I should have been an archaeologist...
Fill my well with science and nature and stuff
What does archaeology have to do with anything? Well, with the world as it is right now *waves hand at shit*, I’ve been filling my creative well with science. Both because I believe great science communication can help us find our way back to sanity — and I need a distraction from editing of book 4 of The Lyra Cycle.
Editing is going apace … at the same pace as the writing went. Right now I’m in the I don’t hate this as much as I thought I did phase. This too shall pass 🙄.
But when I need a break from writing — besides my British mysteries — I’m watching what I’ll call ArchaeologyTube. What we can learn from a tooth and cutting edge science never ceases to amaze. But even things that don’t require cutting edge science blow my mind.
For example, one fact that always gets me is that we are closer in time to Cleopatra (69 BCE) than she was to the builders of the great pyramids (2600 BCE) — they would have been as ancient to her as she is to us. Yet, the builders of those pyramids are still closer in time to us (by a few hundred years if my math is right) than the oldest building at Göbekli Tepe (~9500 BCE … though there’s another site that might be even older).
Bonkers! Okay, maybe it’s just me.
I did up a quick timeline though. You can see from the date in the middle, to reach a halfway point between ourselves and the builders of Göbekli Tepe, you’d have to go back to roughly 4000 BCE.
For the moment, you can check it out here (though the timescale at the bottom is borked — look at the dates at the top).
What I’m reading
I finished my first two books of 2025 as a reader:
August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White — I really enjoyed their The Salvagers series … space magic, baby. This book was great as well, and I’m so glad Ardent Violet get the title marquee in the sequel, which will definitely be added to my TBR shelf.
Translation State by Ann Leckie — This occurs in the same universe as the Imperial Radch books. I haven’t yet read any of that series yet, so hopefully I haven’t spoiled things for myself. I picked this up because I read a description calling it ‘like Becky Chambers but with more plot”, and I love Becky Chambers’ books. I don’t know that I’d agree with that assessment — the vibes are different. However, I did really enjoy the book.
Books for your TBR shelf
Not a book, but a short story. My Armchair Alien co-conspirator has a delightful story called Finding Joy the Hard Way up on the newsletter.
Happy Reading!
— CR
Where to find my books
If you’d like to read any of my sci-fi 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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