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Seeking a Solarpunk Future
Sci Fi | Cozy Fic | Sustainable Living | Classics | Green Energy | He/Him/His.
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Derek Caelin's books
2024 Reading Goal
23% complete! Derek Caelin has read 12 of 52 books.
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Derek Caelin wants to read Hothouse by Brian W. Aldiss
Hothouse by Brian W. Aldiss
THE LAST DAYS OF MAN
Under a dying sun, monstrous sentient plants and carnivorous insects are the predators. Man is …
Derek Caelin finished reading Button Pusher by Tyler Page
Derek Caelin finished reading Airship by Patrick Abbott (Man on the move series)
Airship by Patrick Abbott (Man on the move series)
Derek Caelin finished reading Dirigible Dreams by C. Michael Hiam
Derek Caelin started reading Dirigible Dreams by C. Michael Hiam
Dirigible Dreams by C. Michael Hiam
Here is the story of airshipsmanmade flying machines without wingsfrom their earliest beginnings to the modern era of blimps. In …
Derek Caelin stopped reading
The historian's craft by Marc Léopold Benjamin Bloch
In this classic work, distinguished French economic historian, Marc Bloch, discusses the techniques of historical observation, analysis, and criticism, and …
Let us guard against stripping our science of its share of poetry. Let us also beware of the inclination, which I have detected in some, to be ashamed of this poetic quality. It would be sheer folly to suppose that history, because it appeals strongly to the emotions, is less capable of satisfying the intellect.
— The historian's craft by Marc Léopold Benjamin Bloch (Page 8)
Derek Caelin started reading The historian's craft by Marc Léopold Benjamin Bloch
This book is wild. The author, a French historian, muses about the craft of history - its purpose and functions. The year is 1941. A year before, the Germans had marched into Paris. Three years later, Bloch will be dead - an executed member of the Resistance. It gives the books real poignancy.
Derek Caelin wants to read Future Histories by Lizzie O'Shea
Future Histories by Lizzie O'Shea
A highly engaging tour through progressive history in the service of emancipating our digital tomorrow.
When we talk about technology …
Derek Caelin finished reading City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Derek Caelin quoted How Infrastructure Works by Deb Chachra
It's easy to take artificial light for granted and never think about what an enabling technology it is to be able to see equally well whether it's day or night or, for that matter, in any closed interior space. It's not a survival need, but seeing in the dark is effectively a superpower. While light has been scarce and expensive for almost all of human history, the past two centuries or so saw the cost of light (the price per lumen-hour) drop by a factor of ten thousand.
— How Infrastructure Works by Deb Chachra (Page 25)
I never really thought of the cost of light
Derek Caelin set a goal to read 52 books in 2024
Often Insightful, Occasionally Absurd
4 stars
Groom's book looks at the background of Tolkien's legendarium, the way the text evolved over the years and decades, depiction of Tolkien's work in media, and the applicability of various themes as they apply today. I most enjoyed the history of the changing text. Aragorn was at one point a Hobbit named Trotter! Frodo was Bingo, Bilbo's son! It gave me insight into Tolkien's process of writing, which is to say, he wrote something, and then edited, then edited again. In this book he comes accross, not as a "grand architect", with everything planned in advance, but a tinkerer constantly changing, reworking, and rediscovering his text. Groom reveals how the process took decades, during which finances, overcommittment in work, and general life challenges made it nearly impossible to make progress on the text. I came away with a profound appreciation and wonder that Tolkien actually managed to finish "Lord of …
Groom's book looks at the background of Tolkien's legendarium, the way the text evolved over the years and decades, depiction of Tolkien's work in media, and the applicability of various themes as they apply today. I most enjoyed the history of the changing text. Aragorn was at one point a Hobbit named Trotter! Frodo was Bingo, Bilbo's son! It gave me insight into Tolkien's process of writing, which is to say, he wrote something, and then edited, then edited again. In this book he comes accross, not as a "grand architect", with everything planned in advance, but a tinkerer constantly changing, reworking, and rediscovering his text. Groom reveals how the process took decades, during which finances, overcommittment in work, and general life challenges made it nearly impossible to make progress on the text. I came away with a profound appreciation and wonder that Tolkien actually managed to finish "Lord of the Rings" at all. This, to me, was the most interesting and satisfying part of the book.
I was less entertained by the media explorations, but still found value in the review of the various radio dramas, movies, and game adaptations. (I'm newly inspired to listen to the BBC Radio Drama of Lord of the Rings staring Ian Holm as Frodo.) Groom waxes eloquent on Peter Jackson's interpretation of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. He gives the Hobbit more credit on face value than I would, but I suppose his focus was on the choices made in adaptation and not the quality of the movies as cinema.
The exploration of Tolkien themes, was, in my opinion, the least compelling part of the book. Partly this was because Groom examines not only the books but also the movie adaptations and the things they have to say about war, environmentalism, and death. It's possible that I liked this part the least because I already have my own opinions on the themes and disagreed with Grooms interpretations. I grumbled quite a bit to my partner when the author (offhand, and perhaps as a joke) likens Faramir's resistance group in occupied Ithilien as "terrorism", or how he seemed to think that Orcs deserve sympathy because they would rebel against Sauron if they could. I was amused, more than anything, by the authors continual shots at Bilbo as "the most dishonest character" in Tolkien's legendarium. The reason I picked up the book was I was interested in reading about Tolkien's environmentalism. There is some discussion of that topic here, but it is not the principal focus.
Tolkien in the 21st Century was thought provoking, and surfaced a lot of things I didn't know about the story. It's worth a read!
Derek Caelin started reading City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky
City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Arthur C. Clarke winner and Sunday Times bestseller Adrian Tchaikovsky's triumphant return to fantasy with a darkly inventive portrait of …