Books in September 2023

 

A slow month

September 2023, was a quiet month for reading, mainly because I was working through several non-fiction books. I tend to be slower when I read non-fiction, as it doesn't lend itself to skim reading, which is how I consume much of the fiction that I read. I read three books, for a total of 977 pages. 

One of these books was a graphic novel, the latest tie-in with the Blade Runner franchise, "Blade Runner 2039, volume 1". This continues the stories that link between the original film and the more recent Denis Villeneuve movie. This is done well and will be entertainingly useful when I start to play the roleplaying game.

The first of the non-fiction books was Michael Wood's classic "In Search of the Dark Ages", in its newly refreshed form. This brings the book up-to-date with current knowledge, especially from more recent archaeology. It also increases the number of historical female characters that it describes. I enjoyed this, and I learned a lot about "the dark ages" that I never knew before. The book was one of First Age's picks for his virtual bookclub on the Tavern, but also happens to be a favourite of my better half.

There's something in this that makes me want to run or play a roleplaying game which is set after an empire withdraws or collapses, a setting where the ruins the past surround the present. Of course, that would work just as well in Traveller's New Era or Milieu Zero as it would in a fantasy or historical setting. My enjoyment of this book was enhanced by a different book on the dark ages which I was listening to on audible while driving across the country for work. I nearly finished that other book this month, but I have about 90 minutes more to work through. They complimented each other nicely, one focusing on people, the other, focusing on lost kingdoms. On this one to follow.

The second of the non-fiction books was "The North will Rise Again" by Alex Niven. I wanted to like this book, but ultimately, I felt it ended up being too parochial around the north-east (the author's experience) and not delivering what it originally promised (a broader view of the north and an agenda to take things forward progressively). I think I preferred Lisa Nandy's analysis which I read some months ago. It was definitely interesting, but it just didn't work for me. 

I've now read 81 books for a total of 21,854 pages. As I write this, my reading streak sits on 266 days. I still think that breaking through the hundred book barrier is a possibility this year.

1st October 2023