Wonderful World Pride Exhibition by @thelittleblackgallery 📷 #photography #art #exhibition #northsydney #sydney #mardigras

collage of photography exhibition of gay snd queer art

Successful book haul from Abbeys Bookshop in central Sydney 📚🛍️😜😳

So many great history books!

(Some pre-planning may have been involved…)

collage showing Abbeys Bookstore and six history books purchased

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”.


Books and coffee, Taranaki style #books #coffee #NgāMotu #Taranaki #holiday #roadtrip

Two books (one titled “Eliot’s Book of Bookish List”) and two flat white coffees.

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.


Today’s book purchase: “Procopius: The Secret History” (Folio Society, 1990) from the excellent Ferret Bookshop on Cuba St, Pōneke. 📚#Books #SecondHand #History #Roman #Byzantine #FolioSociety

Hardback book with cover in the form of a full red and green mosaic showing two figurative lovers. Book sits atop a plain cream coloured cardboard sleeve.

Finished reading: Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan 📚

Really enjoyed this one. I enjoyed the great story telling, the strong characters, and the exploration of traditional Chinese mythos in new ways.


Finished re-reading: The Ness Of Brodgar - As It Stands 📚- an overview of the current state of the excavations at this Neolithic site on Orkney. #Archaeology #Prehistory #Neolithic #Orkney


The Ness of Brodgar

The Ness of Brodgar Excavation continues to uncover fascinating information about Neolithic Orkney:

At its zenith, in the main phase that we are currently exploring (dating from c 3100BC), the Ness was dominated by huge freestanding buildings flanked by a pair massive stone walls.

The best book on the Ness at present is The Ness of Brodgar: As It Stands (Orcadian, 2020)

I am very keen to visit this and other sites in Orkney at some point!

An aerial view of the complex of structures uncovered in Trench P on the Ness.


Finished reading: The Adventures of Ibn Battuta 📚- accounts of the 14thC travels of Ibn Battuta.