It’s been a long time since I checked in on a Wednesday with what I’ve been reading, but it feels like a good time! So without further ado, here I go answering the threes Ws:

• What are you currently reading?
• What have you recently finished reading?
• What are you reading next?

And linking up with Taking on a World of Words.

What are you currently reading?

Right now I’ve got started on one of my Christmas presents, The Science of Sin, by Jack Lewis. I was always inclined to raise my eyebrows a bit at the premise, expecting a good amount of discussion of “mismatch theory” (humans evolved under circumstances xyz, to promote survival via behaviours abc, and now those very behaviours cause problems) and possibly some judginess over defining what a “sin” even is.

That’s… pretty much what we’ve got here, with each chapter based on one of the Seven Deadlies. The chapter on gluttony focuses on bodyweight, asserting very firmly that it’s all about behaviour (and ignoring the influence of stuff like PCOS). It seems like a very simplified, pop-science way of going about things. Which isn’t too surprising, but it is frustrating.

What have you recently finished reading?

The last book I finished was The History of Wales in Twelve Poems, by M. Wynn Thomas — an inspired choice of Christmas present from my dad, since I love Welsh history (and know sadly little about it), I like poetry, and I love histories that take this format. I enjoyed it a lot, though worryingly a lot of the information dripped back out of my head again. I blame Christmas dinner, and will have to refresh my memory on bits of it before I write my review!

It’s also got some illustrations by Ruth Jên Evans, and has lovely presentation in general, including the poems in Welsh and in translation, etc.

What are you reading next?

I should really return to one of the other books I have on the go! Most likely I’ll finish up Sailor’s Delight, by Rose Lerner, which I was enjoying a lot but put down because the yearning was really getting to me. The romance promises to be really sweet, but I found it surprisingly intense!

Other than that, I also want to read A Surprise for Christmas before Twelfth Night, so I can get a review out close to Christmas-time. It’s one of the British Library Crime Classics series edited by Martin Edwards, and usually I find those to be pretty quick reads.

What about you? What are you reading?