This week: rating the books I read in the first three months of the year; an update on my writing; The Spike-related links; and being inspired by the Sneakers soundtrack.
reading_report
For a while, I haven’t been reading as much as I wanted to. You may be surprised that an author wouldn’t read much, but writing is a very different pastime from reading. When it came to consuming stories, I often preferred TV, films, or games.
But I do accept an author can learn a lot from reading the work of other writers, and recently I have found myself preferring longer forms of stories rather than the compressed, sometimes compromised, tales of movies.
For 2025, I decided to make more time to read. I set myself a target of 12 books for the year, admittedly not a high number, but I’d read less than that the last few years and wanted to be realistic.
I’m pleased to say I’m enjoying reading more often, and I’m ahead of schedule, completing four books in the first three months. Here’s my brief thoughts on each of them.
1. What You Did by Claire McGowan
A mystery thriller. A wife’s life is thrown into turmoil when her best friend accuses her husband of sexual assault.
I thought the plot was well thought out, and even though a couple of the twists/reveals were foreseen, the main reveal was not; it was not heavily foreshadowed but did not feel like a cheat.
I did find many of the sentences a bit clunky, with a few instances of it not being immediately clear who was being referred to, and one where two different tenses were used together.
Otherwise, it rattled along nicely, and I liked that it didn’t sag in the middle like these sorts of stories often can.
It’s a worthwhile and enjoyable read for fans of the genre.
My score: 3 out of 5.
Goodreads score: 3.92.
2. Orbital by Samantha Harvey
A day in the life of six astronauts on the International Space Station. Winner of the Booker Prize 2024.
I wrote a full review of this book here; this will be a quick summary.
Orbital is more a mood piece than a story. It’s quite short and there isn’t much in the way of plot. The novel is mostly description, of tasks the crew needs to carry out, and of watching the Earth rotate below.
As a concept, I found it quite interesting, but I would have preferred the prose to be more poetic. If a whole book is basically a descriptive piece, the description needs to be stellar (pardon the pun).
It is a little different, which is no bad thing, and I’m glad I read it.
If you need a twisty-turny plot, action, or mystery, this isn’t the book for you.
My score: 3 out of 5.
Goodreads score: 3.61.
3. Amatka by Karin Tidbeck
A dystopian sci-fi. A government worker begins an investigation that puts her at risk.
I didn’t write a review of this when I finished it because I wasn’t quite sure how to rate it.
The setting was unusual and inventive and interesting, but I felt so much more could have been done with it. It drifted for a long time, and the main character was quite closed off from us; there were very few clues that she could see the problems with their society until the very end, when it all felt a little rushed.
It wasn’t bad, but it feels like a missed opportunity.
My score: 2 out of 5.
Goodreads score: 3.78.
4. The Infinite and the Divine (Warhammer 40,000) by Robert Rath
Two polar opposites, immortals made of metal, battle over centuries for an artifact that could save or destroy their entire race.
For those who know a bit about Warhammer 40k, this book follows two Necrons. The story spanned millennia, mostly revolving around one planet and how the tit-for-tat between two obsessives utterly changed its history over and over again.
The change of perspective when someone is immortal was shown in interesting ways; spending decades researching one detail is nothing to them, for example.
I’ve seen reviews that say this is a good entry-point to the Warhammer 40k universe and novels, but I disagree. Many different races feature without being explicitly named; often they are only described, or referred to by their specific unit names, so you would need to know some of the lore to recognise them.
In a universe that is sold as “only war”, it shouldn’t be surprising that the finale is a massive battle. Whilst I felt it went on a little too long, it very cleverly weaved together all the threads, and the ending alone bumped this up a star for me.
My score: 4 out of 5.
Goodreads score: 4.46.
I have finished another book already, but that was technically in April so will be included on my next quarterly summary.
I don’t have a To Be Read list per se, although I do have a looong wishlist. After I finish a book, I see what I feel like reading next, and that will usually deliberately be something quite different from what I just read. I like to mix it up.
If you want to see what I’m currently reading, you can follow me on Goodreads.
progress_report
Last week had been my most productive for a while with 4,114 words. This week, I smashed it with 5,486, which is satisfying.
I’m at the section of the story where everyone is repositioned for this part’s finale, and I really like the concept of it, so I’m looking forward to adding to the good ideas I wrote in the first draft.
Next weekend is a long one with two bank holidays, so I should stay on target to finish this draft by the end of the month.
status.vol2
The Spike Volume 2 will contain three separate books from the perspective of seven characters.
Part 1 – draft 2 complete; further chapters to add.
Part 2 – draft 2 complete!
Part 3 – draft 2 written up to chapter 48; eighteen chapters to go.
The intention is to complete draft 2 of part 3 by the end of April.
Part 1 is currently much shorter than the others, and I want them to be closer in length, so I will need to decide how to tighten parts 2 and 3 slightly, and add more to part 1 – I have some exciting ideas to expand it.
Then a readthrough of all parts will determine how much revision is required.
The ultimate aim is to have Volume 2 finished by the end of 2025 for publication early 2026.
connecting_links
The Spike is set in our world, incorporating real events; the links below are relevant to the themes and overarching storyline, and may or may not provide clues to the direction of the series.
I do not necessarily agree with or endorse any of the views within.
Satellite jamming is a real and growing threat. How can we protect our space infrastructure?
Apple’s encryption row with UK should not be secret, court rules
Revealed: Big tech’s new datacentres will take water from the world’s driest areas
The plans to put data centres in orbit and on the Moon
EU will not rip up tech rules for trade deal with Trump, senior official says
From brain Bluetooth to ‘full RoboCop’: where chip implants will be heading soon
weekly_inspiration
Every week I share something that’s inspired my creativity.
This week, I’ve been listening to the Sneakers soundtrack whilst writing.
Film and TV soundtracks are the ideal background for writing, as they don’t have lyrics and usually maintain a particular tone or feeling. As before when I was inspired by the soundtrack to The Dark Knight, this might give a clue as to what type of scenes I’ve been writing.
Sneakers is one of my all-time favourite movies and doesn’t get as much attention as I feel it deserves. The cast is amazing and they’re all excellent, the script is witty and inventive, and it has a strong theme that is arguably even more relevant today than it was when it came out in 1992.
There are a few references to Sneakers in The Spike Volume 1; anybody who spots one gets +1 internet point.
What’s inspired you this week? Please share in the comments.
See you next week.
Arrowmaker Books 