I can’t quite believe how long it’s been since I posted my last post on this blog (25th September) and how quickly time seems to have flown. Things have been quite hectic for me since starting my PhD in September for various reasons including, most recently, a huge mess up with my doctoral loan which caused untold stress. But, for now, that is all besides the point because today I have quickly shoved my lowly human woes to the back of the closet so that I can make space for my favourite month of the year – SciFiMonth! It’s been a bit of a chaotic rush to tie up some loose Earthly ties, throw a load of miscellaneous items in my space-faring rucksack, and rush over in time to catch the SciFiMonth ship before it departed but I made it and I’m ready to report.
I’m not sure how successful my attempts will be to keep up with SciFiMonth because I’m not sure that even space can serve to hide me away from the Very Important Earth Research Deadlines I have coming up in November. I miss blogging and all of my blogging buddies though, and so I am filled with space-themed hope for being able to take advantage of my time on this ship to get stuck back into non-academic reading and perhaps even send a few blog posts through the ships chutes to you!
Navigation chart
I may not be in charge of where this ship is heading but I always love a good plan to help me navigate the long, cold months and I feel that some kind of navigation chart might be useful for keeping me on track. I’ve got a selection of books that I’ve packed for my trip which I’m hoping to find time to read in the midst of all of this messy research as well as some blog posts which may/may not materialize.
Reading List
It always feels impossible for me to narrow down a selection of books for SciFiMonth because Sci-Fi is my favourite genre and so I have tonnes of Sci-Fi books I already own that I want to read plus new books that I also want to read… Given that we’re almost at the end of the year I’m trying to get myself in order to get through some of the books I’ve been meaning to read throughout the rest of the year and/or which were more recently published that I also want to finish reading before the end of the year.
As I’m not sure how much time I’ll have for reading this month, I thought it best to bring a selection aboard with me so that I can pick up whichever ones I fancy.
Games
One good thing about the past couple of months has been that I’ve been able to devote more time to playing games (and now also have a kind of excuse…) To prevent getting cabin fever whilst on board, I thought it best to bring a couple of games with me as well to give me a break for reading. I’ve (unsurprisingly) smuggled a few non-SF games with me that I’m currently in the middle of playing (Breath of the Wild, The Sims 4) but also want to dedicate some time this month to playing some SF too.
In all of my stress, I somehow managed to miss the release of The Outer Worlds and so am pleasantly reminded of its existence. I just need to work out how to now get my hands on a copy… I also never finished my run-through of Shadowrun: Dragonfall with my partner so that would also be a good one to try to finish this month.
Writing Output
I keep thinking about returning back to my little space on the internet here but getting overwhelmed every time thinking about all of the reviews I’m behind on and need to post. However, as it’s SciFiMonth I want to try to ignore the agonizing review pressure and focus instead on posting up some SciFiMonth related posts instead. I’m not 100% sure what kind of posts will materialise as I’m sure they will be shaped by my journey over the next month. There are a couple of lists I’ve been eyeing on the prompt list though as well as a few I’ve thought of:
- AI characters (prompt)
- Alien races or cultures (prompt)
- Favourite themes/features in SF
- TBR list
- SF video games
That’s all from me for now. A massive thank you as always to Imyril and Dear Geek Place for captaining this ship. I can’t wait to see where our journey takes us this month.
Red Rocket Panda 
Looks like you have a great selection of books to read. I highly recommend Do You Dream of Terra Two, hope you have time for it:-)
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I’m almost done with it! It’s taken me a while to get through as its so much bigger than I expected it to be.
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THE OUTER WORLDS is so good!! I hope that you do get your hands on it! Also, I want you to know that I am VERY proud of you for working on getting your PhD!! ❤
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Eeeeee thanks Becca ❤ ❤
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Good luck with your November TBR! Looks like you have some great books on the list.
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Yeah for joining us. Out of your tbr I’ve only read To Be Taught if Fortunate but I really liked that one so I hope you will too.
And ha, good on you for fitting in some sci-fi games as well 😀
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You have some interesting books on your TBR. I am currently reading Children of Time. Planning to pick up Children of Ruin after that.
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I hope you enjoy Children of Time! I read it earlier in the year and still think about it often. I’ve heard great things about Ruin as well.
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Good luck, Avery! Hope your school stuff is going okay and not stressing you too much. ❤
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Hallo, Hallo Avery,
I feel your pain — about how life can interfere with our bookish joys and plans? I was ill throughout October and so my lead-in to November and my equally favourite blogosphere event #SciFiMonth was hindered by severe after effects which included intense fatigue. However, thankfully this week I’ve been able to pull the posts together I wanted to share – including releasing last night my 10 #BookishNotBookish Thoughts of a Sci Fi Geek which includes some epic spine poetry if I say so myself… it is the first time I felt I really understood how to do that! Plus, like you, I was inspired by the prompts this year and turnt my whole first post into a book tag – which sneakily reveals most of my month’s TBR!
Also, like you – whenever I feel like pairing down my selections for Sci Fi Month – I tend to take the opposite course and *over!* select what I want to read and/or listen to via audiobook! If that spine poetry doesn’t give a clue about that habit I’m unsure what would! lol I LOVE Sci Fi – its been one of my original favourite genres of interest – quite in tandem with Mysteries from early childhood, so it stands to reason that I get overly giddy and excited about potentially what I can be absorbing during the month! 🙂
Whatever your able to do this November, enjoy the hours you have to spend with Science Fiction. I know how hard it is to find balance in our lives and sometimes we have to give ourselves some breathing space… without guilt or regrets. That’s a struggle I know well, too!
May your November take you to far off worlds of discovery and bliss,…
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