Dianne Taylor > Recent Status Updates

I absolutely love Peter Watts writing. I finally finished this novella. I have also read all the other short stories in the Sunflower universe. I wish he would write more.

There’s a section at the end of this book that I don’t fully understand what it’s referring to, perhaps a very much smarter AI than what’s been present during that previous part of the book. I’m going to reread this section.

I bought this book on Amazon by mistake! I really didn’t mean to and I feel like I wasted $14. However, at some point I think I will need it so I put it in the come back to.

Not really feeling this book. I initially wanted to read it because it’s set in a world of Irish mythology in the 900s, and that’s something I want to learn more about. However, the story is somewhat mundane and there’s so many other books on my TBR that I’m going to put this in a come back to.

Fascinating. Need to reread highlights to remember it all

Very useful in getting a sense of the age and what the political challenges were.

It’s interesting that Charles is walking back by so many English people. They lined the road that he went down, they thronged, they had 100 gun salutes. it was pretty amazing.

He’s not a particularly good rider with me so much of an hour writing style. But I’m glad I read it.

A kitty bloated, but I really liked the last 40% of the book. A great discussion of collective consciousness

One of the few books that I've read lately which I really enjoyed. It's one that will stay with me for a long time. The main character has depression and his discussion about how his depression affects his worldview and his ability to function hits very close to home and is in some ways inspirational.

This book is very similar to Rocannon's World in terms of plot, but it definitely is it's very own story.

Injury trials of the time the accused picked their own jury from the pool that was put in front of them

Listening to on Hoopla while stationary bike.

Apparently John Milton highly praised the regicide and wrote extensively in favor of it. He also thought that the Irish were worse than barbarians.

Actuality, I only read the first novella, The Hedge Knight. I’m going to reread and then read the next two.

Finally, I am going to read the Brothers Karamazof. I am inter-reading this with the histories of Stuart England.

About the restoration of Charles Ii. I stop reading in order to read the book about Charles the first regicides. I will come back to this one right after.

It’s taking me a long time to read because there’s so much new information that I need to double check and look up. But I’m getting a much better feel for British history in 1640s and 50s. I hadn’t realized how extremely violent the English civil war was. At that time, the population of England was around five million people, and around 200,000 died in the conflict.

During the Parliamentary period, people who had fought on the side of the Royalists had to pay a large fine. No wonder so many went to Virginia!

They needed servants to show them the way everywhere they went because they were just no road signs. Also, Catholics couldn’t travel more than 5 miles from where they lived without a permit. Many Catholic priests would say they were physicians.

So interesting that the British saw Charles’ Scottish army as invaders, instead of just people helping him to regain his throne.

Really inspirational, and I want to read. I am returning now because there is someone waiting.

This Is a pretty good biography. The book places in Patrick within the context of post-Roman Britain and barbaric Ireland. There is definitely a pro Christian bias assuming that St. Patrick’s visions and dreams are actually communications with God. I definitely want to finish reading.

Since there is one person waiting for this book, I’m going to return it and then check it out again later. Right now there are other things I would like to be reading about, Is the biography of Saint Patrick.

This is a long book that only tangentially deals with the Silk Road. It doesn’t seem to go into a lot of depth but seems to deal with a lot of different topics superficially. I have learned some interesting things, though, such as within a decade of Octavian’s take over of Egypt nearly 120 ships a year were trading, by sea through the Red Sea, with India!

Reading on Hoopla. A real classic. Very depressing.

This book seems to be written by a young woman, who really doesn’t have a very good idea of how to write well. I think one would have to be a 16-year-old girl to enjoy this book. I just can’t make myself read it.

Started reading, but I’m not really feeling it. Set millions of years in the future, but humans are still biologically essentially the same. I might come back to.

Not bad, but not great. Should have been a novella.

Appears to be one of the best history books I’ve encountered so far. Definitely put back on hold and come back to. Might want to own.

Reading on Hoopla as a companion to How the Irish Saved Civilization. This is more about the modern concept of Druidism, but the first few chapters will go into what we know of the ancient history. The first chapter in particular tells you every single ancient source, which I am looking forward to reading.