#bookblog2023 — Public Fediverse posts

Neom, by Lavie Tidhar (brief note)
Second paragraph of third chapter:

His dreams were filled with stars: the great river of the Milky Way as seen from the desert, and the fireflies of spaceships and habitats in low earth orbit that shone just overhead.

Interesting setting, well realised, but I’m not a big fan of cute robots. Mercifully short. You can get it here.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/neom-by-lavie-tidhar-brief-note/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023

Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift (brief note)
I really enjoyed this story of AI and dating algorithms.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/love-and-other-human-errors-by-bethany-clift-brief-note/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023

Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel (brief note)
It has time-travelling, and a plot that turns out to make sense.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/sea-of-tranquility-by-emily-st-john-mandel-brief-note/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023

The Moonday Letters, by Emmi Itäranta (brief note)
Single-note emotionally, and the means and motivation of the eco-terrorists not well explained.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-moonday-letters-by-emmi-itaranta/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023

Off Target, by Eve Smith (brief note)
A really well depicted moral and personal dilemma which is not too far from today’s tech.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/off-target-by-eve-smith/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023

The Thousand Earths, by Stephen Baxter (brief note)
I thought the slowly disappearing world sequences were really fantastic.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-thousand-earths-by-stephen-baxter/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #WriterStephenBaxter

March 2024 books
Non-fiction 4 (YTD 15)
Non-genre 2 (YTD 11)
SF 4 (YTD 15)
Doctor Who 2 (YTD 4)
Comics 1 (YTD 6)
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/march-2024-books/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #BookblogMonthly

iLobby.eu, by Caroline de Cock
The description of the legislative and policy-making process is accurate and useful, and made me realise how much of it I have internalised.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/ilobby-eu-by-caroline-de-cock/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #eu

Marking Time, by Elizabeth Jane Howard
I'm very much enjoying the Cazalet books. Although we know that some of it is autobiographical, it isn't didactic.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/marking-time-by-elizabeth-jane-howard/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #WriterElizabethJaneHoward

Emotional Chemistry, by Simon Forward
Set in 2024. I'm afraid I was not terribly excited by the plot, with a McGuffin and a time-travelling entity looking for it.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/emotional-chemistry-by-simon-forward/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #DoctorWho #DoctorWho08 #SetIn2024 #WriterSimonForward

The New Machiavelli, by H. G. Wells
The emotional passages are poignantly drawn, but the political parts crashingly dull.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-new-machiavelli-by-h-g-wells/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #WriterHgWells

In Xanadu, by Lavie Tidhar
A vivid vignette of a soldier defending her position, protecting exiled AI's on Titan.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/in-xanadu-by-lavie-tidhar/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #WriterLavieTidhar

Bee Quest, by Dave Goulson
A heartfelt and passionate book about bumble bees.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/bee-quest-by-dave-goulson/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #WriterDaveGoulson

The Haunting of Villa Diodati, by Philip Purser-Hallard
I was lucky enough to watch this episode at Gallifrey One in 2020, and wrote then:

I'll always remember The Haunting of Villa Diodati for the circumstances in which I first saw it, packed into the biggest hall in the Los Angeles airport Marr
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-haunting-of-villa-diodati-by-philip-purser-hallard/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #DoctorWho #DoctorWho13 #DoctorWhoBlackArchive #WriterPhilipPurserhallard

Jaren van de olifant, by Willy Linthout
Prize-winning graphic novel; an intense and moving portrait of a man coming to terms with his son's suicide.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/jaren-van-de-olifant-by-willy-linthout/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #comics

An Atlas of Irish History, by Ruth Dudley Edwards; and in search of W.H. Bromage
A breezy summary. But who was Mr W.H. Bromage?
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/an-atlas-of-irish-history-by-ruth-dudley-edwards-and-in-search-of-w-h-bromage/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #WorldIreland

2023 books in review
The best books that I read this year.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/2023-books-in-review/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023

Sunday and December books
Sunday books

(This will shift to Mondays as of tomorrow week)

Last books finishedBee Quest, by Dave GoulsonLunar Descent, by Allen SteeleIn Xanadu, by Lavie TidharThe New Machiavelli, by H. G. WellsEmotional Chemistry, by Simon ForwardMarking Time, by Elizabeth Jane HowardiLobby.eu, by Caroline de Cock

December Reading

Non-ficti
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/sunday-and-december-books/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #BookblogMonthly #WeeklyReadingBlog

Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel
Sometimes sf can tell us about the future, the present; and/or the past, Station Eleven now does all three.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/station-eleven-by-emily-st-john-mandel/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #SfClarkeAward

Invasion of the Dinosaurs, by Jon Arnold (and Malcolm Hulke)
Generally a satisfactory and sympathetic piece of work, looking at a flawed but fondly remembered story and explaining where it came from.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/invasion-of-the-dinosaurs-by-jon-arnold-and-malcolm-hulke/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #DoctorWho #DoctorWho03 #WriterJonArnold #WriterMalcolmHulke

Recollections of Virginia Woolf by her Contemporaries, edited by Joan Russell Noble
Pulls together 27 short sketches of Virginia Woolf by friends, relatives and colleagues, some previously published and some new.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/recollections-of-virginia-woolf-by-her-contemporaries-edited-by-joan-russell-noble/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #WriterVirginiaWoolf

The Fourteenth Doctor novelisations: The Star Beast (Gary Russell), Wild Blue Yonder (Mark Morris), The Giggle (James Goss)
Go get James Goss's novelisation of The Giggle!
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-fourteenth-doctor-novelisations-the-star-beast-gary-russell-wild-blue-yonder-mark-morris-the-giggle-james-goss/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #DoctorWho #DoctorWho04 #DoctorWho14 #DoctorWhoComics

Giants at the End of the World: A Showcase of Finnish Weird, eds. Johanna Sinisalo and Toni Jerrman
To be honest the stories are skewed a little more towards horror than is my usual taste, but I really enjoyed a couple.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/giants-at-the-end-of-the-world-a-showcase-of-finnish-weird-eds-johanna-sinisalo-and-toni-jerrman/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023

Facing Fate: The Good Companion, by Nick Abadzis et al
The culmination of the series of IDW Tenth Doctor comic albums that I've been reading since March.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/facing-fate-the-good-companion-by-nick-abadzis-et-al/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #DoctorWho #DoctorWho10 #WriterNickAbadzis

Many Grains of Sand, by Liz Castro
A beautifully illustrated book listing numerous campaign tactics used by the proponents of independence for Catalonia in the years from 2006 to 2017.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/many-grains-of-sand-by-liz-castro/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #WorldCatalonia #WorldSpain

The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women: A Social History, by Elizabeth Norton
There are some very good bits here; the chapters on crime and religion in particular are fertile ground for the imagination.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-hidden-lives-of-tudor-women-a-social-history-by-elizabeth-norton/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #TudorHistory

Ancillary Sword, by Ann Leckie
It's tremendously tightly done, and took my breath away once again while I was reading it.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/ancillary-sword-by-ann-leckie/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #Bsfa2014 #SfBsfaAward

Under the Yoke, by Ivan Vazov
A classic of nineteenth-century Bulgarian literature, a mercifully short novel about the 1876 uprising against Turkish rule.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/under-the-yoke-by-ivan-vazov/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #WorldBulgaria

One Foot in Laos, by Dervla Murphy
One of her typically empathy-filled accounts of the country and its people, along with the difficulties of getting around on a bicycle.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/one-foot-in-laos-by-dervla-murphy/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #WriterDervlaMurphy

The J.R.R. Tolkien Miscellany, by Robert S. Blackham
There wasn't much here that was new to me, but it might do for the sort of reader who doesn't want to tackle one of the biographies.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-j-r-r-tolkien-miscellany-by-robert-s-blackham/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #tolkien

November 2023 books
Non-fiction 8 (YTD 79)
Non-genre 2 (YTD 27)
SF 5 (YTD 159)
Doctor Who 4 (YTD 32)
Comics 2 (YTD 26)
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/november-2023-books/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #BookblogMonthly

The Road to Amber, by Roger Zelazny; and the story behind “Manna from Heaven”
It's a thoroughly satisfactory capstone to the five volumes that went before.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-road-to-amber-by-roger-zelazny/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #zelazny

Dalek, by Billy Seguire (and Robert Shearman)
A solid and interesting piece of analysis which deepened my appreciation for a favourite story.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/dalek-by-billy-seguire-and-robert-shearman/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #DoctorWho #DoctorWho09 #DoctorWhoBlackArchive #WriterRobertShearman

The Hand of Fear (TV, novelisation, Black Archive); also, Eldrad Must Die!; also, Eldrad Must Live!
It's a rare case among the Black Archives where I think I like the story more than the writer does, but in any case he does a good job.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-hand-of-fear-tv-novelisation-black-archive-also-eldrad-must-die-also-eldrad-must-live/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #DoctorWho #DoctorWho04 #DoctorWhoBlackArchive #WriterBobBaker #WriterMarcPlatt

The Prisoner of Zenda, by Anthony Hope; The Androids of Tara, by Terrance Dicks and David Fisher; and a play by Paul Cornell
I'm very glad that the BBC asked David Fisher to have another go at the novelisation of this 1978 story.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-prisoner-of-zenda-by-anthony-hope-the-androids-of-tara-by-terrance-dicks-and-david-fisher/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #DoctorWho #DoctorWho04 #WriterDavidFisher #WriterTerranceDicks

The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos, by James F. McGrath
Completists will want this, but I felt that it stretched rather further than the material warranted.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-battle-of-ranskoor-av-kolos-by-james-f-mcgrath/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #DoctorWho #DoctorWho13 #DoctorWhoBlackArchive

Earthshock, by Eric Saward, Ian Marter and Brian J. Robb
This is not just a book about Earthshock, but a guide to the trajectory of the Nathan-Turner / Saward era, and it works very well.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/earthshock-by-eric-saward-ian-marter-and-brian-j-robb/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #DoctorWho #DoctorWho05 #DoctorWhoBlackArchive #WriterIanMarter

October 2023 books
Non-fiction 7 (YTD 71)
Non-genre 4 (YTD 25)
SF 8 (YTD 154)
Doctor Who 1 (YTD 28)
Comics 1 (YTD 24)
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/october-2023-books/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #BookblogMonthly

Nine Black Doves – Volume 5: The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny
Huge Zelazny fan that I am, I must record that I had read all of the stories before. But! the Hugo-winning "24 Views of Mt. Fuji, by Hokusai" is in fact illustrated by the relevant woodcuts.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/nine-black-doves-volume-5-the-collected-stories-of-roger-zelazny/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #zelazny

The Night of the Doctor and The Day of the Doctor, by James Cooray Smith, Alasdair Stuart and Steven Moffat
The 49th and 50th Black Archive monographs on Doctor Who, on The Night of the Doctor and Day of the Doctor, are both very
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-night-of-the-doctor-and-the-day-of-the-doctor-by-james-cooray-smith-alasdair-stuart-and-steven-moffat/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #DoctorWho #DoctorWho08 #DoctorWho10 #DoctorWho11 #WriterJamesCooraySmith #WriterStevenMoffat

September 2023 books
Non-fiction 6
Non-genre 4
SF 7
Doctor Who 2
Comics 2
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/september-2023-books/
#Uncategorized #Bookblog2023 #BookblogMonthly