It’s been a turbulent year, but we have been fortunate to work and live in a relatively quiet suburbia. Despite closeness to a hotspot, all is well. I am working and reading. My children are happy, though they are home often. It reminds me of my childhood, though I lived more rurally and wandered far afield until dark.

What’s interesting these last couple of months?

My reading has slowed somewhat, not for my usual habit, but I’ve been reading some fantasy novels are lengthy and the pace of novel completion suffers, but not the enjoyment (I hope you find the same in your own delving). I’ve been studying some works in portal fantasy for an upcoming series I have in development. Most of what I’m reading in that area are older works and they are dated. It’s something I need to keep in mind while I’m writing. Anyway, here are some books I thought were interesting to share.

I’ve always enjoyed Craig Symonds military nonfiction works. I happened upon The Battle of Midway, which challenged some mythology surrounding that pivotal battle. That led me to Neptune: The Allied Invasion of Europe and the D-Day Landings, which gave a massive scope and scale to the logistics of the D-Day operation itself. Naturally, I was excited to read World War II at Sea: A Global History. As a submariner, I’m fascinated with the naval aspects of this well-documented part of our past, and Symonds doesn’t disappoint. If you enjoy military nonfiction, I highly recommend it.

I also look for interesting productivity books that provide some interesting bits of trivia or information. I found Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness’ Peak Performance to be engaging. It discusses the role of rest and recuperation dealing with both burnout and plateaus (in work, fitness, or other endeavor). It has a unique approach to the subject, and I appreciated the authors’ personal perspectives.

On the fiction side of things, I read Ted Chiang’s Stories of Your Life and Others. He’s been on my radar ever since I saw the movie Arrival upon which the titular short story is based. I enjoyed each story in their own way and his style is thoughtful, as though he captured just the right conveyance. Each short story unique and worth its own study. Besides Story of Your Life (which is moving), I lost myself in Liking What You See: A Documentary, and Tower of Babylon. Another highly recommended read.

I’ve been interested in older works—if you look at my Goodreads history, I’ve been reading more Michael Crichton. This time, I picked up Tom Clancy’s The Hunt for Red October, as I was interested to see what the differences were between it and the movie it spawned. It turns out there’s a lot in the novels missing in the movie, but also they made specific changes and compressed time to ratchet up the tension to good effect. I found the novel also gripping even at the expanded time frame. A lesson in pulling the reader into the story, for sure.

I have some novel news. I have the cover for Rise of Avalon. The novel isn’t ready, but once it is off to the copy editor and my beta readers, I’ll send out another update on the cover. This is the last in the series and about five years of work. I’m still in the midst of revising this novel into its ultimate form, and I don’t expect it to be ready for my beta readers until September. For now, here’s a small tease of the cover that might get you excited. I can’t wait to show you it all when the book is ready!

That’s it for now. Have a safe summer!