The best known books set in each country: Denmark
Hamlet, by William Shakespeare Continue reading →
From the Heart of Europe
Books, politics, languages and life
Latest posts
Three places with art: the Courtauld, the Quentin Blake Centre and the Ulster Museum
Treasures of London and Belfast. Continue reading
Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
A return visit that did not disappoint me. Continue reading
September 2006 books
Recommended: Indefensible: One Lawyer's Journey Into the Inferno of American Justice, by David Feige Continue reading
The Satan Pit, by Matt Jones
The original story is good, and the novelisation is good too. Continue reading
Thursday reading
Last books finished Sleeping Murder The Time of Angels Red Rabbit Binti The Invasion x2 Making Peace in Northern Ireland Tuki: Fight for Fire Continue reading
Understanding the War in Kosovo, eds Florian Bieber and Židas Daskaloski
Ends with three solid pieces. Continue reading
Tomorrow Lies in Ambush, by Bob Shaw
It's not ground-breaking, but it's not bad either. Continue reading
August 2006 books
Recommended: The Wreck of The River of Stars, by Michael Flynn Continue reading
The Scent of Blood, by Andrew Lane, and The Winged Coven, by Paul Magrs
The Scent of Blood: good. The Winged Coven: less good. Continue reading
For and Against a United Ireland, by Fintan O’Toole and Sam McBride
An excellent overview of the situation and of the cases for and against each option. Continue reading
The best known books set in each country: El Salvador
Salvador, by Joan Didion Continue reading
July 2006 books
Recommended: The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson Continue reading
WSFS Business Meeting: dealing with the 2023 Hugos
I am voting for the resolutions. Continue reading
Moving Pictures, by Terry Pratchett
A bit of fun and perhaps a return to the roots of Discworld. Continue reading
The Tomorrow Windows, by Jonathan Morris
I felt it worked well. Continue reading
Thursday reading
Last books finished Théo Van Rysselberghe The Eye of the Tyger Autumn Brian W. Aldiss Twenty-first Century Blues Continue reading
Lord Edgware Dies, by Agatha Christie
Very well put together mystery, marred by anti-semitism. Continue reading
June 2006 books
Recommended: Impossible Stories, by Zoran Živković; Lords of Parliament: Manners, rituals and politics, by Emma Crewe Continue reading
The Elysian Blade, by David Bishop
Central concept well developed; also Hines is a very good reader. Continue reading
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, by Stephen Graham Jones
Too gory for my own delicate tastes. Continue reading
The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor, by James Peaty et al
I didn't find it particularly memorable, though the art is pleasing. Continue reading
May 2006 books
Recommended: Echoes from the Dead Zone: Across the Cyprus Divide by Yiannis Papadakis Continue reading
The best known books set in each country: Republic of Congo
Black Moses, by Alain Mabanckou Continue reading
The 2025 MPC elections, run as a multi-member process
The result would have been the same, but with 8 rather than 14 rounds of counting. Continue reading
Sargassa, by Sophie Burnham, and my Astounding Award 2026 votes
My top Astounding vote goes to Sophie Burnham. Continue reading
July 2026 books
Non-fiction 10 Non-genre 4 SF 7 Doctor Who 6 Comics 3 Continue reading
Thursday reading
Last books finished Blood Libel The Satan Pit The Many Lives of Doctor Who Brideshead Revisited The Making of the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985 Ephesian history Snow Country Time out of Mind Bridging Worlds Continue reading
Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination, ed. Glyn Morgan
This lavishly illustrated book of short essays and interviews is a good souvenir. Continue reading
April 2006 books, and reflections on Alexander Hamilton and Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire
Recommended: Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, by Amanda Foreman Continue reading
The Best of All Possible Worlds, by Karen Lord
Lord pulls off the trick of vivid alien planetary settings and vivid yet comprehensible almost-human characterisation. Continue reading