tight as a coil of twisted wire
Jun. 16th, 2009 06:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hawkwing_lbBooks 2009: 50-51
51. Anthony Price, October Men.
The fourth 1970s spy novel I've read by Price. This one involves the adventures of David Audley in Italy, North Sea oil, Soviets (of course), and government bureaucracy. Quite good.
It's a little odd to read these, really. They're a window into a very different world. I've never lived when Russia was The Enemy (111!!) of freedom and democracy (such as they are), despite Ireland's pathological screwed-up neutrality. They're just another (sort of European sort of Asian sort of in-between) nation, albeit one a bit more bellicose, corrupt and repressive than one might wish (though much the same might be said for the US). So it's rather fascinating to watch Cold War era paranoia in fiction.
non-fiction:
52. Josef Wiesehofer, Ancient Persia, London and New York, 1996.
One of the standard introductory works to the topic. Arranged broadly chronological, with each different dynasty divided thematically into discussions of military, social conditions, evidence, etc. Rather dry, and perhaps a little pedestrian. But I know a bit more about Achaemenids, Parthians, and Sassanians than I did before.
The physiotherapist says the only thing wrong with my shoulder is the fact that the muscles were tight as twisted wire and knotted to boot. After a half-hour of torture, she gave me some stretches and instuctions to try to drop my shoulders, not hunch them. I'm cleared to exercise and climb again, though I'm leaving any restart of the training plan until tomorrow.
The cat should come home on Friday. By then we should know whether he'll last out the next few weeks.
I also need to start seriously thinking about packing my rucksack for my month-long Archaeological Adventure. See if everything fits.
51. Anthony Price, October Men.
The fourth 1970s spy novel I've read by Price. This one involves the adventures of David Audley in Italy, North Sea oil, Soviets (of course), and government bureaucracy. Quite good.
It's a little odd to read these, really. They're a window into a very different world. I've never lived when Russia was The Enemy (111!!) of freedom and democracy (such as they are), despite Ireland's pathological screwed-up neutrality. They're just another (sort of European sort of Asian sort of in-between) nation, albeit one a bit more bellicose, corrupt and repressive than one might wish (though much the same might be said for the US). So it's rather fascinating to watch Cold War era paranoia in fiction.
non-fiction:
52. Josef Wiesehofer, Ancient Persia, London and New York, 1996.
One of the standard introductory works to the topic. Arranged broadly chronological, with each different dynasty divided thematically into discussions of military, social conditions, evidence, etc. Rather dry, and perhaps a little pedestrian. But I know a bit more about Achaemenids, Parthians, and Sassanians than I did before.
The physiotherapist says the only thing wrong with my shoulder is the fact that the muscles were tight as twisted wire and knotted to boot. After a half-hour of torture, she gave me some stretches and instuctions to try to drop my shoulders, not hunch them. I'm cleared to exercise and climb again, though I'm leaving any restart of the training plan until tomorrow.
The cat should come home on Friday. By then we should know whether he'll last out the next few weeks.
I also need to start seriously thinking about packing my rucksack for my month-long Archaeological Adventure. See if everything fits.
