So here in the US, this weekend is a long holiday weekend.  Monday is Memorial Day.  It’s pretty much what it sounds like, a holiday to buy furniture on sale and get sunburned remember fallen military personnel.  It’s considered the unofficial start of summer, and usually involves buying furniture and other items on sale cookouts, memorial services at military cemeteries, and hanging out with family and friends, usually near a grill and a lake if there’s one in the area.

I’ve decided I’m going to take a summer vacation this year.  From now until Labor Day (1st Monday in September, unofficial end of summer in the US), I’m not going to be doing many reviews of new material.  There will be a few exceptions, such as when I see something I really want to read RIGHT NOW,  but I won’t be accepting many requests unless I’ve reviewed titles for you before.  I was going to do a post on the 2nd Kardios story by Manly Wade Wellman but decided against it.  It’s not Wellman’s best work, and I really didn’t feel like making time in my schedule just to be negative.

I want to get caught up on some reading for pleasure, and to read some nonfiction that won’t be related to things on this blog (but might show up on Dispatches).  Speaking of which, I’ve still got several posts to do from my trip to Austin.  I also want to concentrate on writing fiction.  I’d like to have some things self-pubbed by the end of summer.  Plus I’ve pitched a couple of on-spec article ideas that have gotten the green light, and I need to do a little research.

But mostly I want to relax and have some fun with the blog as well as my reading.  Since Christmas I’ve missed nearly every deadline I had for getting reviews posted, and I’m tired of it.  The authors have been gracious about it , but I still feel like I let them down.  I’ll be teaching second summer session and traveling a bit in June.  I don’t need any further commitments.

I’ll still post, here and the other blogs, and some will be reviews of stuff I’ve read.  I’ll also review a few titles I’ve committed to review.  (I’m looking at you, Brianna, David T., David W., and Jeff.) But there may be long quiet stretches along with some different types of posts.  Whatever seems like fun.  Just no more of this, ‘cuz this isn’t the kind of fishing I want to do:

Gone Fishing by Arvalis