I feel like reading. A lot.
I’m actually reading three books at the same time, like I did back when I had more free time and less worries.
It’s good – I’m recharging my batteries, getting ready for another burst of activity: more stories (I’m late fulfilling my promises to myPatrons!), new/old projects getting refurbished, stuff to be done, more courses.
But right now, I’m reading. A lot.

And as I mentioned in the past, initiatives like Humble Bundle and StoryBundle are great if you want to stay well stocked with reading material while spending just a few bucks, with the added bonus of doing some charity.

Right now, Humble Bundle offers a massive collection of Warhammer novels – mostly WH40K stuff, Warhammer 40.000, that is. Mostly first books in series.
Now, I’m a Warhammer Fantasy Role Playing kind of guy – I liked the setting, and it was a nice dark fantasy game with a strong Hammer Horror sort of vibe. I have good memories of old games, and I always wanted to do something again with WHFRP. I’m glad the game is making a comeback, but I’m keeping my Second Edition books by Hogshead close at hand.
And Warhammer 40.000?
I never cared for the miniature game – I’m not into miniature gaming anyway – and the roleplaying game material I saw recently, while obviously high quality, did nothing for me. There are science fiction games I like better.
Also, I got badly scarred in the past – while I have friends that are huge WH40K fans and can quote verse and chapter from the handbooks and the novels, I also met quite a selection of wankers that put me off the whole WH40K thing before I could start.
Not an isolated case – I was put off both GURPS and RIFTS by weirdos.
The closest I got to the franchise was actually playing (and enjoying) SpaceHulk, the videogame.

Anyway, I invested a few bucks in the Bundle.
First, because some of the titles featured are from authors whose non-tie-in work I read and appreciated, so I wanted to check out their franchise work.
Second, because the Black Library is always looking for contributors, and getting a feel for what they publish could help me prepare a novel pitch for them later this year. Also, I find it easier to “get” a vast, sprawling setting like the WH40K from novels rather than reading two or three handbooks from cover to cover.

And what I found is, the novels sort of put me off. I don’t know if its the covers, with these guys with very small heads and very big armors, or the memories of adults bursting into impromptu poetry to celebrate the Emperor… but really, I found sso far hard to get into one of those books. And I have a whole digital stack of those!
Thank goodness, there is also an audio drama, included in the bundel I bought, and I’ll start with that.
I’ll avoid for the time being direct contact with heavily armored guys with humongously oversized weapons looking smugly badass on digital book covers. Memories of martially-obsessed losers still haunt me.