Last night I finished reading Naomi Novik's 'Temeraire' ('His Majesty's Dragon' in the US). Here are my thoughts on the book (warning: some spoilers).

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Reading a thread on Ran's board I am moved to try and write down my thoughts about being a moral atheist (in particular a humanist ( Read more... )

A bright sunny day, but it snowed today, and hailed. There was a brisk wind, the sort of wind people say 'puts roses in your cheeks', only this one was strong enough to put rose-bushes, small dogs or even park-benches in your cheeks.

I was born on Hyde Park Corner. Not on the pavement, but in St Georges' Hospital, London (now a hotel). I was born on 11th November 1966, at about 4pm in the afternoon (but my mother forgot to record my birth in her diary). When I was a baby I slept not with a doll or a teddy-bear but with a foot-long wooden lorry. I learnt to read when I was 3 ( Read more... )