Well. Hello there fellow readers. You may have noticed this poor blog has been neglected these past couple of months and that is because I needed to take some time out for myself. My mental health had taken a dive into the deep end, and I felt myself drowning under the weight of so many things. I had moved house under a super tight deadline (seriously, it was really fucking stressful), my position at work had increased so I was contending with additional hours and responsibility (I’m not complaining, this is great, but, boy, was I exhausted), I had critical life decisions to make that took up all my focus. So, I came up for some air and allowed my body and mind to have a rest.

I feel revived, refreshed and bubbling with ideas and thoughts on how to grow my blog and..

…well, I shall keep this other thing under wraps for now as it’s only in preliminary stages, but I have a secret project on the go which I am SO excited about and also terrified to do. Which is why I am doing it. You know, step outside your comfort zone and all that. More on that soon.

Okay then. Books!

November, for me, was all about mood reading. I didn’t plan a TBR, I just perused my bookshelf and picked up whatever books took my fancy in that moment. And I loved it!

My first book of the month was A Crown of Swords, the seventh book in the Wheel of Time series which I am slowly making my way through. I loved many things about this book, and I also found myself deeply frustrated with other aspects, particularly the sexual politics, which drove me to distraction in some places. Matt, Nyneave and Elaine being the main culprits.

Next, I read Death Masks, book five in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher which is a brilliant entry and really starts expanding the universe. The world fills more connective, the stakes are bigger, and Butcher is really starting to interrogate the character of Dresden now. Great stuff!

I then picked up The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan. This book blew. Me. Away. I won’t talk about this too much as I have written a review which shall be released this weekend (Or already out if you read this later) but suffice to say, the worldbuilding, the magic system and, most importantly, the characters are top notch. Awesome read.

My last read of the month was Rise Red Kingdom by SPFBO7 finalist, Kerstin Espinosa Rosero, book 2 in the Burn Red Skies series. Again, my review will follow this blog in a couple of days and again, Kerstin delights in her prose and wonderful characters. some of which take a darker turn in the second book. I adore this series.

And that was my month of November. Nothing planned, just following my mood and I thoroughly enjoyed the process.

December is going to be a Sanderson month for me for the most part. I am currently halfway through book one of the Rhythm of War and really enjoying it, particularly the world building of the singer and Fused culture and society, it’s fascinating stuff. there are little easter eggs and hints of the wider Cosmere as well, which makes me so friggin’ excited. Once I have finished Rhythm of War, I am doing a super charged read through of Mistborn era 2, before finishing December with The Lost Metal. Of course, I shall review all the books as I finish them. If time allows, I will sneak in a self-published book as well, always continuing to support the huge amount of amazing indie authors in fantasy and sci-fi.

Also, in December expect my ten favourite books of 2022 and my top five indie authors of 2022. I am compiling my lists as we speak and day by day they shift and change. The amount of talent out there makes it *so* hard to rank. This year I have probably read 70% self-published fantasy and sci-fi over traditional published. That there is a testament to the quality and calibre of writing within the indie community. You are all killing it!

So that’s you all caught up. It feels so damn good to be back and writing this blog. I can’t wait to get my reviews out there, continue my support of indie and trad authors on Twitter and other social platforms. Keep a look out for my A Justice of Kings review today.

Until then folks, revel in the destruction of your TBR…