kitewithfish

I have been having a very joyful and messy and self-centered couple of days! I had a day off on Monday, so I rearranged my office to better suit my incoming winter needs and to provide a lot more organized space for my craft materials. It felt just really wonderful and kind to myself to do all of that, and put the effort into my own space and happiness (even if it did make a mess and take up space and involve some sweat and dust.)

What I’ve Read
The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould – Man, this is such a good book. Gould is just looking over several situations of learned and respected men being wildly motivated by social biases and clinging hard to the idea that science proves their biases right. It’s a fascinating case where it can be nearly fucking impossible for someone to notice their own bigotry and expectations pushing them to confirm that in their work. This is from the 1990s but addresses much earlier cases and I think should be read as a really valuable historical launching point for a more robust interest in how people actually DO science at a basic level. (This edition also contains some good essays on The Bell Curve, a very bigoty book about using science to confirm your existing racist beliefs. Those are good on their own but I skipped them because I was already pretty riled up.) Highly recommend if you like Michael Hobbes’s work.

What I’m Reading
The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club – Dorothy Sayers – 67% An elderly man is found dead at his gentleman’s club, and establishing the time of his death becomes crucial for executing his will when it’s revealed he died the same day as his sister. Did he die just before her, so that all her wealth passes to her lady companion? Or just after, so that her wealth joins his estate and passes nearly entirely to his eldest son? Oh, and maybe one of these three potential heirs killed him! I really do wish there was an audiobook of this one available to me, but I am unwilling to pay money for it as a one off. I should look into a collection of Sayers novels as a single audiobook to see if there's a bargain to be had.

The Ottomans: Khans, Caesars and Caliphs by Marc David Baer – I am 2% into this audiobook that came from the library yesterday and pushed me to finish Mismeasure to the end in a burst. So far, really interesting – I seem to be on a history kick. (Not strictly related to this book, but, I hate to say it: Our times are heartbreakingly precedented. )

Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin – A bit slow for me? Honestly, the best parts are in fact the culture and world building – Ged is hitting the Just Some Guy button for me a lot.

What I’ll Read Next
Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
The Fortunate Fall by Cameron Reed
Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove