It really has been the most wonderful time of the year. December holds both Christmas and my birthday, so it’s always prime book-recieving territory. Even so, this month stood out. Aside from the usual festivities, I somehow stumbled my way into a properly nerdy week in England with some rather good company. The SF relevant part of that trip was a) I did some more book hauling, and b) I completed a nerd pilgrimage to Warhammer World in Nottingham. Aside from that, the weather’s been nice, work isn’t treating me too harshly, and I’m looking forward to what comes next. But for now, let’s take a look at some book-related things, shall we?

BOOK HAUL

December’s book haul stands at a whopping twenty-two books. The first three were gifts from the aforementioned good company, and let me tell you: one of these books has already taken pride of place in my library. You can probably guess which one.

• The Stars, Like Dust, by Isaac Asimov (signed!)
• Pebble in the Sky, by Isaac Asimov
• A Talent for War, by Jack McDevitt

Later in the month came more festive book gifts, inclduing the wrap-up of my Star Trek: Voyager reading plans, and a few books I’ve had my eye on for a while.

• The Misfit Soldier, by Michael Mammay
• Proxima, by Stephen Baxter
• The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester
• Quantum Leap: Prelude, by Ashley McConnell
• Captain Proton, by D.W. ‘Prof’ Smith
• Cohesion, by Jeffrey Lang
• Fusion, by Kirsten Beyer
• Evolution, by Heather Jarman

That’s enough of a haul to keep anyone going for a while, but )me being me) I couldn’t resist picking up a few books for myself along the way, including a spur of the moment splurge on Halo novels.

• Oblivion, by Troy Denning
• Last Light, by Troy Denning
• Retribution, by Troy Denning
• Divine Wind, by Troy Denning
• Point of Light, by Kelly Gray
• Renegades, by Kelly Gray
• Legacy of Onyx, by Matt Forbeck
• Renegades: Harrowmaster, by Mike Brooks
• The Successors, by various authors
• Mission to Minerva, by James P. Hogan
• The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, by Robert Heinlein

IN TRANSIT

Nothing to report here. I’m all booked out for the year.

READING

Taking a week long break certainly put a pause on my reading plans, but I still managed to squeeze in an impressive amount of reading, including two thick omnibuses and a pair of epic fantasies to round out the year.

• The Icarus Corps, by Zachary Brown
• Da Gobbo’s Demise, by Denny Flowers
• The Emperor’s Finest, by various authors
• Witchbringer, by Steven B. Fischer
• The Captain’s Table, by various authors
• The Successors, by various authors
• Queen Amid Ashes & Other Stories, by Christopher Ruocchio
• The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester
• The Lost Metal, by Brandon Sanderson (Non-SF)
• In the Shadow of Lightning, by Brian McClellan (Non-SF)

AUDIO

Having finally caught up with all of my podcast listening, I returned my attention to my sagging audiobook library. Those monthly credits stack up after a while, and I’ve made some plans in that regard. For December though, my priority was to finally finish The Krytos Trap, by Michael A. Stackpole, which I amanaged to conclude this morning. You can expect a review of that in the new year.

TV

Television-wise, I’ve embarked on a first ever watchthrough of The Mentalist, which is a rather fun little show that balances drama and comedy, and can get surprisingly gripping at times. There’s not much being broadcast at the moment, so I’m hoping to get to some more SF TV in January. In terms of blogging, I did manage to get my thoughts on Andor together, and I basically agree with everyone else for a change.

ARTICLES

There were plenty of articles this month, most of which focused on the end of the year. First, I looked at my 2022 goals and if I had met them or not. Then I celebrated my favourite SF of the year with the 2022 Boundy Awards. And just yesterday, I too a deep dive in my reading and blogging statistics of the year.

Looking foreward to 2023, I set myself some new goals, and selected a handful of authors and series to focus on in the new year. I also put out my annual ‘Upcoming SF‘ post to highlight some 2023 releases I’m looking forward to.

SPSFC

I won’t lie, this year’s SPSFC has been rough-going so far. I’ve reviewed Trials on the Hard Way Home and Black Table, and didn’t really enjoy either one. I’ve also read but not yet reviewed a third quarterfinalist, but I’m hoping the reamining four will be more to my liking. Regardless, you can expect a rush of reviews in January as we approach the semifinals.

SITE UPDATES

Well, I did it. This morning I passed 5000 views for December. That’s a number that simply blows my mind. Heartwarming though it is, however, I don’t want to be one of those view-count obssessives (I leave that for BookTubers). While increased readership is a good thing, I’m going to try not to pay too much attention to it. But if I pass any major milestones, you’d best believe I’ll be celebrating.

Anyway, that’s been my December. I hope yours has been as positive, and I’ll see you in the January for more science fiction, books, and general nerdery.