Nature, Man and Woman

This book by Alan Watts is a holistic analysis of the nature of humankind in both its typical genders and their relation, using both Christian theology and Taoist philosophy. Part one deals with the relationship between man and nature, thus discussing much on the scientific worldview and the nature of purpose; part two the relationship between man and woman, thus sexuality and the metaphysics of love. Overall I think I expected more from this book than it delivered, but it was still a very thought-provoking and insightful read. Hazardly recommended reading for anyone interested in the totalities of human nature.

Leviathan

This book is a Warhammer 40k novel by Darius Hinks, and it's basically about the Ultramarines & the Cadia 401st defending the fortress-world Regium against a tyranid hive fleet invasion, and while on a superficial grimdark level that's exciting, I didn't feel it was particularly interesting to read about. Aesthetically I'm a big fan of tyranids - they were one of my armies back in my teenage days when I was still involved in the tabletop hobby rather than mere lore-reading - but lorewise I think their motivational simplicity makes them rather dull to tell stories about, unless you're an incredibly imaginative & skilled writer, which (sorry) I don't think Hinks is. If you're a tyranid mega-fan you might get a kick out of it, but if you're more into 40k for the complex lore then this book has very little to offer you, and if you simply enjoy good sci-fi you can certainly easily do better than this.

the Republic of Song

This book is a poetry collection by Kelvin Corcoran, kindly lent to me by my friend Nick (who is also a great poet). I really enjoyed this collection - Corcoran's style is very plain and readable, and yet also bristling with unexpected longish imagery; and the poems herein are sometimes dripping with the cynicism of politics, other times overflowing with the miasmic overwhelm of history, still others bursting with a raw unfettered love for nature or revelling in the florid glories of everyday life. A powerful book, worth a read if you're into modern free verse - I'm hoping having read it will trigger some inspiration in me, as it's been a while since I've written any good poetry.

Magnifica Humanitas

This book is the first papal encyclical from Pope Leo XIV, and it's a banger. Perhaps just as much so as Francis's Laudato Si'. It's concerned primarily with the human challenges that AI is going to (or is already) bring, situated firmly in a sociopolitical context informed by the Catholic Church's Social Doctrine. I'm by no means a Catholic but I found this a very Christian very compelling read - Leo says things like "A more moral AI is not enough if that morality is determined by a few. What is needed is a more active political involvement that is capable of slowing things down when everything is accelerating, and of protecting the opportunities for communities still to be able to participate and ask questions." and "To speak of justice requires questioning the global distribution of power that decides who in fact can train these models and who is merely subjected to them. Likewise, it means acknowledging that social justice is not only a goal to be safeguarded after technologies are deployed, but a condition that must shape their very design from the outset." Based as fuck.

   If you're a Catholic yourself I halfway imagine this may be compulsory reading, but even if you're not a Christian and are in any shape concerned about the trajectory of AI in our global economy, this is worth a read. It's online for free from my given link, you can read the whole thing in two or three hours.

the Fall of Cadia

This book by Robert Rath is the first Warhammer 40,000 novel I've read in a while. No spoilers except for the title itself - despite the propagandic Cadian refrain "Cadia stands", Cadia does indeed fall. We here witness the epic planet-scale battle between Lord Commander Ursarkar Creed and Warmaster Abbadon the Despoiler - with the raging war told from all manner of angles, from those of command to the slogging foot troops and everything inbetween. Oh, and Belisarius Cawl is here to help eventually (also for personal research) as is everyone's favourite immortal museum curator Trazyn, to watch (and collect exhibits). If you're new to 40k a lot of this might go over your head but you still might appreciate it as a stompingly action-packed sci-fi war novel; if you're anywhere even 10% deep into 40k lore, this is a must-read. Rath is a very skilled writer and despite the preliminary list of main characters spanning five pages in itself this is easy enough to follow. It is a long one, going for 651 pages, but its pace never lets up, nor its tension.