Writing project, January 2021

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This month’s word is risk, meaning “exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance”, “to expose to the chance of injury or loss; hazard” or “to venture upon; take or run the chance of”.

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I knew it was dangerous, but I did it anyway.

That pretty much sums up my philosophy of life. If I want to do something, risk alone won’t put me off. After all, what’s life without a little danger to spice things up?

Of course, I’ve been lucky. Never had any serious injuries, never been in serious danger. But I naturally put that down to my own skill, rather than luck, and so I kept pushing things, going farther and farther away from the safe, sensible things I kept being encouraged to do.

And that is how I ended up here, dangling headfirst over a hole in the ground so deep the light from my head torch fails to illuminate the bottom.

It’ll be fine, I assure myself. I’ve been in worse predicaments. Not that I can think of any at the moment. But I’ll be fine. I’m always fine, right? Right?

© bardofupton 2021

Reading project, week ending 24 Jan 2021

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What have I read this week?

Knight’s Ransom by Jeff Wheeler

This is a fantasy novel about a young man called Ransom who is taken as a boy to be a hostage. It is the first in The First Argentines Series. I really enjoyed this; it was an easy and fun read. I liked the characters, particularly Ransom and Claire, although I would have liked to learn more about Claire. I liked the medieval world it is set in, and the plot was interesting. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next one, and finding out what happens next.

Note: this is a review of an ARC. No money was received for this review.

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Reading project, week ending 10 Jan 2021

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What have I read this week? Just one.

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

This is a nonfiction book about mass incarceration in the US, and how it functions to keep black and brown people, particularly black men, in an underclass of people with fewer rights and opportunities than other Americans. I found the book interesting, and also depressing, because I hadn’t realised the true scale of this issue.

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Reading project, week ending 3 Jan 2021

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What have I read this week? This one’s pretty late, sorry.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

This is a novel about Monty, a young aristocrat about to embark on his Grand Tour of Europe with his sister and his best friend. I really enjoyed this, although there are definitely some harrowing sections. The characters are great, and the plot is fun. I’d definitely read more in this series.

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

This is a novel about Felicity, a young woman who wants to become a doctor. It follows The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, and similarly is a lot of fun with great characters and a fun plot. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and would read more in the series.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

This is a Chinese fantasy novel about Wei WuXian, a young cultivator who turns to dark methods, and Lan WangJi, his extremely moral friend. I enjoyed this; the characters are interesting and so is the story. And the relationship between the two main characters is adorable.

© bardofupton 2021

Writing project, December 2020

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This month’s word is view, meaning “an instance of seeing or beholding; visual inspection”; “a particular manner of looking at something”;
“contemplation or consideration of a matter with reference to action”; “a general account or description of a subject” or “a conception of a thing; opinion; theory”.

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I always seem to be looking sideways to everyone else, tilted, off-kilter. Twisted, somehow.

It’s odd, or I suppose, I’m odd. Things are never quite right, never precisely what others see. There’s nothing wrong with that, I guess, but somehow people don’t like it.

I’m always problematic, always different, and different, of course, is bad. I mean, nobody says that, but I can tell. I can always tell.

Last to be chosen, first to be forgotten. And there’s always an excuse, always a reason, but really the reason is me. People just don’t like me.

That sounds self-pitying, but it’s simply a fact. I’m used to it now. I’ll admit it used to bother me, that I never fit in, but I’m strangely proud of it now.

Making a virtue of your vices, I think it’s called.

Or I’m just a pretentious weirdo. That could be it, too.

In any case, I’ve learned not to care. More, to take pride in it, in my strangeness. In my skewed view, the little twist to everything I perceive.

But sometimes, I wonder: what’s it like to be normal, to be one of them? What would it be like to see the world straight on?

But I’ll never know, I can never know. I can’t truly understand them any more than they do me. It’s just that I’m outnumbered. I know there are others like me, I’ve just yet to meet any.

But that’s my hope, one day to meet someone else like me. Someone who understands, who sees me. Someone who has a skewed view. Someone just like me.

Someday, somewhere, someone.

© bardofupton 2020

2021

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So welcome to 2021. Let’s hope it’s better than 2020!

So what happened in 2020 on the blog?

I made 75 posts, mostly the reading project or writing project. They were mostly on time, or close to it. I didn’t write much poetry this year, hence I didn’t post much poetry on the blog. I started the One Hundred Sunsets series, and will try to carry on with that this year.

I would say I overall met my goals for the blog, which is good 🙂. I am basically setting the same goals for this year, of keeping up with the reading and writing projects, and I also hope to post a few more of the One Hundred Sunsets series. Any other content is a bonus.

© bardofupton 2021

Reading project, week ending 27 Dec 2020

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What have I read this week?

Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy and Network Effect by Martha Wells

These are books 2, 3, 4 and 5 in The Murderbot Diaries series, which are science fiction novels about Murderbot, a security bot which manages to free itself from its programming. I really enjoyed these; Murderbot is a great character and I loved seeing it develop throughout the series. I would definitely read more of these.

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Reading project, week ending 20 Dec 2020

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What have I read this week?

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

This is a novella about a wajinru named Yetu who holds all the memories of her people. I liked this; although it’s quite dark in places, I really believed in Yetu, and I got a good sense of the world she lives in. I would definitely read more by this author.

Dealing With Dragons, Searching For Dragons, Calling On Dragons and Talking To Dragons by Patricia Wrede

These are the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, a series of books about people and dragons living in or near the Enchanted Forest. They feature the princess Cimorene, the witch Morwen, King Mendanbar of the Enchanted Forest and Daystar, Cimorene’s son. I really enjoyed these; they are a fun read and I liked the characters. I would definitely read more by this author.

© bardofupton 2020