A year in reading: the best books I read in 2021
This year, I read about 20 books covering Paganism, personal development, fiction, history, politics, and science. Here are the best books I read in 2021.
Books
LoveFest 2018, the Second Life Lovecraft festival
I returned to Second Life just in time for the 7th annual LoveFest, one of the virtual world’s literary events. LoveFest celebrates the work of American horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. The 10-day festival takes place around 20 August, the day Lovecraft was born. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was virtually … Read more
Living in a cyber-dystopia
At the start of the year, I set a reading goal based on how many books I read the previous year. I don’t define what kinds of books I’ll read, but a pattern sometimes emerges. This year is turning out to be a year of dystopian fiction and cyberpunk, not just in books, but also … Read more
Six films, two books, and many essays
I love January. I love new-year-new-you energy. I love the quiet of Melbourne as many of its residents are away for the summer holidays. I love movie-award season. And I love reading new books and essays. Here are six films, two books, and the many essays that filled my January. Six films Coco Coco is … Read more
Best fiction books 2017
Here’s the first of my ‘this year’ lists: the best fiction books of 2017. This list covers books that I read this year, not books that were published in 2017. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (1958) This novel deals with life in pre- and post-colonial Nigeria during the late nineteenth century. It was on … Read more
Review: The Good People by Hannah Kent
Fairies today are popularly viewed as enchanted creatures that are usually harmless though sometimes playful, even mischievous, but also kind, helpful, beautiful, and usually disconnected from culture. In her novel, The Good People, Hannah Kent reminds us that fairies were once viewed as so frightening, you didn’t even say “fairies” too loudly for fear of … Read more
