(no subject)

Died on this day in 1291 aged 68 Eleanor of Provence (my toy,wikipedia). Wife of Henry III, whom she had never met before the wedding. She was unpopular in England, largely because of her and her family's influence with the King, she was at one point attacked in London and retaliated with heavy taxation... which no doubt made her even less popular.

Born on this day in 1314 to William I, Count of Hainaut and Joan of Valois, Philippa of Hainault (my toy,wikipedia). Wife of Edward III, who she married by proxy before meeting... together they had 14 children, and somewhere she found time to sometimes be regent for Edward whilst he was away.

Reading Wednesday

Read: I finished the Corey whilst away in the 16th century. This one turned out to have less gross in it and more politics. Which is fine, I like both. I do like this series, and if you like unfinished series and SF/noir-detective/horror genre-bending ... things... then I think you might too, but start at the start. This one ends in rather a cliff hanger, which possibly means that if you start now you'll have ages sitting on the edge of your seat (I keep saying "no more starting unfinished serieses, but haha no)

Reading: Long Utopia. Pratchett and Baxter. Not far into it yet, seems more-of-the-same. The series begins with the Long Earth, probably start there. It's interesting, although it isn't funny. Also Pratchett is now regrettably dead so I don't know if there will be more or not (I haven't got to the end to find out if it is an actual *end* yet)

Next: Probably Station 11. I hear good things.

(no subject)

Half way through the year, a reading retrospective. (I started in February though)

James S A Corey : Nemesis Games
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown : Exotic England
Most of Buffy season 9
Naomi Novik: Uprooted
Thomas Olde Heuvelt: The Day the World Turned Upside Down (novella, translated)
Mira Grant: Rolling in the Deep (novella)
Altered Perceptions (collected essays)
The how not to die book. (non fiction)
Cixin Liu:Three Body Problem (translated)
Addison, Katherine: Goblin Emperor
Okorafor,Nnedi : Lagoon
Jo Walton: What makes this book so great. (essays)
Kameron Hurley: The Seams Between the Stars. (short story)
Terry Pratchett :Mrs Bradshaws' Handbook to the Ankh Morpork and Sto Plains Hygienic Railway. (pretending to be non fiction)
Wilson, G Willow: Alif the Unseen
Lyndsey,Anna: Girl in the Dark (autobiographical)
Kameron Hurley:Rapture
Genevive Griffin:Dance Til Dawn (short).
Walton, Jo: The Just City
Sardar, Ziauddin : Mecca: The Sacred City (non fiction)
Walton, Jo :Small Change Trilogy (3 books)
Greta Christina:Bending (erotica)
Mary Roach : Gulp (nonfiction)

That's 25 things; some short, some long. Of which I make 2 (things, 4 authors) written entirely by white men writing in English (which is of minor interest to me).

So far I think Uprooted is my favorite. And I'm probably going to put 3 body problem first for the Hugo.