February 2013 in Review

This is an index and summary of the things I’ve talked about over the last month. Links for multi-post subjects go to the first post (even if it’s before this month), you can follow the internal navigation links from there.

Books

Fiction

“Before the Golden Age 2” ed. Isaac Asimov. Part of Read All the Fiction, short stories from 1933& 1934 plus autobiography of Asimov during those years. Boxed up.

“Book of Shadows” Paula Brackston. Historical fantasy, framing story set in 2007 with flashbacks through the life of a witch born in the 17th Century. Library book.

Total: 2

Non-Fiction

“China: The World’s Oldest Civilisation Revealed” John Makeham. Part of Chapter-by-Chapter, an overview of the sweep of Chinese history from the Paleolithic through to the death of the last Emperor in the 20th Century (started reading in January).

Total: 1

Films

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Total: 1

Photos

Bracken.

A Gap in the Clouds.

Lights.

Louvre, Day 2 – a batch of photos from our trip to Paris in 2011.

Total: 4

Radio

Bertrand Russell. In Our Time episode about the life & work of Bertrand Russell.

Crystallography. In Our Time episode about x-ray crystallography.

The Cult of Mithras. In Our Time episode about the Roman cult of Mithras.

South Sea Bubble. In Our Time episode about the South Sea Bubble.

Total: 4

Talks

“Man in a Cretan Cloak: JDS Pendlebury at Amarna” Rosalind Janssen. Talk given at the EEG meeting in February, about the life & death of the archaeologist J. D. S. Pendlebury.

Total: 1

Television

Non-Fiction

Ice Age Art: A Culture Show Special. One off show presented by Andrew Graham-Dixon linked to the Ice Age Art exhibition at the British Museum.

In Search of Medieval Britain. Alixe Bovey following a medieval map of Britain (link goes to only episode watched in this year).

Lost Kingdoms of South America. The history & archaeology of four cultures in South America (started in January).

Richard III: The King in the Car Park. Documentary following the excavation & analysis of Richard III’s remains.

Rome: A History of the Eternal City. History of Rome from the perspective of religion, presented by Simon Sebag Montefiore.

Rome’s Lost Empire. Using satellite imagery to find previously unknown Roman sites to excavate.

Total: 6

January 2013 in Review

This is an index and summary of the things I’ve talked about over the last month. Links for multi-post subjects go to the first post, you can follow the internal navigation links from there.

Books

Fiction

“Bitten” Kelley Armstrong. Part of Read All the Fiction, urban fantasy with werewolves. Taken to charity shop.

“Gridlinked” Neal Asher. Part of Read All the Fiction, space opera with cyberpunk flavour. Kept.

“Before The Golden Age 1” ed. Isaac Asimov. Part of Read All the Fiction, short stories from 1931& 1932 plus autobiography of Asimov from birth (1920) to 1932. Boxed up.

“Ran Away” Barbara Hambly. Historical mystery set in 1820s Paris & 1830s New Orleans, one of the Benjamin January series. Library book.

“The Desert of Souls” Howard Andrew Jones. Arabian Nights-esque fantasy set in 8th Century Baghdad, with overtones of Sherlock Holmes. Library book.

Total: 5

Non-Fiction

“China: The World’s Oldest Civilisation Revealed” John Makeham. Part of Chapter-by-Chapter, an overview of the sweep of Chinese history from the Paleolithic through to the death of the last Emperor in the 20th Century.

Total: 1

Museums

Thread of Silk and Gold. An exhibition of Meiji era Japanese textiles at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

Total: 1

Photos

Shabtis.

Total: 1

Radio

The Borgias. In Our Time episode about the Borgia family in Renaissance Italy.

Shahnameh of Ferdowsi. In Our Time episode about the epic Persian poem the Shahnameh.

The Upanishads. In Our Time episode about one of the groups of sacred texts of the Hindu religion.

Total: 3

Television

Non-Fiction

Lost Kingdoms of South America. The history & archaeology of four cultures in South America.

Prehistoric Autopsy. What we know about the lives & looks of 3 ancestors of modern Homo sapiens.

Wartime Farm. What life was like for farmers during World War II, part re-enactment.

Total: 3

Migration

Welcome to the new home of the posts I’ve been putting on livejournal! 🙂 I’ve copied across the last few months worth of posts (but not the comments), so it should look a little familiar.

I decided to migrate it across to my own site partly because I’m beginning to think I’ve got posts I might miss if LJ were to vanish. And partly because it was an excuse to play around with a new website design & some new software 🙂

Hopefully I have most of the wrinkles ironed out – if you spot a broken link or visual infelicity please do let me know! I’ve got it set up so you don’t have to register an account to comment, but if you don’t then your comment gets stuck in moderation till I deal with it so don’t be surprised if it takes a little while.