As April draws to a close, the sun is making an uncharacteristic showing here in the UK. We’ve just had a pagoda and deck put in our back garden, so it’s been the perfect timing to make the most of this weather. It’ll also be a fantastic place to relax and write in!
I’ve even found a bit of time for a little reading, gaming and watching this month too!
Hush continues to be my main writing focus this month. I’m so hooked on the idea and the concept I’ve come up with that I am far too excited to see where it goes. I continue to plan, developing more of the backstory of the protagonists. I even came up with a new twist that I am beyond excited to watch play out. The planning phase is closing in on completion now, so all being well, the writing phase will begin soon!
My daily drabbles collection progresses. I am maintaining my one a day, and some of them I’m really pleased with. Some have even spawned ideas that could potentially be fleshed out into something more! Who knows – I seem to be ideas rich but time poor at the moment!
Batman: Death in the Family by Jim Starlin
This continued my venture into the world of the Batman comic books. I went of this one as it’s another one widely touted as core reading. It’s iconic for the fact that it offered readers the opportunity to actually vote on whether to kill or save the life of Robin. While artistically, the stylings are much more reminiscent of the ’60s Adam West series complete with the over the top “sound effect” words – think BIFF, KAPOW and the like.
But it’s no less dark in tone than A Killing Joke. The narrative once again dives into the depravity and twisted mentality of The Joker, showing that he has a penchant for sowing chaos with no regard for life. A fantastic, if twisted, read.
The Imagineering Story: The Official Biography of Walt Disney Imagineering by Leslie Iwerks
I watched the Disney+ series that spawned this book back when I first subscribed to the platform. Having visited the parks in California and multiple holidays to the Florida parks, I’ve developed a deep love for the parks and the magic within them. This book weaves the story from Walt’s first inception up to some of the most recent additions to their global portfolio of parks.
Through interviews and anecdotes, it dives into the inside story on what went into making the Happiest Place on Earth, thanks to stories from some legends of Imagineering. Strangely, peeking behind the curtain somehow doesn’t dent the magic.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
This is a novel that’s been on my TBR for far too long. I can see why it is so often mentioned as a must-read. It has two core storylines – the more obvious being about the burning of books, ALL BOOKS, which in the novel are outlawed. It has parallels to the real-world banning of certain books. It also tells of the ills of technology. Books are outlawed, replaced in full by curated media delivered through tech. It’s a dark tale, gripping, but there is hope as shown by Montag’s change of heart, seeking out other minds with a love for books.
Flags on the Bayou by James Lee Burke
Wow. What a read. As part of my reading challenge, I needed to read a book that won an award in 2024. I selected this book as it’s not my usual sort of book, but it fit the bill as the winner of the best novel at the 2024 Edgar Allan Poe awards. And what a brilliant choice it turned out to be. It tells the tale of a disparate group of people in antebellum America during the Civil War. They range from a lawman, two slaves, an abolitionist, the nephew of a plantation owner and a rogue Colonel. Each chapter is told by a different character, showing how their stories navigate towards one another. It’s a story filled with a mix of hope, despair and anger that makes for a fascinating read.
Despicable Me 4
It’s been a while since I last watched a Despicable Me film, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It’s filled with the right amount of humour and slapstick comedy, along with the cuteness that the franchise has become known for.
Despite the fact that Gru has moved away from a life of crime and now works for the good guys, along with his minions, he still manages to find himself in plenty of mischief and mayhem. It’s a great watch that’s entertaining and lighthearted.
Mufasa: The Lion King
I’ve not seen the live-action remake of The Lion King, as I always felt it would have a tough time competing with the original animated movie, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this. I need not have been worried. Visually, it’s beautiful with incredible landscapes. Though the story is quite similar in some ways to The Lion King, it’s a wonderfully crafted origin story for Mufasa and his brother Scar. It neatly sets up the dynamic that continues in The Lion King. And despite its live-action nature, it still kept a lot of the charm the original movie had.
The Residence
What a fantastic watch this turned out to be! I really hope we’ll see this become a series. It follows a mysterious murder in the White House during a state dinner for Australia. Eccentric detective Cordelia Cupps seeks to uncover the culprit without alerting the attendees to the crime. It’s filled with plenty of cameos, including the incredible Giancarlo Esposito and even Kylie Minogue.
It made for a brilliant, dark comedy in places, and the mystery is on par with that of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out series. With a varied cast of potential murderers, all with plausible reasons for wanting the victim dead, it made for an engaging series without feeling stretched out or overblown.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
This one’s not a new game, particularly, but I’ve been getting back into it lately. I picked up a PS5 Pro in March, so it felt like playing a whole new game! The graphics alone are stunning! It’s mindblowing when I play this game to remember it’s all coding, nothing in it is real. Yet it’s more impressive than the most incredible nature documentary. Yet getting to play in first person as a Na’avi in the beautiful moon world of Pandora is pretty incredible. I’ve gamed since the days of the original Game Boy and the Sega Megadrive. With every new console generation, I’m astounded by the leap in games. But if you told little me that I’d be playing as huge and visually beautiful, that is so incredibly immersive, I would never believe you.
That’s everything for this month! I’m really enjoying sharing more about what I’m working on and getting up to in these monthly updates. Please do leave a comment with your thoughts on them, and if there’s anything else you’d like to see in these going forward!
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Steven Smith 