Good morning, folks! It’s been a somewhat busy week, aka I’ve still been catching up from the holiday and just being kinda lazy, so there hasn’t been much activity. I have bought my first two books of 2019 though, and got my first request via Netgalley.

Received to review:

Bought:

Books read this week:

Number of books in: 2
Number of books read: 4
Number of books from the backlog read: 3
Rereads: 0
Library books: 0
Bought in 2019: 1

Reviews posted this week:

–The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper. Still beloved, though I had more quibbles and concerns this time. 4/5 stars
–The Mycenaeans, by Rodney Castleden. I don’t know the material well enough to judge his accuracy, but there are some things from what I do know that seem problematic. 2/5 stars

Other posts:

–Discussion: Book Blanket. My awesome bookish crafty project for 2019!

Out and about:

–NEAT science: ‘Neanderthal diets: follow-up.‘ Someone asked an interesting question about last week’s post, so I dug in a bit further!

So that’s it for this week, I think! How’s it going for you guys?

Hello folks! It’s been a slow week and I’m only just properly getting back to my posting schedule, but there have been some posts and there has been a new book! Technically I took back a book I already had and got a new book as a swap. I’m super interested in this one since I spent my Christmas prep time learning a new fabric-based craft for people’s gifts… Actually, first, let me show off said gifts! (Click to embiggen!)

The first pic is finished and framed ones; the second pic contains some of the other pieces I finished, and shows them drying on the radiator before being pressed and framed! (Thank you, wife, for making the pressing and framing part happen.)

So here’s the new book:

Books read this week:

Reviews posted this week:

–Death Wears a Mask, by Ashley Weaver. Not bad, but mostly just kinda lukewarm brain candy — and the romantic entanglement between the main character and her playboy husband is wearing on me. 2/5 stars

–Over Sea, Under Stone, by Susan Cooper. The weakest of the series, and probably could’ve done without rereading this one, though Cooper’s deft touch with characterisation is still a joy. 3/5 stars

Other posts:

–The Last Ten Books. A book tag with mostly interesting questions!
–Game of Books 2019. My points-based ‘game’ that gives equal credit for many short books or one long book, while encouraging me to read my backlog too!
–WWW Wednesday. An update on what I’ve been reading recently.
–2018 Stats. A look back at my year in books!

Out and about:

–NEAT science: ‘Neanderthal diets.‘ How do we know what Neanderthals ate? This post goes through one of the ways!

How’s everybody doing? Reading anything exciting?

Well, that was a Christmas! Lots of books have been acquired, including a vast amount of Daisy Dalrymple, and with that I have nooo problem!

Books acquired:

Books read this week:

Number of books in: 12
Number of books read: 5
Number of books from the backlog read: 1
Rereads: 3
Library books: 0
Bought 2018: 1

Out and about:

–Once Upon A Blue Moon: ‘Christmas Limericks.‘ I wrote a limerick for each of our bunnies for the tag of their Christmas presents. This post has all four.
–NEAT science: ‘Types of flu vaccine.‘ Why are there three different types, and why do people get a different one based on age? I tell all!

And that’s it for this week! It’s been a very quiet week around here. Back to normal operations soon!

So how’s everyone else been? Good Christmas, if you celebrate?

Hey all! It’s getting really close to Christmas, and everything’s being flung to the wind as I finish up the last few hand-crafted items I need to do. Am I overdoing it? Probably! Anyway, that’s why I’ve been quiet — I hope to be around a lot more once Christmas is done.

Still, there’s some new books this week, so this post needn’t be empty excuses!

Books acquired:

Books read this week:

Reviews posted this week:

–The Roman Forum, by David Watkin. A fascinating, if somewhat anti-archaeology, view of the Roman Forum through time. 3/5 stars
–Damsel in Distress, by Carola Dunn. Don’t worry, the damsel in the title isn’t Daisy, as she gets herself in and out of trouble with her usual aplomb. A fun entry in the series. 4/5 stars

Other posts:

–Discussion: Libraries. Do you use ’em?
–WWW Wednesday. The usual weekly update!

Out and about:

–Once Upon A Blue Moon: ‘Transcript from the interview that contributed material for the article ‘Aliens from Outer Space: Make Us Into Your Leaders’, published Oct 2036‘. A short story about science, progress, and aliens. I wrote it for submission to an anthology, but it was rejected, so now it’s out in the world for free!

How’s everyone doing?

Good morning, folks! Another week closer to Christmas, and so many parcels arriving with books… which aren’t for me! 😱 No new books this week at all.

Read this week:

Stats:

Number of books in: 0
Number of books read: 4
Number of books from the backlog read: 0
Rereads: 2
Library books: 1
Bought 2018: 1

Reviews posted this week:

–Murder on the Flying Scotsman, by Carola Dunn. Another entertaining entry in the series, this one featuring Alec’s daughter. 4/5 stars
–The Greeks, by H.D.F. Kitto. Out of date, in attitude as well as facts, but the guy was so darn enthusiastic about the Greeks it was kind of charming anyway. 3/5 stars
–The Tea Master and the Detective, by Aliette de Bodard. A Sherlock Holmes inspired story where Watson is a sentient ship. Definitely enjoyable, though more about the characters and their interactions (very early in their relationship — they meet at the start of the book) than the mystery or even the world they inhabit, part of Aliette de Bodard’s Xuya universe. 4/5 stars

Other posts:

–Discussion: When To Give Up. I have stacks and stacks of books in my backlog. When should I admit that I may never read them? Hmm… never!
–WWW Wednesday. The usual weekly update.

Out and about:

–NEAT science: ‘The deep biosphere.‘ Wanna know about the weird and wonderful lifeforms found deep under the surface of the Earth?
–NEAT science: ‘Antibiotic use in lifestock: surely it’s a good thing! Spoiler: it really isn’t.‘ Wondering about the news that McDonald’s are looking to use fewer antibiotics in the livestock animals they source their beef from? Hopefully I’ve explained why clearly enough to show why it’s probably a very good thing.

So how’s everyone doing? Any good books this week? Been holding back for sales?

Good morning, folks! It’s starting to look kind of like Christmas here — me and my wife have our very first Christmas tree (since this is the first time we’ve lived together and been together at Christmas), and we have the very best (if unconventional) topper.

Books bought this week:

Books read this week:

Reviews posted this week:

–Rogue Protocol, by Martha Wells. A fun entry in the series, though I miss ART and feel it’s a little… episodic for my tastes. 4/5 stars
–Requiem for a Mezzo, by Carola Dunn. One of those cosies where the dead person is so awful you can’t really help but root for whoever did them in… Fun, but not demanding. 4/5 stars
–Pax Romana, by Adrian Goldsworthy. Definitely an interesting re-examination of the Roman Empire and its benefits for those under its banner. 4/5 stars
–The Division Bell Mystery, by Ellen Wilkinson. Mostly stands out because of the setting, but has some surprising moments of pathos near the end. 4/5 stars

Other posts:

–Habitica Bookclub: Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race. An intro post about my pick for December’s readalong.
–WWW Wednesday. The usual update on what exactly I’m reading right now.

Out and about:

–NEAT science: ‘Gecko Jesus‘. Or, “how exactly do geckos walk on water?”

So yeah, how’s everyone doing? Getting Christmas-y, if you celebrate? Any good books lately? Tell all!

Good morning, folks! It’s been a quietish week, which was a nice feeling! But I got a couple of books I’ve been excited about, and my book subscription box (Illumicrate) arrived this week too, so there’s a couple of new books to get excited about. And then there was one review copy, so… maybe it wasn’t that quiet after all! Here goes…

Received to review:

New books:

Books read this week:

Reviews posted this week:

–The Testament of Loki, by Joanne Harris. I thought the concept was kind of goofy, and that bothered me enough that I didn’t really enjoy the book, even though Harris writes Loki’s voice so convincingly. 2/5 stars
–Unearthing the Dragon, by Mark Norell. Some interesting stuff about feathered dinosaurs, but a lot of weird exoticising stuff about China. Meh. 2/5 stars
–Sandman Slim, by Richard Kadrey. Gritty urban fantasy with a tough male protagonist who has just got back after being dragged down to hell, and various angels, demons and monsters. No, I’m not intentionally describing Supernatural… It’s not a bad read, but it didn’t feel particularly fresh to me either. 3/5 stars

Other posts:

–Discussions: ARCs. Do you get them? Do you hanker after them or just accept them when they come? Are bloggers getting too entitled about getting ARCs?
–WWW Wednesday. The usual weekly update!

Out and about:

–NEAT science: ‘Is it a boy or a girl?’ If you feel like your family only ever tend to have daughters, then you might be right. Scientists have confirmed it really does happen, and how.

So how’s your week been? Getting any reading done?

Hello, everyone! This week I’m away from my bunnies, visiting my grandmother. Here’s a pic of Biscuit back home — hiding out in my pocket while her cage was being cleaned last week!

Bought:

Books read this week:

Reviews posted this week:

–Angkor and the Khmer Civilisation, by Michael D. Coe. A scholarly but nonetheless fascinating discussion of the Khmer and particularly Angkor. 3/5 stars
–The Ballad of Black Tom, by Victor LaValle. A response to Lovecraft with some genuinely horrifying bits. 3/5 stars
–The Magpie Lord, by K.J. Charles. I really enjoyed the characters, and the mystery is pretty fun too. 4/5 stars

Other posts:

–Discussion: Book Club. Are you a book club person? How do you pick a book for a group read?
–WWW Wednesday. The weekly update!

Out and about:

–NEAT science: ‘Concerning wombats.‘ Did you know that wombats have cube-shaped poop? Well, now you do — and scientists have figured out why, if that interests you.

So how’re you doing? Up to anything good this weekend?

Good morning folks! Thank goodness, the issue with adding images on my site is fixed now, so I can actually get this post done. It’s been a quiet week, partly because I’ve been in a terrible mood and didn’t want to get anything done…

Anyway, here’s the stack this week.

Received to review:

Bought this week:

Books read this week:

Reviews posted this week:

–War Cry, by Brian McClellan. This felt a little unsatisfying, because it didn’t feel like a whole story. It’s an interesting world, though. 3/5 stars
–The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Read for the comfort of familiarity, and thus as satisfying as ever. 4/5 stars

Other posts:

–Discussion: Regular Features. Do you like joining in on things like Top Ten Tuesday, WWW Wednesday, et al?
–WWW Wednesday. This week’s update on what I’ve been reading.

Out and about:

–NEAT science: ‘Llama vs flu‘. News about a potential innovative vaccine (made with the help of llamas) to beat flu, without the need for new vaccinations every season.

So how’re you all doing? Big plans for the weekend, or just a nice big book?

Good morning folks! It’s been quite a week, with one of the new buns rather suddenly becoming a teenager on us and needing to be separated from his sister. They get play dates, but they can’t live together now. It’s a bit sad, but on the other hand one cage now lives next to me so I have tons of awesome pictures of them just hanging out close by.

It would’ve been a quiet week, book-wise, except that a few I ordered last week have come in and I have one new ARC!

Received to review:

New books:

Read this week:

Reviews posted this week:

–Magna Carta, by David Starkey. Not bad, but seemed basic to me. 2/5 stars
–Labyrinth, by Kate Mosse. I liked this when I first read this, but apparently that moment can’t be recaptured! 2/5 stars
–One Way, by S.J. Morden. I’d have liked this more if it wasn’t so very much like another book I read recently, though I found the characters thin and mostly distinguishable by their crimes. 2/5 stars
–The Ancient Celts, by Barry Cunliffe. Beautifully presented, but for some reason Cunliffe’s writing seems to put me to sleep. 3/5 stars

Other posts:

–Discussion: Film Adaptations. Yay or nay?
–WWW Wednesday. The usual update!

So how’re you all doing?