@jeremybaker.nz

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 ?

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.

Finished listening to the audiobook of Poof by James Tolcher 📚

An incredible powerful, brutal and yet redemptive autobiographical novel. Reveals the deep scars in masculinity - both gay and straight - and the horrendous harm this continues to cause. Expertly written searing truth so vital it hurts.

Finished reading: Assassin’s Quest (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 3) by Robin Hobb 📚

Marvellous ending to the Farseer Trilogy. The pace and majesty of the tale took off in this book; highly recommend.

Finished reading: Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman 📚

So wonderfully down to earth and pragmatic. Also well written and funny.

Finished reading: Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch 📚

Wonderful pithy epigrams from David Lynch, one of the best creative people we were lucky to have.

Finished reading: Marcel Proust by Edmund White 📚

Excellent short biography of Proust by one of our great writers.

Finished reading: Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb 📚

One of the best, most complex fantasy stories I’ve read. The characters are complex, varied, and flawed, with mixed and changing motives. The magic elements are subtle and limited; but central to the story. The writing is simple but skilful. And the theme of otherness, outsiders, and strangeness are enduring.

Finished reading: The Whale Tattoo by Jon Ransom 📚

It took me a while to get into the book and the story but eventually it just flowed over and into me and by the end I could feel and smell the characters and the story. Loved the ending. A challenging but rewarding read with a gay working class protagonist. Visceral as hell.

Finished reading: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse 📚

Post-apocalyptic science-fiction in an indigenous North American world. Fascinating contrast to my recent read, “Cahokia Jazz”. There is a sequel (“Storm of Locusts”), that I’ll almost certainly follow up with at some point.