Ruth Downie's Blog, page 7
February 23, 2017
Of high heels and trivia
I’ve been musing on Parkinson’s Law. Not the famous one (“work expands to fill the time available”) but another from the same book: Parkinson’s Law of Triviality. “The time spent on any item on the agenda will be in inverse proportion to the sum involved.” (If you’re wondering what this has to do with high heels, fear not: we’ll get there in a moment.)
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Here it is in action, in a chapter called “High Finance”. A group of men – this was 1957, remember – meet to approve spending plans. The it...
December 17, 2016
Io Saturnalia! – Ruso speaks.
I’m delighted to welcome a guest writer to the blog on this special day – G Petrieus Ruso, Medicus.
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When I first asked him to say a few words about Saturnalia, he was characteristically reticent and referred me to his friend Valens, claiming that “He knows more about parties than I do.”
Indeed, Valens thought the article was a splendid idea. Unfortunately he was on his way out to dinner and didn’t have time to write anything, but he assured me Ruso would be secretly pleased to help. I have t...
November 24, 2016
A long way from Rome
Apologies for the blog silence. I’ve been travelling beyond the farthest reaches of the Empire. At least, that’s what I thought, but one of the displays in the Hong Kong Maritime Museum (which is well worth a visit if you’re passing that way) was eerily familiar.
“That,” I cried to Longsuffering Husband, who thought he’d got away from all that stuff for a while, “is Roman glass!” And indeed it was. Over 5,700 miles from home.
According to the caption, “between the second and ninth centuries,...
October 18, 2016
The Trojans are back!
The new novel from seven talented members of the H-team is published today – and as ever, they’ve been weaving old stories together in new ways.
I wasn’t involved this time (deadlines!) and I can’t wait to find out what the team have done with the story we all ‘think’ we know. Meanwhile, they’ve been kind enough to drop by and answer a few questions. The first thing I wanted to know was:
What is it about the story of Troy that’s kept drawing people back to it for thousands of years?
October 8, 2016
Saturday, final stop on the Blog Tour – For Winter Nights
Many thanks to For Winter Nights, the final host on the Blog Tour!
If you haven’t yet discovered this excellent book blog, now is a good time to nip across there – not only for the chance to win a copy of Vita Brevis, but also to browse a splendid collection of reviews and articles, and to get some ideas for good books to fill those long winter evenings.
In case anyone wants to catch up, here’s the list of people who’ve been kind enough to host the tour over the past week. My thanks to all of...
October 7, 2016
Friday on the Blog Tour – Hoover Book Reviews
Day 7, and the last-but-one stop on the tour today! Across the water to Detroit and Hoover Book Reviews, which is a splendid place to browse if you’re on the hunt for contemporary fiction based in the ancient world – and more. (Nip across there and scroll down to where it says ‘categories’ on the right, and you’ll see what I mean.)
Big thanks to Paul Bennett, the man behind it all, for his very kind words about Vita Brevis.
October 6, 2016
Thursday on the blog tour – Roma Nova
October 5, 2016
Wednesday on the blog tour – A Literary Vacation
Many thanks to Colleen for hosting the first chapter of ‘Vita Brevis’ today, alongside a whole heap of other bookish goodies – if you’re looking for something new to read, “A Literary Vacation” is a great place to explore.
October 4, 2016
Tuesday on the Blog Tour – Parmenion Books
Many thanks to the excellent Robin Carter over at Parmenion Books for hosting today – a VITA BREVIS giveaway and some medical remedies you very probably haven’t tried before. Or even considered.
October 3, 2016
Monday on the blog tour – A Fantastical Librarian
Today I’m honoured to join Mieneke van der Salm, the award-nominated Fantastical Librarian. Check out her web pages for a wide selection of reviews and author interviews, and this link for a chance to win a copy of VITA BREVIS wherever you live.
If I’d realised Mieneke was also a real librarian, I’d have tidied the shelves at Downie Towers…
