Helloooo!

Hope you’re well? It’s been an interesting couple of weeks at Chez Womble and the good news is I think my headspace is getting much better. Work is very likely to stay in the home for a few more months at least (and possibly a new development on that score incoming next week) and that’s working better I just need to structure the day or else its easy to start emails verrrrry early and finish late. I appear to now have a garden and even shrubs this was an unexpected development but its quite nice sitting out there with a book watching bees. My roof-side jackdaw nest ended up quite dramatic with a new arrival hatching and using my garden as a training ground. I can now hear them when they are flying with their parents in the street.

I’m not sure how I feel about the alleged relaxation in social distancing about to hit the UK; I’d love things to be 100% normal but they aren’t – ask some teachers and friends in the NHS. The bug has been pushed back but I’m not convinced this govt has a handle on it. Seeing that diabetics in particular get hit hard I think I shall be careful for a wee while yet – trust me a bad dose of cold these days really can knock me out for a while yet alone when it turns into the flu so I would not like to risk myself with this one. Be careful out there.

In the meantime, I’m setting myself two simple summer projects. One again with a look at diabetes is as I have seem to have a lot more time that isn’t on a train is to lose some weight. I am going o be really boring and eat less and exercise more; week 1 went well now it gets harder. For diabetics being overweight and eating the wrong stuff has some repercussions I would love to not think about but this virus has reminded me I’d like to one day read all my TBR (a pipedream) but still!!! The second one is to sort out the slightly crazed review pile as dates shifted and my brain went AWOL. So podcasts and TV were pretty much set aside this week as I went full on reading but first two quick announcement But I FINALLY finished all of the new Voltron series and if you enjoy giant robot battles; space and characters with heart get to that - Untamed and She-Ra call to me next!

Indie Presses

Had a little discussion on twitter this week about Indie presses. One of my New Years Revolution was to review more and as always in Mount TBR there are quite a few I will get around to. But if you are an indie press (and I get plenty of self-published requests anyway so please don’t mix the two as one enterprising author did) and would like me to review a book (at the moment I have to say I’m looking at August earliest) then please get in touch by the contact form. Primarily I like speculative fiction, SF, Fantasy and Horror with a dash of crime.

Book-Tempting To The Max

Hopefully a new feature going forward but Monday evenings will see me talk about the book received in the new TBR pile. Some long distance tempting now you should be able to talk to your bookshop. This last two weeks was especially tempting. I care gentle reader.

As we reach the midpoint of the year (yes people only six months) I’ll be once again compiling a list of all the cool reads reviewed to date. Reminding you of all the lovely books out there. So if you missed things because of what’s going on don’t worry - the Womble will help. I CARE!!

Last but not least job Number 1 for June has been getting through Subjective Chaos nominations. I’m catching up – Blurred Boundaries is done and by Monday I hope to see the end of Fantasy. The last two weeks of June should see SF and short stories completed. Not sure if I can finish series but as closing date isn’t agreed yet who knows. Ideally, I have a few Hugo novels to complete too so I think you’ll see from July-August a big focus on reviews I want to get out to you and by Autumn be back onto a more normal schedule. Famous Last Words but why not try. Readalongs will re-commence finally next week – next year I need a better balance on how many book projects can go on at once.

What have I been reading?

Gideon The Ninth – loved the characters but feel the plot didn’t quite match the approach but still a huge amount of fun https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/chaos2019/2020/6/6/best-blurred-boundary-gideon-the-ninth-by-tamsyn-muir

Stormblood by Jeremy Szal – very entertaining start to a new SF series with a few nods to Babylon 5 and Mass Effect

Dragon Physician by Joyce Chng – a very timely fantasy novella that highlight rebellions and trans rights

The Gilded Wolves by Rokshani Chokshi – sadly not for me

The Institute by Stephen King – a less than ideal and actually more King tale

Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron– stay tuned for a review of this next week. A stunning fantasy tale.

What am I reading?

Eden by Tim Lebbon – a supernatural eco-thriller out next week!

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow – the last Subjective Chaos fantasy finalist

Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky – an SF novella from one of the best out there – count me in

The Alchemy Press Book of Horrors 2 edited by Peter Coleborn

Goldilocks by Laura Lam – an intriguing SF tale from another writer I admire greatly