reading and things
Aug. 7th, 2014 11:13 am1) Since the centenary of the First World War is underway, I'm reading To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918, by Adam Hochschild. It's a history of the anti-war movements in Britain, which along the way provides a fascinating general social history of the war from a British perspective. Hochschild focuses on some individuals, such as the socialist and pacifist Charlotte Despard and her brother, Field Marshall Sir John French (who early in the war was commander of the entire BEF), and the Pankhurst family of suffragettes (who split on the question of the war, with Emmeline and Christabel almost fanatically pro-war and Sylvia an opponent). But he also gives a lot of attention to broad social issues, including class, sex, and race/colonialism; this book does a better job than any other I've read of putting the war into context. Hochschild also knows how to be informative without overwhelming the reader with names and dates. I recommend it highly.
2) I was hoping that someone, somewhere, would have made one of those daily blogs for the First World War--an "on this day 100 years ago" sort of thing. But I can't find one. There's a Twitter project of real-time tweets, but (a) Twitter and (b) multiple tweets per day, do not want.
3) I've also been reading through the volumes of Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, ed. Jonathan Strahan. These are well-curated anthologies that include a decent-ish, if not quite ideal, proportion of women writers and (increasingly) writer of color. And, wonder of wonders, there are stories with queer protagonists! Not every included story is great, artistically or politically (is there a new trend in sff of Orientalist fantasies by white authors?) but overall they're well worth reading. I especially recommend volume 8, the latest one.
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woldy is trying to start a reading group for Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Since I've been thinking that I should read this, but have been daunted by the thought of 600 pages of economic theory, I've signed up. Anybody else feel like discussing what I've heard is a very, very important book?
5) When I signed up for Duolingo a few days ago, it was partly because my internet connection seemed to have become more reliable. Guess what promptly happened? *sigh* Now there are lots of little chiding e-mails from Duolingo in my inbox telling me that it's best to practice every day.
6) I'm thinking of buying myself a blender for my birthday next month. (Yes, really, a blender has become my idea of a good birthday present.) I need to keep this inexpensive, preferably under $30 and definitely under $40. Does anybody have recommendations for a cheap model that will actually work? Mostly I want to use it for things like pestos and curry pastes, but I'd also like to be able to make smoothies with it, so the ability to crush ice would be a plus.
2) I was hoping that someone, somewhere, would have made one of those daily blogs for the First World War--an "on this day 100 years ago" sort of thing. But I can't find one. There's a Twitter project of real-time tweets, but (a) Twitter and (b) multiple tweets per day, do not want.
3) I've also been reading through the volumes of Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, ed. Jonathan Strahan. These are well-curated anthologies that include a decent-ish, if not quite ideal, proportion of women writers and (increasingly) writer of color. And, wonder of wonders, there are stories with queer protagonists! Not every included story is great, artistically or politically (is there a new trend in sff of Orientalist fantasies by white authors?) but overall they're well worth reading. I especially recommend volume 8, the latest one.
4)
woldy is trying to start a reading group for Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Since I've been thinking that I should read this, but have been daunted by the thought of 600 pages of economic theory, I've signed up. Anybody else feel like discussing what I've heard is a very, very important book?5) When I signed up for Duolingo a few days ago, it was partly because my internet connection seemed to have become more reliable. Guess what promptly happened? *sigh* Now there are lots of little chiding e-mails from Duolingo in my inbox telling me that it's best to practice every day.
6) I'm thinking of buying myself a blender for my birthday next month. (Yes, really, a blender has become my idea of a good birthday present.) I need to keep this inexpensive, preferably under $30 and definitely under $40. Does anybody have recommendations for a cheap model that will actually work? Mostly I want to use it for things like pestos and curry pastes, but I'd also like to be able to make smoothies with it, so the ability to crush ice would be a plus.
