A.S. HARDIN
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What I'm reading

Physical

Audible

The Terror by Dan Simmons

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Shadow of War by J.D. Ruffin

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The men on board HMS Terror have every expectation of triumph. As part of the 1845 Franklin Expedition, the first steam-powered vessels ever to search for the legendary Northwest Passage, they are as scientifically supported an enterprise as has ever set forth. As they enter a second summer in the Arctic Circle without a thaw, though, they are stranded in a nightmarish landscape of encroaching ice and darkness. Endlessly cold, with diminishing rations, 126 men fight to survive with poisonous food, a dwindling supply of coal, and ships buckling in the grip of crushing ice. But their real enemy is far more terrifying. There is something out there in the frigid darkness: an unseen predator stalking their ship, a monstrous terror constantly clawing to get in.When the expedition's leader, Sir John Franklin, meets a terrible death, Captain Francis Crozier takes command and leads his surviving crewmen on a last, desperate attempt to flee south across the ice. With them travels an Inuit woman who cannot speak and who may be the key to survival, or the harbinger of their deaths. But as another winter approaches, as scurvy and starvation grow more terrible, and as the terror on the ice stalks them southward, Crozier and his men begin to fear that there is no escape.
The world is broken...and it can never be made whole again.

Corban wants nothing more than to be a warrior under King Brenin's rule -- to protect and serve. But that day will come all too soon. And the price he pays will be in blood.

Evnis has sacrificed -- too much it seems. But what he wants -- the power to rule -- will soon be in his grasp. And nothing will stop him once he has started on his path.

Veradis is the newest member of the warband for the High Prince, Nathair. He is one of the most skilled swordsman to come out of his homeland, yet he is always under the shadow of his older brother.

Nathair has ideas -- and a lot of plans. Many of them don't involve his father, the High King Aquilus. Nor does he agree with his father's idea to summon his fellow kings to council.

The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed in battle, the earth running dark with their heartsblood. Now, the stones weep red and giant wyrms stir, and those who can still read the signs see a danger far worse than all that has come before. . .

Previous reads

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Blending science fiction and fantasy, the second book of the Coldfire Trilogy continues a dark tale of an alien world where nightmares are made manifest.  Two men, absolute enemies, must unite to conquer an evil greater than anything their world has ever known. One is a warrior priest ready to sacrifice anything and everything for the cause of humanity's progress; the other, a sorcerer who has survived for countless centuries by a total submission to evil. In their joint quest, both will be irrevocably changed.

Video Games

The Witcher

Over the past year, I've started playing PC games again (well something other than Minecraft). I've bought several on Steam so my addiction from one to the next will vary. At the moment I'm on the Witcher. I bought all three in a black friday sale and I recently finished the last. I always seem to side with the Dwarves and elves, I have a hard time pressing the pesants to pay more, and I can't seem to win a game of Gwent to save my life (dice poker on the other hand). Now onto the DLCs...
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Sea of Thieves

I've mentioned I love tall ships so of course I'm playing SOT and yes, I do know I'm behind the times. I've had it for a couple of years but it wasn't until Jeremy (my hubs) started playing too that I really got into it. Sadly (as this typically ends in my being sunk or nearly being sunk) I am a speak first, shoot second kind of pirate. I'd much rather run into some friendlies who want to shoot off some fireworks or just let people go on about their voyage than start up any beef. Either way, whether it's forming an alliance or sinking other pirates, it's been a really fun game. 

​Here are some photos of my ship, my pirate avatar, and some buddies I play with. 
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Other Things....

When I'm not reading or writing, playing video games or putting together puzzles, I love going to the beach, touring tall ships, and riding motorcycles. Though I'm not crafty, I've taken to collecting craft supplies, and on occasion, I attempt to use them. I like to re-cover and bind books, especially journals, and every now and again, I use Canva and make stickers for Redbubble. I have quite an eclectic store with my designs ranging from TV shows to games to D&D to reading or writing. It seems I don't have a niche, never have, never will, I guess.