WIP, 15mm SYW Reichsarmee infantry brigade 2, 31JAN16

Here a photo on of what I've been working on this weekend:

                                          WIP, 15mm SYW Reichsarmee infantry brigade 2, 31JAN16.

Yes, I'm insane enough to base and prime my 15mm figure before painting them.

Breaking in painting table and WIP, Paladin of the Wall, 28JAN16

Here are some photos from this evenings painting projects:

                                          Priming an 18mm SYW Reichsarmee infantry brigade.

                                          WIP, Paladin of the Wall Menoth solo, 28JAN16.

Late January 2016 reading...

I've been reading a local manuscript called Guards.  It's about security guards working in South Boston, MA during the 1980s.  It's pretty funny.  The author is a great humorist.

I'm also reading Alien vs. Alien.  I'm about 2/3rds of the way done with the novel.  It's another satire/parody of "serious" sci-fi by Gini Koch.  I've enjoyed the premise and will have a full review when I get done with the novel.  Ms. Koch has an entire series of these books.  I picked up one at random and began reading it.  I'm not sure if I'd go back and read the rest of them (I don't have the time with all the other reading I need to do).

The last ebook I'm reading is "Masters of the Art:  A Fighting Marine's Marine of the Vietnam War" by Winter.  I read about his trip over the continent USA to California and then across the Pacific to Hawaii and then Vietnam.  I just began Winter's actual combat tour in Vietnam.  He was a door gunner on a CH-46 Sea Knight.  It's taken awhile to get his combat experiences.  So far, it looks like it'll be good.  However, Mr. Winter is a decent writer.  That's made "Masters of the Art" an easy read...

Guards and "Masters of the Art" are ebooks.  Alien vs. Alien is an old fashioned hard copy.  I'm trying to read both because of the backlog of novels and ebooks I have on my bookshelves and NOOK Ereader.

Blake's painting queue, 27JAN16

Here are photos of all the miniatures that need painting.  They've piled up over the past several months....

                                          My brother's old painting table.  I'm using as a work table.

                                          Two books I kept for extra books and my gaming stuff.

   18mm Fantasy Football Orc team started back in June 2015 for Mute Bystanding.  Need to be finished.

                                          18mm SYW Saxon infantry and heavy cavalry brigades.

                                          28mm 1860 French Foreign legion needing to be touched up.

                                          28mm Colonials and 30mm Warmachine Rhulic Dwarf Mercs.

                                          More 30mm Warmachine Rhulic Dwarves.

New painting area, Jan. 26, 2016

                                          New painting table and paint area, 26JAN16.

I found out a local contractor won't get around to work on the basement for at least a month.  I went to a retailer and bought a new table and table clothes.  It's my new painting area.  I have a figure I'd started months ago.  It's a Warmachine Machine Protectorate of Menoth Paladin solo.  I'll work on him tonight and then move over to 18mm SYW Reichsarmee infantry later this week.  I need to prime all the 18mm SYW figures.  So that will take a day.

I'm glad to get back to painting.  I've missed it.  I've got too many figures lined up in my painting queues!

Anyway, it's been been five months since I've painted...  That's too long.

Mid/late January 2016 reading....

I'm suffering from a sinus infection.  My ears are blocked up.  The house is torn up up with remodeling.  I spent this afternoon reading 100 pages of Alien vs. Alien by Gini Koch.  She's a human married to the Alpha Centauri Ambassador, who look like supermodels and move ultra fast when they want to.  The A-Cs are also empaths and telepathic.  This book involves an alien invasion conspiracy of Earth.  I'm now at page 300 of 489 pages.  I'd like to get the book done in the next weeks.  I should have a formal review posted online by then.

It's been fun reading Koch's sci-fi parody/satire.  It's campy and over the top like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  Very Adam's like.

Mid January reading...

I spent this evening reading another 30 pages in "Masters of the Art:  A Fighting Marine's Memoir of Vietnam" by Winter.  The author talked about helicopter school.  He was a crew chief for CH-46 Sea Knights.  Being a Marine, he also drank and got into a lot of fights.  I've enjoyed the book.  It's been an easy read.  That's a big plus after dealing with overly academic military histories.  I'm now at page 97 of 242 pages.  I'll have a full ebook review on my blog when I get done with it.

I'm also reading Alien vs. Alien by Gini Koch.  She writes sci-fi parodies/satire for a female audience.  I'm reading it to broaden my horizons.  So far, it's worked.  I keep reading when I find the time.  I'm at page 204 of 486 pages.  I'll have a full review when I get done with the novel.

That's it for my reading this month...

Weekend reading, January 10, 2016....

I got another 50 pages read in Alien vs. Alien.  I'm not making as much progress in the book as I'd like.  But I am getting it read.  But there's about 486 pages total.  I'm only at page 204.  So it'll be a while before I write a review.

However, I haven't seen Star Wars:  The Force Awakens.  I don't know when I'll get to see it.

I also read the Masters of the Art:  A Fighting Marine's Memoir of Vietnam by Ronald Winter.  I got through his boot camp training.  That's about it...

Blake

January 2016 book purchases and reading projects

I broke down and bought a bunch of ebooks for my Nook this week.

Military History:
I bought The Rhodesian War:  A Military History, The War of Spanish Succession by James Falkner, and The Madness of Alexander the Great from Pen & Sword Books.  Also purchased Armies of the Pacific War, 1879-1883.

Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs:
I bought the five volume Learning Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs series.

Sci-fi/Fantasy/Steampunk:
I bought The Difference Engine by William Gibson, Leviathan No. 1, Queen Victoria's Bomb, The Strange Affair of Steel Springed Jack, and The Lost Stars:  Shattered Spear by Jack Campbell.

Reading Projects:
I'm working on Masters of the Art:  A Fight Marine's Memoir of Vietnam by Reginald Winter.  I got through his basic training in 1966 at Paris Island, SC.  I'm on Page 69/of Page 242.  I'll have a full review when I'm done with the ebook.  I'm also reading Alien vs. Alien by Gini Koch, too.

January 2016 reading...

I started several new books this past month.  The first is Alien vs. Alien by Gini Koch.  It's a campy, over the top sci-fi parody.  Koch is a relatively new writer.  I'm at page 155.  There are about 490 pages.  It'll take me a while to get through it...

The second manuscript is an ebook by Ronald Winter called Masters of the Art:  A Fighting Marine's Memoir of Vietnam.  The author was a Vietnam US Marine helicopter pilot.  I'm at page 40 of his basic training experience at Paris Island, SC in 1968.  There are 268 pages total on my Nook. 

The ereader tends to go faster than the hard copies.  I don't know why.  I'll have full reviews on the blog when I get done reading them.