s not at all comforting.

So, if you’ve been trying to access my website for the last month and hitting a DNS error, I deeply apologize. This is a blatant testament to the fact that I have not put much thought into this endeavor in recent weeks. I was able to access my WordPress site without issue, and had no need to visit my own website to check that it was working properly.

Ugh. Anyway.

I’ve been trying to get a better handle on balancing all the various priorities in my life. I think the last few months have felt like trying to scoop up sand with my bare hands, only for the grains to sift through my fingers, so I’m never able to do as much as I want or need to.

My brain is cluttered, and I end up vacillating on what my “real” priority should be in any given moment.

Focusing on Small Acts

I’m trying to focus only on small acts — across the board in my life. I have an incredible skill/curse of always being able to see the forest for the trees, but sometimes feeling overwhelmed by it.

Writing. Exercise. Family. Community engagement. I think about these things in terms of grand gestures and statements, rather than small acts I can build routines and habits around. I need to remember how to play the long game again.

So, that will be a focus of this monthly series for some time.

Last Month’s Goals

  1. Read three books.
  2. All the routines, but more.

Read three books?

Just one – Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller, for which I have yet to write a full review. I also made progress on three others and ended up finishing one of those right at the beginning of February.

It is far too early to be concerned about my GoodReads Challenge of 24 books. Small acts!

All the routine, but more?

I think I’ve done alright on the exercise front, where I’ve managed to intentionally do some kind of physical activity and track my progress several times per week. What I haven’t done is get back to the gym in any meaningful way — maybe once in January.

I haven’t made much progress on the writing front, either, but I have definitely been thinking about it more and more. I used to think about my fantasy universe, Úr’Dan, every single day, turning over story details and ideas in my head constantly.

While I have managed to think about my writing more in recent weeks, it’s been more in the vein of how I want to publish and to what extent I want to market my books. At this point, I just need to get back to writing, and I think I’m in a better place to do that now than I have been in about a year.

Goals for February

  1. Finish three books. I’ve already got one down, since I finished the massive encyclopedia of The World of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin. This took me several months to read in little sections at a time, so I wish I could count that effort, but I’m at least 1/3 of the way through my February goal.
    • Current reads: Aspects by John M. Ford; and We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy, by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
    • I’m not far enough in either of those to really think about my next reads yet. I may pick up a paperback of The Hobbit, just for comfort. It’s my all-time favorite.
  2. Small acts – Exercise. Bare minimum: stretch and meditate every day, and if I do any of the following in addition, that’s ideal.
    • Bronze medal: short yoga session
    • Silver medal: longer yoga session and/or resistance training at home
    • Gold medal: 1-hour gym session
  3. Small acts – Writing. Bare minimum: get back to posting here every Wednesday and Sunday, and not just haiku. Achieving some combination of the following throughout a given week is ideal.
    • Bronze medal: basic admin for this site, my email, my imprint, etc.
    • Silver medal: take notes, or organize older notes
    • Gold medal: Revise/rewrite my duology in, at least a 15-minute focus session

I want to make progress. I just need to narrow my mental energy to the here-and-now.

Steve D

January Write Day: Same Routines

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Fantasy, On LifeLeave a comment

The holidays have come and gone, and we had a good time over several family engagements. Both of our boys were off school/daycare for over a week, but we managed to fill most of the time with activities or family gatherings. Now, it’s back to the routine.

I spent quite a bit of energy in December trying to organize/reorganize things at home: toys or clothes our boys have outgrown, storage space, holiday decorations, etc. These are the types of things that prick at the edges of my mind until I do something about them, so I’ve tried. There are a few more big items I’d like to tackle as well, such as getting a shed installed to help us organize our yard tools, our garage, and other storage areas.

Last Month’s Goals

  1. Read three books.
    • Current reads: A World of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, and The End of the Story, Collected Fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith, Book 1.
    • Likely next reads: I’m eyeing The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar in my Audible library. Not a series, but an intriguing fantasy novel nonetheless.
  2. All the routines, but more.

Read three books?

Yes! I finished four books in December:

  • Behind You is the Sea, by Susan Muaddi Darraj
  • The End of the Story, Collected Fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith, Book 1
  • The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
  • The Good Turn, by Dervla McTiernan

That last one was less than two hours long, and I definitely chose to read it to meet my goal more than anything else. My decent December reading helped get just a bit closer to my GoodReads Challenge goal for 2024. I had set out to read 30 books this past year, an all-time high for me, but only got to 24. I’ve set my goal for 2025 to 24, as that’s clearly been within my usual range the last few years.

All the routines?

Somewhat. I was a bit more consistent with exercise in December, although not as consistent or dedicated as I would have liked. I didn’t do any writing (or perhaps only one writing session).

On the writing front, I’ve stalled in the midst of a read-through of Uprooted, the first of my novella duology. I came to a section that I wanted to rewrite and reframe entirely, to better introduce characters and backstory, and haven’t had the energy to dig into it.

I’m hoping focusing on this section early in January will help me get back into it more routinely.

Goals for January

  1. Read three books. Even though my GoodReads challenge is only 24 books, I’d like to beat that number this year.
    • Current reads: A World of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, and Blackfish City, by Sam J. Miller
    • Likely next reads: The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar, and not sure what else.
  2. All the routines, but more. Exercise and writing, while trying to stay organized around the house.

Steve D