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.
Finished reading: On James Baldwin by Colm Toibin 📚
Exquisite short overview of the writing of James Baldwin by one of our greatest living writers. Shares Baldwin’s exploration on our inner lives within the context of the damage that malignant concepts of race and masculinity inflict on us, regardless of our gender or race.