Here we go, as usual!

What have you recently finished reading?

The last thing I finished was Karl Widerquist’s book from the MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series, Universal Basic Income. I’m personally fairly convinced about the benefits of UBI, but I wanted to read more about its history, studies, etc. It’s a little dissatisfying that there’s so little actual large-scale proof, but that’s not the book’s fault, and I did learn about the Alaska dividend, which is a fascinating concept.

What are you currently reading?

Several things at once, as ever! I’ve picked up the app Serial Reader again, and I’m using it to read Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles — for a fan of the Golden Age of crime fiction, you’d be shocked by how little Christie I’ve read. I’m only a few ‘issues’ into it so far, so not much to say about it yet. It’s very classic for the period, though I’m not a Poirot fan in general.

I’m also in the closing chapters of Heaven Official’s Blessing volume 3. In some ways I’d love to do nothing but read this series, I’m adoring Xie Lian and Hua Cheng… but at the same time, I keep reminding myself that I get fidgety if I try to do that, and it’s good for me to have other books to focus on too. I’m also trying to keep pace with my wife’s reading, and this buddy read system is a lot of fun when we do it.

What will you read next?

I should return to reading Christina Baehr’s Wormwood Abbey, which I temporarily stalled on — not because I don’t like it, but just because I was focusing on Heaven Official’s Blessing and kind of busy with work stuff.

I should also start another non-fiction book, because I always like having one on the go; I suspect I’ll pick up my new Object Lessons book, Space Rover.

And what about you?

WWW Wednesday questions:

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

So as usual, here’s my answers!

What have you recently finished reading?

The last book I finished was Precious: The History and Mystery of Gems Across Time, by Helen Moleworthy. Each chapter discusses a different gem stone, like rubies, diamonds and jade, and tries to weigh up what makes the gem special and give a little of its history. I enjoyed it, for the most part, though I must admit that gemstones don’t do anything special for me — or perhaps I’ve just never handled a particularly beautiful one.

What are you currently reading?

As usual, I have a couple of things on the go at once. I’ve started on a new series by MXTX, Heaven Official’s Blessing, and now I’m onto the second book. I’m a little lost with all the lore, to be honest, and a friend suggested I try watching the donghua to get things straightened out. So I’ll probably do that soon! I’m enjoying the relationship between Hua Cheng and Xie Lian, though.

I’ve also just barely started reading Wormwood Abbey, by Christina Baehr. I think someone in the Bookly Discord mentioned reading that, and it caught my attention because there’s a tiny dragon on the cover! I need to settle down and read a bit more.

What are you planning on reading next?

I just got a bunch of new books for my birthday, so perhaps more from that stack. There’s a couple of new-to-me mysteries, including two by Joan Cockin — I recently tried Curiosity Killed The Cat, which I enjoyed, so maybe it’s time to read more of those. Or maybe this month’s British Library Crime Classic, Mr Pottermack’s Oversight by R. Austin Freeman, before I start building up a backlog.

I have options, as you see!

What are you reading?

WWW Wednesday questions:

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

Here goes!

What have you recently finished reading?

The last thing I finished was The Long History of the Future, by Nicole Kobie. If you’ve ever wondered “but where’s my flying car?!” then this book is kind of the answer, digging into why things like flying cars (and robot butlers) are proving tricky to actually bring onto the market. It was pretty interesting!

What are you currently reading?

As usual, I’m reading too much at once, but I’m most actively focusing on two: a non-fiction book about the Roman Empire, and a dark academia fantasy, A Study in Drowning. The latter contains a lot of Arthurian references (a character is called Corbenic, and of course there’s a character called Emrys Myrddin, and a legend about making foundations stay put by sacrificing a fatherless child), and it’s not really clear what it intends to do with everything it’s calling up — if anything. It seems much more interested in Faerie, which… is a weird combination.

I guess we’ll see!

The non-fiction is Gareth Harney’s Moneta: A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins, which I’m enjoying greatly. It doesn’t go into too much depth on the individual coins (and really I think it ends up discussing far more than twelve), but it’s written entertainingly.

What are you planning on reading next?

Technically I grabbed Invisible Friends, by Jake M. Robinson, to be next off the pile. But I don’t know for sure, because I might be a tiny bit more in the mood for another fiction read. I guess it depends what I finish first, and what catches my eye in the moment I’m thinking about what to read next.

How about you?

WWW Wednesday normally asks:

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

So, without further ado…

What have you recently finished reading?

The last thing I finished was The Sarpedon Krater, by Nigel Spivey, which is about a particular Greek ceramic (a krater is a sort of bowl used for mixing wine and water), and what it’s meant to different people over the years. It digs into the artist, where the krater was actually found (in an Etruscan tomb), some of the controversies around it, and also how the scene on it might have inspired other artwork. Art history generally isn’t my thing, but I’m always willing to be curious about things, and this was an interesting detour for me.

What are you currently reading?

As ever, I have a few books on the go at once. I’ve just started Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures, which isn’t as SF/F as you’d expect given one of the protagonists is an octopus. I’d file it more under literary fiction, really, and I’m feeling a little meh about at least one of the plot arcs (though it just became apparent how it links up, at least). I’ll finish it, at least, not sure yet how much I like it.

What are you planning on reading next?

Probably Vivian Shaw’s Bitter Waters — I love the Greta Helsing trilogy, and am honestly feeling like maybe I want to reread it. Reading this new novella might be a good way to scratch that itch and decide if I really do want to reread.

How about you?