Quick Sips 10/29/2021

2021 didn’t really go to plan. I feel like that’s probably the case for a lot of people, but for me I was hoping that it would be a year to recharge and refocus. I was going to cut back on my reviews, and I was going to get more written. That…really didn’t shake out. Instead, while my individual reviews got shorter, I added so many stories to what I was covering that it was more or less a wash. 200,000 words in reviews isn’t exactly cutting back, not in any meaningful way, and while I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve accomplished in this seventh year of short SFF coverage at Quick Sip Reviews, it’s not at all what I wanted it to be.

So, some guidance going forward, and a sense of what’s to come. I hope to close out 2021 as I’ve been doing it. Which is to say, change is coming, but I’ll probably still work myself into the ground until the new year, just to have that clean breaking point. I do this in part out of sheer stubborn pride, because I don’t want to be the reviewer that just walks away without any sense of closure or plan. 

After that? Currently my plan is to pretty much stop with most of my reviewing work on QSR. I will still be running my weekly Sip of the Week reviews/recommendations. I will still be collecting up stories for my monthly Some Queer Short SFF lists. I will still be reading as widely as I can for We’re Here. And I’ll probably keep blogging on QSR, moving my work to broader coverage of short SFF and maybe including more links to releases, other people’s reviews, and short SFF news like open submission calls. We’ll see. As of now I’m giving myself permission to do basically whatever I need to in order to take care of myself, as I’m absolutely terrible at that and 2021 has been the opposite of successful in that regard.

As I move into areas other than dedicated short SFF reviewing, I do want to take the time to thank everyone for their support not only now but since I started Quick Sip Reviews. I wouldn’t have been able to do what I’ve done without a lot of people, and I’m incredibly honored by the recognition and love I’ve seen for this weird little project that began and continues to be me just throwing my opinions on stories at the internet.

And thank you all for your patience as I try to figure out what will work for me going forward. It’s a strange, scary path for me, because some days it feels like not doing Way Too Much is letting people down, and that’s just a head space I need to move out of…somehow. Meanwhile, I’m doing what I can. My week off was interesting, though more stressful than I would have liked because of home repairs/roof work going on that ate far too much time and energy. So I didn’t get any of the reviewing done I wanted to. Luckily, I had worked ahead some, so am not in a terrible place. But yeah, I’m trying. 

In other media, I watched some shows, finished up what was there of Shetland (meh, though the co-parent slash is strong and I’m here for the Jimmy/Duncan). Watched the two new Vera episodes and loved them. Watched all of McDonald & Dodds, which was mostly fun, though somewhat strange, especially because it actually acknowledges covid. And now we’re rewatching Wallander, which is fairly meh as well but maybe that’s just the first few episodes. At least it’s got Loki? But yeah, it goes. Just…hanging in there. And I’ll be back next week with more reviews, so cheers!

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Quick Sips - 10/22/2021

So when you all read this, I’ll technically be on vacation. Technically, because let’s face it, I suck at taking vacations, so you’re still reading this. But that aside, I’ve been very much pushing myself to get “ahead” far enough in my reading to take a week off from most reviewing activities. Most, because again, I suck. But I do plan on relaxing, spending time with my husband, and trying to maybe have fun. We’ll see how it goes, seeing as how covid hasn’t really…stopped. But I’ve packed in another full week of reviews. Perhaps not so many as last week, but I’m still covering the monthly Clarkesworld, Fireside, GigaNotoSaurus, and The Dark content, as well as quarterly Baffling, irregular Constelación, biweekly Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and two weeks of Strange Horizons. Be impressed! It’s a lot to get to, so buckle up for some serious short SFF coverage!

NOTE: This will be a recurring note that will run with every Quick Sips. First, please note that I don’t necessarily mention every story or poem out in an issue. I am giving myself permission to either DNF stories, or else finish and just not comment on them. Please don’t assume it’s because I disliked the work! There are many reasons I might chose not to comment on a piece, and I reserve the right to do just that. Second, you might notice the notations at the end of the micro reviews and wonder what the [c# t#] is. These are for the Scales of Relative Grimness and a full explanation of them can be found through the tab at the top of the page or through this link. With that said, let’s get to the reviews!

Quick Sips 10/15/2021

A new week brings me desperately trying to get ahead on reviews ahead of a planned vacation (of sorts). Taking time off has always been somewhat challenging for me not just because I couldn't afford to for a long time, but because short fiction never stops, and taking a whole week off of reviewing can mean the pile of work to catch up on is...intense. Given that I'm already behind on novellas and anthologies, I'm hoping that taking the time won't leave me absolutely buried. But we'll see. What I can say is that I got to a decent amount this week, finishing up September's work with the latest Mermaids Monthly. After that it's solidly October releases, and some large ones. Kaleidotrope had 14 works, and Fusion Fragment had 8. Fiyah had 7. The special Apex had 6. The only smaller release I'm looking at this week is Flash Fiction Online. And even with all that, October looks like it will be a doozy. But I will celebrate the work I did get done, even as I'll need to do at least as well next week to be in good shape for the month. Onward.

NOTE: This will be a recurring note that will run with every Quick Sips. First, please note that I don’t necessarily mention every story or poem out in an issue. I am giving myself permission to either DNF stories, or else finish and just not comment on them. Please don’t assume it’s because I disliked the work! There are many reasons I might chose not to comment on a piece, and I reserve the right to do just that. Second, you might notice the notations at the end of the micro reviews and wonder what the [c# t#] is. These are for the Scales of Relative Grimness and a full explanation of them can be found through the tab at the top of the page or through this link. With that said, let’s get to the reviews!

Quick Sips 10/08/2021

So I can actually kinda welcome October now, as this week finds my first October reviews, and I’ve front loaded the post with them, covering the triad of Fantasy, Nightmare, and Lightspeed. It’s spoopy season so both Fantasy and Nightmare get into the swing of things nicely, as both have a tendency to feature grim themes and content. Then I dip back into September content to catch up on Strange Horizons, Tor, Podcastle, GigaNotoSaurus, and Anathema. Some of those were pretty late editions to the month (Anathema dropped on the 30th), but some I just kinda forgot I hadn’t already covered (sorry GigaNotoSaurus). Luckily, no harm no foul. Onward!

NOTE: This will be a recurring note that will run with every Quick Sips. First, please note that I don’t necessarily mention every story or poem out in an issue. I am giving myself permission to either DNF stories, or else finish and just not comment on them. Please don’t assume it’s because I disliked the work! There are many reasons I might chose not to comment on a piece, and I reserve the right to do just that. Second, you might notice the notations at the end of the micro reviews and wonder what the [c# t#] is. These are for the Scales of Relative Grimness and a full explanation of them can be found through the tab at the top of the page or through this link. With that said, let’s get to the reviews!

Quick Sips 10/01/2021

And the reviews just keep on coming. At the time this is posting publicly, October will have officially begun and there will only be a quarter of the year to go! Which…scary! But also, light at the end of the tunnel! This week I’m getting kind of all over, catching up on a bunch of smaller issues, mainly, as well as some novellas that came out a little while ago. Yay! That means I’m still in September (or earlier) territory, checking out this month’s The Deadlands and Clarkesworld. Plus the latest Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Strange Horizons. Plus all the Escape Artist episodes I’ve been behind on. So yeah, an eventful week hopping around, and lost of great short SFF to cover!

NOTE: This will be a recurring note that will run with every Quick Sips. First, please note that I don’t necessarily mention every story or poem out in an issue. I am giving myself permission to either DNF stories, or else finish and just not comment on them. Please don’t assume it’s because I disliked the work! There are many reasons I might chose not to comment on a piece, and I reserve the right to do just that. Second, you might notice the notations at the end of the micro reviews and wonder what the [c# t#] is. These are for the Scales of Relative Grimness and a full explanation of them can be found through the tab at the top of the page or through this link. With that said, let’s get to the reviews!