Breathing Just a Little

April has roared in, and with it, autumn weather, comfort foods, and new books to read :-) At the end of the first full week, I've got three in the finished pile; here's my take on them all. (Note: I listened to the Doctor Who collection as an audiobook while cleaning, cooking and driving, otherwise I would definitely not be three down already). Scalzi, for me, is a writer whose work I very much enjoy, but who I think is at his best in novels with one clear protagonist who we follow through the story. This is because his work is, for want of a better phrase, light entertainment - SFF, yes, but usually either comedic or parodic in some way, and not the deliverer of either beautiful prose or heart-clenching truths - and I think that kind of blend needs a followable MC to ground it and give it shape. The reason I rate this book lower than his other recent novel, Starter Villain, is that unlike that book, this one did not have a clear protagonist, moving around between a vast cast ...

Sooooo. We all know about the tariff situation, right, unless we have been living under rocks (which, frankly, doesn't sound unappealing right about now). The Trump administration has imposed a wide swathe of tariffs are variable levels on trading partners both large and small, ranging from what seems to be the baseline (10%) up to much higher levels. Australia has been put on the baseline level, with a 10% across the board tariff imposed. Many people more economically versed than me have written about the tariffs and their possible broad impact on trade, markets and the global economy, so I am not going to try to reinvent that particular dreary wheel. Instead, I wanted to reflect on one significant impact that is already starting in Australia and is likely to get much worse quickly unless this situation is resolved - the absolute fire and destruction it is raining down on Australian superannuation investment. For the non-locals, superannuation is Australia's answer to self-fun...

The next three books up in my Agatha Christie re-reading project are the second books in the Poirot and Miss Marple series, and the first in the Tommy and Tuppence Beresford series. The earliest of these is the Tommy and Tuppence, published in 1922, followed quickly by the Poirot in 1923, with the Miss Marple coming almost a decade later in 1932. There is a very strong stylistic consistency between the two books from the early 20s, which I reflect on in the individual book notes. Next up will be books 3 for Poirot and Miss Marple respectively, and book 2 for Tommy and Tuppence. Given that I fit the re-reading project in around both life commitments and new book reading, it will probably take another 3 weeks for the next batch, even though these are super fast reads (usually they take me under 3 hrs to polish off). The Murder on the Links The second novel to feature Hercule Poirot, this book is very typical of early Christie style and theme. It is narrated by Poirot's "Dr Watso...

Back in January, I wrote a prose poem called 1985, which can be read here . Over the past few weeks, and accelerated by reading a wonderful piece written by a friend reflecting on her formative experiences of the late 1990s, I have been thinking about my own memories and experiences of that time, and I thought it would a good to try a companion piece. In time, I may do one for the very early 2010s, but nothing for any later than 2014 or so, which is about when my optimism for the world finally died beyond hope of revival. As for 2025, well. What could I even say? do you remember, she said, fingers idly moving across the screen of her phone, how it was back then, in 1999, when the century and the milennium were both waning, fading, and everyone was worried (or not worried) about the world ending or all the computers stopping at once or the second coming of whoever they were waiting for, wearing their low-ride jeans and boho shirts and pashminas, and I was 25, back then, in  1999, ne...