June has been a hot one here in the UK. We’ve been closing out the month with temperatures in the 30s. That might not sound hot to some, but in a country where houses are built for colder weather, designed to retain heat, with no air con, I can tell you it’s no small test!
I’ve been to the theatre in London, which you can read about below. I’ve also been away to North Wales for a holiday, enjoying many ancient castles, quaint towns, sea, mountains and my fair share of cake, cream tea and the local bara brith! And in between all of that, I’ve found a little time for reading, writing, gaming and watching things!
It’s been a slower month on the writing front, what with a holiday and the heat making it tough at times to get into the frame of mind for writing. Hush hasn’t seen masses of progress, the odd bit here and there, but nothing significant this month. I’m keen to return to it as soon as I can clear my desk.
Stocking Stuffers has been my primary focus this month as I want to release it this year in time for the Christmas season. I’ve been working on a new short story for it, with ideas for a few more to look at if time permits. I’ve decided not to solely focus on my Drabbles from last December for this book, but include some of the festive short fiction I’ve also written over the years. There are a few Drabbles I wrote at the start of December 2024, just before I decided to make it a month of festive pieces, so I also want to rewrite those to make for a full 31 of those in addition to the longer short stories, too.
My daily drabbles collection is still on course despite being on holiday. I’ve maintained writing one every day to keep on top of the prompts the publication in Medium provides. If I can stay on top now, it will help should I have periods of sickness in the year. It’s shaping up nicely to be an eclectic mix of 100, 150 and 200 word stories. While it won’t have a conventional theme, the collection is bound together through being a year of stories.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
What a fantastic read this turned out to be! While it deals with troubling subject matter, and is written in a tough-to-follow dialect, it’s no less thought provoking for it. Underneath the extreme violence depicted, it’s a fascinating debate around free will vs determinism for the good of the wider society. It’s also a critical view of violence and its impact on the perpetrators and the victims. Not a light bed time read, but utterly fascinating all the same.
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
I’m a fan of Douglas Adams – thoroughly love his Hitchhikers Guide novels, so thought I’d enjoy this one. I listened to the Stephen Mangan narrated audio book, and I didn’t enjoy it. The narration was great, no issues there. I just found the story itself clumsy and disjointed. It was tough to follow and as a premise, it held very little interest or enjoyment for me. I was actually finding myself wanting to reach the end solely so I can be done with it.
The Axeman’s Jazz by Ray Celestin
What a fantastic novel this turned out to be! It has a Jack the Ripper-esque killer—mysterious, unknown, and seemingly supernatural. There is plenty of jazz music in the city of jazz, New Orleans. The murders are presented in a supernatural aura thanks to letters sent to news outlets from the killer and tarot cards left at the murders.
The crime itself is being investigated throughout the novel from three different angles – Michael, a senior detective who had his mentor arrested for illicit activity, Luca, the mentor with ties to the mafia, and Ida and Lewis, a Pinkerton employee and aspiring jazz star. It makes for a fantastic story with a satisfying conclusion.
Passengers on the Hankyu Line by Hiro Arikawa
I’ve never really been drawn to this type of book in the past, and I cannot place why. Maybe I was worried I wouldn’t be able to easily relate to the Japanese culture? I’m not too sure. But when browsing a book shop for reads before my recent holiday, this book stood out. Firstly, the cover is gorgeous. Some of the autumnal maple leaves are finished in foil, shimmering. And it’s got stunning sprayed edges – all rich red with the silhouette of maple leaves left white. I was sold – definitely judging this book by its cover long before I read the blurb.
But in this instance, it played out perfectly as this is most definitely a five-star read for me this month. It follows a series of people on a famous railway line in Japan, the Hankyu Line. It’s well known for its vintage maroon trains. It tells the stories of each person or group as they travel up the line, sometimes their stories intersecting with one or more of the other characters. At about the halfway point, the book follows the same people travelling back down the line six months later. It then shows how their stories have changed since that first journey. It’s a beautiful read that illustrates just how much things can change in that period, often triggered by innocuous meetings. I’ll definitely be looking for more books from Arikawa and others!
Wicked
Really enjoyed this! I do enjoy a good musical, and this ticked the box. I’ve seen the West End stage show, so I knew what to expect, but it didn’t disappoint. It had some really stunning visuals, great casting and incredibly catchy tunes. Exactly what I’d want in any musical.
And as a wonderful added bonus, an expectedly flamboyant Jeff Goldblum taking a nasty turn made this all the more fun.
Teacup
Teacup was exactly what I needed. A dark, gritty sci-fi series with plenty of horror elements thrown in for good measure. Locked together under strange circumstances, the characters are forced to confront their darkest secrets. They have to overcome their failings to work together to unravel the mystery and escape their situation. It did feel unresolved after season 1 and sadly didn’t get renewed, which left me wanting more. Still a good watch though.
The White Lotus (Season 2)
Another fantastic season of The White Lotus, this time set in Sicily. Once again, it was packed with stunning locations, with a host of flawed characters to spectate. Once again, we have a selection of known actors alongside those less well known, and even a returning character from season 1. There were plenty of similar narratives to the first season, with some twists thrown in for good measure. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the third season has to offer.
Cyberpunk 2077
It seems to be a bit of a running theme lately – me playing/reviewing games that aren’t all that new. There are a few reasons for this. One is that big game launches don’t come around too often. The second – I am a compulsive buyer of games. If I like the look of one, I buy it, then jump from game to game. This one launched with much fanfare, but struggled with problems at the start. Since purchasing my PS5 Pro I decided to give this one another go.
And I’m glad I did. I’ve not got too far into it, but I am hooked. The story is brilliant, set in a futuristic metropolis called Night City. It’s grimy, sleazy and crime-infested. Corruption runs from the richest down. And the visuals on the PS5 Pro are brilliant. The shadows feel dangerous, with bright neon highlights. Things look great, the story is epic and I am looking forward to diving ever deeper into this one.
Hercules The Musical
What a great show this was! I was lucky enough to see this with my wife with tickets she won for the early previews, just four days after its London premiere in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The cast were AMAZING. The set design was beautiful, with some really clever features allowing them to do so much with it. The songs were exactly what you’d expect for a show based on this great film, it felt completely Disney. And the Muses were just as they should be – fun, sassy and full of beautiful songs!
That’s everything for June! Next month I’ll bring you more updates on what I hope is a more productive month for writing, along with all the other little reviews of things I’ve been enjoying. Hope you enjoy!
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Steven Smith 