Plutonic Rainbows

New Books

This weekend, I am starting to read The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan. The publication has been on my list for a few months so it is somewhat overdue.

This region, the true centre of the earth, is obscure to many in the English-speaking world. Yet this is where civilization itself began, where the world's great religions were born and took root. The Silk Roads were no exotic series of connections, but networks that linked continents and oceans together. Along them flowed ideas, goods, disease and death. This was where empires were won - and where they were lost. As a new era emerges, the patterns of exchange are mirroring those that have criss-crossed Asia for millennia. The Silk Roads are rising again.

Sphere

I’ve decided to revisit Michael Crichton’s 1987 novel, Sphere. Having last read it in the early ‘90s, I’m curious to see how it holds up today. I didn’t particularly enjoy the film adaptation.

Kindle Paperwhite 2024

Amazon’s e-reader has come a long way since its inception. Today, I was genuinely impressed by the new 2024 edition. In comparison, my model from 2013 feels outdated in numerous ways. Over the past eleven years, Amazon has made significant strides, with approximately 487 million devices sold. The latest model is lighter, faster, and equipped with an ambient light sensor, along with greatly enhanced internal storage.

Henry T. Case (CNN)

The best thing about conventional wisdom is that it eventually ages into obscurity — and that’s what Amazon’s doing to previous perceptions about e-readers. I’ve tested Kindles for years, which led me to expect E Ink pages would always load slower than I’d like, as I was just used to seeing visible pauses after each tap. Amazon shattered that truth with its latest generation of Kindles that use a whole new oxide backplane display technology to simply move the digital ink around faster. Much faster.

Under The Shadow

In 1988 Tehran, Shideh’s attempts to rejoin medical school are thwarted because of her politically active history. Her husband is sent off to serve in the Iran-Iraq War while Iraqi air raids draw perilously close to their own apartment. As neighbours and friends flee from a city in chaos, she is left alone with her daughter Dorsa who becomes increasingly ill and seemingly disturbed.

New Strangelove NYC

This renowned niche fragrance brand is set to unveil their first new fragrance in over six years on November 1st at Harrods, London. While details about the new release remain scarce, the brand’s history of launching just six fragrances in the past decade highlights their thoughtful and meticulous approach to perfumery, making this upcoming launch all the more exciting.