personal
20 years of LibraryThing
A very Happy 20th Birthday to LibraryThing and congratulations to everyone who has made this happen - Tim, the team, and all of the readers and users who have been part of the community for the last 20 years.
I joined LibraryThing in April 2006, and in my first month I added 423 books (mostly history books). I’ve now catalogued 2681 books (1259 of which are tagged ‘history’), so my tastes have broadened!
You can access my personal Library here: https://www.librarycat.org/lib/jeremybakernz
Thank you LibraryThing, for everything. You are a key tool in enabling my obsession!
New coat Love this new coat from Mandatory.

Birthday book haul
Thanks to Mum, Dad, and Bill for the Unity Books vouchers 🥰
- Atlas of the New Zealand Wars (Vol I) (Derek Leask, 2025)
- The Monastic World: A Thousand Year History (Andrew Jotischky, 2025)
- The Revelation of Ireland: 1995-2020 (Diarmaid Ferriter, 2024)
- Bodies of Men (Nigel Featherston, 2019)
- Patria: Lost Countries of South America (Laurence Blair, 2024)

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)