Voyager - Diana Gabaldon

Voyager
Diana Gabaldon
Seal Books
Copyright: 1994
978-0440217565

The amazon.com product description:

Their passionate encounter happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her... and her body still cries out for him in her dreams.

Then Claire discovers that Jamie survived. Torn between returning to him and staying with their daughter in her own era, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face the passion and pain awaiting her...the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland... and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that can reunite—or forever doom—her timeless love.

Voyager is the third book in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, following on Dragonfly In Amber. For those of us who are picking up the story ahead of the third season of the Outlander TV series, don't be surprised to discover that you are already familiar with parts of the first third or so of the book. They briefly covered that part of the story in the concluding episode of season two. Personally, I hope they come back and give this section of the story a deeper treatment in the new season as it's one of my favorite parts of the book.

Detailed and at times a bit gruesome, Voyager grabs you by all your senses and sweeps you along in unexpected directions. This was a bit of a transition book, closing off the Culloden storyline which filled the previous two books and carrying the characters into new adventures, as well as introducing us to new characters along with the return of some unexpected characters from the previous books. There are also some new hints as to how time travel and the stones work.

I read Voyager over the course of the last several months - somewhat sporadically I must admit, but even so, the book was easy to pick up again each time and it consistently pulled me back into the lives of Jamie and Claire.

It will be interesting to see how the third season of Outlander compares to the book. For the previous two seasons, it had been years since I read the books. This time it'll only have been a few months.

Currently, I'm looking forward to really getting into Drums of Autumn, the fourth book in the series, although with the reading speed I've been going with on the last book, I can be expected to have it finished sometime in 2017!

More Phototgraphy

Over the Thanksgiving Weekend, I was back out at Rathtrevor park. Although I had hopes of seeing deer, the owl, rabbits or some interesting birds, my best photos ended up being of something completely different. Mushrooms.*

These were only two of the several varieties I saw over the course of that walk, and the two best photographs. I have to says I still think the dirty and wet knees and elbows I ended up with in my efforts to get these pictures were worth it.

I've also been playing with some more photomanipulation. I was inspired on this one by an article I read off of Facebook a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was also a Digital Photography School article, but can't seem to find it in their feed. At any rate, the article was about using different textures and opacity levels to create effects in photographs.

This is what I came up with:

I rather like the effect I got, and plan to play around with this style of image a bit more. I think though, that I need to come up with a collection of different photos suitable for use as textures, as right now I could only find two or three in my collection. Some possibilities that come to mind include different types of paper, or cloth or sand.



*Partly inspired by reading the article on photographing mushrooms from the Digital Photography School website: http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-mushrooms-toadstools-and-fungi/

Photography

This is one of those hobbies that seems to come and go for me. Of late though I've really been into it - and I've been having a fair bit of luck in the photos I've been able to get. Most of the time recently I've been taking my camera to Rathtrevor Provincial Park, which is moderately nearby.

Possibly one of the reasons I've jumped back into photography is that I discovered the ViewBug website and I now live in hope of one day winning one of their contests (reality says "not likely!").

Anyway, I've gotten a few photos that I'm really happy with.

This one's of a particularly tame rabbit that I see at the park nearly every time. I know they say not to approach or feed the animals, and I don't. This one though, tends to come up to me. Obviously other people do feed or otherwise try to attract the rabbits.

I think we got quite lucky to see this fellow! One of the other people walking in the park pointed it out to us, and the owl seemed to be quite happy to pose for me. This was the best of the photos I took of him.

To go on with the animal theme, I finally managed to get an in focus photo of a seagull in flight. It's just coming in for a landing here.

I've been admiring the various flower and droplet photos around, and got the chance to try and take some myself the other day. This was the best, and I'm quite happy with it, though I do want to try taking more of these photos with different flowers too.

I could keep going because I've been enjoying taking these photographs, but I think that four is enough for now. That doesn't mean though, that I won't have more photos to share in the future.

Closer To The Chest - Mercedes Lackey

Closer to the Chest (Book Three of The Herald Spy)
Mercedes Lackey
DAW Books
Copyright: 2016
978-0756409012

The amazon.com product description:

Herald Mags, the King of Valdemar’s Herald-Spy, has been developing a clandestine network of young informants who operate not only on the streets of the capital city of Haven, but also in the Great Halls and kitchens of the wealthy and highborn.  In his own established alternate personas, Mags observes the Court and the alleys alike, quietly gathering information to keep Haven and the Kingdom safe.

His wife Amily, is growing into her position as the King’s Own Herald, though she is irritated to encounter many who still consider her father, Herald Nikolas, to be the real King’s Own. Nonetheless, she finds it increasingly useful to be underestimated, for there are dark things stirring in the shadows of Haven and up on the Hill.  Someone has discovered many secrets of the women of the Court and the Collegia—and is using those secrets to terrorize and bully them.  Someone is targeting the religious houses of women, too, leaving behind destruction and obscene ravings.
          
But who?  Someone at the Court?  A disgruntled Palace servant?  One of the members of the Collegia?  Someone in the patriarchal sect of the god Sethor?  Could the villain be a woman?  And what is this person hoping to achieve?  It isn’t blackmail, for the letters demand nothing; the aim seems to be the victims’ panic and despair. But why?

Mags and Amily take steps to minimize the damage while using both magic and wits to find the evildoer.  But just as they appear to be on the verge of success, the letter-writer, tires of terror and is now out for blood.

Mags and Amily will have to track down someone who leaves few clues behind and thwart whatever plans have been set in motion, and quickly—before terror turns to murder.

First off, this was a fairly quick read. I finished it last night, so only two evenings. However, I think that's been true of the other two books in this set, starting with Closer To Home, as well as the previous Mags series (beginning with The Collegium Chronicles: Foundation). Regardless, one of the reasons it was a quick read is simply that I couldn't put the book down! Mercedes Lackey kept me guessing all the way through regarding who the villain was and their possible motivation.

Closer To The Chest opened another window into Mags and Amily's lives together, one I really enjoyed reading. Based on the ending though, I don't know if there is going to be another book about these characters. Of course, I think I said that about the Collegium Chronicles a couple of times too, so I don't know. If not, I'm looking forward to seeing what aspect of Valdemar's history Mercedes Lackey chooses to write about next. I've grown to count on the yearly Valdemar novel over the last couple of decades.

There's been a trend towards Mags' type of character in the Valdemar world over some of the more recent books/story sets. We're on the third character of this sort now: Alberich in Exile's Honor and Exile's Valor, and also Skif in Take A Thief.

I think I'm going to end up going back and rereading all of the Mags books soon, if only to refresh myself on all the details I've forgotten. After all, the first book telling his story came out back in 2008! Honestly, that's something I try not to think about too closely, especially as I've been following the Valdemar novels since the Mage Storms and Mage Wars trilogies first came out.

New Tolkien Book

The Hobbit Facsimile First Edition
J.R.R. Tolkien
HarperCollins
Release Date: September 22, 2016
978-0007440832

The amazon.com blurb:

This sumptuous gift set includes a replica of the very rare first edition of The Hobbit, the only edition where one can now read the original version of the story before Tolkien re-edited it to become the one enjoyed by readers since 1951. The Hobbit was published on 21 September 1937, with a print run of 1,500 copies. With a beautiful cover design, nearly a dozen black & white illustrations and two black & red maps by the author himself, the book proved to be popular and was reprinted shortly afterwards. History was already being made. The scarcity of the first edition has resulted in copies commanding huge prices, way beyond the reach of most Tolkien fans. In addition, subsequent changes to the text - particularly those to chapter 5, when Tolkien decided in 1947 to revise the text to bring it better into accord with events as they were developing in its 'sequel', The Lord of the Rings - mean that the opportunity to read the book in its original form and format has become quite difficult. This special printing reprints the first edition, so that readers of all ages - not just 'children between the ages of 5 and 9', as Rayner Unwin famously declared in his report on the original submission - can finally enjoy Tolkien's story as it originally appeared.

I first saw rumors of this book back in 2010/2011 for the 75th anniversary of The Hobbit. However, it seems that nothing came of it back then - it was certainly never available for order. I'm glad to see it available now for the 80th anniversary. I've loved the previous facsimile edition of one of Tolkien's books - Mr. Bliss.

All I know is that I really want to get a copy of this one. Most of the information on the differing editions and rewrites of The Hobbit is already available, most notably through the Annotated Hobbit - another very spectacular book, which I am sad to admit, I have not actually read all the way through.

Maybe I'm also simply a sucker for slipcased books, especially when it comes to Tolkien. I know I'm something of a collector of Tolkien's books - see the somewhat scary list and photos posts for proof if you wish, but I've also fallen quite behind when it comes to actually reading the books. Not that that's going to stop me from continuing to add to my collection.

Outlander

Honestly, I'm rather amazed at the way Outlander themed products are popping up everywhere. There are, of course, the books, short stories, one graphic novel, two seasons of the TV series, soundtracks, and then you find all the other odds and ends. A quick search of Amazon.com results in calendars, dolls, interview videos, a reading order e-book? (I'm blinking at this last item. Why would you pay for something like that?), the colouring book - which I have to say is pretty good, and a fun way to spend some time, T-shirts, photographs, knitting patterns (that might be interesting to try out), and more.

Nonetheless, it's becoming one of my favorite series (both to watch and to read). I can't wait for the third season to air next year - and I'm doing a re-read for the first time in about ten years - maybe more. I'd only read up to the Fiery Cross previously. In my re-reading though, I'll admit to really only picking it up at Voyager - I decided that the TV series version of the first two seasons would stand in very well at refreshing my memory. It's also had one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a while - I'm listening to the first soundtrack cd at least once every couple of weeks or so. More detailed thoughts on some of the books have been posted here in the past:
The Fiery Cross (reviewed in 2009)
Outlander (2012 review)
Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel (2010)

My husband and I got busy over the summer and rather forgot about Outlander for a couple of months. Then last week, we were reminded that we had the second half of the season sitting on the PVR. It only took us a week to finish watching the season - couldn't wait until the next evening to watch the next episode (with hour and a half to two hour episodes finishing the season, we couldn't justify staying up late enough to watch more than one episode at a time).

Now I'm getting sucked back into the book series - it's a great way to tide over the gap until the next season airs, and remembering why it was that the first time I read Outlander I was highly frustrated by discovering that there were sequels, but that I was going to have to wait a month before I could read any of them. I just couldn't wait - but couldn't borrow them from the library right away.

A question for anyone who has the newer version of the Outlandish Companion - first volume. Is there any difference between the new version and the old version for the Outlandish Companion?

New York Times Article on Printed Books

I've run into another article on books now too. This one's from the New York Times:

No, the Internet Has Not Killed the Printed Book. Most People Still Prefer Them.
by Daniel Victor

Even with Facebook, Netflix and other digital distractions increasingly vying for time, Americans’ appetite for reading books — the ones you actually hold in your hands — has not slowed in recent years, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.

As one of those people who loves physical books, this is good news. At the same time I will admit to using my e-reader frequently - and often being frustrated that the book I want to read isn't on there but is on my physical shelf (I mostly use my Kobo for reading while camping or travelling), which explains why about half of the books on there are duplicates of books I own in paper form.

Allison Hoover Bartlett on The Man Who Loved Books Too Much

Alison Hoover Bartlett, the author who wrote The Man Who Loved Books Too Much can be found on the WNYC website talking about the book and John Gilkey. The show is On The Media, and the interviewers are Bob Garfield and Brooke Gladstone.

The interview is available in both audio and a transcript format - handy for those of us who are temporarily stuck with incredibly slow internet. It is apparently an interview from 2009, when the book first came out, but it's still interesting to read.

Indexing Tactics & Tidbits - Janet Perlman

Indexing Tactics & Tidbits
Janet Perlman
Information Today Inc.
Copyright Date: March 2016
978-1573875257

The amazon.com product description:

In this highly-recommended reference for indexing professionals, master indexer Janet Perlman presents a treasure trove of practical, in-depth explanations and advice. The author pays homage to the Hans Wellisch classic, Indexing from A to Z, while bringing her own in-depth, conversational style and a multitude of fresh topics to the table.

Indexing Tactics & Tidbits provides answers and insights on such vital subjects as audience analysis, clients and contracts, computers and software, ethics and standards, index depth and length, index structure, periodical indexing, professional resources, quality and usability, work methods and strategies, and much more.

New and experienced indexers alike will appreciate this significant effort to address "everything you always wanted to know about indexing but were afraid to ask" by one of the preeminent indexers of our time. 

As crazy as it sounds, I really enjoy reading indexing reference works, so I was really looking forward to getting my hands on this one. I'd seen nothing but good comments about it on the indexing mailing lists when it first came out a couple of months ago, but had to wait until last week to get it.

Anyway, Indexing Tactics & Tidbits more than lived up to the reviews I'd seen. Well written and informative, the book covers a wide range of subjects much the same way that the Hans Wellisch book Indexing From A to Z does.

The topics she has chosen to cover are wide-ranging and useful, both for newer indexers and those who are more experienced at the job, and cover more than just the mechanics of the indexing process itself. There are numerous entries concerning office space, computers, and the business side of indexing as well. All of which I found very intriguing, and I am likely to be coming back to this book many times in the future.

There is another useful feature that I'd forgotten to mention before now. At the end of each entry is a "Notes" section which includes references to other indexing books and articles where you can find further information on any of the topics listed.

I have only one minor complaint. The book is too short! At the same time, I can't think of anything that she missed. My complaint stems more from the fact that I tend to read indexing books while traveling, and this one got read in about a day.

Definitely a well written book and one that I'm going to be keeping on my shelf for future reference (One of the first sections I'm planning to revisit is the one on "Websites For Indexers").

The Deed of Paksenarrion - Elizabeth Moon

The Deed Of Paksenarrion
Elizabeth Moon
Baen Books
Copyright: 1992
978-0671721046

Product Description copied from the chapters/indigo.ca website:

From the Publisher
The Finest Trilogy of the Decade -- in a Single Volume

Paksenarrion, yearning for adventure and glory, joins a mercenary company. Her chosen path will lead her on a holy quest that will bring down the gods'' wrath on her and test her to destruction.

From the Jacket
Never in our experience has a new author burst upon the sf/fantasy field to such immediate enthusiastic recognition as Elizabeth Moon with her fantasy trilogy, Sheepfarmer''s Daughter, Divided Allegiance, and Oath of Gold. Now at last we are able to offer all six hundred thousand words of The Deed of Paksenarrion in a single trade edition. Note that because of its size the complete Deed of Paksenarrion will probably never be offered in a mass market edition.

The Deed of Paksenarrion has bee one of my favorite novels for years now. Like The Lord Of The Rings, it is one of those books where I've gone through multiple copies, although to be honest, I didn't wear out the copies completely for this one. Instead, I ended up donating one to the Science Fiction/Fantasy club at university, and then replacing my replacement copy because some of the pages turned out to be ripped.

Currently, I've got a paper copy and an e-book version as well - a great thing, because there's really no way I want to take a book this size camping! So, I was reading it on my Kobo. But, I'm not going to ramble about that! Instead, this is going to be yet another review of this book. It's at least the third one on my blog now, but it's been a few years since my last review (from 2011).

Elizabeth Moon has written up a wonderfully detailed world with a level of mud, rain and sweat that makes the books seem "real". It's not always the negative details though, but also details of food, history and customs that add depth to the books and the characters.

These days though, I'm finding it harder to review this book on it's own. When I think of it now, it comes gathered together with the Paladin's Legacy series of books that begins with Oath of Fealty, and even with the book of short stories, Deeds of Honor.

Unread Books 2016 - Fiction

After the past several years of running a mixed Unread Books list on my blog, last year I broke it up into some basic categories. I'm doing the same thing again this year, albeit a bit later in the year. Maybe it'll make it easier to keep the lists updated - and to find the books once I've read them. The plan is to have a fiction list, a primary sources list, a Tolkien list and a non-fiction list. Who knows, breaking the list up might even make it less intimidating!

The fiction list is generally the fastest growing, and in some ways, the scariest of the lists.

My Unread Fiction Books 2016:

1. Star Wars: X-Wing Omnibus 3 - Michael Stackpole (Graphic Novel)
2. A Flame In Hali - Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross (Fantasy)
3. The Fall of Neskaya - Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross (Fantasy)
4. Zandru's Forge - Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross (Science Fiction)
5. Masters of Fantasy (Anthology)
6. Sword and Sorceress XV - Ed. Marion Zimmer Bradley (Anthology)
7. Sword and Sorceress XIV - Ed. Marion Zimmer Bradley (Anthology)
8. Sword and Sorceress X - Ed. Marion Zimmer Bradley (Anthology)
9. Sword and Sorceress VI - Ed. Marion Zimmer Bradley (Anthology)
10. Sword and Sorceress IX - Ed. Marion Zimmer Bradley (Anthology)
11.  Rocket Ship Galileo - Robert Heinlein (Science Fiction)
12. Falls The Shadow - Sharon Kay Penman (History)
13. The Reckoning - Sharon Kay Penman (History)
14. Sword and Sorceress I - Ed. Marion Zimmer Bradey (Anthology)
15. Sword and Sorceress V - Ed. Marion Zimmer Bradley (Anthology)
16. Sword and Sorceress VII - Ed. Marion Zimmer Bradley (Anthology)
17. Against The Odds - Elizabeth Moon (Science Fiction)
18. Alexandria - Nick Bantock 
19. Morningstar - Nick Bantock 
20. Gryphon - Nick Bantock 
21. Lord of the Two Lands - Judith Tarr (Fantasy)
22. Variable Star - Robert Heinlein and Spider Robinson (Science Fiction)
23. Zoe's Tale - John Scalzi (Science Fiction)
24. The Forgetting Room - Nick Bantock 
25. The Venetian's Wife - Nick Bantock 
26. The Museum At Purgatory - Nick Bantock
27. Shadow Of The Swords - Kamran Pasha 
28. The Forest Laird - Jack Whyte (Historical Fiction)
29. American Vampire - Scott Snyder, Steven King (Graphic Novel)
30. A Game Of Thrones - George R. R. Martin (Fantasy, e-book)
31. Stray - Rachel Vincent (Fantasy, e-book)
32. Queen By Right - Anne Easter Smith (Historical Fiction)
33. Dreams of Joy - Lisa See (Historical Fiction)
34. Rosemary and Rue - Seanan McGuire (Fantasy)
35. By Fire By Water - Mitchell James Kaplan (History)
36. Heaven To Wudang - Kylie Chan (Fantasy)
37. Stalking Darkness - Lynn Flewelling (Fantasy)
38. Traitor's Moon - Lynn Flewelling (Fantasy)
39. The Empire At War Vol 1  (Graphic Novel, Science Fiction)
40. The Empire At War Vol 2 (Graphic Novel, Science Fiction)
41.  The X Factor - Andre Norton (Science Fiction)
42. Star Gate - Andre Norton (Science Fiction)
43. Stargate SG1 Do No Harm - Karen Miller (TV Tie-in, Science Fiction)
44. Stargate SG1 Relativity - James Swallow (TV Tie-in, Science Fiction)
45. Stargate SG1 The Morpheus Factor - Ashley McConnell (TV Tie-in, Science Fiction)
46. Stargate SG1 The Cost of Honor - Sally Malcom (TV Tie-in, Science Fiction)
47. Stargate SG1 A Matter of Honor - Sally Malcolm (TV Tie-in, Science Fiction)
48. Stargate SG1 Roswell - Sonny Whitelaw and Jennifer Fallon (TV Tie-in, Science Fiction)
49. Stargate SG1 Alliances - Karen Miller (TV Tie-in, Science Fiction
50. Masks of the Outcasts - Andre Norton (Science Fiction)
51. Stargate SG1 The Price You Pay - Ashley McConnell (TV Tie-in, Science Fiction) 
52. The Renegade - Jack Whyte (Historical Fiction)
53. The Guardian - Jack Whyte (Historical Fiction)
54. Written In My Own Heart's Blood - Diana Gabaldon (Historical Fiction)
55. An Echo In The Bone - Diana Gabaldon (Historical Fiction)
56. A Breath Of Snow And Ashes - Diana Gabaldon (Historical Fiction)
57. In The Shadow Of The Banyan Tree - Vaddey Ratner
58. The Light Between The Oceans - M. L. Stedman
59. The Third Gate - Lincoln Child 
60. Equal Of The Sun - Anita Amirrezvani (Historical Fiction)
61. The Lake Of Dreams - Kim Edwards 
62. The Forest - Edward Rutherfurd (Historical Fiction) 
63. The Second Empress - Michelle Moran (Historical Fiction) 
64. The Book of Negroes - Lawrence Hill (Historical Fiction) 

Unread Books 2016 - Primary Sources

After the past several years of running a mixed Unread Books list on my blog, last year I broke it up into some basic categories. I'm doing the same thing again this year, albeit a bit later in the year. Maybe it'll make it easier to keep the lists updated - and to find the books once I've read them. The plan is to have a fiction list, a primary sources list, a Tolkien list and a non-fiction list. Who knows, breaking the list up might even make it less intimidating!

Unread Books 2016 - Primary Sources List:

1. The Histories - Herodotus - Non Fiction (History)
2. The Peloponnesian War - Thucydides - Non Fiction (History)
3. Greek Lives - Plutarch - Non Fiction (History, Biography)
4. Roman Lives - Plutarch - Non Fiction (History, Biography)
5. Beowulf - Trans. Seamus Heany - Poetry
6. Anthony And Cleopatra - Shakespeare - Fiction
7. Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare - Fiction
8. Richard III - Shakespeare - Fiction
9. The Comedy Of Errors - Shakespeare - Fiction
10. All's Well That Ends Well - Shakespeare - Fiction
11. Troilus And Cressida - Shakespeare - Fiction
12. Henry IV Part One - Shakespeare - Fiction
13. The Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer - Poetry
14. The Saga of Grettir The Strong - Fiction
15. The Conquest Of Gaul - Julius Caesar - Non Fiction (History)
16. Metamorphosis - Ovid - Poetry
17. Greek Lyric Poetry - Trans. Sherod Santos - Poetry
18. On Sparta - Plutarch - Non Fiction (History)
19. A History Of My Times - Xenophon - Non Fiction (History)
20.  Roman Poets Of The Early Empire - Poetry
21. Troilus And Criseyde - Geoffrey Chaucer - Poetry
22. Medieval English Prose For Women - Eds. Bella Millett & Jocelyn Wogan-Browne - Non Fiction 
23. Josephus - Non Fiction (History)
24. The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English - Non Fiction
25. The Life Of Christina Of Markayte - Trans. C. H. Talbot - Non Fiction
26. Lysistrata/The Clouds  - Aristophanes - Fiction (History, Play)
27. Pausanias Guide to Greece Volume One Translated by Peter Levy - Non Fiction (History) 
28. The Landmark Arrian - Non Fiction (History)
29. The Crusades A Reader - Ed. S. J. Allen and Emilie Amt - Non Fiction (History)
30. Women's Writing In Middle English - Ed. Alexandra Barratt - Non Fiction (History)
31. The Landmark Hellenika - Ed. Robert Strassler - Non Fiction (History)
32. Chronicles of the First Crusade - Ed. Christopher Tyerman - Non Fiction (History)
33. Everyman And Medieval Miracle Plays - Ed. A. C. Crawley - Non Fiction
34. Juvenal The Sixteen Satires - Trans. Peter Green - Poetry
35. Aeschylus II - Play
36. Euripides I - Play
37. Sophocles II - Play
38. Reading The Middle Ages - Ed. Barbara Rosenwein - Non Fiction (History)
39. The Song of Roland - Poetry
40. Rome And Italy - Livy - Non Fiction (History)
41. The Early History of Rome - Livy - Non Fiction (History)
42. Odes and Epodes - Horace - Poetry
43. Joinville And Villehardouin Chronicles of the First Crusade - Non Fiction (History)
44. The Book Of Contemplation: Islam and the Crusades - Usama Ibn Munqidh - Non Fiction (History)
45. The Book of Margery Kempe - Non Fiction (Autobiography)

Unread Books 2016 - Non Fiction

After the past several years of running a mixed Unread Books list on my blog, last year I broke it up into some basic categories. I'm doing the same thing again this year, albeit a bit later in the year. Maybe it'll make it easier to keep the lists updated - and to find the books once I've read them. The plan is to have a fiction list, a primary sources list, a Tolkien list and a non-fiction list. Who knows, breaking the list up might even make it less intimidating!

My Unread Books List 2016 - Non Fiction:

1. Women In Medieval Society - Ed. Susan Mosher Stuard (History)
2. The Lady In Medieval England 1000-1500 - Peter Coss (History)
3. The History of the World in 100 Objects - Neil MacGregor (History)
4. The Zero Mile Diet: A Year Round Guide To Growing Organic Food - Carolyn Herriot (Gardening)
5.  The Crusader States - Malcolm Barber (History)
6. Holy Warriors: A Modern History of the Crusades - Johnathan Phillips (History)
7. Alexander The Great - Philip Freeman (History, Biography)
8. The Rise And Fall of Ancient Egypt - Toby Wilkinson (History)
9. The Ruin of the Roman Empire: A New History - James J. O'Donnell (History)
10. Atlas of Medieval Europe (History)
11. The Axe and the Oath - Robert Fossier (History)
12. A Short History of the Middle Ages - Barbara Rosenwein (History)
13. The Grand Design - Steven Hawking 
14. The Last Apocalypse - James Reston Jr. (History)
15. Medieval Households - David Herlihy (History)
16. Special Sisters: Women In The European Middle Ages - Arthur Fredrick Ide (History)
17. Medieval Costume And Fashion - Herbert Norris (History)
18. Sex, Dissidence And Damnation: Minority Groups In The Middle Ages - Jeffrey Richards (History)
19. Daily Living In The Twelfth Century (History)
20. Cathedral, Forge And Waterwheel - Francis And Joseph Gies (History)
21. Medicine And Society In Later Medieval England - Caroline Rawcliffe (History)
22. Londinium - John Morris (History)
23. The Archaeology Of Roman Britain - R. G. Collingwood (History)
24. Londinium - John Morris (History)
25. The Archaeology Of Roman Britain - R. G. Collingwood (History)
26. Women in Early Medieval Europe 400-1100 - Lisa M. Bitel (History)
27. An Illustrated History of its First 12000 Years: Toronto edited by Ronald F. Williamson (History)
28. Becoming Modern In Toronto: The Industrial Exhibition - Keith Walden (History)
29. The Complete World Of The Dead Sea Scrolls - Phillip R. Davies, George J. Brooke and Phillip R. Callaway (History)
30. Dictionary Of Mythology
31. Hadrian - Anthony Everitt (Biography)
32. The Inheritance Of Rome - Chris Wickham (History)
33. The Ties That Bound - Barbara Hanawalt (History)
34. Making A Living In The Middle Ages - Christopher Dyer (History)
35. The Art Of Medieval Hunting - John Cummins (History)
36. Eleanor Of Aquitaine - Alison Weir (Biography)
37. Growing Up In Medieval London - Barbara Hanawalt (History)
38. The Lost Capital Of Byzantium - Steven Runciman (History)
39.  Readings In Medieval History - Patrick Geary (History)
40.  The Real Middle Earth - Brian Bates  (History)
41. Khubilai Khan's Lost Fleet: In Search of a Legendary Armada - James Delgado (History)
42. The Medieval World - Eds. Peter Linehan & Janet L. Nelson (History)
43. Europe And The Middle Ages - Edward Peters (History)
44. The Age of the Cathedrals - Georges Duby (History)
45. A History Of Private Life I (History)
46. A History Of Private Life II (History)
47. The Peasantries Of Europe - Ed. Tom Scott (History)
48. Law And Life of Rome - J. A. Crook (History)
49. The Temple And the Lodge - Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh
50. The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception - Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh
51. The Battle Of Salamis - Barry Strauss (History)
52. The Knights Templar - Piers Paul Read - Non Fiction (History)
53. The Lost Tomb Of Alexander The Great - Andrew Michael Chugg (History)
54. Rome And Jerusalem - Martin Goodman (History)
55. The History of Britain - Simon Schama (History)
56. Caesar - Adrian Goldworthy (History, Biography)
57. The Fall Of The Roman Empire - Peter Heather (History)
58. Xenophon's Retreat - Robin Waterfield (History)
59. Isabella - Alison Weir (History, Biography)
60. An Imperial Possession - David Mattingly (History)
61. The Peloponnesian War - Donald Kagan (History)
62. Augustus: The Life Of Rome's First Emperor - Anthony Everitt (History, Biography)
63. Cicero - Anthony Everitt (History, Biography)
64. God's War - Christopher Tyerman (History)
65. Life In A Medieval City - Francis and Joseph Gies (History)
66. Life In A Medieval Castle - Francis and Joseph Gies (History)
67.  Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson (Biography)
68. Armies Of Heaven - Jay Rubenstein (History)
69. Sea of Faith - Stepehen O'Shea (History)
70. Beyond Book Indexing - Ed. Dianne Brenner and Marilyn Rowland (Indexing)
71. The Medieval World Europe 1100-1350 - Friedrich Heer (History)
72. The City in the Greek and Roman World - E.J. Owens (History)
73. The Greek World After Alexander 323-30 B.C. - Graham Shipley (History)
74. A Great And Terrible King: Edward I And The Forging Of Britain - Mark Morris (History, Biography)
75. Cleopatra - Stacy Schiff (Biography, E-book, History)
76. Antony and Cleopatra - Adrian Goldsworthy (Biography, History)
77. Cleopatra A Biography - Duane W. Roller (History, Biography)
78. Cleopatra the Great The Woman Behind The Legend - Joann Fletcher (History, Biography)
79. Cleopatra The Search For The Last Queen Of Egypt - Zahi Hawass and Franck Goddio (History, Archaeology, Biography)
80. Cruelty and Civilization: The Roman Games - Roland Auguet (History)
81. Nova Scotia Shaped By The Sea - Lesley Choyce (History)
82. Ancient Cities - Charles Gates (History, Archaeology)
83. Getting In TTouch With Your Horse - Linda Tellington-Jones (Animals)
84. Greek Art and Archaeology - John Griffiths Pedley (History, Archaeology, Art)
85. Roman Art - Nancy H. Ramage and Andrew Ramage (History, Art, Archaeology)
86. Fighting For The Cross - Norman Housley (History)
87. The Middle Ages: Everyday Life In Medieval Europe - Jeffrey L. Singman (History)
88. A Medieval Miscelany - Judith Herrin (History)
89. Gothic Art: Glorious Visions - Michael Camille (History, Art)
90. Early Medieval Art - Lawrence Nees (History, Art)
91. Great Harry's Navy - Geoffrey Moorhouse (History)
92. Ghost On The Throne - James Romm (History)
93. Blueprint Crochet Sweaters - Robyn Chachula (Crochet)

Unread Books - Tolkien 2016

After the past several years of running a mixed Unread Books list on my blog, last year I broke it down into categories. I'm doing the same thing this year, albeit a bit later in the year. Maybe it'll make it easier to keep the lists updated - and to find the books once I've read them. The plan is to have a fiction list, a primary sources list, a Tolkien list and a non-fiction list. Who knows, breaking the list up might even make it less intimidating!

I'm a Tolkien collector - see the various Tolkien lists I have on my blog (here, here and here), but I've ended up buying the books faster than I can read them. There are unreviewed books on those lists that I have read, although they were read before I started All Booked Up.

 Unread Books 2016 - Tolkien List:

1. Hobbitus Ille - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
2. The Annotated Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
3. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Reader's Guide - Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull - Non Fiction
4. The History Of The Hobbit: Mr. Baggins - John Rateliff - Non Fiction
5. The History Of The Hobbit: Return To Bag-End - John Rateliff - Non Fiction
6.  Tolkien: A Celebration - Joseph Pearce - Non Fiction
7. The Battle For Middle-Earth - Bonnie Rutledge - Non Fiction
8. The Ring Of Words - Jeremy H. Marshall - Non Fiction
9. The Children of Hurin - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
10. On Faerie Stories - Ed. Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
11. The Tolkien Legendarium - Ed. Carl Hostetter - Non Fiction
12. Splintered Light: Logos And Language In Middle-Earth - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
13. Green Suns and Faerie - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
14. The Fall of Arthur - Ed. Christopher Tolkien - Poetry
15. Beowulf - Ed. Christopher Tolkien - Fiction
16. The Art of The Hobbit - Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull - Non Fiction
17. Interrupted Music: The Making Of Middle-Earth - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
18. Master of Middle Earth - Paul Koch - Non Fiction
19. A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings - Lin Carter - Non Fiction
20. A Tolkien Compass - Jared Lobdel - Non Fiction
21. J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century - Tom Shippey - Non Fiction
22. The Gospel According To Tolkien - Ralph Woods - Non Fiction
23. There And Back Again: J.R.R. Tolkien And The Origins of The Hobbit - Mark Atherton - Non Fiction
24. Tolkien: A Celebration - Joseph Pearce - Non Fiction 
25. The Story of Kullervo - Ed. Christopher Tolkien
26. The Art of the Lord of the Rings - Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull - Non Fiction 
27. Tolkien - Raymond Edwards - Non Fiction
28. Middle-Earth: Visions of a Modern Myth - Donato Giancola - Art 
29. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Secret Vice - Tolkien on Invented Languages - Ed. Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins

Two Very Different Forms of Light

After beginning to feel as though two of my favorite older photos had been lost over the years, I had a stroke of luck this afternoon in finding them again, on my computer.

The first was taken with my current camera, and was one of two good shots of lightning I managed to capture during a storm in 2009. I'll admit that it was mostly luck. There was so much lightning and thunder going on that I was able to aim the camera at one point and just keep shooting. About five hundred photos later, I had two good photos. I've never been in a storm like it since.

The second was the light at the top of the driveway at the house I grew up in. Taken during a winter storm. I remember a couple of my friends saying the photo reminded them of some of the scenes from the Narnia movies.