Yep, time for the usual check-in!

What have you recently finished reading?

I’ve mostly been reading poetry for a few days, because it was on Serial Reader and it’s been a while since I read any poetry. This involved the conclusion that I’m still not a fan of Robert Frost, but I did like Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet”.

Other than that, the last thing I finished was the fifth volume of Heaven Official’s Blessing (MXTX).

What are you currently reading?

Predictably, I’m onto volume six of Heaven Official’s Blessing, which includes a scene I’ve been waiting for ever so long — finally Xie Lian has acknowledged Hua Cheng’s feelings for him, and seems to be reciprocating! (This is hardly a spoiler: it’s danmei, you know they’re headed there.)

On Serial Reader, I’m working my way through Agatha Christie’s Poirot Investigates, which is short stories. They feature an unfortunate amount of Hastings, and I am not a fan.

Other than that, I got back to reading Emily Henry’s Book Lovers, which I am at times reading while peeking through my fingers because of embarrassment squick.

What will you be reading next?

It’s a fair bet that I’ll be reading Heaven Official’s Blessing volume 7 in pretty short order, of course, but after that, I’m not sure. I do know that my next choice on Serial Reader is likely to be a reread of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd — I remember enjoying it very much and thinking it very clever, so I’m not going to skip it even though I know whodunnit. I did read it quite a while ago, so the clues and such will be new to me, even though I remember the conclusion.

And what are you reading?

It’s Wednesday, so it’s time for the usual update!

What have you recently finished reading?

I think the most recent novel I finished was Heaven Official’s Blessing volume 4 (MXTX). I’m loving the series, but I did take a bit of a pause to breathe after volume 4, knowing that the next volume answers some questions about Hua Cheng — at least, I hope it does! And I’m so ready for Xie Lian and Hua Cheng to maybe acknowledge what’s between them a bit more.

I know a lot of spoilers, as well, which gives me the fascinating puzzle of trying to figure out where things fit in.

What are you currently reading?

All That Remains (Sue Black) is the book I’m currently reading most actively, and hoping to finish today. I find it’s a lot more personal than her later book, Written in Bone, and I’ve found myself crying several times. I just read the chapter on her work in Kosovo, which is pretty heavy stuff. She has a very practical approach to death, but coupled with a great respect for grief and for what families need, and what’s owing to a person even when they’re dead.

On Serial Reader, I’m about halfway through The Murder on the Links (Agatha Christie). It’s much of a muchness with other fiction of the period, and I’m maybe liking it a bit less because I do so dislike Hastings as a narrator, and (sorry…) I’m not a huge fan of Poirot. Not that it’s bad, just not entirely to my taste.

What will you read next?

The next volume of Heaven Official’s Blessing is definitely high on my list. Other than that, I’ve been steadily trying to whittle down the number of books I have partway read at any one time, so I’ll probably pick another of those to focus on; Christina Baehr’s Wormwood Abbey, probably, but maybe also Emily Henry’s Book Lovers, since that’s not in a series and I won’t simply want to start the next book in its place.

How about you, readers?

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?

It’s been a while since I did one of these, but I’m currently reading stuff I’m excited about and not just rereading (though I’m doing a lot of that too), so it seems like a good moment for an update!

So WWW Wednesday normally asks:

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

What have you recently finished reading?

The last substantial thing I finished was Christianna Brand’s Tour de Force, of which I wasn’t a big fan — I find Brand quite cynical in her way of writing characters, and compare her unfavorably to E.C.R. Lorac, who by and large I love (even if sometimes she errs in the other direction, I’d rather that).

What are you currently reading?

Today I’m trying to finish up reading Victoria Finlay’s Colour: Travels Through the Paintbox, which is interesting but also has a feel of travel writing or memoir, neither of which are totally my thing. For each colour, Finlay’s travelled and researched by asking people in person, and set great stock by things like simply seeing the crocus fields from which saffron is made. Sometimes it feels very touristy.

I haven’t finished The Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (KH Charles) yet, and I’d like to get back to that too.

What are you planning on reading next?

That’s a difficult one, because I have a bunch of new books begging for my attention. I’m actually quite tempted to turn to something a bit off my usual path, which is Gary Smith’s Standard Deviations. I’ve studied a bit of statistics because you have to in order to study science at all seriously, and I’ve always been rather better at statistics than I expected (I think I got good marks in my undergrad statistics course, and I definitely did in postgrad). Anyway, the point of this book is about discussing the ways statistics can be used to mislead, and I think that’s something everyone could do with being aware of — and I should be able to follow along fairly well, or so I hope!

What about you?

It’s been a while since I did one of these, but I’m currently reading stuff I’m excited about and not just rereading (though I’m doing a lot of that too), so it seems like a good moment for an update!

So WWW Wednesday normally asks:

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

What have you recently finished reading?

I just read the Dominion comics by Thomas Fenton. I wasn’t enormously impressed, alas; the idea feels kind of overdone, and the story’s third act suddenly went nyyoooooooom!!! through to a conclusion without much stopping to explain things or explore what they meant.

What are you currently reading?

I have finally picked up The Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel, by KJ Charles, which I am (as I’d expect from a KJ Charles novel) really loving. Poor Rufus really deserves better from his family, though he really should control his temper a bit better — calling his relatives a pack of c-words is just justified, but it’s clear he’s pretty intimidating when he gets cross. Very curious what Luke’s whole deal is.

I am also currently still in the middle of my Narnia reread, partway through Victoria Finlay’s Colour, and half a dozen other books that are kind of backburnered, as is my wont.

What are you planning on reading next?

Most likely I’ll pick up Christianna Brand’s Tour de Force, which was the new British Library Crime Classic for this month. I’m actually a couple of months behind on reading them, gasp, so I should get to those soon.

But, as usual, my whim rules all, and maybe it’ll take me somewhere else.

What’s everyone else reading?

It’s WWW Wednesday time! So, as always, that’s:

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

What have you recently finished reading?

The last thing I finished was an anthology of short stories from the British Library Crime Classics series; this one, Final Acts, was themed around theatre. Killings on stage, actors getting themselves into trouble, in one case a clown, etc.

It was okay, though it had a repeat story in it from a different anthology by the British Library, which I find a bit disappointing. (It’s possible that this came first and the other is the repeat, or the repeat is one of the extras included at the end of some of the novels, but regardless, argh.)

What are you currently reading?

Many, many things at once, as usual — though I’ve finished some that I wrote about last week. I’m close to finishing Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe (Emma Törzs) at last, just by making sure I picked it up for a few pages a day even when I wasn’t feeling it. I don’t think it’ll quite come together for me, bit too slow to give a payoff, but I’m glad I’m finishing it all the same.

I have also more recently picked up Dragons, Heroes, Myths & Magic (Chantry Westwell), a book about the illustrations in medieval manuscripts. It includes examples (in full colour) from various manuscripts, along with explanations of their contents.

What will you read next?

I’m not totally sure! I should probably pick something else from the list of books I’m currently reading to focus on, in which case I suspect I’ll try to finish A History of the World in 100 Animals (Simon Barnes). I’ve had that on the go for ages, mostly just because I haven’t been picking it up — it’s a hardcover and a bit unwieldy.

What about you? Anything fascinating tempting you when you should be working?

It’s WWW Wednesday time! So, as always, that’s:

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

What have you recently finished reading?

I think the last thing I finished was Cat Bohannon’s Eve: How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution, which I found fascinating, and rather less essentialist about sex/gender than I’d feared it might be. It’s a bit overladen with footnotes at times, but I ended up settling in on Saturday and reading from around page 100 to the end, once I got back into the swing of it.

I actually finished that on Saturday and apparently haven’t really finished anything since, which is weird for me! It’s not that I haven’t been reading, but I guess I’ve not been very focused. Which is fine!

What are you currently reading?

I’ve started a few books at once, on a whim, so… oops. Especially since I have a list of books I’m partway through that’s 22 books long. I won’t talk about them all (some of them are just kinda backburnered), but this might still be easiest as a list! Here they are, in no particular order…

• Murder in Vienna, by E.C.R. Lorac:
  I have a few of Lorac’s books that haven’t (yet?) been republished by the British Library Crime Classics series, because they’re cheap on Kindle. I’m finally getting round to this one, and I love it as much as usual. She’s very good at evoking Vienna, including the unsettled post-WWII vibes.
• This New Noise: The Extraordinary Birth and Troubled Life of the BBC, by Charlotte Higgins:
  This is a history of the BBC, which I picked up on a whim. I’ve always felt fondly about the BBC, home of Doctor Who, and of all almost all the TV channels I could pick up with my old TV when I was a kid. I’m not very far into the book yet, but I’ve been fascinated to learn about Hilda Matheson.
• In Deeper Waters, by F.T. Lukens:
  I wanted something a bit lighter, so this seemed like it might do — it gets rated as fast-paced on StoryGraph, anyway. I’m not very far into it, so far, but I’m interested enough.
• Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe, by Emma Törzs:
  I’ve been “reading” this for a while, but I’ve finally got back to actually making progress on it, even if it’s just a chapter or two a day. I don’t know why it isn’t quite clicking for me — parts of it are fascinating.
• A Short History of Tomb-Raiding, by Maria Golia:
  Pretty much what it says on the tin, though it’s more specific than it sounds from the main title. It’s focused on Egyptian tomb-raiding, starting back when the tombs were built, and moving forward to the beginnings of archaeology (so far). There’s a chunk of book left, so I wonder how much it’s going to talk about modern archaeology.
• Threading the Labyrinth, by Tiffani Angus:
  I saw this described a while back as a “garden fantasy”, and I have a friend who absolutely loves gardening (and trees and flowers and most anything green), so I thought I’d give it a shot. I’m not very far in yet, so it’s hard to say what I think of it.
• The History of the World in 100 Objects, by Neil MacGregor (audiobook):
  Technically I think this was a radio series first, and then the book was written. This is the radio series, so I don’t think it has word-for-word the same content as the book. I’ve read the book (twice in fact), but at the moment I just wanted some soothing background noise while doing other stuff, and realised I had this in my Audible library. I’m enjoying it all over again, especially since it involves bringing in other experts to talk about the objects discussed. I was tickled to hear Phil Harding (best known from Time Team) opining on the hand axe, for example!

And that’s… okay, not all of them, but the ones I’m reading most actively. I know, I know, it’s a funny mix!

What will you read next?

I probably shouldn’t be thinking about that, with that list of books I’m already reading… but regardless, I have thought about that, so we might as well not pretend I haven’t. I’m thinking about picking up Murder in the Basement by Anthony Berkeley, or maybe jumping from the classics to a very recent book and try Death in the Spires by KJ Charles.

We’ll see, though!

And what about you? Anything good tucked into your backpack to travel around with you?