-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
- June 2004
- May 2004
- April 2004
- March 2004
- February 2004
- January 2004
- December 2003
- November 2003
- October 2003
- September 2003
- August 2003
- July 2003
- June 2003
- May 2003
- March 2003
- February 2003
- December 2002
- March 2002
- February 2002
- January 2002
- December 2001
- December 2000
- December 1999
- January 1999
Categories
Meta
Monthly Archives: May 2009
Books acquired in May
METAtropolis by John Scalzi (2009)The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier (2004) A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen (1992) Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with … Continue reading
May Books
Non-fiction: 10 (YTD 36) Shakespeare: 4 (YTD 18) Fiction (non-sf): 6 (YTD 22) SF (non-Who, including Apuleius): 9 (YTD 36) Who: 2 (YTD 14) Comics: 2 (YTD 6) 11 (YTD 28/132) by women (Nafisi, Tocci, Mendlesohn, David, Oswald, 3x Wilson, Jenkins, Spencer, Rowling) 2 … Continue reading
May Books 33) Jewel, by Beverly Jenkins
Browsing through LibraryThing one day, I noted that Beverly Jenkins, of whom I had not heard, was one of the highest rated authors by the owners of her books – not many, but enough to reassure me that this was … Continue reading
May Books 32) Elric, by Michael Moorcock
I’ve read a certain amount of Michael Moorcock, but until now no Elric, so have filled that gap in my knowledge of sff classics. This is the Fantasy Masterworks edition which brings together The Stealer of Souls and Stormbringer, which … Continue reading
Comments Off on May Books 32) Elric, by Michael Moorcock
The BBC’s Lord of the Rings
Over the last few weeks I’ve been listening to the BBC’s 1981 audio version of The Lord of the Rings, having run out of Who audios to listen to. It is very very good, and I strongly recommend it. Ian … Continue reading
K9 and Company
Long, long before Torchwood or the Sarah Jane Adventures, the BBC made a pilot for a possible spinoff series, K9 and Company, which lasted for precisely one 50-minute episode in December 1981. The novelisation, by Terence Dudley who also wrote … Continue reading
Linkspam for 31-5-2009
ukpollingreport.co.uk » Northern Ireland European Best guide so far to NI European election – look esp at comment from Sammy Morse! (tags: northernireland) Asking the Wrong Questions: The 2009 Hugo Awards: The Novella Shortlist Abigail looks at the nominees (tags: … Continue reading
Turn Left
This is the second of last year’s Who stories to make the Hugo shortlist (the other being Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead). I wasn’t overwhelmed with it myself on first watching, but liked it a bit … Continue reading
Euro-elections 2009
Well, I’ve done the page for next week’s elections on my website. This is probably the most interesting European election in Northern Ireland since 1979 (though that is not saying much). Given the strength of their respective parties in recent … Continue reading
Linkspam for 30-5-2009
EU Leadership or Losership? | Oxfam International Oxfam on the EU and climate change (tags: eu climatechange)
May Books 30) The Stories of Elizabeth Spencer
Short stories mostly set in twentieth-century Mississippi but some also in Rome. Didn’t grab me and I stopped reading at the half-way mark.
Kindly
Triggered by a business email I just sent and by various musings on my f-list: I really hate people signing off emails or messages “With kind regards”. It’s not up to me to describe myself as being kind, it’s up … Continue reading
I am grateful to the Conservative Group for Europe…
…for putting into my office letterbox their well-argued briefings on why Tory MEPs should continue to sit with the EPP. I’m not sure if this was specifically because I have blogged on the topic or if it was a general … Continue reading
Midnight
We rewatched Midnight last night. I wrote previously that I couldn’t understand why this story didn’t get a Hugo nomination this year; I am still baffled. I think it’s the best episode of the season, and certainly the best ever … Continue reading
Audible.com / METAtropolis
Browsing through the Hugo shortlists, I discovered that one of the Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form nominees is an audiobook anthology with stories by Jay Lake, Tobias Buckell, Elizabeth Bear, John Scalzi, and Karl Schroeder, edited by Scalzi. Since … Continue reading
Linkspam for 29-5-2009
A lecture about orgasms Exactly as described. Warning – includes pig insemination. (tags: sex) YouTube – Girls Rock A Giant Piano Bach's Tocata and Fugue – can't quite believe this is real (tags: youtube) Former Libertas Director Switches Sides on … Continue reading
May Books 29) The Two Noble Kinsmen, by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher
The two noble kinsmen of the title are Palamon and Arcite, kin of the ruler of Thebes, taken as prisoners of war to Athens where they both fall in love with the Duke’s sister. Arcite is paroled, Palamon escapes, and … Continue reading
Linkspam for 28-5-2009
Karabakh: is war inevitable? | open Democracy News Analysis A good question (asked by a good friend) (tags: caucasus) Avuncular American: Europe’s Multiplicity of Messengers The real problem with writing about the EU: it’s not very interesting. (tags: eu) Cameron … Continue reading
May Books 28) Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller
I got this book because LibraryThing predicted I would not like it. Earlier this year I ran all the books I had read that month through the LibraryThing “unsuggester” and this and one other book (to be revealed in due … Continue reading
Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead
Last year I wrote up the first half of Series Four of New Who, but never got around to doing the rest. We’ve been re-watching them over the last few days, and now have reached the first of the two … Continue reading
Linkspam for 27-5-2009
Jon Worth Some wacky ways to improve the EU I completely agree with #2, #7, #8, #9, #10 and particularly #11. Mildly in favour of #3 and #4 (#4 sort of happens anyway). Neutral on #1 and #6. Only bad … Continue reading
Linkspam for 26-5-2009
Blair is the natural successor of A[t]tlee New Labour’s centralising instincts are not new (tags: ukpolitics) Carne Ross: The New Power Dispensation at the UN Security Council China’s increasing influence (tags: carneross china burma) Obama Urged to End "Silliness" over … Continue reading
May Books 27) Sands of Time, by Justin Richards
All Doctor Who books should be like this. This is pretty much the perfect Fifth Doctor novel. Two of my favourite Big Finish audios are The Reaping, bringing Peter Davison and Janet Fielding together again, and The Bride of Peladon, … Continue reading
Lying eurosceptics
Someone asked me recently about the claims made by "No2EU – Yes to Democracy", a eurosceptic group (supported by the RMT, one of the larger British trade unions) running in the coming European elections. I had a look at the … Continue reading
May Books 25-26) The Golden Ass, by Apuleius (and Milo Manara’s version)
I knew nothing about this book other than that it was very popular among the dead people whose libraries are catalogued on LibraryThing (including C.S. Lewis, Lawrence Durrell, T. E. Lawrence, William Faulkner, W.B. Yeats, Robert E. Howard, and Danilo … Continue reading
May Books 24) Bard IV: Ravens Gathering, by Keith Taylor
I forced myself to read twenty pages of this horrendous mish-mash of Celtic, Viking and Arthurian myth, in which all characters speak the fantasy novel dialect of English yet none of them does anything interesting, and then I gave up.
May Books 23) Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded, by John Scalzi
This is a compilation of Scalzi’s writing from his blog, essentially a set of rants and thought pieces on various subjects. I only became aware of his blog when I featured on it myself, but his writing is entertaining (more … Continue reading
May Books 22) EU Accession Dynamics and Conflict Resolution, by Nathalie Tocci
The title of this book sounds rather general, but it has a much more specific subtitle: “Catalysing Peace or Consolidating Partition in Cyprus?” The second of those options, at least from the perspective of late 2004 when the book was … Continue reading
May Books 21) Fall Out, by Alan Stevens and Fiona Moore
I knew the names of Alan Stevens and Fiona Moore from their excellent essays on Doctor Who, so I hoped very much that this book, subtitled “the Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to The Prisoner“, would be up to the same … Continue reading