Christmas Roundup
Saturday, December 27, 2014
OK. Christmas is done for another year. Here's how I spent mine.
Christmas Eve - a coach to Oxfordshire, carols around a village Christmas tree in the early evening and the midnight service in a church that I'm pretty sure is a couple of hundred years old. It was an Anglican service, and if you don't ever go to church outside of marriages or funerals and so forth, that means a bit of ritual, a lot of singing and a workout for your knees. I went to pretty much the same service (with the same hard working staff, but at a different church) the next morning. It was my second time in church in 24 hours, the vicar's fourth.
Christmas Day was all about family. This year, we did a Secret Santa thing and I got a gorgeous carved Rhino from Kenya. It's a beautiful, tactile piece of carving and I love it. We ate, we drank, we played some games, we sang carols, we sat around making things and talking to each other. No one did anything to excess, no one had a row and the whole thing was really, really fun. I learned to play Irish Snap, and worked on my poker face with a couple of rounds of Cheat.
All of this was with the In-Laws, who have been gradually teaching me all of the important things about Christmas.
I've also read some books. Pocket reviews ahoy!
Ya Gotta Read
The Martian by Andy Weir
Quick guide: man stranded on Mars attempts to survive.
My verdict: Awesome book. I couldn't stop reading it. Funny, intelligent, engaging, fascinating.
You should read it because: You'll learn a lot.
I'm Currently Ploughing Through
Sniper One by Dan Mills
Quick Guide: True story of sniper operations in Iraq.
My Verdict: I am a total sucker for this kind of writing and this sort of real life story. I'm fascinated, but unless you like books written by soldiers about their experiences, you might not.
You should read it because: you've got a yen to learn about the British Army.
Optional Reads
Closure, Limited by Max Brooks
Quick Guide: more Zombie stories by the man who brought us World War Z.
My Verdict: Mmmm. It was okay.
You should read it because: you're a Max Brooks fan or completist.
Read more...
Christmas Eve - a coach to Oxfordshire, carols around a village Christmas tree in the early evening and the midnight service in a church that I'm pretty sure is a couple of hundred years old. It was an Anglican service, and if you don't ever go to church outside of marriages or funerals and so forth, that means a bit of ritual, a lot of singing and a workout for your knees. I went to pretty much the same service (with the same hard working staff, but at a different church) the next morning. It was my second time in church in 24 hours, the vicar's fourth.
Christmas Day was all about family. This year, we did a Secret Santa thing and I got a gorgeous carved Rhino from Kenya. It's a beautiful, tactile piece of carving and I love it. We ate, we drank, we played some games, we sang carols, we sat around making things and talking to each other. No one did anything to excess, no one had a row and the whole thing was really, really fun. I learned to play Irish Snap, and worked on my poker face with a couple of rounds of Cheat.
All of this was with the In-Laws, who have been gradually teaching me all of the important things about Christmas.
I've also read some books. Pocket reviews ahoy!
Ya Gotta Read
The Martian by Andy Weir
Quick guide: man stranded on Mars attempts to survive.
My verdict: Awesome book. I couldn't stop reading it. Funny, intelligent, engaging, fascinating.
You should read it because: You'll learn a lot.
I'm Currently Ploughing Through
Sniper One by Dan Mills
Quick Guide: True story of sniper operations in Iraq.
My Verdict: I am a total sucker for this kind of writing and this sort of real life story. I'm fascinated, but unless you like books written by soldiers about their experiences, you might not.
You should read it because: you've got a yen to learn about the British Army.
Optional Reads
Closure, Limited by Max Brooks
Quick Guide: more Zombie stories by the man who brought us World War Z.
My Verdict: Mmmm. It was okay.
You should read it because: you're a Max Brooks fan or completist.
