**20 Lessons on Tyranny ** (by Timothy Snyder, read by John Lithgow)
Bill Hastings: Book Critic
Bill casts his eye over two books he recommends for good reading. The books discussed are: Orbital by Samantha Harvey and Ted Lasso and Philosophy.
Ode to empty can of Kingfisher found on a windowsill at Middlemore Hospital
In shaded light, up in the corner
Royally perched on a sill
Not in the middle, to the side
A pale resemblance of itself
The sparkle’s gone; the fizz, no more
It’s empty now, its job is done
This one won’t fish for compliments
But don’t kick the can
Just let it rest a while,
Respite; in dusty repose
(Requested by Victoria Luff)
Ode to a Lost Pal
You were left outside
All alone
The party’s over
And you are left behind
They’ve all moved on
Now you are an empty vessel
A memory of a night
Abandoned on the stairs
Finished reading: Mother and Sons, Inc. by Kathryn Reyerson 📚
Very interesting historical study of a medieval widow and her business and family interests in pre-Plague southern France.
Finished reading: Tournament by David Crouch 📚
Excellent history and resource for information on historical medieval tournaments.
Finished reading: The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera 📚
Not sure what I thought about this one. Much of it I enjoyed, but I felt the story was undermined but the ability of the central antagonist’s ability to completely alter reality, including unmaking the past - how can a coherent story be told in this way ?
Today’s mail
Man Alone (John Mulgan)
A Queer History of the United States (Michael Bronski)
Faithbreaker (Hannah Kaner)
At Swim, Two Boys (Jamie O’Neill)
Finished reading: All Systems Red by Martha Wells 📚
Excellent beginning to the Murderbot Diaries series. Creates an entire world and complex but alt-human character in a very short book. Excellently done.
Finished reading: Grave Empire by Richard Swan 📚
Excellent start to the second series of books on the Sovan Empire. This series jumps forwards hundreds of years from the first, shifting from a medieval to an early industrial period.