Jeremy Baker
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Finished reading: The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox 📚
Finished reading: Lie With Me by Philippe Besson 📚
A gloriously written story of hidden first love in 1980s provincial France, reminding us of the loss, pain and wasted opportunities created by social oppression. The final pages pack an incredible punch that will stay with me for a very long time.
The fact I was a teenager in this time period and had lived in France only a few years earlier deepened the impact on me significantly. Philippe Besson is incredible.
Great way to start the day after a fabulous concert 🎶 📚 🥯 #deli #federalstreetdelicatessen #florenceandthemachine #concert #books #unitybooks #auckland #tāmakimakaurau
If anyone in Pōneke needs an in-depth guide to the Scythians and other historical steppe peoples I can probably help 😂. I actually did not set out to create this collection… but now that I have it I love it 😍 📚 #books #history #scythians #steppe #collection #serendipity
Temporary solution to the 2023 shelving crisis - double stacking. Not an acceptable long term solution but needs must… 📚 #books #shelving #crisis #2023
Currently reading: The Darker Angels of Our Nature edited by Philip Dwyer 📚
A refutation of psychologist Steven Pinker’s 2012 “The Better Angels of Our Nature” by historians of violence. The editor is the Professor of History and Director of the Centre for the Study of Violence at the University of Newcastle, and co-editor of Cambridge World History of Violence.
A Man and His Pride by Luke Rutledge
Review: A Man and His Pride by Luke Rutledge 📚
This was the prefect book to read on the way home from Sydney World Pride 2023. It has been a while since a book made me both laugh out loud and cry for the characters and for the things they represent. Luke Rutledge’s debut novel is set at the time of Australia’s Same Sex Marriage referendum. It skilfully weaves a tale of flawed deeply human people dealing with different sorts of trauma inflicted by many varieties of homophobia and self repression. It’s equally a story about how heteronormative expectations damage us all - queer or straight - but also about the gentle love of friendship can help us overcome and heal our hurts. Truly, love wins - just not always how you expect it will.
The Sydney World Pride / Mardi Gras 2023 Sussex St Library 📚 #books #library #sydney #worldpride #mardigras
Morning reading after a fantastic first night of @sydneyworldpride - with a couple of books from @littleblackgallery and @boysfineart #mōrena #sydney #worldpride #mardigras #books #art #photography
Photography books - “Rite” by Michael Søndergaard and “Uncensored” by AdeY
Wonderful World Pride Exhibition by @thelittleblackgallery 📷 #photography #art #exhibition #northsydney #sydney #mardigras
Successful book haul from Abbeys Bookshop in central Sydney 📚🛍️😜😳
So many great history books!
(Some pre-planning may have been involved…)
Started reading: The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan 📚
I enjoyed the first the Empire of the Wolf series; looking forward to this one.
Finished reading: Godkiller (Godkiller, Book 1) by Hannah Kaner 📚
Oh yes! Fantastic! More please :)
Finished reading: Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell 📚
Fun queer space opera in the same universe as “Winter’s Orbit”.
Finished reading: Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo 📚
Wow. That was a ride and a half!
Finished reading: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo 📚
Well crafted tale of magic, privilege, colleges, and the dead. Looking forward to the sequel.
Finished reading: The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan 📚
This one was fast and furious, gripping and gory. Excellent grimdark fantasy. Can’t wait for the sequel. #BookReview #Fantasy #Grimdark
Finished reading: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka 📚
A marvel. #mīharo
Year in books for 2022
Here are some more of the books I finished reading in 2022:
{{< bookgoals 2022 >}}
Finished reading: Fen, Bog and Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis by Annie Proulx 📚
A troubling but gloriously well written call to action to save or rehabilitate or fens, bogs and swamps.
Started reading: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr 📚
I was gifted this last Xmas - and didn’t get around to reading it. It has stayed at our beach house all year, and now we are back and it seems like a good time to start. 😜
Just arrived: The Wordhord by Hana Videen 📚
Heard a lot about this - can’t wait to dive in :)
Currently reading: The Glass Wall by Max Egremont 📚
This one is interesting so far - a travel book - but deeply steeped in the complex history of the Baltic states.