Can you believe we’re already 1/4th of the way through the year? With that being the case I thought I’d take a short look back, provide a quick summary of things that have happened in the first quarter of 2020. I’m hoping this might keep me more focused and looking forward by taking some time to peer a little way into the past and see what I’ve accomplished (if anything). And, perhaps, it may give you some ideas of things to do, books to read, or movies to watch.

Photography

On the photography front I’m still not getting out shooting as often as I’d like, though I’d likely say that regardless of the number of times I got out. I had about half a dozen outings with the camera this quarter, all small and local hikes. Many of the locations I frequent have closed or had their access restricted due to virus lockdowns, so this may affect my outings over the next quarter.

I’ve continued working on my back catalog in Lightroom, which is often an enjoyable experience, pulling out old photos I’d forgotten about and seeing if I can turn them into something more. From an organizational perspective, I always feel I could better manage my photos, and I’m always behind in keywording them, so there’s still plenty to do.

I strive to regularly publish a new post each week on the blog and I’ve managed to keep this pace. In case you missed any, here’s a quick rundown of the posts this quarter:

Before & After

Water & Stone

Field Notes Updates

Red Badges of Courage

Winter Heat Wave Heron

Flight of the Northern Pintail

The Building of a Doomed Nest

Photo Failures

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Random Thoughts

Goals for 2020

A Fly on the Rail

Keep Your Eyes Open - White-tailed Deer

10 Ways to Work on Photography While Confined to Your House

Reviews

Used Photography Book Roundup - January 2020

Circe by Madeline Miller

Story Behind Image

Cherry Blossoms by the Jefferson Memorial

Trip Report

Fort Hunt Park, Virginia (update/repost)

Reading

I love reading. I think it helps develop our creativity by exposing us to the creative minds of others and by pushing us to see things in a different light than we might have otherwise. So I push myself to read a lot, and I attempt to read from a range of genres though I’m most drawn to a few.

My overall goal this year, tracked in goodreads, is to read at least 50 books. Granted, I know some of these will be much shorter than others. Some will be books of photography with few words. Others will be graphic novels. But even with that, 50 is a high enough number to keep me motivated to continue reading. So far I’ve been doing a good job keeping pace.

Here are the 13 books I’ve finished this quarter:

Photography

ShadowLight by Freeman Patterson

A wonderful look into the life of Canadian photographer, Freeman Patterson. I have a couple instructional books by Patterson, but this is the first I’ve read. It contains a nice selection of his photographs and much writing about his journeys through life. I hope to post a review one of these days.

Non-fiction

A Nose for Trouble by Michael Ainslie

An interesting look into the life of Michael Ainslie and his experiences in business and life. He seems to have been drawn to, or simply found himself in, situations full of adversity, from traveling through countries during wartime, to the growth and scandals of Sotheby’s, and the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers.

Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilgunas

Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this book. It tells of the author’s troubles with debt and how he attempted to get a quality education from a prestigious institution without going back into debt. The premise seemed good, but it just didn’t work for me, and the comparisons to Walden didn’t ring true. But, your mileage may vary.

Fiction

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie

This is book 2 of the Imperial Radch trilogy and a very worth followup. I don’t want to give away too much in case you haven’t read the first book, Ancillary Justice, but suffice it to say Ann Leckie has created an incredible universe, one I found full of surprises. It had me thinking about what it would be like to be some of the characters, given how different they are from anything we know in the real world.

The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey

I received a pre-publication ebook of The Book of Koli through a goodreads giveaway. This was my first exposure to M.R. Carey’s writing, though I did watch the movie version of The Girl With All the Gifts. Having read this I can understand why there are so many fans of his work. It was a very entertaining read about a far future post-apocalyptic Earth where civilization as we know it has collapsed, leaving small villages separated by dangerous swaths of carnivorous forests. I look forward to the next book.

Circe by Madeline Miller

A thoroughly engrossing tale of the life of Circe, a lesser goddess of Greek mythology, daughter of the Titan Helios. We see glimpses of better known events and figures as her life unfolds. I very much enjoyed this book. Check out my review of Circe by Madeline Miller.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

I finally read (actually listened to) this classic story of a dog, Buck, stolen and sold into the service of gold miners in the north. A wonderful tale of adventure and adversity tracking the life of this incredible dog and his various owners, some of whom were cruel and harsh, others who showed great love.

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

Another classic I’m pleased to have tried, though I didn’t enjoy much beyond the first of Gulliver’s travels. It was an interesting bit of social commentary of the day, but I found the story, itself, to really drag on.

The Peripheral by William Gibson

My first read of the year and a great way to start it off. I loved Gibson’s story, which followed two timelines as they interacted in various ways, each being altered by the other. An interesting cast of characters and technologies made for a very enjoyable read.

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

The third book in Martha Wells’ series, The Murderbot Diaries, following the life and adventures of a cyborg security unit that refers to itself as Murderbot. I absolutely love this character, which Wells has imbued with such life. She packs so much story into these short novellas and I continue to look forward to each new chapter.

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss

Working my way through some of the classics, I found myself somewhat disappointed with this book. I enjoyed parts, and I appreciated the overall story, but I got bogged down in all the details and the overly blatant moral lessons. Others may appreciate this far more than I did.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

Here is a classic I thoroughly enjoyed. It was interesting to see what the actual story was, given all I’ve had access to prior to this were the various movie renditions. This was a long book, but one I very much enjoyed. I look forward to returning to these characters in the sequels.

Comics / Graphic Novels

Global Frequency by Warren Ellis

The story of a private rescue organization with global reach, run by a woman known as Miranda Zero, helping folks no one else can. I enjoyed some of the stories, but others were a little too over the top for me.

Five of the books I read this quarter were in audio format:

• The Call of the Wild by Jack London

• Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

• The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss

• The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

• Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilgunas

My favorites of all these were:

• ShadowLight by Freeman Patterson

• Circe by Madeline Miller

• The Peripheral by William Gibson

• Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

I’m currently almost finished with a reread of The Fellowship of the Ring, the 1st book of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, but this time in audiobook format. I do love this series. And I’m slowly making my way through Alice Shroeder’s The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life. One of the next books I plan on starting is The Black Prism, the first of Brent Weeks’ Lightbringer series.

Movies

As with books, I love watching movies to experience worlds crafted from other creative minds. I prefer books, but I enjoy both, each having its own strengths and weaknesses as a medium. This quarter I watched the following movies:

Advantageous

A slow concept movie about a single mother with a daughter far in the future when jobs are harder to come by. The mother makes a difficult decision she hopes will help guarantee a positive future for her daughter. The movie was ok.

6 Underground

A fast paced, over the top, special effects-laden action film about a 6 person international vigilante team intent on overthrowing world leaders they see as evil. If you enjoyed other Michael Bay films you may enjoy this one. I didn’t care for it.

Furie

A Vietnamese martial arts action film about a mother struggling to make ends meet when her daughter is kidnapped by a child trafficking group. She gets little initial help from the authorities so she takes matters into her own hands. It was entertaining and exactly what you’d expect from this type of film.

I Lost My Body

I very much enjoyed this animated French film about a dismembered hand trying to find its way back to the young man who lost it. Slowly we get a picture of this young man’s life, see his troubles, what he does to try to change, his pursuit of a love interest, and how he came to lose his hand. I enjoyed this film more than I expected.

Parasite

I may be biased in my enjoyment of this Korean film as I’ve enjoyed most of the films by director Boon Joon-ho and those starring Kang-ho Song. A very interesting look into the life of a family struggling to survive, and another with riches to spare, and how they eventually begin to interact and mix together. This was not at all what I’d expected, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ready or Not

A bit of a dark film, a horror/comedy, full of some gruesome scenes, but overall I ended up enjoying it. A new bride is introduced to her husbands family in a dark, mysterious house, where they must all play a strange card game with each new addition to the family. Things get a bit out of hand.

Watchmen

Based on a graphic novel, this movie tells of a group of masked heroes after their heyday, when someone begins killing them off. One member, Rorschach, begins investigating, suspecting there’s more to this than most realize. And he’s proven correct. An exploration of human nature and whether the ends justify the means. I very much enjoyed this film.

The Way

An absolutely beautiful and moving story of a father who must travel to Europe to collect his son, who died after starting a pilgrimage, hiking a trail from France to the coast of Spain. Tragic. Funny. Moving. Heartfelt. A movie about healing and self-awareness.

Miss Hokusai

Miss Hokusai is an artist and daughter to a famous painter. They have a somewhat strained relationship but manage to get along. I loved the art in this film, and there was an interesting cast of characters and a very enjoyable story. I did find the ending a bit odd, and parts of the soundtrack were unexpected for this type of story. But overall, I did enjoy it.

Of these my favorites were:

• Parasite

• The Way

Life

The elephant in the room this quarter would have to be the virus pandemic spreading across the world. It’s certainly something new for most of us, never having experienced something of this magnitude. And it’s changing the way many of us go about our daily lives and how we seek entertainment and well-being. But, as with all things, it will pass. And we just need to do the best we can until then.

I hope you’re well wherever you are. And I hope you stay healthy, active and positive. Let me know how your quarter has been in the comments below.

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