let's swash that buckle.

Let's just. . .pretend it's Wednesday, shall we.

Contraceptive Diplomacy: Reproductive Politics and Imperial Ambitions in the United States and Japan, by Aiko Takeuchi-Demirci. Extremely good. I know little to nothing about the various historical contexts, but Takeuchi-Demirci is a clear writer on a fascinating subject, and manages to marry political history with women's history in a way that I don't see particularly often. She's also clear-eyed on the distressingly close connections between the early birth control movement and the eugenics/population control movement, and spends a lot of time teasing out those connections in both the U.S. and Japan (and among both white and Japanese people).

Crucible of Gold, by Naomi Novik. So much fun. It had all the joy of discovering a new dragon society that I felt was missing from Tongues of Serpents, plus political machinations, plus the return, however brief, of the Tswana dragons and Lethabo/Mrs. Erasmus. (I wanted so much more from that portion of the book, but I was so utterly delighted by the little glimpse of Lethabo we got, and how she's managing her new/old life.) I loved the Inca dragons and their feathers (!) and their totally different valuation system (which Temeraire immediately appropriates, which cracked me up). Overall the kind of delightful romp I expect from the series.

[Gay history sidenote: I always though of "invert" being a petty firmly twentieth-century phrasing, which the OED is backing me up on, listing its first use as meaning "gay" in 1897. I'm always a bit leery of trusting the OED for subculture-specific or slang terms, however, of which this is both, so if anyone happens to have any info on early nineteenth-century (or earlier) use of the word to mean a gay man/as a slang term for sodomite, I'd be fascinated.]

Reading Wednesday: Temeraire edition.

Empire of Ivory, by Naomi Novik. Oh god, I loved it. I meandered my way through the first three books in the series last year, enjoying them immensely but never really obsessed, but this one truly killed me; I think it's my favorite so far besides the first. Novik does such an excellent job balancing the history and the fantasy/adventure and the characters and relationships she's created, and that balance is, I think, the true appeal of these books: she juggles a lot, and keeps every ball in the air. This is the book, though, that felt to me like it wasn't just balancing these elements but breaking them open, and exploring and challenging each of her elements through the others.

( And if that doesn't make any sense, that's because here be SPOILERS )

Victory of Eagles, by Naomi Novik. I'm so pleased we finally get Temeraire's point of view; right off the bat, that was a lovely addition to this book. I did like it, though I loved it less than Empire of Ivory, overall: it felt like it backtracked somewhat on the thematic progression of Ivory, though plot-wise it dealt with that fallout well.

( And more spoilers )