Christopher > Recent Status Updates

Feels a lot less busy than the first book, yet it's even longer. Not much seems to be happening.

I'm really hoping the next half brings this up from 2 to 3 stars. It's pretty bad.

Finally beginning on the Qing. This last chapter greatly expanded my understanding of 雪妃娘娘和包鲁嘎汗 I've been reading, but which unfortunately isn't on Goodreads, dealing with the rise of the Manchu under Nurhaci. Might need to find a book specifically on that topic now, it is incredibly interesting.

A beautiful, detailed account of an almost unknown part of the world. Good history.

This shouldn't be called a history of India, but a history of the marginalized in India. Written with an obsession to tell the story of the marginalized, she gives incredibly unjust weight to certain rather insignificant pieces of history while totally ignoring so many vital people and events. She questions the truth of accounts that cast doubt on tolerance in history while always accepting the opposite. Bad history.

This book is under 100 pages. It deals with the role of women in Naxi culture, opening with dozens of pictures ranging from women making clothing to transporting manure to butchering pigs (anyone familiar with the hottest drama of 2026, 逐玉, will laugh). Published in the mid-'90s, the language is more socialist than recent publications, but far less so than in earlier decades.

Slowing down on this one. This could become one of my favorite books, I feel. But it seems to expect a far greater familiarity with SE Asia than I possess, so I'm trying to rectify that before I get too far in.

For much of Indian history, it feels absurd to speak of Indian history. I'm eager to finish this so I can start on some regional histories.