Books read in 2019: No. 1 -- Out of the Silent Planet

by C.S. Lewis

Started: Jan. 1
Finished: Jan. 4

Notes: I've read quite a bit of Lewis' work, but I've never delved into his science fiction, and since a friend gave me this trilogy a while back, I thought I should at least check out this first book in the trilogy.

Mini review: A professor is kidnapped by two men who take him in a spaceship to another planet where the professor escapes and on his own discovers the oddities of the planet. Unfortunately, I can't call this Lewis' best writing. It took a long time for this one to get going, but eventually it did pull my interest a little, but not much. In the end, this is mainly a work of philosophy, to some little extent that of religion. I don't think I can recommend this one except for Lewis purists or those who simply want to read as much older science fiction as possible, this one originally having been published in 1938. Also, for better or worse, this novel was so English (especially early on) that at times I felt like I should break out some tea and crumpets while reading.

Beer of the week: Carolina Pale Ale

Beer score: 6.3

Company: Carolina Brewing Company

ABV: 5.6
IBU: 40

Coming to us from Holly Springs, North Carolina, this isn't a bad brew. It's got a slightly dark golden color in a glass, and I have to admit it's a little more sturdy than it looks. I wouldn't classify this as a great beer, but the brewers have nothing to be ashamed of here. There was no head whatsoever when I poured it, which is neither here nor there in my opinion, but some folks like more head on their brew. Quite wet with a slight hoppy bitterness that grows stronger the more it lingers on the tongue, but without becoming overly strong. Kind of a flowery smell here, with a touch of malt graininess and maybe a little lemon or orange zest. The style is American pale ale, but it's definitely on the lighter side of any pale ales. Somewhat on the average side, but not atrocious by any means. You could do a lot worse, believe me.

Books read in 2018: No. 64 -- The Cloud of Unknowing

by anonymous

edited by Evelyn Underhill

Started: Dec. 28
Finished: Dec. 31

Notes: This is a 1922 edition of a 14th Century Christian work that focuses upon contemplation through prayer as the only real way to know God. I've been meaning to read this one for some time, especially as its writings have been compared to Buddhism, a rarity from Christianity.

Mini review: Okay, I admit, this was not an easy one to read, mainly because the writing is still in the style of 14th Century English. That being said, as I wrote above, this book is about the contemplation of God through prayer, and to be honest, the ideas presented aren't all that ancient but fit fairly well into the modern world. This contemplation is something akin to meditation, but there are subtle differences, no doubt because this is Christianity we're talking about. From a writer's perspective, the language here was most interesting, somewhat archaic, and some might find use of this style for fantasy fiction (not exactly, of course, for it would be a most difficult read for modern readers).

Books read in 2018: No. 63 -- E-Book Formatting for Novelists

by K.C. May

Started: Dec. 28
Finished: Dec. 28

Notes: From time to time I like to check what other independent authors have suggested for formatting of e-books, just to see if I can learn something new. This particular e-book is more than a few years old, so it might be out of date, but perhaps there's still something to glean here. Besides, this one if from fellow fantasy author K.C. May, and I've been meaning to read something of hers for years (if you're reading this, K.C., I promise I've got some of your novels waiting for me on my Kindle -- there's just too many things to read! -- but I'll get to them, promise).

Mini review: Now that I've read it, I wouldn't say this one is outdated, but I never understand why nearly all authors focus upon coding with HTML and such for their novels when their are much simpler ways of formatting for e-books. Or, at least those simpler ways have worked for me and I've never had a single complaint from readers. But to each their own. That being said, K.C. does bring up some elements here which hadn't occurred to me of late, mostly related to design quality, and I'm thankful for that as it's given me something to think about.

Books read in 2018: No. 62 -- Crazy Town

edited by Jason M. Waltz

Started: Dec. 25
Finished: Dec. 27

Notes: I've had a few stories published by this editor over the years through his publishing house Rogue Blades Entertainment, so when I found out he had a new collection available, I had to give it a go, especially since it's supposed to be dark noir with a supernatural bent. Unfortunately I don't have a story in this one because I've been focusing on writing novels of late, but maybe I'll turn onto shorts again in the coming year once I've finished with the latest trilogy.

Mini review: Some might argue noir fiction and speculative fiction are an antithesis to one another, that it's practically impossible to combine the cynicism of noir with the attitudes of the speculative, but I must say this collection proves such notions wrong. Here you will find a solid mix of nearly all types of speculative fiction, from fantasy to dark fantasy to science fiction, a super hero tale, and perhaps a touch of horror here and there. All of that with noir sensibilities, and it works. As is usually the case with most anthologies, some stories are better than others, but I didn't find any out-and-out stinkers here, and a few stood out. My personal favorites were "Out of the Light" by Douglas Smith, "Fortune Teller" by David M. Donachie, and "The Lake" by Joel Thomas Blackstock Jr., with "All Monsters: A Gold Coast City Brief" by Matt Abraham coming in darn close as a favorite, though it's still an excellent tale. This collection was a bit of a stretch compared to Rogue Blades Entertainment's earlier publications, but I believe it not only works in and of itself, but it also shows a publishing house willing to grow and to try new things.

Books read in 2018: No. 61 -- Sandman Slim

by Richard Kadrey

Started: Dec. 20
Finished: Dec. 24

Notes: A killer dies, goes to hell to become a hitman down there, then finds his way back to Earth for ... for what? I don't know, but this sounds like one hell of a story. I've been meaning to get to this one for some while now, so glad I'm finally getting started since I've heard good things about this first novel in a series.

Mini review: Now THAT was a damn ride and a half! Seriously, if you like balls-to-the-wall action with demons and angels and Lucifer riding in the back seat, this is for you. Normally this isn't really my thing, but here it worked, with maybe a minor quibble or two. The writing is strong, the characters are interesting and often amazing, and the actions keeps jumping off the page right for your eyeballs. It's good. Very good. Best thing I've ever read? No, not even close, but it's by far the most entertaining read I've had in a while. Enlightening? No, you're not going to find a lot of deep thought here, but you will find guns and explosions and revenge and crazy, crazy, crazy. I recommend this one. I'm not telling more of what this one is about because you don't need it. The story will leap off the page at you from page one, so go find out all the hoopla for yourself.

Beer of the Week special: What is cock ale?

Cock ale. It sounds funny. Even dirty. But it's not. At least not in the way your twisted mind is probably thinking.

Cock ale is actually ale, a type of beer brewed with malted barley and yeast and then fermented at relatively high temperatures (for fermentation, anyway), that is also fermented with poultry, often chicken.

Cock ale has a history going back at least 500 years, and some beer historians believe that history started in Scotland.

As mentioned, this beverage is often made with chicken, but sometimes duck or other poultry can be used. Also, fruits, nutmeg, clove, mace and sometimes other herbs are used in the fermentation process. The chicken and the herbs can also be soaked in wine for a day or longer to add a little zing to the flavor.

Strictly speaking, the general goal is to create a mincemeat of the poultry being used, but modern recipes often just rely on using shredded chicken. All that being said, you shouldn't just take shredded poultry and mix it in with beer you bought from the store. You'll just end up with a mess, and it'll taste nasty.

Proper cock ale is made during the actual beer-making process, during the fermentation. I'm not going to go into all the details of beer brewing because aficionados will already know and everybody else is not likely to care, but basically the poultry and other ingredients are placed into a bag and added to the fermenting beer on the second day of fermentation. Fermentation should take about a week longer than usual and the final product should be matured in the bottle for about a month before drinking.

Generally speaking, cock ales have a taste and texture akin to what are often called barley wines. Cock ales are usually darker or red, and usually have a fruity taste to them. But what can you expect if you add all that fruit? So, there you go. At its most basic, cock ale is ale that's been fermented with chicken. Now you know.