Art, Vikings and Books
It's a bit of a jumbled curio shelf this week
I’ve been picking up the analog paintbrush again recently. I’m mostly painting little credit card sized images that let me practice techniques and water control.
I need a lot of practice. Maybe I should to stick with digital art. I wasn’t intending this to be a ship in the desert. I intended it to be some sci-fi communications output.
Besides painting, I continue to work on editing book 4 of The Lyra Cycle … in between doom scrolling. There’s been too much of that as well.
A curious thing
I also recently picked up a Nebula subscription. Unfortunately, there’s not quite enough archaeology. I hope they get more soon.
However, I did find Stefan Milo (you can also find him on YouTube).
One of the videos I watched recently, though it was a few years old, was on the potential evidence for Vikings (or some other group) on the Azores before the arrival of the Portuguese. When the Portuguese arrived, the Azores were uninhabited. However, a couple of things have been found that point to earlier human habitation — and northern European specifically.
First, the poo fungus. In particular, fungus associated with sheep and cattle dung was found in sediment samples from a couple of lakes. That doesn’t mean northern Europeans however.
It’s the mice. Most of the mice are Iberian mice. However, one population shares genetics with a Northern European population. Of course, mice are pretty accomplished travellers, maybe rivalled only by rats, so these mice could have hitched a ride on some Portuguese ship visiting the north.
Nonetheless, we’re able to use science to start teasing out that mystery — and I love historical mysteries.
Books for your TBR shelf
In honour of Black History Month, someone on Bluesky posted a list of SFF books by Black authors. I grabbed a couple from the library, and just finished So Let Them Burn. I love the Jamaican-infused world — and the story was engaging. I have book 2 on my list. Now I’m reading Cinderella is Dead. I’m enjoying it so far.
If you’re an avid reader, have you checked out Kobo+? It’s an alternative to that other subscription offering, if you’re looking for one. Get started with some of these sci-fi and fantasy books.
Happy reading!
— CR
Where to find my books
If you’d like to read any of my scifi or urban fantasy books, you can find them at your favourite online retailers. Or you can buy them direct from me on the Armchair Alien store.
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