Monthly Archives: February 2016

Rather fewer than usual this month – consequence of several trips where I wasn’t able to read much either in transit or when I got there. Non-fiction: 3 (YTD 9) A People's Peace for Cyprus, by Alexander Lordos, Erol Kaymak … Continue reading →

Jo Swinson: Why I now back all women shortlists Exactly.(tags: libdems ukpolitics sexandgenderandsexuality ) NMBS to launch wi-fi pilot project on Ostend-Eupen line | Flanders Today At long last! (And on my line!)(tags: Belgium rail technology ) Razzie Awards 2016 … Continue reading →

I had a rare Sunday excursion into Brussels this morning, to meet a friend from out of town who was visiting his sister in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre; and my eye was caught by the striking sculptures erected on street corners in the … Continue reading →

Another dramatic Irish election, with the exit polls proving to have underestimated the substantial fall in support for the government parties. Fianna Fáil have lurched back to within 1.2% of Fine Gael as largest party, 24.35% to 25.52%, and overnight … Continue reading →

Irish exit poll analysed @AdrianKavanagh crunches the numbers.(tags: ireland ) Cyprus asks EU to make Turkish an official language A hopeful sign!(tags: eu cyprus ) UK doesn’t send EU £350m a week or £55m a day Real numbers(tags: eu ukpolitics … Continue reading →

Episode 8: Scooper Strikes Out First shown: 31 October 1970 (US), 5 March 1971 (UK) Director: Harry Booth Writer: Glyn Jones Appearing apart from the Double Deckers: Melvyn Hayes as Albert the Street Cleaner, the Cook, the Dormouse and the … Continue reading →

The European Commissioner’s didgeridoo One for the vaults.(tags: eu ) On The Closure Of Public Achievement How a non-profit met its end.(tags: northernireland work ) The Real Danger of Brexit The @Economist considers the bigger picture.(tags: eu ukpolitics ) What’s … Continue reading →

Current Watership Down, by Richard Adams (a chapter a week) Mother of Eden, by Chris Beckett The Magic Cup by Andrew M. Greeley Last books finished Alif the Unseen , by G. Willow Wilson Last week’s audios [Seventh Doctor] Terror … Continue reading →

The Northern Ireland Boundary Review (PDF) Let the fun begin…(tags: northernireland ) The Night My Daughter Discovered Our Family’s Legacy of Depression Moving story of families and mental health.(tags: health ) How America Made Donald Trump Unstoppable Fascinating. Appalling. “This … Continue reading →

I bought this soon after it came out, but didn't get around to reading it until now. I really enjoyed it; a witty sexy Islamic virtual reality novel with djinn in, set in an unnamed Gulf princedom this year or … Continue reading →

Message to Michael Gove: this deal is binding, and it’s the best Britain will get | Guy Verhofstadt No means no.(tags: eu ukpolitics )

Let’s not get nostalgic about Jeb Bush He lost because he was bad, not because he was decent.(tags: uspolitics ) What did the EU ever do for Britain? Good question; many good answers.(tags: eu ukpolitics ) Richard Corbett’s Mythbusters Veteran … Continue reading →

A really lovely story, this, of three parallel narratives of lonely people finding their own paths in an Appalachian backwater community, the three stories turning out to be closely linked together (in a gutwrenching but joyful revelation on page 400). … Continue reading →

EU, U.S. Envoys: Macedonia Not Ready For ‘Credible’ Elections Strong stuff.(tags: macedonia ) Eight hours in airport detention for wanting to talk about a course? Welcome to the UK Britain’s war on clever foreigners.(tags: ukpolitics migration ) order amid chaos … Continue reading →

Shortlist season these days: the Kitschies are out. Here are the two novel shortlists, ranked by Goodreads ownership. The Red Tentacle (Novel): Goodreads LibraryThing owners av rating owners av rating The Heart Goes Last, by Margaret Atwood 49,751 3.38 537 … Continue reading →

This is Vostok 6, the space capsule in which the first woman in space, 26-year-old Valentina Tereshkova, travelled out and safely returned to Earth in June 1963. This is Voskhod 1, the first spacecraft to take more than one person … Continue reading →

Maisie Williams’ Ashildr didn’t turn out to be Susan as I had once hoped

Six Lies Told By Nigel Farage About The EU Only six?(tags: eu ukpolitics ) This can’t be left to the Tory party – it’s everyone’s country at stake Andrew Rawnsley nails it.(tags: eu ukpolitics ) How the Euro Crisis was … Continue reading →

Now on the Nebula shortlist (where it’s second among Goodreads, third on LibraryThing) this is one of the most buzzed novels of last year. I very much enjoyed the world-building, both the existence of a minority with powers of manipulating … Continue reading →

The Opening Number of “Hamilton” In case you are wondering what the fuss is about.(tags: music ) The Subversive Women Who Self-Publish Novels Amid Jihadist War Kano market literature.(tags: nigeria sexandgenderandsexuality writing ) Profile of culinary historian Michael Twitty The … Continue reading →

The Nebula nominees are out. Full list is here. I've read three of the novels, four of the novellas, three of the novelettes, four of the short stories, and none of the Andre Norton nominees. (And seen two of the … Continue reading →

Whole episode dubbed in French (except the songs): Episode 7: The Pop Singer First shown: 17 October 1970 (US), 4 February 1971 (UK) Director: Harry Booth Writers: Harry Booth and Glyn Jones Appearing apart from the Double Deckers: Melvyn Hayes … Continue reading →

You can answer using your Facebook or Twitter logins if you aren’t on Livejournal. Once you have answered, check here for historical comparison.

Thatcher’s poisonous legacy @RobinLustig on UK/EU relations.(tags: eu ukpolitics )

Originally posted by at Bektashi humour In memory of the late Baba Tahir Emini, I’ve been reading up on his sect, the Bektashi. I was aware, from my conversations with him and with others, that they are of a mystical … Continue reading →

Current Watership Down, by Richard Adams (a chapter a week) Alif the Unseen, by G. Willow Wilson Mother of Eden, by Chris Beckett Last books finished The Insurrection in Dublin, by James Stephens The Fifth Season, by N.K. Jemisin The … Continue reading →

Memo to pro-EU campaigners: Get out the millennial vote if you want to win My colleague @GeoffSBeattie writes.(tags: eu ukpolitics ) The Great Hugo Wars of 2015 Matthew Surridge @Fell_Gard who was nominated by the Puppies but withdrew. ) (tags: … Continue reading →

I’ve seen some rather negative reviews out there of this Bernice Summerfield novel, but I really enjoyed it: Benny gets caught up in acnient Templar-style conspiracy theories involving a sentient velociraptor and her own mummified finger, across several timelines. Sure, … Continue reading →

Woman accidentaly cosplays hotel Hee!(tags: funny ) Where the EU got a frozen conflict right The case of Transdniestria.(tags: eu moldova transdniestria ) China uproots 9,000 people for huge telescope in search for aliens SETI disrupting lives.(tags: space astronomy China … Continue reading →

One of the Telos novellas whose quality was sometimes a bit variable, this one with the Seventh Doctor and Ace separately in a city with a timewarp and a deep hidden secret. It’s had some positive reviews but pretty much … Continue reading →