Sept 26 Round-up

Despite being retired, September still has a back-to-school feel about it. After an enjoyable (but hot) summer it was good to get back to my desk again (and to wear jumpers).

Things I enjoyed this month: The massive facepalm of the republicans thinking they had a gotcha moment over Jack Smith; watching The Office; Fat Bear week; going to see Welsh singer/harpist Georgia Ruth (pictured); the new seasons of Slow Horses and Ted Lasso; and speaking of Slow Horses, the very Slough House vibe to the whole Fairfield RAF debacle.

The ice hockey season has started again, and with it my annual attempt at blogging about the Cardiff Devils. The pre-season friendlies started in August but I didn’t go to my first game until September. I refuse to attend ice hockey in 28C temperatures. It’s just wrong. Maybe the same applies to writing, speaking of which…

Writing

My second novel, The H-Index, came out at the start of the month. I’ve had some lovely feedback from people in the highere ed world who have read it. Thank you, that means a lot.

I also started in earnest on my fourth book. I had struggled getting the character voice for this, but one thing that helped was joining the Cardiff Writers Circle. It’s a very supportive group and I’ve already made some amendments based on feedback. It was a bit daunting to read stuff that was still very much in development, but the comments were very positive.

Reading

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was very impressed with Cory Doctorow’s The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI. It’s not too long, and although it is very scathing, it’s also not too depressing.

Maren and I have joined a local book club, which focuses on Welsh authors. So last month we read The Unbroken Beauty of Rosalind Bone, a beautifully written tale of misunderstanding and missed chances in the Welsh valleys. This month it was Home Sick, by Rhiannon Grist, a folk horror set in remote Scotland.

Kate Morgan’s Murder: The Biography was an enthralling journey through the legal cases that have shaped the law around homicide.

Vinyl

I picked up a couple of older albums this month, including alt-country singer Jess Williamson’s Time Ain’t Accidental and Welsh alt-pop artist The Anchoress’s The Art of Losing. Both are highly recommended.

The best new release of the month, if not the year, is This Is Lorelei’s The Singer In My Band. Incredibly catchy, witty, joyful even indie rock. Every track is a winner.