tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40389738729446812652024-02-21T13:15:17.190+02:00Worlds in Ink - Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book ReviewsExploring the wonderful worlds locked away in books! Science fiction, fantasy and other book reviews.KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.comBlogger511125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-27399351701048005632023-01-05T19:42:00.000+02:002023-01-05T19:42:24.520+02:00Science Fiction Invaders Challenge: The Final Results
The final results for the Science Fiction Invaders reading challenge are in.
I've tallied all the points from participants who submitted their scores to be
featured on the leaderboard and I was blown away by the truly impressive
scores!
The overall high score goes to
@bflobookgeek with a
staggering 596,500 points!!! Second place goes to Jayelsea with a score of 364,00 KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-67831243878470862002023-01-02T07:00:00.002+02:002023-01-02T07:00:00.204+02:002023 Reading Goals
A new year means it's time to look back on the year that was and embrace the
chance to start anew.
2022 was a tough year for me. I struggled with burnout and the constant load
shedding (rolling blackouts) we are experiencing in South Africa didn't help
at all. Having only a limited number of hours with electricity available each
day sucked away all of my motivation and severelyKJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-21539020036698143282023-01-01T00:00:00.060+02:002023-01-05T17:54:44.597+02:00Reading Challenge: Speculative Fiction Invaders 2023
2022's Science Fiction Invaders challenge was huge fun and quite a few people joined in on the challenge. The amount of participants exceeded all my expectations so I'm calling it a success. A huge thank you to everyone who participated!One thing I noticed was that while participating in the challenge I read loads of science fiction, but I tended to neglect all other genres. Who wants to read KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-16502720920748344852022-12-29T21:43:00.001+02:002023-01-01T08:41:57.625+02:00Best Reads of 2022
This year has been a strange year for me. Everything started out fine, but
about halfway through the year I found it harder and harder to focus on
reading. Halfway through the year I lost all motivation. I couldn't bring
myself to write reviews for the few books I did manage to read. And then
things got even worse.
Months went by where I didn't even pick up a single KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-88605715778909547092022-08-16T19:58:00.002+02:002022-08-16T19:58:32.928+02:00On Burnout and Blackouts
Over the last couple of months I've been struggling with severe burnout. It
started at the end of April. Slowly, one by one, I lost all interest in all my
hobbies and nothing seemed to be able to give me the joy and satisfaction it
used to. Everything just seemed pointless. While I still read at a snail's
pace I just couldn't motivate myself to write down my thoughts on anything IKJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-91828664672087459872022-06-01T20:58:00.001+02:002022-06-01T20:58:55.264+02:00X-Wing Assembled!
I've always wanted to try my hand at building some model kits. Aside from some
Star Wars
papercraft this was something I've never ever tried before. Not even as a kid (well at
least not that I can remember). As luck would have it I managed to pick up a
Revell Star Wars Advent Calendar X-Wing Fighter model kit for a great price in
March. It was my birthday month so I decided to spoil KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-27528714176369305462022-04-21T18:53:00.001+02:002022-04-23T13:05:18.452+02:00Review: Giving The Devil His Due
Title: Giving The Devil His Due
Edited by Rebecca Brewer
Pages: 290
ISBN: 9781947041905
Publisher: Running Wild Press
Published: 1 September 2021
Genre: Short stories / Horror
Source: Review copy from publisher
What if a young girl had the power to stop her tyrannical father from
battering her mother ever again? What if a student had a secret KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-1831121869997209162022-04-18T07:00:00.003+02:002022-04-18T19:52:19.062+02:00On My Radar: Giving the Devil His Due
April marks
Sexual Assault Awareness Month. To raise awareness towards the worldwide struggle to stop violence against
women The Pixel Project in
collaboration with
Running Wild Press have released
their first charity anthology - Giving the Devil His Due.
Giving The Devil His Due will be available on all major bookseller
platforms in the United States and its territoriesKJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-35560180911689388612022-04-05T22:41:00.004+02:002022-04-07T18:13:28.287+02:00Science Fiction Invaders 1st Quarter Leaderboard
The first quarter of the year has come and gone. So many books, so little
time.
It's time to announce the Science Fiction Invaders reading challenge
leaderboard for the first quarter. Some participants have really blown through
the challenges and are nearly done with all the yearly challenges already and
on the brink of leveling up.
Bflobookgeek - 115,500
CarterKJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-22652361286376492222022-03-28T21:38:00.002+02:002023-01-08T18:40:26.492+02:00Double your shelf space - build a cardboard shelf riser!
Want to double your shelf space with minimal effort? Then building a shelf riser might be just the thing for you.Over the weekend I found myself with an overabundance of cardboard boxes (don't ask!) and while procrastinating I decided
to try my hand at building some cardboard shelf risers for one of my
bookcases.
I found two cardboard boxes used for fruit packaging which turned out to be KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-67068592460655697332022-03-21T14:06:00.001+02:002022-03-21T14:06:22.871+02:00A Tiny Birthday Book HaulFor my birthday I decided to spoil myself with a teeny tiny book haul. Totaling just three books, this might be my smallest book haul ever.
KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-21250057301649097582022-02-27T21:13:00.002+02:002022-02-27T21:13:59.671+02:00Review: The Deathworld Omnibus by Harry Harrison
Title: The Deathworld Omnibus
Author: Harry Harrison
Series: Deathworld #1-3
Pages: 512
ISBN: 9781473228375
Publisher: Gollancz
Published: March 1960
Genre: Science Fiction / Space Opera
Source: Purchased
The planet was called Pyrrus, a strange place where all the beasts, plants
and natural elements were designed for one specific KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-74617942602689673372022-02-12T12:25:00.000+02:002022-02-12T12:25:07.615+02:00Opening Lines: The Deathworld OmnibusSome novels have the ability to draw you in from the start. A single line or
paragraph can grab your attention in such a way that the novel just demands to
be read. Opening Lines is a feature where I'll share some of the best
opening lines that hooked me.
With a gentle sigh the service tube dropped a message capsule into the
receiving cup. The attention bell chimed once and was silent. KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-35586099301728675702022-02-01T19:14:00.001+02:002022-02-01T19:14:55.694+02:00The Science Fiction Invaders Book Tag
Any respectable reading challenge should have a book tag to go along with it.
Introducing the Science Fiction Invaders Book Tag. Seven questions to get to
know fellow science fiction fans and to bare your sci-fi soul to all. (If this is a total flop. Procrastination
made me do it!)
1. Blast off:
Which book got you interested in or hooked you on science fiction?Despite how KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-2638951824359785782022-01-16T14:17:00.000+02:002022-01-16T14:17:00.187+02:002022 Reading and Blogging Goals
2021 has been a YEAR, another trying year with loads of challenges and
difficult circumstances to overcome. Thankfully it's over and a new year
filled with hope and lots of books beckons.
I kept my goals for last year pretty simple and overall I did pretty well,
Read a total of 45 books: Success! I exceeded this by quite a
bit and ended up reading a total of 70 books.Read atKJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-30149514757297899352022-01-01T22:05:00.001+02:002022-01-01T22:11:02.623+02:00Best Reads of 2021
Another year has come and gone. 2021 was a very tough year, in so many ways.
I'm thankful to see it end. I managed to read 70 books, finishing the last
book of the year with just 10 minutes to spare. There were some great reads
this year, with just a few that didn't quite work for me.
Here, in no particular order are my best reads of 2021. I could have made a
list consisting KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-50939102491539560552021-12-29T20:38:00.002+02:002022-01-23T15:09:35.224+02:00Reading Challenge: Science Fiction Invaders 2022
Nothing rings in a new year quite like a shiny new reading challenge. It
brings me great joy to officially announce the Science Fiction Invaders reading
challenge. This is a fun, low-commitment, science fiction themed reading challenge
which will blast off on 1 January and end on 31 December 2022.
How it works:
Download the game sheet below to print out or keep as a KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-43031429226816733412021-12-21T12:59:00.002+02:002021-12-21T13:02:53.724+02:00Review: You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo
Title: You Sexy Thing
Author: Cat Rambo
Pages: 306
ISBN: 9781250269300
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 16 November 2021
Genre: Science Fiction / Space Opera
Source: Library loan
TwiceFar station is at the edge of the known universe, and that's just how Niko Larson, former Admiral in the Grand Military of the Hive Mind, likes it.
Retired and finally free of the continual war of conquest, KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-4261379678372956292021-12-16T20:44:00.000+02:002021-12-16T20:44:37.669+02:00Review: Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey
Title: Leviathan Falls
Author: James S.A. Corey
Series: The Expanse #9
Pages: 560
ISBN: 9780356510392
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 30 November 2021
Genre: Science Fiction / Space Opera
Source: Library Loan
The Laconian Empire has fallen, setting the thirteen hundred solar systems free from the rule of Winston Duarte. But the ancient enemy that killed the gate builders is awake, and the war KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-23412557772734612632021-12-12T18:57:00.000+02:002021-12-12T18:57:05.008+02:00New Arrivals: Black Friday & Cyber Monday Book Haul
While I haven't been able to read much over the last two months I went just a
little crazy during the recent Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales from
Reader's Warehouse. Who could resist a 50% discount on books? Definitely not
me. At this stage I've pretty much exhausted the entire sci-fi and fantasy section on Reader's Warehouse's site.
I ended up blowing the last of my book budgetKJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-28460642571160914312021-11-01T12:47:00.000+02:002021-11-01T12:47:49.325+02:00On My Radar: Weaponized by Neal Asher
I just spotted the cover for a new Neal Asher novel coming out in 2022. If you are looking for action-packed space opera goodness then Asher never disappoints!
Weaponized by Neal Asher
ISBN: 9781529050035
Release date: 26 May 2022
A bright new future for humanity – or a dark and inescapable past.
With the advent of new AI technology, Polity citizens now possess incredible lifespansKJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-34977841413449288792021-10-23T13:36:00.000+02:002021-10-23T13:36:55.482+02:00The Art of Decoration
Here's a little Halloween flash fiction treat for you. I'm not a writer by any stretch of the imagination, but this story idea just got stuck in my head and had to get out. Even if my writing is atrocious I hope you enjoy it and that it creeps you out just a little...****
It’s all in perfecting the rictus. You have to get the timing just right to
capture that sublime sense of terror. KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-51591435128859469172021-09-20T07:00:00.001+02:002021-09-20T07:00:00.176+02:00Review: Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Title: Shards of Earth
Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
Series: Final Architecture #1
Pages: 548
ISBN: 9780316705851
Publisher: Orbit / Tor
Published: 3 August 2021
Genre: Science Fiction / Space Opera
Source: Library Loan
Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade him in the war. And one of humanity's heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-499508878905624012021-09-17T12:44:00.003+02:002021-09-17T12:47:34.592+02:005 Things only TRUE bookworms will understand
The life of a bookworm is filled with things other people just don't
understand. You can try to explain it to them, but only other bookworms will be
able to truly understand and share in your pain and frustration. Here's a list
of 5 bookish problems only other bookworms will get.
Being surrounded by piles of unread books and still not having anything
to read.
KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038973872944681265.post-54058507831429756842021-09-16T20:37:00.004+02:002021-09-16T20:37:50.460+02:00New Arrivals: The Sale Succumbence Part 2
It's not often that I need to do a book haul post in two parts (part one is over here), but given all the recent book sales and my complete inability to resist a
good deal I ended up ordering way too many books. Showcasing them all in a
single post would've been a bit too cumbersome.
Here, in all their glory, is the second part of my bookish shopping spree.
Another KJ Mulderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13306475344390343790noreply@blogger.com0