Noisy Deadlines

“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” – Douglas Adams

Happy New Year! 🎉

Every year I look back at my reading list and think about my reader goals. I don’t have any specific genre or theme I want to focus on now. For 2023 I want to tackle my TBR digital pile.

I have 106 unread books that are already loaded in my e-reader. I quickly looked at the list and I’ve chosen 37 that I’d like to get through in 2023.

I have some series I want to continue reading:

  1. A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers, #2) by Becky Chambers

  2. Aurora Blazing (Consortium Rebellion #2) by Jessie Mihalik

  3. The Ghost Brigades (Old Man’s War, #2) by John Scalzi

  4. Wanderlust (Sirantha Jax #2) by Ann Aguirre

  5. Planetfall (Planetfall #1) by Emma Newman

  6. Atlas Alone (Planetfall #4) by Emma Newman

  7. Persepolis Rising (The Expanse #7) by James S.A. Corey

New series and books that have been on my radar:

  1. Poison or Protect (Delightfully Deadly #1) by Gail Carriger

  2. Ambush or Adore (Delightfully Deadly #3) by Gail Carriger

  3. Defy or Defend (Delightfully Deadly #2) by Gail Carriger

  4. Between Two Thorns (The Split Worlds #1) by Emma Newman

  5. Any Other Name (The Split Worlds #2) by Emma Newman

  6. Arsene Lupin, gentleman cambrioleur (Arsene Lupin #1) by Maurice Leblanc

  7. Children of Time (Children of Time #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

  8. Deal with the Devil (Mercenary Librarians #1) by Kit Rocha

  9. Diving into the Wreck (Diving Universe #1) by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

  10. Fire Logic (Elemental Logic #1) by Laurie J. Marks

  11. Lock In (Lock In #1) by John Scalzi

  12. Nightfall (Blood Magic #1) by L.H. Cosway

  13. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

  14. Rosewater (The Wormwood Trilogy #1) by Tade Thompson

  15. The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield

  16. The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken (The Scarred Earth Saga #1 )

  17. The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

  18. The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley

  19. The Rogue of Fifth Avenue by Joanna Shupe

  20. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

  21. The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley

  22. The Cold Between (Central Corps #1) by Elizabeth Bonesteel

Non-fiction books:

  1. Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed by Ben R. Rich

  2. Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn

  3. How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them by Jason Stanley

  4. How to Create a Mind: The Secret of Human Thought Revealed by Ray Kurzweil

  5. In Defence of Food by Michael Pollan

  6. The Science of Time Travel by Elizabeth Howell

  7. Power of Fun by Catherine Price

  8. The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by Mallory O’Meara

I will have at least 12 more books that are going to be picked for my local Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club and I’m sure I’ll have more books added to this list. This is a starting point, in case I run out of ideas!

Happy reading in 2023!

#Books #Booklist #ReaderGoals

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  1. Under One Roof (The STEMinist Novellas #1) by Ali Hazelwood, 112p: Another funny and lighthearted romance with engineers/women in STEM!

  2. The Cloud Roads (The Books of the Raksura #1) by Martha Wells, 278p: Shape-shifting flying lizard-draconian type beings (Raskura), mysterious magic, an outcast story, and an evil enemy. This one didn't grab me that much, maybe it was the writing style or the fact that I didn't really like the main character? This was the first fantasy novel I read by Martha Wells, and now I know I prefer her sci-fi books better. I won't continue reading this series.

  3. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood, 354p: Full of cool science references, like Marie Curie and NASA, with engineers, astronauts, and neuroscientists. I don't where else a romance novel has all these elements together, and that's why I love this author's books with STEM-inspired themes.

  4. Book Lovers by Emily Henry, 377: I usually read romance with fantasy or sci-fi elements so I'm kinda new to the contemporary romance genre. This book was such a delightful vacation read: small town, people who love books, people who work in the publishing industry, and an unconventional romance storyline. It turns upside down some normal romance tropes, and I was surprised by the ending. It was the perfect read while I was recovering from COVID-19.

#readinglist #books #reading

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

My partner tested positive for COVID-19 and he has been feeling awful for 4 days now but no fever. I'm still testing negative, but my throat is sore, and I feel a little weak and slow today.

We are both isolating ourselves, I'm working from home. We cancelled our plans to visit some friends in Montreal this weekend.

I'm glad my partner and I are not having any serious symptoms, thanks to the (four) booster vaccines :)

This is the first time during the whole pandemic that we got in really close contact with the virus, I guess. Neither of us has ever tested positive or had symptoms before.

I feel like switching to Holiday-mode this year feels harder than usual for some reason. I will be on vacation next week, so I plan on going for some winter hikes. And also: read a lot, being cozy under blankets with a cup of tea. Watch some shows that have been on my @to-watch list for a while. Do longer yoga sessions. Journal whenever I feel like.

I guess it’s been such a busy year for us, we’ve completed a bunch of long-term projects that started 3-4 years ago, which is nice. So many things happened, good and bad, and it has been a little overwhelming.

I really need time off. I hope I will get into my end-of-year reflection mode and find some stillness.

And here some snowy visuals (I love the snow that accumulates in tree branches, looks like cotton candy)

#health #covid #journal #noisymusings #winter

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  1. After Atlas (Planetfall #2) by Emma Newman, 384p: I was blown away, this book is unputdownable! So good! It’s a sci-fi thriller with a murder investigation along with a mysterious cult, global politics, and the issue of the asymmetric power of big corporations. It was the first book I read from this author, and now I want to read all her books!

  2. Witchmark (The Kingston Cycle #1) by C.L. Polk, 318p: It starts with a murder mystery in this Second World War Britain setting. it has magic, people biking everywhere, queer romance, and the main character just wanting to help people and be independent.

  3. Babylon's Ashes (The Expanse #6) by James S.A. Corey, 538p: Not my favorite of the series. Each chapter is one-character POV, and I didn't enjoy that in this one we get way more POVs, other than the core main characters. I particularly didn't enjoy the chapters with Marco Inaros and his son. They are not on my list of likable characters (for obvious reasons if you know the series) and there were maybe too many of those chapters. Anyway, I want to continue reading the series, it seems the plot will continue in a different direction, and that's promising!

  4. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot #2) by Becky Chambers, 152p: This book warmed my heart! Such a delightful, calm, compassionate read. Everybody is so nice in this world, I like that they say to each other: “no pressure, take your time, do what feels good, and I will help you”. I need more books like that! Can’t wait for the next in the series.

#readinglist #books #reading

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

I’ve noticed that almost every morning I wake up to my racing thoughts. My alarm has not gone off yet, but my mind can’t go back to sleep. For the most part they are illogical thoughts, anxieties, worries, in no coherent order. It feels like I’m half-dreaming. Sometimes I look at the time and it’s only half an hour before my usual alarm clock. Then my alarm goes off and these crazy thoughts stop after I get up.

I was thinking that the moment I realize those thoughts is the moment to actually wake up. Like if it was a natural waking up time for me. Like my brain is telling me: “ok, that’s enough for today, let’s get up!”. I’m not sure that’s the case, but I wonder if it makes sense. I’m so conditioned to getting up after my alarm clock! I don’t remember the last time I woke up on my own.

One thing I’ve been doing right before I close my eyes to sleep is: I mentally lay out my morning routine and tell myself how great it will feel. My morning routine is:

  • Get up, drink some water.
  • Go to the next room where I have my yoga mat.
  • Sit down and meditate for at least 10 minutes.
  • Do at least 15 minutes of yoga.
  • Do a final stretch and go take a shower.

I noticed that when I don’t take these steps, my day will not feel the same. I’m known to sleep in on the weekends and then I skip this whole routine, only to regret it later. So, I’m trying to keep the same morning routine even on weekends because I know it works for me.

Another thing I’ll try is: noticing when my brain is racing in the morning and actually getting out of bed (even before my alarm clock) and see what happens. Will I have the mental awareness to get myself up? Can I wake up “naturally”? I’ll see how this experiment goes...

#journal #noisymusings #sleep #thoughts

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

I feel like I was in the middle of a storm for the last couple of months, and now I see clear skies and calmness. I spent 10 days in my home country, reconnected with my family, got stressed about Brazilian bureaucracy, had some fun, organized paperwork and got back to Canada, a place I recognize as home now. Fall is my favorite season, so I was back in time to see leaves falling, the orange hues of dusk and cool days.

I’m ready for winter. I’ve accomplished a lot this year already, so I just want to chill. I’ve had challenges and good stuff happening, and I’m grateful for all of them. After all, we are what we do every day. I can highlight a few things:

  • It was our first year as homeowners: the joys of shoveling snow from our driveway during winter and worrying about squirrels in the attic.
  • Enjoyed all the trails and bike paths around my neighborhood.
  • Me and my partner are Canadian Citizens now!
  • I completed an important step of a professional designation I’ve been working towards for the past 4 years.
  • My dad passed away and I now see that as a good life lesson in awareness of our mortality. It was tough in the beginning, but I used mindfulness to acknowledge it and accept it.
  • I visited my family in Brazil, and I feel that closed off nicely this year’s cycle of goals, challenges and joys.

So, for the rest of this year, I want to reconnect with my writing and hobbies, enjoy winter, and remember to practice “non-doing”. I read about this in the book “Wherever you go, there you are”. It has nothing to do with being lazy:

“Non-doing simply means letting things be and allowing them to unfold in their own way.” ― Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life

The author also mentions that any meditation practice is a form of “non-doing” in which we are able to step away from the busyness of our lives and to “contemplate, to make time for being, for purposefully not doing anything.”

I will choose only a couple projects I want to focus on this winter and put the rest away for the spring. I will focus on activities that are relaxing and help me wind down, such as: yoga, meditation, reading, long walks, calm mornings, journaling.

⛄ I wish all a cozy winter (for all you folks in northern hemisphere)! And a happy summer, if you are in the southern portion of the globe.

#journal #NoisyMusings

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

List:

  1. The Books of Magic by Scott Hampton, John Bolton, Charles Vess, Paul Johnson, Roger Zelazny, Neil Gaiman, 200p: It was okay as a graphic novel. It introduces the main character, Timothy Hunter, to the world of magic, but doesn’t go beyond that. I missed some more character focus and that probably happens in the next volumes.

  2. Seal of the Worm (Shadows of the Apt #10) by Adrian Tchaikovsky, 642p: This is the last book of the series, and it is impressive how the author manages to link everything together. The series has memorable characters, and I created a kind of emotional connection to them throughout the 10 books. It's epic, complex, and heavy on worldbuilding but also excellent in character-building. This was probably the longest fantasy series I finished reading, and I enjoyed that it is a unique world, getting away from the typical European-centric fantasy. A satisfying end for this series.

  3. Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn, 280p: It is always nice to read about mindfulness. This book can be read slowly, one chapter at a time because it's a collection of essays on mindfulness meditation and how it can be integrated into our daily lives, in our most mundane activities.

  4. Prudence (The Custard Protocol #1) by Gail Carriger, 357p: This was fun and silly. There is a dirigible named the Spotted Custard that is painted to look like a black and red ladybug. There are people riding wolves. There are new supernatural beings introduced, other than werewolves and vampires. I liked the main group dynamic on board of the Spotted Custard (Rue, Quesnel, Prim and Percy). I'm not sure about the Indian cultural references, I'm afraid they were inaccurate and maybe even offensive to Indian natives. Overall fun, but not to be taken seriously.

  5. A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot #1) by Becky Chambers, 147p: This novella felt like a warm embrace. It's cozy, cute, and light. A traveling tea monk exploring the world comes in contact with one of the few conscious robots left in their world. Robots were long forgotten by humanity, having fled to the wilderness to live their own lives. I loved the discussions about life’s purpose, animals, and consciousness. It made me want to continue reading the next one.

  6. BONUS: Replaceables – Short Story by Ithaka O., 19p: This short story was gifted to me by a fellow reader of this blog and I’m so grateful! A touching story about friendship, love, and death. About caring, about letting go, and also cherishing what is gone. It soothed me during a difficult time. The author’s page can be found here.

#readinglist #books #reading

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  1. The Quantum Magician by Derek Künsken, 478p: It was an interesting premise overall, with posthumanism discussions and creepy religions. Lots going on here: complex worldbuilding. creative and unusual hard sci-fi concepts and bioengineering of specialized human sub-species. There are different post-human beings that were heavily genetically modified, like Homo Quantus, who are able to make astounding leaps of intellectual analysis by stepping away from their individuality, Homo eridanus (The Mongrels): engineered people adapted to live on the deep-sea floor and the creepiest of all, Homo pupa (The Puppets): a type of slave species who were genetically modified to experience awe under pheromonal cues of their masters. I gotta say some of the quantum philosophical passages about faith, existence, and quantum calculations were boring to me. The part about Homo pupa and their blind worshipping was super disturbing, exploring the worst part of blind faith fanaticism.

  2. Midnight Riot (Rivers of London #1) by Ben Aaronovitch, 298p: Cool urban fantasy set up in London. It's got the Dresden Files vibe. It's full of British slang, which was not familiar to me. I'm not knowledgeable in London geography so I must have missed tons of references. It was still a nice read for me, but I guess I was discouraged to go on with the series because it seemed very niche and more interesting for people who know London culture.

  3. Stuck with You (The STEMinist Novellas, #2) by Ali Hazelwood, 127p: A quick and fun enemy to lovers trope, but with engineers!

  4. Timeless (Parasol Protectorate, #5) by Gail Carriger, 407p: This was probably my favorite book of the series, with a satisfactory ending. I love the writing style of these books, there is a lightness to it that makes me smile all the time. This one has dirigibles, a boat trip, balloon trips, a cute metanatural baby (Prudence), children traveling with their parents, Egypt ancient mysteries, and adorable supernatural beings. (vampires and werewolves). It's witty and sensible and classy. It was a true feel-good read. And I felt compelled to continue reading the next series (The Custard Protocol) that focuses on Prudence as a grown-up lady.

#readinglist #books #reading

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

I’ve been having moments of deep reflection in the past few weeks. Maybe even the past couple of months. I got an urge to reinforce the simplicity principles that have lead me to where I am right now.

I noticed at first that I wanted a simpler process to organize my thoughts, ideas and actions. I always write about the GTD method and how it’s been an excellent tool for me. The interesting thing about GTD is that you can make it as simple or as complex as you need. Right now I need simple. So I’ve been experimenting with MS To Do with the very basic GTD setup, just contexts lists, no linking to projects, and I noticed less effort from my part to keep the system current.

Then my dad passed away recently, and that was a traumatic experience. It was hard because I’m far away, and I’m in the middle of waiting for my new passport to be able to travel. That will happen in a couple of weeks, fingers crossed. I’ve been journaling privately a lot, trying to process the grief and working towards acceptance. Grieving can give us a whole new life perspective, on the things that really matter. And that all comes back to what I was talking in the beginning: simplicity. Enjoying the simple things in life, and also having a simple life, with less stress. I’ve been prioritizing meditation, yoga and walks with my partner. I’m taking care of my diet and my sleep. Those are fundamental things.

My reading taste has been changing as well. I’m in a phase where I want to read stories about people, but I still prefer fantasy or sci-fi settings. I’ve just finished the fifth book of the “Parasol Protectorate” series by Gail Carriger and it was such a delight! It’s steampunk, Victorian inspired, funny, witty and super relaxing for me. After finishing it I continued on to Gail Carriger’s other series “The Custard Protocol”, which is the same setting, with the daughter of the protagonist of the “Parasol Protectorate”. That’s what I need right now: something fun and smart, with not too many high stakes and some sensibility in it. I’ll probably be reading more romance-like books in the future. It’s one of those phases.

#journal

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

I’ve been through some hard times, my dad passed away last week and I'm dealing with grief the best I can. I find myself wanting to engage in contemplative activities, nothing noisy, nothing too intense. Long walks are great, I haven’t had the desire to go running yet.

I find that meditation and yoga help a lot. Reading also helps, but I can't seem to focus on a book for too long now. And I can’t seem to be able to read anything too intense, serious, or complex. For some days I couldn’t decide what I wanted to read. I’m gravitating towards feel-good romance books. So, I picked up a novella by a romance author I enjoy, because it was short and easy-going. I’m taking my time.

I felt I was also in need of some mindfulness inspiration. Something that encourages me to contemplate the present in a non-judgmental way. So, I remembered that I've had Jon Kabat-Zinn's work on my to-read plans for a while now. I picked up “Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life” and it’s been soothing.

#grief #journal

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

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