Hello, friends and amazing readers! I wanted to take a moment to sit down, breathe, and reflect not only on last week, but on the year that we’ve had here at Speculative Chic. I know that we usually throw the roundup party on Saturdays, but given that it was a holiday week, and that this is New Year’s Eve, I decided to bump it to today so that I could get the last word in wax sentimental about 2018 while also reviewing last week.
All things considered, we’ve had a pretty great year! We’ve discovered new-to-us entertainment! We talked about heroes and villains! Just last week, we started getting excited about some of the amazing things that are coming our way next year! Several of our contributors published novels this year: Nancy O’Toole Meservier, J.L. Gribble, Venessa Giunta, and Kendra Merritt! We are delighted for our friends and hope that you’ve taken a few minutes to take out their work. Merrin successfully kept the book club train rolling. And there are dozens and dozens of new and excellent things to sample that we wouldn’t have otherwise heard about if not for our weekly treasure trove of wonders, aka My Favorite Things.
It has been an honor and a delight to be your humble tour guide each week. Here’s to another year of me making a fool of myself for your entertainment leading you on many more excellent adventures in the coming year.
And now, buckle in, because the Time Travel Express is departing the station for the final time in 2018.
Monday
For our final installment of My Favorite things, we welcomed Allan C.R. Cornelius! You know how it works by now: “Spoiler alert: roleplaying games that inspire, a grimdark tabletop game that’s a major distraction, the camaraderie of Comic Cons, an influential writer, horror immersion, and a fantasy setting that’s right outside his window.” Intriguing! Go read!
Tuesday
This was Christmas for most of us, and whether you celebrated or not, I hope that it was a great day for you. Carey M. Ballard gave us all a fantastic gift to start the week out: a rundown of some of her current favorite female-driven television shows. There’s some really great stuff here. Take a peek!
Movies are a big part of this day for many people, and Nicole Taft offered her opinions on The Prophecy. If you haven’t seen this one, allow me to tempt you with a direct quote from Nicole’s post: “I’m sorry — what? The King of Gondor is Satan?” Bet you want to check this film out now, huh?
Wednesday
Happy Boxing Day! Kendra Merritt successfully completed her 2018 resolution with her final Delayed Reaction: The Riddle-Master of Hed. Yay Kendra!
Speaking of 2018 resolutions, How’d we do this year? Go find out!
Thursday
Nancy O’Toole Meservier read and reviewed Minimum Wage Magic by Rachel Aaron! This is the first novel in the new DFZ Series, which is a spin-off of Aaron’s Heartstrikers series. Sounds fun!
Alas, not everything can be fun. On Wednesday afternoon, a few of us discussed the things that disappointed us the most in 2018. They can’t all be winners. Oh well.
Friday
Merrin published our final book club discussion of the year on Friday morning. Have you read The Sunlight Pilgrims? Thinking about it? Either way, go take a look at the discussion!
To finish out the week, and to wash away the bad taste in our mouths from reminiscing about the things that disappointed us, we geeked out about the things that we’re most looking forward to next year in the wide, weird world of speculative fiction!
Book Club
Time to start reading Mystic and Rider by Sharon Shinn for January! As always, we would love to have you join us! Bring your friends! The more the merrier, of course!
And that’s our week, and our year! I hope that, if you’re celebrating tonight, you have a most excellent and amazing New Year’s Eve. If that time has already come and gone where you are, I hope that you are enjoying the first day of 2019. Remember to begin the year as you mean to continue it. Enjoy whatever or whomever makes you happy, be they friends you know in real life, or the ones that exist within the realms of fiction. Also, speaking as your virtual big sister, remember to stay safe out there, if you’re party-bound this evening. Get a safe ride home, keep a close eye on your friends, remember to drink plenty of water, and take it easy tomorrow. Cheers!
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